Saved by the Bell...and then what?

Like many of us who "came of age" in the 90's, I was and still am a devoted fan of Saved by the Bell. Tell me you don't stop when flipping through channels to sit down and watch a full half hour of mindless teenage fun in Bayside. I wanted to be Kelly Kapowski in high school, I wanted to date Zack Morris, and do Time Outs and go to UCLA and the whole thing.

I think as far as teen idols go, it was a fairly decent cast to attach myself to. They weren't running around doing drugs (except Jesse's Speed addiction) or getting drunk or having sex (the soundtrack did the whooo thing anytime someone kissed). They did get into their own share of trouble, cutting classes, sneaking out to go dancing at The Attic with fake IDs, coming up with get rich quick schemes that always proved Screech wasn't as smart as you'd expect a science geek to be (the pasta sauce, the zit cream, etc).

A few years ago, I was living in LA (living out my SBTB dreams in grad school), and I ran into Dennis "Mr. Belding" Haskins at a karaoke bar. I got his autograph, though he was already surrounded by a number of adoring fans. That show is gold, even for the uptight principal.

And then today I saw an announcement for an event Elizabeth "Jessie" Berkley is doing for her new book, Ask Elizabeth (tonight, 7-9 at Dylan's Candy Bar, NYC), and I had to wonder, what are all of our old fantasy friends up to these days?

Since I started with them, first Mr. Belding. While he had a rough time shaking this character (and had to suffer through the travesty that was The New Class), he has finally come to terms with it's place in propelling him to household name status, and embraced the Belding. Currently, he tours colleges, as "Mr. Belding on Campus," reminiscing about his days on the show, and giving inspirational speeches about career and goals. According to his website, he's also hoping to be nominated for the next season of Dancing with the Stars. Good luck, Belding.

As for Miss Jessie Spano, She is obviously promoting her new book at the moment, which went on sale March 22. I'm proud to say she has come a long way from Show Girls, and is now focused, with her book and the MTV reality show planned to coincide with it, on helping out young girls with the drama of adolescence, and trying to give them positive influences and images (essentially the anti-Show Girls approach, way closer to the PSA episodes of SBTB). In fact, it sounds a lot like What Would Jessie Do come to life, for all those girls who are So Excited and So Sacred!!!!

And what about sometimes boyfriend AC Slater? You'd be hard pressed to say you haven't seen Mario Lopez around in the past few years. He has been a host on Extra, he has Danced with the Stars, he's had his own reality show in VH1, Saved by the Baby, and had a New York Times bestselling book, Extra Lean (which he's followed with Extra Lean Family). Oh Albert Clifford, you've come so far from your days of wrestling and dancing in really high wasted pants while bickering with Jesse and dueling Zack for Kelly.

Speaking of Kelly Kapowski, what happened to her after she left Bayside for Beverly Hills? She spent a while doing small roles in TV movies and TV appearances, but it seems her life has come together. She is a main character on the show White Collar, on which she plays supportive wife Elizabeth Burke (anyone else think that's awfully close to Jessie's real name?). Additionally, she is happily married and recently had a baby girl. She's still a SoCal girl and finally dropped the Amber from her name, making her simply Tiffani Thiessen.

And the third of our trio of girl friends on the show, Lisa Turtle? She may be the cast member who strayed the furthest from public view after the show. In fact, she's the hardest to find out anything about. I can tell you that she had a music career for a while, first with a group called Third Degree, and then as a solo artist. She is married and has a child, and co owns a production company with her brother. I was also surprised to learn that Lark too has a book out, entitles Reciprocity, a romantic thriller that I'm not completely convinced is actually by our Lark Voorhies, despite the assertion on her "official" website (which has an About Me section copied from Wikipedia).

