My Current Obsession

My current obsession is Hoyt Fortenberry* from True Blood. I like Hoyt because he is cute and nice and loves his mom. I also like Hoyt because he doesn't like skeezy girls. Someday, I would like to meet a boy like Hoyt, but that will probably never happen because he only exists in my television.**


* Note I am not obsessed with the actor who plays Hoyt (aka Jim Parrack, who literally just got a Wikipedia page...not that I've been, like, looking for one or anything) because he is engaged to some girl who is not me and that's just how I roll.

** Also, I don't know why this is written like I'm 10 and recapping my summer vacation. I may be losing it.

Top 5: New TV Characters

So, I'm all about lists lately. What are you gonna do about it? Here are my favorite new TV characters (i.e. those who appear on a show that debuted in 2009 or are a new addition to a show in 2009):

1. Precious Ramotswe No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (HBO) - Jill Scott is amazing as the lead in this new HBO series, based on the novels of the same name. As Botswana's first lady detective, Precious is tough, charming and totally comfortable in her own skin. One of my new favorite shows.

2. Trevor Pierce Cupid (ABC) - Cupid originally debuted in 1998 and starred Jeremy Piven. In the 2009 reboot, Bobby Cannavale who's been on my crush radar since The Station Agent, plays the god of love, sent to earth by the gods of Olympus to make 100 true love matches. They show is cute, but Bobby makes it "must see." Even if Samantha claims he has funky spunk, I feel an obsession coming on!

3. Coach Survivor (CBS) - Survivor, in it's, like, 20th season, has seen it's fair share of whack jobs, but Coach takes the effing cake. He calls himself the "Dragon Slayer," hates women and proclaims himself the mastermind of just about everything...without ever performing well in challenges or the social game. This week, he told his tribe mates he was kidnapped by small Peruvians while kayaking down the Amazon and beaten until nearly dead before making a daring escape back down the river. I've known some story tellers in my day, but no one out does Coach. Just, fascinating.

4. Charles Miner The Office (NBC) - Things have been shaken up in the Dunder-Mifflin world and it's yielded some of the funniest episodes of the season. Idris Elba (RIP Stringer Bell!) is awesome as the anti-Micheal...he respects Dwight, thinks Jim is a slacker and makes Stanley put down his damn crossword puzzles. Basically, he's actually the World's Best Boss.

5. Adelle DeWitt Dollhouse (Fox) - Eliza Dushku be damned, I love Dollhouse. Olivia Williams is perfection as the British head of the house. She's witty and powerful and not afraid to send your ass to the attic if you step out of line.

How about you? Any new shows/characters you're loving at the moment?

Another Award? You Shouldn't Have!

The lovely (and redheaded) MelO over at It's just easier that way... gave us the much coveted "I Love Your Blog" award. I know you're all thinking, "You haven't won that yet? How is that even possible?!" but I assure you, dear readers, this is the first time someone has said, in public, that they love our blog (well, apart from all those other times people said it).

Rather than following the prescribed rules and passing the award along willy nilly (because breaking rules and saying ridiculous things like "willy nilly" is how I roll), I decided to remake it into something you may care about and perhaps even comment upon (because, like all bloggers, I love comments more than a fat kid loves cake and seriously, fat kids love the hell out of some cake). So, yeah. Taking a page from Liz's hugely successful "Guess who's coming to dinner" post, I'm asking, Which 5 bloggers and/or internet personalities would you like to meet out for drinks? My list:

Falwless - Fal was the first commenter none of us actually knew. Always hilarious, Liz and I have kinda developed an obession about meeting her. Someday she will visit. Oh, yes. It will happen. Mark my words, or something.

BeckEye - I imagine if Fal, BeckEye and I all got together, it would spell some serious trouble, and there are few things I love more than some good ol' fashioned trouble.

The Fug Girls - Again, hilarious, good-time girls. This is apparently turning into a girls night out. Sorry, fellas.

The Other Red - Because, as I always say, the more redheads in one room at the same time, the better. Seriously, I say that at least 5 times a day. People usually just look at me like I'm insane, but what do they know? Dummies!

The Guv - I'd love to grab a pint with the Guv, although, she'd probably eat all that proverbial fat kid's cake. Screw that kid! He should definately cut back anyway.

(By the way, MelO is obviously invited as well because she gave us the lovely award and whatnot.)
You all win the I Love Your Blog award (which I'm sure you've all won before), but more importantly, you have won the opportunity to post your answers to the question in the comments section! Congrats! Other people not cool enough to have drinks with the ladies, you can comment, too. You are all so very welcome.

High Crimes and Misnomers

For the past week, I’ve been completely fascinated with a real-life Lifetime Original Movie that’s unfolding in Boston. I’ve considered writing about it but put it off because I figured no one else would care. Then I remembered I don’t care what you think, and decided its high time you heard this story.

It’s the story of a father who kidnapped his daughter amidst a nasty custody dispute. Sadly a common occurrence, but what’s unique about this case is it involves false identities, yachts to Peru and a possible connection to an unsolved murder in California.

Oh, and Segways. It also involves Segways.

