What's the Worst Thing to Happen to Sesame Street?

I'm finally having to wave the white flag in my war against one of the worst things to happen to Sesame Street: ELMO. Okay, perhaps that's a bit strong. Really the worst thing to happen to Sesame Street is the 21st century, but I'll go into detail about that in little bit.

Since I'll be home with my son for the next 3 weeks (it was 4 but I just finished week one), I want to make sure I'm stimulating his little synapses so he'll be super-genius baby by the time he returns to daycare. We play together for a little bit. We read classic board books (love that Monster at the End of the Book). We listen to music and dance together. I feed him nourishing meals and snacks. Then it occurred to me that one of the greatest things I could probably do for my sweet child is introduce him to the magic that is Sesame Street. I know kiddos under the age of 2 really shouldn't be subjected to television, but I figured since Sesame Street comes on at 11 o'clock (lunchtime) it would work as an educational form of entertainment while Will eats (plus it's only an hour of television). I've already immersed  him into the wide world of Jim Henson with a Muppet themed nursery (my sister did a kick ass mural of Kermit on a log playing the banjo) and by purchasing a lovable, fury puppet Grover. Naturally, I was excited on Monday to watch Sesame Street for the first time in about 22/23 years with my little boy.

Here's the many reasons why my heart broke and disappointment colored my childhood memories:

1. The street is different! They have remodeled or something, and I couldn't recognize the place. Boo!
2. There's a new character, Abby Cadabby, who attends "Fairy Flying School," and we are forced to watch her COMPUTER ANIMATED adventures for about 10-15 minutes of the show! CGI? Are you kidding me? I understand that there is an actual Muppet Abby, but all the magic of what the Muppets are and how they work is completely gone! I mean, I really fell in love with Kermit and Bert and Ernie and Oscar and Big Bird and Grover and Cookie Monster, etc. They were real to me. I wanted to meet them. Then as I got older, I respected the care and ingenuity it took to make these creations come to life! Those puppeteers used their talent and dynamic energy to make everything appear seamless and natural. Does this mean I think only talentless hacks resort to CGI to make memorable stories or teach invaluable lessons? Of course not! I'm a huge supporter of 21st skills and Web 2.0 tools (HELLO-I'm BLOGGING). I just think the effect loses part of its magic.
3. The last 25 minutes of the show (keep in mind it is only an hour long) is friggin' "ELMO'S WORLD!" Seriously?! It's not bad enough that that obnoxiously red monster became Sesame Street's poster child once Kermit was sold off to Disney with the rest of the Muppet crew? (And yes, I still partially blame Michael Eisner, that greedy bastard, for the death of Jim Henson.) Everything about Elmo has irritated me from his inception. His voice. The color of his fur. The fact that the best selling Elmo toy involves tickling.

Needless to say, the Sesame Street I loved is gone. It could be that I'm no longer a child therefore even old school Sesame Street would also seem to be a little less than grand, but I don't believe that. After recovering from my first encounter with "Elmo's World" (it's like nails on a chalkboard), I pulled up some classic clips on the Sesame Street website. I had to see the show I knew and loved to find the magic lost, and I discovered I'm not a crazy as I thought! I played a couple of classics for Will on the computer. We watched "C is for Cookie" (none of that "sometimes food" bull) and a few Muppet news flashes with Kermit in his reporters get-up and of course lovable, fury ole Grover being...well...lovable and fury. My son LOVED them! He danced and clapped his hands and squealed with delight. Now if he sees my computer open he'll pull up onto my lap and say, "Bover. Bover." Really. I'm not making that up!

Knowing my son is captivated more by the "Batty Bat" with the Count and Ernie's need to unnerve Bert makes watching the current Sesame Street tolerable. I figure that as long as I can interject a good dose of "Disco Grover" when necessary, I can live with 2010's view of Sesame Street. I can even deal with Elmo. After all, it could be worse. My son could want to watch Barney (I still maintain that is Satan in a purple dinosaur suit).

