Sunday Blessings - Kevin McKidd

Here's another installment of Sunday Blessings, in which we all give thanks to Jesus for giving us a hot piece of ass. Today we are thanking Jesus for Kevin McKidd. I decided to devout a post to him after watching the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy this past Thursday, on which his new character, Owen Hunt (sounds like a gay porn star's name) was debuted. Talk about bringing a jolt of life to the show. He's meant to be a love interest for Christina (Sandra Oh), and McKidd definitely made a great first impression. Almost anything the man did came off as highly sexual, including stapling the wound on his leg by himself during which he let out some weird orgasmic grunt after every staple. The show didn;t shy away from the fact that Christina was completely turned on by this, and a rough kiss between the two came later in the show. Though the show may be McKidd's biggest exposure so far, it's not the first time I've seen him. I first took notice of him on the show Rome, where he played a Roman soldier, and he sure fills out a toga and armor quite well. I also saw an episode of his show Journeyman last year when it premiered, but never followed through with watching the show, and apparently no one else did since it was canceled. The role of Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy is currently only a recurring guest part. I think he was only signed to do ten episodes of the show this season, but apparently they want to make him a regular on the show. Hopefully this comes true , because he brings a new sexuality to the series. The other men on the show who are meant as sex symbols, Patrick Dempsy and Eric Dane, don't have the same masculine force and appeal of McKidd. Sure they're both very attractive, but they're more pretty boys, and if there's one thing that McKidd is not it's a pretty boy. So once again let's thank Jesus for the man. Praise Jesus and Amen.

RIP Paul Newman

Paul Newman passed away today at the age of 83, and I have to admit I'm actually sad about it. I only recently started delving into Newman's films, having watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hud, The Verdict, The Sting, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid within the past year, and it's quite easy to fall in love with him, while watching his filmography. There's of course the obvious beauty, the piercing blue eyes, the sly grin and the slender, in-shape body, which was often on display, but there's also the tenderness he brought into the roles of his flawed male characters. He was part of the group of method actors who came out of the fifties, along with Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Montgomery Clift, and these actors explored roles that allowed them to express a fragility and an inner turmoil. Most leading men weren't given this opportunity, as they were seen as protagonists meant to further the plot and act as the hero, which is probably the reason why I don't have as much of a connection to film actors as I do to actresses. Because they weren't meant to be the heroes of their stories, actresses were given roles that served as the emotional core of their films; they were to react emotionally to the events that took place. The method actors were allowed to do the same in their roles, and its why I have such an adoration for them. Going back to Paul Newman, my favorite performance of his is probably Hud, with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof of The Verdict being second, though there are still a number of films of his I have to see, including The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Absence of Malice, and his Oscar role in The Color of Money. It's hard to believe it took until 1986 for the Academy to finally honor Newman with an Oscar, after several previous nominations. My heart goes out to his widow Joanne Woodward, a great actress in her own, and the rest of his family. He will surely be missed but his performances will live on forever.

Hope for Grey's Anatomy?

