Here's a quote from Entertainment Weekly's review of the first season of Ugly Betty on dvd.
"This audacious twist solidifies Betty's status as the gayest show on TV, in both senses of the word: Not only is it steeped in a queer aesthetic, but there's palpable joy behind the sweet silliness of it all."
That's right, one of my favorite shows has been called the "gayest show on tv." As long as Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, What Not to Wear, and Grey's Anatomy are on tv, Ugly Betty will never be close to being the gayest show on tv.
The reason why I started watching this show is because my wife recognized "Dawn" from the British Office as one of the reporters on the fake fashion tv show. Then she recognized "Maggie" from Extras as the seamstress or whatever she is called at Mode magazine. I figured if this show would go to great lengths to poach two great actresses from Ricky Gervais shows, then I better check it out.
At first, I thought to myself "this show is just too gay for me." Betty's nephew is gay, Wilhemina's assistant is gay, and it seemed like gay was everywhere, but after watching a couple of episodes, either I got used to it or they toned it down a bit. I think I have seen every episode now (thanks to summer re-runs) and I can honestly say that it's one of the best shows on tv. Here are the reasons why I like it so much:
1. The interaction between Betty and Daniel. I can't remember what the guy's name is that plays Daniel, but he does a great job as the sex-crazed editor of Mode. The interaction between the two in the episode where Betty gets a makeover from her sister was great.
2. Vanessa Williams and Rebecca Romijn. These two cougars make the show. Vanessa "formerly Rick Fox's wife" plays the evil Wilhemina and Rebecca "formerly married to Uncle Jesse" Stamos plays Daniel Meade's brother who faked his death only to come back as a woman.
3. The fake telenovelas on tv. If any of you have ever seen a telenovela, then you know how cheesy they are. There were certain times in Guate where every person who owned a tv would be watching the same novela. I think the most popular one I saw was "Sonadores." We'd be walking down the street at 7:30 at night and we could hear the same thing coming out of every house we walked by.
I know that most dudes probably aren't dying to tune into a show about an assistant to the editor of a fashion magazine, but it really is one of the best shows on tv. If you saw "Real Women Have Curves" than it might take you a while to get used to seeing America Ferrara not wearing flesh-toned underwear, but just give it a couple of episodes and it will be worth it.
Here is another installment about something that absolutely no one (besides me) cares about. For today's pick, I decided to go with Japan. The band is the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, which is an entirely too long of a name for a band. They've been around since about 1985 and in the first video they team up with J-Pop superduo Puffy Ami Yumi to form one of the most uncomfortable collaborations I have ever witnessed. The girls look like they have no clue as to what is going on, or how to dance for that matter. The song starts off a little slow, but it gets better as it goes along. I always get it stuck in my head when I listen to it and then I have to spend the day mumbling lyrics because I have no idea what they are saying. Prepare to be uncomfortable...
This also marks the first Foreign Music Friday where I will include two videos by the same band. I like the following one better because it better represents Tokyo Skapa (and because one guy is playing a trash can and another is playing a tuba). I have no idea what the guy is yelling to the audience in the beginning, but judging by the audience's reaction I think he is telling them that it's important to stay in school and get a good education. Even if you don't like ska music, doesn't it look like you would have a good time at this concert?
Because I like to support work done by fellow Mormons and The Aquabats, I will put in a little plug for a new tv show on Nick Jr called Yo Gabba Gabba. It's on every morning at 7:30 is highly entertaining, even for adults. Here's a little clip from the first episode (if you have to take a test or have some sort of important meeting to go to and you don't want a song stuck in your head, do not watch this clip).
A little late, but here's my pick for this week. The band is Midnight Oil (which I think is a great name for a band), the song is "Blue Sky Mine", the country is Australia, and the year is 1990. These guys might be better known for the song "Beds Are Burning" but I like this song more. Probably the best part of this video is watching the singer dance. It almost looks like he has an itch in the middle of his back and he just can't reach it. Anyway, the guy is eccentric, to say the least.
Next Tuesday will be my last back to school day and I couldn't be happier. If you would've told me when I was 15 years old that my undergrad degree would be in economics and that I would go on to law school, I would've told you that you were crazy. Here's a list of possible careers that I have considered over the years (in no particular order):
1. Professional baseball player (Kind of hard to accomplish that when you stop playing in high school)
2. FBI Agent (My application is actually completed, but I never submitted it. Had I not decided to go to law school, I'm pretty sure that I would be working for the FBI in some capacity, assuming I could pass the color test.)
3. Police Officer (I considered this a long time ago, but knew it would never really be a possibility. Before we got married, my wife kindly informed me that I would never be a police officer. Oh well.)
4. American History Professor (This is still one of my dreams actually. I love American History. If I was ever offered a job teaching US History on the east coast or in the south, I would do it in a heartbeat. )
5. Commercial Real Estate Broker (I did an internship with a commercial real estate firm in northern California a few years ago to see if it might be something I was interested in. Well, after a couple of months I realized that selling real estate just wasn't for me. The guys I worked with were all very nice, and I appreciated them taking me to a great Vietnamese restaurant for lunch, but without going into too much detail, working there was kind of like being in high school again. That's not a good thing.)
6. Tomato Farmer (I told my wife that for graduation I want a clock that counts backwards starting at 20 years. As soon as the 20 years are up, I'm quitting law and we are moving to central California so I can live out my dream of being a tomato farmer. She actually seems ok with the idea. If I can't afford one in central California, I'll buy a farm in Guatemala and spend my summers there.)
7. Buffalo Rancher (We used to go up to Wyoming every summer, and there was a buffalo farm close to where stayed that I thought was incredible. I would just want to raise and sell them, not slaughter them for meat.)
