How Did This Get Past Me?

I am really losing it in my old age. (Or maybe it's the baby.) Richard Chamberlain, Father Ralph de Briccasart himself (or Dr. Kildare for all you baby boomers), has been in residence in Chicago for the last three weeks playing King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot.

What? Where? Really? YES. REALLY. And, I missed all of the performances.

The musical's run, and Chamberlain's run, will end tomorrow in Chi-town. I'm sooooooooo bummed! My friend, Emily, got to see him today and sent me a text. I was almost too jealous to type her name, but I decided I should give credit where credit is due for letting me in on the news. She said he was awesome. Of course he was! I mean HELLO! He's recorded an album. Cali Catherine's mama has the LP, and I used to admire it when I went over at their house. (That thing must be worth a mint by now.) Whatever. I'm sure I'll get over this...sometime.

Hesitant and Hopeful (?)

It's been several days since the news broke. The news that sent my head in a spin and made me feel like an 11 year old again. I haven't posted anything about it yet, because I'm afraid of jinxing myself. But, quite honestly, I can't hold it in any longer.

New Kids on the Block are coming back to Champaign!!!

Yes, it's true. If you've talked with me in the last week, you know this, because I'm already scheming. How will I get a ticket? What will I do if I don't!? The tickets go on sale a week from today, and I don't know what is the best plan of action.

1. Go wait in line at the Assembly Hall. How many old women, like me, do you think will be there?



2. Stay at home and have the internet and cell phone going at the same time.



3. Go wait in line at the Hall and have my faithful friends trying to get tickets online while I'm in line.

Like Preston Meyer the first day he saw Amanda, "What should I do? How should I proceed?" I honestly don't know. Give me your vote, because I NEED SOME GUIDANCE!

Say it Ain't So!

My favorite store, Pages for All Ages bookstore, may be closing!!! They haven't been selling gift cards, and they've been closed since mid-week "doing inventory." In today's local paper, an article stated that the phones went straight to a message saying all lines are busy, and the owners couldn't be reached for comment.

I cannot express how devastated I would be if this store closed. My mommy used to take me there every Friday to pick out new John Bellairs and Christopher Pike books. It's where I got my first New Kids on the Block biography. I worked there for five years, and it was the best job I ever had. (Yes, maybe even better than teaching.) I had plans to take Peanut there every weekend, and I wanted to retire and work there as the Children's Book Seller. I also get sick at the thought of what my friends, who still work there, will do if they close.

Pages has been around since 1988, and the customers are extremely loyal. We do not deserve to be jerked around and not notified if such a terrible thing as closing down is about to happen. If you're a former 'Paign local, click HERE for the short article.

Pages, don't go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where Were YOU?

Well, fair readers, it's been a full, glorious week since our 44th president was sworn in. This morning I thought to myself, "It still feels as good today as it did 7 days ago." I want to know...

• Where were you?


• What did you do?


• What feelings did you have?


• What was it like for you seeing our first African-American president sworn in to office?

It was amazing for me. I still get goosebumps remembering it. We watched it at school with the kids, and they were the best, most enthralled audience I've ever seen. I was so proud of them. They then wrote letters to him on Friday, and these were amazing: poignant, touching, hopeful. I hope you had the chance to watch the events of last Tuesday with pride...no matter what side of the party line you find yourself.

Click HERE for some more outstanding photographs from the NY Times.

You Won't be Sorry

Buy THIS!

Then buy THIS!

New TV=Happy Me!

Last week saw the return of uber-man Jack Bauer on 24. And, yesterday, well, yesterday was a day that I have long been waiting. The new seasons of Big Love and Flight of the Conchords premiered on HBO.

I've ruminated on it before on this humble blog, but I must ask the question again: What is it about polygamist family, the Henricksons, that evokes such sympathy from me? This HBO soap is by far my favorite one. I never got behind SJP and her sexy city co-stars, nor did I ever put time or effort into the Sopranos, even though Goodfellas is one of my favorite films and not liking it means I'll never have full respect from my awesome cousin, the big J.C. But man, put Bill Paxton at the helm of three wives with lots of Mormon drama behind them and I'm right there, rarin' to go! The first episode promised lots more drama to come...I can't wait!!!

Following the polygamists Mormons are two mistrel vagabonds from New Zealand, Bret and Jemaine. Flight of the Conchords is...well...uh-maz-ing. I love Bret's sweatshirts, I love Jemaine's denim, and I love their two-part harmonies. Will they top their Bowie homage this season? I seriously doubt it, but as long as Murray and Mel are in the background, I'll be a happy camper. The first episode wasn't as stellar as the Big Love season 3 premiere (even though they did sing tunes about feminine-only organic toothpaste and angels doing it on the clouds), but I'm not phased: it's gonna be an awesome second season with the Kiwi boys.

More new TV fun will follow this Wednesday when LOST comes back. I can't wait to share all of these family friendly shows with my little Peanut. ;)

Weak Midwesterners?

School was canceled today for frigid conditions, and word just come through that we're canceled for tomorrow, too. I'm so happy! This prego won't have to make the days up!

