...It's been a busy day at work (love my job!!!!!) and now that the end of the day is approaching I can't wait to get home and read one of the books that has been eying me all day long from the new book shelf...It's called _John Dies at the End_ by David Wong....will keep you posted on in over the weekend...have an awesome one, by the way!!:)

...It's later and I'm home and I just can't get into this book, but I guess I'll still keep trying. Meanwhile I'm listening to the Cowboy Junkies and their song "Sweet Jane"...off of "Sounds of the Eighties" (1988-1989). I couldn't find the cover picture from the actual CD I heard this song on, but below is the "Best of the Cowboy Junkies." Can't believe I never heard their music until now...but then there are several songs on this "Sounds of the Eighties" I've never heard...

I've loved the Dandy Warhols ever since I heard one of their songs on the "Veronica Mars" soundtrack. "And Then I Dreamt of Yes" is perfect to listen to before heading off to bed...which I did before I went to sleep last night.

I slept pretty well, actually. Coincidence? I don't know, but I slept better than I did when I used my natural sleep aids the rest of the week:)

Maybe listening to quieter music and less rousing stuff (like dance tracks and loud crime shows on tv) in the evening is the way to go...

You could have knocked me over with a feather this morning when a library patron came in and asked me if we owned "If Tomorrow Comes" on DVD...We don't own it at all so I've offered him my copy when he is able to track down a VCR player...can't wait to talk to him after he's watched it.

When I first wrote about this VHS I was so sure that it would be out on DVD someday, but alas it still is not...definitely one of the best mini-series of the 80s. I just saw that it IS available in a non-USA region DVD...darn! Wish it were available here...





The tv mini-series, in all its true glory, died in the 80s. Jane Seymour and Jacqueline Smith were the queens of the shamelessly fun ones such as "Crossings" and "Rage of Angels," but the oh-so-underrated Madolyn Smith brought adorable innocence to the table when she debuted in "If Tomorrow Comes."

I used to drive my sister crazy during 1986 as I'd watch "ITC" over and over on the VHS cassette I'd used to tape the 3-night miniseries. One day in the late 90s I was shopping and I spotted the movie on professional VHS. Forgetting where I was, I squealed out loud in excitement and an elderly woman nearby looked at me with alarm before she scurried off faster than I'd ever seen anyone move. I probably should have restrained myself, but I had lost my copy years before and all the good memories I'd had of it came flooding back right there in the store.

If only "If Tomorrow Comes" were on DVD...It seems clunky now to go through all three tapes, but it's still worth it, watching the story of the way-too-trusting Tracy Whitney as she faces betrayal and injustice before she battles her way back with a charm and vengeance that can only come from deep suffering and a need for closure.

There are so many reasons to like "ITC," but if I had to list five of them...

--Revenge has never been so sweetly calculated or free of violence. (I enjoy David Mamet's brand of the dirty double cross, but sometimes it's nice to see the softer side of retribution.)

--It's always neat to see talented actors in their earlier days (i.e. CCH Pounder, Tom Berenger, Liam Neeson.)

--Madolyn Smith is so endearing here AND she shows so much promise as an actress. You have to wonder why she didn't go on to do bigger and better things. ("Funny Farm," while cute and harmless enough, just doesn't hold up to what she does in "If Tomorrow Comes.")

--Tom Berenger!! (Those of you who appreciate Mr. Berenger's sex appeal and understated acting will understand! To this day, I still don't get why he isn't more well-known and valued.)

--No other tv movie that followed ever recaptured the true guilty pleasure spirit of the "big" mini-series (except for the very serious and unforgettable "War and Remembrance," which falls under "big" rather than "guilty pleasure" since it had a very important message and hardly could be considered light fare.)


Give "tomorrow" a chance! I would suggest you hold out and wait for a DVD release (which might offer a clearer picture resolution) but it doesn't look like that's on the horizon...

I thought "New Adventures of Old Christine" was pretty funny tonight...loved it when Christine said to Blair Underwood's character (Mr. Harris) when they were at his 25th high school reunion: "Did you EVER go through an awkward phase? My senior year...my acne medication had dried my face out and I looked like a block of Parmesan cheese with a Joan Jett haircut."

The episode was one of the best this season, which has been a little lackluster compared to the first and second and some of the third...maybe because of Blair Underwood's return? The very likable actor lends a charm to his character that you don't see everyday in sitcoms and that charm is sort of an inside joke (and even exaggeration) because pretty much everyone who meets him falls in love with him, including Christine's brother and even her ex-husband.

Of course I think the writing also had something to do with it AND Wanda Sykes was on tonight's episode...Christine's brother Matthew also had some pretty hilarious moments, too!:)


If you don't watch "New Adventures of Old Christine" here's a little bit about the show:



Meet Christine. She’ll make you laugh. She’ll make you cry. She’ll make you feel a LOT better about that time you accidentally wore your slippers (bedroom, not ballet) to pick up your kids from school.

With a cast including Wanda Sykes, Clark Gregg and Hamish Linklater, The New Adventures of Old Christine: Season One stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and proves that the Seinfeld curse CAN be broken. The actress formerly known as "Elaine" even won an Emmy for the title role she plays here.

If you haven’t seen The New Adventures of Old Christine, you better get started watching now; it’s THAT good! Dreyfus plays a single, divorced mom trying her best to survive in a world where "meanie moms" rule the fundraisers at her son’s private school and running a gym with business partner Barbara (played by the wickedly funny Sykes) is mostly an excuse to diss the members.

Throw in some bad dating that’s worse than a root canal and the fact that her ex is currently dating a much younger woman also named Christine and you get an idea of all that could go hilariously wrong. (Hint: the messy purse pictured on the top of "old" Christine’s car is nothing compared to her usual self-absorbed, but somehow endearing faux pas of the day.)

I found the late fall (four week) airing of the re-vamped "V" to be pretty interesting, especially the last of the four back in November. In the episode entitled "It's Only the Beginning" the alien leader Anna, played so well with cold calculating precision by Morena Baccarin, is upping her mission to convince the world she can be as human as the rest of them and has everyone's best interests at heart. (Of course, as any loyal "V" viewer-past of present-knows, this is far from the truth since she and her reptilian co-horts are secretly plotting the world's demise)

"It's Only the Beginning" has an amazing closing moment where Anna goes off to meditate in a quiet part of her spaceship (sounds kooky, but this scene really works!) and the Sigur Ros song "Svefn-g-Englar" begins to play. The moment I heard this song my blood chilled. I have long loved it ever since it was used (just as well as it is in the scene from "V") perfectly in the often-hated, but actually-pretty-good film "Vanilla Sky."

I just hope ABC does indeed bring "V" back in March and that the long absence doesn't kill its chances in the ratings...