Ellen Degeneres

Ellen Degeneres

Obsession Level: Keeps Me in Stitches!

I've been on a blogging hiatus for a few days now.  My work has been keeping me busy and I haven't really revisited any obsessions that I haven't posted about so far.  Then, today, while eating my late lunch, I stumbled on Facebook and read through some of the things that my friends had posted.  One of their links lead me to the Ellen Degeneres Show page, which of course meant that I had to stop and go through some of the stuff there since I love Ellen!


I have loved Ellen since she had her sitcom.  It was a great sitcom, and I really wish that they showed reruns of it somewhere.  Her stand up is hilarious too, and I like to watch it on YouTube anytime I need a quick laugh.  


I admit that I don't watch the Ellen Degeneres Show very often because it seems like I always miss it because of work.  I do catch it every now and again, and when I see it on the channel guide I will always flip over there.  


Some of my favorite things about the Ellen Degeneres Show:


Dance Dares (which I've been watching this afternoon) - These are hilarious!  Ellen gets people to sneak up behind people in random places and dance behind them, attempting not to get caught.  She's done a few herself.  Every now and again she shows some of the best ones she receives, and she posts them on FB as well, so that's where I get to see them.  It looks like so much fun that I can't believe I have never done it before.  


Gladys:  Gladys is an old woman that called in to the Ellen show once to tell her to move a plant because it made it look like Ellen had spikes coming out of her head.  Ellen called her back and she was hilarious!  One of her best lines is "I love Jesus, but I drink a little."  Since then, Ellen has called her several times and every conversation is hilarious!


Ellen seems like an amazing person.  She's funny and very generous.  She's been an amazing role model the the LGBTQI (did I leave anyone out) community.  I just hope she keeps doing what she's doing because she's doing a fantastic job!

Lonesome Dove (movie and book)

Lonesome Dove

Obsession Level: Epic

I didn't update yesterday.  It had been a very long week and I wasn't feeling particularly inspired by anything.  I didn't want to do anything that was going to force me to use my exhausted brain at all.  That being said, I spent the entire night on Facebook.  I did nothing all night but look at people's pictures, look at my own pictures, and just stare, waiting for status updates where my Facebook friends would tell me how exciting their lives are while I stared, blurry eyed at my computer screen.  Pathetic, I know.  


Today, however, I've decide to talk about one of my obsessions.  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.  The obsession doesn't stop just at this book, it expands throughout the entire series.  This saga that he writes is probably the best saga of all times.  McMurtry has an amazing writing style and I've never disliked anything that I've read by him.  I will get around to discussing the other books in the future, but for the time being I'm going to just focus on this one.  


If you've never read it, this is a book that you simply cannot miss.  The story is beautiful and engaging and the characters are some of the most memorable characters available in literature.  McMurtry writes with a simple style that makes his books easy to read and get really involved in without having to get too wrapped up in overly flowery language.  I promise that once you read this book you'll be so intimately acquainted with the characters that you will want to read the rest of the series just to spend more time with them.  Whenever I read this book, or watch the movie adaptation of it, I feel like I'm spending time with old friends.  My three favorite friends in the book are Gus, Call, and Clara.


Gus is the charming, witty cowboy who doesn't take life too seriously.  He's always up for a poke and a drink and realizes that life is too short to not take advantage of fun when it's available.  His lifelong friend and working partner couldn't be more the opposite of him.  Woodrow Call is far more serious and his mind is on getting things done.  He's not the dreamer or the lover like Gus is, rather he is a doer that typically runs away from love and relationships.  He never really seems to let anyone get too close, except Gus.  Though he did have one love in his life, he never really treated her right, so you can suspect that he has a little guilt and regret built up that causes him to be the stand offish person that he is.  Clara was the love of Gus' life, and he was the love of hers.  Their brief time together in their youth is something both of them treasure, and even though they never end up happily ever after with each other, it's a beautiful love story.  

