Notes on Pop Culture: Dave Barry in NYT, 'Lost' Interview Has Me Worried

Dave Barry Featured in Sunday's New York Times

One of my favorite writers is a humorist. His name is Dave Barry. When I was teaching journalism classes at the University of Massachusetts, I frequently distributed Barry's columns to my students and, in at least one class, assigned a collection of his columns as required reading. His writing is funny, keenly observant and down-to-earth, as well as very, very clever. Ever tried to write funny? It's hard. Believe me.

This weekend the Pulitzer Prize winning Barry, who has a new book coming out next week, I'll Mature When I'm Dead (*clearing throat and hoping anyone who's looking to get me a Mother's Day gift takes advantage of the link*), is featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

Since he's in the spotlight of the "Domains" column, there are photos of Barry's house and various stuff in his home, including a photo of a toilet. (It's unclear if that's actually Dave Barry's toilet or not.) If you're a longtime fan of Barry's columns -- or one of my former students -- you might be familar with his campaign to improve the flushing power of toilets. On his toilet crusade, Barry said:

"Years ago we moved to a house that had toilets that did not work well. The plumber told me Congress had mandated that all new toilets use less water. I spent more time on the low-flow toilet than any columnist in America. . . We have some low-flow toilets and one standard one. I tell guests, 'If you really need a toilet that can do the job, go to that one.'"

God do I miss his weekly columns.

Lost Interview Has Me Worried

The Hollywood Reporter has published an interview with one of the brains behind Lost, Damon Lindelof. Why does it worry me? First of all, there's the lead of the story:

"Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof tells THR the crew built new sets for the final moments of the ABC hit drama and that fans should expect to ask themselves, 'What did they mean by this?' after the show ends."

Then there was this:

"As for the nagging question of whether fans be satisfied by the ending, Lindelof said the finale will not employ a Sopranos-style fake-out, but he emphasized that viewers will definitely be left with questions."

So when this ends, I won't have a satisfied smile on my face? I'll be asking, "What the hell just happened?" and know that there'll be no more, no answers? Say it isn't so.

Image credit: Colby Katz/New York Times.

Which 'Lost' Character Has the Worst Mommy/Daddy Issues?

After nearly six seasons of watching Lost, there’s one common thread I've picked up on for most of the main characters: They’ve got some serious mommy and daddy issues. Big time.

The messages I’ve drawn from the backstories of the various Losties: When you treat your kids crappy and set them up to fail in life, wreck their self-confidence or even, say, toss 'em out of an eight story window, bad things happen. They could wind up turning into a smoke monster, a murderous Ben Linus, a con man or a fugitive from the law.

My snarky take on the parenting lessons I’ve gleaned from Lost – like this one: “If you don’t treat your kids right, they’ll wind up poisoning you.” (referencing, of course, Ben Linus' gas poisoning of his Dharma dad) -- has just been published in column form.

In the meantime, here’s ABC’s “sneak peek” at next week’s new episode, “The Candidate,” where Jack declares to the Man in Black/Smoky Locke that he’s not leaving the island.



Which Lost character do you think has the biggest mommy or daddy issues? Jack? Locke? Ben? Sawyer?

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

Notes on Politics: Jon Stewart Sharply Critical of Senate Goldman Sachs Hearing

Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Goldman Sachs execs at a Senate hearing. Expletives and questionable nicknames.

Watch.

Discuss.



Oh, and be sure to check out the in-your-face front page of the New York Post today. Few people seem to be mincing words on this story.

When I Grow Up, I Want to be Betty White

After a vigorous campaign waged by her fans, Saturday Night Live will indeed be hosted by the esteemed comedian Betty White on May 8, Mother’s Day weekend.

NBC has already been promoting her appearance and, judging by the promo below, she’s kicking butt and taking names.

'Lost' Has a Repeat Tonight, but May 4's 'The Candidate' Focuses on Jack & Locke

While tonight’s episode of Lost is a repeat of the Richard episode -- "Ab Aeterno" -- the fresh episode next week on May 4, is called, “The Candidate” and, according to TV.com, it’s about, “Jack's suspicions about Locke make his decision more difficult after he is asked to complete a difficult task.”

The TV Fanatic added that, “Jack's questions about Locke grow this week, as he's asked to complete a difficult task.” (Among the interesting photos TV Fanatic has posted for "The Candidate" is the one on the left where Kate’s reaching through the bars.)

What to make of this episode description? Will the “difficult task” be killing someone? Jailing Kate in those cages again?

