John Malcovich, Rihanna, and the Battle of Blackwater on "Game of Thrones"

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

I hope that you've all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend! And now, onto the regularly scheduled business. The following were on my mind between Monday, May 21st to Tuesday, May 29th:

-I don't know whose idea was it to put John Malkovich in an iPhone commercial, but whoever it is, I thank them for making one of the strangest combination of product and spokesman happen.

-Where does Jason Russell's naked arrest in San Diego rank among the most inconvenient things to have happened to a serious promotional campaign? In early March, the Kony 2012 campaign was off to a great start: over 80 million hits on YouTube, and Joseph Kony was a big hot button issue. But then he got arrested, and that seemingly lead to the death of the campaign entirely. Now, it's been nearly three months and you barely hear about Joseph Kony at all anymore.

- I feel like this should just be the first comment whenever I read the comments section for an episode of "Girls": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI)

- Pop radio stations seems to be more saturated by Rihanna than ever before these days.

- The Battle of Blackwater episode of "Game of Thrones" that aired on Sunday came in with great expectations. For one thing, the episode was written by George R.R. Martin, and was directed by the famed Neil Marshall. Second, after episode after episode of the show dodging the opportunity to show actual battles, this would be the first time that we would get to see it in all of its entirety. Well, having watched "Blackwater," I think it's safe to say that the show did not disappoint. I liked how the show decided to set aside all of the other main plots for the season finale in favor of just specifically showing King's Landing the time before and during the battle, providing for a more focused telling to the story and a more epic feel to the episode in general. The actual battle was a bit small in scope and showed the limitations of having such a thing done on broadcast TV than in a big-budget Hollywood film, but it was all worth it just to watch Tyrion at his finest hour, the Hound struggling to fight, Joffrey's cowardice, Cersei's intoxicated bitchiness, and the many twists and turns leading up to the outcome. As someone who's never read the books, I can only imagine what the show will do for an encore for its season finale (although if last year's finale were any indication, I imagine there's probably going to be a lot of table-setting for next year).

-From one great episode to another, "Mad Men" followed up the "Game of Thrones" instant classic with another terrific episode of their own in one of the best nights on TV this year. In a show full of dark moments, seeing what the company made Joan do to acquire the Jaguar account was truly despicable, and Pete's campaign to make it happen made it real hard for me to not take back the improved image I had of him as the past few seasons have progressed. I really liked Matthew Weiner's playing a trick on the audience, revealing later on that Don had his conversation with Joan after all the events transpired. And, of course, there was Peggy...and that great scene at the end with her and Don just as she was about to say goodbye to the firm. You have to wonder if Don will keep his promise that he made in the season 3 finale, telling her that he will do whatever it takes to win her to his firm.

The next installment of the RTs is set to come during its usual Monday timeslot. Until then, enjoy spending your final week of May, however it is you so choose.

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

End of the Week: 05/20/12- 05/26/12

END OF THE WEEK:

Today marks the end of the final full week of May 2012, a week that certainly didn't end the month on a whimper. As always here on The mj15 Blog during the weekends, here is a recap of the best and/or most memorable moments from the very week that was:

Sign of the Week:   "Condoms or Diapers?"

So wait, this is supposed to be a mini-PSA for diapers, right?

Stories of the Week:

-The Actual Story of the Week: Man Confesses to Killing Etan Patz in Famous 1979 Killing

The news may have come 33 years later than it should have, but at least there might finally be a chance for the family to get closure for their boy that has been officially pronounced dead for over a decade.

-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Actor Jim Parsons Confesses to Being Gay

First Matt Bonner, and now Parsons. I wonder which celebrity will come out of the closet next. These news come in threes, you know!

Video of the Week: "Isaac's Live Lip Dub Proposal"

That sound you're hearing is the groan of hundreds of men who are feeling bad that they're about to propose to their lady through the traditional getting-on-your-knees routine.

Business Card of the Week: The "Call Me Maybe" Cards

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before someone used it for their advantage.