So on to her eternal admirer, Screech Powers. Well here is one cast member we've heard more about that we would like. He languished with Belding on The New Class, and then fell into ruin. He went broke and started begging people to give him money, he leaked a sex tape of himself on to the Internet (can you think of anyone you would less want to watch?), published a tell all book (rejected by US publishers, released by Canadians), and did a stint on Celebrity Fit Club. He did everything he could to shake the Screech image, but in the end, you just want to smack him the way Lisa always did.

And of course, our favorite star, Zack Morris. I need a moment to sigh and bat my eyes as I think about him...Okay. What isn't there to say about Mark-Paul Gosselaar? He has had a few successful series and many bit parts on TV since leaving Bayside, notably NYPD-Blue and Raising the Bar. He's a car racing enthusiast, has competed and won in cycling races, and preformed off Broadway. He also has two kids and just last year got divorced (not from Kelly, don't worry). He is also the main impetuous for Jimmy Fallon's campaign for a SBTB reunion, which would be AMAZING.

Ok, Tiger fans, it's time to say goodbye to our favorite high school cast. Let's go hit the Maxx!

The Little Things

Ok, I know I have been reticent of late, or just plain lazy, but I'm back. And the main reason is because of a stranger who brightens my days a little bit and made me want to write about her, and possibly a few other Springtime things.

Most of the heavily trafficked New York City subway stops have people handing out the Metro and AM New York each morning. At the Bleecker Street subway stop for the past month or so, there has been one woman distributing paper with a few cheery lines to the passersby all morning long. She has an adjective for every day, from "Manic Monday" through "Terrific Thursday" and finally, "Fabulous, Feel-good, Freedom Friday" to cap off the week. Along with this, she will throw in a headline, or some other content to make you smile. This week, she gave a count down to the beginning of spring one day, and to the beginning of the baseball season another, accompanied by, "and if you're a Mets fan you know that stands for My Entire Team Sucks!"
As I walk by her on my way to work, I can't help but smile. You know some of these mornings, it's been damn cold out there. You know plenty of people walk right by ignoring her. You know some days she has someone stinking and begging for change sitting right next to her. But every day she is there, she is cheerful, and she makes my morning a little better.

And while it's been a little tough getting up that extra hour early this week for Daylight Savings Time, it has actually started to get a bit warmer, and the sun has been making an appearance, lasting late into the day, and I can feel the difference it makes. I walked home from work yesterday, which I haven't done in the past couple months, and it was nice to just enjoy the (I won't say fresh, that'd be a stretch) air, and hopefully soak in a little vitamin D.


Also doesn't hurt that I had a great weekend out of the city, including getting a pretty bouquet of flowers, making some yummy fondue, and enjoying some quality couch time while watching The Wire.








Hopefully spring really has arrived and will be a warm, sweet, season.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Christmas Blog #1

After my Halloween blog series in October, how could I not do the same with December? I am a big fan of the holiday season, I love decorating, Christmas cookies, trees, lights, presents, and the music. So today, because I've had my Pandora station set to Christmas Music all week, that's what I want to discuss.

Now, I think anytime after Thanksgiving is fair game to break out the holiday tunes (and I don't mean to be Christmas exclusive, I'm a big fan of the Hanukkah Song by Adam Sandler as well).

There are the old classics, and I have always been a Bing Crosby fan, and can go for some Sinatra as well. But Bing singing White Christmas always puts me in the holiday spirit, I love that deep, rumbly voice. Ah, Bing, take me for a sleigh ride, I'm there. (ever seen Holiday Inn? With the exception of one notably un-PC scene, it's a gem). My dad plays these songs on the stereo while we open presents on Christmas morning.

But before that, when we decorate our tree, there are three classic albums we always put on the old record player to get in the spirit. First, my beloved Charlie Brown Christmas. The record is a recording of the entire special, every line and song. I have the whole thing memorized. "I have been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want. Please note the size and color of each item and send as many as possible. If it seems too difficult, make it easy on yourself, just send money. How about tens and twenties?" -Sally.

