Friday, March 17, 2006

I (Heart) Kristen


I really wasn’t planning to write anything today because with a name like McGavin, St. Patrick’s Day is basically a national holiday, add to that it coincides with the NCAA tournaments makes it a double whammy. Not to mention my boys over at Kent State play tonight. But I just had to share something.

My birthday is coming up in the near future so it’s about that time I start receiving birthday cards and I got one that looked very much like one except it was post-marked from San Diego. Now my mother has a cousin who lives in the city but he has never sent me anything before and I’ve only met the guy about three times in my life. So I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up and this was written inside the card:


I (Heart) Kristen Bell



Okay, this was uber-cool and totally unexpected. That the star and namesake would take time out of television show to write a thank you letter apologizing that she couldn’t spend more time with us, even though it wasn’t her fault and was summoned away by the director, just makes me (heart) her even more. Now if only her character would hook up with Dick, that would rule.

And one more thing, GO Golden Flashes! Um, nevermind that last part.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Toss Up: Lost vs Veronica Mars week 10 3/4


Not the overdramatic look but Kristin Cavallari is still out of her leagueLast night we had our first all new in what seemed like forever, but at least now we have two straight months without a repeat leading up to the finale. The big news from last night was the guest appearance of star Kristin Cavallari in her first ever acting role, well that’s if you don’t think the reality show is staged. But anyways. And wow was her acting bad. I’m talking Middle School production of Our Town bad. But much like Laguna Beach it was so bad it became entertaining. There was one look she had while in the bathroom that had me falling off the couch laughing it was so overdramatic. (By the way, both pictures in this post are courtesy of UPN/Warner Bros.)

Cavallari played a lesbian, The Attractive Nuisance pointed out for some reason didn’t wear an “I (Heart) Beaver” t-shirt, who is being blackmailed to stay in the closet along with other gay Neptune students. But it was the tricky Cavallari who plotted to out herself so she could walk down the hall hand in hand with her girlfriend while Dick ogled her.

One part of the whole online gay community that I found interesting was the dude who threatened to out people and disappeared was on the bus along with bi-curious Marcos, whixh makes two S.H.I.P.’ers who were on the bus. Being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I wonder if this is coincidental or could this have something to do with the bus crash. After last night you can also add the Indian casino owners to the long list of suspects. But the biggest bit of evidence found in this episode implicated already charged Terrence Cook when Veronica found explosives in the hanger where Terrence keeps his fleet of cars. But the hanger is own by my lead candidate, Woody Goodman.

Then there was Logan, who continued his fake courtship of the uber-cute Hanna who is so gullible she bought his line about why he didn’t want to be seen in public with her and that he didn’t know how her daddy was when he met her. Or Hannah just wants Logan to think she is gullible and she will pull a WWF type swerve when she is called as a witness at Logan’s trail for the defense supposable to sell out her dad only to pick up a steel chair and nail Logan in the back on the way to the stand, ripping off her sun dress to reveal an “I (Heart) Daddy” t-shirt. Oh, and what a classic look Veronica gave when Mac mentioned that Hannah’s dad was a plastic surgeon.

Kristin Cavallari, don't quit your day job, or, um, get a day jobBut the highlights for me were the scenes between Veronica and Dick. First Dick “nails” Veronica, “I remember you taller and less uppity.” Then Veronica walks into Dick fantasy by asking him “Could it help if I started making out with my girlfriend in the hallway.” Dick’s “Yeah, obviously” was priceless. Seriously, how long until Veronica sports an “I (Heart) Dick” shirt? Then we get the return of my favorite fringe character Madison. And Corny had a breakout line with “I’m what they call a master bait.” For some reason they brought back last year’s Popsicle Princess, Carmen for a small part. I wonder if this was just the beginning of something. (On a side note, is anyone else a little put off that the last gig this actress had was playing a teacher on Boston Public? So she went from playing a teacher to a high school junior in about three years. Um, okay.) And if there wasn’t already reason enough reason to hate Sheriff Lamb; he’s apparently a fan. Also props to Cavallari for using the pseudonym Rick Santorum to blackmail her gay pal even though it didn’t seem Veronica or the baseball pitcher (or was he a catcher) didn’t seem to get the joke (and if you didn’t either, Santorum is the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania). And there also seemed to be another reference with the Kissncuzn screen name. But the line of the night was Veronica asking the PCH wannabe, “Did you just call me lady?”