Person of the Week: Actor Bill Murray

It's surprising to me that in the three years that this blog has existed that I have not once given the PotW to Mr. Murray. I say this because, according to all corners of the Internet, Murray isn't just a great actor, he's also just a really cool dude in general.  Whether it's crashing several parties in Brooklyn, taking photos with airline workers with a Chinese finger trap, going into the games of the minor league baseball team that he owns wearing a hot dog costume, or just continuing to perpetuate the famous "No one will believe you" urban legend about him, there has hardly been a shortage of moments that make you appreciate him and his "I don't give a crap" attitude towards life and having fun. Well, this absence ends today, and for three reasons:

a) His newest movie, the Wes Anderson directed "Moonrise Kingdom" that has seen a lot of rave reviews was released this past Friday, and has already broken some notable arthouse screening records across the country.

b) His tour across the set of said movie that has Murray looking pretty buzzed but just good enough to talk coherently, making a better case to be the trailer for the film than its actual one.

 

c) If that weren't enough, Murray also starred in a slow-motion walking video with a filmmaker by the name of David Walton Smith after Smith decided that this would be a better thing to do to make people believe that he ever met the guy than with just a simple autograph.God, am I the only these days that hasn't met this guy yet?

In short, The mj15 Blog salutes Bill Murray for once again being one of the coolest famous dudes in the planet. The only question we now are left to ask is: what will this guy be doing next?

I hope that you're enjoying your Memorial Day weekend so far. The next "End of the Week" is scheduled for next weekend as well. See you then!

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

Dan Harmon, Another Hulk Feature, and Wes Anderson

Pictured: "Dan Harmon is 'Community'!" by artist Sam Spratt


RANDOM THOUGHTS:

The following were on my mind between Monday, May 15th and Monday, May 22nd:

- It's been nearly two days since Sony announced that it essentially fired Dan Harmon from his duties as showrunner of "Community," yet the news still infuriates me.  This is a man who created this show, who constantly loved working on it and who had a pretty good idea as to how he wanted it all played out. And now the studio that picked up his show fired him, disregarding his brilliance just because he kept turning in a few scripts late, taking away all of the things that made his show so unique in the first place. It's an auteur's vision unfullfilled, and that pisses me more than the fact that the studio also brought along two new showrunners that had previously never been part of the project before.

Speaking of Harmon, it's much more interesting to look back at the final three episodes of "Community's" third season (which all aired the night before) since each of them represents aspects of the show that defined it during his reign. The first episode was "Digital Estate Planning," was the high concept episode (much like "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" and "Virtual Systems Analysis"). The second episode, "The First Chang Dynasty," was another example of the show's flat out genre parodying episode, much like "Modern Warfare" or "Basic Rocket Science." And the final episode, "Introduction to Finality" (which I think played out like a wonderful series finale in and of itself) was the typical grounded episode of the show.

-My prediction for the "House" finale: It was lupus. I haven't watched the show in two years, I have no idea on any of the new plot developments, and I don't know if House is still even a practicing doctor at the hospital. Whatever the case may be, it's lupus.

-I'm not sure if making a feature length "Hulk" movie with Mark Ruffalo would be a good thing. The Hulk worked the best in "The Avengers" when he was a suppporting player that was mostly there to beat people up in a "I don't give a crap" kind of way. I'm not sure that him in a feature role would make a great film, especially after the first two Hulk films were met with a mixed response.

-Everytime I think of Wes Anderson, I picture the inside of his mind playing out like Paul Brittain's Lord Wyndemere character on "Saturday Night Live" and acting as an inspiration behind all of his films.

-Finally great to know that "Game of Thrones" is finally going to show an actual battle this Sunday. Once I saw the promos and realized that none of them had Tyrion knocked unconscious before it, I immediately got super stoked.

- "Battleship," based on a board game, is now reportedly being turned into a video game. I hope that the video game becomes a musical, and that musical turns into a board game, and that board game turns into another world, creating a chain of meta-ness that will make the world fold in half.

Because next week is Memorial Day, I've decided to schedule the next installment of the RTs for that following Tuesday. Enjoy yourself until then!

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

End of the Week: 05/13/12- 05/19/12

END OF THE WEEK:

Death of the Week: Singer Donna Summers

She worked hard for her money, and she collected plenty of fans and accolades along the way.

Magazine Cover of the Week: Newsweek's "The First Gay President"

This is just like that time when people called Bill Clinton the "first black president," except this time, except it's much more fun to use rainbows to express this sentiment.

Video of the Week: "Gilbert Gottfried Reads 'Fifty Shades of Grey'"

Looks like he's doing well for himself after the Aflac firing.

Stories of the Week:

-The Actual Story of the Week: Facebook Begins Trading for First Time on NASDAQ

  An exciting day for the popular social networking site that ended with...a gain of only 23 cents.

