House M.D. : Last Resort (Caption it!)

Facts can (sometimes) be boring, so let’s get them out of the way!

1. This episode was directed by House M.D. executive producer, Katie Jacobs.

2. This episode is the longest of all House episodes to air, clocking in at 68 minutes.

3. The main guest star was Zeljko Ivanek.

4. Why was House looking in Cuddy’s desk? It’s an UNSOLVED MYSTERY, sorry. It was never explained so it’s up to you to decide if he was stealing something, just snooping, or hiding an invitation to a disco-themed Christmas party he wants to invite her to.

5. Many people don’t like this episode, or this season for two reasons. One reason is because they dislike the ‘new team’ (especially the focus on the character Thirteen aka Olivia Wilde) and the other is that they dislike ‘Huddy’ aka House and Cuddy flirting and kissing and robbing banks. Actually, people would be swayed to like them more if they did rob a bank together, I bet.

Adding up the Pros and Cons of Last Resort:

1. I did like the episode but I don’t like the new team, and I’m not a big fan of House/Cuddy, either. (CON)

2. House referenced the movie Dog Day Afternoon, which I’ve never seen. Should I? I always like pop-culture references. (PRO)

3. I really liked the phrasing House had when he said, ‘…cool constellation of problems’. (PRO)

4. It was easy to tell early on that House didn’t have his Vicodin on him, or had apparently run out of it. But he never once made any demands that to work he needed some. Was he working through the pain, forgetting the pain at some points, or being selfless/nervous? You could see at the end of the episode he popped some Vicodin. What do you think? It was an interesting storypoint, even though they never mentioned it aloud. Which, in turn, means they’re treating us like smart viewers! (PRO)

5. There was a commercial with Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman!) because she’s apparently designed some jewelry for a cause. I’m sure the cause is worthy and all, but the jewelry is UGLY.If you’re a celeb - man, hire someone who knows what they’re doing to help you design things! I will also not be buying the house that Justin Timberlake designed! Having a ‘goldfish room’ just isn’t practical. (Unless you’re Chris from The BBC’s Skins.) (Not applicable, just bugged me.)

6. They made everyone very identifiable in scenes with lots of people. I was giving them nicknames like ‘purple beret girl‘ and ‘emo boy with scarf‘. But then the girl took off her beret and it ruined my entire system. Foiled again. Still, there was: nurse, couple, big guy - you could still tell who the people were pretty easily. And they did find ways to develop their personalities into the overall story arc - which of course, is crucial if you want people to care about them. (PRO)

7. My heart LEAPT FOR JOY when, for an INSTANT, the old and new team was all together (mostly). Sigh. Chase and Foreman didn’t want to play, though. (CON)

8. I could believe that the characters would really do exactly what they did. Realism, check! (PRO)

9. House was super-snarky. Just how I like him. I also like him in arglye socks so I hope they write that in later on this season.(PRO)

Bonus: My diagnosis for the guy? Easy, psh - chicken pox.

Cons: 2

Pros: 6

—-

Misc:

I finally saw Across the Universe (the two-disc Special Edition) and loooove, love, love it. The problem being that I’ve totally overplayed it and am currently sick of it. Thanks to IMDB I am able to see who played Jude and Prudence - my favorites of the film. If you are too lazy to go see, it’s Jim Sturgess and T.V. Carpio.

I really loved the movie version of Dear Prudence, as can be seen on YouTube (wait until the singing starts to judge it!):

My second favorite song/scene is probably I’ve Just Seen a Face:

Okay, and this one was great, too! (I Want You / She’s So Heavy)

Chance are good I’m going to be buying the Across The Universe soundtrack [Deluxe Edition] since the songs are so fun and great and ahhh. It makes me have a whole new appreciation for The Beatles and so I want to go listen to their original stuff. Although, people mock me because I totally believe in the conspiracy about how Paul McCartney isn’t the original Paul McCartney. Imposter, ahoy!

Yes, I believe in the ‘Paul is Dead’ thing! Okay, I know you think this is nuts. BUT, if you look at other websites that compare the faces and the height of the original Paul to the other (against the other guys) it starts to look really fishy! I’m a skeptic, I swear.

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It’s all amazing. I, too, want to download every unicorn movie ever made. One time I was at a carnival (’cause they’re awesome) and I won one of those horribly cheesy prizes which was like a smallish poster with a unicorn on it. Best loot ever.