For those who wonder why this episode was titled Versatile Topping, here’s the explanation from creator Rob Thomas, “The title of that episode, Versatile Toppings, is an inside joke between myself and Dan Etheridge, one of the producers here. And he used the phrase a couple times around me ‘negotiable top’ or ‘negotiable bottom’ and I misheard him so I kept using the phrase ‘versatile top’ rather than ‘negotiable top’ (Ducky mentioned “it also works” followed by laughter). So when we had a story that combined pizza delivery guys and outing gay students, it became Versatile Toppings.”

Next week there is a potentially scene of the year candidate when Kendal visit Papa Echolls in jail. Conjugal visit possibly? And surely there will be fallout from the explosives and you can bet Veronica will have something to say to Logan about his new girl. And it looks like we will have a first new Toss Up with next week too as it will be back with what looks to be a Jin and Sun-centric episode considering Sun asking for a pregnancy test, which I never leave at home when traveling, in the previews and the repeat last night of a previous Jin/Sun-centric episode. But I’ll leave you with a Veronica only Toss Up from last night’s episode:

Worst Love Life
Veronica: As Dick points out “you dated Logan, he’s nailed for murder, you dated Duncan, he’s wanted for kidnapping. You’re like rich dude kryptonite Veronica.”
Logan: He points out to Hannah that, “My first girlfriend was murdered, my last girlfriend nearly got shotgunned by a PCH’er drive-by. Color me crazy but I see a pattern.”
Winner: Logan

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Lyrics Quiz - Et Tu Brutus

With the Lyrics Quiz falling on the Ides of March I though I would have a Julius Caesar theme about lead singers who stabbed their bands in the back by going solo. As always leave your guesses in the comment section, both song title and artist. If you are correct, I will un-bold the lyric and give you credit. As an added bonus this month, you can get extra points by guessing the group they left behind. If a person doesn’t guess the former band, you can steal the points after, and only after the guess has been made. The person with the most correct lyrics will be added to the Winner’s list on my sidebar. Now on to the quiz:

Hints

25. Former group's songs - Automobile, Express Yourself, Just Don't Bite It


1. If my corpse could talk then I would tell you I was sorry. (Gone 'till November - Wyclef Jean guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - The Fugees)
2. I’ve tell myself too many time “Why don’t you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut?” (Why - Annie Lennox; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - The Eurythmics)
3. And the wonder of it all is that you just don’t realize how much I love you. (Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton; guessed by Scottage; Bonus - The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith guessed by The Catapillar)
4. These dreams are tied to a dream that will never die. (Desert Rose - Sting; guessed by The Catapillar; Bonus - The Police)
5. You were my sun, you were my earth, you didn’t know all the ways I loved you, no. (Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake; guessed by The Attractive Nuisance; Bonus - N'Sync)
6. You wanna stay little daddy’s girl, you wanna hide from the vicious world outside. (Life Is Sweet - Natalie Merchant; Bonus - 10,000 Maniacs)
7. B-A-N-A-N-A-S (Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stepani; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - No Doubt)
8. Heading into twilight, spreading out our wings tonight. (Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins; guesed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - Loggins and Messina)
9. You come knocking on my front door, same ol’ line you used to use before. (Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - Fleetwood Mac)
10. My love, there’s only you in my life, the only thing that’s right. (Endless Love - Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - The Commodores)
11. Mad ‘cause I got floor seats at the Lakers, see me on the 50 yard line with the Raiders. (Gettin Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith; guessed by The Attractive Nuisance; Bonus - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince)
12. Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. (The Boys of Summer - Don Henley; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - The Eagles)
13. You could have an airplane flying if you brought your blue skies back. (Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - Genesis)
14. You should’ve been gone knowing how I made you feel. (Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - Journey)
15. It’s been three week since you’ve been looking for your friend, the one you let hit it and never called you again. (Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauyrn Hill guessed by The Attractive Nuisance; Bonus - The Fugees)
16. We got a Thousand Points of Light for the homeless man. (Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus Buffalo Springfield)
17. Caught up in the action, I’ll be looking out for you. Tell me can you feel it. (The Heat Is On - Glen Frey; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - The Eagles)
18. Just me hold you while you’re falling apart, just let me hold you and we’ll both fall down. (Ever the Same - Rob Thomas (not to be confused with this Rob Thomas); guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - Matchbox Twenty)
19. Ooo baby I like it raw, Ooo baby I like it raw. (Shimmy Shimmy Ya - Ol' Dirty Bastard; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - Wu-Tang Clan)
20. How could you just walk away from me when all I can do is watch you leave? (Against All Odds - Phil Collins; guessed by Magnolia; Bonus - Genesis)
21. I got the only key to your heart; I can stop you from falling apart. (Let My Love Open the Door - Pete Townshend; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - The Who)
22. Used to be my homie, used to be my ace, now I wanna slap the taste out your mouth. (Dre Day - Dr. Dre; guessed by Sha Shinzzle; Bonus - NWA)
23. All alone I sit home by the phone waiting for you baby. (Say, Say, Say - Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson; guessed by Sha Shinizzle; Bonus - The Beatles)
24. I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy and I guess it was enough for me. (Freedom '90 - George Michael; guessed by The Attractive Nuisance; Bonus - Wham!)
25. I make dough but don’t call me Dough Boy, this ain’t no motion picture.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

