Barb by Proxy

Background Noise: TWC
Random Thought: If I were a cat, would I be this amused by rolling a pencil around on the floor?
Mood: I can see!

I know that movies and TV are not real. They are sometimes blatantly so. But if you are going to make the real world your setting, you have to contend with the fact that real people will want to recognize the arena your characters are frolicking in. So when you do something to mess with the suspension of disbelief that keeps them in your characters version of reality, it screws up everything. I mean, you hire continuity editors for a reason. And yet, in the past week or so I've seen two blatant lapses in that suspension. In Thumbsucker, Tilda Swinton's RN badge is visibe and at times so clear that you can read that it expires in 10/04. It's great that you made this movie a long time ago and are finally getting it to theaters, but think about that before hand and pick a date further into the future. That one thing just sucked me right out of their universe. Then, in watching Desperate Housewives last night, Lynette interviewed with a guy who was in a hurry because he needed to get on a plane because he had just gotten Celtics tickets on the floor. Yes, and he shot paper balls at a basketball net above his wastebasket. He's an uber fan, I get it. Too bad it's not basketball season. TV shows go to enormous lengths to be in sync with the watching public's timeframe--they condense summer, they film holiday specials, they wear weather appropriate clothing. And yet they sent the guy off to a game that he couldn't possibly be going to? Think, people. Now their whole timeframe is shot. Is it really the beginning of fall that is insinuated by the episodes of last season being set during summer break for the kids? Or is it already basketball season and they just glossed over a few months. You pay people to notice these things, use them! It takes so little for a viewer to be sucked out of that world, don't let is happen on obvious things that would be so easy to correct.

Background Noise: Preview of Eyewitness News
Random Thought: Arrgh
Mood: Arrgh

The preview of what we could see on Eyewitness News tonight just aired. Rita aftermath, local fire, and Ashton and Demi. Honestly. Is the 'did they or didn't they' about their supposed marriage really nightly new material? Remember when you had to pick up People, watch Access Hollywood or E!, maybe surf the web for celebrity news? You know, where it belongs, with entertainment snippets. How is it that their marriage status has now become noteworthy enough to share billing with natrual disaster coverage and the weekly weather report? Give it a rest people. Ashton and Demi don't seserve a slot in your 43 minutes of airtime. Find some real news to report.

Background Noise: Grey's Anatomy
Random Thought: Patrick Dempsy is hot, but I'd rather have Dr. House if I were ill.
Mood: Havana Brown

This is one of those times when I know that all those times we had to read random magazines and newspapers in TV Screenwriting really was for a purpose. Sure, we scoffed that real writers hunted down factually obscure news and wrote scripts around them. But we knew that they'd be great as story filler. And here's my proof that all those highly paid scripters do it too. There must have been a recent medical publication where doctors shut down a patient's body, technically killing them, draining their blood and filtering it back in so as to find an elusive tumor. The docs on House did it to a 9-year old cancer patient and those scrappy interns at Grey's Anatomy are doing it to their favorite bartender. That must have been one compelling article. 2 storylines, 5 days apart. It was a lot more amusing under the artistic direction of Dr. Gregory House.

Background Noise: UF vs. UK
Random Thought: Would the Amazing Race really be that entertaining in reruns? Reality TV isn't that good the first time around.
Mood: Yea, Football!

And for all those people with relatives there...

White T-Shirt

Background Noise: Florida vs. Kentucky
Random Thought: Go Golden Gophers!
Mood: Yea Football!

Hee hee. Cafe Press salutes the Michigan Hockey fans with this shirt! Awww.

Michigan SuperFan Online Store : Goalie Reminder Ringer T

Michigan SuperFan Online Store : C-Ya White T-Shirt

Plus, a whole lot of other Michiganisms! Funny stuff!