-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Sony Fires Dan Harmon as the Showrunner of "Community"

And with that, "Community" fans have just completed playing out the most elaborate (and one of the meanest) vaudeville gags of the year:

"Guess what! You're show is going to get renewed for a third season!"

"That's good."

"Except that it's going to be put on hiatus midway through."

"That's bad."

"But it will come back in the spring, and do well enough to get renewed for another season!"

"That's good."

"It's gonna get renewed for only 13 episodes, and put in a Friday time-slot after 'Whitney.'"

"That's bad."

"But there's a chance that the fourth season might get a back-nine order!"

"That's good!"

"The creator of the show will be fired, unable to fullfill his vision of the show."

"MY EMOTIONS! MY EMOTIONS!"

Person of the Week: Kentuckian Rankin Paynter

more making the rest of the nation feel much worse about ourselves as good samaritans after performing the self-less act of buying out an entire K-Mart store, and giving away all of the products in it to charity. Here's an excerpt from the ABC News website with more on the story:

"On Sunday, May 6, the businessmen stood in line for six and half hours to purchase the inventory that had to be rung up at four different registers the evening the store closed. It took the 77-year-old two trucks, two vans and six workers to move all the items from the store to storage. However, Payntner had no clue then what he planned on doing with all the inventory. 

 During a discussion with his banker, Paynter learned about a charity in the area that could use the goods he purchased. And, after viewing some of their financial records, the Winchester businessman decided to go with Clark County Community Services, which serves low- and middle-income residents in the area...

... "This will be the first time we will have enough coats and gloves for everybody," said Judy Crowe, the director of the non-profit organization. The organization's Christmas program "Operation Happiness" is one of the largest in the area serving 1,500 families in one day."

Well, if that just doesn't make you feel better about humanity, then you might as well just go into a closet with nothing but a few copies of Nietzsche books. Well done, Mr. Paynter.

And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

Network TV Upfronts 2012, Get Glue, and the End of the NBC Thursday Power Rankings

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

The following were on my mind between Monday, May 7th and Monday, May 15th:

- These past three days have been the start of Upfronts Week, the time of the TV season when all of the five major primetime networks set aside time to announce the schedule for the upcoming fall season to both advertisers and TV reporters. So far, it's been NBC, FOX and ABC who have announced their schedules. CBS and The CW are expected to announce their schedule later on in the week. Here are some things from them that I just feel the need to get off my chest:

1. Alright, so the big news (at least around these parts) was NBC deciding to move "Community" out of its usual Thursday night timeslot (where it was one of the few shows on the network to get the same, consistent ratings as last year) and put it on Friday nights. At 8:30 p.m/ET. Behind "Whitney." With no promise of any more episodes besides the scheduled thirteen. Now, as you could've probably guessed from my thoughts on the last time that NBC decided to screw around with "Community" on its schedule, I wasn't all too pleased with this news. Not only is Fridays at 8:30 p.m./ET a much worse timeslot than when it was on Thursdays, but they also paired it after "Whitney," which is just adding insult to injury. Fridays have also traditionally been a low-rated night for network TV, which means that a drop in the show's already low ratings are to be expected, as I expect its highest performing demographic (18-34 year old males) will probably not be at home to watch it live. 

It's been nearly two days, though, and I guess you could say that I've taken on some optimism with this news (although perhaps a naive one). After all, "Community" has a pretty dedicated audience, so there could be a chance that they could rally behind the show like they did this spring and give the show the same level of ratings that it's been getting this past spring. Furthermore, networks have lowered expectations on Fridays, so maybe it's possible that ratings in the 1.0-1.2 area, for instance, might be good enough for NBC at this stage in the show's run to give it that back nine order that all fans are already clamoring for (and then maybe putting it back to their old timeslot after "30 Rock" wraps up sometime in the winter, although that may be a bit of a stretch). Besides, I'd rather have thirteen episodes of "Community" in a bad timeslot than no "Community" at all, which seemed like a serious possibility of happening not too long ago.

2. So, yeah, if there was a time for Bob Greenblatt to convince people that he knew what he was doing, Sunday's schedule announcement would not have been the time. Not only did he announce that this might not be the final season of "30 Rock" before the network announced that it was going to be the final one again the next day, he also mentioned that "Community" might not be back next season with its creator and showrunner Dan Harmon, adding that "shows lose showrunners all the time and do well" which shows just how little understanding he might have of the comedy. Plus, the man has ordered 11 new scripted shows in addition to the ten scripted shows that it's bringing back, which should create a very tightly-compressed schedule that might see more than one new show getting the same treatment "Bent" and "Best Friends Forever" got this past year. Maybe things will turn out all well in the end for Greenblatt and the Peacock network with a season that exceeds expectations, but for now I'm just unsure of it.

