‘television’ Category

26 May 2010

Glee live in Chicago!

By: Jessica B.

It’s official, I’ve seen the scariest fans ever. No, they aren’t Twi-hards or Trekkies, they’re teenage Glee fans.

And they’re taller than me too. FAIL.

Tonight was the first of two Glee concerts in Chicago (part of a four-city tour) and ever since I heard it was coming to Chicago, I was determined to go. And after some drama, negotiating and tears, I scored two floor seats. YES!

TC and I sacrificed watching the Lady Gaga episode live to see the show and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT.

The show was AH-MAZING.

Really, the staging, singing and costumes were awesome. We even got to see Bad Romance live (thanks Perez for the tip) and it was insane. Everyone was on their feet but no one was really dancing….except TC and me, who literally sang, screamed and danced the entire time. People must have thought we were insane but we shut it down. Fo sho.

Here are some photos! Note: So that I don’t ruin everything for the New York fans, you can see more photos on my Flickr page.

After the show, TC and I were going to the car when we saw people gathering at the stage door, so we joined for a little bit, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cast. And then the screaming and pushing started because my man, Cory Monteith (Finn) was like, right there, and I thought I was going to be trampled to death. No joke, having girls pushing, pulling at your clothes and body to get closer, was kind of scary. But I emerged safe and in one piece…and with an autograph :)

TC and I even went back into the mess for her man, Mark Salling (Puck) and boom, there was another autograph on the program.

It was pretty f*cking exciting :) And yes, Cory is smoking hot in person (OMG HOT) and Mark was pretty cute too. So awesome.

The entire night was worth every penny, tear, pleading email and hours spent researching to get us there. I’ll be on this high for a few days.

Also, big thanks to Chicago’s I-90/94 express lane for getting us to the show quickly in rush hour traffic!

What about you, did you get to see Glee on Tour? Or what is your favorite Glee song?

19 May 2010

Conan’s Legally Prohibited tour!

By: Jessica B.

Conan’s Legally Prohibited tour is in Chicago for two nights and I’m purposely staying up late to tell you all how awesome it was.

For real.

I may be biased though because I love Conan. I’ve been a rabid big fan of his since his former late show on NBC. On my first-ever trip to New York, I requested tickets to his show and got them every night we were there (this was before he was hot.) I love his sense of humor, interview style and overall zaniness. Plus, a masturbating bear? Genius.

I faithfully watched his former late and Tonight Show episodes and when the whole Leno/Conan drama went down, I was hard core on Team Coco.

And with a little luck from Twitter and Ticketmaster, I was fortunate enough to get tickets. And then jump/prance around like a little kid.

So before I head back to pack and get some sleep before leaving for Vegas, I wanted to share with everyone some photos from tonight’s show!

Kendra, Robin, Lauren and me outside the theater (yes, it was packed)

Chicago Theatre marquis

Screen image, yes!

Musical number (Conan did a lot of these)

Andy showed up! And so did a self-loving friend from his NBC show

John C. Reilly showed up to pull the Chuck Norris lever (it was hilarious)

Finale Rockabilly number (yes, that is a huge inflatable bat)

What was really cool after that last photo was Conan rocked out in the audience and even ran up the balcony to give the people in the high seats a treat. Awesome.

Conan said his goal for the evening was to have us leave and feel like it was worthwhile experience.

It totally was :) I left laughing and smiling and I cannot wait to see him on TBS in November.

Are you a Conan fan? I know it’s early to ask too but does anyone have big plans for the weekend? I’m off to Vegas but I promise to behave (maybe!)

29 April 2010

Random pre-weekend thoughts

By: Jessica B.

Was it just me or did today (Thursday) feel like Friday? Lately that seems to be happening a lot. Which means Friday will feel like Saturday and work is the last thing on my mind on Saturdays.

So while I’m preparing for a full weekend of cheap fun and vacation planning (countdown!) I wanted to share some random stuff I’ve been reading and thinking about.

Prepare to enter the vortex of my random head:

