magicdog

Oh my YES! The whole time I kept hearing about "princess room this" and "fairy tale that"; it was driving me buggy! Something tells me Miss "I want a 4000 sq ft house" doesn't wash her own floors either. To want a house that big, they must expect to have maid service make regular visits. Another annoyance for me was the references to "South Las Vegas". I live in LV, and the city is identified as East & West, and subdivided into Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast. There is no "South Las Vegas" per se. Many parts of town are identified by neighborhoods. We have Summerlin, Centennial Hills, The Lakes, etc. The house located "in the north" most likely was in the "Summerlin" community.

She became a prostitute. It looked like a brothel had been raided in the scene we see her in. In the film's normal timeline, it was mentioned how Violet "loved all the boys" and was a notorious flirt who tried to land George at various times. She'd walk down the street wearing a sexy dress, and when George asked what she was wearing, she replied, "Oh this? This is something I wear when I don't care how I look like!".

One of my favorite Christmas songs (which is so good, I listen to it all year long) is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by The Barenaked Ladies. Their unique arrangement of the song turned an almost forgotten Christmas tune into a new standard. I also like a tune from the folk group, The Chad Mitchell Trio, who recorded "The Marvelous Toy" back in 1963. Best part is, you just can't figure out just what the toy is!

The Bishop's Wife (1947), the film it's based on, IMO is far superior.  Agreed. Although I wish Potter had received his comeuppence. I know SNL did a sketch back in the day (with Dana Carvey as George Bailey) , but I wish Capra had seen fit to use his original idea which was for Potter to have .

Beware! Unpopular opinions to follow: Sorry to be the party pooper but the finale left me angry! I hated seeing Kora and Asami go off together like that. I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but they did. It was out of left field and I found it to be pandering on the part of Bryke quite frankly. I didn't hope for either Korra or Asami to get back with Mako, but I didn't want this either. I was also disappointed with Kuvira giving up and willing to take her punishment. I would have wanted to see her defiant and angry to the bitter end! I wanted her to get taken down by the spirit vines (as previously speculated) or self destruct. I liked that Varrick and Zhu-Li finally got together - their relationship at least made sense. Bolin is legally able to conduct weddings now? Since when? Hiroshi Sato, we hardly knew ye! Too bad you didn't have more time with your daughter now that you've had three - four years of prison to realize what you'd lost. A new spirit portal? Whaaa? No, I'm not happy with that. Especially since the spirits showed no interest in protecting or helping our heroes. RC is good enough to grow your vines in, but not good enough to defend? I was also a bit disappointed with Prince Wu's conclusion; I thought it was good that he was improving as a person and potential leader (and he seems to have inherited his great grandfather's way with animals - loved his work with the badger moles!), but I hated that he was so quick to give up the throne. I would have liked to have seen him try to take the reins of the old kingdom and perhaps modify his role as a constitutional monarch rather than an absolute ruler. I do agree that I don't see many parallels between Kuvira and Korra other than their brash natures. Kuvira was willing to do what it took to take over the Earth Kingdom because she wanted power, and definitely would not have stopped with RC if she hadn't been defeated. She was williing to betray her adopted family/mentors (Su Yin's family), willing to kill her finace, subjugate her people, and destroy any city with her spirit weapon. Korra, while she was a hot headed kid who was all gung ho to be the Avatar and take the world by storm, at least wasn't out to harm people or sell them out to do it. I was also unhappy Korra never reconnected with her past selves. Secretly, I would have preferred to have seen her find a new way to do so. IMO, she screwed up the role of Avatars big time. Agreed. I wouldn't have minded if they had begun a romantic relationship when they were a bit older and their age difference would have been less jarring.

Sugarplums. They're not bad either! This. It's worse still when there is a bible or set of rules which out of desperation, are broken by TPTB. I think of Quantum Leap in which one of the rules was that Sam would never leap into somone famous (he ended up leaping into a young Elvis and Lee Harvey Oswald) or something preposterous (leaping into a chimp). There was a plan to leap Sam into a dog and an infant; luckily the show limped to an end before that happened.

