You might just make it after all.

God bless Hulu.

Really. Today I was going to watch an episode of 30 Rock on a study break, and saw recommended on the bottom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

It's been years since I watched Mary Tyler Moore. It's one of my mother's favorites, and we watched it all the time when I was little, back when Nick at Night showed shows that hadn't premiered when I can remember them or were even cancelled before I was born. (I remember watching the first seasons of The Nanny, George Lopez, Malcolm in The Middle and Everybody Hates Chris.)

It's hard to argue how influential Mary Tyler Moore was. If you watch Mary and Rhoda discuss their single girl blues and add some F bombs and more specifics about what goes on between them and their men, you'd have Sex and The City. Mary's dedication to her career and dealings with her misanthopic boss and wacky coworkers clearly inspired Tina Fey and her alter ego Liz Lemmon.

Let's not take away from the show itself though. It's ridiculously funny. Also Mary's miniskirts are so mod and adorable!

In Praise Of: The Philadelphia Story

There are some movies that I could watch a million times and never ever get sick of them.

The Philadelphia Story is absolutely one of those movies. It's a great great old movie back in the days when it was perfectly alright for great movies to be called movies and not "films." Katherine Hepburn in stunning as Tracy Samantha Lords Haven (only divorced debutantes have such names!) and Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart (back before he was James) are perfect as her suitors.

Also you've got to love any movie where for a good hour of its two hour running time everyone as a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

There's also a musical version called High Society starring Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby with songs by Cole Porter. It is also fantastic and has one of my favorite Porter songs, "What A Swell Party This Is." But well, it still can't touch the original.

In Praise of Tamora Pierce

In case you were wondering why even the "Summer Reading" posts dried up over the past few weeks, allow me to explain...

I've been rereading the work of author Tamora Pierce. Pierce writes fantasy novels geared towards teenage girls (SOOO right up my alley folks, you've got no clue) and I was a big fan of her work in middle school.

Her books are written in "quartets" or "cycles," and she has created two mystical realms. TWO!

One is the world of "The Circle of Magic," "The Circle Opens," and then two other sequels "The Will of The Empress" and "Melting Stones." I'm almost through "The Circle Opens," on the fourth book in that quartet. I'm enjoying them. I'd read "The Circle of Magic" before but I didn't remember much of it. I'd forgotten how finely detailed everything in the series was. Or maybe I didn't notice last time at any rate...

The other is her original world, the fantasy kingdom of Tortall, where her Lioness, Immortals and Protector of The Small Quartets all take place, as well as Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen. This summer I've read The Lioness again, and I'm doing The Immortals next. I LOVED the series when I was younger. Loved, loved loved! I love them more now. At twelve I didn't really appreciate the detail put into the stories, the characterization. Also, I totally didn't pick up on the fact that Alanna, the heroine of The Lioness was kind of a slut. Not really, just kinda.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more of the ones I didn't read in middle school now, since once I finish The Immortals I won't have read any of them. But seriously, I suggest you pick up her stuff, if you're into fantasy that is, otherwise I doubt you'd like it.

In Praise of: Degrassi The Next Generation

For the past 3 days I've been watching the Degrassi: Every Episode Ever marathon on The N.

It's kind of hard to believe this show has been on for 11 seasons (Whoa right?) I'm up to season 3 now (a season I actually own on DVD, it's the best one.) I have to say, being in high school when the show was at it's height, I really appreciated it. My friends and I used to go to one house and have Degrassi parties on Friday nights (we were super cool). We all had crushes on Craig, although these days we prefer the more constant Spinner, or the ever noble Sean, thought Ellie was the coolest ever and compared every slutty girl we ever met to Manny.

I say season three is the best, because it is. In season 3, Craig cheated on Ash with Manny, she got pregnant and had an abortion. Paige and Spinner were dating, Ellie became a cutter, Marco came out of the closet, and Jimmy could still walk.

Degrassi is primarily an issues based show. It's basically eleven seasons of very special episodes. I still mourn for JT, harbor resentment for Craig's shabby treatment of Ellie, and I'm wary of genetically modified foods because Emma said they were bad.

Oh right, and I still totally have a crush on Craig, even if he is a coke addicted bipolar asshat.

In Praise of: WE Go Bridal

I'm not married...I'm not engaged...hell, I don't even have a boyfriend, but I love love love, watching bridal shows on TV and the best best best ones are on WE (Women's Entertainment) WE is the home of Platinum Weddings, Bridezillas, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Rich Bride Poor Bride, and David Tutera's My Fair Wedding.

Tune into WE on Sundays and they're on allllll day. I've procrastinated on many a paper by watching WE Go Bridal.

My Fair Wedding might be my favorite, when couture level event planner David Tutera comes in a takes really tacky brides and turns their weddings into these beautiful elegant affairs and gives them designer wedding dresses devoid of sequins.

Bridezillas is good too though, so funny.

In Praise of: Meg Cabot

I just reorganized my book shelf and I found that I own a grand total of 22 of Meg Cabot's books, and that doesn't include the Avalon High Mangas, the multiple copies of Nicola and The Viscount and one of the mini Princess Diaries books that I own, that's just full length novels.

Needless to say, I'm a big fan of Meg's. I started reading her stuff when I was eleven, before the first Princess Diaries movie came out. I love her style. I love her wit, and her stories, even though most of them basically arrive at the same thing:

An average girl daydreams about being more than average, and obviously about some SUPER CUTE boy. Something happens to her that turns out she's not just some average girl! (She's a princess, she saves the president's life, she's a reincarnation of the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Legend) and her life changes forever! Then super cute boy notices her and they share chaste high school love.

They're very fun to read, I highly recomend them. My favorites are: The Princess Diaries series, but specifically I love Princess Mia, and Princess in The Spotlight, Avalon High, How To Be Popular and Teen Idol.

In Praise of: That 70's Show

Like I said, this summer things are going to be a little different since there's not a whole lot of new TV to watch, so in addition to Summer Reading posts, I'll be posting "In Praise Of" posts.

So tonight, In Praise Of: That 70's Show

Some shows just capture the magic of friendship so perfectly and That 70's Show is one of them. The kids of Point Place treated each other like crap most of the time, but they didn't really treat each other like crap they just talked a lot of crap, when it came down to it they were there for each other.

And it intoduced us to the joy that is Mila Kunis. She's an unstoppable comic force.

Also Ashton.

Get Bent!