Tag Archives: Parks and Recreation

Fangirl Poetry: A Crazy Crush Compilation

Posted in Fangirl Poetry, Uncategorized by

If you are like me, then you surely must feel,

There are some who are making the thirst very real

There’s a few so sexy, they’re making us squee,

Though they’ve skin like the bark of a wise old tree

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I can think of at least one adorable Braj

From whom I wouldn’t refuse a massage

 

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It’s true, funny guys are well worth the switch

‘Cause, like Bill, they never forget a bitch

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And nothing makes a gal more inclined to be naughty

Than a guy who can dazzle with skills in karate

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Then there are babes of a different hue,

Especially those that… abs…

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And a few that even your grandma will scope

#Blessed with a back like bag full of rope

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If you looking for a boff that isn’t a bore,

Find one that can tear up the f#@&ing dance floor

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Though, in truth, my lust for all other men counts for naught

‘Cause 2016 is the year of the Bot

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–Whitney Weldon

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The Fangirly Show: Episode #6 Fangirling Over the Best of 2015

Posted in Books, Choice Picks, Movies, Music, The Fangirly Show, TV, Uncategorized by

Ellen and Whitney go through their favorites of 2015, everything ranging from books to music, movies and TV, performances and scenes.  We’ve got you covered.  Will Ellen go a full hour without talking about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?  (Don’t count on it.)  Will Whitney be able to overlook the swooniness of Oscar Isaac?  (Don’t put money on it.)  But still listen to find out.

You can listen and subscribe HERE on iTunes or you can go HERE to listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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The Fangirly Show: Episode #4 Fangirling Over Girl Power

Posted in The Fangirly Show, Uncategorized by

Ellen and Whitney get deep into it while discussing strong females on TV and movies, diving into which shows are doing the ladies proud and which have some explaining to do.  How are gender politics affecting fandoms?  And is SNL doing right by its ladies?  Plus, a rapid fire game of Either/Or to get to know us better.  Star Wars or Star Trek?  Friends or Seinfeld?  Listen to find out!

You can listen and subscribe HERE on iTunes or you can go HERE to listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

girl power

10 TV Couples That Are My Relationship Goals

Posted in Choice Picks, TV by

There are many relationships on TV but only few are chosen… by me to someday emulate.  Many are fraught with drama and while those are fun to watch, I hope to someday have one that is more like the following:

10.  Monica and Chandler (Friends) – These two were my first OTP (internet speak for “One True Pairing”).  Shmoss and Shmachel, I only cared about Monica and Chanandler Bong.  I like that his amount of dorky is the perfect match to her amount of crazy.

monica and chandler

9.  Bob and Linda Belcher (Bob’s Burgers) – The Belchers are not only a relationship goal but a family goal.  Someday I hope to raise a similar band of weirdos.  Bob and Linda stick together and accept each other’s eccentricities amidst all the chaos.

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8.  Jim Halpert and Pam Beasley (The Office) – Speaking of chaos, in a different bunch of weirdos, these two found each other.  They might have had a few (infuriating) bumps along the way to find each other but they did it.  I always loved that their relationship felt real.  They initially bonded over shared jokes and stayed together through hard work. Continue reading →

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Aziz Ansari

Posted in Crush of the Week by

azizListen, we have given a lot of love to some of the other Parks men on this site.  Specifically, Adam Scott and Chris Pratt, because why wouldn’t we?  But with the debut of Aziz’s new stand-up special on Netflix today, I thought it was time to spread the love because I have a lot of love in my heart for Aziz.  Much like Tom Haverford, he is smooth like chocolate.  I may not lust after Aziz the same way I do some of our other crushes of the week (looking at you, Chris), but I crush on Aziz in much the same way that I crush on puppies in that I think both are adorable and they make me laugh.  Granted, I laugh at puppies when they fall over or make funny noises and I more often laugh at Aziz when he is calling tortillas bean blankies or doing bits on getting concert tickets on Craigslist, but the love is still there.  Aziz is up there with former Crush of the Week, John Mulaney, for having my most quoted stand-up and I can never look at sheets, TNT dramas, or Kanye West the same way.

