The Mindy Project

I'm sure every last person on Earth is familiar with The Office, starting Steve Carrell. Well, the woman who played Kelly was also one of the writers for the show, and once it was done she went on to create her own sitcom called The Mindy Project. Her name (you should already know this, guys) is Mindy Kaling. She's also got two books out, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Why Not Me? I've read her first one and it is amazing funny but sadly the second one came out after my kids were both born and I've been a super slow reader since then.

Anyway, The Mindy Project started out on regular network TV but then moved to Hulu. Since it moved, Mindy had a baby (on the show, not in real life) and I'm pleased to report that it didn't ruin the entire show the way adding a baby usually does. It did get REALLY real for a couple of episodes and it made me worry a bit but it ended up being in the best interest of the comedy... which is all I ask out of life! Check it out, pals. Let me know what you think.

Spotlight Saturday - Found Footage 3D

New movie alert! It's called Found Footage 3D and it's so good! It's about a film crew making a found footage movie (in 3D, which is ridiculous, as stated in the movie itself). The crew ends up in an actual haunted house and they all get killed, as is the tradition in found footage movies.

Okay, look. I'm doing a terrible job of describing this movie but it's actually really great. At Fear Fete last weekend I watched about nine different movies and they were all terrible except for two of them. One was this and I'll tell you about the other in a minute.  First though, as a disclaimer I would like to add that I hate found footage movies. They're all garbage, except Blair Witch. And that was only good one time through! But this one is really good and it will stand up over time, I think.

The second movie I liked was a short and it's called Girl #2. I can't find it anywhere online, or even anything about it but it will not disappoint you if you can find it. If you want to find info on Found Footage 3D, it's on IMDb. It's also got a Twitter account, @FoundFootage3D. It's just in film festivals and things like that right now, but if we like, follow, clamor, etc we should be able to get it in theaters eventually. It's actually really good, you guys. Check it out.

Fear Fete

OH
MY
GOSH!!!

You guys.  Did you ever rip the posters out of Bop Magazine, Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, or The Big Bopper or anything? Well, I did.  And I collected them.  I traded them.  I hung up my favorites.  I rotated them out.  They were Serious Freaking Business.  If you ever did that, and especially if it was Serious Freaking Business... and if you ever get the chance to meet one of those boys... even if you're now a 35 year old woman... DO IT.  I can't caps lock that enough.  I should've italicized.  I should've bold faced!  You guys, you have got to take the opportunity if it presents itself.  I met Brandon Adams over the weekend, and even though I promised to play it cool, I freaked the eff out. 

Okay, so like, when you're eleven years old everyone you meet who is your age looks like garbage, basically.  It's a universally awkward stage, from about eleven to fourteen.  Oh, it doesn't last the whole time for everyone, and it's sometimes earlier, sometimes later... sometimes lifelong (just being funny).  But when you're that age and you see someone of the same age who seems impossibly beautiful it's a big deal.  And of course, I know as an adult that is impossibly beautiful, because in real life nobody gets that combination of great genes, great lighting, great stylists, great lenses and filters and great photoshopping in the sixth grade.

At any rate, my hormones were kicking in and my bedroom walls were filling up.  My favorites were -first and foremost, Matthew Lawrence; I still dig him- and then Brandon Adams, Mike Vitar, Jonathan Brandis, Kris Kross, NKOTB, Marques Houston, Macaulay Culkin... and I'm sure some others I don't remember. Point is, one of the ones I do remember, and very clearly, is Brandon Adams (swoon).  When I met him in person over the past two days he was the nicest guy! I seriously reverted back to twelve-year-old, spazzy, squealing Tina and he treated me like a normal person, which must have been a task in itself. And he signed my DVD cover "stay sweet, Cake Eater".  I legitimately got dizzy.  I tend to hyperventilate. *shrug*

After I was done spazzing out (I just realized I could've asked for a hug... what's wrong with me), I walked out of sight around a corner and just... sat.  I don't know how long I sat there staring at the floor but I had to process!  I realized that I'd never really considered those boys real people.  They were impossible people, but my life subtly shifted when I realized they exist.  I shook his hand.  The boy from the poster grew up, like I did, and I physically saw him and touched his hand.  It's surreal.  I mean, I've met celebrities before.  I spent a day hanging out with Jimmie Walker from Good Times once, and that was fun.  But I never had his poster on my wall!  The boys from the posters are a whole different deal.  If you get the chance, do it and please let me know how you felt.  If you've already done it, let me know if you felt the same way.  Plus, as you know, The Mighty Ducks 2 (yes, the sequel for some reason) is one of my ten favorite movies so that added to everything.

Oh, and will someone please, PLEASE explain to me why I kept apologetically repeating that I was a nerd?  Was there really any part of me that thought my awkward social skills, Star Trek dress and Dr Seuss, Star Trek AND Jackson 5 tattoos didn't say that loud and clear?  And why would I even need to apologize for that? Nerds are in right now!  Maybe not us socially awkward ones, but I'm close enough.  Uuuugh.  Whatever.

 Another thing: This is what my hair does in public...

And this is what it does at home at the end of the day

The Best Music of the 80s And 90s

Hey pals, I've been remiss a bit lately but I hope to get back on schedule now, and to add in a regular Tuesday post for about a year. Today, I think the best thing for me to do is let you know what's to come. I've decided that since my favorite thing is lists, I'll do a post or two of lists telling you more about myself. I already gave you a list of my favorite movies and one about my favorite things to watch on Netflix, so I'm trying to come up with some normal things like favorite books and some more unexpected things, like my favorite TV talk show hosts. I'll kick it off today with a list of my favorite music in the late 80s/early 90s. 

