sammi says

I had pretty much forgotten about "Scrubs," ever since I watched what was supposed to be the end of the series last year. It was a satisfying finale, J.D. and Elliot got back together, we got a trip down memory lane of all the wacky doctors and patients and it was funnier than it had been in years. But then ABC throws everyone for a loop and renews "Scrubs" for another season. Mind you, this is all after NBC cancelled "Scrubs" in 2007 then ABC picked up the show for an eighth season. The eighth season was supposed to be the last...most of the cast member's contracts were up and everyone wanted to move on so they wrapped the show. I guess since people were pleased with the last episode ABC decided to raise the show from the dead one last time with a sort of spin-off series, "Scrubs: Med School."

TiVo still had my "Scrubs" season pass in my to do list and recorded the show for me. If not for TiVo, I certainly would have passed over this bastardized version of what used to be one of my favorite shows. Everything is changed. Sacred Heart hospital is now on the campus of a medical school with most of our favorite doctors, Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), Turk (Donald Faison) and for six episodes, J.D. (Zach Braff) acting as teachers. What's missing? Elliot (Sarah Chalke), Carla (Judy Reyes) and most of all, the Janitor (Neil Flynn) make for the greatest absences.

The show is now focusing on a new group of med school students who I can't even bother to mention because they were such a bore. ABC showed two episodes back to back and I didn't laugh once. "Scrubs: Med School" makes "Saved By The Bell: The College Years" look like comedy gold. ABC made a huge mistake trying to revive "Scrubs." I think the show ended on a high note and that's how they should have left it. In my opinion, TV doesn't get much funnier than the first 5 seasons of "Scrubs." My recommendation is don't bother watching "Scrubs: Med School" on ABC...you're much better off watching the reruns on Comedy Central.

Lady Gaga recently released, "The Fame: Monster" a revamp of her hit album, "The Fame." I've already talked about the amazing track, "Bad Romance," but there's also seven other new songs. I love every single song on "The Fame" and I can't say the same about "The Fame: Monster." I'm about 50/50. "The Fame: Monster" is very techno and sounds like club music whereas "The Fame" was pure pop. The songs I love I really, really love. But there's a few tracks I immediately skip over. The Good- "Bad Romance," "Speechless," "Teeth," and "Telephone." The Ok- "Monster" The Bad- "Alejandro," "Dance in the Dark," and "So Happy I Could Die."

The songs I love, for the most part, are unlike anything I've ever heard before. "Speechless," is about as much of a ballad we'll probably get from Gaga. I hear the backstory about this song is that Gaga wrote it for her father who was refusing necessary heart surgery. She's mentioned on talk shows recently that her father received the surgery and is doing fine. This song translates to anyone who's dealing with someone who's giving up. "Teeth" is gritty. "Telephone" featuring Beyonce is an awesome poppy-techno track that is fun and catchy and makes for great going out music.

The ok song is "Monster." It's hard not to like a song with lyrics, "We french kissed on a subway train/He tore my clothes right off/He ate my heart then he ate my brain/That boy is a monster."

The bad songs sound like Madonna rip-offs or are too techno for my liking. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still fully behind Gaga 100% but I can't help but feel like the record company was just trying to capitalize on her recent success and wanted to buy a new album right away, regardless of the material.

You can buy "The Fame: Monster" on iTunes. Or if you want to just give it a listen you can stream the songs here.

It was hard for me to write a review of John Mayer's latest release "Battle Studies." I kept putting it off because the fan girl in me wants to sum it up and say "BEST ALBUM EVERRRRR!!!!1!" But writing one sentence about my unconditional love for JM does neither of us any good.

So I'm going to try to put my thoughts into words having let "Battle Studies" sink in for the last two weeks. If you recall, I was a little shocked at the tone of the first single "Who Says," and even though I knew John was going to go a completely new direction for this album, I didn't really anticipate how different.

His previous album "Continuum" hits you with electric-guitar-heavy, epic, ascending tracks ("Belief," "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," "In Repair") and that's just not the case with "Battle Studies." It's more subdued but I think it delivers more lyrically than any of his past albums.

"Battle Studies" plays out as a modern relationship survival guide. The first song "Heartbreak Warfare," is about being on he verge of breaking up, with lyrics like "red wine and ambien, you're talking shit again." Another track "Assassin" delves into the world of one night stands. "Friends, Lovers or Nothing," is an anthem for all those friends with benefits who are looking for something more.

My favorite song of the moment is "Half of My Heart," featuring Taylor Swift. It's an acoustic, pop song that feels familiar. I say song of the moment because after my first listen my favorite was "Heartbreak Warfare," and I can already feel my next favorite coming on, "Edge of Desire." It's inching to number one because a few days ago, as a thank you for making "Battle Studies" the number one album, John recorded an acoustic, live, solo, uncut version of "Edge of Desire," in his apartment at 3 in the morning. I think it's beautiful and vulnerable and makes me appreciate the album version 10 times more. Here's the link to download.

It took a few listens of "Battle Studies" for me to feel comfortable with the songs but now I can't stop listening. It's the perfect soundtrack for dreary winter days. "Battle Studies" makes John Mayer's musical evolution clearly evident. Buy it on iTunes here.



(I love the way JM did the track listing for "Battle Studies." He made it look like an actual manual with chapters like Evasion, Navigation, Identifying the Enemy etc...Click the photo above to enlarge it.)

Oh my god, I'm feeling all "Twilighty" all over again. You've probably noticed I've been a little obsessed with "The Tonight Show's" recurring bit about Conan's vampire assistant, Cody Devereaux. (See Catching Up With Cody, Move Over, Edward Cullen and Vampire Craze, Cody Devereaux is a Hit. On tonight's episode Wolf Boy tried to move in on Conan O'Brien and be a better personal assistant than the hunky, brooding vampire Cody Devereaux.



I guess they had to have Wolf Boy on tonight considering the original wolf boy, Taylor Lautner was on the show tonight. Conan gets a little broody himself trying to get Cody to stay. Who will break up the impending fight between Cody and Wolf Boy? Jerry Springer, of course. Who as it happens, is also a vampire.

Oh, and Taylor Lautner is a freak who can catch grapes in his mouth from an insane distance. Forward the clip until there's about 1:00 minute left.

