Fire and bubbles and smoke rings, OH MY!

Normally, when I write a review of something, I try to keep it from being too "review-ish". That is to say, I'll write a summary of a product or service I've been offered through my blog by telling my own story that includes information about that product, service, or concert. I try to provide an authentic, organic, real-life review of my experiences, and not just a "gee this was great!" review.

But sometimes, things just are what they are.

Sometimes someone emails you and offers you tickets to a show in exchange for writing a few posts on your blog. And sometimes that show is just really awesome and there's nothing to say other than that.

Sometimes the stage of that show fills half an auditorium and the set of that show is not props and scenery pieces that get moved around but rather lighting...like in the way movie theatres shine their projectors onto a movie screen...the scenery of the Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular was shone onto the backdrop and floor and changed repeatedly throughout the performance...sometimes even as a character was turning around.

Sound cheesy? It was anything BUT. The other spectacular thing this stage show included was that the actors and actresses all spent lots of time in harnesses, suspended high above the stage. Combine those together and you get an entire sequence where the main character was interacting with the scenery and walking on the wall.

You might not be able to see it well, (probably the reason they ask you not to take pictures - they do the show no justice!) but the actor is in the middle near the tree. He was being suspended from above by a harness, "walking" along the path until he came to that tree. Then the chunk of land where the tree is collapsed and it appeared as though he grabbed onto the land on the other side to save himself. SO COOL.

There were scenes that appeared to be underwater (with real bubbles!) and other scenes that were mid-air. And there was fire. REAL fire.

Oh - and the dragons! I got halfway through this post and am just NOW talking about the dragons? Yikes. They were the main draw! There were enormous dragons that flew through the air (sometimes with human cast members on their backs!) and dragons that walked and hopped across the floor seemingly independently. Some breathed fire and some blew smoke rings. My boys were constantly turning to me, whispering excitedly, "MOM! DID YOU SEE THAT?!?"

I had a friend who just happened to have tickets to the Saturday afternoon show text me in advance and ask, "What was your favorite part?"

My answer? "The whole thing!"

Seriously - this show is still coming to several cities, so if it will be anywhere near you I highly recommend it. You can still get 25% off any weeknight performance in any city (Friday nights included). Just enter the code MOM in the promo/special offer box.

We all totally dug it.

I wanna be a cowboy, baybee... (a.k.a. That time my friend touched a celebrity's ass.)

So Country Financial emailed me and asked if I'd be their blogger for the Jason Aldean show in Madison and I excitedly accepted. I mean, a night out, an opportunity to go backstage, meet a celebrity AND get to go to a free concert? With one of my oldest and dearest friends? YES PLEASE.

We were like giggly little high school girls again.



Me & Steph, before the backstage show

Literally.

See what happens when you don't get out often and you're given a Sharpie and big ol' empty poster to write on?
Yeah.

We headed out west, into the sunset and made it to Madison in plenty of time for the show. We were ushered into a small room, where a stage stood waiting for our backstage show. Before he answered questions and performed, every one had an opportunity to have their picture taken with Jason, and Steph and I got in line.

I will say this for Mr. Aldean - he was very easy going, very welcoming in a "Y'all come on in" sort of way. So Steph and I, we walk into the little curtained off area where the pictures were being taken, and he shook our hands and introduced himself, leaning in to catch our names. It seemed natural that we looped our arms behind his back and got in close for the photo.

It just wouldn't be "country" enough without the beer bottles in there.

After we walked out, I said to Steph, "Maybe that wasn't cool, putting our arms around him like that," but she wasn't listening. Her face was red and she was giggling.

"What?"

"I TOUCHED HIS BUTT."

"What?!? You groped him?!?"

"No! When I went to put my arm around him I like, kinda just accidentally BRUSHED his butt with my arm."

"An accidental butt-rubbage?"

"Yeah."

"Baloney!"

I went on to tease her some more and we had a good laugh about it. Mrs. Aldean? Steph swears it was an accident. She's pretty honest. Most of the time.

He answered questions from the crowd, where it was hard to miss a grade-school aged girl in the very middle of the front row. She excitedly waved her hand in the air, and when called on, asked him how he got started in music. I don't remember exactly what he said, but moments later, he and two of his band members played an acoustic version of Big Green Tractor. When they were done, he thanked us for coming and said he hoped we enjoyed the show.