3. You have to wonder if NBC might later regret over-saturating their schedule with "The Voice" now on the fall in addition to the spring. It could turn out to be their own version of "Dancing with the Stars," but it could also turn out to be their version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" NBC doesn't seem to think so, though, having it on two nights a week and using it to launch three new shows (two comedies, one drama).

4. It's weird that the network isn't going to try anything different with its famous Thursday night schedule, instead forgetting to add any high-profile show and instead putting on four of the same shows that aired on some point last season (included the low-rated "30 Rock" and "Up All Night") while giving the 10 p.m. timeslot once given to shows like "Hill Street Blues" and "ER" into the hands of Brian Williams and "Rock Center." Kind of feels like the end of an era.

5. Interesting move by FOX in deciding to place "Glee" to Thursdays after "The X-Factor" in the fall and "American Idol" in the winter. On the one hand, placing it behind one of its highest rated singing competitions is what helped make "Glee" a smash, and the show should get a nice boost after free-falling in the ratings this season. On the other hand, it gives "New Girl" (their hit rookie comedy from this season) a lesser lead-in this season with "Raising Hope" and the upcoming new series "Ben & Kate," so there could be a situation in which one show loses while another show gains.

6. Overall, a pretty conservative fall schedule from FOX. Outside of moving "Touch" from Thursday to Friday in favor of "Glee," the decision to return to the four comedy bloc on Tuesday, and the decision to give "Bones" the same timeslot that FOX once regularly gave to "House," there's nothing new or radical about it compared to the year before. It looks like the network is really supporting Mindy Kaling and her new sitcom, giving it a pretty good timeslot after "New Girl." Also, I find it real nice to see FOX keep "Bob's Burgers" and "American Dad" on the same schedule during the fall, giving it one of the more enjoyable Sunday schedules on the network in quite some time.

7. I gotta admit: seeing "Fringe" still on the schedule and in an ability to close out with a proper ending is real nice to see, and kind of remarkable considering how low-rated its been for the past three years. 

8. Man, Tuesdays nights is going to be quite a slaughterhouse. Not only do you have "The Voice" going up against "Dancing with the Stars" and (I assume) "NCIS" at the 8 p.m./ET, you have three different options of comedy at 9 p.m./ET, with "New Girl" going up against "Happy Endings" and the new Matthew Perry comedy "Go On" while "Don't Trust the Brocolli in Apartment 23" goes up against "The Mindy Project" and "The New Normal." Also, since when did Tuesday becoming such a competitive night for network TV?

9.  Upcoming new shows that I'm currently interested in: "Go On," "Revolution," "Animal Kingdom," "The Mindy Project," "Last Resort."

-This week's "Mad Men" thought: while this episode wasn't nearly as the last four, I did enjoy seeing everyone trying to either to either spite someone else or get back at them, whether it was Don leaving Ginsberg's ad idea at the the taxi cab, Roger trying to get a client away from Pete, Sally trying to hurt Megan and Betty with her manipulative words, or Betty trying to anger Don and Megan with the reveal to Sally about Anna. Also, seeing another moment in which Roger has to pay someone off to get what he wants continues to be one of my favorite running gags this season.

- There are moments when I just wonder if I'm too out of touch from my generation than I should be. The success of Get Glue is one of those times.

- Has Will Forte done anything else post-"MacGruber" that hasn't included guest-starring on other TV shows? Guess that guy hasn't found any luck in the leading man role department.

- It's really fun to see just what a month can do to change public opinion. A month ago, Obama was in the lead in pretty much every poll, especially among women thanks to the help of Rick Santorum and his remarks on abortion during the primaries. Now, Obama is actually trailing to Romney in some polls, including among women.

-Damn you, Tupac hologram! This is just the beginning.