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Here’s to someday getting to see Tom Haverford’s sexy times ritual.   “I have a ritual and it starts on the couch. We sit down, clap my hands, lights dim, Boyz II Men fades in…”

– Ellen

TV Obituaries: RIP Parks and Recreation

Posted in TV, TV Obituaries by

Parks and Recreation - Season 7Thank you all for being with me during this trying time.  Parks and Recreation left us peacefully two days ago and there is no other show that more deserved to go out on its own terms.  Whitney already gave Parks a moving and appropriate tribute, but this show more than any other deserves an extra.

If I have recommended Parks and Rec to you in the past, you have heard my pitch, but it remains the same.  Parks and Recreation is truly a special show because it is that rare breed of comedy that is all at once optimistic, smart, joyous, and oh, hysterically funny.  This breed is so rare that I’m not even sure there is another.

Comedies are my jam, but what I have always loved about Parks is that I leave every episode feeling uplifted because (Jerry jokes aside) the humor rarely comes from malicious place.  The show is truly special because it is about a group of people who are crazy degrees of different but who still love each other and (to varying degrees) love what they do.  Mainly because they get to do it together.  The show’s series finale was the perfect encapsulation of this, the perfect send-off to our little band of weirdos and I cried more times than I would like to admit because it wasn’t really that sad.  I cried because I am losing my best (TV) friend.

I’m really going to miss Pawnee and all of its eccentricities, because the town is a character in and of itself, but more than anything I am going to miss watching the Parks department and the genuine love that they have for each other.  It truly is the most enjoyable show that you could ever watch and I highly suggest that you get on Netflix if you have never had the extreme pleasure of watching this show.

So bye, bye, Parks and Rec.  I already miss you in the saddest fashion.

– Ellen

Fangirly Poetry: A Lyrical Sendoff for Parks and Rec

Posted in Fangirl Poetry by

I feel there’s much I need to say,

So many respects I need to pay

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My sorrow is depth-less, my grief without bounds

I swear to Zorp, my pain is as bad as it sounds

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You dare ask the source of my soul’s deflation?

‘Tis the terminus of my sweet, sweet Parks and Recreation

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But we come here, neither to mourn nor to grieve,

As Knope and Co. prepare to take their leave

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We should celebrate, honor, and thank it,

The show that warmed us, like a toasty Bean-Blanket

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Remember it’s humor, and wit, and grace,

And the time Ben and Leslie got to first base

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Remember Leslie, a woman of class and smarts

Who makes me proud to own Lady Parts

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Remember that, should your heart you ever misplace,

Burt Macklin will always be on the case

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I’d have no regrets, could I but get one wish

To once more see Ann, that beautiful, tropical fish

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If nothing else, we take comfort in this,

There’s one person, at least, we really won’t miss

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Now we send you off, with a kiss and a prayer,

We’ll never forget you, by this dead crow I swear

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-Whitney

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Fictional Music Groups it’s Totally OK to Listen to Unironically

Posted in Choice Picks by

Mandonna (Happy Endings)

To this day, Mandonna’s rendition of “Like a Prayer” is the most hauntingly beautiful I’ve ever heard. Also, I love that they hum the intro for almost a full minute to give Penny (Casey Wilson) time to do the murderball bit. Team Friendship!

Robin Sparkles (How I Met Your Mother)

Phhfff. Like I needed an excuse to put on jelly bracelets and my cool graffiti coat.

Powerline (A Goofy Movie)

Wouldn’t it be, like, completely insane if I crafted this entire post for the sole purpose of posting another Poweline video? …Seriously, would it?

The Barden Bellas/ The Treblemakers (Pitch Perfect)

The Bellas and the Trebles make those Glee weirdos look like the S Club 7 of acapella.

The Sapphires (The Sapphires)

Fun Fact: The sapphires were an actual girl group that sang for the troops in Vietnam, but those chicks never put out a record on iTunes, so we must settle for the soundtrack version. And by settle I mean put it on repeat.