Then he leaned down, to that little girl in the front row, and handed her his guitar pick.

That little girl was so excited she cried. It was the coolest thing for him to have done that.

Now...I will admit that originally I didn't know many of Jason Aldean's songs. Honestly, I looked some of them up on YouTube before the concert. Some I knew but didn't know they were by him, others were totally new to me. BUT...that concert last Thursday night was honestly one of the rockin'-est, most entertaining shows I've ever been to. (And that's saying a lot - this Milwaukee girl has been to quite a few, given that the Summerfest grounds are a stone's throw from my office and I've seen bands like Aerosmith and Cheap Trick in concert.) Jason Aldean has a few more stops left on his tour this fall, and I recommend you pick up tickets if he'll be anywhere near your area.

If he won't, you can still head over to the Country Financial Road Trips and Guitar Picks site and play a game or two to win free downloads of music by Jason or Jewel.

Its not as good as touching a country star's butt, but its pretty darn close.

Finally! A reason to dust of my ol' cowboy boots.

Yeah, I'm a northern gal. But yep, I got 'em.

It was more than two years ago that I wrote my "100 Things About Me" post, and in it, I mentioned that I like country music. I like all kinds of music, and I find it funny that many people, when asked, will immediatly declare they do NOT like country.

Whatever, dudes.

I will admit, though, that most of the country music I like is a bit more rock infused, like this:

"Hell why drive when you can stay with me?"

So it was in great delight that I "SQUEEED!" when the folks at Country Financial emailed me again, asking if I'd like to go see Jason Aldean's concert in Madison this week.

Uh, that'd be a big yeah.

So Thursday afternoon I'm headed west (well, a teensie bit west anyway) on a little road trip to see Jason Aldean play at the Alliant Energy Center. Want to win a free download of one of Jason's songs? Head over to the Road Trips and Guitar Picks Web site and play a little game and you can win one!

Now, only if we could be lucky enough to score as much time with Jason as I did with Jewel...

Spoiled Mommy...

If you've read just about any post on my blog, you'll know that I'm a music lover. I have to have my music. At work, in the car, while walking...there is a soundtrack that accompanies my life, albeit usually not as cool as that might sound.

Back when I was a naive 18-year-old and a freshman in college, I "took advantage" of all the credit card offers that filled my tiny little box in the on-campus mail room. I quickly found, that most likely due to my "higher earning potential" after having some college experience (like three weeks), that I got new offers every day. (I will say I didn't go too buck wild, but I did have a J Crew card. Therefore, I was teh awesome.)

One of the offers I jumped on in that pre-mp3 world was an application to join a music club. You know the kind - 27 free CDs but then you had to send back the little card saying you didn't want Michael Bolton's Greatest Hits or they'd bill you $29.95 for it.

One of the first CDs I ordered was Jewel's Pieces of You. I loved that CD. I mean, what self respecting emo teenager WOULDN'T fall in love with "Who Will Save Your Soul"?

So imagine my delight when someone emailed me last week and asked if I might want to SEE Jewel in concert in Milwaukee? And meet her during a special backstage performance? I admit - I actually squeed like a girl. (Milwaukee people - you can still get tickets!)

So a friend and I are heading to the Pabst Theater tonight to see Jewel with special guest Kip Moore. Not only are we going to a magnificent historical theater to see a great show, we are doing it SANS KIDS. (If you want to be jealous of anything, be jealous of that.)

A really cool Web site has been set up with more information on the concert series, sponsored by Country Finanacial. You can enter to win tickets to a "flyaway package" or instantly win free music downloads.

Check the Web site for tour dates in your city. Even if you can't make the show, I promise to post pictures soon so that you can live vicariously. Hee...

Book review

A few weeks ago I was given Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge to read and review. Like the voracious reader I am, I began reading it right away. Like the posting procrastinator I am, I'm just writing this up now.

The story begins when sisters Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are young, living in a cheap motel with their drug-addicted mother. When Lindsay is 12 and Kerrie Ann just three, they're taken from their mother. Lindsay, who was more a mother-figure to her sister than their mother ever was, was adopted by loving parents. Kerrie Ann wasn't as lucky and spent her childhood in a series of foster homes.

Years later, both adults, Lindsay has been searching for her sister. She doesn't have much luck until the day Kerrie Ann appears in her bookstore, looking for a relative to help her get back on her feet. A newly recovering addict, Kerrie Ann has let history repeat itself when her own daughter was taken from her.