Last week I was so consumed with "New Moon" madness that I failed to watch "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" on Thursday night and didn't catch up until this afternoon. Let me tell you, I missed out on a hilarious Cody Devereaux skit. Things got seriously out of hand for Cody and Conan last week. Wolf Boy showed up again much to Cody's chagrin. Along with Wolf Boy there was a sexy Frankenstein who had a bit of wardrobe malfunction. Conan could barely hold it together due to all the ridiculousness.



Cody looks extremely distressed throughout the sketch. I feel bad for him. It's tough to be a vampire. But that's not all, Cody made yet another appearance on Conan O'Brien on tonight's show. Here's what happened.

Here are some of my other posts on our favorite vamp, Move Over, Edward Cullen and Vampire Craze, Cody Devereaux is a Hit.

I'm pretty sure I'm Cody Devereaux's biggest fan. Way to go Conan O'Brien for being awesome lately. Cody's on Conan again tonight so I'll be posting again as soon as NBC posts the clip. Team Cody!

Do you remember three years ago when Michael Richards, most famously known for playing Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfeld," basically lost his mind during a stand-up comedy performance? He yelled hateful, racist statements at members of his audience who he claimed were heckling him. Then he appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" via satellite to apologize but really ended up seeming not sorry and really kind of strange and angry. After that, Richards definitely played it smart and laid low for several years. In fact, the first time we've seen him (besides "Seinfeld" reruns) is on this season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

As you've probably heard, the plot of this season of "Curb" is the planning and taping of "Seinfeld" reunion episode. In an earlier episode this season ("The Reunion") we see Larry David meeting with Richards to ask him to be a part of the reunion. Richards's scenes were funny but a little strange with him sort of dazed and confused (and distracted by boobs) that it seemed they were trying to keep his part to a minimum. That is of course until last week's episode ("The Table Read") where Richards is terrified to receive a diagnosis of Groat's disease (a fake syndrome created in season 2 of "Curb") and he asks Larry for advice. Larry says he knows someone with Groat's who's doing fine and he'll set up a meeting between him and Richards. In true Larry style, he of course forgot the man he knows actually died of Groat's, so he enlists the help of Uncle Leon (J.B. Smoove, one of my faves) to act like he has Groat's. When Richards finds out he was duped, let's just say he isn't happy. Watch the clip.



When I was watching this scene I was cracking up. It's definitely a funny way to deal with the elephant in the room. And when you think about the real life situation, it does seem like it's straight out of a fictional "Curb" plot line. Larry has done some really terrible things on the show and is always offending everyone. Would we have thought Richards's outburst was funny if it had only happened in the context of an episode of "Curb?" I know I would have. Granted, it was real life and a total mistake but I love that they didn't act like it never happened. I appreciate Michael Richards for being a good sport. Who knows if he truly is sorry or if he even cares what we think, but he is redeemed in my eyes because he reminded me he is a hilarious actor but also a human. Only Larry David could turn this situation into something we can all laugh about.

Let me start by saying I still wouldn't call myself a "Twilight" freak but I like it. There, I said it. I like "Twilight." In early September I told you my story of how I came to read the books and see the first movie (I am a Freak) and now that I have, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the entire "Twilight" world. Having read all four books in the series I can look back at the "Twilight" movie and see why some things like how quickly Bella falls in love with Edward and their insanely strong commitment makes sense. Whole chapters of the almost 500 page book are dedicated to certain situations and topics that are only on screen for 15 seconds in the movie. I don't think the purpose of the movies is or will ever be to be the greatest movies in the history of film or even to be great films period. I think the point of the movies is to capitalize on the love people have for the books and to treat them with the visualization of the stories.

Ok, with that said, "New Moon" starts off with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) in this fantastic relationship but when Bella cuts her finger opening birthday presents, Jasper, Edward's vampire bro, totally tries to snack on Bella. Edward goes apeshit. He's so disappointed with his family and himself for ever letting Bella come close to danger, he decides to split town for Bella's own good. Bella is of course devastated and the only thing that brings Bella out of her months of depression is her old friend, Jacob (Taylor Lautner). You've seen the previews you know what happens from there...Let's get down to business.

I loved this movie. I think the acting has improved a million percent. The first movie felt so awkward, I felt like in this movie that the actors were those characters, it didn't feel forced. It also wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself...Bella's jokes about Jacob's buff bod were great. Also, the humans definitely stood out as comic relief. Bella's friend Jessica (Anna Kendrick) totally does not let Bella's freakishly deep depression slide. When they finally hang out again after months, Jessica totally calls Bella out on her strange behavior. Charlie (Billy Burke), Bella's dad has some amazing, yet subtle one-liners that were definitely needed in such a serious movie.

I think Chris Weitz as the director of this film definitely gave the whole movie a different feel. Even though the story behind this movie is much darker than the first, the tone feels much lighter. In the first movie, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, every color is deep blue and gray and it made every situation feel very heavy. It's almost as if Weitz knew not to take things so seriously...perhaps a better choice when you break down the nature of the plot. There were only a few moments that stood out to me as being totally cheese ball (i.e. Sam Uley's slow-motion cliff dive and see the ***spoiler*** at the end of the post).

I'm biased in my review because I can understand the subtleties of certain situations, looks and dialogue in the movie because I have read all four books. There are certainly some things that make much more sense to me having read the books than to outsiders who have only seen the first movie.

For instance, Bella's reasons for wanting to become a vampire so badly are mostly vain. Bella has an intense fear of aging, it's not because she thinks the vamp lifestyle is cool. It's because she knows she's going to be with Edward forever and doesn't want to get older while Edward still looks like a sparkly 17-year-old. Bella already feels like a chump standing next to the sexy vamp, can you imagine if she was like 80 years old?


In the book, Jacob's distrust and loathing of Sam Uley's (Chaske Spencer) gang (aka the wolfpack) is explained in great detail. Jake feels he's lost some of his friends and thinks the guys are up to no good. But low and behold, Jake gets let in on the secret when he transforms into the sexy little beast boy, but Bella's still left in the dark. If this was stressed a little more I think it would make more sense as to why the normally docile Bella felt compelled to punch a huge, shirtless guy in the face leading to him phasing into a wolf and almost ripping her face off.