While watching the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy last night, I became hopeful that this season will get the show back on its tracks. I've watched the series from the very beginning as it's had its ups and downs, going from being underrated to overrated and back to underrated. I think the show hit its peak in the middle of the second season, mixing humor and melodrama , all while retaining a surprising maturity. I can remember the exact moment I fell in love with the show. It was the Christmas episode of the second season where Christina, the lovely Sanra Oh, was treating a young boy who received another heart transplant, after his others failed. The boy's mother kept telling him it was a gift from God and Santa Clause, and if he prayed to God the most recent heart would maintain. Christina, on the other hand, didn't believe in God and felt the whole praying thing was ridiculous, and really the whole Christmas miracle wasn't a healthy belief. Any other show, I believe, would have ended the epsisode with both the boy and Christina learning the true meaning of Christmas, believing that miracles can come true and there is a God. The show went completely in a different route, with Christina having a big heart-to-heart with the boy about how there is no Santa Clause or God, but he should still want to live so that one day he could get back at his mother by having kids of his own and teaching them that there is no Santa Clause of God. I was so surprised by those turn of events that I realized I loved show, because it wasn't pandering and, instead, remained adult. Over the next couple of seasons the show had its problems - it didn't know what to do with Izzie's character, there were too many romantic match-ups between the characters, some of the medical cases were annoyingly ridiculous - but I still think the concept of the show's central character Meredith is fascinating. She was a woman abandoned by her father and raised by an overbearing mother, who came out of this household emotionally stunted and reckless with her own life, but she still decided to follow in her mother's footsteps, probably just to get her mother's approval, which she never got because her mother had alzheimer's and then died. I found it daring that this show dealt with this woman's depression and her desire to kill herself. However, the writing of the series over time really hasn't always been helpful in mainting her character. Anyway, I am completel going off on a tangent, but what I wanted to say was that I found hope in the series last night. Kevin McKidd, who I think I will devote a Sunday Blessing to this weekend, added a breath of fresh air and manly sexuality to the precedings and it gave Sandra Oh more to do with her character, but my favorite part was the constant "wink wink" of the series awareness in its slip in quality. In the show the characters kept saying how the hospital had slipped in its standing, down to 12 (referencing the show's slip in the ratings rankings), and at the end of the series the Chief (representing show-runner Shondra Rimes) gathered everyone and said he had allowed the hospital to slip away into sloppiness, when it once had been a surprise break-out success which came out of nowhere, and that they would all have to be better at what they do. All I have to say is kudos to the show for recognizing its foibles. Here's hoping for better days.

Cloris Leachman Is a National Treasure

I'm not really a fan of Dancing with the Stars, but I admit I've tuned into the show a few times. I give it credit for actually realizing it's completely kitsch and not taking itself too seriously, unlike, say American Idol, which believes its somehow important and not just a glorified Star Search or Gong Show. Anyway, I watched the show this week since I knew that Cloris Leachman was a contestant this season, and oh my god, the show is entirely worth watching just because her. For an 82 year-old-woman, she sure can move. She's by no means a great dancer, but she makes up for it by being completely entertaining. Watching the hosts and judges trying to corral her is hilarious on its own part, and the over-the-top hoochie dancing she does will make you pee your pants. As long as she's on the show, I'll be watching it. On a side note, what's funny about the show is that, while the program is completely kitsch, the judges are actually good at providing commentary and criticism. They actually point out specifics of what the contestants did wrong and how they could improve themselves. It's not like the god awful American Idol judges, who just repeat the same four or five things over and over again. "It was pitchy, it came off as cabaret, I didn't dig it"...etc. It's like, do you even know what you're talking about?

Emmys - The Morning After

The Emmys were on last night and the show was.....well, dull. Yawn. I was happy with the best series wins - Mad Men and 30 Rock, especially Mad Men's win, since I didn't think it would happen. Earlier in the evening, when it lost directing to House, I thought it definitely wasn't going to win. Happily I was wrong, so there you go. There were a lot of negatives about the show, especially the hosting job (who thought that was a good idea), but I decided to focus my post on the highlights of the program.

10. Conan O'Brien - I just find him funny anytime he's on an awards show

9. Kristen Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris presenting together. They didn't really do anything, but it was nice to just see the two stand next to each other.

8. Jeremy Piven's jab at the show's opening "I don't want to just stand here talking for twelve minutes. That was the opening of the show"

7. Lee Pace and Kristen Chenoweth holding holding hands while their director Barry Sonnenfield accepted his award.

6. Heidi Klum in a men's suit

5. Alec Baldwin wins Best Actor in Comedy Series

4. Julia Lousi Dreyfus's reaction to Tina Fey saying she copies Julia when acting.

3. The Ricky Gervaise bit with Steve Carrell. Funny, funny, funny. This is why the Emmys need a comedian to host the show - they bring life to the program.

2. Don Rickles and Kathy Griffin presenting - Oh my God I was laughing my ass off. It was just surprising to see someone Rickles's age so quick on their feet with the humor. I thought Kathy was going to pee in here pants.

