Reminder: full lists of how many episodes remain can be found here: http://brentevans.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-update-ultimate-guide-to.html

The Season Finales are as Follows:
( Read more... )

How many new episodes are left for your favorite shows?

http://brentevans.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-update-ultimate-guide-to.html

Okay, I know that several of our friends enjoyed THE ARISTOCRATS in the theater, so we decided to rent it on DVD. Sorry, but we were only to able to make it through the first 17 minutes before we decided we were done. It wasn't so much the language as it was the beating of the dead horse; hearing about the circumstances of people's "first time" was interesting, but after we learned the joke and people started riffing on it, it quickly became boring. I didn't think the joke concept was itself very funny, so how many variations can you hear of the same joke before it moves from interesting to an academic exercise to blah? Not too many, it turns out, when the whole point of the telling is to see just how over the top you can be with concepts as offensive as possible. Just not our style, I guess, but then I don't care for jazz music, either.

Project Runway: When we first met Malan, I was convinced he was a pretentious ass along the lines of Stephen from TOP CHEF. I really didn't like him (either of those two guys), and was happy to see him go. However, I do now feel a little sorry for Malan after the revelations we got about him in this episode - his mother completely blowing off his design efforts as a child, and his loneliness and how much he valued being a part of the PR group. DSR doesn't buy it, and thinks Malan was just being manipulative at the end.

The Miss Universe pageant was last night. Miss USA's evening gown was nothing like any dress from the PR episode. Huh?
EDIT: found a photo of her in the dress http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5504/2884/320/TaraConner.jpg


New DVDs coming soon: ANIMANIACS!!! (vol 1) PINKY AND THE BRAIN!! (selected episodes) We're very excited. :) They'll be released tomorrow.

Gossip for fans of Project Runway:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/7660806.html#cutid1

D.E.B.S - basically a parody of Charlie's Angels, funnier than we thought it would be, and worth catching on cable

The Producers (2005) - pretty good, Broderick is obviously channeling Gene Wilder (only not quite as good), and I can visualize what this probably looked like on stage. Uma is a hoot.

Nanny MacPhee - the kids were really quite rotten, so I'm not so sure I'd show this to Z again even though he requested it. It was interesting how very beautiful Emma Thompson looked after seeing her in the ugly makeup. Colin Firth is aging fairly well, but I'll always vote for P&P as his ultimate charisma role.

MirrorMask - simple story but visually stunning and quite magical; we're considering buying.

Just Like Heaven - cute, fairly predictable, but better than many of the rom-coms coming out these days.

Last Holiday - Queen Latifah does a good job here even though the supporting actors are caricatures, but it's an airy confection that won't stand up to too much scrutiny. Vaguely a rom-com, but there's not much rom.

Walk the Line - very good, powerful performances, and reminded me that I've always liked Johnny Cash's music.

The Second Coming - Christopher Eccleston before he was Doctor #9; the story is powerful and very well done, if a bit creepy.

40 Year-Old Virgin - funnier than we thought it would be, and worth watching. Good acting.

Legend of Zorro - not nearly as much fun as Mask of Zorro, but Antonio and Catherine are still muy sexy.

We have just purchased the 4-dvd set "The Best of The Electric Company", containing 20 episodes of the show. Z is entranced. And I am realizing just how complicated this English-language thing is.

And what about ... Naomi?

"The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra"

Umm, yeah.

I think this review says it best: "It's not really for people who love bad movies- those fans are laughing AT the movie. Lost Skeleton wants you to laugh WITH it. On the other hand, you have to have a certain familiarity with schlock cinema to appreciate it. I guess MST3K fans would be the closest thing to an ideal audience...but it's still not the same experience. The script is so carefully crafted to be horrible, it's impossible to make fun of MST3K/Rocky Horror style. The acting is also excellent. The easy way out is to "pretend" to be a bad actor. This crew comes off as a group of good actors making the best of a dreadful script. I know I sure couldn't memorize and/or deliver lines this complicated."

Free on a cable channel near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=zLElfJ9YCh0

I looooved it!

- Still very funny, especially the more musicals you know.
- Serious mic problems; not switched on when they should be, not working consistently, a little feedback. Unfortunately, you lose some of the lyrics because of this.
- As often happens at MIT (and other schools that don't have theater degree programs), the orchestra and the actors were woefully under-rehearsed. The music is often fairly sophisticated, and sometimes the melody escaped the singer or instrumentalist.
- Still, a funny evening that we enjoyed and would recommend to other SW or musicals geeks. Count the cameos in the cantina scene!

HOWEVER: important note for those going on a weeknight like we did - the running time is 3 hours 30 minutes including intermission! We got home just after midnight, and blessed my mom for having gotten Z into his jammies and asleep in his own regular bed spot.

EDIT: also, apparently all waiting list people were seated. This was a Wed, so I don't know how long the wait list was, though.