There's a scene in Italy when the Volturi want to kill Bella. Alice reveals that she sees a vampy-Bella in the future which would save Bella's life. We see inside Alice's mind and see Bella in a frilly dress with sparkly skin running with Edward in the woods. People in the movie theatre laughed because it certainly looked like a cheesy fantasy. But of course those of us who have read the books know that scene actually happens in "Breaking Dawn," as soon as Bella wakes up from her transformation she's very thirsty and Edward takes her hunting for the first time. I thought their addition of this clip was great giving us a glimpse of the final film.

This movie kicked ass. It certainly exceeded my expectations considering the low, low bar I set after the first film. After seeing this installment of the saga, I'm slightly less ashamed to call myself a fan. BUT, I am thoroughly ashamed to say I saw the film at midnight last night. The movies are definitely a special treat for those who read the books and it probably won't make sense for everyone else. So I say if you care enough to pay to see the movie, do yourself a favor and read the books first...it will make it much more enjoyable.


***Spoiler***- The audience got a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the film. If you had read the books you would know that Edward most certainly does not propose to Bella in the forest. When it happens in the context of the book it makes much more sense even though Bella's answer is no. The real proposal happens toward the middle of "Eclipse" in a much steamier setting.

I'm sorry is it 2002 again? How in the world did Johnny Depp land the cover of People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive? I've never been the biggest Depp fan, but yes, of course he's had his hot moments, but I think his sexy days are certainly behind him. And they couldn't have even found a sexier picture for the cover? Gross! The other contenders in the top 15 that definitely deserved to be on the cover over Johnny Depp are....


Rob Pattinson. This guy is the hottest human on planet earth right now. Did you see his pictures from Vanity Fair? I'm not to afraid to admit it anymore....I LOVE ROBERT PATTINSON! I want to shout it from the rooftops. This guy is drop dead sexy and not to mention- BRITISH! It's the sexiest accent ever and he has a really good sense of humor. Oh, and how stupid of People Magazine not putting R.Pattz on the cover, don't they know they could have sold a billion more issues to Twilighters?


Bradley Cooper. Coops is really Hollywood's go to guy right now. Since this summers, "The Hangover" ladies can't stop swooning over his dreamy eyes, myself included.


Jon Hamm. I don't loooove "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm but I certainly see his appeal and definitely think he is a billion times sexier than Johnny Depp.

And if I really had it my way John Mayer would be on the cover, with Paul Rudd and John Krasinski coming in a close second and third.

Everyone loves Cody Devereaux, Conan O'Brien's hunky, brooding, vampire personal assistant. My blog has received so many hits from people google searching "Cody Devereaux" and it leading them to my post Move Over, Edward Cullen. So due to such high demand I updated that post to give you all more information about Cody Devereaux and the actor who plays him.

Go read my updated post and watch the latest clip of Cody from last night's Conan.

Here's my review of "New Moon" for all you Twi-hards out there, What Can I Say? I Loved "New Moon".

Back in September I wrote about what TV shows I was most excited for this fall. Now that it's halfway through the TV season here are my current thoughts on the shows and I'll tell you if they lived up to my expectations.

Glee (Fox Wednesday 8pm)- Ah-mazing! I love this show like no other. It's a little mini-musical every week that is both hilarious and moving. The story lines aren't meant to reflect reality, no musical is....it's supposed to be so overdramatic and exaggerated and this show does it perfectly. There's no way to make a TV show with high schoolers breaking into song believable, but the feelings and emotions are very real. Favorite song numbers so far- "Somebody to Love," "Maybe This Time," and of course "Push It".

The Office (NBC Thursday 8pm)- "The Office" has definitely lived up to my expectations...Pam and Jim's wedding was the sweetest thing ever, Ed Helms as Andy Bernard just keeps getting better and better, Erin and Kelly's friendship is intriguing, and Michael's fling with Pam's mom was shocking and endearing. I have absolutely loved every single episode this season with the exception of last night's episode, "Murder." I don't know what's going to come of Dunder Mifflin filing for bankruptcy but hopefully it's more funny than it is depressing...

Community (NBC Thursday 8:30pm)- I gave up on "Community" around the fourth episode. I had the highest hopes for this show but to me, it failed miserably. I know it's doing really well, but I just did not get into it. I thought it was smartly written and had pretty good acting, it just did not make laugh....at all. I barely cracked a smile while watching the show and therefore it doesn't deserve a spot on my TiVo. Joel McHale is a thousand times funnier on "The Soup," which will always have a season pass.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX Thursday 9pm)- "Sunny" has definitely been bringing the funny this season. The episodes "The World's Series Defense," and "Paddy's Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mitten's" are possibly their strongest shows in all six seasons.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Sunday 8pm)- The "Seinfeld" reunion story line has been going great. It seems natural and not gimmicky. My only concern seems to be with Larry's manager, Jeff Green's (played by Jeff Garlin), sleezeball ways this season. In previous seasons I can't remember him ever cheating on Susie, or it being so explicit that he's a bit of a playboy...from sleeping with Funkhauser's crazy sister (amazing cameo by Catherine O'Hare) to leaving women's underwear in his glove compartment, I'm almost feeling sorry for Susie. I'm starting to wonder if all of this cheating is going to lead to Jeff and Susie splitting. Can you imagine if Jeff and Larry were both single? I hope that doesn't happen because I'm really looking forward to Larry reconciling with Cheryl.

Heroes (NBC Monday 7pm)- Oh boy. I have a feeling this will be the last season of "Heroes." It really doesn't make sense anymore. Sylar is trapped in Nathan and Parkman's body. Clare's sorority hazing in an abandoned slaughterhouse was so ridiculous. Hiro is travelling back to save Charlie who all of a sudden in trapped in time somewhere. A deaf woman discovers her power of seeing sound as color....ummm...tell me how that's going to help anyone?! Probably the worst power ever. And don't get me started on this weird carnival guy. I still can't figure out how things went so wrong after the first season.

Cougar Town (ABC Wednesday 8:30pm)- "Cougar Town" is my unexpected favorite of the fall. I had absolutely no expectations about this show and only tuned in because I like Courtney Cox. I don't care if I'm not the shows target demographic, Courtney Cox is so talented and funny. It's like she's really let loose and is willing to go the distance for a laugh. I'd be really surprised if she didn't receive an Emmy nomination for her performance. My only complaint is that it's taking to long for her to hook up with her "Paper Buddy" neighbor.