The story goes on to describe how the relationship develops between the two women throughout Kerrie Ann's legal battles, and one of Lindsay's own.

I have to say it was a good story and I found myself relating a lot to Lindsay. (Not that I've ever had or lost a sister, but that I was the older kid who ended up taking care of the younger kids.)

But the one thing that bothered me about Blue Moon was how easily Kerrie Ann seemed to flip from being a recent addict with all the shakiness that implies into a life with a steady job, family and home life. In reality, such transitions are very hard, even when approaching them one at a time. If we are to believe Goudge's work, Kerrie Ann made this transition with only a few tiffs with her sister over showing too much cleavage.

Once in a Blue Moon is now available in stores.

Time warp.

I was in the car alone today when I heard that song again.

I've heard it HUNDREDS of times since that day I first met you. But something - the time of day, the time of the month - something made me instantly remember what it felt like to be that uncertain fourteen-year-old girl again. That girl who had no idea as to the potential she possessed, the beauty others might see, the strength she would find -- all within her rail-thin, awkwardly tall body.

I remembered what it felt like to have an entire summer stretch out in front of me -- hot and stifling in its humidity and lack of activity. Weeks would go by when the only thing I had to look forward to were the days I could somehow get out of caring for my brothers and have a few hours to myself. I always felt guilty about that stolen time - it meant that more than likely, my younger siblings weren't really being watched after at all.

I remembered that feeling of uncertainty I had about everything in my life...would I be popular in high school? Would I be smart? Would I be successful? Would I have a family of my own, with whom I'd have a chance to do so many more things RIGHT?

Would I ever NOT BE POOR?

And just as instantly I realized that in some way, THAT song was a keystone in my life...it bridged the gap between then and now...it had been speaking to me all along but there was no way, at fourteen, I could understand what it was telling me.

YOU are the salve that has soothed away all of the uncertainty. YOU make me feel confident, and powerful, and beautiful. And blessed. That day I met you, the day I first heard that song, I had no way of knowing that the cocky dark-haired skater-boy would be the man who'd love me in spite of all of my awkwardness, and support me when I was most vulnerable.

I had no way of knowing that YOU would give purpose to my days and be my biggest supporter.

I realize that through whatever new things we are facing as we move into this next chapter in our lives?

I'm certain we'll find a NEW song, together.

We just may not know which song it is until we're old and gray.

You know, as we watch each other's limbs fall off. ;-)

Absolutely Random

I have a few serious posts I've started lately, just no gumption to actually finish them. So here's a bunch of crap that's on my mind.

1) I'm glad its finally spring here in Wisconsin, but this 40 degree rainy crap is for the birds. Summer...where are you?!?

With summer in Milwaukee comes summer festivals. C'est moi at German Fest last year. See how fun it is?

2) My blog shows up on the first page of Google search results for 'Mommy ghetto booty'. Go ahead - try it. While some may consider it an honor to make the first page of search results for anything other than your blog name, I don't know how happy I am about the company I'm keeping there.

3) My boss read my post about commercials the other day and had his own recommendation. Neither of us could find it in English, but...well...you'll still get the point.

4) Mom Dot is having a goofy, fun America's Next Top Blogger contest and I put my name in the hat to play along. On the single, solitary ONLY DAY EVER that I go to bed early with my hubby {wonka, wonka} they choose me to be one of the 20 lucky players and I get e-freakin'-liminated in the first round.

Damn.

(In no way do I mean that this is Mom Dot's fault, just showing that once again...my luck stinks.)

5) I was just watching last week's episode of my all-time favorite series Rescue Me and saw a preview for a movie I cannot wait to see.

Cuz I'm like a 14-year-old boy that way.

6) And last but well, last, I just have to share, one more time, my Facebook status from the other night, because it...well...read it.

He was totally fine. No burns - just shaken a bit. And I shook, too...as I laughed my arse off at the whole situation. Because if I don't laugh when things like that happen to me...dood...I'd be rocking by myself in the corner.

For more great photos, check out Marcy Writes and The Mom Jen.

Because sometimes I just want to share how I feel about completely inane things.

I loves me a good commercial.


We love that "super delicious" girl in our house. She reminds me of Olive from Little Miss Sunshine.



