Long before laptops and TiVos, we had VH1 and Michael Jackson. Thanks to my fellow mommybloggers at Working Moms Against Guilt, I learned this month marks the 25th Anniversary of the Thriller album and its ground-breaking videos. I’ll have you know that I *just* re-enacted the famous dance from the Thriller video at my cousin’s wedding reception in Omaha. (And just for the record, this mommy performed in 4-inch, knee-high, black leather boots!) Click HERE to see the real deal!
Monthly Archive for November, 2007
I am finally winding down from Thanksgiving madness and back-to-work blues. Here are some headlines catching my eye and making me thankful I don’t live in Hollywood:
- Tornado hits "Desperate Housewives (Okay, I’ve seen the previews for this show, and it looks terrible. But, being the DH loyalist I am, I will fire-up the TiVo and watch-away. Let’s hope I am wrong!)
- Pregnant Aguilera poses for Marie Claire (I think she looks absolutely beautiful and radiant!)
- "Tin Man" a bizarre update of "Wizard of Oz" (The original "Wizard" is now my daughter’s favorite movie, but I think I will skip this version. If you really want to see a remake, rent The Wiz.)
- Conan Keeping Late Night $hip Afloat (I heart Conan, and I really miss my night-time men: Jon, Jay and Conan. It’s worth noting that I’ve actually been *reading* before I go to bed… what a concept!)
- Dancing’s Final Lap Goes to Helio (I wouldn’t call myself an uber-fan of the Spice Girls, but Mel B. was robbed!)
- NBC Applying "Lipstick" in "ER" Space (Wow, first drama to bump ER since 1994!)
I wrote this post for Silicon Valley Moms Blog; here’s a cross-post for LTV:
Since I have a blog called "Laptop Television Mom"
you’d assume I watch a lot of television. Um, you’d be correct. That
said, I mostly watch television after my kid goes to bed and I go back
to work (yes, with my laptop on my lap).
BUT (in caps for emphasis), I am very picky about what my kid watches and how much she watches. I allow her to watch Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Clifford the Big Red Dog. (Standard.) She watches television during breakfast, with leniency on the weekend when I need to be domestic.
When I attended a Silicon Valley Moms Blog Party at BlogHer this summer, I received a press copy of a new PBS Kids show called Word World.
In all honesty, I played the DVD one Saturday afternoon when I couldn’t
stand the thought of watching another moment of Dora (and I needed to
make dinner). Well, much to my surprise, it’s a great show. It’s
clever, beautifully animated, and smartly educational. My kid loves it.
The premise of the show is these
delightful characters solve problems and ultimately learn to spell
words. The interesting thing is that the characters also are made of
words. For example, the body of "Frog" is made from the letters
F-R-O-G. My favorite character is Shark, as his fin is made from the
letter A. It’s really cute.
My kid is three, so it seems about right for her age. However, her
six-year-old friend enjoyed it as well. I am no expert in
child-rearing, but I can recommend this new PBS Kids show
wholeheartedly.
– LTV Mom
If you are a YouTube fan, and especially if you are a YouTube hater, you must track down tonight’s episode of Boston Legal. Our favorite Clarence/Clarice/Oprah finds himself in hot water after a video of him attacking a minister appears on YouTube. And yes, Clarence then sues YouTube for using his image without permission to gain profit. His attorney, brilliantly played by John Laroquette, claims the laws must keep up with the changing industries of Internet and entertainment:
"If the day has come that we are going to be publicly and globally shamed by our foolish mis-steps, then the laws of defamation should keep pace. Certainly when these tort laws were drafted, the legislators never contemplated YouTube."
[Spoiler alert] The case was dismissed.
And Boston Legal continues to be one of my favorite shows on television.
I humbly post in honor of Veterans Day, and pay tribute to those who serve and to those who continue to serve our country.
Many thanks to our new friends at Graco Baby, who hosted a fantastic afternoon get-together at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto, CA for the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. The festivities included good friends, wine, sushi and hand massages. (Sigh!)
Of course, this group of mommybloggers also got a sneak-peek at the new Sweet Peace newborn soothing center. My little one just turned three, but I can certainly remember the value of a good swing-type device when you have a crabby newborn and tired mommy in the same house. We had a big clunky swing (that my husband and I valued at about $10,000), and the new Graco soothing center is much more compact.
Of course, not to out-shine the super-nice people from Graco, I have to brag about my major celebrity sighting at the Four Seasons. As I was waiting for the valet to return my car, I spotted Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley driving into the lot! WOW! (For what it’s worth, I called Beth B. to give the remaining SVMB ladies and Graco peeps a head’s up; I hope you got the message!)
So much useless news, so little time:
- Dennis Miller Returning to Sports TV (I, for one, am a huge Dennis fan! This is good news.)
- Holmes in heels hours after NYC marathon (I ran a marathon, and could barely walk much less walk in heels!)
- Prince moves to sue fan sites (Um, FAN sites? The people who buy your albums and uber-expensive concert tickets? Seriously?)
- Russell Crowe plans to be baptized (Crowe says: "I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind
of a man," he says. "There is something much bigger that drives us all.
I’m willing to take that leap of faith.") - Another Watanabe takes lead in war movie (I adore Ken, so I will check out Dad Dai.)
- Da Vinci Encodes a Sequel (Bring in on! I loved reading Angels and Demons.)
According to The Associated Press, Hollywood writers are on strike which means more reruns and more reality TV. (I didn’t even get a chance to write my love-letters to the writers of The Office and Boston Legal!) Regardless, I don’t know enough about the strike to voice an opinion one way or another, but I do know enough that SNL provided a hilarious perspective this weekend:
We had a great day of costumes, candy, parties, and pumpkins.
Just trying to squeeze in some television between mothering, working and crashing.