- As mentioned, NBC announced on Sunday that "Community" would be moved to Fridays. Not only that, but it was also announced that "30 Rock" is going to end after their 13 episode seventh season wraps up. At this point, it looks for certain that the era of the NBC's current Big Four comedies ("Community," "30 Rock," "The Office," and "Parks and Recreations") dominating Thursday nights has come to an end, which means that Thursday was the last time the four will have each aired an all-new episode on the same night. An end of an era, to be sure, which makes this edition of the Power Rankings extra special, since this will probably be the last time I ever do this. Here, now, is how I ranked each shows based on the episodes that aired on March 10th (a very strong slate of episodes, too, if I say so myself):

1. "Community"- "Curriculum Unavailable"

One of my all-time favorite episodes of "Community" was season two's "Paradigms of Human Memory," the season-two "clip show with brand new clips," an episode in which the show was also at it's all-time most hilarious. With "Curriculum Unavailable," the show decided to bring back the clip show idea in the form of the study group reminiscing about the school and themselves in a therapy session with guest-star John Hodgman, and just like the "Modern Warfare" sequel "Fistful of Paintballs," it managed to be just as good (if not better at times) than the original. The first act was a bit so-so, but I thought the show started to really pick-up during the second act with the introduction to the many not-so-great aspects of Greendale (I especially liked the various classes like "Ladders," as well as the human chess game and the show's reveal of the really cool third paintball game which simultaneously noted that they would never do one again). Then, the third act arrived with the meta-goodness that was the Greendale Asylum (instantly one of my favorite moments from the series ever), and that where I knew that this episode would go down as one of the season's finest. I also liked how, unlike in "Paradigms" (which was more of an homage to the clip-show format) there were some actual stakes this time around, and I thought it neatly set-up next week's three episode season finale (boy, it's good to be able to say "season" again and not "series").

2. "Parks and Recreations"-"Win, Lose, or Draw"

First of all, let me just say that if this wasn't Amy Poehler's Emmy episode, than I don't know what is. Overall, I found her to be simply terrific this week, and her crying both in the voting booth and after founding out that she won (a culmination of many years of hard work and ambition finally paying off with her first election victory) was one of her finer acting jobs in her entire time on the show. Second, while this episode wasn't filled with a ton of laughs, it had plenty of heartfelt moments and it gave us a solid ending to the season-long election campaign storyline. I'm also starting to get pretty excited about season five, just to see what happens to characters like Leslie, Ben, and Andy after the opportunities presented to them in this episode. A solid (if slightly down) season with a solid ending.

3. "30 Rock"- "The Return of Avery Jessup"

A funny episode, but a slightly disappointing, anticlimatic one considering that this was the episode that finally brought back Elizabeth Bank's character into Jack Donaghy's life follow her return from North Korea capture last season. Good to see that the mind games between Jack and Avery have still continued since "The Fabian Strategy," and good to see an episode in which Jenna tries to battle through her trashy roots. Plus, it was funny, which is never a bad thing. I hope that the show wraps up this great season with a strong finale next week.

4. "The Office"- "Free Family Portrait Studio"

And here we come, as we do every week, into the bottom of the rankings, still held by "The Office." 

And...that's gonna do it. If these power rankings were just like last year's power rankings, now would be the time where I tally up all the points accumulated throughout the various points of the season and announce a winner. But since there weren't any rankings through the past four weeks, this is not a possibility. However, here are the top honors that I would have given had this been the case:

Best Comedy: 

1) "Community" (but just barely) 

2)"30 Rock" 

3)"Parks and Recreations 

4)"The Office"

Best "Community" episode: "Remedial Chaos Theory"

Best "Parks and Recreations" episode: "Smallest Park"/"The Comeback Kid" (tie)

Best "30 Rock" episode: "Leap Day"

Best "The Office" episode: "Trivia"

Best Actor: Joel McHale, "Community"

Best Actress: Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreations"

Best Supporting Actor: Jim Rash, "Community"

Best Supporting Actress: Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"

Obviously, there's plenty about this list that you would disagree with. I assume that Best Supporting Actor would be the most controversial, since there are so many other actors that you would put in the same category and it would still be a good choice (Nick Offerman, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, etc.). In the end, I chose Rash simply because no one this season seemed to make me laugh more consistently with some of the worst material than he did in his first season as show regular. If you do have any complaints, feel free to share them in the comments. 

More "Random Thoughts" to come next Monday. See you then!