I also had a plastic purple unicorn drink coaster once. And my love for the movie The Last Unicorn is unyielding. Oh! And I had a really large white unicorn that, when I was young, was basically lifesize. …Now I’m sad because I have no idea where he is. I feel the same way about Luke Perry, though.

Oscar is angry...just not in THIS picture.

Now, unlike the Heroes webisodes that were kind of uh - not awesome, The Office webisodes are indeed made of win and awesome. At least the first one is! In this one, Oscar is very angry and no one knows why. So Andy decides to pay someone $100.00 to find out - because it’s just the responsible thing to do (and Andy is, first and foremost - responsible). My guess? Oscar’s talking to the cable guy! New webisodes for this story will be posted every Thursday on NBC.com.

The Last Unicorn / The Secret of Nimh (2 Pack)

Ganz Fantasy Friends Plush 6″ Unicorn (Pink) I have my unicorn voice ready to animate her.

The Last Unicorn book. Uh oh, I didn’t read the book first!

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We discussed Christmas presents, season two of The Guild, those now infamous DDR skills of Felicia Day, the hazards of working with Jeff Vork, and why you wouldn’t see the characters of The Guild on a reality TV show.

Amy Okuda (center) at Comic Con with Jeff Lewis and Robin Thorsen

Tinkerballa is often seen playing a Nintendo DS (full disclosure: I had no idea what it was exactly called until I Googled a bit), no matter what else is also occupying her attention. I think this is quiet a feat since I can hardly talk on the phone and walk without tripping, I mean - uh, anyway! Through WatchTheGuild’s YouTube page I learned you actually do like to play your DS. Are you actually playing your DS (very ‘method’) when you’re shooting? What are your favorite games?

Amy Okuda (AO): HAHA. No, that is actually Felicia’s DS, and it’s never turned on…I just poke at the buttons on a blank screen…My own DS is actually Pink :), which would have probably fit Tink’s character well, but I forgot to bring mine on the day of the shoot, so we just used Felicia’s… My favorite game that I ALWAYS play is Mario Kart. I also got into that game Brain Age, but nothing will replace Mario Kart.

Can you single out one of the most memorable scenes of The Guild that you’ve filmed? (And don’t leave us hanging or we’ll cry - tell us why?)

AO: I think all of the scenes we get to all film together are pretty memorable and fun. Most of the time it’s just me talking to a blank computer. So when all of us get to be on set together, I have a really good time.

Given that you recite lines like, “I was being raped by goblins and you’re standing there with your staff up your ass!” and your fellow castmates have other hilarious gems like, “These aren’t hams I’m smuggling!” (Robin Thorsen as Clara, re: her breasts) is it difficult for you to control the impulse to laugh while filming scenes? How long could the gag reel be if you guys didn’t edit it?

AO: OMG, it’s SOO hard to not laugh when we are shooting together. The person that makes me laugh the most on set is Jeff who plays Vork. He’s just so funny and awkward, it’s amazing.

Christmas is coming up, what do you think Tinkerballa might ask for?

AO: Hmm… I don’t know what Tink wants, but I definitely know what Amy wants…ANYTHING FROM TIFFANY’S! Hah I am just kidding. Tink might ask for a PS2, or that new World of Warcraft extension that just came out… But I’m sure she would have gotten that the day it came out in stores… haha.

With the exception of the blind, one can’t help but notice how bright and colorful Tink’s room is. I have to know, is that someone’s actual bedroom or is it all a set? Because colors are able to affect us in such potent-yet-unconscious ways, is it impossible to be sad in that space? (I feel like I could watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in there and shed not a single tear!)

AO: It’s actually a bedroom in Felicia’s house. I don’t really know if the room ALWAYS looks like that, but they do a great job dressing it up to make the room very “Tink”. I love how it’s so girly and pink but then you see random Skulls or munchkins with their butts hanging out scattered around the room.

The Guild Season One is on DVD to buy, NOW!

Season two has finally begun, so I will go off my (super-pretend-and-in-no-way-actually-real) hunger strike! Can you tell us if we’ll get to meet Tinkerballa’s once-mentioned boyfriend?

AO: I don’t want to give anything away for the upcoming season, but I can say that Tink does have some sort of interaction with a male figure in season 2.

Since you’ve been a professional dancer, do you think you can give (or have already given) castmate Felicia Day (who plays Codex & writes the show) a run for her money at DDR? (Fans can see Day’s energetic DDRing on YouTube.)