Could it really be that Jack -- the one whose last name is Shephard -- is THE candidate to replace Jacob, finally achieve redemption and prove that he has what it takes, or, because he seems like such an obvious choice, is he just a red herring? (When discussing who could possibly be Jacob's final replacement with my spouse, I floated Desmond's name but he said, "Desmond is kind of like Switzerland. Desmond's just neutral.")

In the meantime, ABC’s latest promo is supposed to suggest what, that the Man in Black/Smoky Locke’s soul is what, on fire, all messed up? Now there’s a news flash for ya. . .



Image credit: ABC via TV Fanatic.

Notes on Politics: Sebelius Stands Up for Cancer Patients and a Supreme Court Mom

Sebelius Stands Up for Breast Cancer Patients

It was with supreme outrage that I read a Reuters report last week claiming that a health insurance company was targeting women who were freshly diagnosed with breast cancer for audits of their insurance policies in order to find a reason to cancel said policies.

Reuters highlighted two women who’d faithfully paid their insurance premiums, but soon after they were diagnosed with breast cancer were flagged for audits had their policies canceled. “They had no idea that WellPoint was using a computer algorithm that automatically targeted them and every other policyholder recently diagnosed with breast cancer,” Reuters reported. “The software triggered an immediate fraud investigation, as the company searched for some pretext to drop their policies, according to government regulators and investigators.”

Reuters continued, “Once the women were singled out, they say, the insurer then canceled their policies based on either erroneous or flimsy information. WellPoint declined to comment on the women's specific cases without a signed waiver from them, citing privacy laws.”

In response, an irritated Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius not only said that this practice – called “rescission” – will soon be illegal “thanks to the recently-passed Affordable Care Act,” but rapped the company, WellPoint, on the knuckles. Hard.

“WellPoint should not wait to end the unconscionable practice of deliberately working to deny health insurance coverage to women diagnosed with breast cancer,” wrote Sebelius. “I urge you to immediately cease these practices and abandon your efforts to rescind health insurance coverage from patients who need it most.”

A Supreme Court Mom?

Peter Beinart, writing on The Daily Beast, makes a case for President Obama to appoint a woman with young children to the Supreme Court. Pointing to the paucity of women with children in high profile positions in government and politics, Beinart wrote that in addition to having a woman justice who’s “more sensitive to the problems women face,” adding a mother to the court is important:

“. . . [B]ecause otherwise, the message you’re sending young women is that they can achieve professionally, or they can have a family, but they can’t do both. And without quite realizing it, that is the message our government has been sending. According to the Census Bureau, 80 percent of American women over the age of 40 have children. But look at the women who have held Cabinet posts in the last three presidential administrations. Only two of the Clinton administration’s five female Cabinet secretaries had kids.”

He also contrasted this issue to the fact that, “Men with children don’t have a role-model problem. After all, every one of the male Supremes has kids. (Antonin Scalia alone has nine.)”

Beinart continued:

“Soon after John Roberts was confirmed as chief justice, USA Today ran a syrupy feature entitled ‘Roberts Plays Dual Roles: Chief Justice and Father’ filled with sentences like ‘He takes the children to swimming lessons. He tries to keep 5-year-old Jack from using 6-year-old Josie’s violin as a pretend weapon. At the end of the day, he helps put them to bed.’ Message to little Johnnies everywhere: You can have a great job and a great life all at the same time. Compare that to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s comment after Barack Obama nominated Janet Napolitano to head the Homeland Security Department. ‘Janet’s perfect for that job,’ Rendell quipped. ‘Because for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19 to 20 hours a day to it.’ Message to little Janets: Go ahead, shoot for the stars. Just be prepared for a life devoid of anything but work.”

Image credit: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services via More Magazine.

'Wired's' Got Lots of Intriguing 'Lost' Coverage

Wired Magazine has a large package of stories/interviews about Lost, including an interview with the show's mastermind showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, a short article on the show's continuity expert and a piece on various Easter eggs that either wound up having significance or were red herrings (that drawing by the young John Locke, of what looks like a Smoke Monster -- see below -- freaked me out).

Below are a few quotes of relevance from the Lindelof/Cuse interview in Wired:

Question about the sideways flashes: "You now have two timelines: life after the hydrogen bomb is detonated and life as if the plane had never crashed. Will season six end up making sense of how these two timelines fit together."

Lindelof responded:

"In previous seasons it was very clear that this happened before, and this happened after. Now you watch and you go, 'I don't know when this happened, because things are different.' It's not just what would have happened if the plane landed; now Jack has a son and there are these changes.