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

End of the Week: 05/06/12- 05/12/12

END OF THE WEEK:

The past seven days have been a very interesting one, filled with controversy, shocking revelations, and emotional roller-coasters. Did that first sentence get you interesting in reading the rest of this post? Possibly! Well, that's good enough for me! Here are some of the highlights (both good and bad) from the past week that was:

TV Renewals/Cancellations of the Week: With this being the last week before all of the major broadcast TV networks have their Upfronts presentations for the upcoming season, the past seven days have been a tumultuous one, with constant up-to-the-minute updates about which series would be renewed and which ones would meet cancellation. Overall, if you were any fan of critically-acclaimed bubble shows with even a slight chance for renewal, I assume that this week went by pleasantly. "Community," "30 Rock," "Parenthood," and "Parks and Recreations" were all renewed by NBC (with the network changing Parks' episode order from 13 episodes to a full 22 episodes), counter-balancing their renewals of "Whitney," "Law and Order: SVU," and the shell of its former glory that it "The Office." "Happy Endings," "Revenge," "Don't Trust the Beehive in Apartment 23," and "Suburgatory," all received renewals by ABC, while "Cougar Town" was saved from cancellation by TBS for two seasons consisting of 15 episodes each. Meanwhile, "Nikita" and "Hart of Dixie" received new life on The CW, while FOX orders more episodes of "American Dad" that won't air until two years later.

In other renewal news, hit shows like "Two and a Half Men," "Grey's Anatomy," "Modern Family," and "Once Upon a Time" all got renewed to the surprise of no-one, while really low-rated shows like "Awake," "Bent," "The River," "Missing," "Alcatraz," "GCB," and "A Gifted Man" all got cancelled (also to the surprise of no-one). Meanwhile, "Revenge" will continue to make it fun to say REVENGE!!!! for another season, "Touch" earns the title of Only Rookie FOX Drama to Get a Second Season,  NBC reveals just how powerful Lorne Michaels really has over them by unexpectedly renewing "Up All Night" for a season despite ratings worse than all of the other renewed NBC shows, and "Harry's Law," angering its 7 million 50+ year old viewers way past their bedtime. As of now, the remaining shows of-note that still have yet to receive their fates are "Bob's Burger," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: New York," and "¡ROB!." If you want a more complete list, go here.

Magazine Cover of the Week: TIME Magazine's Controversial Breast-feeding Mom Cover

Three thoughts:

1. That kid is never going to live that cover down for the rest of his life.

2. The self-satisfaction look by the mother really says it all of who the cover's really about in her mind.

3. TIME Magazine is pretty desperate for print sales, aren't they?

Stories of the Week:

-The Actual Story of the Week: President Obama Affirms His Support of Gay Marriage

Maybe Joe Biden should give more gaffes about controversial topics after all.

-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: At Least Three Male Masseuses File Sexual Assault Lawsuits Against John Travolta

Good call on not accepting his $12,000 sex offer, third masseuse. Not even Travolta in his "Hairspray" make-up could convince me to spend the night with him.

Death of the Week: Author/Illustrator Maurice Sendak

The legacy he lives behind is as large as the happy memories he created for the lives of millions of young readers. Needless to say, he will be missed.

Childhood Past Reveal of the Week: Mitt Romney Forcing a Haircut on a Suspected Gay Prep School Classmate

The news isn't that shocking once you take a look at Romney's photos from that era.

Video of the Week: "Ask a Grown Man with Jon Hamm"

"You're probably all too young to watch 'Mad Men,' so, uh, enjoy 'The Hunger Games!'" As if you needed any further proof of how cool he is.

Strange Pairing of the Week:Justin Bieber and 50 Cent By Floyd Mayweather Ringside

Putting Bieber in the mix is like having Ron Howard cameo in Jamie Foxx's "Blame It" music video: strange, yet awesome.

Person of the Week: Barack Obama

Make what you will of his pro-gay marriage announcement. But whether it was no more than a political stunt or not, the fact of the matter is this: for the first time ever, a U.S. President has publicly made it clear his support of gay marriage.Now, I don't know about you, but I think that this is a pretty big deal.

And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

Sincerely,

Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

Jake Peavy, "The Avengers" Box Office Record, and Saturday Night Live Complaints

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

The following were on my mind between Monday, April 30th and Monday, May 7th:


-Massive hype+universal acclaim+recognizable faces and characters+inflated 3D ticket prices=an opening weekend box office that won't be topped for quite a while. Not even by "The Dark Knight Rises" (which won't have a chance since it's not gonna be in 3D).

-Is complaining about how "Saturday Night Live" isn't as good as it used to be pretty much as old as the show has been on the air?