I first got intrigued when I was reading a Boston news site two weekends ago to check on the Red Sox. I saw an Amber Alert had been issued for a girl named Reigh Rockerfeller who’d been kidnapped in the Back Bay. The Back Bay is an anciently upscale neighborhood in Boston where all the old money lives. And obviously, “Rockerfeller” is about as blue blood as you get. This was odd.

But wait – Google tool bar informed me that the Standard Oil family spells it “Rockefeller.” Maybe this girl was a mere commoner after all.

Over the next few days, I start finding out more. A lot more. The Web site’s spell check was off – the girl’s name is in fact “Rockefeller.” Reigh Storrow Mills Boss Rockefeller to be exact. That’s five names, two of which (Storrow being the other) are navy blue blood in the northeast.

The girl’s mother is a Stanford and Harvard educated marketing executive who divides her time between Boston and London and sits on the board of Edith Wharton’s estate. OK. Big money. Check. But the father, who snatched the kid…He’s another story.

His name is Clark Rockefeller, but no one can figure out if he’s one of the Rockefellers. He’s always been vague. He’s also gone by a host of different aliases. He claims he owns a yacht on Long Island and police think he’s taking the daughter on it to Peru.

This guy is quite the character. He acts like he comes from money – speaking in a faux British accent, dressing like an uber-preppy and riding everywhere on a Segway. Yet no one knows anything about his family or where he comes from. He claims to be a scientist, but apparently doesn’t work. Information leaks that at least one reason he and his wife got divorced is because he lied about his background. He lost custody of the girl because he wouldn’t show ID at a hearing.

Finally, over the weekend, the police catch the guy. He’d taken his daughter to Baltimore and rented an apartment in a converted carriage house in a tony neighborhood. He had a boat in Baltimore, but it weren’t no yacht. He was arrested and taken back to Boston.

Now, homicide detectives in LA are flying to Boston to interview Rockefeller – if that’s his real name – because his fingerprints were somehow connected to an unsolved murder there. The little girl and her mom, by the way, have been reconnected and are said to be doing just fine.

Isn’t this crazy!? I know I’m not supposed to feel this way, but the fact that fabulously rich people with questionable pasts are involved make this case ten times more interesting. I’m not gonna lie. And I didn’t even mention how the father dragged a social worker behind his car when he first kidnapped the girl, or the mom’s emotional plea video that the Boston Police Department posted online.

Call me a sicko, but I really hope this guy turns out the Zodiac Killer or something. If he’s just some failed actor or White Snake’s original drummer, I'm going to be really disappointed.

You're totally the one on the upper left, aren't you "Rockefeller"?

Way to be a buzzkill, DNA

I have an admittedly odd and nonsensical fascination with Russian history. (Did you know that Ivan the Terrible's name was incorrectly translated and that Russians actually called him Ivan the Dread? I SHOULDN’T KNOW THIS!!!) So naturally I’m crazy into the whole Anastasia mystery.

For those of you who don’t independently seek historical information on a country to which you have no ties whatsoever and which was considered America’s nemesis for the better part of a century, here’s what went down: In 1918 a bunch of mean old Bolsheviks shot the entire royal family of Russia for the victimless crime of living in opulence while millions of Russian peasants were starving and dying and stuff. There were always rumors, however, that one of the daughters, Anastasia, somehow managed to get away. A few women came forward years later claiming to be Anastasia, with one in particular giving some rather convincing evidence. For decades it’s been a fascinating mystery that’s inspired all kinds of books, movies and 3 a.m. NOVA specials that I may or may not have watched when I couldn’t sleep one night in high school. (Odd and nonsensical. We’re admitting this.)

But now here comes big bad DNA to ruin everyone’s fun and prove that some old bones found near the Romanovs’ execution site are in fact those of Anastasia. Looks like she got herself shot and killed just like the rest of them. Bor-ing!

Being that it’s Friday, I will hereby cease and desist with the history and science and glimpses into how incredibly cool I was in high school. Instead, I will wish you a weekend full of mystery and adventure and devoid of any DNA evidence whatsoever. Do svidaniya!

My Current Obsessions

I know you are all a bunch of godless heathens, so I'm not gonna even bother to wish you a Good Friday or Happy Easter. Just devour your chocolate and be done with it. Instead of talking about Jesus, I'm gonna talk about me, me, me (a refreshing change of pace, no?). Here are some things I am obsessed with at the moment:

The Guttenberg - I finally watched Ladies Night of DWTS last night (Kristy Yamaguchi is pretty much winning this thing. We all know this, right? And Marlee Matlin blew me a-freaking-way!), but the best part of the night was the 5 seconds Tom Bergeron spent with The Guttenberg. Wow! He's so awesome.

She & Him - Thanks to Sharon and The Back Story for linking to the new album from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. It's very, like, Loretta Lynn meets Hem mixed with the Ronnettes. I can't stop listening to it!

Last Restaurant Standing - Is anyone else watching this BBC America show? It's basically the foodie version of The Apprentice (which I stopped watching ages ago) and pits 9 couples against each other to establish a successful restaurant. The winners will open their own restaurant with fancy French chef Raymond Blanc. I just realized, I watched 4 hours of reality television last night. I think I have a problem...

