If you saw Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, you know she declared “Bitch is the new black.” Well, last night Tracy Jordan aired a response. And since I actually have a favorite candidate in this election, I thought I’d post the clip here. Enjoy.
http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/47dda2ec7a021864
’90s nostalgia comes in two flavors: welcomed and unwelcomed. The New Kids reunion? Unwelcomed. A new Beverly Hills 90210? Very much welcomed.
That’s right, kids. The CW is developing a “contemporary spinoff” of 90210 to be written by Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars. No word yet on which former cast members will appear in the show, but apparently it’s been “fast tracked” and if all goes well, it could be on the air later this year. I just hope the show is more like the original series’ first five seasons (through sophomore year of college) and not the later ones.
As promised, here is a link to many of my pics from my trip to Florida, where I went to three spring training games: Dodgers vs Cardinals on Friday in Vero Beach, Orioles vs Mets on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, and Orioles vs Dodgers on Monday in Fort Lauderdale. Plenty of Nomar, Millar, Torre, Juan Pierre, and other players — if that’s what you’re into. And if it is, click here to see the photos.
I touched down at Logan Tuesday night happy to be home. Happy to be out of the sun, and happy to let my sunburn fade and peel off. And of course, I have much to look forward to in the next couple weeks with my new condo. But I have to say, all that aside, few things made me happier to be home than to get off the plane and hear James Taylor’s soothing, dulcet voice singing “You’ve Got a Friend” over the airport PA system. I’m sure it was just a coincidence, but what a nice thing to get off the plane and hear music from a Boston-based artist. I’m not saying I would have had the same reaction if I’d heard, oh, “More than a Feeling” or “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” so I guess this was just the right song at the right time. It made the fact that a great vacation was over feel that much easier.
A double feature of ugliness for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23566968#23566968
The good news is that, despite reports to the contrary, Nomar Garciaparra is, in fact, signing autographs down in Florida at Dodgertown, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training home. I know this because I saw it first-hand on Friday when me and my dad took a day trip up to Vero Beach for some baseball action. This was our second annual father-son bonding/spring training trip, and the first of what will be three games this weekend. (Last year we saw the Sox in Fort Myers; this year we couldn’t get tickets. What a surprise.)
Dodgertown is a pretty cool place to spend the day. It’s a complex, and the practice fields and the stadium (more like a field with seats for the fans) are all in one place. And that allows for more up-close-and-personal interaction than you would get, say, in Fort Myers at this point in spring training. I got some great great photos (stay tuned for more of those later) and we talked with Tommy Lasorda and were inches from the players — especially during the game, when we sat about a foot behind the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen. Joe Torre was there, as were Don Mattingly, Todd’s favorite out-maker Juan Pierre, Derek Lowe, etc. etc. And Albert Pujols and Nomar both hit homers. Oh, and they serve Dodger Dogs at Dodgertown, too. Yum.
So what could be bad? Well, while we were enjoying ourselves, I roasted. And now I’m all red around my neck and on my face and arms. Appropriately, it’s the same color as the Cardinals’ uniforms. But it was worth it. We had a great time.
Today we went to Fort Lauderdale Stadium to see the Orioles and the Mets play. That’s really all we could do. It’s not a terribly big place and aside from the game, there’s not much to see. The Mets sent their B-squad, so the big deal for me was seeing Kevin Millar, who didn’t disappoint. He’s a fan fave, still quick with a joke, and he went 1-3. Same ole Millar.
Even though these weren’t the best ballgames I’ve seen, it’s still really cool to hear the crack of the bat again, and more importantly, to see the players doing what they (and I) enjoy so much. Spring is here, my friends. And in just a few weeks, summer will follow right behind. Bring it on.
My lawyer tells me the heavy lifting is over — in a manner of speaking, anyway. I’ve now signed the Purchase & Sale agreement and have applied for a mortgage. Now I basically just sit back and relax, and wait until the closing later this month, when I can officially be declared a home owner. Well, not exactly relax. There’s that little matter of packing, of course. But something tells me throwing all my possessions in boxes, bags and crates will be a lot less stressful than deciding on a mortgage broker.
Woo hoo! Buying a condo is fun again.
Big, Important Discovery of the Day:
The really good cover of Don Henley’s “The Heart of the Matter” in the new Sex & the City trailer is not, as I suspected, by the movie’s costar, Jennifer Hudson, but by India.Arie.
Moral of the Story:
A well-placed cover of a great song in the trailer of a movie I was iffy about will make said movie a must-see. And, iTunes just made another sale.
Second-biggest Important Discovery of the Day:
All six of the laundry machines in my building — not just the two new ones — now cost $1.75 per load.
Moral of the Story:
I have more than one reason to be happy I’m moving and will have laundry in my apartment.
Third-biggest Important Discovery of the Day:
Buying a condo can be very stressful, especially the day before you have to sign the Purchase & Sale, hand over a big check, and decide on a mortgage lender.
Moral of the Story:
A week ago I told Todd I found the whole condo-buying process fun. Todd responded by saying, “If you’re having fun, then you’re not doing it right.” Wise words. But I choose to heed the even wiser words of that old adage, “Anything worth having is worth working for.” And I know it’s all going to be worth it a month from now.
There was nothing good on TV Sunday night, so I scanned through my old DVR recordings and decided to re-watch an episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip called “The Long Lead Story,” one of three episodes of the show I saved (the others being the pilot and the instant-classic Xmas episode). I knew I liked this show when it was on (mostly, anyway — it could be hit and miss), but man, was this a great episode. That Aaron Sorkin, when he’s on his game, there’s no one better. Christine Lahti was a very good guest star, the dialogue crackled, Sting played the lute, the show within a show was actually kinda funny, and Nate Corddry spends a chunk of the episode in a lobster costume. So yeah, nearly a year and a half after this episode aired, it’s still impressive — although I started to wonder: whatever happened to that long lead story Lahti’s character was working on? If I’m correct, that plot thread was completely dropped and the story never appeared. Anyway, I miss Studio 60. Or at least I miss the good episodes of the show. Maybe I’ll buy the complete series on DVD so I can re-watch the entire thing — and I can see if that story did ever run.
Martin's Musings 