-It took 2.5 years, yet it's good to see that the Jake Peavy deal seems to finally be paying off for the White Sox, with Peavy winning the award for AL Pitcher of the Month and performing like one of the season's earliest Cy Young contenders. Hell, the entire pitching staff has been performing well, really. It just sucks that the majority of the team's offense doesn't seem to be rewarding their arms with some offense.


-And now, the brand new edition of the NBC Thursday Night Comedy Power Rankings for the episodes that aired during this past Thursday, May 3rd:
1. "Parks and Recreations"- "Bus Tour"
I guess I chose this episode over the others simply because it was the most consistently hilarious out of the four shows. Chris Pratt had himself a sensational episode for the second straight week, this time in his returning role as Andy's FBI agent persona Burt Macklin. He just stole the show from me, whether it was during his slow motion pie-in-the-face re-enactment with Jerry, his various nicknames ("Been there done that," "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it...," etc.) to his self-congratulatory praise of finding out who caused the pie throwing in the first place ("Macklin. You son of a bitch."). As for the actual storyline that the episode was named for? Well, I thought the final scenes with Leslie Knope and Bobby Newport were great, and, yes, there were plenty of gags to like, but other than that there wasn't any new aspect of the campaign storyline that we haven't seen before, and I think I could've lived without the entire van rental subplot.

2. "30 Rock"- "Queen of Jordan 2: The Mystery of the Phantom Pooper"
Like last week's episode, "30 Rock" decides to bring back one of its more memorable stunt episodes from last season (this time, it was the "Queen of Jordan" spoof). Unlike last week's episode, I didn't end up liking the sequel more than the original. It's not that I didn't find it funny, which it was, or that there were plots from it that I didn't enjoy, which there were. It's just that I found the first "Queen of Jordan" to be a helluva lot more funnier, and served a much greater purpose (last year, it was a way to deal with Tracy Jordan's departure to Africa and how it affected the family).

3 (tie). "Community"- "Course Listing Unavailable"
My main problem that I had with this episode of "Community" was that it all just felt too rushed. I thought if this had been separate into maybe two episodes, then stuff like the study group's angry speeches during Alex's wake, the destruction of the Greendale cafeteria, and Chang's plan to rise in power at the school would've felt more organic (like Eartha Kitt airplane bathroom jokes). This is the main thing that set me back from adoring this episode in the same level that I have all of their April episodes. Other than that, there was plenty about it that I still liked, especially the many wonderful callbacks to "Remedial Chaos Theory." Also, a good table setter for wrapping up a season with an ending that I'm sure will be off-the-chains.

3 (tie). "The Office"- "Turf War"
The thing is, this was actually one of the show's best episodes in quite a while. I like how this actually had some purpose, even if all they did was just recycle the Michael Scott Paper Company storyline from season 5 into one in which Andy collaborates with David Wallace to buy Dunder Mifflin. It was also one of the funniest episodes that the show has done this season, and just for that I'm bumping up to a tie for third instead of a third straight dead last finish. But, yeah, as far as which of these four shows rank in terms of how they performed throughout the season, it's clear that this episode did nothing to make feel that this show wasn't the clear choice as the weakest.

Next week is the season finale for both "The Office" and "Parks and Recreations," which means that this mini-revival of the power rankings will be coming to an end next Monday. It's too bad, but hopefully this column ends up closing itself out with a bang.

More RTs to come next Monday. See you then!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15





If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.

End of the Week: 04/29/12- 05/05/12

END OF THE WEEK:

Let's roll.

Deaths of the Week: "Beastie Boys" Founder Adam Yauch & Former NFL Star Junior Seau
Both legends in their proffession, both now gone under unfortunate circumstance before any of them could turn 50 years old, & both will be missed.

Video of the Week: "History of Whistling"
As someone who simply cannot whistle to save his life, this video is just 3 and a half minutes of taunting.

R

Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: The U.S.-China Cheng Guangcheng Deal
-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: First Grader Suspended For Singing LMFAO Song
Finally, actual proof that LMFAO is dangerous to youth besides the fact that they suck!

Movie Trailer of the Week: The Final "The Dark Knight Rises" Trailer
Probably the only thing this year that might have a chance of possibly surpassing the hype, critical acclaim, and box-office success of "The Avengers." Can you tell that I'm excited for it?



Person of the Week:Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
Considering that Arizona is already a laughingstock already as a state, it's going to take quite a bit to ruin the state's reputation even further. And yet, that's exactly what the Governor helped in accomplishing. Well done!

And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15

If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.