This post was really just an excuse to post another picture of The Guttenberg.

My Current Obsession

We all have our favorite TV series which left us too soon (My top 5 are: My So-Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, Veronica Mars and The Ben Stiller Show). I just started watching another which would totally be on the list, but thanks to some serious internet campaigning, has been given a second chance to find an audience this month.

Jericho is about a young guy (Skeet Ulrich, aka the poor man's Johnny Depp) who returns home to his small hometown in Kansas just before Denver (the nearest major city) is subject to a nuclear attack. The people of Jericho lose all radio and TV contact and are basically lost and uninformed, though the new stranger in town knows way more then he lets on. Slowly, spotty information creeps in that other major cities around the US have been attacked as well. It's kinda like The Stand meets Lost...seriously suspenseful, with twists and unknowns every other minute. I'm loving it!

Not many people watched Jericho when it initially aired (I know I skipped it because I'm not a huge Skeet Ulrich fan and it was on CBS (which seems like, as my friend Elayna and I discussed yesterday, the network for old people. As she said, "Their shows star people like Mark Harmon. No one under 50 likes Mark Harmon" (other then as Mr. Shoop in Summer School, of course))). Anywho, those who did watch it, loved it (Garney and Stephen King among them) and sent literally tons of nuts to CBS in an effort to bring the show back for another season (Not sure what the nuts are about yet...apparently they play a role in the season finale). I'm so glad they did. Now, I'm obsessed with getting through season 1 before season 2 debuts on Feb. 12th. You can catch up/get hooked with full episodes online and we can all keep Jericho on the air a little while longer.

My Current Obsession

I've already discussed my love affair with Entertainment Weekly (Yes. I realize this is not something to brag about. I'd be much cooler if I was really into Pitchfork or NME, but I'm really not that cool) and reading ew.com fuels my obsession with my favorite columnist, Dalton Ross.

I first noticed Dalton when he wrote What to Watch each week for the magazine. It was hilarious and became my favorite part of each issue (no one else made reading about Temptation Island and Making the Band so funny and entertaining). Now, he writes a weekly column called The Glutton and provides Survivor TV Watch online. Reading his columns is the highlight of my websurfing each week. He is the ultimate beta male (which is so hot right now), he's married to Christina Kelly of Sassy magazine (which significantly shaped who I am today) and he likes most of the things I like (which makes him a genius). He also includes an Obsession of the Week and a video Top 5 in his columns...two things I write all the time. Actually, I think my obsession is so great, I've started to emulate Dalton. Maybe I need and EW intervention...

TV Premiere Week - Tuesday

So, I watched Chuck last night. Eh. It was okay. The lead guy is pretty adorable, and the funny, sexually inappropriate guy from Dexter is in it, but, in the immortal words of Randy Jackson, "It was just okay for me, dawg." (wow. That was pretty lame, even for me). Needless to say, I don't think I'll be watching again.

Good thing Tuesday is Trivia Night because there's not much I want to check out on TV, other than The Reaper, which according to my favorite EW columnist, Dalton Ross, is fantastic (I guess I should note, I am kinda obsessed with Entertainment Weekly. I got a subscription when I was in sixth grade and read every issue cover to cover for more than 15 years - which is really just ridiculous. Now, I spend a good portion of my day perusing their website. I realize this makes me a freak. I am okay with this). I don't watch House (I like it, but every episode is exactly the same and it gets old really fast) and I'm not gonna admit I sometimes watch Dancing With the Stars (only when everything else is on commercial...I swear), but they are on tonight, too.

I'll probably watch the Padres game. They are in a must win situation. If they don't win, I'll know they've given up on me...and I'll have no choice but to give up on them.

My Current Obsession

I tend to get oddly fascinated by things/people and obsess over them for extended periods of time. I watch or read everything I can about them and talk about them ad nauseum. This usually annoys my friends...especially when they don't share the same devotion (after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows came out, I talked about it so much my friend Annie said "Enough with the Harry Potter already!"), but eventually I get over it and move on to the next thing (well, not with HP, obviously, but you get the point).

So, my obsession right now is Chef/Writer/King of Snark Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain hosts No Reservations on the Travel Channel. His is not your typical travel or food show. He really encourages the audience to get off the tour bus and see the sites; eat what the locals eat; go where the locals go. He has a different take on the places he visits and on the world in general, where food and culture always mix to deliver new and important experiences (he was actually stuck in Lebanon when Hezbollah attacked last year and made a really wonderful, smart episode about war zones and life and what it is to be American in this crazy world). He never takes himself too seriously and always has something hilariously wicked to say (read his rant about Food Network stars. It's awesome).

Helping feed my obsession (Tony knows how much I need him more than once a week), Bourdain is a sometime guest judge on Top Chef and blogs about the show weekly (if you don't watch Top Chef, you really should. Best summer show, if you ask me). He's tough, but so is cooking sometimes, and his appearances always make good TV even better.

I've been obsessed with Tony for awhile now and the obsession just kinda keeps growing, but someday he will no longer be on television or writing books or blogging about the horrors of Sandra Lee, so I guess I'll have to enjoy him while I can.