The Mystery That Is Shelly Pomroy


Last week I shared with you my number one burning question for Rob Thomas, creator of , dealing with the other dude with his name (see No, Not That Rob Thomas), and today I will regale you with the question I most wanted to know about the show, here’s the transcript:

Scooter McGavin: One person that’s been brought up a lot last season and has been brought up once this season; are we ever going to meet Shelly Pomroy?

(Rob Laughs)

Scooter: Unless I’ve missed it, I don’t think we’ve ever seen her except in the background.

Rob Thomas: Shelly Pomroy, now this is a great bit of trivia, Shelly Pomroy is a girl I went to high school with and had a crush on in seventh grade and she dated my best friend throughout high school and remains a good friend to this day and she has a cousin who had work in soup operas and was coming out to LA to make it as an actor. And she called me; Shelly Pomroy called me, and said “Would you mind seeing my cousin if you have anything right for her?” And this was the Purity Test episode, the Purity Test episode we need a cheerleader and said, “Yeah send in your cousin and I’ll meet her.” And that’s Madison Sinclair. Madison Sinclair is played by Shelly Pomroy’s cousin, which is a weird bit of business because Shelly Pomroy is a real person. Shelly Pomroy has been referenced…

Magnolia: Which one?

Rob: Oh which one, which one of the two. Because the first time we cast Shelly Pomroy we didn’t need an actress we just need someone we could make out, the second time we need an actor.

Magnolia: In the pilot she was just an extra sitting in the lunchroom with Duncan and Logan and the camera focused on her, “that’s Shelly Pomroy.” Then she’s a brunette, then there’s also a show where’s she’s making out with Duncan, people didn’t know that was Shelly Pomroy.

Rob: And that’s bad planning on our part.

Magnolia: And then there’s a third one in A Trip to the Dentist where she’s doing the…

Rob: Uh, Straddling Veronica.

Magnolia: How do you explain that, closet lesbian?

Rob (chuckles): Yes.

My tape cuts off there as I believe we reached the wardrobe trailer and the conversation pretty much ended. There were some spots of bad audio so I may have missed it on the playback, but I’m pretty sure that Rob said that the girl named Shelly that dated Duncan early in season one was intended to be the infamous Shelly Pomroy. And while transcribing this I noticsed he totally didn’t answer my original question, but it was an interesting response especially since it involved one of my favorite non-cast member, Madison Sinclair. What can I say; I have a soft spot for hot chicks with attitude problems. Speaking of hot chicks with attitude problems, the good people at UPN/Warner Bros has passed along some pictures of Laguna Beach alum Kristin Cavallari who will be making a guest appearance on tomorrow’s brand new Veronica Mars which I have posted one below courtesy of UPN/Warner Bros and is used by permission. If you want to see more you can check out my new photo blog, the aptly titled Scooter McGavin Takes Pictures. Also below the picture I will print some spoilers that UPN passed along, so avoid them if you don’t want to see them.


Kristin Cavallari on the set of Veronica Mars



Spoiler Alert


Veronica is on the case when someone tries to blackmail the gay students of Neptune High;
Dr. Griffith tells Logan to stay away from his daughter Hannah after he walks in on the two of them cuddling on the couch;
Veronica tries to track down a runaway bride, who happens to be Wallace's new girlfriend's sister;
Aaron Echolls meets with Kendall Casablancas and asks if she can get into Logan's hotel suite;
And Veronica runs into her ex-boyfriend, Troy (guest star Aaron Ashmore), when taking a college tour with Wallace.