1. Mad Men winning Best Drama Series - YAY!

The Emmys Are Coming! The Emmys Are Coming!

I haven't posted anything in a couple of days - just busy, busy, busy - but anyway, the Emmys are handed out this Sunday, and of course I'll be watching. Yes, I know the Emmys usually suck. They have a tendency to nominate and award the same people over and over again, while completely ignoring great shows (Gilmore Girls, you bastards!), but it's still no where near as much of a joke as the Grammys. Ewwwwww. So here are my predictions and preferences in the major categories.

Best Drama Series:

Boston Legal

Damages

Dexter

House

Lost

Mad Men

Who Will Win: House Who Should Win: Mad Men

Everyone's predicting Mad Men for the win, but I can't see the Emmy voters going for a series whose ratings are under 2 million. I hope I'm wrong, because it really deserves the win. Oh, how I just want to wrap my arms around that show I love it so much. I'm predicting House since it's the highest rated, it was once critically well liked, and it's never won before - not that it ever deserved to win.

Best Comedy Series:

30 Rock

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Entourage

The Office

Two and a Half Men

Who Will Win: 30 Rock Who Should Win: 30 Rock

It's kind of ridiculous that Pushing Daisies, the best comedy series of the year, got the second most nominations for a comedy (12), but didn't get the series nod. Especially since Two and a Half Men did get a nomination. Uh, who is voting for that show? Who thinks that's great television? 30 Rock will probably win again for the second year, although The Office might slip in there, and a 30 Rock win would be completely deserving. It is the funniest laugh-out-loud show currently on television, even though it did kind of lose its focus in the second half of the season.

Best Actor - Drama:

Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall - Dexter

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Hugh Laurie - House

James Spader - Boston Legal

Who Will Win: Hugh Laurie Who Should Win: Jon Hamm

If James Spader wins again, so help me God, I will kick in my TV screen. Do you really need to award someone for the same performance over and over again, especially when the character and performance remains one note year after year? Hugh Laurie will probably win because he still hasn't won an Emmy. I understand if he had won for the first or second season, but it's not like the character has developed over the last couple seasons - still sarcastic, still angry, still limpy, but yeah I get that it would be a make up Emmy. I'd like Hamm to win, just for the episode "The Wheel" alone - it's so heartbreaking. Cranston would also be a good win, since he was great on Breaking Bad

Best Actor - Comedy:

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Steve Carell - The Office

Lee Pace - Pushing Daisies

Tony Shaloub - Monk

Charlie Sheen - Two and a Half Men

Who Will Win: Alec Baldwin Who Should Win: Alec Baldwin
Actually I'd be happy if either Baldwin, Carell, or Pace won, since they'd all be deserving. All hell will break loose though if Tony Shaloub wins agains (does he really need a fourth win), or if Charlie Sheen picks up a trophy. I shudder to think.

Best Actress - Drama:

Glenn Close - Damages

Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters

Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: SVU

Holly Hunter - Saving Grace

Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Who Will Win: Glenn Close Who Should Win: Mary McDonnell...wait, what? Uh, Close
Seriously Mary McDonnell should own this category for Battlestar Galactica, but she wasn't nominated. Glenn Close was a hoot in Damages, and her star-factor should be a help in this category so I'm predicting her. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if Field wins again.

Best Actress - Comedy:

Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?

America Ferrera - Ugly Betty

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures of Old Christine

Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

Who Will Win: Tina Fey Who Should Win: Christina Applegate

Tina Fey will probably win, as she has become a pop culture fixture over the last year, and while 30 Rock was the Best Comedy Series Winner last year, I think this year the Emmys will award the show in several categories with the industry annointing it the best sitcom currently on television. Fey wouldn't be a bad winner, in fact I don't think any of them would be, as I feel they all add creatly to their respective series, but heart goes to Applegate for her portrayal of woman trying to realize who she actually is as a person.