And this one's got an ANNOYING song but somehow its also catchy, youknowhutimean?



And...this one's just WRONG.



Have you got a commercial you just love?

"You know what your problem is, it's that you haven't seen enough movies - all of life's riddles are answered in the movies."

-- Steve Martin, Grand Canyon

Last week, Jay and I had the opportunity to go see a movie in the theatre.

The last time that happened? Was probably before we had kids.

There's something to be said for going to see a movie in a theatre...sitting in the dark, in front of a screen that fills your entire field of vision, stuffing your face with popcorn and drinking a vat of soda.

There's a new theatre in our area, too. Its purty.

by richritter44 on Flickr

You can see this place from the freeway, and every time we pass it, Nick yells, "MOM! LOOK AT THAT MOVIE STORE!!! I WANNA GO THERE!"

It is cool looking, and its been awhile since we took him out to a movie. Besides, there are so many movies out that are good for kids there are actually a few I want to see myself.

So I've been thinking I'll take Nick to "the movie store" and have a Mommy-son date night.

Have you seen the previews for Inkheart? Its an action adventure/fantasy based on Cornelia Funke's book trilogy wherein a Dad brings characters to life when he reads stories out loud.

It looks almost "Lord of the Rings-esque" which is enough to sell me, but adding Brendan Fraser to the cast was the icing on the cake.

The movie comes out in theatres on January 23rd. Sounds like a good cold-weather activity to me! Not sure who'll like it more...

My love affair

Dear Important People at TLC:

You got me.

I'm hooked, and so are my kids.

Your shows about really big families? Love 'em. I watch them like I'm cramming for a final. If those people can stay (somewhat) sane while dealing with eight, ten or SEVENTEEN kids, well hot damn I can deal with two!

I can't tell you how many times I've stopped an oncoming temper tantrum with, "Can the kids on Jon & Kate + Eight do that?" ("No, mama.") Somehow that resets the scales and shows him I'm not just being mean.

And in September, when the boys were in that commercial? Nick reached a point when he didn't want the cameras in his face anymore. All I had to say was, "Hey - you're just like those kids on Jon & Kate!!! They have cameras around all the time..." The big smiles re-emerged and he was ready to ham it up some more.

We love Little People Big World (though if you ask Nick, its Little Big World). I wish we had a big-ass pumpkin farm on which to raise our family. That Matt Roloff is one crazy dude with all his projects. But at least they get completed. *cough cough*

I want Mike Holmes to come and finish aforementioned projects and make sure there's no black mold growing in my bathroom. Then I want to find the cool-ass neighbors I never knew I had and have them come decorate my house. Cuz it needs it, y'all.

I want to take home the chef so my kids won't have to eat plain pork chops and scalloped potatoes from a box mix. (And that's what I make on a good day.)

I could go on and on about my Stacy and Clinton fantasies but I'll stop there.

I just thought I'd write this, Important People at TLC, to let you know...

...you had me at The New Detectives.

Seriously, Important People at TLC, if you read this, I might just let you adveritse on my blog if you ask nicely. Or pay me to write up reviews on your shows. Cuz my love for you runs that deeply. Just ask my hubby.

Talkin' 'bout my generation...

When MTV first aired on August 1, 1981, I was about three and a half years old. It was probably some time later that winter that I first saw it. Its one of the earliest memories I have.

Back in those days, I had only one brother (not three) and my Mom worked nights at a restaurant. Al and I stayed at home with Dad, and there was another guy who lived upstairs in our apartment building in a similar situation. I don't remember his wife at all, but I remember playing with his two boys (Duane and Derek).

We'd go upstairs to their apartment at night and would be told to go play in the bedroom. The four of us would toddle off to play Matchbox cars and whatever else, only to wander out later into a cloud of funny smelling smoke and a blaring stereo.

One night, the TV was on. Usually Dad and the neighbor played cards and drank beer, often with other friends, and this was unusual. I remember walking up to the TV and sitting down in front it it, super close the way kids did back when the TV sets were huge and were set on the floor.

This is the video I remember seeing. I asked my Dad why that guy was dressed like a woman and he and his friends laughed like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. (Mick Jagger was the guy I meant. Looking at this now I just think its the lamest video ever made.)

Later, MTV became a huge part of my life. We never had enough money to have cable at our house, but it was easy enough to get to friends' houses after school to watch my fill. The videos were cool, but it was their other shows that really defined my youth.