Also, Michael Cera (George Michael) and Alia Shawkat (Maeby) of guest star.

Monday, March 13, 2006

It's March Madness Baby! 2006 Edition


It's my favorite time of the year, St. Patrick's Day, my birthday, Peeps (during the occasional March Easter), spring training, Shamrock Shakes, and most importantly March Madness. I'm actually coming off my best outing ever coming in third in the office pool. So I figured I would pass on my college basketball wisdom on to you. Even though Selection Sunday is still a good two weeks away there are a few rules you can abide by every year without having to see the bracket.

Rule #1 - Duke always makes it to the Sweet 16. Remember last week when everyone said Duke was in trouble? But an ACC title run later, Coach K and crew are back on track. Some people may argue that Duke is an automatic Final Four pick every year, and that would be a good bet most years but Sweet 16 is a guarantee when it comes to Duke.

Rule #2 - Never bet on the Big Ten. It's never a good idea to trust institutions of higher learning that can't count and the Big Ten backs that philosophy up. It's always guaranteed that at the end of the first weekend, when they show the breakdown of how the all the major conferences did, the Big Ten always has the worst record. Then everyone questions why they got so many bids, and then the next year they still get 4-6 more bids to the Big Dance. And that means 3-5 more upset points for us. Yeah, one team may make it to the second weekend, but as a whole avoid the Big 10.

Rule #3 - The MAC is always good for a win. As a product of the Mid-American Conference, I am very aware of this rule. Every year the Mac is overlooked and draws a 10-12 seed then knocks off the 5-7 seed (usually an at large bid from an overrated conference) thus racking up the upset points.
The Gonzaga Corollary - To go a step further on Rule #4, always pick any lower Mid Major seed vs. a 4th or lower from a major conference. Most major conferences do not deserve 4 or more bids and prove with early exits from those teams.

Rule #4 - Home Court Matters. College Basketball is the sport where home court/field advantage is most prominent. Yes, I know there is no home court advantage in March Madness because they play on neutral courts, but when you (or your fans) have to travel less than 50 miles to get to get to the game than you are at a distinct advantage. So when you are filling out your brackets pay close attention where the first weekend games are taken place.

Rule #5 - Ask Your Sister. The most important rule even though it discredits everything I’ve said before. Every year guy spend from 6:00 Sunday until 12:00 Thursday mulling over websites, watching Sportcenter, and taking in all the information from all the blowhards and self proclaimed braketologist. But by the time April rolls around, it’s a chick who took five minutes filling out her bracket who takes home the big prize. So if you want to win this year, just don’t over think everything.

Now onto my picks:

Atlanta
Finals: Duke vs. Texas
Upset Special: NC State

Oakland
Finals: UCLA vs. Kansas
Upset Special: Kent State

Washington DC
Finals: UConn vs. North Carolina
Upset Special: Utah St. (Not that I picked them)

Minneapolis
Finals: Boston College vs. Ohio State
Upset Special: Northern Iowa

Final Four
Duke over UCLA
UConn over Boston College

Duke over UConn 83-76

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Switch Me On, Turn Me Up


Supernature - Goldfrapp

It’s been a good couple months for dance music with songs by and the group formally known as , making songs for the dancefloor that doesn’t absolutely suck, not to mention rock bands like Franz Ferdinand that make song that even I can dance too. Now you can add to the list of dance artist that you don’t need to be high on ecstasy to enjoy with the release of her new album Supernature. Of and for those that don’t already know, if you need drugs to make music sound good, then by definition its suck, I’m talking to you Deadhead. But anyways.

The album starts off with a double dose of upbeat sons that demand your attendance out on the dancefloor with the thumping (but not the annoying bass kind) Ooh La La and the electric Lovely 2 C U. But the album goes into dance clichés with Ride on a White Horse, a song that gets old quick with its monotone singing and music that overpowers the vocals.

Then, when things get slowed down, Goldfrapp suddenly turns into on song You Never Know and Let it Take You with poor results. And it seems lie the two song take forever end. The album gets back on track Fly Me Away but it’s really hit or miss after except Satin Chic that has an old time western feel, but of course with a dance twist and the 80’s sounding Number 1. It may be best just to buy the best song on iTunes because there is way too much filler buy the album as a whole.

Song to Download - Ooh La La

Supernature gets a Terror Alert Level: Elevated [YELLOW] on my Terror Alert Scale.