So first we go through that whole record, and then move on to Sesame Street Christmas, complete with a Bert and Ernie version of The Gift of the Magi, Oscar's "I Hate Christmas," and "The Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street." I recommend this album to everyone, it's amazing.

The third of the tree trimming trilogy is Disney Christmas. Ours is an older version, that features a very young Molly Ringwald singing "The First Noel" and of course the hilariously awesome Chip and Dale (and Donald) rendition of "Christmas Don't be Late." Every time I listen to this, and get to the part when Donald gets mad and quacks up, I lose it. Man, I love that duck sometimes.

And then you have the more modern classics, things like "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree," and Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (if you don't know this, you should, because it's just done in such a ridiculous manner. It's a blue collar Christmas). I also enjoy the ridiculousness of the faux aged rocker Billy Mack (from Love Actually) singing "Christmas is All Around."

Also, because it should become a holiday staple, the Peter Griffin Christmas Album. Listen and love, my friends.

So turn on your radio or tune into Pandora or pull out the old Christmas albums, and let's start getting into the holiday spirit!

Gleeking out (with guest MKat)

Like so many others, I have been sucked into the fun dancing and singing extravaganza that is Glee. I’m new to it, and have been catching up with season 1 on DVD while watching the new season. The problem with this is that I am watching these great early episodes interspersed with the new below the bar ones and feeling a little dejected. Sure, musicals are known for sacrificing plot to devises that allow the characters to break out in song, and display their feelings about a given situation through the music. That’s the genre and I accept it. The problem is that this season, every episode feels like I’ve missed something, like they are picking up from a point separate from where they left off the previous week. What did Puck do to get sent to juvy? What’s up with the lesbian love scene between Santana and Brittany? What was the point of the Brittany episode, with their weird drugged dream videos? How did it seem remotely ok to have teachers with students in Rocky Horror? And why oh why does the biggest homophobe jock always have to be a closet case himself?

To corroborate, I’m bringing in a guest blogger and Broadway aficionado, MKat. What is your take on what’s been going on this season?

Thank you, Panda, I appreciate your acknowledgement of my superior Broadway knowledge. I’m a bit of a newbie to Glee myself; last Fall I tried to resist any attachment when I saw many friends back in my homeland of Ohio were Gleeking out via Facebook that “Lea Michele is soooo good she should like be on Broadway.” It was then that I realized such an up-and-coming and already established Broadway star like Lea had attracted such UNcultured followers. But with Spring Awakening becoming a distant memory (and realizing Jonathan Groff aka Jesse St. James aka another Spring Awakening star was also joining the cast) I needed my Lea Michele fix. I watched season 1 on DVD in a matter of 3 days leading up to the season 2 premiere so I’m completely Glee-educated when I say WHOA WTF to the show’s sophomore year.

If the show were treated as an actual Broadway show (I realize it is in fact, not a Broadway show), it should have plausible reasons for random acts of song and dance. Using local anesthesia to induce Brit-tastic hallucinations only holds so much entertainment value before you realize there was no point to the entire episode. I learned nothing except that Brittany S. Pearce has a rockin’ body and that I totally get why Santana wants a piece of it. But the second season is not entirely at fault – the seed was planted long ago when Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel stepped on set. The appeal of this show extended beyond the Broadway elite to celebrities of all backgrounds, and it’s gotten to the point where the show has decided to turn the spotlight on the guest stars and tribute an artist by throwing an episode around their music, when it should be the direct opposite. All the glam and bling should be accessorizing the glee freak students, not turning them into back-up vocalists and dancers.

But just as Glee was losing it’s rhythm (save for a few episode-ending Rachel Berry ballads), it’s starting to take shape and take responsibility as a platform to reach out to kids in need of someone on their side. I commend Ryan Murphy for choosing to shed light on problematic bullying, when it’s the natural go-to for comedic relief. However, I disagree with the generalization that most homophobic jocks are just too afraid and confused to come out of the closet. I honestly believe some homophobes are just that – hateful, ignorant, homophobes. It’s too complex of an issue in society to simplify the matter on TV. Knowing the show will continue to address bullying will keep me hoping that it keeps this in mind and also doesn’t relegate the bullying only to issues of sexuality. We all know too well it extends far beyond the parameters of sexual preference.