The movie adaptation of the book is actually very good.  Many of the movies made after McMurtry's books do a fabulous job of telling the story as it is in the book.  Many of his novels are long, so the movies are too, but it's worth it not to leave out any of the really important details that come up in his complex stories.  Lonesome Dove is a 6 hour movie (it was actually a miniseries like many of the films about McMurtry's books) with an awesome cast.   Robert Duvall's performance as Gus is wonderful.  He brings the character of Gus to life in a way that's even better than the Gus that I had pictured in my head while reading the book.  He won me over so much that I was persuaded to name my cat Gus as a tribute to the character that I loved so much.  Tommy Lee Jones plays the serious and practical Woodrow Call, and even though Call was never my favorite character in the book, there's something that draws you to him when you see him played by Jones.  

I of course was thrilled to discover that the strong, independent, and sometimes coy and difficult, Clara was played by Anjelica Huston.  I don't know who they could have gotten to play the part that would have been better for it.  Huston, as always, gives a stellar performance.  


If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you need to do both.  The movie is great, and it's mostly accurate to the book, but I think that no matter how good the movie adaptations of McMurtry's books are, you are still missing out if you don't read them as well.  

Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin 

Obsession Level: As Big As Edith Ann's Chair!

Today's obsession was decided by signing on to Facebook and finding out that there's a new television show coming in November that will unite two of my obsessions, and possible provide me with a new obsession!  The show Malibu Country will be starting in November and it's starring Reba, one of my obsessions which I've already posted on, and Lily Tomlin, and obsession that I have yet to discuss.


Where do I begin with Lily Tomlin?  I feel like I've been laughing at her for years.  She's appeared alongside so many of my other obsessions, and I'm always thrilled to see my obsessions joined together on screen.  


It seems to me that Lily Tomlin has a way of making her characters really come to life, and no matter who she's playing she makes them timeless.  She's a universal type actress...she's the kind that can appeal to audiences of many different generations.

Edith Ann is my favorite one of Lily Tomlin's characters.  The first time that I saw Edith Ann I thought I would cry from laughing so hard.  The voice is classic, the costume is too.  I remember the very first skit I saw with Edith Ann was about Edith Ann making a really disgusting sandwich.  It was the kind of sandwich that all of us made as children if we were turned loose in the kitchen.  It was, of course, disgusting, but she had no idea why it was gross because she had carefully thought out all the ingredients.  

Then there's Ernestine, the operator.  She made appearances on the Cher Show.  She was so funny, and between her voice and her face, she'll crack anyone up!  She made me wish that we still talked to the operator when we wanted to call someone.  I'd probably just call Ernestine to talk..."No, I don't want to be connected to anyone, I was just calling you!"  LOL

So now there's the promise of Malibu Country.  It's my chance to see Reba and Lily Tomlin working together on a weekly basis.  I'm excited about the possibility of adding a great new obsession (television show) to my already long list!  I'm sure that Tomlin's character is going to be hilarious, since the trailer promises great things.  She looks like a tell-it-like-it-is, heavy drinking, funny mom, and I'm excited to see her make this character as epic as all her others!  

Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Obsession Level: I Love Lucy

It was easy to see why Lucille Ball was everyone's favorite redhead.  She was beautiful and she had an amazing personality.  She was funny and good at all kinds of humor, physical and verbal.  This came, especially, from a special ability she had, and that was the ability to laugh at herself and to share that humor with others.  


I've watched her shows and movies and read her autobiography.  She really was an amazing woman.  What is even more entertaining to me about her is the fact that she really had the desire to do things like Broadway, but was told at one time that she couldn't act.  She wasn't destined to be a Broadway star like some of her contemporaries, but she was destined to be a household name.  


I also heard once that she was a little self conscious about her walking because she had a slight limp from having had polio when she was younger.  Apparently this led her to develop a type of humor about herself where she was often clumsy.  I never noticed the limp, but I did enjoy her humor, and being a person who both walks with a limp and is very clumsy, I think that little fact just made me love her more.

I loved the show "I Love Lucy".  Who didn't?  I love so many of the episodes that it's hard to name any one that was my favorite.  I also speak Spanish, so I always enjoyed when Ricky would go on his rants because I was curious to see what he was actually saying.  


I always found it interesting that Ethel (Vivian Vance) was one of the youngest people on the show.  I always thought she was older than Lucy.  I was also surprised to find out that Fred (William Frawley) did not get along in real life.

It's hard to say what my favorite episode of I Love Lucy was.  I loved the one where she keeps breaking John Wayne's footprints, the one with the giant freezer, etc.  I think, though, that my all time favorite episode had to be Vitameatavegamin.  I love when she finally gets drunk from the stuff and starts to love it, drinking it directly from the bottle!  


All the way around, I love Lucy, as does most everyone!  

Grumpy (and Grumpier) Old Men

Grumpy (and Grumpier) Old Men

Obsession Level: Started Out Great and Got Better!

Today I'm going to talk about two movies.  I know it's more than one topic, but they're related, so it counts.  The two movies are Grumpy Old Men starring Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Ann-Margret, and Grumpier Old Men starring the same three, but also adding the beautiful Sophia Loren.  


The movies center around two men, two neighbors, who have had a life of feuding.  The men pretend to hate one another, but it's a love-hate relationship since it's clear that they're also best friends.  They are both ornery old men.  John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) has his daughter Melanie (Daryl Hannah) and his father (Burgess Meredith).  Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) lives alone but has his son, Jacob (Kevin Pollak) close by.  The feud between John and Max generally circles around a giant fish that they want to catch called Catfish Hunter.  It is fueled however, first by the romance between their children, and later by the arrival of the beautiful and somewhat flaky Ariel (Ann-Margret) to town.  The two men immediately start fighting over who will get to woo Ariel.  I won't tell you anymore, since it would spoil the movie if you haven't seen it yet.  ;-)


The movie is full of laughs and all the characters are perfect in their roles.  Lemmon and Matthau are classics, and they are hilarious.  Ann-Margret is beautiful, as always, and is easily seen as worth fighting over.  She is also very good at playing her somewhat flaky, aloof, and artsy role.  She does sculptures, including a nude of Lemmon.  


In my opinion, Burgess Meredith did a really great job and he was one of my favorite characters.  He's the beer drinking, smoking old man who spends his time sitting down by the lake on an old couch.  Almost all of his lines are hilarious!  I loved him!

The second movie, Grumpier Old Men, came out two years later in 1995.  The original cast returned.  The neighbors are still feuding, of course, and they're still "secret" best friends.  John is now married to his sculptress wife Ariel, but Max is alone.  He spends his evenings at home eating macaroni and cheese and watching Geraldo.  


Then Maria Sophia Coletta Ragetti (Sophia Loren) and her mother (Ann Morgan Guilbert) move to town to take over the old bait shop.  The men go down to investigate and find out that she is determined to turn their bait shop into an Italian restaurant.  They decide to join forces to stop it from happening.  The only thing that stands in their way is the tension of the possible/budding romance between Maria and Max.  


As with the first movie, the cast really  makes this movie.  The addition of the lovely Sofia Loren is just a bonus.  She's great in her role and she plays well opposite Matthau in the scenario that they might form a relationship with one another.  The banter is hilarious!  Her mother is a great addition to the movie as well, since she's the perfect fiery little Italian woman.


Both of these movies are a must see, though I do have to admit that I am partial to the second one. 

Glenn and Mitchell Guist

Glenn and Mitchell Guist

Obsession Level: As Obsessed With Them As They Are With Squirrel and Dumplins!

R.I.P Mitchell

Today's post was pretty obvious to me.  When I got home from work I found out that one of the Guist brothers, Mitchell had passed away.  It's very sad news.  I've become so attached to them on the show that I felt like I knew them.  


If you don't know anything about them, the Guist brothers were a duo of hillbilly type swampers who lived off the land.  They lived together for their entire lives, needing nothing more than the land which provided them with everything they needed from food to eat to materials to build their house with.  The brothers were inseparable.  I can only imagine how terribly lost and heartbroken Glenn must be feeling without his brother.

The duo, though not alligator hunters, were an integral part of the show.  Mitchell is the one in red in both of these photos.  The show is not going to be the same without them.  They were so much fun to watch because they had so much fun together.  Both of them have always had a real thirst for living life to its fullest, and the jokes and laughter of the duo will be missed on the show.  

O ya ya, bay.  R.I.P. Mitchell!

Fran Drescher

Fran Drescher

Obsession Level: Love The Laugh!

So today it was difficult to find an obsession.  Honestly it's one of the most dreary, rainy days in history.  Or maybe it's just me.  Meh.  It's bad enough that I planned to just spend the day on the couch watching television.  Then I realized nothing is on.  I decided to put a movie in to entertain me.  I actually laid there, on the floor, staring into my cabinet and lamenting that I had nothing to watch until the cat convinced me that I should just put the first thing in that I grabbed.  I realize I was being irrational.  If you've read any of my blog posts (which I'm thinking nobody has), then you can probably imagine the enormity of my movie collection.  Still, I decided to just put some random movie in and attempt to find an obsession that I could blog about.


That's when I thought about something that would make me laugh.  Fran Drescher.  She's great!  I fell in love with her on The Nanny, which is one of those shows that I have seen so many times that I doubt there's an episode out there that I haven't seen about forty times.  I also loved her in the movie The Beautician and the Beast.  The movie is hilarious and I cannot think of anyone that would have played the role better.  As you can well imagine, I was absolutely tickled when they said she was going to be in a new show, Happily Divorced.  I'm thankful that TVLand loads the show online each week so that I never have to worry about missing an episode ever.  

The Nanny was one of those shows that I never missed when it was on television.  When they started showing reruns of the show, I continued watching them, even though I knew them by heart.  First of all, I loved Fran's voice, even though I know it bothers some people.  It's something that's distinctly Fran.  Secondly, she had great costumes on the show.  I only wished I had the style to be able to pull off some of her fashion choices.


I also adored her family on the show, which made it really cool (in my opinion) when they brought them to be guest stars on Happily Divorced a few weeks ago.  Niles was my second favorite character on the show.  He had the most great one liners ever, especially when he was heckling C.C. Babcock.  I always felt sorry for C.C.  She was absolutely obnoxious and snooty, but she just never could seem to accept that she was not going to win Mr. Sheffield.  He was always clueless.  I think the only unbelievable thing about the show was that it took so long for him to fall in love with Fran, but then again, I know that was the entire point of the show.  I would have liked to have seen more of the show, though, especially after they had the twins.  I feel like it could have shown a little more of their family life, but I guess that all good things have to come to an end.  

For anyone who isn't watching this show these days, you're really missing out.  It's not The Nanny, but it has very much the same tone to it.  There isn't a single episode where there's not some great line I want to remember, and I'm guaranteed to laugh during most of the show.  Fran's parents are hilarious.  Much like her parents in The Nanny, they are always criticizing her lack of a relationship, and the fact that they don't have grandchildren.  Peter and Fran have a great relationship, and it appears that they're going to be together forever, just as best friends instead of husband and wife.  Judi, Fran's best friend, and Cesar, the gardner are also hilarious costars on the show.  Cesar has a little bit of a Niles type quality to him.  Judi, however, is nothing like Fran's best friend Val on The Nanny.  Judi is actually usually the one that has a tendency to be the voice of reason about things.  It's a great show, and if you were a Nanny fan, you need to see this!  

Well, there goes.  That's my obsession for the day, and it's a great one.  Fran is awesome!  It's too bad she's not on TV today to help relieve my boredom!