Flash Forward (ABC Thursday 7pm)- "Flash Forward" is definitely doing the trick of filling the void of "Lost" from my life. Not only does it have two of Lost's main players (Sonya Walger and Dominic Monaghan) but it also poses way more questions than it answers. I've learned with "Lost" that it's better to just sit back and enjoy the ride than question, "How can this show keep going past April 29, 2010?" the date everyone saw in their flash forwards.

The Amazing Race (CBS Sunday 7pm)- In all of the seasons of "The Amazing Race," I've never seen the teams get along so well. These teams are just so nice and likable it's a nice change of pace. They all keep helping each other out. Well, except when the Globetrotters (my favorite team) heckled Mika and Canaan in Dubai. That was truly an exciting episode. I thought like in most episodes that it was all an editing trick making us think the Globetrotter's could actually catch up, when really they have no chance in hell. Much to my surprise they actually show up and Mika chickens out from going down the waterslide and Globetrotters stay in the game.

Project Runway (Lifetime Thursday 9pm)- Irina's a bitch. I want Carol Hannah to win, but would be ok with Althea. And boo to Lifetime for making me think that last night's episode was the true finale, when really it was just part one.

Is it time for "Lost" yet?

I know you're probably tired of hearing me rave about Lady Gaga but you have to watch her latest music video. It's insane. Like, actually messed up and strange...and of course, I love it.



I think Katy Perry says it best, "Yep, Gaga's game is on point, she's on another planet that no one else can get to right now... She's eating, breathing, living it. RAD."

On another planet is an understatement! I mean, she kills the dude with her flaming boobs. Does it get any stranger or more interesting?

Here's a short "making of" video that kind of gives an explanation of what the heck is going on...

A couple of weeks ago, Edward Norton started hitting the talk show circuit promoting an HBO documentary he produced, "By The People: The Election of Barack Obama." He said it was this amazing film and they were so lucky to have this all access pass to Obama and his staff during the 2 year journey to the presidency. I started to get really excited hoping to see what Barack's really like or to see the inner workings of his campaign. I imagined it to be the Obama equivalent to Clinton's election documentary, "The War Room," which I loved.

So on November 3, one year after Obama's election, "By The People" aired on HBO. I was expecting to get all those warm fuzzy feelings I had on election night, and let's just say that wasn't the case. Instead I sat through two hours of a jumbled mess. "By The People," directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sam's viewed more like a college film project. I understand that it must have been overwhelming for these two to handle such a huge undertaking, especially when the documentary started off as just a profile of a young Illinois senator....they never expected him to run for president much less be granted access to his entire campaign.

To put it simply, "By The People: The Election of Barack Obama," spread itself way too thin. Documentary's still have to tell a story even though their subjects are real. "By The People" is basically a compilation of all the best footage captured over a few years. It shows the community organizers in Iowa before the caucus, Obama's top staffers and their roles, the drama with the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers scandals, Michelle and the kids at home, Obama speaking to reporters, his history growing up in Hawaii and even some Hilary drama.

To me, the most compelling pieces of the film were the parts showing all the young people involved in his campaign. Ronnie Cho, for instance, who runs the community organizers state to state throughout the campaign, made frequent phone calls to his Korea-born mother to keep her updated on the progress. Or Jon Faverau, the twenty-something head speechwriter for Obama, who sit calmly through the different polls an adjusts Obama's speeches accordingly. It was very moving to hear Mike Blake, another young organizer, choking up when speaking of what it means to him, a young African American, to have Obama so close to the presidency. The film is called "By The People" and these young people along with all the community organizers, volunteers and inspired young voters are what made it possible for Obama to win the election.

The documentary would have worked much better if it was more of narrative and less of a highlight reel. "By The People: The Election of Barack Obama," can be seen at various times on HBO and also anytime On Demand.

Lady Gaga is officially the first artist to have four number-one singles from a debut album (source). I think this should prove that she's not going away anytime soon and isn't all hype.

Lady Gaga's newest single "Bad Romance" was released last week and I'm obsessed. I'm super thrilled to see that she's still got it and didn't tap out her creativity on her first album, "The Fame." "Bad Romance" is the first single from the re-release of "The Fame," called "The Fame: Monster" dropping on November 23. "The Fame: Monster" will have eight new songs including the original 14 songs from "The Fame." I'm not exactly sure why she didn't just make a few more songs and release a brand new album, but I really don't care. "Bad Romance" is bad ass. The video is being released next week but here's a youtube of the song if you haven't heard it yet.




And just for kicks here's a picture of me rocking the Lady Gaga look on Halloween.

66 days until Lady Gaga's tour, "The Fame Ball" comes to St. Louis. Click here to buy "Bad Romance" on iTunes.

When there's nothing else on TV I know I can always turn on TLC and have something mildly interesting, entertaining, shocking and even disgusting to watch. Not only will I have an hour long TV show to kill time, in most cases TLC will play hours and hours of my favorite shows back to back, like "What Not to Wear," "48 Hours: Mystery," "Say Yes to the Dress," or some creepy show on a rare medical deformity (Tree Man, Woman with Giant Legs, RIP Mermaid Girl, etc...) making for a perfect lazy Sunday.

Murder mysteries, fashion disasters, bridezillas and freaks of nature have nothing on TLC's latest hit show, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant." The show tells the story's of women who as you may have guessed, didn't know they were pregnant until the moment they give birth. It's set up documentary style with interviews with the woman and her family and friends but the best part is the dramatic reenactments illustrating their tales. When I was a younger I loved when Seventeen Magazine would feature a story of some stupid sixteen year old who plopped out a baby in the toilet on prom night, this show is a thousand times better.

I know you're thinking what I thought at first, how stupid do you have to be to not know you are pregnant for nine months? While there are stories of girls who are just plain idiotic (i.e. a high schooler who took birth control off and on, too busy with her social life to realize she was missing her period, and all of a sudden popped out a baby and then did the exact same thing a year and a half later), most of the stories actually show that it is possible for some women to not see the signs of pregnancy. For instance, one woman missed her period, took a pregnancy test which came back negative, missed her period the following month and went to the doctor whose test came back negative, then had to deal with her grandmother's final battle with cancer which she assumed caused her weight gain and lack of a period due to stress. At least this chick had the brains to take a pregnancy test.