 The audience is saying, 'I hope they explain the relationship between these two stories,' and that, to us, is the only answer we owe. Because at this point, the characters are not aware that there's any timeline other than the one they are in. But if they were to become aware of the parallel worlds, what might they do about it? That becomes a fundamental question."

When asked whether the show will ultimately be shown to be a "man of faith versus man of science" story, Lindelof and Cuse have a variety of answers.

Lindelof said:

 "That’s right. It’s order versus chaos, which is what it always was. But first it had to start as science versus faith, because Jack is a doctor and Locke is a guy who got up from his wheelchair and walked. Now the question has been boiled down to its essential root—is there a God or is there nothingness?"

Another question was if there are "questions for which any possible answer is not as interesting as the question would be before you knew the answer." To this, Cuse said:

"These heady questions are ultimately unanswerable, and we know the audience is hoping that those things are going to be answered. The great mysteries of life fundamentally can’t be addressed. We just have to tell a good story and let the chips fall where they may. We don’t know whether the resolution between the two timelines is going to make people say, 'Oh, that’s cool' or 'Oh, f--- those guys, they belly-flopped at the end.' But the fact that we’re nervous about it and that we’re actually attempting it—that is what we had to do. We had to try to make the dive."

Don't know if this bodes well or ill for the prospects of some of my most pressing Lost-related questions will be answered by the time Lost airs its last scene.

Image credit: Wired Magazine and ABC (for the Locke drawing).

Latest Twilight 'Eclipse' Trailer Emphasizes Werewolf-on-Vampire Action

The latest Twilight saga trailer for the film Eclipse seems geared toward attracting a male audience.

The previous promo highlighted the Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle, with Edward proclaiming to Bella, "I promise to love you for every moment forever," while he emphasized the consequences of becoming a vampire and outliving her friends and family. Meanwhile Jacob said, "You wouldn't have to change for me Bella. I'm in love with you. I want you to pick me instead of him."

As for the new trailer, I'm not a big fan of the fight scene stuff, and that's what comprises most of this promo, released via Oprah Winfrey's show, introduced by Dakota Fanning, who plays a vampire named Jane.



Here's the first, romantically-inclined Eclipse trailer which I like better:

'Lost:' 'The Last Recruit'

*Warning: Spoilers from the latest episode of Lost ahead.*

Well, not every episode can be a homerun. "The Last Recruit" felt really rushed and superficial, as the “answer” to at least one outstanding question came too easily and didn’t jive with other things we’ve previously seen.

The Man in Black/Smoky Locke told Jack Shephard, in a matter of fact fashion, that he had used the body of Jack’s father Christian to run around the island after Oceanic 815 crashed. So Man in Black's a puppeteer who uses dead bodies at will to run around? What if there were no more bodies for him to inhabit?

Last week, Michael told Hurley that there were dead people who were “stuck” on the island, not counting the people whose bodies the Man in Black was using for fun. Where does that leave someone like Walt who was alive when he appeared to more than one person?

Why have people who did not die on the island appeared before our Losties? Like Ben's mother, who died while giving birth to him in the United States? Or Richard's wife who appeared to Hurley a few episodes ago but never set foot on the island when she was alive?

Aside from the questions about the appearances of the deceased, this warfare stuff, Widmore’s people sending bombs raining down on Man in Black and the people who are “with” him because they won’t give back “The Package” (Desmond who’s likely still alive because I don’t believe Sayid killed him), I'm not fond of this storyline. We've had plenty of wars with The Others and the Losties, with the freighter people and our Losties. It feels old.
The Jack-Sawyer face-off – where Jack got all wishy-washy about whether they should stay and Sawyer acted all keep-that-crazy-talk-to-yourself-or-get-the-hell-off-my-damn-boat – eh, it really did not move me either. Didn’t like this twist, even though it reminded me of the helicopter trip to the freighter where Sawyer jumped into the ocean as the copter was losing fuel, however Sawyer jumped to save the copter from crashing. Did Jack’s jumping from the boat also save our Losties in some way? Also, should we give any weight to Sawyer’s quip, “We’re done going back Kate?” (The Lost Untangled video below had a funny take on this.)

Things I did like from "The Last Recruit:"

Liked that there seems to be a reunion of sorts going on at the LA hospital in the sideways-flashing existence, with Jack being called away from the reading of his father’s will (where he learned Claire was his half-sister after Desmond manipulated her into going to his attorney Ilana's office which happened to be in the same building as the adoption agency) to operate on Locke’s back, while Sun was recovering from a gunshot wound (and her baby’s okay).