First it was Remote Control. Then Beavis and Butthead, the Real World and Daria. My friends and I spent hours watching videos like this one:

GOD I loved Whitfield Crane!

and this one:

Now MTV is just a bunch of crap reality TV. So sad...(or am I just old?)

Tell me...were YOU part of the MTV Generation?

The Sound of Music

New here? Check out the rules for Flashback Friday here. Link up any flashback post you may have written, and please use a permalink in Mr. Linky below. Thanks!

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I am a huge music fan. There has always been an eclectic sound track to my life comprised of songs from every genre - I hear a song on the radio and it immediately takes me back. I can remember how I felt when I was of whatever age that song was popular.

I've told stories about what songs were part of my life in some of these Flashback posts already, like in this one where I told you about meeting my hubby and this one where I told you about the Homecoming dance we went to in 9th grade. I could easily do a month's worth of posts showcasing one song a day and reminisce about where I was and what I was doing that made each song significant to me.

Today? I'm-a takin' you waaay back to 1989. It somewhat scares me that this memory is nearly 20 years old, but then, I guess I know I'm that old.

In the sixth grade, my best friend's name was Lois Bielefeld (hi Lois - if you find me, drop me a note!). We actually had our own little Babysitter's Club (yes, inspired by the popular book series that we read and traded with each other) and had real clients who contacted us with real sitting jobs. We thought we were so cool.

Looking back now, I'd shoot my eleven-year-old for putting up flyers in the grocery store with little rip-off-ready tabs making our home phone number easy access for anyone who wanted it. At the time it wasn't so big a deal (though I *am* surprised none of our parents had a problem with it). We thought we were real entrepreneurs, and you know, we were.

The summer after sixth grade was a real rocky one for me. My parents were going through a divorce and I hadn't told any of my friends about it. I don't know why now, but I had been a Catholic school girl up until 6th grade and no one I knew had gone through that before. We were poor and my parents were so wrapped up in their own dramas they weren't really there for me.

So the baby-sitting thing was my escape. I felt grown up and important and made money doing it. I was a good baby-sitter - I had three little brothers (the youngest of which was two at the time) and plenty of experience. I even went through the Red Cross program so I knew first aid and basic CPR.

The money Lois and I and our other friends made that summer was squandered by most of the girls on, well, I don't remember what, but I had a box in my bedroom that was duct-taped shut with just a slit in the top where I'd drop money in, knowing for sure no little brother was going to take it back out.

I saved up enough money to go to Girl Scout Camp for a week. I remember the other girls there complaining about how their parents made them go, and some didn't really like it. I kept my mouth shut about how I'd worked so hard for the get-away.

When I got back from camp I had enough money left to go to a local festival with Lois. We rode the rides, singing Bust A Move by Young MC - one of the first songs I ever knew by heart. I remember we argued over the lyrics, and recorded the song off the radio by holding a tape recorder in front of it. We rewound and rewound and rewound that cassett so many times trying to catch what he was singing that the situation became helpless.

So what music takes you back? Can't wait to hear about it!

Truly a classic

It seems YouTube has restricted embedding of this video, but for today's "I'm-on-vacation-so-my-blog's-on-vacation-too" post I'm recommending that you go watch Michael Jackson's original Thriller video.

Its as good as you remember it!

Funny enough to entertain me AND the 3-yr-old

Don't know if any of you are "How I Met Your Mother" fans, but this clip appeared in last week's episode. I ♥ DVR. Nick and I laughed out loud each of the three times we watched it. Just in case the embedded video doesn't work, you can watch it on the CBS site.

Soooo much better than the 10th grade

In the 10th grade, I was a slacker. I displayed a lot of the usual 16-year-old tendencies, one being disrespect for authority. My 10th grade English teacher really helped me on that front.

For some unknown reason, she set up her classroom with our desks in groups of four. Each of the desks faced each other with the top edges touching. I think she was attempting a "group participation" strategy, but all she really did was give us an excellent way to pass notes and giggle and flirt with each other.

One of the books we had to read that year was Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. He's now one of my favorite authors, but at the time it was another piece of crap that I didn't want to read. Most likely I skimmed it, and caught up on the rest just before a quiz by passing aforementioned notes to the others in my "group" saying, "What happened after blah blah blah...?"