I saw an episode this past weekend which was quite the doozy. This woman was in her early forties, she and her husband never planned on having kids so when she started pre-menopause and her periods slowed down she thought it was ok to stop taking birth control. It wasn't a big deal when her period stopped coming altogether because she thought she was menopausal and was actually relieved she didn't have to deal with the hassle anymore. Nine months later she starts having horrible pains which she thinks is food poisoning so she goes to the hospital and while she's waiting to see the doctor she feels something fall out of her pants leg and says she felt instant relief. Can you guess what came out? The episode is titled "Is That a Baby In Your Pants," and I tried desperately to find a clip, but alas the internet has failed me. Next time you're bored flip on TLC and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.


UPDATE!!! Seriously, an hour after I post this Chelsea Handler spoke of the pants baby in her monologue. Here's the clip!

2. Beware of Bathrooms
3. Wear a Seatbelt
8. Get a Kick Ass Partner
15. Know Your Way Out
17. Don't Be a Hero
18. Limber Up
23. God Bless Rednecks
31. Check the Backseat

These are just a few of the rules that one must follow to survive in "Zombieland." There is no more Los Angeles, Austin, or Phoenix...only Zombieland, according to the lone survivors of a zombie outbreak, caused by a mad-cow disease like virus. The movie follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a college student and self-described loser who attributes his survival to the fact that he actually lived like a zombie his whole life; a loner with no strong ties to family or friends, spending his time indoors playing World of Warcraft and drinking Code Red Mountain Dew. Columbus discovers that when the whole world turns into the walking-dead that he actually longs for human contact. Luckily he ventures outside of his dorm-room and meets hillbilly-badass, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is trolling the former United States in search of a Twinkie. It's Tallahassee's idea to only be referred to by their former hometowns and not their real names...knowing someone's name makes it much more difficult to eventually kill them or watch them turn zombie.

We see scenes of crazy zombie killings as Columbus and Tallahassee review their favorite "Zombie Kills of the Week." Tallahasse keeps an arsenal of weapons and likes to use a new tool (such as guns, farming equipment, a banjo) to keep his zombie kills exciting. Tallahassee says, "My mother always said I'd be good at something. I don't think she could have guessed that something would be zombie killing." As if things aren't already interesting enough they run into a couple of con-women sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). With not much else going for them, they all travel together to California to head to an amusement park, "You've just survived the zombie apocalypse, what are you going to do now?!" "Go to Pacific Playland!" Of course their trip is not without a few bumps in the road and a couple thousand hungry zombies after their flesh.

This film, directed by Ruben Fleischer, is nothing short of the ultimate movie-going experience. The film is equal parts comedy, gore, action and drama. It's so smartly written. My favorite part of the movie is the recurring theme of displaying the rules. Columbus introduces the rules in the beginning of the movie, but as it goes on you start to see the rules actually being utilized in the intense action scenes. The use of extreme slow motion makes the zombies with blood dripping from their faces even more disgusting. The movie delivers the most hilarious and shocking cameo in a feature film in a long time. Without spoiling it, let's just say that it had the audience screaming with laughter.

There is something fundamental that keeps people interested in zombie movies. Would you survive in this situation? Would you even want to survive? What lengths would you go to survive when you have absolutely nothing left? With the ever-pending threat of viral epidemics (Swine Flu anyone?) it makes people question if this could ever happen. Ok, maybe not people, but me. I always say I'm so fascinated by zombies because I want to learn how to survive in this type of situation. I am so intrigued and terrified by post-apocalyptic situations that I can't help but immerse myself in movies and books of that subject matter. I hate scary movies but I find myself wanting to watch movies like "The Mist" (worst ending of a movie, ever, by the way) and reading guy-books like Stephen King's "The Stand," and Cormac McCarthy's, "The Road" which happens to be coming out in theaters in November.

"Zombieland" does not disappoint and puts a light-hearted spin on a terrible situation. If you need anymore reason to see this awesome movie, watch the trailer and I'm sure you'll be convinced.

"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" has a new recurring bit and it comes in the form of Conan's hunky, brooding vampire personal-assistant, Cody Devereaux. Forget Dave Letterman hooking up with his assistants, Conan's assistant self-destructs all on his own. Conan is trying to stay current with the vampire craze in Hollywood right now and has featured his fanged-friend Cody a couple of times now. We always see Cody breathing heavily with bouffant hair, dark bags under his eyes seeming upset and misunderstood. He always lets his passion get the best of him and accidentally runs into the sunlight.

I really love this bit. Conan's recurring characters and sketches are what drew me into "Late Night" years ago and I'm glad to see he has kept that tradition. Besides Cody Devereaux, his other recurring bits are the Twitter Tracker and his telenovela inspired "Noches de Pasion" featuring the Spanish character, Conando. I'm also glad he's kept the fan favorite "In the Year 2000," although he updated it to the year 3000. I'll admit, Conan had a rough start this summer on "The Tonight Show," but it has gotten much funnier and more relaxed. His current beef with the mayor of Newark, New Jersey has been great and is keeping him in the headlines.

Update (11/17)- So according to my statistic tracker thing on this blog this post about Cody Devereaux gets an insane amount of hits from google searches. So I thought I'd capitalize on this fact and write a little bit more about Cody. Cody is played by Eric Callero. Upon viewing Eric Callero's professional website I learned a few things about this interesting actor.

For starters, I think there may be something wrong with me because I think he's more attractive when playing a vampire than in real life. What is it about him being shirtless with dark circles under his eyes that makes me think he's cute?

Secondly, after viewing Eric's resume it's clear that playing Cody Devereaux on "The Tonight Show," will lead to his big break. Eric hasn't been in any great movies or TV shows, but surely he can only move on to bigger and better things after the huge impact he's making on audiences of "The Tonight Show." Jack McBrayer aka Kenneth the Page got his start playing parts on Conan's "Late Night."

And thirdly, according to Eric's "about me" section he believes that collecting vinyl is relevant and might possibly help him land a role. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think collecting vinyl is that extraordinary of a hobby or talent, I can't imagine why he felt compelled to include that bit of information. Regardless, I like this guy. Here's his latest bit from last night's "Tonight Show."