Was intrigued by the fact that Man in Black/Smoky Locke called the original John Locke “stupid” because he believed “he’d been brought here for a reason” and “pursued that belief until it got him killed.” “John Locke was not a believer Jack,” Smoky Locke said, “he was a sucker.”

But isn’t the reason why Jack abandoned the boat and returned to the island because Jack believed he’d been called back to the island for something, to finish something? Does that make Jack a sucker too?

The Sun-Jin reunion was sweet, brought tears to my eyes, but it was spoiled when the Widmore zombies raised their weapons a second time. (The whole bit with Sun losing her ability to speak English but suddenly regaining it when she saw Jin was unnecessary, messy madness. Again, I'm right on with what Dr. Chang says in Lost Untangled.)



Overall, I was seeking a little more depth to this episode coming on the heels of two really strong episodes. I wanted emotional resonance instead of the taking sides/“war”/”You’re with me now” thread which just seems like an excuse to have big explosions and gunfire.

The reason I was so drawn to the previous two episodes with Desmond and Hurley was because they seemed meaningful, touched on weighty issues like fate, destiny, free will and bonds between people. They'd started to draw larger issues and questions together as though they might've been slowly closing a larger loop. But then they dropped the string and went astray with the shallow “war” storyline between Widmore and Man in Black/Smoky Locke. If this is how we’re going to spend the last few hours of one of the most intriguing, maddening and clever television shows in history, I’m going to be peeved, I tell you that much.

What did you think of “The Last Recruit?”

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Mad Men' Season 4 Premiere (End in '12?), Catching Up on '24,' 'Parenthood' Renewed & More

Random notes on pop culture this week (also known as school vacation week in my house, when the three offspring wreak havoc with the schedule) . . .

Mad Men: I've already programmed Sunday, July 25 at 10 p.m. into my BlackBerry as the premiere date for the fourth season of Mad Men, one of my all-time favorite dramas which, according to a New York Post report, may end after its sixth season in 2012. Quelle horreur. (Currently, I'm in the midst of watching the season three DVD set and remembering how very grand it was. Just finished watching "Souvenir" the other night.)

24: The Spouse and I were dreadfully behind on 24. We watched three hours of it last night and we're still one hour behind. As for the twists and turns during the past couple of hours -- which have definitely improved I must add: I still hate Dana/Jenny and wish she'd been the one who'd been shot instead of Renee; I wonder if Chloe will still snarl as much now that he-who-needs-to-stand-up-straight has left the building and I'd like to know why it seems as though the Russians are almost always evil puppeteers on this show.

Parenthood: I wrote a column, published on Mommy Tracked this week, examining how the freshman drama Parenthood has spent some time developing a working mom character – a workaholic mom is jealous of her at-home husband whose company is preferred by their young daughter -- but not as much time on the at-home mom character. Until a recent episode. The teenaged daughter of the at-home mom looked down her nose at her mother for having left the workforce in order to raise children and ridiculed what her mother did as frivolous. Parenthood should have a whole bunch of time to delve really deeply into modern motherhood as represented by these two archetypes given that it was just got the green light for a second season.

TV Actors Who Make You Forget Their Old Big Roles: Speaking of Parenthood . . . my latest CliqueClack TV post addresses how when I watch Lauren Graham on Parenthood, I’m still thinking about Lorelai Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls and it's been bugging me. Yet when I see Peter Krause in Parenthood, his Nate Fisher character from Six Feet Under doesn’t come to mind. The post asks: Which currently appearing TV actors have been successful in getting viewers to forget their previous, famous roles when they take on a new one on a new TV show?

Two current success stories I mentioned: Matthew Fox, who was once Charlie Salinger on Party of Five and is now Jack Shephard on Lost and Kim Delaney who was once Det. Diane Russell on NYPD Blue and is now Claudia Joy Holden, the general's wife, on Army Wives.

Army Wives: While we're talking Army Wives, I'm one episode behind but wrote a column about the season premiere over on Mommy Tracked and how the writers have taken an Army wife mom of two -- who once lectured fellow Army wives that they’d better just get used to coming in second behind their husband’s military career and quit complaining -- getting sick of coming in second and demanding that her husband leave the armed services.

I’ve been reading: I’ve been horrifically behind in my reading for my book club. (The last book I read all the way through BEFORE my book club met was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which was awesome by the way. I highly recommend it.) I just finished reading Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors, even though it was the book which the club discussed two weeks ago. (Once I got about 40 pages into it, I felt as though its momentum took off and made me keep reading it.) Now I’m reading my daughter’s Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 (greatly admire the illustrations) while I wait for my next book club book, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks to arrive. I’m determined to read it in time for the book club.