I think it depends on the version. I hate Madonna's version of "Santa Baby" - Eartha Kitt's version from 1953 is the original and the best as far as I know. Try it . I love "I Saw Mommy..." by a variety of artists, but I'm weary of The Ronettes' version which seems to get the most airplay on our 24/7 Christmas stations. In fact, I don't like any Christmas song sung by them! Their version of "Frosty The Snowman" grates - especially when Ronnie Spector's accent takes over (FRAW-stee, duh snoo-MAN). 

I finally got to see the ep for myself and it's definitely one of the weaker ones for several reasons. The producers' legal consultant obviously wasn't scrutinizing the script since, as previously mentioned, some legal jargon was misused (the civil trial, etc.). Someone should have caught that. As for Erin's case, I hope the writers plan to revisit it because it ended too abruptly. We needed to know what became of the brother. However I loved it when Erin let the girl have it about the jailbird lawyer myth. If she ends up in prison, the best she'll be able to do is clog the legal system with paperwork about how there's a lack of crunchy peanut butter in the commissary. Someone needed to yell at that girl, especially since she could have gone to her boss about the problem way before this. It also shows how slack Erin is about office security; her access card should NEVER have been accessible to anyone. It should have been on her person or locked in a drawer. Frank's problem I understood - It's a matter of pride. When bad things happen under his watch, it ultimately reflects on him as well of the department. The Commish is the top man in the NYPD. He has quite a burden since it's very easy for some group to get angry over an issue and accuse him of purposely ignoring them. Frank's been at the job long enough to still be in this way of thinking. It's also not unusual for similar situations for private citizens to hire private [armed] security. It shouldn't really have been an issue. Even the NYPD can't be there 24/7 and have plenty of other crimes to deal with. As the old saying goes, when seconds count, the police are minutes away. Ditto. I also loved how he wasn't intimidated by Baez's threats! Linda did the right thing. She may be married to a cop, but she's not one herself and confronting the guy directly would have only lead to trouble. Just because you have a gun [as a civilian] doesn't mean you should automatically draw it. Speaking of which - this storyline could have been dealt with better. A first time concealed gun owner would have been advised about holstering it. After buying the gun, the salesperson would have discussed with her some concealed holsters. A woman carrying a gun in her purse is never advised (and the image of such in this day and age is an insult) as she wouldn't have quick access to it. If anything, she'd have had a bra holster or a similar concealed holster. That was also weak. While it's true gun ownership isn't for everyone, they shouldn't have had Linda chicken out. If anything she could have asked her husband to help teach her how to use it or at least get lessons at an area shooting range. It's not uncommon for crazy things to go down in an ER, especially in NYC. Some patients are gangbangers and may still be armed with something that wasn't found on them when they were brought in. Other times someone just plain nuts could wander in and threaten the staff. Of course, it also depends on if the hospital considers itself a gun free zone or not - in which case the staffers are out of luck (short of armed security guards). I was also annoyed that Linda claimed Danny was "disrespecting" her. IMO, he wasn't.

No, it's NOT that bad. In fact, I don't understand why people act like it's Outer Mongolia either! It has lots of beautiful old neighborhoods, parks, family friendly.

Charmed is infamous for its bloopers and inconsistancies, especially in its first three seasons. Actors change places, objects switch from one hand to another, etc. This site has a list a mile long from the show's run.

As a native NY'er myself, I chalk it up to his day to day life. His father and grandfather are/were police commissioners and are expected to enunciate and look and act professional especially when giving pressers. His sister and Jaime are/were lawyers so they tended to also ease up on the accents for public speaking. Danny worked in the trenches and chose to keep the accent (even though IRL, Wahlberg is a native of Boston and not NY). I liked Jennifer Esposito and really miss her since she left the series. I thought she was the perfect balance of NY/Italian-American/ and cop. She came off as very genuine to me. It's Danny's current partner, Baez I can't stand. I also loved Jaime's training officer played by Nicholas Turturro. Very authentic in every way. Being a Police Commissioner pays very well, so I don't doubt the nice house Frank and his dad live in. Danny's and Linda's house looks right for their middle class level. I don't remember where Jaime lives now - I remember he lived in a nice loft that belonged to his ex-fiancée for a while when she left the county but I don't know where he lives now. Erin was married to a shark so they would have had some money together and after the divorce, she probably got to keep their house. As someone who works in media and sees loads of pressers, the [police] are always speaking like this - it's rooted in how they write their reports. They have official jargon and it sometimes carried over into day to day speech.

I had been trying to place his accent - it seemed to go back and forth. To makes matters worse, I think the actor should have his lines redubbed. I'm not hard of hearing but at times I could barely understand what he was saying.

The misfit song - totally! It's a song anyone can relate to and it makes more sense in context to the characters singing it . In fact, a local radio station used it for their local AM morning crew!

While I do not approve of adults constantly made to look bad or outright stupid compared to their kids, I don't think that was it. Back then, kids automatically feared their parents' wrath and a lot of us growing up always thought Mom & Dad were going to "kill" us for some perceived screw up. Most times, it was never as bad as we thought it was. See I don't see it that way. HH didn't take place in a concentration camp anyway - it was a POW camp. While IRL, that wouldn't have been a picnic, this was a sitcom which aired only 20 years removed from WW2. Most viewers of the show in first run were likely vets of the war. They seemed to like it fine despite those times. Many of the actors from the show were Jewish and/or had real life run ins with the regime (Robert Clary lost almost his entire family in the Holocaust, John Banner had family in Austria who were at risk). Plus, the show was all about putting one over on the Nazis. Werner Klemperer famously said he insisted he'd play the role of a camp Commandant as long as it was agreed he'd NEVER win over Hogan. The only thing about the show that bugs me are the 60s hair and [women's] fashions when they should have had a more 40s feel. Not to mention I think every episode took place in the wintertime! There were always patches of snow on the ground!!

Either that or Austria during the Anschluss.

One thing I find interesting is how Pete & Jim were the face of the modern police and the ideal in everything from professional demeanor with the public to being trusted partners. On many sites discussing alleged abuse of authority, I often come across this image: .

Josie & The Pussycats - the original cartoon (1970). I found a CD collection of all the tunes from the show - love it! The Hardy Boys (1969) - their album is available on iTunes and it's actually better than some might think. Even the theme song is fun. Most impressive is that the live action counterparts used to record the album and play in the opening credits all had viable musical backgrounds. One guitarist, Reed Kailing eventually joined the Grass Roots, The girl was a former Playboy bunny but was also a trained jazz vocalist. The drummer was a popular session and touring musician for the biggest R&B/Soul acts of the day. The others were very skilled session musicians. "One In A Million" is one of my faves. I would also include HB's The Impossibles (1966) but they never released any vinyl and none of their songs were played completely in their shorts - but I do like what I can catch onscreen! If it ever gets released somewhere in complete versions, I'd be the first to buy a collection.

Interesting that mother and daughter address one another as "Chief"!

Assuming Mai is her mother. As far as attitude goes, it makes sense or her to not be in a hurry to go to war. The world has been in relative peace for only 70 years and embroiled in war and subjugation for over a century before. I wouldn't be surprised if Zuko stressed keeping the FN in the background while Republic City was growing.

For me, it's The Monkees' only feature film, "Head" (1968). If a coherent storyline had been used for the film rather than the vignette style ultimately used, the film could have been far more popular. According to various group interviews, the band, Jack Nicholson, and Bob Rafelson toked up in a hotel room for a few days and let a tape recorder roll as they discussed ideas for the film. That's what ended up onscreen. It left fans confused (those old enough to attend, the film was initially given one of the first "R" ratings in movie history, even though nothing in the film seems to have earned such a strong rating) and with their series off the air and slipping record sales, the band's fate was sealed. In the film, Titanic (1997), I wished two major plot points had been changed: first that Rose not be so eager to live a downwardly mobile lifestyle with Jack (do you know how tough it was to live poor in 1912?? Especially someone who'd never done manual labor in her life). The second, that her finacee Cal Hockley hadn't been portrayed as such a jerk. I would have found it far more satisfying if they had felt a bit apprehensive at their engagement (due to being pressured by Rose's mother), but Cal coming through by the film's end, watching their love blossom during the voyage. Instead we got a rebellious rich girl going at in in the backseat of a car in the cargo hold! Bah!!