At the end of the day I’m completely in love with Glee. I was an Ohio show choir girl myself, and although I can’t point out Lima, OH on a map, I love that it’s become a cultural phenomenon. In every show choir or glee club across the country you will find a rag tag group of people who come together from all different backgrounds and cliques purely because they love the art of entertainment, and life is so much cooler and meaningful when you sing about it, duh. I’d break out into song and dance to commemorate the moments of my life if I could. Actually, I live in NYC, this is completely possible and not at all out of the ordinary.

Thanks for having me, Panda! If you’re ever feeling down – just YouTube flash mobs. My God, I think they could solve world peace.

Thanks, MKat! And let us hope that while we avoid using guest stars for no reason, Glee finds a way to bring Justin Timberlake into the show, in a way that doesn’t create an awkward too much sexy dancing at a high school pep rally (again) scenario. Perhaps he is a distant cousin of Will Schuester. There is a resemblance, don’t tell me you’ve missed it. Like in the first season, having Idina Menzel play Lea Michele’s mother, I couldn’t believe that they aren’t related, that is crazy!
Oh, and just a quick mention on the controversial Glee photo spread in GQ: these are actors in their 20s, and they are appearing in what is unquestionably an adult magazine. So why pretend that they are high school kids doing something inappropriate? Have you seen what Disney star Miley Cyrus has been wearing in concert lately? And she is actually high school age. Not to mention that dressing scandalously in videos and award shows and concerts is exactly what we asked of our teen idols ten years ago (speaking of Brittney, and Xtina, Jessica Simpson, etc). I don’t see why one photo spread of actors, who would be well within their rights to do side projects in rated R movies, should have people so up in arms.
Ok, soap box put away, and blog over!

Halloween III: Scary Movies

What's your favorite scary movie? I guarantee you that no one answers that question with "Scream."

To be fair, I'm a bit of a wus. I have never seen exorcist and have no intention of doing so, because I believe it's every bit as scary as advertised. In fact, there are plenty of scary movies I avoid, usually because they seem beyond my scare-o-meter (Paranormal Activity, IT, Chucky) or just gory gross (Saw 2-infinity, Hostel, House of Wax, The Fly). Also, I was exposed to Freddy Kruger young enough to have a permanent fear of that dream-stalking freak.

But, I have a respect for well made movies, and like a few horror flicks well enough to own them in my collection. Among these are some of my top picks for favorite scary movies (these are not ranked, sorry):

Silence of the Lambs -it took me 3 tries to watch this movie all the way through. The first time, it was just after a blackout, and my friend and I made it barely beyond the opening credits. And do you remember early on, when Clarice is checking out that storage space, and finds a man's severed head? I sure do, that was as far as I made it the second time. But the third time I watched the whole movie, and was able to enjoy it. And make sure I keep a flashlight by my bed, just in case. Damn, that scene with the night vision is creepy.

Alien and Aliens -I love these movies, it combines the sci-fi geek in me that fell for The X-Files with the part of me that secretly likes when something jumps out and makes me flinch. Okay, more than flinch, jump out of my seat, whatever. The general consensus is that the original, directed by Ridley Scott, is more of a horror film, and the sequel, directed by James Cameron, true to form, is more of large scale action movie. In both cases, Sigourney Weaver proves herself a badass, even while fighting in nothing but an undershirt and panties.

Seven -I don't know that this is a straight up scary movie, it's certainly a good mindfuck, and horrifying in many ways. Mostly, the contraption made at the leather shop and used to rape the prostitute. AAAAH. But of course it's more than the physical violence, it's the mind of the serial killer, so twisted and convinced that he is meant to mete out justice in this way, so clearly thought out all the way through the end. And then the box, you see just about nothing, but it's enough. Well done, David Fincher.