AO: Of course not! Have you seen that video?! Felicia Day is a DDR master. No one can top that.

(Editor’s note: Sounds like a challenge to me…perhaps a one Mr. Sandeep Parikh would like to try?)

If members of The Guild (the characters, not the actors) were going to be on a reality show, which would you pick for them to all be on together? And for a bonus round question: If you could spend a day as a cast member on any reality show series (more than a day might be dangerous to your health and/or sanity), which would you pick?

AO: I think The Guild characters would be the worst people to put on a reality show because they wouldn’t do anything but play games. There wouldn’t be enough drinking, partying, hooking up, or fighting which MAKES reality shows these days… But if i could be in a reality show I would definitely want to be on one of The Real world/Road Rules challenges on MTV. I would probably suck at the challenges and get kicked off first, but they always go to the coolest places!!

I’m hoping to see you in more and more acting projects because you’re all kinds of talented. Are you happiest acting in the comedy genre?

AO: AWW YAY THANKS! Hopefully you will see me in more stuff in the future after I graduate college, but yeah, I do love comedy. I’d also like to try some drama stuff too, like my dream is to be on Grey’s Anatomy… HAHA. Well, my real/big dream is to have my own TV show, sitcom or drama. I’d take either. HAHA.

In five words or less, what can fans expect from season two of The Guild?

AO: Lots of laughs :). Yay!

—

And we’re ready for season two, which begins today!

Season Two Trailer of The Guild

Official Site: http://www.watchtheguild.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/watchtheguild

MySpace: www.myspace.com/watchtheguild

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Guild/6068232341

Buy an official Guild t-shirt for someone special, like maybe the Tom Lenk-looking dude at the library you’ve been stalking! I mean, what?! Me? No. No. I don’t even GO to the library! I mean, sure I go, but like, um… what?

I am so leaving now. I need a Diet Coke. And maybe a good alibi…

The photo is from BobbyProm at Flickr.

P.S. Thanks to Whedonage.com I learned: “You can follow these members of The Guild on Twitter: Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, Vork, Kim Evey,  Greg Benson (as Mediocre Films)”

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Leverage pilot picture : The Nigerian Job

If you like a good A-team, you’ll enjoy this show. I ended up watching the pilot twice. This show is an action/thriller in a similar vein to Alias or 24. Their motto could be ‘yay for deception!’ Only they don’t wear wigs - uh, yet.

Timothy Hutton plays Nathan Ford - our Robin Hood ringleader. He has a major thing for Sophie Devereaux as played by Gina Bellman. She’s an actress with the ability to think on her feet - even when they’re pinched by expensive shoes. These two characters have a past together, although admittedly (though I like romance) I am the least interested in them and their intertwined story. I mostly enjoyed the three other main characters: Parker, Spencer and Hardison (in no specific order).

“That’s 20 lbs of crazy in a 5 lb bag,” is how Christian Kane’s character, Eliot Spencer, describes Beth Riesgraf’s character, Parker. He isn’t lying, either - she is crazy. Crazy in the best way possible. Parker is a thief who became one when her father got mad at her and angrily told her to, “be a good girl, or…a better thief.” She decided on the latter. When I saw what she did in retaliation, at first I thought it was overkill. But as we got to know the character I decided that she truly is that crazy. She’s very possibly the most dangerous person on the show due to her unpredictable nature.

Leverage pilot picture : The Nigerian Job

Eliot Spencer is what I’d call a humble badass. He’s an expert in all things violent, so you should probably not piss him off unless you fancy having your limbs broken.

On the other end of the spectrum, Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) doesn’t try to be humble, nor should he. He’s the tech guy, and he also brings in a lot of the funny.

Quotes I liked:

“How many plans do we have? Is there like, a plan M?” - Alec Hardison
“Yea, Hardison dies in plan M.” - Nathan Ford
“I like plan M.” - Eliot Spencer

“…that makes me cry inside in my special angry place.” - Parker

“You seem pretty relaxed for a guy with a gun pointed on him.” - Alec Hardison
“Safety’s on.”- Eliot Spencer
“Like I’m gonna fall for that.” - Alec Hardison
“No, actually he is right, the safety is on.” - Nathan Ford

Leverage pilot picture : The Nigerian Job

The series premiere is on Sunday, December 7th at 10/9 c. It will be airing commercial free. The regular time will be on Tuesdays at 10/9 c. - this will start December 9th, so you’ll only have to wait a couple days for your next Leverage fix.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

I will now be contributing to the blog run by Taylor, TEN Gossip, a couple times a week - how exciting is that? (Um, VERY!) Did you hear about my fake!boyfriend cheating on me with Emily Blunt?