I bet people in Minnesota, Alaska, and Canada laugh at us. I bet they haul A to school through the wind and snow. I bet they think we're pansies. Oh, well. Let them think that. I just got a five day weekend out of the deal. :)

New Smallville Tonight!

After seven seasons, it's finally happened. I'm now caught up to watch Smallville "live" while it airs. I am stoked about tonight's return after a two month hiatus, too. We shall see the aftermath of Chloe's abduction at her wedding. Doomsday was kick A, but I'm not sure how I feel about the formation of the Legion. We'll have to see if they bring the thunder or just really annoy me. I'll try to hold any judgment until the end of the episode.

Twilight News

The Twilight 2-disc special edition DVD will be released on March 21. A friend of mine today said it would be released on Valentine's Day (cause seriously, what would be better than snuggling up and watch a vampire love story on V-day???), but after doing a little amazon research, I've found out the date is March 21. Things change, though. They pushed the release of the film up a month, so maybe they'll realize how much coin they'll get with a Valentine release.

The special edition DVD will include way too many music videos from the soundtrack, deleted scenes, extended scenes, and a couple of documentaries from the NY press junket and ComiCon '08. Just give me the movie! I even remember when I was driving to the theater to see it [the second time] I thought, "Let's see...it takes approximately three months for things to make it to DVD these days. The film will be out of theaters by December. Uh, yeah, I should have it by March." And, I will!

Anyhoo...click HERE to pre-order from amazon. It's 30% off SRP at the online megastore, but if you can't wait for shipping, just run over to your local BB on the big day.

Sailing the Seven Seas

My Hollywood source, Catherine, informs me that...and I can't believe I'm about to type this...NKOTB will be doing a special performance this May...

ON A CRUISE SHIP!

The news was announced this morning, and she texted me tonight. I'm about 12 hours late, but that's pretty good for a middle school teacher in the midwest. ;) The cruise will be from May 15-18--the exact same time someone's baby is due. No ship and show for this mama to be.

OK, OK, I'll say it: I think this would be suh-weet! It would be almost as good as a Disney Cruise! I would make Sissy, Cori, Meg, and said source go with me. We would have so much fun watching the 5 bad boys from the Beantown Land and making fun of all the other losers on the boat. Oh, well. I guess this is just another NKOTB reunion show I'll miss. *sigh*

Tickets go on sale TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 14, and the cruise will be from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to the Bahamas. Ya, mon! Click HERE to see the exclusive announcement from the guys on People.com.

G-Squared

Apparently as a Golden Globe nominee, you have two choices. You can go suave, elegant, and divine, as demonstrated by double winner Kate Winslet:

Or, you can go the trainwreck of the decade route, as chosen by out-of-leftfield Best Actor winner, Mickey [O']Rourke:

I can't figure out which is my favorite part of Mr. Rourke's getup--the sequined scarf or the awesome circa-1995-I-want-to-be-in-Sugar Ray-wallet chain. Both winners did have something in common: unusual acceptance speeches. While Ms. Winslet hemmed and hawed her apologies to all other Best Actress nominees, except Anne Hathaway, Mr. Rourke decide to thank his dogs, because (to paraphrase) sometimes a man who's lonely doesn't have anyone but his dogs. Dandy Kate thanked the two most important men in her world, DiCaps, who's she's loved for the last 13 years, and...uh, what was his name...oh, yeah--HER HUSBAND (who gave her the award winning part). No, she didn't pull a Swank, but it was still rather uncomfortable to hear how much she loved the Leo. (I'm hoping she meant it in a sisterly way...albeit not an Angelina Jolie sisterly way, and YES, I did just pull that skeleton out of the closet.)

All in all, it was a good night of viewing from the Hollywood Foreign Press. I still like this awards show the best, even though John Adams won so many golden statues. (Snooze fest! I'll just watch 1776 if I want to hear about John Adams, cause at least that one's got Mr. Feeny.) As far as fashion goes: Winslet was gorgeous (as already noted), Efron had a totally awesome pube mustache coming in, girlfriend Drew had some awesome puffy peroxide hair, and Ricky Gervais used beer as a unique clutch. Hope you had fun watching, too!

Gear up for Awards Season!

Awards Season officially starts tonight with my favoritest one of all, the Golden Globes! (No, the Critics' Choice Awards on VH-1, hosted by Jason Alexander, did NOT count.) See how many morphing actors you can name before they go by. My favorite morph is Jimmy Stewart to Cary Grant, cause they are my favorites. :)

You Win, Lisa Bonet!

Former Cosby rebel, Lisa Bonet, has a humdinger of a name for her new baby:

Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa

Man! Now that that's taken, I have no idea what to use! Dang her for beating me to the punch. :(

Twilight News

Elvis' birthday and the untimely passing of Todd Morgan pushed this posting to the back edges of my mind, but for those of you not in the know (and I know must of you who read this already are), Summit Entertainment has finally announced that Taylor Lautner will in fact be back as Jacob Black in the upcoming "Twilight" sequel "New Moon."