Background Noise: College Game Day
Random Thought: People who make punny signs to wave around have too much time on their hands
Mood: Yea! Football

When did kids get so damn trendy? When I saw History of Violence on Thursday I noticed that the daughter--7 or so, had on a poncho. Then on the way home I sat opposite a Children's Place ad with the girl wearing a cordoroy blazer. And all I could think was, you just spent lots of money on a trendy item that might not even be hip in a season, and on someone who will probably outgrow it long before then. When I think back to being in grade school, I don' t remember there being that much fashion involved. Maybe I was just oblivious, but clothes were pretty much jeans and t-shirts, sweaters and dresses. Sure there were cool things like those shirts that changed color, or a handful of brands that were cool to have, but I can't recall walking around the elementary school halls emulating the fashions of Vougue and Glamour. Is this a sign that parents are trying to create a fashionable family? Are kids demanding cool, trendy things? Or was I just the kid who was happy in regular clothes and missed all the hip 3rd graders in mini-power suits and white heels? Oh, wait. I just figured it out. We were obviously just smart enough to not want to trot around in the fashions of the 80s.

Background Noise: Beautiful People
Random Thought: The post office still sucks
Mood: ugh

I just saw this ad for Diesel, and I just have to say that I think it is in bad taste. I realize that to be edgy is to be hip, but is this really how you percieve your consumer base?

Damn Flash. If you enter, it's the 4th door to the right, click until the tic-tac-toe board is full, and you'll be treated to a lovely sight of the board whipped into the back of the model. Classy with a capital K.

Background Noise: Memory Lane
Random Thought: All anyone knows is that you're not like them
Mood: Not tired?

What's Your Veronica Mars Life Like? by filmobsessed137
Name
Age
Favorite Color	RedOrangeYellowGreenBluePurpleBrownBlackWhitePinkI don't like colors, they suck.
Best Friend	Wallace
Significant Other	Logan Echolls
Clique	I have no clique.
Favorite Class	Newspaper/Journalism
Hangout	The Beach
Parents	Mr. and Mrs. Echolls
How much are you worth?	$1,745,686,625,567
How many Pirate Points do you have?	28
How much smarter is Veronica Mars than you?: 17%
Well, if I'm connected to all those Echolls, it looks like I got real swell in-laws. Well, we probably don't see much of Aaron anyway, his being an adulterous murderer, and maybe I got control of the wardrobe and handbag portion of Lynn's personal effects! Hope you all had fun at the wedding!
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Background Noise: She Will Be Loved
Random Thought: He always belongs to someone else
Mood: wearing pants

Because T-shirts that are contextual are always cool. Inside jokes and all that. Get it or don't.






TWoP Glarware

Background Noise:Emmy's
Random Thought: Fake News is the best!
Mood: Finally, a winner I can support

Who else thinks that the clips for the nominees for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series constitute the funniest part of the Emmy's so far? And are willing to bet it will still be the funniest when the show is over? Yeah. Why can't CBS just hire those guys to script the damn awards show? It would be so much more entertaining.

On a side note, yeah for Kristen Bell singing the theme to Fame, and looking fab in the 80s duds!

Background Noise: Emmy's
Random Thought: The Patriots lost?
Mood: Humpf

Gee, Brad Garrett won for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series? Wow, after 10 years of playing the same character, he's really making a stretch. I'm glad the voters noticed the great skill it must take to still be Raymond's brother on a show that had been the same thing for years. 5 nominations, 4 wins. Shocking, I'm sure. Jeremy Priven is way better as Ari, and at least his character evolves. I never loved Raymond until it stopped--best thing about it ever. Maybe next year they'll have to honor someone in a challenging show--Entourage, Arrested Development, eg. Humf.

Background Noise: Don't Panic
Random Thought: Did Rob Thomas know who he was going to put at the door at the end of last season?
Mood: (Not?)Worried

I heard a sound byte back in July about Tim Burton in relation to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It caught my ear, and I feel that it is equally appropriate in the aftermath of The Corpse Bride. It was okay, not spectacular but not wholly disappointing either. And came with the Good Night, And Good Luck trailer, which rocked all get out -- "We cannot defend freedom abroad while deserting it at home." So true. The trailer gives me chills. But back to Burton. The quote was that we are all thankful that Tim Burton makes movies because we're scared of what he'd do otherwise. Don't tell me that the idea of unleashing the inner workings of his mind on any other career path doesn't give you just a slight case of fear. Because that's one fucked up mind spinning round and round. Could you see him with a packing degree, designing food packaging? Or setting up the conga line as a cruise director? Scary.