Now there are a few movies I probably should own in my collection, but haven't picked up just yet. We'll start recent:

28 Days Later -This was the revival that zombie movies needed. Dawn of the Dead is a cult classic, but the remake was nothing great. The Resident Evil movies are a good watch, but more action than horror, and you feel like you're watching a video game. But this movie, right from the beginning, things are eerie and you're drawn in, following along with Jim, trying to figure out what has become of the world. It's a good movie and a good fright (though it looked even scarier on one marque I saw that cut off the name to "28 Days Late")

In the Mouth of Madness -First, Sam Neill is always a treat (I was a big Jurassic Park fan), and watching him slowly descend into madness is done in such a methodical manner, that it's hard not to be sucked into it with him. Yes, Sutter Cain seems like a lame stand in for Stephen King, with Hobb's End just another version of Castle Rock. But it's the ease with which someone can lose their wits, the way John becomes the man with the axe, that brings the real psychological fear to this one.

The Shining -Speaking of Stephen King, a classic. What can I say? Everyone has seen this, right? It's the movie that sets a picture in our minds of Jack Nicholson, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." (also the source if perhaps the best segment ever in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors) I love Red Rum, the creepy twins, the axe, the hedge maze. All good. No more remakes, they are awful and unnecessary.

Poltergeist -Along with exposing me to Star Wars and Jaws early on, my older brother let me watch this one with him. To this day, the maggots are probably the most disturbing part of the movie to me. Sure, little girl hearing voices through the TV, the melting face in the mirror, the skeletons in the unfinished swimming pool. But maggots in your food, ew ew ew!

Also of course Halloween is also a great movie for Halloween. And there are plenty of others ones out there to give you a good scare.

Happy Halloween and happy haunting!

Halloween Candy

As promised, part 2 of my Halloween series. The treats. Let me preface this by saying that I have a huge sweet tooth. I think the only reason that i don't have a billion cavities is my equally big love of cheese and high in bone-strengthening calcium dairy products. That being said, I am not a Chocophile. While most girls go gaga for Jacques Torres and Godiva, I always preferred cookies and pastries, or fruity candies.

I basically lived on Diet Coke and Skittles in high school. Many people can attest to this, though they will tell you I also ate a fair number of quesadillas (see, there's the cheese). I tasted the rainbow every day, and it gave me the energy to power through cheerleading and dance classes, with a smile on my face (ok, not always, I was a teenage girl, after all). Also, they helped me make better friends, because unlike most people, I only like the orange, yellow, and green ones. No red or purple for me, so if you were in my vicinity, you lucked into a handful of strawberry and grape nuggets of yumatude.

So the first thing going in my Halloween bucket is the bag of skittles. And add right on top of those the Starburst, practically the same thing in square form. (By the way, this is exactly what our treat collecting containers looked like when I was a kid.)

I'm also a big fan of the Reece's Pieces. I know a lot of people prefer the cups, because of the chocolate and peanut butter combo, and I have nothing against that flavor mingling, but I prefer the little bits of PB in a crunchy shell. These also make an awesome ice cream or frozen yogurt topping, but let's keep this to what you can throw in your candy bucket.

Now, if i am going to get chocolate, I need some nuts or cookie or something to break up the solid hunk of choco. My favorite of the M&M's to come out of the flavor experimentation is the almond one. I am happy to eat my way through a bag of the peanut ones, but the almond is ideal. You can almost pretend it's a healthy snack, like you could throw them in a bag of trail mix, and it wouldn't be that far off. Plus, the Almond M&M dude is a big blue guy, and blue are my favorite M&Ms (yes, I know they all taste the same), plus I like tall guys. Done and done.