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People kill themselves in view of the online world, perhaps as if to say ’see, this is how much you/the world has hurt me - I’ll make you see’. This is absolutely wrong and suicide is never the right answer. However there is something that disturbs beyond that, and it’s the reaction to this boy’s desperate attempt. It’s the way people so openly (and conveniently anonymously) mock and harass other people on the internet. (Which is sadly visible to some extent in the screen captures here.)

Cyber-bullying, as it is coined, doesn’t just occur between teens. The ability to be anonymous and say what you want causes a problem because most people seem to either lack or refuse to use a sense of humanity and respect when they see a way to harass and get away with something. And this isn’t new either - it’s a lot like that ‘ding-dong-ditch’ game, in a sense. Only this time it’s much more personal.

Too many people refuse to take responsibility for cruel things they say, it’s become acceptable to be a jerk rather than an empathetic person. Of course I can’t say I’ve never said something about someone - online or offline - that wasn’t nice.

I understand the inclination to write-off anyone’s pitying comments in a chat room about how they want to die.  I can recall being in AOL chat rooms back in the day and seeing people say they were going to kill themselves. This was generally followed by people telling them that they should  - calling their bluff. (Let me make a plea to anyone who feels depressed to try not to sort out feelings with the anonymous online world in a chat, and instead call one of the many free 24-hour hotlines there to provide support.)

My first, and most personally severe incident with what could be called cyber-bullying occurred when I was very new to the Internet. I was 16 years-old when someone online got mad at my friend and I and then made very graphically violent comments about murdering us, coming to get us, and so forth. I’ll admit…it scared me shitless.

That is obviously very different than the Biggs’ story and the MySpace bullying that goes on today,  but had that happened in flesh-reality I would have reported them to the police. But the world online is very tricky territory when it comes to threats. It’s almost expected, so police don’t want to do anything (as you can read in the article regarding Biggs). Of course, how can we expect the police to follow-up on every possible false threat? That’s impossible.

The only comment I could make to the Mashable article at the time that I read it was simply this: I hate that I can believe this happens.

Resource I would recommend:

Befrienders.org : Find a free hotline based on the issue that is causing you pain.

What I've been listening to while writing this. I think Jewel has a healing voice.

You find yourself falling down
Your hopes in the sky
But you heart like grape gum on the ground
And you try to find yourself
In the abstractions of religion
And the cruelty of everyone else
And you wake up to realize
Your standard of living somehow got stuck on survive

- Jewel, lyrics to Deep Water on the Spirit Album

Fill your lives with love and bravery
And you shall lead a live uncommon

- Jewel, lyrics to Life Uncommon on the Spirit album

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Now I’ll ask you another question. Is it bad if my role model of the moment is Doctor Gregory House? If you say anything as predictable and boring as ‘yes’, then I’ll just mock you. See? I’ve ALREADY transformed! So, I cannot be stopped.

People may not always like House. They may not always respect him. But they do fear him. And that’s really much better than those first two options. That’s how you can make them do what you say! > ; )

Transcription?! Yes. Oui. Here: (make it your away message and annoy everyone!)

“Hello, sick people and their loved ones! In the interest of saving time and avoiding a lot of boring chitchat later, I’m Doctor Gregory House; you can call me “Greg.” I’m one of three doctors staffing this clinic this morning. This ray of sunshine is Doctor Lisa Cuddy. Doctor Cuddy runs this whole hospital, so unfortunately she’s much too busy to deal with you. I am a bored… certified diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology. I am also the only doctor currently employed at this hospital who is forced to be here against his will. But not to worry, because for most of you, this job could be done by a monkey with a bottle of Motrin. Speaking of which, if you’re particularly annoying, you may see me reach for this: this is Vicodin.It’s mine! You can’t have any! And no, I do not have a pain management problem, I have a pain problem… but who knows? Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m too stoned to tell. So, who wants me?” - Dr. Gregory House

The above may be the greatest quote to define House. I vote for it as best House quote everz!

You can watch full House M.D. episodes online at Fox.com. There’s no excuse for not watching, dudes. And there’s no real excuse for me saying ‘dudes’, but roll with it.