Supporting Categories

Best Supporting Actor- Drama:

Who Will Win: Zeljko Ivanek Who Should Win: John Slattery

Best Supporting Actor - Comedy:

Who Will Win: Jeremy Piven Who Should Win: Neil Patrick Harris

Best Supporting Actress - Drama:

Who Will Win: Chandra Wilson Who Should Win: Chandra Wilson

Best Supporting Actress - Comedy:

Who Will Win: Amy Poehler Who Should Win: Kristin Chenoweth

Congratulations Kathy Griffin!

Over the weekend the Creative Arts Emmys, also known as the Schmemmys, were awarded, and Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List won best reality series for the second year in a row. Good for her. I'm actually surprised, because I thought after last year's acceptance speech and the whole "Suck it Jesus" brou-ha-ha, the Emmys wouldn't want to receive any controversy by awarding her again. But they did, so good for them. Also congratulations to Mad Men and Pushing Daisies, who received 4 and 2 Emmys respectively. Though I have an issue with Mad Men losing Best Casting for a Series to Damages. I really liked Damages, but the casting of that series can in no way compare to Mad Men's casting. Everyone in that series from the regular cast members, to the recuring roles and the guest stars were all perfectly cast. Just because you managed to get Glenn Close and Ted Danson to star in your series, doesn't mean you should win an award for casting.

Tina Fey is Sarah Palin

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/0645/19693/936/598087

Here's a link to the Daily Kos, where you can find the video for last night's opening of Saturday Nigh Live. Youtube will take it down soon, so I don't know how long it will work, but there is also a link at Daily Kos to a transcript of the scene. The sketch was absolutely hilarious, featuring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton. The brilliance of it, was how it combined the hypocrasy of the media's and the right-wing's sudden concern for sexism, Clinton's desire for her to be president and not just any woman, Palin's "experience" and her beliefs in Creationism, Clinton's almost forced endorsement of Obama, Palin's pageantry past, the media's lack of a backbone in questioning Palin, the over-rehearsed and repeated lipstick joke, the idea that Palin understands foreign relations because Alaska is near Russia, and the ridiculous answers Palin gave in her interview with Charles Gibson, all into a five minute segment. I was laughing my ass off, as it was the funniest thing the show has done in years. The rest of the show pretty much stunk, as the boring, personalityless ogre-face hosted the show. Oy...get better hosts SNL.

Sunday Blessings - Christopher Meloni

In today's edition of Sunday Blessings, I decided to thank Jesus for actor Christopher Meloni, star of the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Over the weekend Nickelodeon was playing an original TV movie called Gym Teacher, which starred Meloni as a school gym teacher, natch, who was helping a geeky kid do something or other....I don't know. It's not as if I watched the movie, there's better things to do on Friday and Saturday nights than staying home to watch a kids movie. Not to say it wasn't completely tempting, since it also featured the always hilarious Amy Sedaris in the role of the school principal and would showcase Meloni in tight gym shorts for two hours. Anyway, my love for Chris Meloni goes back to his role on the HBO prison soap opera OZ, where he played bisexual serial killer Chris Keller. If you watched that show you know what I'm talking about. The character was a complete psychopath, but still sexy as hell, and Meloni has absolutely no hang ups about nudity. He was naked in almost every episode he appeared in, and that's not an exaggeration. I'm not talking about just butt shots or quick side glances - I mean, he did the full monty in long shots, in one episode he bent over and spread his cheeks apart, and he even stood naked, urinating into a bucket on camera in another episode, which was really weird because there was no purpose for the scene. It was as if he lost a bet or did it on a dare. The funniest nude scene of his I think is where his character is trying to screw with Rita Moreno's character Sister Peter Marie Reimondo, by seducing her. I find it funny because I try to image what must he be thinking while standing there fully naked in front of Rita Moreno. It's like "She's won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony and now I'm standing here with my penis right in front of her face." LOL. But seriously he was hot on that show, especially when making out with co-star Lee Tergeson, who played his prison lover Tobias Beecher. The show, on the other hand, was crap, but I still caught every episode of it, running from 1997 to 2003. So there it is. Let's all thank Jesus for sexpot Christopher Meloni, and pray that in the future he does some more nudity. Praise Jesus!