I remember the day we had to watch the movie. The original, made in 1971, was horrible. I remember laughing - this was the epitome of the "B" movie. Unknown actors, bad special effects, crappy acting. There was a scene with brief nudity - our teacher stood in front of the "TV-on-a-cart" and held a file folder over a portion of the screen.

In retrospect the story was still good. A satellite crashes from outer space and brings with it an alien micro-organism that begins to kill everyone it touches by instantly coagulating their blood. All of it. Turned to sludge. Biggest problem? The organism continues to mutate, keeping scientists from being able to stop it.

Guess what? A&E is remaking it. And, meee-yowww, starring Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack and Ricky Schroder. It premiers on Memorial Day, 9/8c.

You'd better believe my DVR is catching that one for me!

Vintage Thingies...I'm late for Thursday!

So, as I mentioned to the Apron Queen in a comment yesterday, I wasn't having the easiest time complying with her tag to participate in her meme, Vintage Thingies Thursday:

1) I don't really own a whole lot of vintage ANYTHING, unless you count the
appliances that came with our house when we bought it that we've kept "just in
case" in the basement.
2) But I *did* buy a Campbell's Soup ad from the Feb 1930 issue of a needlepoint magazine in Door County many years ago that's been in its protective plastic sleeve ever since.
3) I took pictures of said ad (featuring Ox Tail and Mock Turtle Soup, no less!) yesterday.
4) Then I accidentally reformatted the memory card. I just about cried. Thank GOD my tackle on Tuesday involved taking photos off the camera.
5) Took the photos AGAIN only to see the red battery light flashing.
6) Put the battery in the charger.
7) Brought the camera to work w/o the battery.
8) Did a Homer-esque "D'OH!" when I realized why the camera wouldn't turn on when I pressed the power button this morning.

Finally, without further ado, here are photos of the Campbell's Soup ad from the February, 1930 issue of Needlepoint magazine. (It's approx. 12" x 18", far too big for my scanner.)

Full ad

Close up - mmm...Mutton soup.

The crap I've been watching

Perhaps not surprisingly, I've been watching very little TV lately, despite the weather that's kept me indoors. (OK, I should reword that - "Adult" TV. And by "adult" I do not mean the "bowm-chicka-wow-wow" type. I just mean not cartoons. Or Blues Clues. Or Sesame Street.) I did not watch the Grammys. I rarely watch awards shows. But I didn't watch the Pro Bowl, either. That's not really sports, anyway. I *did* watch American Gladiator last night. It took me all of four minutes to declare it was the worst crap I'd ever seen on TV. (That man Wolf takes his role waaay too seriously. Doesn't his mullet SCREAM of needing to prove his manliness?)

So, for no other reason than because I want to, here are five of my guiltiest TV pleasures, proving that my review of American Gladiator may really hold no merit.

1) My Big Redneck Wedding, CMT
I originally loved My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding and Bridezillas, but this show takes the concept to a whole new level. Instead of watching spoiled daddy's girls spend $4 mil on chocolate fountains and hand-made chandeliers, you can watch daddy's little redneck spend $40 on a new matress for matress surfing.

2) MXC, Spike
If you don't know about MXC already, here's a recap. Japanese game show + English voice overs = HYSTERICAL TV. When I say game show I mean people doing ridiculous physical stunts. Think - person in a velcro suit vaulting over a pond of dirty water trying to stick to a velcro wall on the other side. Hilarity ensues. Watch it.

3) Jon & Kate Plus Eight, TLC
If you don't know of Jon & Kate yet, they have twin 7-yr-old girls and 3-yr-old sextuplets. Kate is a bit anal to say the least, but if that's all she has to show for dealing with all those kids every day, I say "Go witchyo self, woman!" I'm like that some days and I only have two.

4) Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Travel Channel
Bad-attitude chef travels & eats. Somehow its a great combo for me - I like this along with Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. Can't really say why.

5) Sex and the City, TBS
When TBS bought the rights to show re-runs of this and The Sopranos, I thought, "What a gip!" How could they possibly do justice to two great shows and take out all of the stuff that made them great? Well, enter the writers' strike and look what I'm reduced to. Still good, but probably because I remember all the stuff they cut out.

Oh, and next week's gem? My Dad is Better than Your Dad. Could be real funny - let's hope some overzealous dads get hurt. Did I say that?