Background Noise: Blue Eyes
Random Thought: Can I like a commentator less than I like the ESPNers that do Michigan football games?
Mood:exasperated

My new pet peeve, to go along with people that make the phone pantomime with hang-ten hand (pinky and thumb out) is the smarmy commentators that make you think you have honest-to-goodness comments but are really just stupid ads for idiotic web pages. Grr Arrgh.

Background Noise: Afternoons and Coffeespoons
Random Thought: "Caw, Caw, Bang--I'm Dead"
Mood: Yup

If you had to sum me up, I think the only reasonable soundbyte would be "Red is her favorite color." Prompted no doubt from the highly entertaining transcripts of the John Roberts hearings and an interview I read, I had a dream where I was being interviewed in a profile for Vanity Fair. The interviewer sat me down for day 2 of questioning and wanted me to answer a rapid fire list of favorites and bests--favorite color, favorite food, favorite movie, favorite place to be, etc. Person from your past you would like to see most, see least, was the one that got away, etc. What turns you on, what makes you sad, what makes you smile. And she was very irate when my answers were a variation of "well, it depends" to everything except for red, cheese and Aaron. That of course angered me, especially when she told me that cheese is a food group, not a singular entitiy. I mean, how can you be defined by those things? It all depends on mood, situation and present company. Time of day, month, if I've seen enough Jon Stewert to stop my brain from shorting out. People who can unequivocably answer all those confuse me. Two or three, yes. But all of them? That just makes me think that you need to try new foods, read more, see more films, travel more, reminisce more, regret less and simply live. Because a truely lived life would never have simple answers to those.

Background Noise: In the Waiting Line
Random Thought:Crazy people don't ask if they're crazy
Mood: mathy

Is it odd that my first response to people when they ask how Proof was is "It was really funny!"?

I've gotten mostly blank stares, and an incredulous "uh, funny?" or two. Okay, it was also emotional, and dramatic, romantic and serious. Great acting, perfect pacing, and I disagree with the questionability of Jake Gyllenhall as a math prof because he's a year older than me in the film and I can testify for the hotness of some of my class's math geeks. And it was uproariously funny.

He's in a band--and to the question "A rock band?" the answer "No, a marching band. He plays trombone!...Of course a rock band!" And they have a song called i where they just stand still for 3 minutes. Hehehe.

And proving that a dress is not not sexy. And diffEQs. And damn theoretical physicists. That's funny stuff.

Background Noise: Summer in a Sandbox
Random Thought: Logan, Logan, Logan (rinse, lather, repeat)
Mood: giddy?

Hehehehe, check this out!


Red Button

Background Noise: Untitled (Domestic Problems)
Random Thought: Can Mars even be in Neptune? How far will the Kane and Abel thing go?
Mood: Sleepy

If Veronica and Logan first kissed at the Camelot, does that make them Guinevere and Lancelot to Duncan's Arthur? Are the 09'ers disgruntled kinghts of the round table? Is the psuedo-birthday party announcement to head toward the rectangle with the knob Logan's proverbial cart ride? Does that make Lynn the Lady of the Lake? Does Clarence Wiedman just make a very scary Merlin, advisor to the Arthur Camp (and can't you just see Celeste and Wiedman rigging the whole sword in the stone thing for Duncan?), and Lilly a deceased Morgan? Because being fey is kinda like being really really fabulous.

