Just in case you missed it:
Web Bytes: The Ricky Gervais Show
Allow me give you, dear reader, a piece of life advice: If you are ever feeling down, plug in the headphones and give The Ricky Gervais Show a listen. Now, I a know that this podcast originally aired back in 2005 or so and that this is hardly current or cutting edge advice, but no matter. I have now listened to all of the episodes several times and it still never fails to slay me with laughter every time.
The basic format is Ricky Gervais and his collaborator Stephen Merchant sitting in a room and picking the brain of their odd little idiot savant, Karl Pilkington. He has the strangest life perspective and Merchant and Gervais spend the entire show making fun of him. It sounds mean, and sometimes it is, but I still laugh. The podcast has now expanded into TV Shows (the animated Ricky Gervais Show and Idiot Abroad), but I still like to go back to roots and give the old podcasts a listen.
This week, for example, has been completely wretched at work. Yesterday one of the episodes came on during my a shuffle on my iPhone. Within a few minutes, I was stifling laughter, albeit not very well because my co-worker finally had to ask what I found so funny.
If this flew under your radar, I highly suggest you get your hands on some episodes and give it a listen when you are having a bad day. In the meantime, check out a clip of the animated show below.
– Ellen
Anglophiles Anonymous: Ripper Street
As per tradition in my family, my Easter basket this year was filled with candy and a DVD. Because my mom gets me, she got me a BBC series, which have been sadly lacking from my life now that I no longer have BBC America, called Ripper Street.
I publish this post knowing that I am way behind the times seeing as how this aired a while ago, but in the likelihood that it flew under some radars, I have to recommend this one. It takes place right at the height of Jack the Ripper Mania in London.
Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, played by Matthew Macfadyen with his adorable face and lovely, deep voice, heads up the Whitechapel H Division but struggles with never having caught the infamous Jack the Ripper. The series follows Reid and his crew as they solve cases in a time that was seeing strides in explosives, forensic science, and new forms of debauchery.
It is all kinds of creepy, good fun! It’s Sherlock Holmes meets CSI, in the best way possible. If this sounds like something that is up your alley, I am going to have to insist that you check it out.
– Ellen
Fangirly Crush of the Week: Anthony Jeselnik
This weeks crush is Anthony Jeselnik, a writer and comedian who vaguely reminds me of that guy we all knew in high school. You know, the guy who was a total jerk, but also really smart and super smokin’, so you secretly had the hots for him anyway? If you like your comedy to be cringe-worthy, you should watch his new show The Jeselnik Offensive on Comedy Central. Here’s a pretty hilarious clip to show you what I’m talking about…
-Whitney
Get With the Program: Mr. Selfridge
I don’t want to say I told you so, but I totally told you so. In a previous post I predicted that this Jeremy Piven period dramedy was going to rule, and after watching two episodes I can safely say that it does. Here’s why:
1) An American in an ITV drama? Awesome!
Not only is the titular character an American, he’s played by an American actor. And if there is one thing that we yanks love, it’s outsourcing, making this show something of a win-win for American audiences. Also, can we address how smokin’ hot JP is looking these days? The 20th century is totally agreeing with him…
2) Frances. Friggen. O’Connor.
It’s no secret that Frances O’Connor is one of my favorite ladies on Earth (somewhere between Billie Piper and Eleanor Roosevelt). So when I found out that she had a pretty decent sized part in Mr. Selfridge I was pretty much sold. Let me break it down for you in mathematical terms: Frances O’Connor is wonderful, therefore by the transitive property of TV, this show is wonderful.
3) Finally, some likeable characters!
I know it’s early days, but I’m finding all the principle characters engaging and (for the most part) likeable. For some reason, I expected this show to be Mad Men: UK, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.I’m not saying that they’re not flawed, but it’s nice to find a show with characters you can actually root for. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good anti-hero as much as the next single gal, but it’s refreshing to find a show that is going in a different direction.