Billie Piper (Surprisingly, a real pop star)

When Robin Freaking Sparkles is a more realistic teen pop icon than you, your act must be remarkably whack. But clearly she did something right because I own, umm, three of her records.

Mouse Rat (Parks and Recreation)

I bet we all thought that there was no way Lady Di could ever be one-upped by a mini-horse. Then this happened.

Sex Bob-Omb (Scott Pilgrim V. The World)

I want to have this band’s adopted babies.

I am so in lesbians with this band

They are Sex Bob-Omb and they are here to sell out and make money and stuff.

(If that cluster-quote made no sense to you, you need to get less of a life).

–Whitney

My 24 Hour Emmy Binge or My Slip in Sanity

Posted in Dinner and a Show, Fangirly Exposed!, Get with the Program, Live Texting, TV by

This weekend I did something a little crazy.  Ok, a lottle crazy.  In a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly there was an article written by Marc Snetiker on how to best prepare for the Emmys next Monday.  Well, how to best prepare for the Emmys in only 24 hours and because I’m a weirdo, my first thought was, “I could do this.  I should do this.  I’m GOING to do this.”  I honestly don’t watch a lot of the Emmy shows, especially in the Drama category, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get myself edumacated.

I prepared by making sure I had all of the recommended episodes or at least access to them and by placing an order with Amazon Fresh to make sure I had a cavalcade of themed snacks.  As you should do for any binge.

Oh, and I live-tweeted the whole thing. And it turns out you can tweet a lot in 24 hours.

https://twitter.com/eel8/status/500658517649268736

First show, first snack.

https://twitter.com/eel8/status/500671653789978627

For Orange is the New Black, I watched “Lesbian Request Denied” and I have to say this is one of the viewings that made me want to watch more.

Next up, True Detective. Continue reading →

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Chris Pratt

Posted in Crush of the Week by

This is a repeat pick, but after the week… or month that I have had crushing on Chris Pratt, this needed to happen.  If you only knew all the Chris Pratt related posts that I have liked on Tumblr lately, I would be very embarrassed but also proud of my collection.  Also, seeing Guardians of the Galaxy twice in the course of four days  is bound to make a girl a bit obsessive.

I would like to point out that I have been crushing on Chris since before he got in Guardians shape, but of course, Guardians shape has turned this up to 11.  I have loved seeing him in the spotlight, especially since he is this lovable goof that I fell in love with on Parks and Rec.

And now here is an image dump because I couldn’t pick.

– Ellen

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And this:

Grade A, Choice Picks: Top 5 Patriotic Moments

Posted in Choice Picks by

Seeing as how it is the 3rd of July, the 4th of July is tomorrow!  What better way to celebrate the eve of this great day for this great nation of ours than to watch some patriotic moments.

5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington “Fillibuster”   Is there anything more American than a fillibuster?  You’ve got democracy in action, freedom of speech, and Americans love to hear themselves talk.  “You all think I’m licked.  Well, I’m not licked and I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause.

4. Team America: World Police “America: F*** Yeah”   I haven’t even seen this movie but my brothers have sung this song enough times for it to make me feel patriotic.  For the sensitivity of some of my readers, I won’t include the video.  But I will link it.

3. Independence Day “President’s Speech”   Maybe one of the best movie speeches out there and certainly the most patriotic.  “And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: ‘We will not go quietly into the night!’ We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

2. The Sandlot “Fireworks on the Fourth of July”   This one ranks high for me partly out of nostalgia for the movie but mainly out of nostalgia for those summer days as a kid, running around the neighborhood with the smell of BBQ hanging in the air.  Also, Ray Charles’ rendition of “America the Beautiful” is just the tops.

1. Miracle – Pretty much the whole movie  I had a hard time picking a specific moment so I’m not going to.  BUT, if you held a gun to my head, I would probably pick the moment where Mike Eruzione exclaims “I play for the United States of America!”

Honorable Mention: I tried to stick to movies only, but everything out of Ron Swanson’s mouth gets an honorable mention.

What moments from film or TV make you proud to be an American?

– Ellen

Grade A, Choice Picks: Top Christmas Episodes

Posted in Choice Picks, TV by

Today, I give you my list of Christmas episodes.  This list is almost impossible to whittle down to just 10, so I made this a list of 15.  Also, I tried to keep the list to just one episode per show.  Some of these, I haven’t watched in a long time and some are brand new additions to the Holiday Episode list. Keep in mind that I don’t watch every show and I am very biased in my selection of the “best holiday episodes ever”, but I think you can enjoy my list regardless.

15. “The 23rd” New Girl: Season 1 – Nick really fouls things up when he tells Jess’ current boyfriend that she is not in love with him.  The real Christmas magic is when Nick wakes up the most decorated neighborhood in town, Candy Cane Lane, to turn on all of their lights to cheer her up.  Is it any wonder why these two are together now?

how.i.met.your.mother.11120514. “Symphony of Illumination” How I Met Your Mother: Season 7 – Definitely the biggest bummer episode on the list, but that is what makes this episode so great.  Robin takes the narrating reins and tells the story of when she thought she was pregnant to what turn out to be her imaginary children.  You see, Robin finds out that she cannot have children.  The true Christmas spirit comes when Ted cheers her up without knowing why she needs cheering up by setting up an elaborate Christmas light routine.

13. “Christmas Party Sex Trap” The Mindy Project: Season 2 – Yes, this just aired, but hello!  Did you see Chris Messina dance to Aaliyah?  Yeah.  And if that weren’t enough, Mindy and Danny almost kiss!

Bones12. “Santa in the Slush” Bones: Season 3 – Ah, the good old days when the only person getting into the Bones-Booth mix was Caroline bribing them into kissing under the mistletoe. I love Caroline. While the whole first-kiss aspect really helps, this is also just a pretty good Christmas episode. You have the gore and mystery with a dead Santa in a sewer, you have the funny with Booth having to sniff Santas, you have the whimsy with Santa’s apartment above a toy store, and you have the touching with Booth giving Brennan her Christmas tree. Le sigh.

11. “Christmas Special” 30 Rock: Season 3 – In my book, it doesn’t get much better than Liz Lemon ruining Christmas for some kids and Jack finding out that his mom took F.A.O. Schwartz as her gentlemen lover (“Uhh that word bums me out unless it’s between the words meat and pizza”) to make Christmas for him as a kid.

Parks-Recreation-Christmas-Episode-Pictures10. “Citizen Knope” Parks and Recreation: Season 4 – It shouldn’t be surprising that the merriest show on television is good at doing a Christmas episode.  Sure enough, in true Parks and Recreation style, this episode is hilarious and sweet.  Leslie is in the midst of her suspension after it is revealed that she and Ben are dating. Leslie is obviously the best at gift giving, but the parks department wants to make up some of the difference.  When her campaign team bails after low approval numbers, they give her the best gift of all!

9. “Afternoon Delight” Arrested Development: Season 2 – Ah, Christmas. The time of year when you have parties on Bethlehem time, sing about daytime lovin’ with your niece, and let kids get their grubby little hands all over a $3000 dollar suit. Come on!

8. “The Polarizing Express” Psych: Season 5 –  It is exactly what you would want out of an It’s a Wonderful Life episode from Psych written and directed by James Roday: bizarre, hilarious, and Gus in a UPN sitcom in the 90s. This episode only further solidifies my love for Roday.

Community Christmas7. “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” Community: Season 2 – This stop-motion, musical spectacular holiday special send-up had to be on the list. Um, Abed finding out that the meaning of Christmas is the first season of Lost on DVD because Christmas can mean whatever we want it to mean? Brilliant, uproarious, and kind of sweet. Also, this episode gave me my new favorite Christmas mascot. Christmas Pterodactyl!

6. “Christmas Party” The Office: Season 2 – This one made me all sorts of nostalgic for the (now fulfilled) sexual tension of Jim and Pam. It also had some other great stuff, too. Michael’s impromptu Yankee Swap to get rid of the homemade oven mitt, Creed’s equally impromptu Secret Santa gift, Angela’s babies-playing-saxes poster, and Meredith flashing Michael. “Happy birthday, Jesus. Sorry your party’s so lame.”

5. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” Supernatural: Season 3 – This episode is exactly what you would expect from a Supernatural Christmas episode: it’s creepy, it’s kooky, and it has that punch of heart right at the end between the demon hunting bros.

happy4. “No-Ho-Ho” Happy Endings: Season 3 – All I want for Christmas is this show to come back.  Is that so much to ask?  The episode centers around the gang trying to give Jane the best birthday ever when they find out that her birthday is actually on Christmas, but they have a hard time keeping Christmas out.  Between Brad’s penchant for dancing with hip-hop Santa, Max’s Egg Nog addiction, and Alex’s weird present opening fetish, there is no way they can succeed.  “Happy Birthday, Jane.  And Jesus.”

The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis3. “Bath Item Gift Hypothesis” The Big Bang Theory: Season 2 – Sheldon really struggles with what to reciprocate Penny’s Christmas gift with so he buys up every gift basket in Bath and Body Works with plans to pick the present that best fits her gift to him in terms of price. And while I enjoy this whole episode, I adore the last five minutes. When Sheldon receives Penny’s … you know what, just go watch this.

2. “A Christmas Carol” Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor – It should be noted that I somehow forgot to include at lease ONE Doctor Who special on yesterday’s list.  I’m so ashamed that I am cheating and including this special on the episode list.  Hey, it’s my list, I can do what I want.  It has gotten to they point now where my Christmases are not complete without my Doctor Who specials and this one is my favorite.  A twist on the Dickens classic may be a bit over done, but the Whovian element makes this just right.

mst3k-patrick-swayze-christmas1. “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 3 – In answer to your question, yes, this movie is as ridiculous as it sounds. In fact, probably more so. But that is what makes Joel and the bots making fun of it so great. Then you couple their commentary with their performance of “A Patrick Swayze Christmas”, a seminal Christmas carol classic, and you get pure holiday magic.
Phew! That’s a lot of linking for your viewing pleasure, there you have it! Do you have any shows you like with great Christmas episodes that I should check out? Do you disagree with my order? Not that I am going to change my mind, but I would love to at least pretend to listen to your feedback. Check out my favorite Christmas specials and stay tuned for my favorite holiday movies and holiday records!

– Ellen

Fangirly Exposed: Ellen’s Sexual Tension Workout Regime

Posted in Books, Fangirly Exposed!, TV by
"I've seen actual results with Ellen's Sexual Tension Workout" - Happy Lady on Bike

“I’ve seen actual results with Ellen’s Sexual Tension Workout” – Happy Lady on Bike

I am a glutton for sexual tension. That being said, I have decided to put that deadly sin of mine to good use.

In our family, we do this kind of weird thing, Whitney and I in particular. When there is something good happening, we tense up and rub our hands together in excitement. We have discussed why we do this and can only surmise that it is our way of releasing pent-up energy. Seeing as how the thing that we get most excited about is movies and TV, we do it a LOT when we are watching something. And seeing as we are hard-core shippers, we do it a LOT when there is any modicum of sexual tension on screen.

Continue reading →

Web Bytes: Shoopin’ with the Boys of Parks and Rec

Posted in TV, Web Bytes by

If you need to know anything about me, you need to know that I love Parks and Recreation and Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop”.  Seriously.  Give it a listen.  It is pure genius.

When those two wonderful things joined forces last night, I just about wept with joy.  With that being said, I give you the following for your viewing pleasure. (Check out the whole episode, too.  It was pretty great.)

– Ellen

Fangirly Investigates: Best Day of Television

Posted in Fangirly Investigates by

We’ve had TGIF, Must See Thursday, and One Saturday Morning, but is the current best night of television.  After exhaustive hours spent doing research for this study, I feel safe in declaring Tuesday the best night of television.

First, let’s look at the close runner-up and former champ: Thursday.  It is still fighting a good fight, but where I used to not have enough DVR capabilities to get in everything I wanted and I couldn’t wait to get home and watch it all, I’m feeling a bit more ambivalent.  I enjoy watching 30 Rock and The Vampire Diaries and I still rush home for Parks and Recreation, but this is not the “Must See” night that it used to be.

Dethroning the once great Thursday is the quick and scrappy Tuesday.  It’s appeal may come from the fact that all of the shows I am loving are still fresh and only in their first or second season (with the exception of Happy Endings in its third).  Let’s look at my personal lineup:  Raising Hope, Hart of Dixie, Ben and Kate, New Girl, Happy Endings, Emily Owens, M.D., and The Mindy Project.  All of these have something to get excited about and are showing great promise.

So what night of TV is getting you most excited?  Are you Team Tuesday?

-Ellen

Must-Have TV Merch

Posted in TV by

We here at Fangirly firmly believe you can buy happiness. How do we know? Because nothing brings us more joy than wearing our matching Supernatural T-shirts or tacking our Bones calendars up on our walls. That’s happiness, people. And in an effort to bring you the same joy, we’ve comprised a list of what we consider ‘Must-Have’s’ for any nerd worth their salt. All this happiness may put a dent in your checking account, but the envy in your friend’s eyes when they see your awesome swag will be worth every penny.

River Song’s TARDIS Journal: Spoilers! This replica of River Song’s diary in the shape of our favorite blue box is a great place to record all of your adventures in time and space. If you’ve just gotta have it, you can get your very own TARDIS journal here. Just don’t read ahead, because we’re pretty such it will create a rift in the space/time continuum.  Be sure to time travel responsibly!

Fringe Division Sweatshirt: Do you ever come home from a long day of rebelling against the Observer overlords and just wish you had something comfy to put on? Well now you can be cozy, AND identify yourself as a part of the resistance with this awesome Fringe Division sweatshirt! You can buy this little piece of the Fringe universe here at CafePress.com.

Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness Poster: There is a LOT of fab swag for Parks and Rec, mainly because there are so many things that come straight from the show.  Take for example the Lil’ Sebastian shirts, the Pawnee Porpoises shirts,  or the Knope campaign buttons.  Perhaps the best P&R swag, though, is this glorious purpose.  Glorious in it’s stand alone hilarity and it’s educational value.  Where else are you going to gain nuggets of wisdom such as “Honor: If you need it defined, you don’t have it” or “Intensity: Give 100%.  110% is impossible.  Only idiots recommend that.” (Click that image for the other gems).  This poster is available on NBC.com and probably other sources that I am too lazy to look up.  That’s how they get you.

Tina “Butts” Shirt: If you still aren’t watching this show, shame on you. What are we going to have to do to convince you?  If you are watching, you know that if there is one thing that Tina loves, it’s butts.  Most of her energy goes into getting a glimpse at a good butt.  And its hilarious.  We love Tina.  We love her fascination with butts.  And we love this shirt.  All Christmas gift-givers out there, take note, because none of us yet own it.  This shirt is available at BustedTees.com (which has a lot of other really fun shirts, as well).
-Whitney and Ellen

Grade A, Choice Picks: Political Romps

Posted in Choice Picks, Movies, TV by

In case you haven’t heard election season is upon us and in honor of tonight’s debate, we decided we needed to help our readers get in the spirit!

Look, there’s a reason my main source of news is The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and a humorous talk radio program.  If you want me to pay attention to politics and learn anything about how our system works, there better be a humorous jab in there somewhere.  You can keep your West Wing and Manchurian Candidate, I prefer my politicians played by the likes of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis (a close runner-up).

I know that I can’t be alone in this because these programs and films seem to do pretty well for themselves.  If you watch the debate tonight and walk away feeling like you need to wash it all down with something making light of it all, I give you the following five candidates:

5. First Kid – Sinbad.  Enough said.  Granted I haven’t seen this one in a while, but little me loved this movie.  First of all, the kid was a babe.  Even little me was not immune to the effect that this major component can have on a movie.  Also, it showed that first kids are just like us!  They want get picked on bullies from Home Improvement and want to go to school dances.  We feel for ya, Malia and Sasha.