And for all you vampire lovers out there read my review of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", What Can I Say? I Loved "New Moon"

Thursday's episode of "The Office" was five years in the making and was nothing short of magical. Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly aka. Jim and Pam aka. PB & J finally got hitched! In the past, hour-long episodes of "The Office" seem to drag on and seem awkward, that was definitely not the case with the 2-part episode, "Niagra." I realize I'm days late so I'll save you a full recap and just give you the hilarious highlights.

Jim, not Michael, was the one to reveal Pam's pregnancy to her conservative Grandmother and wedding guests. The kicker was when he asked himself, "Does being a manager make you say stupid things?" referring to his recent promotion to co-manager. Michael then took it upon himself to smooth things over with Mee-maw and accidentally promised that Jim and Pam would name their first child Sylvia Mee-maw Halpert, or Sylvio if it's a boy.

Dwight is apparently a ladies man in Niagra Falls. His going out clothes consist of green cargo pants and this special t-shirt. He hooks up with Pam's Maid of Honor forcing Michael to sleep in the vending room in the hallway.

As promised there was another "Office" dance party (after the success of last season's "Cafe Disco" Andy got a little ahead of himself trying to impress the new receptionist, Erin, and tore his scrotum while attempting the splits. Poor Pam was the only sober one around and was responsible for taking care of Andy and his genitals on her wedding night. She called Jim to take care of it but he was getting wasted with Michael and Dwight, which was the only missed opportunity in the episode.

Kevin had the honor of being the b-story this episode in his attempt to pick up chicks at the wedding. The sad sack tried to look his best by leaving his shoes in the hallway to be shined only to have them incinerated by the hotel staff due to their stench, leaving him only kleenex boxes to use for shoes. The only ammo he had left was his toupee.

Poor Pam took a beating dealing with all of her friends and family's antics but the last straw was her veil tearing. I died when Jim cut his tie. Part of me thought it was super sweet but the other part of me was thinking "Why!?" I was just in a huge family wedding the previous weekend and that type of behavior wouldn't not have gone over well. Even so, Jim had another plan up his sleeve and whisked Pam away from the madness.

And finally, the ceremony itself...I could never do it justice by explaining what happened so here's the clip.



Let's just say I was laughing, crying and feeling happy all over for this portion of the episode. I couldn't have expected anything better and they kept the sappiness to a minimum and did not disappoint. Phyllis and Bob Vance's romp down the aisle cracked me up, Oscar's voguing was perfect and of course seeing what Pam and Jim did when they snuck away. I lost it when I saw Michael's tears of joy. The whole episode was spectacular and of course ended with Michael hooking up with Pam's mom which I predicted at the beginning of the episode (although I did change my mind for a minute when I saw Mee-maw come into the picture!).

Click here for the original youtube Chris Brown dance.

Why do people care that David Letterman had sex with his female staff members? He has never claimed to be some sort of moral authority. Did anyone assume that Dave was a perfect boyfriend or husband? I mean, he did date his now wife, Regina Lasko, for 20 years before popping the question. That doesn't sound like it could have been the most ideal situation to me. He's a comedian. His job is to make us laugh each night and conduct interesting interviews and to make CBS money, all of which he does very well. Plus, comedians and most people in show business for that matter, aren't exactly notorious for being monogamous. Do we expect anything less out of celebrities? It's like saying Brad Pitt should be fired from a movie or denied work because he cheated on Jennifer Aniston.

I think Dave did the right thing by informing the world of his situation, after all, you can't be blackmailed when everyone already knows your business. I hear people are saying he should resign from his show...Are you kidding me? Bill Clinton stayed in office, Letterman can stay on TV. He didn't break any laws. All of the women that have been implicated as his partners claim these were consensual relationships. If it were sexual harassment they would have filed those charges years ago when the affairs happened. Everybody needs to get over it and start focusing their outrage on issues that matter. I understand the difference had this been a politician, a religious figure, or someone whose moral character has an affect people's lives. Dave is an entertainer and his private life and sexual exploits only affect the people directly involved.

Technology is pretty great. I am amazed at some of the stuff that people come up with and actually make function. But every so often I find myself thinking that something super simple could be done to improve said technology. Here are my ideas.

Sometimes I don't know what music I feel like listening to for day. I find myself resorting to the shuffle function on my iPod. Now, I have a lot of beef with the shuffle feature and how it decides what songs to play (see ***), but that's a whole other story. Anywho, when by chance it does bring up something interesting that feels right you have to go through about 5 different steps (including scrolling to through albums and artists) to get to the album the song is on or the artist who made it...Not the best idea when you're driving. Why isn't there a feature that lets you click a button when you're in the shuffle function and displays that artist's albums? That way you could just click a button scroll through a limited number of albums and songs until you find exactly what you're looking for.

Next on the list of things to make better is Twitter. I am completely obsessed with Twitter. While personally I don't "tweet" very often I love reading my twitter feed. It really is an amazing way to get information. While I subscribe to the personal Twitter feeds of celebrities like John Mayer, "The Office" writer and actress Mindy Kaling and a few friends but what I love the most are the feeds from places like E! and the Riverfront Times giving all the latest updates in a short, concise manner.

When I come home from work in the afternoon and sit down and check Twitter I have to scroll down several pages to find where I left off last (usually the previous evening) and read from the bottom to the top as to not miss any information. What Twitter should offer is a function to type in a time and date and then post all tweets since that time and allow you to switch the order to display the oldest at the top of the page and the most recent towards the bottom. Ok, this sounds like I am a Twitter freak to read every bit of information but if you don't use twitter you don't understand- reading an entire days worth of tweets from the 58 people/websites I follow at most takes about 15 minutes. Twitter makes it so easy for me to get a lot of information in a small amount of time but they could make it even easier if they developed my idea.

These changes are good ideas and would seriously take some computer genius only a couple of hours to make available to the world. Be sure to read below for my unrelated rant about iTunes Shuffle.