What Happened to Meg Ryan's Face?

Seriously, what happened to her face? This is not meant to be a mean post about Meg Ryan. I'm not trying to tear her down, like the rest of the media is, who for some instance have collectively decided to hate her. I guess it's still because of the affair she had with Russell Crowe a few years back, which led to the break-up of her marriage to Dennis Quaid. To this day, I still don't understand how a person could cheat on Dennis Quaid with Russell Crowe, but that's none of my business. I was just asking the question about her face because I caught some of her interview with David Letterman, promoting The Women. It's obvious she's had a lot of botox, and she must have had some earlier in the day, because you could still see the bumps on her forehead from the injection sites. Other than that I can't quite figure it out. I don't think she had a facelift, since she doesn't look as if her skin had been pulled back. Did she she get cheek implants or lip implants, or is she just filled with Restylane? I don't know, but I just want to say to her, why, why would you do that? I like seeing actresses age gracefully. Susan Sarandon, for instance, looks better now than she did twenty years ago. Joan Allen, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Diane Keaton all look beautiful, because none of them have had work done on their faces, except for maybe botox every once and a while - though I don't know if they've even had that done. It's ridiculously hard for actresses to survive in Hollywood, after they get to a certain age. The good roles dry up for actresses after they reach their forties, and they're left waiting until they're old enough to play the role of mother to the leading lady. Actresses then wind up doing horrible things to their faces to try to fit with the youth obsessed industry. The career resurgence of Meryl Streep in the last few years, however, gives hope that better starring roles will come to actresses in their late forties and fifties. Meryl has had her two biggest box office hits, The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia!, in the last three years. Hopefully studios will recognize that there is a large audience who will pay money to watch an older actress. Of course, they probably won't, since they keep being surprised anytime a female centric film does well at the box office, even after it happens year after year.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

No, no, no, no, no! Why? Why? Why? Why did she have to be kicked off? Ugh. Last night's episode of Project Runway saw the departures of Blayne (ok, by me) and Terri, who was probably my favorite. Ok I admit the outfit she made for the challenge, designing an avate garde outfit representing an astrological sign (genius challenge by the way), was bad, but she should not have kicked off before the seriously annoying Suede and Kenley. I mean what the hell was up with Kenley's costume anyway. Terri was in the top 3 several times throughout the competition, that should count for something. She continually made great oufits, while Suede and Kenley were all over the place. It's even more annoying that the judges never picked her as the winner, when there were multiple occassions where it would have been justified. But whatever........I'm now rooting for Korto and Leanne, Korto more so than Leanne. Based on what they've done over the course of the show, their collections for the finale fashion show could be amazing. Since the finale is filmed this Friday, it must mean that all six of the remaining designers show at Fashion Week, with only three or four of them actually counting, which would mean Suede would actually show in Bryant Park - gross. Now that's really unfair that Terri's unable to show a collection, even if it won't count. I'm sad.

I Heart Shirley Manson

For the last couple of weeks I've been seeing commericals for the seaon premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and in them were clips of a familiar looking red-headed woman with a Scottish accent. Wait, was that Shirley Manson I just saw? No, it couldn't be, could it? I tuned into the program last night, and sure enough Shirley Manson had joined the cast of SCC, as a regular, playing a T-1000 robot disguised as the head of a company. Oh my god! Garbage was my favorite band during middle school and high school. There was a point where I would listen to Version 2.0 everyday - I loved that album - and I admit I sort of had a crush on Shirley during that time. She had a strength and fierceness to her, but she she still remained feminine. She was a rock diva, and I always thought that she could probably transfer that presence into acting. (Ok that always doesn't happen - Madonna for instance) I even thought of an idea for a movie for her, a musical naturally. Anyway I'm happy to see her around, and now there's a reason for me to watch SCC. I had started watching the series during its first season, but halfway through it, lost interest. I give the series credit for actually realizing that the star of the whole franchise is Sarah Connor, not the Terminators. The third film in the franchise, Rise of the Machines did not involve her due to the character's death prior to the events taking place, and there was huge void because of it - also, because James Cameron wasn't at the helm. What made the first two films compelling was Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, a woman who comes to realize her son is mankind's only hope for salvation and must be protected at any cost. It brings a toll with it, on her health and her own sanity. But anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Shirley Manson. I was laughing at the last scene of the epsiode which takes place in a men's bathroom and reveals her to be a T-1000, since all I could think of was a line from Garbage's song "When I Grow Up" - "Happy hours, golden showers, on a cruise to freak you out." - LOL, so appropriate.

Just for the hell of it, my Top Ten Garabge Songs:

1. Only Happy When It Rains

2. Stupid Girl

3. #1 Crush

4. Push It

5. The World Is Not Enough

6. Special

7. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)

8. Breaking Up the Girl

9. Hammering in My Head

10. Queer

I Wanted a Britney Performance!!!

Last night I actually tuned in to the beginning of the MTV Video Music Awards expecting to see Britney Spears perform the show's opening. Would there be a great comeback or another trainwreck? I was, of course, deeply disappointed, since there was no Britney performance. Instead, there was a crappy taped segment with her and Jonah Hill, in which the gross fat-assed Hill kept trying to kiss her. Oh, that's so hilarious - it's the height of humor! Someone seriously needs to kill him to guarantee I never have to see him in anything ever again. The show then went live with her walking into the building, which looked liked a poorly dressed up warehouse (couldn't they get a large auditorium or performance hall of some sort, like every other awards show?) Once on stage, she talked about it being the show's 25th anniversary and then introduced Rhianna's performance. That's it! I wanted to see a Britney performace. It's not like I'm a fan of hers - I don't think she's a great artist, though she's had a few great singles, with "Toxic" and "I'm a Slave for You" being her best. I just like the idea of a comeback - the whole, yeah I've been going through some problems and you all thought it was over, but I'm back bitches. There was none of that though. I didn't watch the rest of the show, since I had no real interest. The VMAs have sucked ever since MTV started allowing the viewers to pick the nominees and the winners. It used to be a show that honored videos like Sinead O'Conner's "Nothing Compares 2 U," Madonna's "Ray of Light," and Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity." Now it's a show that honors the Jonas Brothers and the Pussycat Dolls. Don't let regular people vote for things! I mean just look at the People's Choice Awards or the Presidential Elections.

Spider-Man 4?

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/exclusive-sony-sets-sam-raimi-studio-may-shoot-4-and-5-at-same-time/

Apparently Sam Raimi and Toby Maguire have both signed on to do a fourth Spider-Man. Ugh! After the creative heights of the second film, Spider-Man 3 killed all the joy out of the franchise. Do we really need a fourth movie? I guess they' ll finally get around to the villian The Lizard, which the series has been hinting at since the first movie with Dylan Baker's character, Dr. Curt Connors. I don't know......whatever. Maybe Raimi will actually make another good Spider-Man film, but I highly doubt it. When I read this, the only thing that popped in my head was Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli singing "Money, Money."

"Money makes the world go around

The world go around

The world go around

Money makes the world go around

It makes the world go 'round."

Sunday Blessings - Jon Hamm

This edition of Sunday Blessings is dedicated to Jon Hamm, star of the genius television series Mad Men. Everyone should be watching this show on Sunday nights on AMC at 10 o'clock. Do it? Anyway, I actually first took notice of Jon Hamm a few years prior to Mad Men, when he had a small guest role on Gilmore Girls ( I can even remember his character's name - Peyton Sanders), but it's his role as Don Draper on the fab AMC series that makes him worthy of a posting. He exudes sex appeal as the mysterious adman, whose background still remains mostly hidden from us, the viewers. The character of Don is a representation of the series time period, the early 60s, having an un-PC view of women, other races and religions, and even youth, but Hamm and the writers inbue him with a humanity that makes us still care for him, but it's also what makes him sexy. It's refreshing to find any male character with an adult masculinity, since pop culture in currently inundated with male protagonists who are all boy-like shlubs who never reach adulthood (we can all thank Judd Apatow for that current craze). Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Riley - I'm going to pass on all of them. Give me someone who acts like a man and wears a suit (and boy can Jon Hamm fill out a suit nicely!) So, let's all give thank to Jesus for gifting us with Jon Hamm. Praise Jesus!

Entertainment Weekly - Say Whaaa?

This afternoon I read the new Entertainment Weekly, in which the writer discussed the successes and failures at the box office over the summer. WALL-E, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia!, and Sex & the City: The Movie, were, of course, among those considered to be successes, but the writer also included The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, claiming that the success of that film, along with Journey to the Center of the Earth, proved Brendan Fraser was still viable as a box office draw. Huh? How is the new Mummy movie a success? It cost 145 million dollars to produce, not including advertising, which was probably an additional 50 million, and it only grossed 99 million at the domestic box office. Figuring that the studio only receives fifty percent of the box office, with the other fifty going to the theatres, the movie's gross probably only covered the cost of advertising. Yes, the movie will make a profit once the overseas box office and the future dvd sales and rentals are included, but it is not a success - it's a bomb! Hello! The X Files: I Want to Believe was considered to be a giant bomb because it's only grossed 21 million so far, but in contrast, the movie only cost 30 million to make. As for Brendan Fraser still being a box office draw (and one could question whether he ever actually was one in the first place) , that's a lotta BS. The first movie in the Mummy franchise grossed 155 million domestically, and the second grossed 202 million. That's a big drop between the second and third, meaning people really weren't that interested in seeing him return to the series. In addition, the minimal success Journey to the Center of the Earth has had cannot be attributed to Brendan's presence in the film. Most kids probably went to the film with their families to see dinosaurs and other weird creatures on giant IMAX screens in 3-D. But, you know the media spins things in weird ways that rarely ever make any sense. I guess the writer just really loves Brendan Fraser!

Oh My God! Like, There's Stuff on TV!

With not much currently going on in my life, I tend to watch the TV at night during the week. Yeah yeah, it's sad....I really should be involved in another crappy relationship, instead. Of course it's the summer and there hasn't been much on television worth grabbing my attention. Swingtown was fun, though it didn't reach its potential, the Olympics and the Democratic Convention were entertaining spectacles, and Mad Men and Generation Kill made Sunday a great night for television, but other than that it was....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Last night there was actually stuff to watch with a new episode of Project Runway, which continued this season's greatness (Diane von Furstenberg, I love you) and the season premiere of America's Next Top Model. Yeah I know ANTM is by no means the height of culture, but I find it thoroughly entertaining. Currently for me it's all about the trannie, Isis, and the French girl Marjorie. Also, Tyra continues to be batshit insane, and it's what makes her completely necessary for TV.

Oh yeah, there was also the Republican National Convention, but I had no interest in it. Watching a bunch of Republicans giving speaches to each other is like being in the Twilight Zone. There is no sense of reality. With the Democrats, yes there is the obvious partisanship, but through it all you can still grasp a sense of the real world, something relatable. You watch the Republicans and you're like, "Where do you live? What country are you talking about? Did you all have a lobotamy?" It makes you want to bang your head against the wall.

Mad Men - Watch It!

Everyone should be watching this show, seriously. If you're not, you better start. And the show better win the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series later this month. If it loses to Lost, I'll sorta be fine with it, since I guess it did have a creative comeback of sorts. I have this sinking feeling, though, that it will lose to House, which is the highest rated series of those nominated and has never won before. Ugh. The academy might feel that awarding Emmys to Mad Men for its writing and directing are enough for it. If Mad Men doesn't win this year, then it'll never win for Best Drama Series, it's just too small of a show to gain traction later on, even if it's deserving.

P.S. I'm still mad at the academy for never nominating Battlestar Galactica for Drama Series or Lead Actress for Mary McDonnell. Damn you!!