What do you thing? Agree? Disagree? If you’ve got a comment, I know where you can stick it! (In the comment section…)
-Whitney
Fangirly Makeover: How to get the Zooey Deschanel Look!
We love everything about Fox’s New Girl. Nick is a turtle-faced fox, Winston is the best friend we never knew we needed, Schmidt is a walking tutorial on how not to behave, and Jess is the style guru we fangirls have been waiting for. This week, not only are we going to show you how to get Jess’ look, we’re going to show you how to make it your own.
Eyewear: When trying to look like America’s Queen of Quirk, accessorizing is key. And, as every good New Girl fan knows, Jess’ fav accessory is a super cute pair of glasses. So to all my myopic sisters out there, ditch the contacts and sport those specs! To really make it your own, why not go for a cool monocle? It’s the perfect blend of sass and class.
Dresses: If you’re anything like me, you covet every dress that Deschanel has ever worn. But how does a fangirl on a budget get her paws on cute frocks without having to sell an organ or competing on a reality TV show? I’ll tell ya how: Modcloth! They’ve got a pretty great selection of cute dresses that are guarenteed to help you access your inner quirky girl!
Leg wear: It’s simple folks. Wear tights with everything. There is no situation too formal for tights. Got a big meeting coming up? Slap on some tights under your favorite pantsuit and then- this is important- DITCH THE PANTS. It’s a classic example of business on top, party on the bottom. Your coworkers will admire your moxy and your sexy gams.
Attitude: A key element to Jess’ look is plenty of confidence. So go on, sister-friend. Put on your new outfit (complete with brand new monocle) and work it. If you follow our advice, I promise that all the Nick Millers in your life will be beating down your door. And it will probably look a lot like this…
-Whitney
Fangirly Investigates: When to Give Up on a Show
Lately, I have been beset with a most alarming problem in that getting myself to catch up on all of my shows has become somewhat of… a chore. Believe me, no one is more surprised than myself, but as my DVR and Hulu queue become more full, I become less inclined to catch up with a large percentage of my shows.
The question I now pose is: Does this mean I need to give up those shows? There are still a select few that I watch that night or at least the next day (New Girl, Parks and Rec, Happy Endings). Coincidentally, the shows that have begun to feel like homework are all shows that are generally regarded to be waning in their quality as of late (Revenge, Vampire Diaries, etc.) and I know that I am not the only person out there who is losing interest. But I also know, that shows can come back with an exhilarating vengeance and that it could be just some weird mood on my part that is causing my ennui.
What is a TV lover to do? When do you give up on shows that you once loved?
–Ellen
Web Bytes: Garfunkel and Oates
I love babies and pregnant women are awesome, but that doesn’t change the fact that this song is hilarious.
-Whitney
Fangirly Crush of the Week: Cary Grant
As previously discussed on this blog, Whitney and I are cousins. On a recent visit with our Grandpa, he complained that we talk about people he has never heard of and he can never tell “what the hell [we] are talking about”. So, to appease our grandpa, I chose Cary Grant as our crush of the week.
He sure is a smart-looking beau. In a perfect world, we would go steady, he would pin me, and I’d be his dame. He really is the cat’s meow. Golly gee, he really gets my motor revvin’. And best of all, he ain’t no chump and he ain’t no skirt chaser. Cary Grant is the kind of guy who would treat you like a lady. He really is the bee’s knees.
Am I talking your language, Grandpa?
– Ellen
In with the Old: The Sandlot
Baseball season. The smell of freshly cut grass, the taste of peanuts and Cracker Jack, the sound of the crowd roaring in the stadiums. But for this girl, the best part of baseball season is the yearning I get to watch The Sandlot. Granted, this is coming from the girl who spent a good portion of a Dodgers game analyzing the Padres right fielder’s butt, but everything I know about baseball, I learned from The Sandlot. How else is a 7-year old to learn who the “Great Bambino” is?
If you’re reading this post, you probably don’t need me to tell you what a great movie it is, but it’s a great movie. It’s one of those rare family movies that the whole family can actually enjoy. We must have watched it at least 100 times (no joke) in my family. It’s the only way to explain why I can still quote the entire movie. And why I still think that Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez is the perfect man.
More than anything, I love Sandlot for it’s heart. There are few movies that capture childhood as well as this movie. It only makes me sad that kids don’t seem to have summers like that anymore, running around the neighborhood getting up to antics kids get up to. Blame it on To Catch a Predator, kids with iPads, or whatever it is we are blaming these sorts of things on these days.
So here’s to summers of big dogs, throwing up on Scramblers, Wendy Peffercorn, playing ball “like a girl”, S’mores, and shaving your dog’s butt and teaching it to walk backwards.
Don’t lie. You want to watch Sandlot now, right? Don’t be ashamed, it doesn’t take much for me either.
– Ellen
Web Bytes: Karen Gillan for z’Ombeal
Coming to a zombie apocalypse near you!
-Whitney
Dinner and a Show: Whitney’s TV Themed Meal Plan
Eating is such a drag (said nobody, ever). If you’re looking for a way to spice up your weekend meals, look no further than our Fangirly Meal Plan, designed to help you literally live, breathe, and eat TV.
Friday
Thanks to some shady scheduling, ABC’s Happy Endings is now on Fridays, and in honor of the show’s gorgeous garbage gut Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), we’ll be eating nothing but ribs. Seriously. Just ribs. And if by the end of the meal you DON’T look like you just took down a live cow with your teeth and bare hands, you’re probably not doing it right.
Saturday
Every good geek knows that Saturday is Doctor Who day, or as Ellen and I like to call it, the Nerd Sabbath. We’ll be commemorating our favorite show with a special dish, Fish Fingers and Custard! It is quite literally just fish sticks and pudding. If that is a little “Too Who for You” then here is a super cute Fish Stick Cookie and Vanilla Pudding recipe, from Bakingdom.com. (Side note: how does Matt Smith manage to make pre-packaged seafood look so sexy?)
Sunday
Let’s close our weekend on a classy note, shall we? Sundays are all about the Masterpiece Classic, so we will be eating like our cousins from across the pond. What does that mean, exactly? I’m not really sure. What I do know is that what you eat is far less important than how you eat it. First, set the table so that each place setting has about a zillion plates, forks, and glasses. Second, be sure to have a very intense conversation during your meal that is frequently punctuated by zingy quips from an old woman. Finally, find someone to serve you your meal, preferably someone who is dealing with their own drama, thank you very much.
-Whitney
Run-On Sentence Reviews: Admission
I went into this thinking “Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, my girlfriend and boyfriend in one movie, what could possibly go wrong?” and while nothing necessarily went wrong, per se, there wasn’t anything that went crazy right either and that left me a little sad inside because while Paul Rudd was adorable as ever this was pretty much my dream team cast and it didn’t live up to expectations but I would recommend that if you go see it to know that it is NOT a comedy but more of a drama with somewhat humorous moments because everyone I went with was expecting it to be a laugh a minute and that will only lead to extreme disappointment.
Verdict: Meh. You can wait for Redbox.
– Ellen
Whitney’s Application to be the New Doctor Who Companion
For the record, I think that Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) is the coolest, smartest, least irritating Doctor Who companion since Donna Noble. However, just because I wholeheartedly approve of the Doctor’s latest choice of BFF doesn’t mean I wouldn’t kill to have the job myself. And because Time Lord traveling companion jobs are so hard to come by these days, I thought I’d submit my application in the event that Clara gets sucked through a hole in the space-time continuum, or gets zapped by the Silence, or sprains an ankle and has to go on disability (all equally plausible on this show).
Name: Whitney
Desired Position: Must… resist urge… to write… euphemism…
Education History: Have seen every episode of Doctor Who at least five times, well versed in the Doctor’s Rules, extensive knowledge of…. Oh, you mean like, school? My bad.