Background Noise: Bent
Random Thought:I started out clean but I’m jaded, Just phoning it in
Mood: Ahhhh

I've been bested by the piddly rules that govern the rest of society. I've been knocking around a few ideas for the Vanity Fair contest about what's on the mind's of this generation. First, I'm penned in by the 1,500 wourd count. And by the fact that I can think of about 10 good topics. I may post them here in a series eventually, since I'm pretty sure I'll miss the Sept. 30 deadline with all else I'm working on. Anyway, I thought that a swell idea would be to simply explain our generation by song lyrics--individual lines from the songs of ourselves, say 1990-2005--our formative years. I mean, how do you categorize those greasers without Elvis, or sum up the counterculture without Edwin Starr (War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!)? Can you have a discussion of the 80s without humming along to Don't You, Forget About Me? And isn't Nirvana synonomous with the 90s? Unfortunately, being as how VF is an honorable magizine, you have to get permission to use anything you quote. And seeing as how that would take way too long and cost far too much, I'll just post it here when I'm done and you can all marvel at my brilliance. It's okay, I don't mind.

Background Noise: Patriots vs. Raiders
Random Thought: 1641 was the first half-time--they ate fondue
Mood: Football, duh

I love football-themed commercials. Remember the ones for Southwest Airlines where the passengers did the wave and the plane dipped? Clydesdales facing off at the line? I'll even include the fabulous Starbucks bits in there--who doesn't want fans following them around to the tune of Rock and Roll pt. 2? Anyway, I just saw one that good-humoredly mocks the superfan--those who consider themselves eligible recievers instead of bachelors. And those who have tailgated at a wedding reception. Wait, you mean not everyone hangs out in vans with TVs in the parking lot somewhere between dinner and the dollar dance? Huh. You don't say. See, this is why I'm getting married in August--no sports to plan around. I'm always thinking.

Background Noise: Emeril
Random Thought: Am I a small person for thinking that the phrase 'Napoleon at the height of his campaign' is funny?
Mood: ambivilent

I saw Everything is Illuminated yesterday and must recommend it. Assuming that you like that kind of thing. It's funny in a dry way, sad in a heartwarming way, and romantic in a way you can only achieve when dealing with 3 men, a dog, and the Holocaust.

As an article recently said, this is the start of the revenge of the LOTR men--Orlando in Elizabethtown, Viggo in A History of Violence, and Elijah in both Green Street Hooligans and Everything is Illuminated. Also, I'll tell you, there must be something about Elijah and those preternaturally big blue eyes that demand you put a ring of great meaning into his reluctant hand.

But, really, it's a great film. I loved the sparse dialogue--it made the spoken words even more amusing because they were so obvioulsy chosen with great care. And in its simplicity the visuals were stunning--clean, crisp and otherworldly while still looking as if you might head out of town and run across each and every one of them. Well, except maybe the goats.

Background Noise: A House is Not a Home (Gilmore Girls)
Random Thought: Logans are the new Dylans
Mood: Missing

Hookers with hearts of gold are so last year. Bad-boys on bikes are passe. Slacker chic isn't the new black. It's all about bets gone awry and arrogant assholes with fragile souls. Seriously, it's getting a little over done.

I'm beginning to think that if I want to pick up a great guy, I just need to a) get one to make a bet with his friends that he'll get me in bed, b) get angry over his duplicity, and c) wait for him to come crawling back to tell me that he made the bet before he really knew me and while it was all under the guise of falsehood his feelings aren't fictional. Look at movies--10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, Strictly Ballroom, My Fair Lady, Cruel Intentions, Dangerous Liasons, and the list certainly goes on. Unsuspecting females find themselves falling for guys they would never previously have shared breathable air with. Love blossoms, snarky comment embroils them in accusation-tossing, the wager is revealed, betrayal is felt, and the guy starts baring his soul and admitting that although it would have previously sent the earth out of orbit they are now irrevocably in love with the object of the bet. Happily ever after ensues.

This genre incorporates one of the most popular stereotypes today. The lovable rake, he would have been in Regency England. Today he is a trust fund baby made up of incendiary snark, biting wit and obscure but hip pop-culture references. We no longer look to Zack's preppy observance or Dawson's heart-on-the-sleeve teen angst to make our hearts go pitter-patter. The descendants of Dylan McKay are breaking hearts and laws all across televisions right now. Logans on both Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls flaunt rules and fling black Am-Exs around, Junior Davis wields a black Porsche and the thoroughbreds he owns with equal aplomb, and Nicky Fiske practically owns New York. And I think the O.C. would fall apart without the idea.