(Okay, I’d rather have respect AND be nice. Don’t tell Dr. House.)

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Unconscious Rivals : Blair and Serena

Through random Wikipedia searching I stumbled upon the artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema. His painting entitled Unconscious Rivals reminds me of Blair and Serena of Gossip Girl. I’ve given up on the show as it doesn’t hold my interest. But that didn’t stop me from making the association. Pop culture runs in my veins, as does Diet Coke.

Blair would be the refined-looking seated girl in the mauve dress. TV Blair has better posture than this, of course. Next, take note of the way she holds her fingers to her chin - she’s clearly plotting! Evil things, no doubt. And while she’s holding hands with the other girl, it looks more like she’s ready to push her over the ledge than anything else. That other girl is our ‘Serena’ - and she looks inhibited, free-spirited, and very carefree.They’re friends, at least until the next drama arises.

The CW seems to have resorted to only wanting new shows about privileged, rich kids (see: 90210, Privileged). These unrealistic depictions show teenagers who never want for the new Coach bag, have personal trainers that also train celebs like Heidi Klum, and will never have to enlist the help of Amerisave mortgage co, or Bluefly.com since they use bags of money as throw pillows (and throw pillows themselves are actually often very expensive - I wish I wasn’t obsessed with the fluffy pillowy cutenesss that they are).

Autumn Reeser as Phoebe in Valentine - "I have cute hair, won't you watch my show?"

I did (albeit, accidentally) give Valentine another chance. Now that I’ve seen three episodes it’s grown on me the way an annoying co-worker that talks only of their cat can suddenly seem endearing.

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Beth Riesgraf as Parker in Leverage

Leverage Group Picture

TNT's Leverage

Leverage Group Picture

TNT's Leverage

Leverage

Leverage

Aldis Hodge is Alec Hardison on Leverage

It’s hard to have a favorite character because I love them all, but I have taken a real shine to Alec Hardison because he’s all about the age of geek, he knows all sorts of tech stuff, and he’s very funny. He’s the kind of guy who would probably has some of the best home theater speaker sets in every room of his place. Which, oh yea - you WILL get to see within the first two episodes, and it’s a great place. I would live there.

From Leverage - The Nigerian Job (Pilot Episode)

I will be reviewing the pilot The Nigerian Job, and will have more pictures to share with you, then!

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Madonna's arms scare me.

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but already I’ve seen some Christmas-themed commercials. Cue my eyes rolling. But as we can’t ignore that Christmas is coming (I don’t want to ignore that fact, I just don’t feel the need to jump the proverbial gun) this means that the inevitable concerts by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra have begun. And while 11 months out of the year you might never consider seeing these guys, in December even the most cynical of us seem to suddenly embrace all holiday music. (Note: I listen to Billy Idol’s Christmas album, thank you.)

You should consider PreferredSeat.com for Concert Tickets - whether it’s to hum along to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or just so you can see how crazy Madonna’s arms have become. They’re a family-owned business (since 1987 - when some of you weren’t even born, haha) that remains one of the increasingly rare companies that don’t tack on extra costs aside from standard overnight shipping. They have a 200% guarantee which either means they failed math class, or they really can be trusted.

Do you think Madonna has replaced her arms with robotic arms? I wouldn’t mock her for signs of aging (if she ever gets any) - but weird bulging muscles remind me of Arnold Schwartzenegger.

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Ryan Hansen

Josh Schwartz has a web series on TheWB.com called Rockville, CA. The full list of bands for the show are as follows:

Kaiser Chiefs, Travis (yay), Anya Marina (cool name), Bishop Allen, The Broken West, Cass McCombs, Lights, Oppenheimer, The Republic Tigers (yay), The Duke Spirit, Eagles of Death Metal, Earlimart (yay), Frightened Rabbit, The Kooks (yay), The Little Ones (yay), Lykke Li, Nico Stai, Passion Pit, Phantom Planet, and White Lies.

The list of people  (probably) not playing the show are Weird Al Yankovic, Tori Amos, Jon M Queen, and Gwyneth Paltrow. And yes, Paltrow CAN indeed sing - or haven’t you ever seen the movie Duets? Psh. I suppose you don’t have the Duet soundtrack either? How can you resist the call of karaoke?

You can look forward to 20 of Rockville, CA episodes starting in 2009. Ryan Hansen from Veronica Mars is one of the cast members, which is awesome.

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