  • I read that Katie Holmes will play Jackie Kennedy in a History Channel miniseries in 2011. As a huge Jackie Kennedy fan, I’m really p*ssed off by this. Joey as Jackie? Dawson would not approve and neither do I
  • You can buy a faux or real engagement ring inspired by Bella’s in Twilight. Yes, I love Twilight and Jacob’s rock-hard arms and abs but I do not want to wear Twilight-inspired jewelry, unless it’s from Tiffany
  • The Hills started again this week…and it gave me a good self esteem boost and reminder why I don’t watch that show anymore. The cattiness is unbelievable
  • I got a working library card! And now I’m a book-reserving fiend. But I have to remember to read the reserved books when I get them
  • I’ve rediscovered my love of dark chocolate covered dried cherries. Smack my a** and call me Sally they’re good. Can I count them as healthy?
  • The interview with Oprah and Rielle Hunter really irritated me. Maybe I’m too sensitive to cheating and like Elizabeth Edwards too much but hearing Rielle say she isn’t a homewrecker, kind of pissed me off
  • Got my People magazine in the mail today too and saw Sandra Bullock’s new baby. Seeing that kind of joy on her face made me happy
  • Two co-workers are totally obsessed with Patron tequila. They rave about it but I’ve never tried it, is it really that good?
  • Found out my gym is in financial trouble because it hasn’t paid its mortgage since September. Did they learn nothing from the housing crisis?
  • I heard a rumor that there might be a nacho cart at work tomorrow. Sweet baby Jesus I hope that’s true. Cheese sauce made in the crock pot is amazing

Well kids, that’s what’s stewing in my brain right now. What’s on your mind? Any big weekend plans?

20 April 2010

Thoughts about 16 and Pregnant

By: Jessica B.

A few months ago, I started watching 16 and Pregnant on MTV because Supernanny wasn’t cutting it as a prescription for birth control.

When I started watching 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, I was fascinated by the stories and watching these teens go from pregnant and adamant that life wouldn’t change to watching how they handle a full-time teenage life with a baby.

Sure, I laughed and shook my head at things these baby moms and dads said. From wondering what pregnancy will do to the girl’s teen boobs long-term to saying they had no idea how they got pregnant when having unprotected sex. Oh kids!

Then I watched the “super size” episode with the couple having twins. It was a standard story, girl meets guy, they do it, she gets pregnant and soon they’re stuck together while deciding if they are meant to be or were just rebound. But this girl got pregnant by her guy after one month of dating. And no, he wasn’t K-Fed.

Even though these episodes make me cringe, they also hit hard in the heart. I don’t envy these girls, I feel sorry for them because they are only 16 or 17 and forced to grow up overnight.

Sure, they may have “asked for it’ by having unprotected sex, but after watching this girl  have twins and play with fire (aka her pre-baby daddy boyfriend), only to have it backfire in her face, it was tough to watch. She ended the episode with a teary talking head saying that she wished she would have done things differently and for the first time, I believed her.

That was one that stayed with me after I deleted it from the DVR.

I tried to imagine what I would do differently in their case and despite our vast age difference, I don’t know if I would be any different than them, so who am I to judge and laugh? I would want to hold on to my boyfriend and pretend like nothing will change and view being a mom as a cool thing but something that won’t keep me from doing what I want. And I would (even now) feel completely overwhelmed by the needs of caring for a baby, especially if my parents aren’t able to help out. It shows that despite these girls being 16, I might not be that different at 30.

What about you? Have you watched the show? Do you think you would do anything different as a 16 year old pregnant teen? Note: This isn’t to get into a debate about pro-life or choice.

Review blog note: Don’t forget to weigh in on what your least favorite movies are! So far Donnie Darko is a love/hate one!

25 March 2010

I love my DVR

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: television

I really love my DVR. I may say that cell phones, laptops even iPods are my favorite household items (each with its own merit) but seriously, I really f*cking love my DVR.

Once you go DVR, you do NOT go back. Fo sho!

Because once you have it, you don’t have to worry about running home to catch the beginning of Gossip Girl or The Office, you don’t have to worry about the VHS tape running out or the quality being bad. And you can stock up a ton of shows and watch them whenever you want.

Oh and you can fast forward through commercials. That is my favorite!

A fellow DVR-fan and I were talking about our “avoid ad” strategy, which includes starting a live TV show 10-15 minutes into it so we can flip through commercials and catch up with the show before it’s over. And then “poof!” the show is done and I didn’t have to watch any commercials.

One of my friends *gasp* doesn’t have a DVR. I forgot what that life was like. But I’m a good friend and offer to record things for her and then have her come over to watch. See? I’m not that heartless.

But as much as I rave about the DVR, it’s not perfect. Like any relationship, there are ups and downs. Like when it cuts off the recording early because of the guide or it doesn’t record things I ask it to. Yeah, that really irritates me, but I still love it :)

My favorite kind of Friday night includes: People magazine, an ice-cold soda and a week’s worth of DVR shows to catch up on. Actually, that’s a perfect Saturday morning too.

So in closing, DVR, you complete me. Miss Jess loves you big time. I wish everyone could have one. And if I had to give up my cell phone, laptop, iPod or you, that would be a really tough decision. MWAH!

What about you? Do you have DVR and love it as much as me? Or if you had to give up your laptop, cell phone, DVR or iPod, which would you choose?

Macy’s Giveaway! You can still enter to win a $50 Macy’s gift card here on my review blog! It closes Monday!