Image credit: Carin Baer/AMC.

Creepy Willy Wonka Themed Promo for 'Lost's' 'The Last Recruit'

After the shocking last seconds of Lost's latest episode, "Everybody Loves Hugo," my mind was still trying to make sense of what I'd just seen when I saw the promo below for next week's episode, "The Last Recruit:"



The ad features lyrics from "The Rowing Song," from the original 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from the scene where the candidates to take over Wonka's chocolate factory get on board Willy Wonka's boat and have a perfectly horrifying ride. By the end of the whole trip, if you recall, Charlie Bucket winds up "winning" what he didn't realize was a contest because he's good at heart, honest but not without flaws, while the other candidates are undone by their worst instincts.



The song's lyrics, according to a Wikipedia entry (which has the same lyrics as other web sites) are as follows:

"There's no earthly way of knowing

Which direction we are going.

There's no knowing where we're rowing

Or which way the river's flowing.

Is it raining? Is it snowing?

Is a hurricane a-blowing?

Not a speck of light is showing

So the danger must be growing.

Are the fires of Hell a-glowing?

Is the grisly reaper mowing?

Yes! The danger must be growing

For the rowers keep on rowing

And they're certainly not showing

Any signs that they are slowing!"

Observations: During the boat scene there was a close-up of an eye (an image Lost uses a lot), a flash of the image of Slugworth (who was a decoy to test Charlie's true sense of loyalty), plus this exchange between Charlie and his Grandpa Joe:

Charlie: "Boy what a great series this would make . . . This is kind of strange."

Grandpa Joe: "Yeah, strange Charlie, but it's fun."

Okay you fellow Lost fans, what does all of THIS mean? If you were to draw an anology between Charlie Bucket and the Losties, what would you come up with? Is Wonka supposed to be Jacob, manipulating people to see who makes the "right" choices? Can there even be a "winner"?

'Lost:' 'Everybody Loves Hugo' (Even When He Tells a Fib . . . Unless You're Richard Alpert)

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the latest episode of Lost.*

I’m really getting into the glimpses of the post-crash Lostie lives bleeding into the consciousness of the uncrashed Losties in their sideways flashes. It's very encouraging.

Last week, the sideways-flashing Desmond Hume got glimpses of his life on the island and his experiences with Penny Widmore only after he was submerged in the water during his car accident (caused by Charlie Pace, he of the "Not Pennys Boat" message on his hand), as well as when he shook hands with Penny.

Charlie Pace had flashes of the woman he believes he's meant to be with (the assumption is that he saw Claire) when he was choking on the bag of heroin when his Oceanic 815 flight experienced turbulence, only to be brought back to consciousness by Jack Shephard who saved him.

Daniel Faraday Widmore got them when he saw someone we can only assume was Charlotte, but we don’t know a lot of the details.

Libby had one when she saw Hurley on a TV ad for his restaurant chain, Mr. Cluck. Hurley had his when Libby -- whom he encountered by “accident” in a restaurant after he was stood up by a blind date -- kissed him during a beach picnic, which was ironic because the post-crashed Hurley and Libby never got to enjoy their picnic on the island because Michael shot Libby.

Meanwhile, I’m also in love with the idea of Desmond, in his suave duds and shades, tracking down the Oceanic 815 passengers in the sideways-flashing alternate universe and prodding them – Jacob-like – into uncovering their hidden memories (if that’s what they are, memories) of their island/post-crash experiences. This is, to me, a very promising development.

As for Hurley – who was the main focus of this episode – I found it curious that in both of his realities, he’s behaving differently than the Hurley we’ve come to know and love. The Hurley in the sideways flash is a successful businessman and a respected philanthropist. The Hurley in the post-crash/post-Jughead life is asserting himself like a leader, blowing up the Black Rock wreck (after which I think the unhinged Richard needed a sedative, or 10), even lying about seeing Jacob and saying that Jacob told them to find Locke and walk right into the arms of the Man in Black. Surprisingly, Jack trusted Hurley, even when he too suspected that Hurley was lying. (Is this a step Jack needs to take -- submission -- in order to become the new Jacob, as I’m guessing he’ll wind up being?)

Three major unexpected turns which I didn’t see coming in “Everybody Loves Hugo:” 1) Ilana blowing up. 2) The Man in Black/Smoke Monster/Locke chucking Desmond down a well (kinda wish it was a rabbit hole, to go along with the Alice in Wonderland analogy the show’s been milking) and lastly 3) The shocking episode capper with the sideways-flashing Desmond intentionally running down wheelchair-bound John Locke with a car at high speed as Locke was in the school parking lot heading to his own car. My mind melted at that point as teacher Ben Linus (who killed Locke in the post-crash world) hovered over sideways-flashing Locke who was bleeding on the pavement.