When it comes to the chocolate bar, I like to go for either a Snickers or a Twix, and either way, they are so much better after a day in the freezer. I'm pretty sure it's mostly because once the caramel layer freezes, it becomes crunchy and easy to eat, instead of a goo that gets stuck in every crevice of your teeth.

I can do a Crunch bar, a Kit Kat (especially the white chocolate one, so good!), a York Peppermint Paddy (how can you not like candy that freshens your breath at the same time). For that reason, I also like some Mentos, though not sure they really count as candy. And I'm good with Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, some Smarties (but these get boring before long, and make your tongue tingle), and lolly pops of all varieties (but not all flavors). Also, who doesn't love Pez in a fun dispenser? I'm not a collector, but I enjoy them as much as the next person.

But no Almond Joys or Mounds for me, not a fan of the coconut. A plain Hershey bar is too much chocolate in one bite, and can we please agree that Candy Corn is just a soft mound of corn syrup, and therefore totally disgusting? Also in the reject pile from my candy collection: Charleston Chew (too much chew, too much stickiness in the teeth), Tootsie Rolls (again, they are all in my teeth), Jelly Beans, Twislers, and probably some other random little pieces whose brands I haven't bothered to learn.

Help yourself to my leftovers.

Also not appropriate Halloween fare: apples, tooth brushes, pennies, raisins. Take note, if it isn't bad for you, it isn't a real treat.

Look next week for my next Halloween installment: scary stuff.

Halloween! (part 1)

Yes kids, it's the first day of October, and I can no longer hold back my excitement for the coming holiday. Columbus Day! Just kidding. No, I mean the time for tricks and treats, scares and sweets, ghouls, ghost, goblins, witches, werewolves, warlocks, when you can be anyone or anything for a day, and strangers will give you candy for no good reason at all.

It's Halloween time, and I feel like starting out with a trip through the costumes of years past.

When I was a kid, my mom would make these amazing costumes for me. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of me in all of them to share, but you'll have to imagine how amazingly awesome they all were.

In elementary school (in no particular order)I was:

Rainbow Brite (little girls and bright colors, stars, ponies, rainbows, this was a no brainer)

She-Rah (complete with the gold wristlets and matching spray painted shoes. I also had a great plastic sword to swat my fellow trick-or-treaters with)

Pippi Longstocking (I had long hair that I often wore in braids, so this made sense. Just took a coat hanger through my braids and a little smock dress)

Princess Leia (again, long hair, just twisted up into buns on the sides of my head. Unfortunately, I did not have the blaster.)

And the best costume of them all, the one that my friends would always want when they came over to play dress up, Sleeping Beauty. I can't begin to explain how beautiful this dress was, it was pink satin on top, and had rainbow lace down the skirt, with pink sheer fabric for the collar.

After that, I went through a long period of being various witches, always with the standard pointy hat, sometimes with random ragged black costume pieces thrown together, sometimes with a broom stick, usually with long, black, fake nails that would come off through the course of the night. In high school, I wore a black leather skirt and tight black top, my own make-shift version of the sexy witch costume, but with black lipstick and press-on nails nails.

By college, I'd moved on to embracing Halloween as an excuse to dress sexy. I was a genie, a school girl, a sexy devil, a vampire, and little red riding hood, each a couple of times. Once you are buying a costume, you might as well get multiple uses out of it.

Last year, I was Sookie Stackhouse, with the official Merlotte's tee shirt, from HBO. I didn't get a blond wig, though I considered it. I did buy True Blood from the HBO site as well, which is surprisingly delicious when mixed with vodka. I highly recommend.

This year, I have opted for a pirate/wench. I'm going for a slightly less skanky look. It's been fun dressing up as a fantasy, and it being Halloween, I'm still going for dress up as something I'll never really be costumes. Just maybe toning it down a little. After all, there is a whole new generation of 20-somethings out there skanking it up in their barely there costumes, and I don't think I want to be in comparison with them anymore.

Next time, we look at our favorite Halloween treats!