Mainlining Christmas

This years' Window Displays start with the creepy mannequins of Saks Fifth Avenue. There's some ridiculous almost-a-story being told in rhymed couplets on the surface of the windows. Something about the magic bubble factory under Saks, where bored ladies in expensive dresses run Dr. Seuss-style machines. The machines are actually quite interesting looking, and they move, and the dresses are pretty. The juxtaposition, though, is just weird. Also the creepy little girl mannequin in the Santa hat is constantly skulking in the background: The displays are also sprinkled with little fake animals in the corners, with no explanation. Inside Saks they've decorated the ceiling, mostly. The next interesting store I spotted I guess is called H. Stern? It looks like a jewelry place. They had a live jazz band on a Thursday afternoon. I didn't even think about going in. Their windows were interesti

I want to smack their stupid faces. I should start this by saying I have a thing about Glee. I watched about two-thirds of the first season before deciding I was ultimately not enjoying it and quitting before it became a full fledged addiction. This is the first episode I've seen since then. As I watched, I could feel the ghostly hand of pointlessly melodramatic soap-opera-style continuity calling me back. I could feel the chance that I would get sucked back in. Happily, I escaped, because this is a terrible episode. It continues to be basically the same plot: teen romance creates drama/evil gym teacher is wacky. Rinse, repeat. Overall the series, and this episode in particular, suffers from the tension between drama and farce. The drama is boring, but when the drama laspes, there's nothing to ground the farce. And the farce isn't funny enough to stand on it's own. The music was every bit as horribly over-produced as I remembered. I love musicals, but I

Last Christmas a doll came for my daughter beneath the tree, wrapped in gold foil and tied with a bow. While playing the following spring, she dropped the toy down the stairs, and the impact split open the doll’s head. Wedged inside the neck was a handful of rolled up papers. The handwriting was almost illegible, but after a few hours, I was able to transcribe them, embellishing nothing beyond a word here or there I couldn’t identify or finishing the occasional sentence where the writer’s thoughts had wandered or he’d used the wrong term. * * * Even before he came, I knew there were things like him in the world. My mother was not born in this land, and she told me such stories. My father said it silly, but even as a boy I was smart enough to know the real from the fake, and to know that science and its ilk, while having its uses, painted pictures of a fairytale world of machines and mechanizations, and that the real world was something different. So it was that

The songs below are actually from two albums, but many of the tracks overlap, and I don't have double copies of them all. Technically, the music is performed by Peach Hips, which is one of the names for the musical group made up of the voice actors from Sailor Moon. It may be silly, but this is some of my favorite new music I acquired this year. In general I find these songs sweet and bouncy, and just plain enjoyable to listen to, even if I'm not sure what they're saying. Also, I find it easier to visualize the Sailor Scouts/Soldiers (pick your translation) singing exuberant Christmas tunes than some of the other characters on these Novelty Albums. Track List: Sailor Moon Christmas Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer When the Saints Go Marching In Jingle Bells The Christmas Song Les Anges dan nos Compagnes (Hark the Herald Angels Sing) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus When You Wish Upon a Star Silent Night Koibito ga Santa Claus Last Christmas Additional

I've seen some great episodes of this series, but I think they were mostly from later seasons. This one, while decent, wasn't anything special. Like most episodes of most sitcoms, this one follows a couple different stories that are developing in parallel. I counted three main plot arcs: one following J.D., who's been drafted into filming a childbirth, a second that followed Elliot, who's trying to track down a pregnant teen in need of medical care for reasons too contrived to go into here, and a third revolving around Turk, who's lost his faith because he had to work a night shift during a bad musical montage. Some of it was interesting, but none of it really hooked me. The characterizations were far too over-the-top to be relatable, let alone believable, and the set ups felt forced. There were a few dream sequences - one of this series's signatures - but mostly they felt random and unconnected. Overall, the comedy was good, though very few of the jokes

I saw several episodes of this series back in 2002/2003, but stopped watching before this episode aired. Kim Possible, for those of you who don't watch enough cartoons, was a Disney animated series about a super-spy in high school. Elements of both The Powerpuff Girls and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer can be felt, and its creators worked on the criminally underrated Sky High. This Christmas episode was almost entirely comedy, focused around Ron Stoppable (Kim's partner) and Drakken (her bumbling nemesis). Normally, that might grate on me, but here it seemed to work. The writing was snappy and clever, with the exception of a running gag about X-Treme sports that didn't age well. The episode did a good job juggling the absurdity of Kim's world, along with the trappings of holiday cheer, and while the result wasn't Earth-shattering, it was absolutely entertaining. If you're flipping through the channels and stumble across this, I definitely recommend giving it

This isn't much of an episode if you're unfamiliar with the show, and even if you are it's just fine. I found it sweet and amusing, but not compelling in any way. The plot follows Mary first learning she has to work on Christmas, and as soon as she comes to terms with that emotionally, she gets conned by a co-worker into covering his Christmas Eve shift too. Of course, everything turns out merry and bright, if not what she had planned, so all is well. I actually like the idea of this episode a lot more than the execution. It's true to the idea of the series, following a young woman making her way in a new life in a new city. And sometimes working in the industry you want to work in means you have to work holidays. The feeling of co-workers and friends coming together because you can't be with family isn't dated at all. Some of the humor... is. However, I absolutely love everyone's 70's wardrobe. I also liked that the majority of the jokes in th