I can top that - Tanya Roberts, who was in "A View To A Kill" (1985). Darn it if that woman did nothing but utter "James!" in Every. Single. Scene. When first watching it, I began to think the woman had no other lines in the script!! As far as fave Bonds go, I used to favor Roger Moore since those were the first movies running on TV and theatres at the time. But once I got to see Sean Connery's films, I was sold! He truly is the standard to whom all other Bonds are measured. I remember watching the first Bond film, "Dr. No" and feeling a bit underwhelmed. I learned it was because the subsequent films were played up with the cool gadgets and outrageous stunts. "Dr. No" is almost pedestrian in compaison. When it became known that Pierce Brosnan was up for the role, we all thought he was a good choice but were seriously peeved his debut was delayed just so NBC could make Remington Steele limp for one more unnecessary season. By the time he finally got to play Bond, he was fast aging out of the role. I wasn't sure about Daniel Craig when he was first announced to be the new Bond, but I grew to like him and he does have that "rough around the edges" quality he and Connery have. I remember reading somewhere that suggested there should be a Bond film which has all the Bond actors on screen. The theory was "James Bond - 007" was a moniker given to protect the actual identities of certain British agents. When a Bond retires, the new agent takes on the mantle and name of James Bond, 007 until he dies/retires. It'd be a hoot to see all the actors together sipping martinis together at a British Home for Retired Spies (or island for you "Prisoner" fans!). Connery belongs here too. IRL, he's a pretty tough customer. There's the famous story of his beating up mobster Johnny Stompanato (then the boyfriend of his co-star, Lana Turner). Connery and Turner were working on a film in England, and Stompanato didn't approve of him. He threatened Connery on set and Connery gave him a thrashing and had him thrown off the set.

If you had asked me when I was a teen if I liked Country music I would have said no. Looking back, I was listening to it all along and didn't realize it. Much of my early exposure to it were the country/R&R crossovers from the 50s and 60s (my parents were the first generation of R&R lovers) like Elvis, The Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, etc. I loved those acts of course, but I tended to think of them as rockers rather than country. After I heard an infomercial for a classic country collection, I realized, I really like the genre. Admittedly, the later day country artists are fewer and farther between than the earlier artists, but I realized it's not a bad thing to like country. I say this because I had a teacher in HS who used to deride it - saying that all the songs were the same - the prevailing theme being, 'My wife left me', rather than the rebellion of R&R. Patsy Cline still moves me (and if she hadn't died so soon, I wonder what "Blue" might have sounded like in HER voice), as does Jim Reeves. I also fell in love with Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash's hit, "Jackson". They perform it so well together. Truly a match in music as well as marriage.

For mid 60s rock/pop, I came across a band whose music still holds up fairly well - The Critters. They did a version of "A Younger Girl" (which the Lovin' Spoonful made famous) which rivals other recordings. Their biggest hit was "Mr. Dieingly Sad"; this was the tune that lead me to finding this group. I'm also partial to their tunes, "Don't Let The Rain Fall Down On Me" and "Children & Flowers" (written by Jackie DeShannon).

The Red Button. technically they're not so much a band as a pair of singer songwriters who had a mutual love of 60s pop. They've released two albums so far and I found them by accident. One of their tunes was playing on satellite radio; after finding their site and downloading their albums, I play them regularly. My faves of theirs are "Can't Stop Thinking About Her", "Gonna Make You Mine", and "Caught In The Middle". When I listen to these songs with my eyes closed, I feel like it's 1966, and these guys are sharing the stage with bands like The Byrds or The Critters (a VERY unappreciated band from that era). If The Wonders (From "That Thing You Do!") had been a real band, they probably would have graduated to this.

Yeah it was. Don't forget Loverboy's "Queen of The Broken Hearts", Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "You Got Lucky" and Kiss' "Lick It Up". I think it had to do with the popularity of the Mad Max films.