overeducated and underemployed

back off sister

"Author Joan Didion Tries to Uncover Real Dick Cheney"

As Millhouse would say, that job's taken.

if i was salutatorian (na na na na na na na na na na na)

Okay, I really just want to enjoy how adorable and in love Gavin and Gwen are, but...is she in a graduation gown?

Jostens is so the new Harajuku.

evening clips: rapt choir edition

- Preach it, Josh Levin.

- Preach it, Ryan Schreiber.

- Preach it, Keith Olbermann.

- Shut it, Roger Ailes.

oandu reviews: studio 60 on the sunset strip

I work in television. I write sketch comedy. Consequently, I am apt to enjoy Studio 60. You see, it's got that relatability thing, like: if my life were larger and more fabulous and entirely different than it is now, I'd totally know what Matthew Perry was going through. Even so, I have 3 issues with the show that I plan to address in my completely bullshit blog (thanks D.L. Hughley) post haste. Meet me 2 lines down in 10 seconds.

Hi! You're back. As discussed, my three issues are listed below:

Amanda Peet: I don't really think I need to say anymore than that. You're picking up what I'm putting down here, right?

The Tone: This is TV comedy, things aren't so damned serious all the time. That press conference last night was so West Wing. And yes, TV and politics are becoming increasingly inextricable thanks to the FCC and the PTC, but to kick off the show with all these heavy handed issues about free speech, religious belief, censorship, etc...it doesn't really do much to distance Studio 60 from its predecessor.

The Sketch: As a comedy writer, the idea that anyone would even name a sketch "Crazy Christians" turns my stomach. And last night's huge cold open? You know, the one that comedy savior Matthew Perry agonized over all week before triumphantly completing? Eh. Not very funny. It's like Sorkin thought "if I use the word 'reacharound', this song will be edgy and hilarious!". If this show is going to continue to give us glimpses of Studio 60's product, and if they'd like us to believe that Perry's character is what they say, they're going to need some actual comedy writers on staff. Not dramedy, not clever witticisms. Someone who can write absurd, hard joke driven sketch comedy.

So there it is NBC. Go forth and fix. You're welcome.

get yer tivo at the ready

Another great title sequence, another unnecessary and wholly disappointing change that will cause me to *bloop bloop* my way through it:

Sigh. Next I'll be hearing that One Tree Hill has replaced Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be" with some verseless emo tune.

[ed. note: please don't take this momentary negativity to imply that you should not, at all costs, watch any and every episode of Veronica Mars that comes your way. It is still, in fact, the coolest.]

i'd chime in with a "haven't you people ever heard of writing a goddamn verse?"

There are few things that annoy me more lately than the verseless song. It's a trend I began noticing with Lenny Kravitz hits (I just don't need to fly/get away or wonder if he'll see someone again that many times) that has unfortunately only grown worse with time. The biggest offenders? "Clever" emo bands like Fall Out Boy or Panic! at the Disco (paraphrased above). Basically, if it's featured on The CW, it's driving me crazy.

Don't get me wrong. I understand the urge to "take it to the chorus", as Justin Timberlake might say. Choruses are catchy. People can sing along to choruses. They're like pixie sticks in a land of sensible greens. But no one likes the kid who goes a pixie stick over his limit. That kid annoys parent and child alike, and eventually gets sweets banned in your house.

So please, musicians (and especially you emo dweebs)...take it to the verse every once in awhile. Give us some substance. We're getting anemic.

the cult of cheney

Pictured here, minute 2 of the Veep's record breaking 27 pre-speech minutes of "No, please. Hold your applause. You're too kind. Thank you, thank you. Please. No, you! YOU rock! Okay, yes, I rock. A little. You're too kind, thanks, please, thanks. No, seriously..."

dear pace foods

Can you kindly direct me to the New York City salsa-making factory that offends you so? I have been holding on to this rope you requested I fetch for some time now, and it's grown tiresome.

Thanks so much,

employee megan

p.s. Please, respond post-haste, as I fear my condiment related lynch mob days are all but over.

whatever it takes

Despite its consistently rising profile, can the go there-est show on TV make it through? Or has it been teen-demo glossified beyond repair (see below)?

Clearly, Degrassi openings have always been heavy on the cheese factor. But it was cheese plus earnestness, cheese plus kid-looking kids doing stupid kid-looking stuff. This new credit sequence is a glossy, hair-did, 90210-esque piece o'limburger, and I'm not quite sure I'm digging it. It makes me wonder: have we "gone there" so much, to the really worthwhile "go there" places, that we're now left with only silly ones?

I guess we'll find out on the 29th...

well how about that

The Mets have the best record in baseball and are the first team to clinch a playoff spot.

David Wright and Cliff Floyd says bumps all around, Metropolitan fans!