4. Dave – This one comes with an extra help of heart and romance.  The Parent Trap of political movies, if you will.  Although, they are not actually twins in this movie, they both just share a striking resemblance to Kevin Kline.  In all seriousness, if you haven’t seen this one, it gets a strong recommendation from this girl.

3. Veep –  This is Julia Louis-Dreyfus as you have never seen/heard her, because she has never been on cable.  Watching her Selina Kyle try and navigate the swampy DC waters with her intelligent and awful team is a treat.  Among that team is the little girl from My Girl all grown up (Anna Chlumsky) and Buster Bluth (Tony Hale).  Sold, right?  This one might be a little blue for some of our readers, but it’s pretty hilarious, so check it out if you think you can handle it.

2. Dick –This movie taught me everything I need to know about the Watergate scandal, presidential resignations, oh, and Deep Throat.  The anonymous informant not the porno!  Gutters, people! Out!  Don’t take this to mean that I believe two teenage girls double-handedly brought down the Nixon administration, but when I first watched this as an 11-year old, my mom had to explain all of the actual events to me so that I could find the movie funny.  Which I did and still do to this day.

1. Parks and Recreation – Disclaimer:  there are going to be very few lists in my in which Parks and Rec would NOT be at the top.  My love for this show knows no bounds.  There is nothing else out there that so perfectly combines laughs, heart tugs, and political satire!  Barbara Boxer and John McCain were in the premiere for goodness sake!  I feel like especially last season had a lot to say about our election process, applicable to both local and federal.  Campaign ads, fundraising, political scandals, the media, debates, bus tours, it’s all there to enjoy.

There you have it!  What did I leave off?  Do I need to be more serious about my political viewing?  (Like that’s going to happen).

-Ellen

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Chris Pratt

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

In case you haven’t noticed, we do not beat around the bush when it comes to our love for Adam Scott.  We love him.  But for our crush this week, I decided to spread the love a little.

In preparation for the new season and because I just got Season 4 on DVD, I have been watching a good amount of Parks and Rec and I have to say that Chris Pratt has been floating my boat.  Admittedly, is it difficult to float said boat?  No.  Here’s the criteria:  make me laugh and … nope, that’s pretty much it.

And Chris Pratt delivers. This man is not afraid to throw himself around or look like a complete fool for the sake of comedy.  Andy may be a bit doofy, but he is lovable and he loves the people around him.  What more can a girl ask for?

Chris Pratt (and Andy) we salute you!  Schaaaa-wing!

– Ellen

(I got caught in a YouTube web.  You’re lucky there are only three)

Get with the Program: Parks and Rec!

Posted in Get with the Program, TV by

The day I heard that Amy Poehler was leaving SNL I literally thought my world was crashing down around me. I mean, the wound Tina Fey’s departure left in my heart was still pretty fresh and I didn’t think I could handle losing my other favorite cast member. So when I heard Poehler was developing a new show for NBC I was both relieved and deeply, deeply concerned. Because honestly, how many cast members have left SNL to pursue other things only to crash, burn, and fade into oblivion? I didn’t take into account, however, that Amy is one talented broad. Not only is her show Parks and Recreation the funniest sitcom on prime time  TV, it also has the most heart. I’m embarrassed by how much I love  this show. Seriously, even just thinking about it now makes me kind of giddy. This one scene, for example, makes me laugh so hard my head hurts…

I believe I can guess what your thinking. “Whitney, you hate The Office, which is basically the same premise as P and R! Whats the deal?” Valid, totally valid. I think what sets Parks apart is that I actually like and care about the characters on the show rather than just cringing and laughing uncomfortably whenever they do or say something stupid, which was my basic reaction to The Office. Case and point: here is a clip of Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) endearing himself while acting stupid. Michael Scott, eat your heat out.

And I really couldn’t talk about Parks and Rec without mentioning my ever-increasing crush on Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), the boffable nerd who successfully captured Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) heart last season. And really, what lady could say no to this?…

The message boards aren’t the only ones going nuts, Ben.

I leave you with a clip that Ellen and I quoted for a solid six months. Jean Ralphio, take me there!

-Whitney