Uneducated

A few nights ago, I was hanging out with my friend and her boyfriend, just sitting around, showing off my intensive knowledge of 90s music and watching youtube clips, when something shocking happened.  I mentioned something about Seth Rogen in conversation and my friend's boyfriend, Tim, had no idea who I was talking about. 

At first, I presumed he was joking.  I mean, come on, everyone knows who Seth Rogen is.  But after he kept up the "I Don't Know Who Seth Rogen is" jig, I pushed him, to show him that of course he knows who Seth Rogen is.  Come on, he was in Knocked Up and The 40-Year Old Virgin, and Superbad, and all of the most popular comedies of the past 3 years.  How could anyone not know my dear Seth?  Let alone a 23-year old college boy with a decent sense of humor.  

Tim continued testing my limits by admitting to me that he had never seen The 40-Year Old Virgin OR Superbad.  I actually still can't believe it.  I mean, I saw them both in theaters multiple times and own the dvds.  What's worse, Tim googled Seth and didn't even recognize him from pictures.

I got even more aggravated when Girl I Don't Like That My Friends Force Me To Hang Out With tried to show Tim who Seth was by saying that his last movie was Pineapple Express.  Ugh, I'm still annoyed about it.  Come on, Seth had half of the title role in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Observe and Report JUST came out, and he lent his voice to Monsters vs. Aliens.  Seth is everywhere.  He has clearly been in a movie since last summer.  

I clearly can't expect everyone I talk to to see every worthy movie, I mean, I haven't even seen Casablanca, but missing Seth Rogen?  That's like missing a major cornerstone of this generation.  I finally watched the entirety of The Office because I was tired of missing out.  Apatow is now.  Become a part of it.

Hooking Up

The other day, my number 1 commentar, AGF, sent me a link to an article about how hooking up is in and dating is out.  Because I have actually been living for the past decade or so, I can see that it's actually weirdly true.  

I have already wrote an entry about kissing, but not about real-life kissing.  Like, hey, let's just hook up until I decide whether or not I like you.  When I was little, I always thought that when

you were a teen

ager, you were supposed to go on a date, and decide at the end of the date whether or not to kiss the guy.  Well, buh bye to that concept, because in this day and age, it starts with the kiss, and after you make out a few times, you decide wheth

er or not you like this person and want to hang out fo realz.  

Last night I was talking to MBF (male best friend), and he was telling me about this girl that he has been hooking up with.  Apparantly down the road at some point, it might become a legit thing.  I just think that if a teen movie (besides Superbad) ever tried to portray hooking up with randos as a normal thing, everyone there would be construed as mondo-ho. But seriously, no ho-dom required.  

Actually, I just watched Nick and Norah for the fourth time, and it basically subscribes to the mentality I just described, making it a totally modern love story.  Score one for them!  Boy and girl kiss, boy and girl hang out, boy and girl get hot and heavy, boy and girl start dating,  Very nice.

Dating is for the going steady and getting pinned generation, a la Bye Bye Birdie.  This generation is physically active and pretty impatient, so let them slut-out!

We Love Judd and his self-deprecating humor

Not Judd Nelson, not Ashley Judd.  Actually, I do love Judd Nelson, who plays Bender in The Breakfast Club (from now on to be known as the bc), but I am not writing about him, because I haven't seen him in anything other than one episode of Will & Grace since the bc.  I'm obvs talking about Apatow.  The hairy hunk who produced such wonders as Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, The 40-year Old Virgin (sisters, shut up), Knocked Up, and sort of, my ultimate, Superbad.  

One of Judd's next big projects, after The Year One, is Judd's Sandler flick.  Which might be a huge deal for either end of the project.  In one episode of Undeclared (Netflix it ASAP), Adam Sandler came to their school to do a comedy show and Seth Rogen declared that they had to make him part of their group because he is "the funniest man alive."  The entire episode revolved around how fab Sandler is.  

Where did I read that Sandler is the type of person that you would sleep with because he is famous, even though he isn't attractive?

Whatever, Judd, Seth, and the whole crew somehow managed to secure Sandler for their next big project.  Actually, not somehow.  In this era, all the comedy that does well is by Judd.  Apatowian has actually become an adjective in some circles.  Maybe I'll start using it.  But anyway, it's gotta be great for AdSand's career to join forces with the unstoppable Freaks & Geeks family.  

But the train doesn't stop their.  Who remember Seth Rogen's monologue in Knocked Up, where he talks about how Munich is so sicknasty sweet because Eric Bana makes to make Jews look cool.  I guess Eric Bana was flattered, because he's there right alongside Adam Sandler, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann to rock it.  You go guys.  All there with your idols and fans.

But I heard that the whole Eric Bana monologue was improv, so I guess that Bana really has to thank Seth.

I like writing about this, but you might not like reading about it, so up next, I am going to write about something other than movies and tv.  Give me ideas, because my mind is drawing a blank.

Love you!

I Like Lists; Volume 2: Cancelled before I Was Done Edition

I read this Website, Television Without Pity, and a while ago, it made a list of shows that it thought were cancelled too early.  I am sure that countless websites or magazines have made this type of lists, so I figured, with another recent cancellation of a show that I like, that it's time that I make one.  Here it goes...