Oh, and we learned, via “Ghost” Michael, that the other “ghosts” who whisper in the jungle are “stuck” on the island a direct result of something they'd done . . . like in purgatory. “We’re the ones who can’t move on,” Michael said.

So what does that mean for the likes of Walt, who wasn’t dead when Locke saw him while he was lying in the pit of Dharma employee remains after being shot by Ben? Or when Walt appeared to Shannon? Certainly Walt didn't do anything which would warrant him being stuck on the island. And why would people saw “ghosts” off the island, like Hurley seeing Charlie at the mental hospital and Jack seeing his dad in the hospital lobby? Can the ghosts travel off the island AND still be stuck there?

Quotes of note:

“Do you believe that two people can be connected, like soul mates?” Libby to Hurley.

“That happen a lot? Dead people yelling at you?” Miles to Hurley. Hurley replied, “Dead people are more reliable than the live people.”

“If that thing leaves the island, that’s it, it’s over,” Richard said of Man in Black/Smoke Monster/Locke. When asked what “it” was he replied, “Everything.”

What did you think of “Everybody Loves Hugo”? About the revelation that the ghosts are “stuck” on the island because of what they did? The new development that the post-crashed/post-Jughead experiences are bleeding into the consciousness of the uncrashed Losties? Desmond running down Locke?

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

'You Look Fine, REALLY:' Like a Pep Talk with the Sister I Never Had

She combines the confectionary buoyancy of Holly Golightly – killer cocktails, amazing lipstick, irreverance and a unique fashion sense -- with dashes of Emily Post’s old fashioned etiquette, optimistic cheerleading to help you get over yourself and a sprinkling of the kind of plain spoken self-help talk you might see doled out on an episode of Oprah.

In her new self-help/you-go-girl book aimed at middle-aged women – You Look Fine, REALLY -- Mellor (author of the delightfully snarky Three-Martini Playdate series of books) invokes Golightly, the quirky character from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, whom Mellor says we can and should emulate occasionally to keep life interesting:

You Look Fine, REALLY is kind of a love letter to folks she calls “Women of a Certain Age.” (That age being 40+). It soothingly urges readers to chill out about specific things in their lives, largely beauty/fashion-related, while telling them she finds the waxing of one's nether-regions “horrifying,” does not like high heels and suggests to angsty-40+ women that no one’s really scrutinizing your face in great detail so “Step away from the magnifying mirror” and stop being so hard on yourself and your perceived flaws.

She delivers sisterly pep talks on others lifestyle matters like how easy it is to do a tad bit of exercise even if you despise exercise, how you can throw a simple gathering for friends (and why you should, and often), how to learn a bit about wine, about frugal ways to refresh your home, and how to not let your friends’ accomplishments make you feel badly about yourself by suggesting that you focus on all the things you actually have in your life -- see the “whole picture” -- and resist the urge to make comparisons.

Mellor -- who wrote “I think Birkenstocks are comfy and adorable” -- encourages women to ditch the sloppy and/or boring clothing at social gatherings and stop being wallflowers: “What is this aversion so many women seem to have for getting dolled up? . . . But there’s no reason for us to just fall back on elastic-waist denim and an old sweatshirt. We’re grown-up women and just because we’re over forty doesn’t mean we have to blend in.”

From beauty and fashion tips (which, honestly, seem like they’re coming from a down-to-earth gal pal as opposed to a strident fashionista who’s going to make you feel cruddy about yourself), to life advice (don’t think of mid-life as a time to go vanilla and ditch the excuses that keep you down) and how to be a do-it-yourself-er with little effort, You Look Fine, REALLY was a fun, folksy read.

From time to time, I do book reviews/reactions, not formal reviews per say, but only on books whose topics resonate with me in some fashion.

*I should also note that Mellor and I are both contributing writer to the same web site, Mommy Tracked, where she writes The Three-Martini Complaint Department column.*

Image credit: HarperCollins.

'SNL' Had Best Spoof on the Census Yet

I finally caught up with the latest episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Tina Fey and featuring the Teen-Boy-Who-Needs-a-Haircut-But-Doesn't-Shave-Yet.

