My TV Died: First stage grief

My TV died last night.

Night before last I fell asleep with the TV on. I realized it in the middle of the night and I turned it off. When I woke up the following morning I turned it on like I always do and there was nothing. I assumed that maybe I needed new batteries for my remote and I did the unthinkable. I actually went over to the TV to turn it on. Nothing.

I unplugged it and tried again. I went online and look for message forums on how to fix the problem. Nothing. It was a done deal.

Now I’m a TV junkie, so this has been pretty tough for me. I’ve had this TV for several years and have become pretty attached. This story fortunately has a sort of happy ending. I’m getting a pretty good sized income tax refund and have decided to use some of it to buy myself a cool new LCD flat screen TV I could mount on my wall. I’ve been wanting one of these for a wall, but I basically have one room and could not justify buying a TV when I had one that worked. Now I have a valid excuse to get the one I want.

Here’s the bad news. I won’t have said refund for another two weeks, so in the meantime I have no TV. 😦 The past two days I’ve been exploring the online world of television courtesy of Hulu and I plan to put my NetFlix instant view subscription to good use. I also have a stack of books and magazines that are being neglected.  This also gives me plenty of time to update this blog, so you better believe you’re going to get every detail of my life without my TV for the next two weeks.

Has anyone else experienced this? How did you cope? Any suggestions.

If Anyone Deserves a Shrine it’s this guy…

My New Favorite Thing – Pop Culture Inspirationals

I just can’t leave well enough alone, LOL, I’ve started yet another new blog and it’s called Pop Culture Inspirationals

Pop Culture Inspirationals came about during a really difficult time in my life. I’d just learned that I didn’t get this journalism job that I really wanted. I was depressed. So as I do most every Wednesday night, I went to Bible Study. And it just came to me.

Ironically, the subject of the Bible Study was using our spiritual gifts. In that message he said several things that struck a chord with me, but one thing in particular: “Maybe everything you’ve been trying hasn’t worked, because you haven’t been using your gift to glorify Christ.” It was something like that.  I’ve always loved to write. This past semester, I took a television analysis class and said I wish I could find a way to make a living watching television and writing about it. On many occasions I’ve found inspiration in things I’ve seen on television. This was a way to combine all those things.

This blog is not going to hit anyone over the head with religion. I simply hope through this blog I can teach show some of the inspirational life lessons we tend to overlook because its packaged on television or by a blinged-out rap star. The first lesson of Pop Culture Inspirationals is that appearance isn’t everything…

Please check it out and tell your friends: http://popcultureinspirationals.wordpress.com/

…an awards show hater critiquing the Golden Globes.

I hate awards shows.  I really do, but as part of my Television Analysis class I was assigned to watch and write a paper about the show. It actually wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.

Great things about it being a live show:

• Wardrobe malfunction: Chloe Sevigny’s big crazy Valentino  dress getting ripped by an usher and Kristen Bell just playing it off
• Showing Leonardo DiCaprio’s picture when they said Jeff Bridges name. (I love me some Leonardo so I didn’t really mind, plus Jeff Bridges ended up winning the award so I’m sure he got over this really fast)

Number of times they played the music before the person finished their speech (this always cracks me up): Once while the writers for Grey Gardens were giving their speech.

Shows what I know: I was totally ragging on Michael C. Hall for wearing a hat with a tux to an awards show. Turns out he’s receiving treatment for cancer. Oops, my bad.

Acceptance speeches I loved:

• MoNique – I didn’t see Precious (yet, plan to finally see it this week and blog about it), but I love MoNique and she seemed truly stunned to win the award. There is something that is just really genuine and human to me when someone on these shows wins an award and they truly didn’t expect it. That always really touches me.
• Drew Barrymore – I have no idea why, but I love this girl. Maybe its because ET was the very first movie I ever saw in a movie theater. Anyway she rambles and mumbles about growing up in this room and thanks all the people that ever wished the best for her. It makes me long for the day I one day do something that makes all the people who’ve ever invested time and effort in me feel proud that they did.
• James Cameron – says he wants to hurry up his speech because he “has to pee something fierce.” Hilarious.
• Robert Downey Jr. – Classic I loved his whole acceptance speech, especially when he says “If you start playing violins I’m gonna tear this place down.” I loved that he said his wife told him not to write a speech because he wasn’t going to win and I loved that he used his speech to not thank people.