Employment History: Server in a Mexican restaurant. Which, frankly, isn’t any less cool than being a shop girl (Rose), or a temp (Donna), or a resurrecting nanny with the computer hacking skills of Nolan Ross and the baking skills of Paula Dean (Clara). Actually, forget about that last one…
Why I would be right for the job: I’m a twenty-something female with a spotty employment record and a passion for intergalactic hijinks! A better question would be, how am I WRONG for this job?
Joking aside, this is probably the strongest job application I’ve ever written. Seriously.
-Whitney
Five Things Bodice-Rippers Have Taught Me About Love
I’m ashamed to admit (obviously not enough to not publish it on the internet), but I have been reading a lot of bodice-ripper romance novels lately. I have always spurned romance novels for the somewhat more respected chick lit genre. There is a difference. Sort of. Chick lit is typically more substantial in length, plot, and price (popular titles include the Shopaholic series, Devil Wears Prada, Bridget Jones, etc.), where romance novels are like candy: cheap, quick, and easy to gobble in one bite. They’re ridiculous and I am the first to admit it but, like everything that is bad for you, they are so addictive! Especially if you get wrapped up in a series, as I now am.
To their credit, they have taught me a lot of (mostly erroneous) things about love and I thought I would share my findings with you, our dear readers:
1) The best mates are reformed rakes – Romance novels have taught me that bad boys/rakes/scoundrels/rogues make the best matches. They are passionate, dashingly handsome, and only you will be able to make them finally ready to settle down. Now, they are probably going to have some sort of inner turmoil that you are going to have to help them overcome (family drama, financial trouble, issues with commitment, etc.), but just power through! You and you alone were brought to Earth to make him believe in love! Now get to it!
2) You don’t have to be the most beautiful girl in the room, but you need the sharpest tongue – Once you meet your rake, he is going to acknowledge that you are not the most beautiful woman that he has ever met, but if you prove to be a worthy opponent in a verbal sparring, he will become putty in your hands. Every arched brow and “infuriating woman” just means that he is falling in love with you.
3) If you get brought out onto a balcony, you are going to get kissed. Well, probably more than kissed. – Balconies may as well be brothels. Seriously. The things that happen there! It’s enough to make this girl blush. So depending on what you want out of your evening, stay away from balconies/run out to a balcony.
4) Eyes really ARE the window to the soul – These people can not shut up about eyes. If you don’t have good eyes, you may as well just give up on anyone ever loving you. Questions to determine if you have good eyes: Would your eyes be considered icy blue? Could anyone ever see something more in your eyes than just eyes? Do you eyes ever appear to be different colors than they actually are? If you answered no to all of these questions, you are going to die alone.
5) If one of you could get sick/injured, that would really help move things move along – There is nothing like a medical trauma to bring two people together, apparently. If you have to nurse him on the sickbed or visa versa, you may as well set the wedding date because a lot more is going to happen on that sickbed once he/you has recovered, if you catch my drift.
There you have it! You are now fully prepped to go out and catch your rake!
– Ellen
Web Bytes: Doctor Who Teasers!!!
All things considered, I feel that I’ve been very cool about the impending return of Doctor Who. No frenzied posts featuring endless series 7 teaser trailers. No frantic texts to Ellen about how this may or may not be Matt Smith’s last year as the Doctor. So yeah, I’d say I’ve been pretty good. Then I saw the latest trailer and went a bit… nuts. Here’s a just a few of the clips I’ve been geeking-out about this morning.
Ok, if THAT didn’t get you in the Doctor Who spirit you’re either dead inside, or you were recently converted into a Cyberman. Either way, my condolences.
-Whitney!