Thought chocolate husband bit was stupid. Wasn't a fan of the Tiger Woods sketch. Thought the Sarah Palin TV network thing was mildly amusing. (Fey didn't look as much like a Palin Doppelganger this time. I couldn't put my finger on why. The hair, something just didn't look right.) The hot for teacher/Justin Bieber/Fey-wants-to-give-him-a-bath-thing got me to crack a smile amidst my discomfort. (If they did that kind of a sketch with a 15-year-old girl it would be just gross.

My favorite moment? The opening about the census and how it's not a conspiracy by the federal government to pry into your personal life. Priceless.

Anti-Dora the Explorer 'Modern Family' Promo & New 'Sex and the City 2' Trailer

It's Friday which, for me, means deadline time for a bunch of stuff, so I'm normally in dire need of a laugh of some sort.

The promo for the upcoming Modern Family episode -- where Mitchell is miserable being an at-home dad while Cameron is miserable working and longs to be at home and serve as Mitchell's "trophy wife" -- made me laugh, particularly the bit about Mitchell reveling in plotting the death of Dora the Explorer, something about which I've pondered on more than one occasion lo so many years ago.



Not so much providing laughs as providing me with questions was the latest trailer for the Sex and the City 2 flick which provides a bit more context for what's going on with the infamous gal pal foursome in their upcoming film, including the fact that Carrie's worried that, two years into her marriage to Big, they've lost that "sparkle" and she couldn't help but wonder, "What happens after you say, 'I do'?" Plus, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha travel overseas in what looks like a ridiculous excuse to get the gals out of NYC for no apparent reason other than to have an excuse to put them in a different variety of clothing and make a joke about hot flashes in the desert.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Good Wife' Stays Solid, 'Grey's Anatomy's' Parent Issues & 'Parenthood' Turning a Corner?

Good Wife Remains Solid

Okay Good Wife writers. You’ve got me.

My frequent complaint about your freshman drama has been that I’d prefer to see more scenes depicting the life of a political spouse/family in the wake of a humiliating sex scandal committed by the public official (a la the Spitzers, Sanfords, Clintons, Edwardes, et al) rather than load it up with legal procedural stuff. If I want to watch a garden variety lawyer show, I could go elsewhere. It’s not that I mind the legal cases, it's just that I didn’t want them to overwhelm the unique twist that makes The Good Wife different from other dramas.
That was the fear I had when The Good Wife seemed to be focusing more on getting to the truth about a criminal case or on how to deftly maneuver in the courtroom in order to secure a particular judgment.

But, overall, I have to say, the writers have done a good job of balancing the law and the personal life. Even though the latest episode “Doubt” – in which the disgraced, house-arrested Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) did not even appear – focused largely on a murder case, it did so in a way that was smart and intriguing by looking at the case from the perspective of the jury. Gold stars for not ending the episode in a rosy, optimistic note for Julianna Margulies’ Alicia Florrick’s team.

Grey’s Ponders Mixing Maternity & Medicine

Mixing maternity and medicine has been a semi-regular theme on Grey’s Anatomy since day one. We’ve known from the first handful of episodes that Meredith Grey sustained emotional damage from a childhood in which her parents divorced, her father essentially abandoned her and her mother, a successful surgeon, virtually blew her off and always chose medicine over Meredith.

In a 2007 episode, Meredith was assisting in an operation on a child both of whose parents were career-oriented and hardly ever at home. As a result, the girl bonded with her nanny more so than with her own parents. Meredith remarked that people with big-time careers should just get a cat instead of a kid because the kid needs time and attention from a mom or a dad. However the lead surgeon in the room, Miranda Bailey, a new mom, took umbrage.

Years later, Bailey, who’s now a divorced mom, has had her ups and downs with the child/career thing but seems to be in a good place right now just as other characters with high-pressure careers -- Callie Torres, McSteamy, McDreamy and Meredith -- are contemplating parenthood. I explored how Grey’s has been handling the issue of doctors having kids in my weekly Pop Culture column on Mommy Tracked.

'Mad Men' Crew Does 'Bye Bye Birdie'

The Movieline web site has happened upon a gem of a video: The cast and crew of Mad Men hamming it up (pun intended) by "singing" (and I use that term loosely) Ann-Margret's Bye Bye Birdie number which featured prominently in season three, especially in "Love Among the Ruins." Well, most people are singing or trying to sing except for Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) who's messing around with her BlackBerry.

Be sure to catch John Slattery (Roger Sterling) in the wig.

'Lost's' 'Happily Ever After' is Just What I've Been Waiting For

*Warning: Spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Lost.*

This

is why

I love Lost.

We went back to the stadium where Jack and Desmond initially met eons ago, in the “Man of Science, Man of Faith” episode.

We saw Daniel Faraday Widmore, wearing the same kind of skinny black tie, that stringy hair and carrying a notebook.