A lot of critics and fans think Lautner is too baby-faced and petite to play the part of wolfin' out Jacob, but I think he's a perfect fit. He's attractive and boyish enough for Bella to turn to him while Edward has abandoned her (especially when he doesn't have that horrid wig on), and hello, this is an adaptation. The magic of CGI will have him morphing into a huge werewolf with no problem. All the little girls out there have to realize that films will never follow the plot exactly. And, some of Meyer's characters are so much larger than life (Edward's beauty, Jacob's rapidly growing build) that we have to suspend our imaginations when in the local cineplex watching them come to life.

"New Moon" is slated to be released on November 20, 2009...another perfect birthday present for me. Let's just hope this rushed sequel doesn't lose any of the production value of the first installment.

:(

Yesterday was Elvis' birthday, so I decided to partake in a little Larry King Live and watch Priscilla's collagen-filled face in a 30 minute live segment from Graceland. They are now pulling out deeds to Graceland, couch receipts, and original house keys to put on display. Why!?! Seriously, what kind of person wants to look at a deed and say, "Oh, look at Vernon's signature"? But, that's not what this post is about.

"If I Can Dream" closed out the first half of the show, and at the end of the '68 Special montage, a dedication popped up on the screen: "Dedicated to Todd Morgan: 1946-2008." I was deeply saddened.

Who is Todd Morgan? Todd Morgan was the man behind the mast at Graceland. He had worked at Graceland since 1983, and he had helped devolp a lot of the programs, specials, and events at Graceland. To fans, he was known as the Candlelight Vigil emcee. It was reported he died in his sleep of a massive heart attack at the young age of 45 on March 1, 2008. I can't believe I didn't know this; I'm really losing touch.

Will I ever get back to Elvis Week again? I hope so, but it won't be the same. I know my friends who went to the vigil with me will also miss Todd. He was always a friendly face on top of the Graceland podium on August 15. He was so kind, he even paused to take this picture with me during Graceland's biggest Elvis Week ever in 2007 (the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death).

I'm just sad I wasn't there this past year to pay my respects to Mr. Morgan, too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, E!

You all know I couldn't let Elvis' birthday pass without a word! It's E's 74th birthday, so bust out those jumpsuits, crank up the records, and sit in awed silence when listening to "If I Can Dream" and "An American Trilogy." I hope some of you got to partake in TCM's all day Elvis movie marathon. (I almost called in sick this morning, but I didn't find out about it until 7:30, and my school secretary would've killed me.) I'm off to groove to the King of Rock n' Roll and watch some '68 Special...if Husband isn't monopolizing the TV with Battlestar Galactica.

Out with the Old, In with the New WHO

BBC News got it right when they asked, "Who is Matt Smith?" Well, according to the Doctor Who camp, he will try to fill the shoes of immensely popular present Doctor, David Tennant, after this season's run of four Doctor Who specials. The 26-year-old footballer cum actor has accepted the role, and if you click HERE you can read the BBC online article plus see a nifty interview with him and David Tennant.

We here at BBB! are uncertain at best. He's three years younger than us, has foppish Robert Pattinson hair, and is, well, um...not David Tennant. He's the youngest actor to ever step into the role of the Doctor, and for a character so worldly-and other worldly-wise, he'll have to mature quickly. He's already dabbled in the sci-fi world, however, playing opposite Who vet, Billie Piper, in BBC Two's Philip Pullman adaptations "Ruby in the Smoke" and "The Shadow in the North." I guess we'll just have to wait until 2010 to see if he really can exude the confidence and self-assurance that everyone's favorite Time Lord must conjure on a weekly basis.

Happy New Year

Well, you all know by now that I'm a Bah Humbug when it comes to New Year. It's not that I don't want to look forward, it's just that I don't want Christmas to be over (and I REALLY don't want to go back to work this year). I've paused, assessed the situation, and I've come up with a list of things to look forward to in aught-9. Here we go........

1. Peanut's coming...and she's a GIRL! She'll be here in 4 1/2 months. How time flies!

2. We're rearranging! Yes, like Monica in Friends, nothing gets me more excited than cleaning and rearranging furniture. For those of you who are far away: the 'puter's in the dining room corner, as is the old beast TV and Wii. Really, who needs to use a dining room table when God created TV trays?

3. 24's back on January 11! After last season's writers' strike and just finishing Season 4 in less than a week, I'm totally ready for Jack to make Jon Voight his, well, uh (this is PG), witch? Yeah, that'll have to do.

4. LOST is coming, too! My brother's given up, but I'm still watching. I lurve me some Hurley!

5. There's a nursery to construct! Did you see #2? I'm totally stoked about this adventure! I think we've got a color almost picked out, and I saw a Classic Pooh Pack 'n Play at Target yesterday! Yippee!!!

6. New recipes to try! I get daily e-mails from a site called BabyFit, and they give me free recipes everyday! Tonight we'll be sampling the Spicy BBQ Chicken. Oh, baby! (No pun intended.)

OK, the list is only 6 items long, but it's a start! Hope your New Year is off to a good start!