Funniest jokes:

• Paul McCartney: “I’m Paul McCartney or as I’m now known, that guy from Rock Band.”
• Paul McCartney: Animation is not just for kids, its also for drug-taking adults. Now here are the nominations for animated films selected by drug-taking adults
• Ricky Gervais: Calling Colin Farrell a drunk sweary hellraiser

Kind of creepy, uncomfortable moment: Robert DeNiro’s joke about Martin Scorsese having sex with film…the joke that just wouldn’t end.

Touching moments:

• Mo’Nique winning the award for Precious made me cry
• Sandra Bullock’s speech made me cry when she said she never knew what it was like for someone to have her back until she met her husband
• Julianna Margulies – the night she won the award was her son’s birthday.

Mentions of Haiti: (3 direct, 2 indirect):

• Nicole Kidman mentions George Clooney’s charity
• Jason Reitman when he won for the screenplay for Up In the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal explains how to donate to Haiti via the NBC.com website;
• indirect mentions by Drew Barrymore and Meryl Streep in their acceptance speeches

Knocks at NBC:

• Ricky Gervais says he needs to get on with the show before they replace him with Jay Leno
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cost to get hired (or fired) by NBC

Dresses I loved:

• Sandra Bullock’s purple Bottega Veneta gown. She got a lot of flack for that dress, but I think it was fly. Work it girl.

• Halle Berry’s black and gold Kaufman Franco gown

And save the best for last: Glee, my favorite new show won for best TV show comedy or musical.

Congrats to everyone.

…taking TV shows way too seriously.

Does anyone else do this?

 I think I forget sometimes that television is fictional and not real life. Even if it’s a reality show a lot of the situations are scripted. I very often find myself watching TV and yelling at the screen.

 A recent example: I’m a Family Guy fanatic. I personally believe some of the best television is animated shows, but that’s for another blog. Well anyway on Sunday’s show we learned that Quagmire doesn’t like Brian.  HATES HIM!! I mean he can’t freakin’ stand him. Who knew? So the whole episode Brian is trying to win over Quagmire by engaging him conversation, surprising him and taking him out to dinner. Quagmire’s not impressed. Finally Brian just asks him, why does he hate him so much. Quagmire lays into him, watch below:

Brian is my favorite character, but Quagmire is right about him. He’s definitely flawed. My only issue is Quagmire you hate Brian for hitting on Lois all the time, aren’t you the one who slept with your best friend Cleveland’s wife Loretta. Are you really in a position to be judging anyone?

 I know this is TV, but that really irritated me. Like on General Hospital there is a character loosely based on Vogue editor Anna Wintour named Kate Howard. Kate grew up as Connie Falconeri  in the hoods of Bensonhurst, but escaped the ghetto, changed her name and identity to reflect a fictional uppercrust Connecticut upbringing. She became super rich and wildly successful. Fast forward to now, it turns out her cousin Olivia got pregnant as a teenager by mob boss Sonny Corinthos (swoon, ok sorry). Olivia never told Sonny or her son about each other.  Olivia and Sonny’s son is now an undercover cop who’s infiltrated Sonny’s  mob family in an attempt to bring down the father he never knew he had.

 Here’s what irritates me. Kate is the main one telling Olivia not to keep secrets and  to tell the truth. Chick, your whole life is based on a lie.  Your WHOLE life. Shut up who are you to tell someone not to keep secrets. I guess its okay for you to do it, but no one else. Get out of here.

 Then my favorite is Maury Povich and his paternity tests. People get on there and actually say “I’m 100% sure I’m not the baby’s father.” Did you use a condom? “No, but I’m 100% sure.” Ok idiot, if you slept with her without a condom there is a chance its your baby. It may be a small chance but its a chance.

The only thing worse than that to me is people who say I’m 1000% sure. How can you be 1000% sure. That’s not even possible.

 I know, I know I watch too much TV but really guys come on.