There was Penny with her radiant smile.

Oh, and Eloise was there too and she was married to Charles Widmore.

There was a flash of Charlie’s hand, as he was drowning in the Looking Glass station, with, “Not Pennys Boat” written in pen. His band Drive Shaft's hit song.

Charles Widmore shared that super-expensive 60-year-old scotch with Desmond, the one he wouldn’t pour for Desmond back in the “Flashes Before Your Eyes” episode when Desmond asked Widmore for permission to marry his daughter Penny and Widmore told Desmond he wasn't worth it. But, in the life of a sideways-flashing Desmond, Widmore said, as he gave Desmond the liquor, “Nothing’s too good for you.”

And there was a white rabbit.

This is what I’ve been hoping this final season would be like. Just like this. Things tying back around to earlier Lost threads. Gave me the warm and fuzzies.

Loved hearing sideways-flashing Charlie talking about life's choices and truth and what's real, and Desmond responding, “There’s always a choice, brutha.”

Eloise, seemingly clued-in to all this alternate universe/sideways-flashing stuff, telling sideways-flashing Desmond, who was drawn to Penny and didn't fully understand why, to stop looking for her. “It is, in fact, a violation," she said. ". . . You have the perfect life. On top of it, you’ve managed to attain the thing you wanted more than anything, my husband’s approval.”

Her musician son Daniel, who was suffering from the same sense of déjà vu as Desmond, didn’t understand why he’d written a complex equation into a black notebook, given that he’s "just" a musician. “What if this wasn’t supposed to be our life?” he asked Desmond, a twinkle in his eyes. “What if we had some other life and for some reason, we changed things? . . . I don’t want to set off a nuclear bomb, Mr. Hume, but I think I already did.”

I was loving all of this was so much that I was really disappointed to have Desmond wake up from the electromagnetic sideways-flashing experience and be back on the island with crooked-glassed Zoe, with more gun-toting people and watching “claimed” Sayid ask Desmond to come with him.

I felt thoroughly satisfied after watching “Happily Ever After,” particularly in the notion it advanced: No matter what, people who are meant to be together are going to find one another one way or another.

What did you think of "Happily Ever After?"

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

'Modern Family:' It's Go Time

Rarely does it disappoint. Always does it provide me with at least one guffaw. It's smart, risk-taking and full of heart.

I simply cannot say enough about Modern Family. You could quote from it all day long. You see characters racing around through the scenes who resemble people you know in real life. (At least I feel like I know some of these people.) While other shows might be disappointing -- like Parenthood, for which I'm still clinging to hope -- this one has proven to be a solid keeper.

This week's episode, "Game Changer," focused on Phil's birthday and the fact that on his birthday the iPad was going to go on sale. Phil had all these plans to get up super early to go to the Apple store and stake out his place in line. But seeing that it was his birthday, Claire offered to get the iPad for him. (A much better gift than the one she got him for their anniversary, Spandau Ballet band member singing, True.) Only she fell asleep on the couch. The rest of the episode was about Claire trying to make up for her costly mistake and Phil sulking that his birthday sucked. He even crashed some kid Phil's birthday party at the batting cages.



In the meantime, Jay, Gloria and Manny locked their competitive horns over games of chess, while Cameron got a little too into listening to his neighbors' conversations via their baby monitor (which picked up the neighbors' monitor's signal) and uttered that awesome line, "It's 'Go Time.'"



If Modern Family isn't one of your favorite TV comedies, why the heck not?

'Lost's' Latest 'Untangled' Videos Give Wink & Nod to Fans

Y'all know that, despite all my complaining, I do love the show Lost, right? These days, I've been likening it to being in a longterm relationship. When you're in one, there are times when you get wildly irritated, enraged and disappointed, that's all balanced out by the times when you're made blissfully happy by, say, a kind gesture, a home cooked meal or, perhaps the airing a Ben Linus episode . . .

Anyway, one saving grace throughout this final season, when there's been so much pressure brought to bear to have everything tie together neatly, has been the kooky Lost Untangled videos ABC puts on the Lost web site hosted by Pierre Chang. They always seem to anticipate fans' complaints and handle them deftly, like the recent one for "The Package."

Like that snarky little bit about Sun using up too much paper when she wrote notes to Jack after she'd lost her ability to speak English (?!). I thought the exact same thing that Dr. Chang notes in the Untangled video, that perhaps she should write smaller because Staples doesn't deliver to the island.



Are you a fan of the Untangled videos? Did you like them better last year when they were done with action figures instead of puppet Chang?