Will's brand new "couch" and his "Bover."

All good, quality Old School characters.

It's also a "sleeping bag." That's cool.

And our new friends are Abby Cadabby, Zoe, and Rosita (yep, I had to look them all up because I had no idea who they were).

Suit and 'Stache Meet Shawn and Gus

I've been volleying between liking and disliking Fox's new show The Good Guys. I really want to love it since it is filmed here in my native city: Dallas. I also relish the thought that for once Dallas might be portrayed as a real city. I will never forget the last time I was in New York and ate at a "Texan" restaurant. There were pictures of the Dallas skyline surrounded by nothing but desert and tumbleweeds. Then there were all the people asking me if I rode my horse to school. Really? Uh, I've never been on a horse let alone own one to ride to school. Does this mean I think Dallas and New York are on the same level of city? Well, not really but it is frustrating when the only image people have of my city involves the letters J and R and the word Ewing. I mean, the Ewing house is not even in Dallas city limits! But I digress...

In The Good Guys there are a couple of "characters," who I will call Suit (Colin Hanks) and 'Stache (Bradley Whitford), that are thrown together on the Dallas Police force because they are both some type of screw-up. Suit apparently incorrectly corrected someone important and 'Stache still lives in the '70s with regards to how he handles police business. Potential? Sure. Have they pulled it off? Nope. I have many theories why this is so. For example, I cannot even remember the characters' names hence referencing them as "Suit" and "'Stache." (I even had to look up 'Stache's real name because all I know him as is "that guy from The West Wing" and I didn't even watch The West Wing). If I cannot connect to the characters enough to remember their names, the creators have not made characters worth connecting to.

Another reason this show is lacking involves the "relationship" between Suit and one of the Assistant DAs, who has the WORST fake Texan accent. I refuse to learn her name because I don't care if she and Suit hook up or not. The story goes something like Suit and ADA used to date, have broken up, and she's moved on. However, they still have some type of attraction to each other. Not buyin' it! First of all, why would the writers tell me all this in the very first episode? Why not let me see the chemistry the two have, wonder why they haven't gotten together, and then BAM surprise me with their past?! Then at least they could build some type of "relationship" throughout the series. Secondly, there is NO chemistry between Suit and ADA. I don't feel it and can't believe it.

One of the biggest hindrances to the show is the missing partner connection between Suit and 'Stache. Sometimes it's almost there but mostly it's not. I blame the writers since Suit and 'Stache seemed to be strong actors. It feels like there should be witty dialog between Suit and 'Stache that they can play and improvise with. It could build a stronger connection between them and lead to a more memorable set of characters. There has only been one episode so far where I felt they actually had the kind of partnership to make the show worth watching (and the link for the full episode has expired so I can't even embed it). It is the episode with the pimp Gemini. I believe it is called "The Broken Door Theory."

Although it may be too late to correct some of these errors, I know that the last problem I mention can easily be fixed if the writers took a good look at Psych. Now, I know I've praised the glory of Shawn and Gus in previous posts (mostly to express anger at the blatant ripoff the Mentalist is of Psych). Perhaps they work so well because the show's been on for five seasons, maybe it's because the show's writer has a degree in English therefore truly appreciating the written word and how to create meaningful dialog with great allusions, or it could simply be that James Roday and Dule Hill have  a true camaraderie that shines through to the audience. Take the following clip:



Notice how Shawn asks Gus to repeat everything in his Jamaican accent AND HE DOES IT! He doesn't ask why, he doesn't get frustrated, he just does it! Gus also maintains the seriousness of the news he's relating and they make their way from the football field to the crime scene. Psych is full of humorous things like this mostly within clever dialog. Maybe that's why I love the show since wordplay is one of my favorite past times! Watch these videos to see the greatness of Psych:





The final link takes you to the actual Psych page because it wouldn't just let me embed the video. Enjoy!

Best of Psych

So creators of The Good Guys, if you can manage to wrangle the same magic between Suit and 'Stache that exists between Shawn and Gus, I might just remember the characters and love your show.

Yea, Plates.

My wonderful husband took me on a date night this evening to see Beauty and the Beast: The Musical. It was actually a perfect surprise because he knows how much I adore the original movie. That particular Disney film changed my life! Up to that point most of the Disney princesses had simply been content to allow Prince Charming (or Prince Philip or Prince Whomever) to save the day and sweep them away to happily ever afters. (It wasn't until the late 80s when young girls were introduced to Ariel, the red-headed firecracker who insisted on defying her father's wishes and then gettin' hitched at the tender age of 16.) Still, even though I enjoyed them all, I could not really relate to any of the princesses. I didn't like to see myself as completely helpless, and I definitely had no desire to disobey my parents. Then She came along!

Belle was so incredibly different from any princess I had ever seen or read about! She was a brunette with brown eyes...just like me! She dreamed of far away adventures where magical things would happen to her...just like me! SHE LOVED TO READ BOOKS...wait for it...JUST LIKE ME! She was perfect! Belle didn't fall for the town hunk. She saw right through his arrogance and wanted more out of life than sitting at home and waiting on an ungrateful louse of a husband. However, she did have a kind heart and the patience to get past the Beast's surly demeanor to see that inside he was quite a catch. I love Belle even to this day! I never get tired of watching my movie (although "Human Again" did not need to be added in  the "Platinum Edition"-it's a stupid song). I would gladly name my daughter, should I ever be blessed with one, Belle! (Of course I probably wouldn't because I would hate for people to think I'm using a derivative of "Bella" from the Twilight Series-YUCK!) Even when my husband and I went to Disney World I insisted we have our picture taken with Belle! See:

All of this is why I was ecstatic about seeing the musical version of the "tale as old as time." Much to my dismay, my fanaticism for Beauty and the Beast caused the musical version to fall a little short in my opinion. The costumes and sets were exquisite in their colors and designs. Yet, the live action lacked something magical the movie contained. (My husband thinks it's because "Belle" phoned it in for the entire second act.)

Oddly enough, I was cheering Gaston on for Belle's hand! Oh my! The musical's idea of Gaston definitely had him more than narcissistic, but at the same time he seemed rather lovable and humorous. This is clearly a far cry from the jackass Gaston is meant to be in the movie. Not to mention he had all the best musical numbers on stage! The Beast, unfortunately, was a wimp! It irks me that they would destroy my Beast in such a way. All his numbers were pathetic and overly sentimental. He wasn't man enough (no pun intended) for Belle. Thus, I was actually upset when Gaston died. I liked him. Plus, they couldn't really pull off the iconic ball gown or the Beast's transformation back to man. As I put it to my husband on the way home, "it just works better in cartoon form" (yes he laughed heartily at this and told me I should put that on a t-shirt). And of course my favorite scene from the movie could not quite be replicated on stage:



By no means was this the worst stage musical I have ever seen. (I think Footloose wins that award.) It just is the type of show a person takes his 4 to 10-year-old daughters to because the entire performance is really geared for a younger audience. It was adorable to see all the little girls in their "ball gowns" they dressed up in for the show. But in the end I suppose my husband put it the best way right after "Be Our Guest" when he flatly said, "Yea, plates." Indeed my love, "Yea, plates."

Target Treasures

I did it. I actually lost the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned. They were perfect! Durable black plastic frames. The lenses oval and just the right size so I didn't look like a bug. The tint a nice, dark shade so I didn't have to squint even with them on in the Texas sun. Finally, a delicate set of rhinestones on each side with just enough sparkle to say, "Why yes I'm a Princess, but don't worry because I've got it under control." Those precious pair of shades are now in the hands of some other fortunate person because they disappeared somewhere between Lovefield and Harlingen when I was out of town last weekend. I know. I know. Why would I let such a splendid pair of sunglasses out of my sight in order for them to go missing? I'm incredibly right brained (that means scatterbrained). This meant I needed to add sunglasses to my Target list when I went today.

Aside from new sunglasses, the purpose of my Target trip only had a few objectives: get the $5 DVD copy of Sense and Sensibility, get Will a toddler pillow for the TODDLER ROOM during nap time (still having a hard time adjusting to this), and get Will a backpack since diaper bags are for the infant room:(. I did find my DVD quickly and headed to the Back-to-School section. Then the great dilemma was whether Will would get the Buzz and Woody backpack or the plain gray/green one. Both were $10 so that didn't make a difference. Then it occurred to me that even though the bag would belong to Will, Chris or I would be carrying it. I don't believe either of us relished the thought of walking around with Buzz and Woody on our backs. The toddler pillow, however, does have a friendly picture of Buzz and Woody. (What's with all the Toy Story stuff you may wonder. Well, it was either Toy Story or Hello Kitty or Disney Princesses or Tinkerbell or Dora the Explorer-starting to see the problem?) Now all I had to find were sunglasses.

Since I'm not any type of optical-wear aficionado, I thought I would be out of luck. I finally found a pair that were identical to the ones I lost in every aspect except the rhinestones. Boo. Oh well, I suppose I'll have to find other ways to express the royal highness within. In order to cheer myself up, I thought it would be a good time to purchase some new underwear (it also happened that Hanes Her Way were on sale). It is the first time since my son was born (in April 09) that I have purchased patterned and colored underwear. That's right. I've been living in a plain white cotton underpants world for the past year. And with these new patterns and colors, let me tell you, it's liberating!

So from my top to my bottom (get it?) I would consider this Target trip very successful.

Did I Just go on Vacation?

I actually had the chance to go to South Padre with some friends for a wedding. I've never been to South Padre, and my husband volunteered to watch my son so I could go with the girls. Although there was still some debate about where exactly we would be staying (the hotel was supposed to open in March but was STILL not "officially" opened when we got there), I decided I would thoroughly enjoy time to eat, drink, and be merry.

Well, the first disappointment came when the airplane hit a storm over Houston and caused my dear friend KHam and me to get more than slightly motion sick. We both knew that our other two companions for this trip would not be able to make it since their personal jet would not be able to fly through the rough air. Bummer. By the time we landed and got our luggage, we just wanted to get to the hotel, order some room service, and chill until we fell asleep.

Enter problemo numero dos: the Hilton Garden Inn was not officially open. I should have seen there would be trouble when the only thing in the ghost town of a hotel were the two employees at the check in counter surrounded by spirals and loose pieces of paper. That's right. No computers. The hotel did not have its computer system in yet and resorted to keeping notes on random pieces of paper. Again, I was tired, and KHam was tired. We were also trying to stay optimistic since it wasn't a weekend about us but rather our sweet friend getting married. (However, our spirits were quickly dampened by the pungent fresh paint fumes and sporadic piles of construction trash in the hallways.)

After making our way to our room (which they still charged us FULL PRICE for-trust me the Hilton company is getting a letter), we discovered that there was NO ROOM SERVICE. Yep, I paid $200/night for a hotel without room service. Now I was just starting to get ticked. So KHam and I made ourselves presentable (we changed our sweatpants to jeans) and called a cab to find something to eat. By 10 that night, we were tired, still pretty hungry (not impressed with the local cuisine), and shortly discovered we didn't have hot water (I believe tepid would be a good way to describe it). God was kind to us because Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was on television. Since our adoration for the adventures of this boy wizard is one reason we are such great friends, we watched that till we fell asleep.

With the hot water working satisfactorily by the next morning, I was starting to feel a little better about everything. The true test was going to be if the Hilton Garden Inn would be able to pull off my friend's reception. Much to my surprise, the Hilton DID manage to make the reception quite beautiful. I was happy for my friend's sake because no bride should have a crappy wedding. So in the end it turned out great for my friend. But I still maintain that I should not be charged full price for a hotel that is, in essence, "out of service."