I begin to think that these two situations are all just an extension of the idea of "women want to date them, men want to be them." Because most women will agree that if the self-involved gorgeous men of the world were to actually spend anytime with them they'd be undeniably enamored. We'd also love to know that when we fantasize about rich hotties sweeping us off our feet to make us their trophy wives they'd truthfully be wonderful guys underneath all the swag and swagger. And what guy wouldn't want to be rich and handsome, witticisms tripping off their tounges and BMW's in their garages? I rest my case.

Background Noise: November Rain
Random Thought: If critical desalination hits, I'm all set for fuel
Mood: Blah

Can you become your own self-fulfilling prophecy? If you get labeled as something by a friend or acquaintance, how likely is it that you'll end up being just that way? I've seen evidence that if your friends complain that you don't hang out with them enough you get annoyed and then don't hang out with them. What about being labeled a workaholic? You spend all your time working to finish a project so that you can not breathe your waking hours at work and you are the definition of a workaholic. And if someone tells you that you don't let people in, you get mad and shut them out. Nice circle. In trying to avoid or disprove the accusation, you fall right into it. I think it's a cleverly designed trap, meant to trip you up, and deployed by those with nefarious intentions.

Background Noise: Pride (In the Name of Love)
Random Thought: Baz Luhrman is a Golden God
Mood: Congested

Have you ever noticed that you always have people of the same name in your life? Anne had to differentiate which Steve was having a birthday the other day, and I find myself incorporating girl-Sam and boy-Sam into conversations. I think back, and there is always sometime when you know 2 or 3 people with the same name that run in the same crowds. Joanna had a Greg, I had Greg, there was Hot-Navy-Boy Greg. This is not the first time I've needed gender prefixes for the Sams in my life. "My-cousin-Kim" is seeming all one word now, not to be confused with the single syllable friend Kim. In the immediate family we have 2 Karens, 3 Johns, and both a cousin Aaron and a cousin Erin. There was Big Dave and the Be All Endahl in college, and my freshman year there was the Mike room--a triple in SQuad in which each roommate, randomly assigned no less, was named Mike. Kinda makes me glad I've really ownly known 2 Barbs in my life--a neighbor we hardly talked to and a girl in my 12th grade class that I never saw after that. Occasionally I'll get someone tell me that they have a realtive/co-worker/tennis partner named Barb, and I've had a few run-ins with salespeople named Barb who exclaim that they hardly ever meet other Barbs. I think I like not needing a qualifier.

Background Noise: Roll Me Away
Random Thought: What is 12 hours out of Mackinac City?
Mood: Stuffy

I went movie-ing the other day--just bought a ticket and got out of one movie, went into another, hung around for a 3rd because I was killing time and it was 93 degrees outside and I was bored. So I saw Four Brothers out of apathy more than anything else. And it wasn't that bad. Maybe because I was seeing as a postcard to a city I used to know. It's always interesting to see how other people frame comewhere that you know so well. I mean, if you're from NYC or LA, you see your hometown on celluloid all the time, people who have never been there have a picture in their minds. Detroit doesn't get that a lot. And appearantly, nothing says the Motor City like the unrelenting snow and grime of dirty cops and the dead of winter. Most films set there seem to incorporate this. But I have to give Singleton props for getting a few things right--those little details that can really turn you off a movie if they're wrong. First of all, the majority of the cars were Ford, GM, or Chevy. Nowhere else that I've ever been has been so lacking in car diversity. You gotta figure, most people there work for an auto company and get a-plan of some sort, and used cars are bound to be employee cast off. Also, Mark Wahlberg's character is a long time hockey fan, so when it's time for him to dig out a jersey from the back of a closet he hasn't been in for 15 years it's appropriate to see him in a Bob Probert jersey--perfect timeing and perfect player, because that's the exact jersey a kid like him would have wanted. I like attention to detail, and seeing parts of your hometown done correctly is really nice.