I'm sure there are more jobs that I have considered over the years, but these were the only ones that stuck out in my mind. Not to get all patriotic or anything, but one of the really great things about living in the United States is that you really can do anything you want as long as you are willing to work for it. In other countries the opportunities just aren't available like they are here. I used to work with a bunch europeans in a plant pathology lab and none of them wanted to go back to their native countries because they said there just aren't jobs there like there are here. The PhD students would get all nervous towards the end of their educations because they knew that their student visas were about to run out and they would have to return to France or Germany or whatever. So, for all of the US's faults, it really is a land of opportunity, even for someone who was a terrible student through high school like I was.
Having a couple of kids in the house means that I'm subjected to quite a bit of underage programming. We try not to let the kids watch too much tv, but sometimes we need a break (or need to take a shower) and a tv serves as a great babysitter for an hour or so. I was watching Veggie Tales on Saturday and started thinking about what it takes to make a great kids tv show. I decided to rate the different shows that our kids watch. Here they are:
1. The Wiggles: A
This is by far the most watchable out of all of my sons' tv shows. Admittedly, the concept doesn't sound great: four grown men dress up in four different colors and dance and sing. Sometimes they are accompanied by a pirate with a feather as a weapon, a dog, a dinosaur, or an octopus with a shaky voice. Yet, this show works because the guys look like they are having a great time doing what they are doing. Some of them can't dance (Jeff/Purple) or look a little too "Australian" (Murray/Red), but it doesn't matter because they are entertaining. And yes, I do have a favorite song: Big Red Car (toot toot chugga chugga big red ca-ha-ha). I also have a favorite Wiggle: Anthony, the blue Wiggle. I had a chance to take my oldest son to see them not too long ago, but we were out of town. I was actually a little disappointed.
2. The Backyardigans: B
I had my doubts about this show after I heard the different characters' names, including Tyrone, Uniqua, Pablo, and Tasha, but man the songs are catchy. I don't know how many times I've gone to work singing "a pirate, a pirate, a pirate says arrrhhhh." Man, I love that episode. I am also a big fan of "Surf's Up." My son's favorite episode is "Legend of the Volcano Sisters." The show isn't great and sometimes the characters dance just a little too much, but the songs make watching the show worth it.
3. SpongeBob Squarepants: B+
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? My son has been a little late getting into this show mainly because my wife absolutely hates it. I think she still gets a little upset when I turn it on, but I guess she figures that it's inevitable. SpongeBob reminds me of a less-funny version Ren and Stimpy. It has it's moments, but I always think that it could be just a little bit funnier if they put more effort into it. I would just give it a solid B, but the opening sequence where he gets in the tub and his head fills up with water gets me every time.
4. The Doodlebops: F
My kids don't watch this show because my wife and both really, really dislike it. You know those kids in high school who were just a little too into theater? Well, you can catch them now on the Doodlebops. In a Simpsons episode not too long ago Milhouse wanted to know if he could watch the Doodlebops on tv. I guess even the writers for the Simpsons have a strong dislike of three weirdos dressing up in ugly costumes and pretending to play instruments. DEEDEE! ROONEY! MOE! GAY!
5. The Wonder Pets: C-
Here's the story: three animals (a turtle, a duck, and some sort of gerbil) go out and help animals that are in danger. I'm not sure how this idea was pitched to Disney, but it seems like it would be a pretty tough sell. The show is animated, sort of. The characters are all cut outs of real pictures and they just try and animate their arms and mouths. It's kind of creepy, actually, but not as creepy as the little duck named "Ming Ming."
6. Little Einsteins: B-
I think this show is great for kids. It teaches them about classical music, astronomy, artists, etc., but there is something about this show that I can't get with. Maybe it's because they ask too many questions of the audience. Will our clapping really help out Rocket? What about Little Totem Pole? I think the main problem I have with this show is the theme song. If you hear it once in the morning, I promise you that you will be singing it all day.
I've left out some other shows, but it's time to move on to a some random thoughts:
1. When I was younger, I would practice walking around my house without making any noise. I memorized which stairs creaked and where to walk on the wood floor so it wouldn't crack. I also learned that linoleum is soundproof. I'm not sure why I did this, but even today I will try and do it. This little game of my doesn't mesh well with a skittish wife. I've scared my wife so many times walking around the house that now when I know she is there, I have to start sniffing like I have a cold when I'm about to enter a room she is in. Either that or I just announce "I'm about to walk into the kitchen." I told her before that when she is in the house just to expect that I'll walk into the room she is in at any minute, but that never really worked out for her.
2. I loved this commercial when it came out and I still love it:
Everytime I see the guy hit the bed I start cracking up.
3. I watched "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" and I loved it. More out that another time though.
4. Bobby Flay once said that heirloom tomatoes are the most flavorful, so I decided to plant some along with a bunch of other varieties of tomatoes. After eating a ton of them, I'm inclined to agree. However, heirlooms are an ugly tomato. They look like one tomato is trying to grow out from the inside of another tomato. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to create a tomato that tastes like a heirloom, but has the more pleasant appearance of a golden boy, an early girl, or a beefsteak. Maybe I should drop out of law school and go back to Davis and study agriculture.
5. The Orangesicle shake from Carl's Jr. is surprisingly delicious.
My choice for this Foreign Music Friday is the song "Esperanza" by Enrique Iglesias. When this song came out and when I originally heard it, Enrique Iglesias wasn't well known in the US. I think his first popular song here was "Bailamos" which came out a couple of years after this was released. This song was released on the album "Cosas del Amor" which is E.I.'s best album by far (yes, I'm proud to admit that I own a few of his other albums). His English music is ok, but if you can look past his gay Spanish accent, you'll notice that his Spanish music is on a whole different level.