(warning, I accidentally get really into listing the cast members.  it gets pretty drawn out.  additionally, this is really way too long.  feel free just to skim.)

10.  Pushing Daisies- An obvious choice, but for a good reason.  It was clever, interesting, and had a killer cast.  I loved the coloring and visual effects.  And I still wish that I knew what happened with Ned's dad.  I'm still waiting for the one final episode that is set to air soon.

9.  Related-  I'm really not surprised that this one was cancelled.  It was fairly unknown, with a largely unknown cast and no overtly sexual, mysterious, or funny themes.  But it was cute.  A comedy about four sisters living in New York.  My sisters and I loved it.  But it was bound to meet its end, as it came to The WB, just as it was becoming The CW.

8.  Grosse Pointe- Most people don't remember this show.  Which is really sad, because this comedy about the making of a teen television drama, very similar to 90210 was hilarious.  It starred Big Red from Bring it On, Ross's girlfriend, Mona, from Friends, and this adorable guy, Kyle Howard, who you will recognize from whatever. He was actually on Related also.  Fortunately, my sister bought me the dvds, so I can watch it whenever.  Unfortunately, it ends without the chance to see the start of the romance.

7. Reunion-  Not the greatest show ever, but maybe on of the most attractive casts ever.  I'll explain that after I get a chance to explain the real tragedy behind the cancellation.  It was a mystery.  I have no idea how the mystery ends.  I NEED TO KNOW.  But yeah, it has the cute brother from Brothers and Sisters, the older brother, JJ, from American Dreams, sexy Sean Faris, from Sleepover and Life as We Know It, Meredith's sister, Lexi, from Grey's Anatomy, and Hailey Nichol from The O.C.  I was upset when the show started because it meant the ends of two shows (both on this list) and one character I liked, but I got attached.

6. Off Centre-  I can almost guarantee that no one other than my sisters, myself, and the cast remembers this show.  It was created by the makers of American Pie and starred Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and John Cho, best known for playing Harold in Harold and Kumar.  It was hilarious.  But I guess no one watched it, so buh bye.

5. Undeclared-  Judd Apatow.  Brilliant.  College comedy.  Only 17 amazing episodes.  It was after Freaks and Geeks, but in typical Judd fashion, it retained a lot of the same cast.  Seth Rogen and Jason Segel came from Freaks and Geeks, some other of the stars came to guest star.  Jason Segel played an insane boyfriend who worked at a copy store.  His girlfriend was played by period blood girl from Superbad (also known as Carla Gallo).  She is in a lot of Judd's work.  So is the lead character, Steven Karp, played by Jay Baruchel.  Love him.  It also had Dawson's Creek's Monica Keena.  She is amazing.  And the beautiful, like beyond beautiful Charlie Hunnam.  And Rufus Wainwright's dad, Loudon Wainwright III.  Singer of "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road."  I almost cried when the dvd series stopped for this tv show.  Best comedic guest stars I have ever seen on a tv show.

4. Life on Mars-  This is the one that propelled me to write this absurdly long list.  I just read on EW.com that it's being cancelled.  Fortunately, it's getting a proper send off, with a real finale and everything.  I loved this show.  Because I love American history and cities.  And this took place in New York City in the 70s.  But the main character, who is apparently British, came from 2008, so he retained all of the same awareness we have.  I like the crime solvings, and the slow to come mystery of why he is in 1973.  I don't want it to end!

3. Life as We Know It-  Before it came out, people thought it would be the male equivilent of My So-Called Life.  Angsty boys moaning over their families and relationships.  The boys were hot, like really really hot, the dialogue was snappy, and it was partially written by the writers of Freaks and Geeks.  Weirdly enough, Kelly Osbourne was on it.  Some people mocked her for being fat, but her boyfriend and pretty, popular best friends didn't mind the weight.  God, Sean Faris, Chris Lowell, and the non-hot one, Jon Foster.  His brother is Ben Foster, from the hilario movie, Get Over It.  This show really shouldn't have ended.  But it totally predicted the eventual popularity of Snow Patrol.

2. Freaks and Geeks-  An obvious choice.  The obvious choice.  In an era where the only comedies worth seeing are the ones written by Judd Apatow and his gang, there is really no need to even explain.  

1. American Dreams-  Typical American family living in Philly in the 1960s.  It uses culture from the era and real American news to propel it.  It was seriously smart, and seriously entertaining, with weekly musical guest stars appearing as singers from the 60s on American Bandstand.  Brittany Snow (pre Hairspray, John Tucker, and the Lily VDW GG spin-off) starred, alongside a ton of other insanely talented actors.  The show lasted 3 seasons, which is better than the one-season runs of the rest of the list, but the show had so much more it could do.  And what's worse, the music rights from the show make it nearly impossible to put to dvd.  I bought first season after waiting two years for the pricing to drop from $100 to $45.  But I'm still waiting for those next two...

p.s. My So-Called Life was a little too angsty for me.  I'm not that upset it was cancelled.

p.p.s. sorry this was so long.