***How the hell does the shuffle even work? I want to know what it's thinking when it decides to play basically all the shittiest songs on my iPod one right after another. I have what some may say is an interesting taste in music which sometimes means I have live bootleg audio of Broadway shows in my library and shuffle decides to play a dialogue scene from "Wicked," and when you skip it then next song up to bat is an obscure tune from a imported German Backstreet Boys album. Using shuffle when in the presence of friends is a bad idea, at least with my iTunes library. I know it is just a machine but it really has a knack for playing the most annoying songs on my iPod.

If you haven't already heard John Mayer's new single, "Who Says," off the highly anticipated album, "Battle Studies," go here and have a listen.


Upon first listen I was a little confused and in disbelief that this is the single. I can't imagine hearing this on the radio. I can't imagine radio stations playing a song with the opening line, "Who says I can't get stoned?" It's not that I didn't like the song, but it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a radio-friendly jingle. John Mayer's record company is notorious for picking the cheesiest song on his album and making them into mass-marketable singles that play over Hallmark commercials (i.e. "Your Body is a Wonderland," "Daughters," "Say" etc...). It's not that I don't like these songs, but true Mayer fans know that the really good stuff is on the album.

Ok, so the first listen was out of the way and I played it on a loop for a good 15 minutes (ok, 15 minutes=all day, who am I kidding?) and my thoughts began to wander while listening to the lyrics. I went to JM's Battle Studies website and re-watched his series of videos documenting the making of this album and it all seemed to click. Listening to the lyrics I feel like I know exactly what he's going through. JM has made no secret of his disdain for the "womanizing douchebag" status the tabloids and gossip blogs give him. He hates his reputation and is really sensitive about the grief he gets over it.

He took to his twitter last May saying, "I love how some dudes hate me for dating their fantasy girl, as if they were going to if I hadn’t. Showbiz types’ are people who grew up talking to themselves alone in a room for hours until they found some sort of outlet. Once they found that outlet, everything fell into place, except for the fact that they still never worked out why they still talk so much. So you see, though filled with deep emotional voids that can never be filled, Showbiz Types are an important part of our Nation’s tapestry. I’m a Showbiz Type. (cue penny whistle and marching drums) But I am not a douche!!"

I feel like this song is in response to our quickness to define him by this reputation rather than enjoy his music. Kind of like a big "F-you" to the haters. I applaud his record company for letting him take chances with this single and the album as a whole. John was given the freedom on this album to build a recording studio in his house and take his time to create a record completely different from his super-successful 2006 album, "Continuum." In Battle Studies video two, John says, "How do I follow 'Continuum?' We just say, you don't follow it at all. You just leave it. And you step to the side and you begin something completely new." And this is something completely new, something we haven't heard from him yet. I am excited about the possibilities of this record. The song "Who Says," seems like a totally folky chant that will be fun to sing along with in concert.

One of the most interesting verses in the song says,
"Who says I can't get stoned?
Plan a trip to Japan alone
Doesn't matter if I even go
Who says I can't get stoned?"

Which is funny, because John Mayer did just that and made a really beautiful video documenting his experience. Here's his description of the video, "Seven songs in... lots going on. Took a week off and traveled Japan. Wanted to get really quiet so I could hear what my head was saying. Two words of advice: travel alone. Music via an 8am jetlag pop-awake and Native Instruments Acoustik Piano. I took a break from still photography and used a Panasonic HVX200 HD camera. I stayed still, let life move in front of me. Man, am I deep!"



"Battle Studies," comes out November 17 and "Who Says," will probably be available on iTunes in the next couple of weeks. Do you like the song? Hate John Mayer? Leave comments!

I mentioned it two weeks ago, but I'll say it again....There was simply not enough Russell Brand in the MTV Video Music Awards. I really gained respect for Brand over the summer when I read his auto-biography, "My Booky Wook." What can I say about this book? It's not for children, that's for sure. It made for very entertaining beach reading. I would be cracking up while reading and my family would ask what was so funny, how was I suppose to respond? "Well mom, Russell just can't pass up a good orgy," and then go on to explain his hilarious anecdotes about the creepiest orgy's he's ever attended?

Brand is only in his mid-thirties, but it's safe to say he's led a very interesting life. He details his experiences with his estranged father, his various television shows in England, his firings from those TV shows, his out of control drug use, rehabilitation, crazy sex exploits, rehabilitation and his infinite wisdom on enjoying life. I mean that last part, Brand is actually very existential and philosophical. While reading the book it's best to imagine Russell speaking to you in his accent and telling the stories with his eccentric mannerisms.

Since I was upset about the lack of Brand on MTV, I netflixed his comedy special, "Russell Brand in New York City," which he filmed after his VMA hosting duties last year. His set is only an hour long so there is really no reason not to watch it. I thought the first 35 minutes were really solid and funny. The end started to sink a little, but funny nonetheless. I actually preferred one of his stand-up shows taped in England, "Russell Brand, Doing Life," which I watched in seven parts on youtube. Here's the first video which will link to all seven parts.



If you like Russell Brand you need to see him do some real stand up and screw the VMA's.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like last night's Emmy Awards were a well-produced, fast paced award show. It could have to do with the fact that I watched it 3 hours after it aired and was able to speed through the commercials or it could have to do with the fact that Neil Patrick Harris kicked butt as host. There weren't any awkward skits or montages. Everything they put together had a purpose and moved the show right a long.

Here are my thoughts that I jotted down throughout the show.

I love Kristin Chenoweth! She won Best Supporting Actress for a Comedy Series for "Pushing Daisies," and man did she lose it on stage. She could barely hold it together. I found out today that she actually had to be treated by a medic last night for a terrible migraine.

Jack McBrayer and Rainn Wilson were robbed for Best Supporting Actor. I feel like Jon Cryer has won before. I would have really have loved to hear a Jack McBrayer acceptance speech.

Justin Timberlake looked like a big nerd in glasses. They were way too wide for his face. I think it's funny that they moved the award he was nominated for to the main show (instead of the Creative Arts Emmy's that took place last week) so that he could appear, and he didn't even win.


I'm so, so happy for Toni Collette and her win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for "United States of Tara." If you've seen the show you know how amazingly talented she is being able to pull off the characters she plays. She looked beautiful, the dress was a perfect color for her hair and skin.

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester from "Gossip Girl," presented an award together and they both looked pretty bad. Blake was showing waaaayyy too much boob. It was embarrassing. Leighton Meester looked very pale in white. Not a great look. Her dress kind of looked like Bjork's swan dress.

