"how much does a polar bear weigh? enough to break the ice. call me"

oh, brendan leonard show, how do i miss thee? let me count the ways...

for those who didn't happen to watch abc family religiously during the summer of '03, you missed out on one of the best shows on tv. no really, this show still has a cult following. and when brendan leonard himself recently started a "revisited" fan page for the show, it got me reminiscing about the brilliance of the program. 

basically, it began as a cable access show featuring brendan and his friends doing random, wacky stuff, like duct-taping all of their joints, and holding wig contests. then, abc family picked it up and the rest was history. the humor of the show wasn't particularly in-your-face, but more of a dry snark that i obviously adored. plus, the oh-so-cute gang of guys on the show had superb taste in music, and introduced me to a buncha bands i still love, like jets to brazil, arlo, and the oranges band. there's some clips floating around on youtube, and brendan's started posting some old and new skits on the fan page. here's one of my favorites, "spatulas".

enjoy!

ooooh, girl.

what in the haaaale happened to you, marissa cooper? i mean, i know your character had lots of unresolved angst and issues - who wouldn't with that cougar of a mom and the tijuana incident - but i think life is imitating art a wee bit too much, chicky. from the psychiatric hold last year you claimed was from getting your wisdom teeth out (really?!) to your alleged recent appearance at an L.A. bar where you showed up, ran outside and puked, then went back inside, i'm worried about you. where's the ol' hot & non-messy mischa we all knew and loved? 

don't get me wrong, you've always been an absolutely abysmal dresser (lest we not forget the flower child incident of last year), and there was that little DUI...but at least your cray-cray clothes didn't totally match up with your ways. get it together, girl! i'll be watching season 1 of the ocon dvd patiently until you return.

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

omgah. i was watching fuse's "top 40 sexiest videos" the other day, and there, buried in between mariah carey's "touch my body" and janet jackson's "if" was this gem from 1999. REMEMBER?!

show i love: parenthood

if you haven't seen nbc's "parenthood" yet, you're dead to me. okay, kidding - but only sort of, because i honestly haven't enjoyed a show this much in ages. it's funny, it's poignant, and most of all, it's heartwarming. and who doesn't love a good warm heart, huh? 

basically, the gist is that sarah (lauren graham) moves back into her parents' house with her teenage kids. all of her brothers and sisters still live in the area, so lots of interesting family dynamics ensue. and while i was very, very afraid that lauren graham would get all gilmore girls-y on me - i love that show, but c'mon - she is refreshingly un-lorelai like. also, hello random, dax shephard stars as the endearingly immature brother crosby and i somehow don't hate him. understand that this is a major achievement for me. peter krause of "dirty sexy money" and erika christensen round out the sibs and craig t. nelson (COACH!) plays the stubbornly adorable dad. basically, you can't go wrong.

i seriously must sound like an NBC suit, but legit- tuesdays at 10...you're gonna love it. if you don't, complain here and we'll hash it out.

the thex wath thpectaculahhh

well, well, well...what do we have here? another former cheetah girl/3lw-er whoring it up to "change her image"? color me shocked. i can't even begin to count the things wrong with this video- oh wait, yes i can!

1. one (hyphenated) word: low-budget.

2. kiely (miss williams if you're nasty) traipsing around what looks like downtown hartford connecticut looking like a two-bit whore.

3. lyrics like "I must have been on drugs/I hope he used a rubber/Or I'mma be in trouble". keep it classy, girl!

4.  the offensive-looking dude in the video laying "face down, ass up". do not want.

not to mention the fact that the song itself is god-awful. at least she's fixed the lisp! (remember this gem?)

you go, girl!

she may not have known the difference between chicken & tuna back in the day, but i've gotta give jessica simpson props for going makeup-less for her may marie claire shoot, in support of her new show on vh1 the price of beauty. that's no makeup, no retouching...nada. she looks pretty darn good, no? take that, john mayer.

shaking and crying.

...well, almost. but as most of you know, my 12+ year obsession with hanson (yes, hanson) has no signs of slowing down any time soon....especially after hearing their new song, "thinking 'bout somethin", which harkens back to their old-school soul/r&b roots with a little bit of rock 'n' roll fun for good measure. obsessed. then the shaking and crying came when i saw this video, from the set of the video for the song. taylor hanson dancing? killme. the man is the damn holy grail and no one will tell me otherwise. i don't give a damn if he has 10 kids.  ya feel me?! 

'round 'round 'round 'round

lil' plug for my pal and talented musician, grant squire. i took a listen to his debut, county lines,a few weeks ago, and did my pitchfork-iest write-up possible. it's really good, so check

him out here and pick up his album here!

On his full-length debut, County Lines, Grant Squire's bluesy, harmonica-laden tunes and penchant for catchy hooks help him carve out a niche that combines classic with contemporary, and offers a refreshing alternative to the often tired singer-songwriter repertoire. 

From the beginning to the end of the record, Squire gives the impression of an old soul – a bit weary, maybe, but not jaded – especially on the melodic "'Til You Come Home" and folk-tinged "Haunted". And despite his relative youth, he's damn convincing. That's not to say that there aren't more lighthearted moments on the album; County Lines is punctuated with plenty of unabashedly upbeat tracks, like the spunky "I Know Better Than That", "Lonely Only Son" & "I Need a Woman With a Spine", in  which Squire claims to seek "a woman who's rarely late, and finishes what's on her plate" - who doesn't, right? Piano-driven “Lonely Only Son” paints a picture of a wanderer, someone doesn’t quite know what he’s looking for, but will know when he finds it. 

A warm Americana vibe also perpetuates throughout, conjuring up images of train rides, campfires, and late nights spent chain-smoking with bottles of wine. "Round Round Round" perhaps best captures this feeling, and is an instant standout for its infectious, singalong chorus: "Round, round, round, round, here we go again/Round, round, round, round, you should know by now, my friend/Know better by now."    Thanks to Squire, now we just might. 

eye of the tiger

my pal zan sent this gem along (originally from jezebel)

yes, that's a particularly svelte and creepy-mannequin-ish-looking version of tiger woods, covered with multicolored condoms. a thailand restaurant created this masterpiece, complete with a belt buckle that reads "let's do it tiger." think it might be just a liiiiiittle too late to be telling tiger to cage his, uh, tiger, guys. 

we're some funny motherf---ers here.

it's only the 1st, but i'm pretty confident that this will be the best thing i've seen all month. so much pride for my home state of NH: