My Quick Thoughts On The Office "Garage Sale"

"I want this to be an event that everyone talks about always and forever."


Interesting fact:  Steve Carell has never won an Emmy.  He has been nominated 5 times for playing Michael Scott, but has never won.  Something tells me that if he submits “Garage Sale” as his Emmy episode, that will change this year.  I have not written about the Office much this season because I was honestly frustrated with the show.  It seemed to be trying to hard to pack every single Michael mannerism into every episode because they knew they were on borrowed time with Carell.  The focused a lot on the uncomfortable, over the top Michael Scott, when we all know the best episodes of the show contain that Michael Scott mixed in with the good at heart, charming Michael Scott.  Last nights episode not only mixed the 2 Scott’s better then any episode this season, it did better then almost any episode in the shows run.

Looking back on it now, I can not think of a part of the episode that did not click.  You had Over the top Michael: Wanting to light the parking lot on fire.  Then you had rational Michael: Listening to his friends in the office and toning down the proposal a bit.  Over the top Michael:  Wanting to drop a headless corpse from the building.  Rational Michael:  Not acting like a petulant child when Holly broke the news about going to Colorado.  Its amazing how deep of a character they can establish on such a goofy show when they actually have a story to tell.  And with Michael announcing that they were leaving for Colorado, it really showed us that Michael has grown as a person, and everyone in the Office sees it.  4 years ago, the office staff would have either celebrated, or not cared had Michael announced he was leaving.  Now, we can see pretty clearly in all of their faces, that they will be truly sad when Michael is gone.  They have had tastes of other bosses (Dwight, Charles Minor) so they know that while Michael can be fairly inappropriate  and intrusive, he cares about them as people more then employees, so they have it pretty good under him  And lets not forget the actual proposal.  Michael’s trip down memory lane was so understated and subtly sweet that it ended up being perfect.  Throw in the “gauntlet” of proposals Holly had to go through to get to the one that meant the most, it definitely got a little dusty in the Kosak household.

SOME OTHER THOUGHTS:

As much as Michael has grown, it is still funny that he still holds Ryan in such high regard (“That was the only one I was worried about”)

Even though it may have been said just to appease Michael, I think Pam really is starting to believe what she said about people in the office being involved in each others lives.

Good to see Kevin get the best of people once and a while.  (“And that... is 'Dallas”)

Really enjoyed the Dwight and  Jim prank of the week.  Its been a while since there practical jokes have just been fun and harmless and this was a pleasant reminder of past seasons

So Will Ferrell comes to Scranton next week as Michael’s temporary replacement.  I stress temporary.  People who think there is any chance of Ferrell becoming a permanent cast member are fooling themselves.  As of right now, gun to my head, I believe Will Arnett will be brought in to be the new boss in Scranton.  He is confirmed for the series finale and fits the mood of the show.



Very Fun episode.  Gets a 10 out of 10 from me, no doubt about it.  Lets hope the rest of the Michael Scott farewell tour can be as strong as this episode was.

My Thoughts On American Idol "Top 11 Perform"

I wish my column had a new voice over guy that announced “THIS IS THE KOSAKS KORNER AMERICAN IDOL RECAP”  Alas, there’s no room in the budget for it.

Oh no.  Ryan comes in and he is in black and white.  He tells us that tonight’s theme is Motown.  I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be super snaky tonight.  Oh well.  Its not that I don’t like Motown, I actually think its great, I just think its too difficult for most of the people we have left.  By the way, I am also listening to the Blackhawks on the radio.  BRENT SEABROOK!! Sorry, ill try to limit those.  We get a history listen about Motown.  Its extremely similar to every other history lesson they have given us about Motown in the last 10 years.  Smokey Robinson has been demoted from mentor to talking head.  Poor Guy!  Most important thing I learned from this history video package?  I’ve been spelling Jimmy Iovine’s name wrong for this whole competition.  I hope he doesn’t break my legs.  Ryan asks Randy about Motown but then just ends up calling him old.  JLO gives answer number 3 in her book of generic JLO responses.  Steven says Motown made him want to make out with a girl.  We then see his daughter Liv.  I am thoroughly creeped out

In a change of pace, we are starting with Casey Abrams.  He is doing "Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye.  Jimmy and the producers are trying to get him to harness his growling energy.  I say let it flow.  Casey’s voice actually suits this music really well.  And he’s going in to the crowd folks!  This arrangement is crazy.  His performance is really good but I do think he should have scaled back the theatrics a little bit.  Parts of it felt a little gimmicky.  But it was still an excellent performance.  The crowd is going nuts.  Steven says he is a perfect entertainer and he had perfect pitch.  Jennifer says there is no one like him and he can carve out a niche and run with it.  Randy says he is perfect because he is the only one who can do him.  Bravo Randy.

Arrowsmith’s guitarist is in the house.  I’m pretty sure Steven just blew him a kiss.  Moving on.  Thia Megia is in the 2 hole.  She says last week was tough for her.  She is doing Heatwave by Martha and the Vandellas.  Jimmy really approves of her in her practice sessions.  Its definitely nice to see her doing something up tempo.  She does a half decent job.  It seems like the song is overpowering her voice at the times, and the times when she’s not singing seem a bit awkward.  She also stumbles over a lot of words.  But it is a small step up for her I guess.  Jennifer loves that she let loose.  She wants her to dig even deeper.  Randy says it is better, and she can really sing, but he wants her to take even bigger chances.  Steven agrees with the other two judges and has nothing else to add.  He’s not even trying anymore!

Jacob Lusk is up next.  He is singing “You’re All I Need To Get By” By Marvin Gaye.  Jimmy Iovine says there is no one more natural for Motown in the competition.  I’m fairly certain that that was borderline racist.  Jacob says he cant just sing fun songs, they need to have meaning. Damn, I guess Rebecca Black is out of the question.  Jimmy wants him to restrain himself a little.  Jacob takes his advice in the beginning and he sounds pretty good.  There a parts where he starts over singing again but its not nearly as noticeable as its been in the past.  Very good performance there.  Steven Tyler gets out of his chair and runs to Jacob to hug him.  The man has officially lost it.  Randy says it was his best performance.  He says there was absolutely nothing wrong.  Steven says he did it and he is beautiful.  Jennifer says he made them beg for those notes and he moved her.  Jacob goes to hug his grandma.  Then Ryan invited the whole front row to hug Jacob.  And they all come.  I am not joking.  That was so strange.

Lauren Alaina has the unfortunate task of following Jacob.  She is doing “Keep Me Hangin On’ by the Supremes.  She was going to do another song but the producers tell her to change it.  Lauren says she has been ridiculed since she has been in the spotlight.  She starts off pretty strong.  She has to hold her dress while she sings so she doesn’t fall on it.  She does the overrated “I am going to go up to the judges and sing” move.  My only knock on the performance is that it’s a really sassy song, and up until the last 30 seconds, she didn’t put enough sass into her performance.  She kind of gets it in the end.  Steven says she doesn’t listen to anybody about anything and he likes that.  Ok?  Jennifer says she looks amazing which in the JLO playbook usually means she didn’t like the performance.  JLO thinks she brought it to life for everyone.  Randy says she got her swagger back and she’s ready.

Time for shameless plugs!  Read all my other articles on this site.  Also follow me on twitter, @dkosak.  You should also follow my buddy Kush, @wingster55.  He also has written for this site and will continue to do so

Gordon Ramsey is in the house and he is (begin forced) to enjoy this show.  Stefano Langone is up next, and his mom cooked for everyone in the mansion.  Ryan is eating the leftovers and points out “It has a garlic kick”.  That’s his nice way of saying it tastes like crap.  He is doing “Hello” by Lionel Richie.  David Cook did an awesome rock version of it a few years back and he absolutely killed it, so I may be a little hard on Stefano.  His rehearsal sounds really rough.  Jimmy says it is a really hard song to sing.  In his actual performance, he starts off sounding a little to much like a wedding singer.  Once he gets to the bigger notes he does a pretty good job with it.  But to me, we’ve seen it done, and we’ve seen it done better.  Stefano also has this issue with his phrasing, when he really starts singing he kind of jarbles all of his words.  Jennifer says he’s fine and he can sing like crazy, but she wants him to connect more, and he needs to tell a story.  Randy agrees that the only thing he’s missing is that connection.  Steven agrees and adds nothing new.  Ryan asks how is someone supposed to get to that place.  Jennifer says its like acting.  I think it was her subtle way of telling Stefano to go rent Maid In Manhattan.

In the commercial for this weeks new Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsey tells a married couple that their restaurant is out of business.  I’m fairly certain he does not have the authority to do that.

Speaking of Ramsey, Ryan has given him some of Ms. Langone’s food.  Ramsey proceeds to say it’s not good.  Atta boy Gordon.  Hometown Hottie Haley Reinhart is up next.  Haley’s goal for the week is to not be in the bottom 3.  She’s doing “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me”  by Smokey Robinson.  Jimmy tells her to sing like she has nothing to lose.  She looks great.  And she sounds pretty good to.  Its not the best performance of the night but its pretty good.  This girl definitely knows how to sell sexy.  Randy said it started rough but by the middle she came roaring back and it made him really happy, yo.  Steven says it was beautiful and touched his heart,  He lover her growl.  Jennifer says she can do anything with her voice and that she has the most soulful voice out of all the girls.

babylockthemdoorsandturnthelightsdownlow!  It’s Scotty McCreery time.  He’s finally forced to not do country.  They show video of him hitting an impressive basketball shot back at the mansion.  He is doing “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder.  He wants to put a country twist to it.  He does much more then that as it could not sound more like a country song.  He sings it really well, but I just think he has changed it too much for me to be really impressed, but maybe I am nitpicking,  Steven says it was beautiful.  I think his CD is scratched because he keeps repeating himself.  Jennifer loved this version of that song.  She says it was not his strongest vocal but the low note still gets her every time.  Randy agrees that it was not the strongest but he appreciates that he knows who he is.

Pia Toscano is next.  She is doing  “All In Love is Fair” by Stevie Wonder.  Pia says this song gets her and in turn makes her feel less nervous.  Vocally, it is your usual fantastic Pia performance.  She hits all the big notes and sounds good doing it.  I really don’t have anything bad to say about her.  Jennifer says she killed it again with one of her beautiful performances.  The only criticism is that she needs to own the stage more.  Randy loves that she incorporated some more Falsetto.  Randy wants her to not do a ballad next week.  Steven says she is the closest thing to a star in this competition.  I think Ryan may have just sexually harassed Pia.

Paul Mcdonald lets us know that Motown is good times.  He says Motown makes him want to move.  NO!  Move less Paul!  He is doing “Tracks of my Tears” by Smokey Robinson.  Paul is playing the guitar, which may be a smart move because it covers up a lot of his awkwardness.  I still don’t like the sound of his voice but this is one of my favorite performances of his by far.  His voice definitely lends itself better to something like Motown.  He did a really good job.  Randy says he is so unique and that he took it to a cool level.  He wants him to bring the tenderness in his voice out.  Steven loves it and says he is just great.  Jennifer says all he needs is a good producer and away he goes.

Ryan brings up that Randy has not said pitchy yet.  I was just thinking the same thing.  Good think Naima Adadepo is next.  She should change that.  She is doing “Dancing In The Street” by Martha and the Vandellas.  If Idol is teaching us anything, its that Motown only had like 5 artists.  Naima is honored to be the singing the song of the people who paved the way for her to perform in a mediocre manner every week.  I paraphrased.  Not learning her lesson from her Umbrella performance, Naima is going to incorporate African dancing.  It is not as bad as last week but I don’t really like it.  Parts of it seem really forced, and she never seems comfortable with the song on stage.  The African dance part is really awkward to me and I think she just tries to hard to remind people that she’s different.  Steven does not know what to say.  He says it’s a beautiful thing.  Jennifer says she likes watching her and had goosebumps.  I don’t think we were watching the same performance.  Randy says finally all of Naima showed up.  Wow, I’m usually not that off from the judges, but I did not like the performance.

James Durbin is set to wrap things up for us.  He is doing “Living for the City”  by Stevie Wonder.  Jimmy says this could be Durbin’s moment in the sun.  James does a very good job with it and avoids the high pitch screaming for the most part.  He really made the song his own I felt like.  Jennifer says oh my god like 10 times.  She tells James to soak up the cheers because he is serious business.  He leaves her speechless.  Randy says it started rough but turned unbelievable.  Steven says it takes a little crazy to make a difference and that’s what James is.  He nailed it.

If the competition were up to me, the bottom 3 would Naima, Thia, and Stefano, with Naima going home.  However, it is not up to me, and if I had to predict, I would say the bottom 3 will consist of Naima, Thia, and Haley with Haley going home.  We will see tomorrow night.

Kush's Thoughts on Parks and Recreation "Harvest Festival"

  *** Note from Dave:  My buddy from Twitter Kush wrote this review.  He knows a lot about TV and Sports and will be a contributor on this site.  Follow him on twitter @Wingster55***

Note: If you haven’t seen Parks and Recreation this review may confuse you.

This week’s episode of the consistently funny Parks and Recreation (which, for my nonexistent money is the best comedy on TV) was titled “Harvest Festival”. The Parks department of Pawnee is dependent on this festival, if it fails the department is shut down and most of the characters lose their jobs. The viewer is reminded early on of the importance of this festival and what’s at stake.

The “A” plot is initiating the Festival. At first everything is going well (much to the dismay of the ever funny Joan Callamezzo) but soon everything goes bad. Early in the episode a leader of the Wamapoke tribe warns Leslie about having the festival on ancient burial and pretends to curse the festival. Little Sebastian goes missing and the power goes out. Ben believes he’s jinxed and the curse (going back to his failed Mayoral days) and leaves the festival for Leslie’s sake. Eventually the “curse” is lifted, Little Sebastian is found, the power is restored and the viewer feels a sense of optimism about the whole thing.  As usual the Leslie plot was the most entertaining. I really love the build to Leslie and Ben’s eventual relationship. When Ben departed I felt sad for Leslie. Hope those two kids get together soon.

The “B” plot  is dealing with Andy’s reaction to April’s admission that she loves him. I’m really not digging these two as a pairing all that much but I do enjoy Ron playing counselor to them.

Finally the last subplot sees Ann (played by the breathtaking Rashida Jones) deal with her heartbreak last episode. Her solution (encouraged by Donna) was to have a one night stand. It’s a different take for the character and we’ll have to see what comes of that.

Random thoughts:

Ben’s confusion over why Little Sebastian was so loved. Adam Scott is really great.

Ben’s nerdiness showing itself more and more (though Star Wars rules) as well.

I’m enjoying Leslie/Ben but I miss her relationships with the other characters. We haven’t seen her interacting with Ann or Ron that much this year and those relationships are a big part of the heart of the show.

My Thoughts On American Idol "Top 12 Perform"

Welcome one and all to your favorite American Idol recap.  Sorry I missed last week but health issues took all my energy and I did not write much all week.

We start off with a message from the judges about donating money for Japan.  If you have not already and are able to, please do, its truly devastating what is going on over there.  And no, playing your Wii does not count as donating.

Ryan reminds us that Ashton went home last week.  Good riddance.  She was awful.  We are introduced to the judges and the trolls in the crowd go crazy.  Our top 12 come out looking very white.  I mean excited.  That was in no way a criticism of this show or the people who vote.  No way at all.  Lets move on.  This weeks theme is songs from your birth year

Naima Adedapo is up first.  We get a look at her child hood and her family.  She is singing What’s Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner.  Naima starts crying when talking about her kids.  It only took 5 minutes for someone to cry!  Wow, Naima starts off really rough.  Like not good at all.  Once she hit’s the chorus it gets a bit better.  I stress a bit.  I think this performance sucks to be honest.  Naima almost has an expressionless look on her face for the whole performance.  Steven loved it and thought it was beautiful.  Jlo says she gave her a pass last week on her pitchy sound.  Not this week.  Randy agrees that it was PITCHY and says the vocals were a mess.  At least they are hearing what I hear.

Naima says she is still going to bring it.  I think she may be bringing it from home.  Paul McDonald is up next.  Paul looks a lot like Rhys Ifans.  Look it up if you don’t know who that is.  Paul’s parents are as odd and quirky as him.  He’s singing I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues by Elton John.  Jimmy Ivine says Paul sounds hoarse.  I think its just because he does not have a very good voice.  I don’t like Paul’s sound in general but he delivers an ok performance.  I definitely would not say its any better then ok.  Its kind of sleepy.  And all of his movements are really awkward.  Jennifer says it sounded good even though Paul has a cold.  Randy wont give him a pass for being sick.  It was very PITCHY.  Randy is 2 for 2 with the Pitchy!  Steven says he defines “Cool dude, loose mood”.  I don’t even want to know.

Thia Megia is up and were reminded she was born in 1995!  God I feel old.  Thia’s parents say she was always happy as a child.  That’s code for “we enjoyed beating her”.  I kid ladies and germs.  Thia is doing Colors Of The Wind by Vanessa Williams.  Jimmy Ivine thinks she can be a dark horse in this competition.  She’s not bad.  A real step up from last week, but I still think she’s super boring.  Compared to the first two she’s great.  Randy says the vocals were ok, but he’s getting bored with her performances.  Thanks Randy!  Steven says she sang it beautifully, but asks if that song is who she thinks she is.  Thia was not ready for questions and stumbles through some answers.  Jennifer thought the choice was too safe and that either her Vibrato is shaky or she was nervous.  Ryan mentions that Thia’s vocal couch from hell from the Vegas round is there.  Oh Joy.

Shameless plug time!  If you love reading my articles and want to know what I’m up to throughout the day, follow me on twitter, @dkosak

James Durbin is on the clock.  Ryan has an awkward exchange with Kate Hudson, who is sitting in the nose bleed seats.  James, Casey, Stefano and Paul have formed a band.  I don’t know what to say.  His mom says as a kid he brought joy to everyone around him.  Just once I want to hear someone’s parents say, “He was such a little shit!”, But alas, I don’t think we will see that anytime soon.  He is doing I’ll Be There For You by Bon Jovi.  Jimmy Ivine tells him to stay hungry and not to kiss anyone in the house.  He does a very good job here.  I like James.  Kind of like a David Cook meets an Adam Lambert.  James is really hamming it up with the audience and he’s the first one tonight to actually look comfortable performing.  Steven says he has left over sandwiches under his bed older then James.  He also has girls in his bed younger then James.  Thanks, ill be here all week.  Jennifer loves him and he brings her a lot of joy.  Randy says they were parts that were PITCHY but he found a way to make it his own and he really did it justice.  Steven says James has a rich vain of inner crazy.  I hear penicillin will help with that.

My hometown girl Haley Reinhart is up next.  Damn for a good looking girl she was an ugly baby.  We get to see Haley’s dad’s mullet again!  Her parents are performers to.  She is singing Im Your Baby Tonight by Whitney Houston.  She is intimidated by Jimmy Ivine.  He subtly questions her work ethic.  She does a decent job.  I will say one thing, Haley definitely knows how to use her sexiness and knows how to work a stage.  Jennifer says Haley looks great.  Uh oh.  She says she feels like Haley is tense and with a great voice like hers, she needs to relax.  Ryan fixes Haley’s make up.  This is really awkward.  I’m very uncomfortable watching this.  Randy says Haley is not sure who she is and she needs to figure it out because her performance was not great. Steven loves her voice but thinks she needs to be more soulful and sing more blues.

Stefano Langone is up next.  Of course his parents say he was an incredible baby.  Id venture to say he was fair at best.  He’s is doing If You Don’t Know Me By Now by Simply Red.  Ok?  Jimmy Ivine calls him out for not knowing the words well enough.  Seems to be a common problem for Stefano.  He actually does a really good job.  I think he may be riffing a bit too much but other then that, not bad at all.  Randy, after saying Stefano like 15 times, says it’s the best performance of the night so far.  Hot vocals.  Steven says it was just wonderful and it was over the top beautiful.  Jennifer says it was the perfect song for him and that he can win.  She wants him to connect with her eyes.  Ryan tells Stefano to go hug his mom.  Nice moment.

Keeping with the Italian love, Pia Toscano is up.  Her mom says she was a diva from a very young age.  We get a story about her grandfather passing away.  Queue the tears.  She is singing Where Do Broken Hearts Go by Whitney Houston.  She is pretty good.  My worry with her is that she may have peaked to early with her first great performance.  Steven says she is the reason the show is called American Idol.  Jennifer is very happy she did something up tempo and she thinks she was perfect.  Randy says she delivers almost perfect vocals and that she is in this competition to win it.  Simon makes funny of Randy’s mannerisms and its pretty funny.

Before the break, Ryan announces Scotty McCreery is doing a Travis Tritt song.  I was hoping he would sing babylockthemdoorsandturnthelightsdownlow! Oh well.  We get the closest thing to a demeaning remark from a parent when Scotts mom call him a fat baby.  He wanted to be like Elvis and all his friends thought he was weird.  I just think its weird that he is a logo for Mad magazine.  Scotty’s parents sing babylockthemdoorsandturnthelightsdownlow!  Now I can die happy.  He’s singing Can I Trust You With My Heart by Travis Tritt.  Jimmy Ivine does not want to change him, just wants him to put his own flavor on things.  Its like every Scotty performances, it is fantastic but eventually he is going to have to sing something not country right?  Anyways, its another excellent performance for the kid.  Jennifer wants to see him keep growing.  Randy name drops Travis Tritt.  He loves seeing Scott take chances and Randy believes in him.  Steven says he is going to go places

Karen Rodriguez is the last online competitor left.  Karen’s mom panders to Jennifer Lopez.  No, im kidding, but I’m sure Karen will shortly.  She’s is doing Love Will Lead You Back by Taylor Dayne.  Jimmy Ivine compares her to a horse for some reason.  Guess I missed the metaphor.  She doesn’t seem offended though.  He performance can be summed up with one word: “Meh”.  It is not a bad performance but its forgettable.  She throws in some Spanish.  Its turning into a crutch.  Randy says it sounded rough, it was better then last week but still not great.  Steven loves when she “Breaks in to her ethnic what it isness”.  I’m fairly certain that was racist.  Jennifer could tell she was nervous, she needs to just perform because she sings beautifully.

The rumors of Casey Abrams demise were exaggerated!  He’s here and he looks fairly healthy.  In a shocking turn of events, Casey had a beard as a baby.  Not really, but you believed it for a second.  Casey’s parents are pretty old.  Casey is doing Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.  I personally would have gone with  Smells Like Nirvana by Weird Al, but that’s just me.  We are told that no one has ever done Nirvana on Idol.  I appreciate the risk he’s taking.  It starts off kind of rough but he really starts to nail it about 30 seconds in.  However this song might be a little too grunge for the judges.  We will have to see.  Steven says he is the perfect match of crazy and talented.  Jennifer said parts of it were a little screamy but she still loves him.  Randy loves that he is fearless and that he puts art before commerce.  I don’t think Randy knows what commerce means.

Lauren Alana is up next.  She is sick to.  Lots of hooking up going on in the idol house?  I think Lauren’s mom might be as old as me, meaning she had Lauren when she was 9.  She is singing I’m The Only One by Melissa Ethridge.  Jimmy Ivine wants to see her redeem herself for last week because they are expecting a lot from her.  She is much better then last week.  Its still not a fantastic performance, parts of it still have issues but she is improving.  Jennifer says it was very nice and she was able to make it hers.  Randy says it is very nice and she should have a cold every week.  Steven says she’s beautiful and she did it again.

After saying his Idol was R.Kelly, Jacob Lusk admits that his 2nd idol is OJ Simpson.  That didn’t really happen.  He is singing Alone by Heart.  Jimmy Ivine loves that he picked a rock song.  He does his typical good Jacob performance.  Parts of it feel a little screamy.  Randy agrees that parts of it were off but it was really good when he found his way and he likes how he “caressed the song in the end”  His words, not mine.  Steven says gospel had a baby and they named it Jacob Lusk.  Jennifer loves the way he fully gives himself to every performance he does.

So there you have it.  Kind of an underwhelming night.  My bottom 3 would be Naima, Paul and Karen with Naima being my easy choice to send home.  Check back tomorrow for my brief recap of the results show.  See ya!

My Thoughts On "Take Me Home Tonight"

"Whatever you do, it’s what you’re gonna be. And I just don’t know what I wanna be. Yet."

I should probably start this review by letting you all know that I LOVE the 80’s.  Be it movies, music, TV shows, I just think it really seemed like a fun era to be a young adult in.  So from the moment I saw the first preview for “Take Me Home Tonight”, I was on board.  I am a fan of the actors, the genre and the time period.  How could it go wrong?  Well I wouldn’t necessarily say it went completely wrong, but in the end my issue with movie could be summed up in one sentence: It really did not make me laugh.

Take Me Home Tonight tells the story of Matt (Topher Grace), a smart kid fresh out of graduating from MIT, who has no idea what he wants to do with his life.  To pass the time, he works at a Suncoast Video and hangs out with his dorky friend and his sister (Anna Farris).  One day he runs in to his high school crush.  Knowing that she would not give him the time of day if she knew he worked at a video store, he lies to her about what he is doing with his life.  This all culminates, like it always does, in a chance meeting at a party that is thrown by Farris’s boyfriend (played by real life husband and Parks and Rec. Favorite Chris Pratt)  What ensues next is your usual mix of epic events that never really happen during parties and nights out.

From my previous statement about the movie not being funny, you may think that I really disliked this movie.  Strangely, that is not true.  Maybe it was the 80’s setting, or maybe it was my ability to relate to feeling of emptiness when you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your life, but I did kind of enjoy this movie.  I have always been a big fan of Topher Grace and he does a good job of being likable in the lead.  For those wondering, this movie was filmed four years ago so while Grace does still seem older then the role he is playing, its not as ridiculous as him playing the role now would be.  Relative new comer Theresa Palmer does her job as the love interest and actually manages to be a part of the few laughs the movie does deliver.  Not to mention, she is absolutely beautiful.  Pratt and Farris are very good as supporting players and also manage to deliver some funny scenes as a couple stuck in a rut.  For an 80’s aficionado like myself, the soundtrack was spot on, delivering most of the decades hits that you would expect it to.  All in all, this movie had a decent amount of heart, and that surprised me.

What also surprised me however was the lack of funny in this movie.  Boasting an R rating and a strong comedic cast, I expected to be laughing constantly.  This turned out not to be the case, as I laughed maybe 5 times throughout the whole movie.  Most of the big comedic moments are given to Matt’s friend Barry, played annoyingly over the top by Dan Fogler.  The effort is there from Fogler but he fails so consistently to be funny, that I was welcoming the part of the movie where he seemed to disappear for about 20 minutes.  I also think this movie was a waste of an R rating.  Clearly the main reason the movie was rated R was the heavy focus on cocaine usage, but if they were already going to be rated R, would it have killed them to go back and make the movie a little raunchier?  Outside of some MILF boobs and a few F bombs, it just felt like the movie treated the R rating as a burden rather than a gift.

So the bottom line is, Take Me Home Tonight is a comedy with a lot of heart, but not a lot of laughs.  There are worse ways to kill time and if you are in your early to mid twenties like myself, the movie may end up hitting close to home for you.  Just don’t go in expecting tour de force of laughter.

Rating: 6 out 10

My 15 Favorite Michael Scott Moments

With this being Steve Carrell's last week on the set of the office, i thought now was a great time to start looking at all the joy Michael Scott has Brought us through the years.  This week i look at my 15 favorite Michael Scott Moments.  Next week I will bring you my top Michael Scott quotes.  These are in no particular order.  Share your favorite Michael Scott moments with me in the comments!

Date Mike

Any success Michael has had in the dating world is because he is sweet and goofy.  So leave it to him to act the complete opposite  when he finds out that a girl he has been hitting it off with is actually a friend of Pam’s that she was trying to set him up with.  He turns into a cocky jerk that he calls Date Mike and things spiral into disaster from there

Diversity Day

In the first season the office really struggled to find its direction.  Diversity day was a step in the right direction and had so many uncomfortable moments that’s the whole episode qualifies as a great Michael Scott moment.  My personal favorite?  The scene in which he gets slapped by Kelly.  Try my Gookie Gookie!

Diwalii proposal to Carol

Michael got the rare opportunity to offend a race and torpedo his relationship at the same time and he did not disappoint here.

Michael Kisses Oscar

After Michael accidentally outs Oscar, he has to show to the office that he is ok with homosexuality and in his own Michael world this is the only way to do it.   The kiss between him and Oscar was simultaneously revolting, disturbing, awkward, and funny (and also non-scripted), lasting only a couple of seconds, but seeming to last absolutely forever because of its sheer awkwardness. 

Benihana Christmas

Michael is a train wreck in this whole episode and gives us great moments throughout.  From giving away a bike to marking the waitress so he could tell her apart, his desperation for love and his racism collide once again to give us a hilarious result.

Prison Mike

Michael is always pretty funny when he goes in to alter ego mode.  I think that prison Mike is by far my favorite one.  Just a tour de force of ignorance and offensiveness.  He calls Angela a "beyotch," tells Ryan he'd be "the belle of the ball" in prison and warns him not to "drop the soap." This is essentially an HR hand grenade tossed into the conference room.

Threat level Midnight

We heard about Michael’s movie for so long that we never actually thought we would get a chance to see any of it, let alone have an entire episode dedicated to it.  This was a much welcome stop on the Michael Scott farewell tour.  It brought back some old faces and gave Michael a win that he needed.

Foreman Grill

One of Michaels most ridiculous moments of the show.  From the phone call he makes asking for someone to pick him up and take him to the hospital, to wrapping his foot in bubble wrap, to his all day petulant whining, this was a true show case for Michael Scotts immaturity.

Pushing Toby’s Lunch Tray after being told about his parents divorce.

This was one brief moment but it made me laugh so hard that I needed to include it

Lazy Scranton

We know how much Michael LOVES pop culture phenomenons, even if he is a few years late on them.  It was obvious that he would jump all over the Lazy Sunday bandwagon.  Using it as an introductory video to his new employees from Stanford was just icing on the cake.

Buying Pam’s Art

Some of Michael Scotts best moments are the ones where he is just a real person and not being a humorous child.  Pam had just had her drawing in an art show.  Most of her friends and family fail to show up.  At the last second Michael does show and busy Pam’s art.  With that one action he completely cheered up someone who turns out to be a dear friend of his

Michael Telling Jim to never give up

Along the same lines of the last one, Michael could be a great friend when he needed to be.  Despite Jim always avoiding Michael, I feel like he likes Michael more than most people in the office.  He went to Stanford and saw what a different boss was like.  It was great to see Michael be the one giving out good advice

Breaking the news of hitting Meredith with a car to the rest of the office

While the actual act of hitting Meredith was great, it was the way Michael told everyone that really sold it.  At first he made it seem like Meredith was dead.  Then made himself seem like a hero for getting her to the hospital.  Not till the end of his explanation does he actually reveal that he was the one that hit her.

The Dundies

Michael as host of an awards show is such comedic gold they would have been crazy to not do it.  He takes it into every uncomfortable direction possible.  The highlight would have be his very own version of Mambo Number 5

Toast and Jim and Pam’s Wedding

Now the real blunder came from Jim in revealing that Pam was pregnant.  Michael did not help things with is stories of premarital sex.  Since they got together, Michael has always wanted to be part of Pam and Jim’s relationship.  So much so that he eventually beds Pam’s mother

My Thoughts On American Idol "Top 12 Girls Perform"

Welcome back to your favorite American Idol Recap.  The top 12 guys did a pretty decent job last night.  Tonight we see the top 12 girls

We open with Ryan’s usual shtick while they pan through the contestants.  Strictly from a looks standpoint this is one of the better looking top 12 girls groups.  Brand new voice over dude introduces us to the judges and to Ryan.  He lets everyone know that 5 girls will go through by way of Americas votes, and one judges wild card.  The judges and Ryan banter.  Damn the crowd sure does love Steven Tyler.  Steven says that he sensed nervousness when he was watching the auditions.

Up first is Ta-Tynisa Wilson.  Can’t Idol pick people with easier names to type?  She’s doing Only Girl by Rihanna.  Ill be nice and just say its not good.  When you have to encourage the audience to sing with you during an American Idol performance, don’t plan on staying long.  There is actually nothing about this performance that I like.  Steven likes it.  He must be on drugs again.  Jennifer said it started real shaky but it ended well.  Randy says it was just ok and he’s met with a chorus of boo’s.  He says she has PITCH issues.  Jennifer disagrees with Randy.  I disagree with him because this performance was not even close to OK.

Naima Adedapo is wearing a dress she designed herself.  Don’t know why that’s relevant.  She is doing Summertime by Sam Cooke.  She has a very old school sound to her.  She is a very good singer but I don’t really know how her style will translate to Idol.  This particular song, she does very well though.  Jennifer loves her and calls her an exotic flower in a rose garden.  Randy says it was a little too much like a lounge act but got much better as she went along.  Steven calls her an early Ella Fitzgerald.  He loves her and loved her performance.

Kendra Chantelle is up next and damn she is beautiful.  She does Impossible by Christina Aguilera.  To really sell it, she’s performing drunk.  I kid.  She does a pretty good job.  Its nothing too memorable but she hit’s a killer last note to put it over the top.  Randy says she had a killer vibrato and even if some notes weren’t there he loved it.  Steven hits on her and says it was a hot performance.  Jennifer says she loves that she has heart and she cant wait to see more of her.

Rachel Zevita and her previous idol experience are up.  Oh no.  She’s doing criminal by Fiona Apple.  I HATE FIONA APPLE.  She does a pretty good job with it and actually walks out and sings right by the judges table.  That’s a bold move Cotton.  All these girls are picking songs that end in one big note.  The judges my start to tire of it.  She’s decent.  Nothing special.  Steven loved her energy but it was too Broadway for him  Jennifer would have loved to see more of her range.  Randy says it wasn’t great and then changes his mind to say it wasn’t good.  He didn’t even recognize the song.

Up next is Karen Rodriguez.  She is doing Hero by Mariah Carey.  She does part of the song in Spanish which I find to be really distracting.  Other then that she was REALLY good.  This chick has a really powerful voice. Jennifer loves it.  Randy likes that she made it her own, and he likes that she made it bilingual.  Steven says she is fantastic.  I have to say, outside of Casey Abrams last night, this has been the best performance so far.

Lauren Turner takes her turn.  She’s doing Seven Day Fool by Etta James.  Seems like a lot of these girls have a really old school sound.  She definitely has a good voice and she picked the perfect sound for that voice.  She has a lot of energy and delivers a really good performance.  Randy likes it and likes her bluesy flavor.  Steven thinks it was spectacular and beautiful.  Jennifer thought that she was holding back a little but it was still great.  She wants her to let loose next time to really take it to a different level.

Ashton Jones looks much better with her hair straight then whatever the hell is going on with it now.  She does Love All Over Me by Monica.  To me its just ok.  I think it is a very generic performance, which in American Idol, can be worse than a bad performance.  Steven loves it and thinks it was beautiful.  Jennifer thinks she has all the makings of a diva.  Randy likes her stage presence, but he didn’t love the song and didn’t think it was challenging enough for her

Coming up next is one of my favorites from Hollywood round, Julie Zorrilla.  She’s doing Break Away by Kelly Clarkson.  I feel like the talent is there but the arrangement seems kind of sloppy.  Or maybe it was just the back up singers that were a little off.  I think she’s good here but not great, which is kind of disappointing.  Jennifer liked it but thought she needed to connect to the song more.  Randy says she did not bring anything new to the song and didn’t sing it nearly as well as Kelly Clarkson.  Steven says it was the wrong song for such a great voice.

Haley Reinhart is up next.  She looks great and is doing Fallin by Alicia Keys.  She does it ok.  She does not really change anything up so that leaves you to compare her to Alicia and when you do that, the performance was not that good.  Randy doesn’t think it did anything for her and that it was a poor song choice for her.  Steven heard style, and just the right amount of sexy.  He liked it a lot.  Jennifer agrees with Steven and likes that we saw all the different colors of her voice.  The only criticism she has is that Haley needs to get out of her own head

15 year old Thia Megia is up.  She’s doing Out Here on My Own by Irene Cara.  I’m not familiar with this song but it is REALLY slow.  I don’t like her performance at all.  She’s sings it ok but I think it is one of the most boring performances of the night.  Steven says her pitch was so perfect that it doesn’t matter what song she sings.  Jennifer says it was very subtle and beautiful.  Randy loves her tone and says she is what hot singing was about.  She is definitely talented, but she bores me.  We will see if she stays in the competition

We have back to back 15 year olds with Lauren Alaina.  She does Turn on The Radio by Reba Mcentire.  She does a hell of a job and absolutely kills it.  What a perfect song choice.  Jennifer says she makes performing look effortless and she is a natural.  Randy says she doesn’t know how good she is yet and call her a combination of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.  Steven loves her and says she’s the best and we have not seen the best of her yet.

Last but not least we have Pia Toscano.  She’s doing I’ll Stand By You by the Pretenders.  She has a very unique voice and a very strong one and both help her to rock this performance.  She did a great job from beginning to end.  Randy says it was one of the better performances in all 10 years of the show.  Steven makes some bad joke and then says it was gorgeous.  Jennifer says she was saving the good stuff for when it counts and that she was out of this world.

The girls are going to be much harder to pick then the guys.  My five would be Kendra Chantelle, Karen Rodriguez, Lauren Turner, Lauren Alaina and Pia Toscano.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a quick recap of the elimination show.

My Thoughts on American Idol "Top 12 Guys Perform"

Welcome one and all to your favorite American Idol recap!

We open with a look at all 12 contestants and the judges.  Ryan lets us know that of this 12, 5 will go through.  So much for the thought that the top 10 didn’t have to gender equal.  There’s a new voice over  letting us know that Ryan is the host! The guys perform tonight, girls tomorrow and then the top 5 vote getters in each group move on, alone with 2 judges wild card picks.   Of the 3 judges Steven Tyler definitely gets the biggest crowd reaction.  Ryan and Steven both jokingly drop F bombs to mess with the censors.  Kind of funny actually.  Ryan proceeds to introduce all the guys.


First contestant is Clint Jun Gamboa.  He does Stevie Wonders Superstitious.  It is a very spirited performance and I liked him more here then I normally did.  It was a bit screechy but not bad.  Steven loves him.  Jennifer says she could tell he was nervous and under the circumstances he did well.  Randy reminds us for the first time tonight (out of what’s sure to be hundreds) that it’s a singing competition and this kid can sing.  Looks like were off to a positive start


Ryan lets us know that now you can vote online.


Next we have Jovany Barreto.  He is singing one of my favorite sappy songs, I’ll Be by Edwin McCain.  Its kind of a boring performance and he seems partially asleep for some of it.  Jennifer Lopez seems to be lost in the moment and singing along with him.  Keep it in your pants Jen.  Steven does not seem to agree with me and tells Jovany that he brought it.  Jennifer predictably tell him he was great.  Randy actually brings the hammer down and tell him it sounded to karaoke and  he wanted to see more.  Jennifer defends Jovany.  Excuse me while I puke.


Next we have the super cocky Jordan Dorsey.  He says he wants to be a legend.  He Is doing Usher Oh My Gosh and Oh My Gosh is really all I have to say.  I think this is a terrible performance.  He’s not really singing as much as he’s rapping.  This was definitely a terrible song choice.  You can tell Steven and Randy don’t look happy.  Steven says it was not his favorite.  Jennifer said that’s not who he is, and he should stick to soft R&B.  Randy says it was PITCHY.   He agrees that the song was not him


Tim Halperin gets some mic time and says all the guys are like his brothers.  He performs Rob Thomas Come On Over.  He does a pretty good job with it although I don’t know if he did anything unique with it.  Steven thinks the song didn’t do him justice and that he could have picked a song that could have shown him off more.  Jennifer agrees and says that he has one of the most beautiful voices and he didn’t showcase it.  Randy agrees with the other 2.  Tim realizes he needs to pander to the crowd now and does so.


Brett Loewenstern describes himself as a red apple in a group of green ones.  I just think he’s a guy that looks and talks like a chick but that’s just me.  He does light my fire by the doors.  It again just doesn’t do it to me.  Its very bland.  He has an Adam Lambert like sound but he doesn’t do anything unique like Lambert did.  He sang it well though so the judges might like him.  Steven says he was on fire.  Jennifer likes the performance and likes that he is who he is.  Randy says it was PITCHY but Brett is fun and bold and Randy appreciates that.


James Durbin does Judas Priest’s You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.  He sounds even more like Adam Lambert then the last guy and you can definitely tell the guy has a stage presence.  I really like him and think he really delivered.  Steven lays out an expletive laden praise of how good James was.  Jennifer echoes my statements and just loves the way he performs, and says its insane how natural it is for him.  Randy gives us another one of his vague gems by saying this is how you do it.  He also praises him for not going high to often like they all know he can.


Next up is one of my favorites, Robbie Rosen.  He is doing Angel by Sarah McLachlan.  He really does have a beautiful voice.  I am not sure if this is the best song choice for him but he definitely gets better as the song goes on.  Steven says he can sing a ballad like nobody else.  Jennifer says he able to tell a story with his singing and that will overshadow any problems he had with a couple of the notes.  Randy says it was not a great performance and he says the notes were really PITCHY.  It just didn’t connect for him

Scott McCrery is next.  Am I the only one who thinks he looks like the MAD magazine logo?  He does Letters From Home by John Michael Montgomery.  This is going to be tough for me because all country sounds the same to me.  I think he does a really good job with it and he really picked the right song.  Steven echoes my thoughts and tells him he could not have picked a better song.  Jennifer says he was born to sing country music.  Randy likes him because he’s a throwback country guy and he is a big fan.

Stefano Langone- does Just they way you are by Bruno Mars.  He starts of a little dicey but really gets into a zone after a little bit.  He does a really good job with a tough song because of how popular it is right now.  All the judges really like him and think he has a bright future.


Paul McDonald is doing Maggie May by Rod Stewart.  I feel like some of the contestants would be better served by doing younger acts.  Paul has an interesting sound.  Don’t really know if it is for me but he carries himself really well on stage.  Steven loves the character his voice has.  Jennifer says his smile lights up the whole place.  Randy loves him because he is so unique and different and hope Idol can embrace his style


Another one of my favorites, Jacob Lusk is up next.  He does a House is Not a Home Luther Vandross.  His voice is so powerful throughout this song he really seems to nail every part.  It was kind of a boring song but he really kills it.  Steven is honored to listen to him and says his singing almost makes him cry.  Jennifer says its one of her favorite songs and he really did it justice.  Randy says Luther Vandross would be proud of that performance and that Idol is lucky to have him.


Last we have Casey Abrams, who almost was forced to quit because he was in the hospital just hours before this was being taped.  Lets see if it effects him at all.  He does I put a spell on you and he is just fantastic.  The song is a hit from beginning to end and the crowd goes nuts.  Steven says he is unreal and unbelievable.  Jennifer says he’s sexy and he is going to redefine what this whole competition is.  Randy loves him and loves how he can transform himself to any song




So we need 5 out of this group.  My picks, judging on tonight performances alone, would Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone, Scott McCrery and James Durbin.  Join me tomorrow night when I recap the top 12 girls!