Now, my gal pal KHam mentioned also blogging about the experience, and I'm sure it will be much more entertaining. I've also moved on passed a lot of the frustration I felt, so this post lacks a lot of the passion it would have contained had I been able to blog at the hotel.

My Voice of Reason has a British Accent

Since I am completely done with graduate work...FOREVER, I was able to take a nap this afternoon. Of course my dreams unleashed anxieties and irritations in various unconscious adventures. I am a HUGE believer in the Collective Unconscious and dream interpretation a la Jung and Freud; therefore, dreams are worth exploring to understand what my brain is trying to tell me when I cannot get in the way. (Please don't misunderstand. I do not believe a person can simply go online and type in "clock" to see what a "dream dictionary" says it means. That is rubbish and a waste of time. It's more useful to look into historical symbolism of all aspects of a dream then apply them to my life not generalize how they would work in all lives.)

This particular dream threw me into an Austen-style cottage with my husband and son on vacation (no big surprise since I'm currently reading Sense and Sensibility). After a myriad of events (on the surface very random-in my dream making all the sense in the world), I was confused, angry, and ready to run away from everything happening. Then who should appear, Russell Brand who sat with me and rationalized a lot of what was happening to me in my life/dream. Okay, let's step back and think about this for a moment. The person my unconscious chose to dispense logic to my conscious was Russell Brand:

One more time to recap: Russell Brand is the form my OWN UNCONSCIOUS MIND chose to be a voice of reason. If you don't know who this man is or know of him but nothing about his life, please Wikipedia him at least. Then perhaps you'll see the irony in all of this.

Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of Mr. Brand. I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall because of him. It's just I'm not a fan of his like I am of Colin Firth or Alan Rickman or James McAvoy or Orlando Bloom. So why this particular British superstar? That's what my conscious mind will be trying to decode for a while.

Beautiful as Aphrodite. Wise as Athena.

If you were to ask any of my friends who I would be if given the chance, they would all answer with an adamant "Wonder Woman!" I love everything about the idea of being an ass kickin' female superhero who gets to share Justice League status with Superman and Batman. All of this is intriguing considering I've never seen or owned a single Wonder Woman comic (something I believe I shall remedy-Hello new hobby!). The first encounter I had with this amazing Amazon was Linda Carter:

I know that my mother has pictures of me in my Wonder Woman underoos somewhere. Even though I didn't immediately begin cataloging every issue of Wonder Woman to pop out of DC, my adoration did not necessarily stop. 

A few years ago I was passing time shopping at my fave thrift store and found a Wonder Woman belt buckle for $2.75! It was a moment that the heavens opened and a beam of light shone down upon the coveted item. The buckle became mine, and three weeks later, while my husband and I were touring the Warner Bros. lot in California, I found the same buckle for $25. I knew then that God blessed me with my thrift store treasure. My fervor for the famous heroine was renewed.

When my husband informed me this morning that Wonder Woman has been given a make-over, I went into immediate denial and then frustration. Why would anyone dare to change an American icon? (Of course I was also a bit perturbed because I have a Wonder Woman costume I've never been able to wear, and the new image makes the costume obsolete.) Then I read the article discussing the changes and why they occurred. It makes sense. I mean Wonder Woman started out like this:

and she's recently appeared on Cartoon Network like this:

Even with the changing times, Wonder Woman's image stayed relatively the same. I must admit, there is something a little degrading about expecting such a tough gal to parade around in, essentially, underwear. Sure 13-year-old boys probably don't mind, but I know that if I had a daughter, I would want my childhood heroine to embody strength while still maintaining modesty. It's important for girls to realize women can be heroic without being whore-oic (like that? Yeah word play is fun).

So after much contemplation, I have given my stamp of approval to the new image of Wonder Woman:

She's still sexy, but I would much prefer this defender of justice to even Linda Carter's interpretation. Needless to say, I eagerly await the day Warner Bros. finally gives Wonder Woman her own feature film. Until that day, I will stay a diligent devotee.