Why did the guys in Best Actor in a Comedy Series get clips played of them when the ladies nominated for Best Leading Actress were only shown sitting in the audience?? And again, I feel like Alec Baldwin was kind of the obvious winner, I wished Steve Carrell had won.

Time after time winners kept thanking "The Academy" it's the Emmy's, not the Oscars!

I'm over the Kanye jokes.

Yay for Jessica Lange. I wanted her or Drew Barrymore to win for their amazing performances in "Grey Gardens." It really was a great movie. Also, interesting to notice that Drew's Emmy date is her ex-boyfriend, Justin Long, aka the Mac Guy. Which reminds me to give a shout out to the PC Guy, John Hodgman, who gave what they called color commentary while the winners walked to stage. I thought he was pretty funny and it was a nice modern touch to the show.

I was absolutely torn between Aaron Paul in "Breaking Bad" and Michael Emerson from "Lost" for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. "Breaking Bad" is without a doubt the most intense television show I've ever watched and Aaron Paul is so good it's scary. But of course my heart lies with "Lost."

Seriously, Sarah McLachlan? Does she do anything else but sing utterly depressing songs? I felt her singing "I Will Remember You" was cheesy and overdone and uncalled for. They couldn't have had the live band come up with anything nice to play?

Bryan Cranston for the win! Best Actor in a Drama Series, that is...I could not be more thrilled! His portrayal of the dying-father-turned-drug-dealer, Walter White is the most emotionally moving acting I have ever seen. This show is so outrageous and intense and I recommend you go watch it right now.

I kind of hoped for an upset for Best Comedy Series. I believe that "30 Rock" is deserving but it would have been nice to hear from "Weeds," "The Office," or even "Family Guy" (which I don't think is deserving, but certainly would have been interesting).

Again, I would have loved an upset for Best Drama Series. I tried to get into "Mad Men," but was utterly bored and never made it through the first episode. I would have loved to have seen "Lost," win of course or "Breaking Bad." "Lost" only has one year left to win!

Go here for the complete list of winners and here for the red carpet fashions.

Friday night I saw, "The Informant!" directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon. I can't really explain why I wanted to see such a film on opening night but I thought the previews made it look funny and perhaps I fell into the trap of Joel McHale's self promotion on "The Soup," every week. Turns out, McHale's part isn't very big and is actually pretty serious.

If you're not aware, this movie is based on the true story of Mark "Corky" Whitacre (Damon), a corporate executive at a lysine (some sort of corn product) plant, ADM, in Decatur, Illinois, who rats out his entire company for being a part of an international price fixing scheme. I'd be lying if I said I understood all the business lingo and intricacies this plot deals with, but there were only a few parts that I had "Huh?" moments. The heart of the story is not about the actual crime itself but how Whitacre deals with the FBI, his co-workers and family through his years of undercover work in the 1990's.

Throughout all of these horribly dry business situations we're able to hear Whitacre's inner-dialogue which makes the movie. He quips lines about little anecdotes he's heard before or when meeting the FBI agent (played by Scott Bakula) how he thinks that they could probably be friends and go fishing together. Whitacre is portrayed as this lovable, well educated, family-man good guy, but as the movie goes on we learn that he is a compulsive liar among many other less-than desirable things.

This film is very subtle in its humor and is very dry. It kept me interested through all 108 minutes, but it probably isn't for everyone. Leaving the theatre, I could hear a group of 20-somethings in front of us complaining about how boring the film was and how one of them fell asleep. I don't know if they just didn't know what they were getting into, or what. Heaven forbid you see a comedy that has a little bit of meat behind it. There are also small parts played by comedians like Patton Oswald and Tony Hale if that makes you more interested. I thought Damon was fantastic and funny and I'd recommend the movie to a friend.

This past Thursday evening I sat down to watch what felt like a million hours of television. Here's what was on my schedule....

I started off the evening with "The Office." This episode, "Gossip," was everything I had been missing from TV all summer. From the opening sequences of Michael, Dwight and Andy trying their hand at parkour, to finding out Stanley is a cheating whore, Jim and Pam being as cute as ever and Andy questioning his sexuality. "The Office" has not lost any steam since last year's comeback season. I almost cried from laughing too hard during this scene where Kevin confronts Andy about the rumors he's heard about his sexuality.



Next, was the premiere of "Community." I'm still undecided about this show. I love Joel McHale but the pilot didn't give me the haha feelings I expected. It could be because it had to spend too much time establishing characters and situations. I'm not giving up but I wasn't thrilled. Oh, and why was Joel wearing a sweater and a blazer with adidas track pants?

After "Community" it was time for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." It did not disappoint. Is it just me or was Dee looking a little haggard? Regardless, I loved her scenes meeting with the couple who wanted to use her as a surrogate.

"Project Runway," was somewhat exciting with an interesting challenge to create an outfit completely out of newspaper. I was disappointed when Irina won, I thought her trench coat looked like something made for Cruella Deville. My favorites were Chris, Carol-Hannah, and Althea's designs. The whole Johnny lying situation was laughable but totally blown out of proportion. "Models of the Runway," is still dumb and I don't know why I'm still watching it.

Then came the much hyped episode of "Chelsea Lately" with Jennifer Aniston as her guest. Chelsea always defends Aniston like crazy and so I was thinking this was going to be a really interesting interview with Chelsea making Jen squirm by bringing up some dirt. It didn't happen. It was interesting to see how Chelsea reacted to an A-list celebrity on her show, but it was the same interview Jen's been giving all of town this week.

Finally, John Mayer tweeted Thursday afternoon that he would be appearing on "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory" that evening. I knew Rob and John were friends so I of course had to tune in. Wow. This episode exceeded my expectations. It was basically the behind-the-scenes look at the paparazzi stunts these two have pulled in the past and how much they upset Rob's mom (see drunk Rob and classy gents). These two are a hilarious pair and the episode was great. It ended up with the two recording a song for Rob's mom to apologize for embarrassing her.


You should probably just youtube "Rob's Mom" for the full version of the song and other funny clips of the show. Or just watch the full episode next time it airs on MTV which I'm sure it will be rerun a thousand times.