In no particular order:

Michael Jackson
NKOTB 
Billy Ray Cyrus (embarrassing)
Tiffany
Debbie Gibson
Kriss Kross 
TLC
Ice T (I had to be really sneaky though)
immature
Bel Biv DeVoe
Boyz II Men
Jodeci
SWV

That's all I can really think of for now. Who am I forgetting, guys? Help me out. 

Brandon Adams

A while back, on my Mighty Ducks post I promised you a Brandon Adams post. The other day... long story... my termite guy mentioned to me that at Fear Fete this year (I mentioned that a few years ago I missed Tony Todd at Fear Fete) the cast of The People Under the Stairs will be there. It's a really good movie and guess what? BRANDON ADAMS IS IN IT!!! So after my near-meltdown over missing Tony Todd I've decided that wild horses couldn't keep me away this year. Let me tell you a bit about Brandon Quintin Adams, as IMDB knows him... not me, though. I'm on a first name basis with him. Well, a first and last name basis. Basically, I'm too lazy to add the middle name. Whatever. 

So let's start at the beginning, shall we? And let's save the best for first. Best of all, besides The Mighty Ducks and D2 of course, is a movie called Polly: Comin Home. Not the one about the parrot, this one is the black version of Pollyanna. Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad from The Cosby Show are also in that movie, along with a zillion other stars. It's a musical, so he sings and dances and sets little ten-year-old hearts aflame. In fact, if you really want to see him dance his way to the honor seat of my little-kid heart, just watch Moonwalker. He was a little MJ and he Moonwalked and everything. Super cute. 

Then came the 90s, with stills of him from The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks pulled from Bop (or whatever magazine) decorating my little bedroom walls. Here in the 90s is roughly where I saw The People Under the Stairs, which actually came out in '88. I really liked it, I like scary movies. Which brings us to Fear Fete. Watch for that post in late October!

Hamilton

Hiya, pals! This Thursday I'm going to give you a little peek into my life at the moment. My life is mostly comprised of Hamilton lyrics right now, so that should be easy enough.  In case you're not familiar with Hamilton (are you seriously trying to tell me you're not riveted by the founding of the US Treasury Department?), let me explain. The most sought-after ticket in Broadway history is this hip hop/rap/show tune mashup that features amazingly talented minority actors portraying our founding fathers and their loved ones. I feel like I held out as long as I could, because I didn't want to listen to the soundtrack before I'd seen the show, but that thing has been sold out since before it opened, with no end in sight, so I just went ahead and listened to it. Then I waited as long as I could -maybe two weeks- and I bought it online. I mean... I had to. 

My house the minute the discs came in

If you know me at all by now, you've guessed that the part that impresses me the most is the writing. Lin-Manuel Miranda is this amazing story teller and lyricist who actually described the title character as "handsome, and boy does he know it..." AND THEN HE CAST HIMSELF. That's guts, folks. Good thing he pulls it off, eh? They spend a lot of time complimenting his eyes, and okay. Yeah, I can see that. You win this round, Miranda! But you're on thin ice! Just kidding, but they really are gorgeous eyes, though. My favorite song in the soundtrack is Helpless, and there's one line where Eliza says that she's trying not to cry because there's nothing that Hamilton's mind can't do, and it occurs to me every time I hear it to wonder if Lin-Manuel Miranda's wife Vanessa spends a lot of her time trying not to cry because there's nothing that her husband's mind can't do. It certainly seems like she would feel that way, and I hope she does. In fact, that's the way I feel about my husband, and it's something that I can genuinely say that I wish for everyone. It's a wonderful way to spend life. 

Oh. Too sappy? Sorry about that. Back to Hamilton. Anyway, if you buy the music, you get the whole show. There's not really any speaking; it's all in the songs. I feel qualified to pick a favorite character, just from the soundtrack and definitely, easily, this is King George. He sings a kind of beautiful, joyous love song to America that includes the phrase, "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love! La da da da daaa..." I mean, just go find it. And give Say No to This your undivided attention. Let me know what you think. 

Star Trek 50th Anniversary

Today is the 50th anniversary of the first time Start Trek ever aired. I haven't been a Trekkie long, but I've definitely crossed a line somewhere along the way into fanaticism. I wrote about Trek before a time or two, and if you've read them you know all about it, with one exception. Drumroll, please... I got a new tattoo! 

Don't mind me, I stand on chairs for weird leg photos

You may recognize that design from Captain Kirk's mug in Start Trek Beyond. I've been trying to find a licensed version of that mug to buy, but I don't think there is one. I don't like the idea of buying a knockoff of something fairly priced (but if you can find me a high quality Louis Vuitton knockoff, hit up that comment box!). Since I can't find a real one, I'm looking for a good reproduction of that mug. I've seen a lot of them pop up but the cup itself is usually the wrong shape. If you make a good one or know who does, make sure to comment below. 

The real reason I've called you here today, though, is because I'd love to find out who actually designed that image in the first place. Please pass this along to anyone you can think of, who might know or even if you think they'd know who to ask. I want to let the artist know how much I love it. If it was my design, I'd love to see it inked onto someone. Thanks, pals. I'd really appreciate it!