Fangirly Exposed: A Square Peg Who Wanted to be a Daria
Recently, I was discussing my high school identity with a friend of mine, attempting to explain my desire to be that cool and aloof teen. Looking back, I can readily admit that I never quite nailed it. I was too dorky and silly, and I wore far too many bright colors (I love bright colors!). Trying to paint a picture of what I was like in high school, I told my friend that I wanted to be Daria, but I was too dorky.
When I was in high school, I loved to watch Daria. I was (and still am) a girl with brown hair and glasses, after all. What wasn’t to love? She spoke to the existential, sarcastic teen in me.
Looking back on my high school career, however, I can never claim to have been nearly as cool as Daria. If I had to pick a pop culture teen to align myself with, it would most likely be one of the Square Pegs girls. How depressing is that? Less concerned with popularity than them, but “don’t want to wear my glasses, but I have to wear my glasses”.
Give the epic title song a listen and then let me know who the comments who you were as a teen? Topanga? Clarissa? Cher Horowitz? DJ Tanner?
– Ellen
Top Five Reasons Why I’m Falling Out of Love with The Vampire Diaries
I want to be clear: I am a huge VD fan. Ellen and I, being the veteran TV watchers we are, managed to crank out the entire 
first season in a 24 hour period. At the end of that day I was sure of two things: first, I really, REALLY needed a shower and second, Damon Salvatore was a god. But lately I’ve been feeling a little disenchanted. Here’s why.
5) Can we agree that the vampire thing is a little played out? I mean, after The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, True Blood, Being Human, and Moonlight, I really feel that the sexy-undead-tortured-soul thing has really run its course. This, coincidentally, is one of the dangers of writing a show that’s based on a pop culture fad. All fads end eventually, and all your left with is a series about something that people have seen a zillion times. Hardly innovative, if you ask me.
4) Elena is getting on my LAST nerve. I’ve never been a fan of the shows supposedly irresistible heroine. As far as I can tell, the reason people keep falling over her is because she’s really, really pretty. I personally feel that she’s prosaic, passive, and SUPER self righteous. I realize that by saying this I am jeopardizing my relationship with Ellen, the biggest VD fan I know, but honesty is the best policy, right? …Right?
3) The Damon/Elena hook up was less satisfying than I hoped. I guess this really stems back to #4. I just don’t get why a guy who has been around for 150 years is into a teenage ex-cheerleader who spent the better part of the last three seasons boffing his brother. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it… gross…
2) The story is starting to feel a little ‘been there, done that’. I get it. When writing a show that has been running as long as VD, you feel like you’re constantly having to out-do yourself. But I feel that you can only save the world so many times before you start phoning it in. Come on people! Make me believe that you really DO want to avert the apocalypse!
1) Guys, know when to call it a day. After four season of supernatural melodrama I feel like I can’t even follow the 
story anymore. Almost every lead character on the show has died at some point, and these jokers have back stabbed and plotted against each other so many times I can’t figure out who’s still on the same side. Frankly, I would rather have the show end now while it’s still a good show than have them drag out this nonsense for another three seasons.
Do you agree? Disagree? Either way, feel free to let me have it in our comment section!
-Whitney
Fangirly Crush of the Week: Jimmy Fallon
Ding Dong the host is fired. Yep, Jay Leno is finally stepping down (deja vu?) and Jimmy Fallon is reportedly stepping in to take The Tonight Show in 2014.
13-year old me could not be more excited and present-day me is pretty excited, as well. When Jimmy Fallon was on SNL, my little heart beat so hard for him. He used to do a sketch called “Wake Up Wakefield”, where Maya Rudolph was a middle schooler who crushed on his Randy Goldman so hard that she had T-Shirts with his silk screened face. I wanted that shirt. I settled for the picture above taped to my wall.
Every time I watch him now, I am reminded of how twitterpated he made me with his dorky charm and “aw-shucks” vibe. He’s still got it and that’s why I love him.
– Ellen
Live Texting: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Please observe the amount of exclamation points that happen when two friends have become far too invested in fictional characters on a webseries.
