A Christmas Story is perfect. It's hilarious, and I watch it every year... and sometimes I watch it in the summer too, just because it's so funny. The story is taken from the writings of Jean Shepherd (I may have spelled that wrong) and I've...
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A Christmas Story is perfect. It's hilarious, and I watch it every year... and sometimes I watch it in the summer too, just because it's so funny. The story is taken from the writings of Jean Shepherd (I may have spelled that wrong) and I've read his books; the story here in the movie doesn't quite exist in his books, but is pieced together from other stories that he's written.

This doesn't really matter... what matters is that this movie takes the viewer back to a more innocent time, to the boyhood of Ralphie, who wants a Red Rider BB Gun. His little fantasy sequences are fantastic, and the "Leg Lamp" is one of the highlights of the movie. There's just so much in this movie that's funny, it's impossible to list it all.

I find it hard to believe that anyone hasn't seen this movie, what with the 24-hour marathons that go on every year, but if you haven't seen it, you should! You'll love it instantly!

I remember seeing Steven Weber on Wings, where he was basically playing the lighter comedy role of the brother who refuses to grow up. Now he's on Studio 60 and his role couldn't be more different.

In this new show, he is the...
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I remember seeing Steven Weber on Wings, where he was basically playing the lighter comedy role of the brother who refuses to grow up. Now he's on Studio 60 and his role couldn't be more different.

In this new show, he is the hard-nosed executive, and he seems to be playing the part well, so far. There's only been one episode, and I'm not sure how often he'll be in the episodes, but based on the one I saw, I hope he's in a lot of them; he adds the conflict necessary to make the show interesting.

I never would have believed before that he'd be good playing that kind of role, after seeing him on Wings, but he is very good, and I'd like to see more of him.

Allison Holker appeared on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance, and this review is based on her appearance there.

Allison always did well in all the styles of dance; in fact, in the first week of the couples, she and...
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Allison Holker appeared on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance, and this review is based on her appearance there.

Allison always did well in all the styles of dance; in fact, in the first week of the couples, she and Ivan, her partner, were given an Argentinian Tango to dance, and Allison was the only one of the two of them who danced it. Ivan was out of his depth, but luckily for both him and Allison, he quickly improved. The judges picked Allison early on as a contender for the winning spot, although she didn't actually get that. However, she is certainly a talented dancer, graceful and beautiful, and deserves a lot of attention from the dance world, as well as the rest of the world!

Well, actually, it seems that he can do other roles. Often when an actor does one role for a long time, they get typecast, and end up playing that role in various incarnations, in all the shows that they're in. But Matthew Perry has moved on...
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Well, actually, it seems that he can do other roles. Often when an actor does one role for a long time, they get typecast, and end up playing that role in various incarnations, in all the shows that they're in. But Matthew Perry has moved on from Chandler in his new role as Matt Albie.

Don't get me wrong; I liked him as Chandler. He was funny, and that's not as easy as it seems. His new character seems to be completely different, though, and that's a good thing. It will allow him to show that he ~is~ more than Chandler. Even though he's playing a writer on a comedy show, I just didn't get the impression that he's going to be the same character at all.

Stephen Fry is a great actor. He's appeared in many shows, most noteably (for me), in <i>Jeeves & Wooster</i> as the inimitable Jeeves and also in <i>Black Adder</i> as Melchett (in all his various incarnations). He...
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Stephen Fry is a great actor. He's appeared in many shows, most noteably (for me), in <i>Jeeves & Wooster</i> as the inimitable Jeeves and also in <i>Black Adder</i> as Melchett (in all his various incarnations). He was incredibly funny in both roles. I've also seen him in movies, such as <i>Gosford Park</i> and <i>Peter's Friends</i> (which he wrote, I believe) and he did well there too, although the role he played in the latter movie was closer to his real life than the others.

But he's also an author. He's written a few books, and they're quite funny as well. His autobiography (<i>Moab Is My Washpot</i>) is a very interesting read, and if you're interested in Stephen Fry's life and up-bringing, this would be a great place to find out about him. But his other books are fiction, and funny, which is only to be expected from a great comedic genius like Stephen Fry!

Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House in the TV show House; he's an American doctor who limps. Many people think that Hugh Laurie is an American and has a limp... but that's just the acting. He's actually British, and has no problems walking at...
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Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House in the TV show House; he's an American doctor who limps. Many people think that Hugh Laurie is an American and has a limp... but that's just the acting. He's actually British, and has no problems walking at all. That alone shows what a good actor he is.

Many people don't know Hugh Laurie from anything but House, however, he was in many programs in Britain, and was excellent in those as well. He played Bertie Wooster, and watching him, you'd believe that you were in 1930s upper class England; he played Prince George in Black Adder III, and watching him there, you'd believe he was a total idiot. That's how great an actor he is.

More people should watch the British shows that he's in, because he's fantastic!

Sandra Oh plays Cristina on Grey's Anatomy, and she's great in that role. It's a great role, first of all, as she gets all the dry, witty lines, saying what people are thinking but usually too afraid to say. She's a doctor who loves the blood...
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Sandra Oh plays Cristina on Grey's Anatomy, and she's great in that role. It's a great role, first of all, as she gets all the dry, witty lines, saying what people are thinking but usually too afraid to say. She's a doctor who loves the blood and gore of it all, and she wants to be first and best.

Sandra does admirably in this role; and the role has been added to by the writers, giving her a love interest, and that story works too, because of her neuroses.

However, Sandra's recent appearance at the 2006 Emmys is what made me lower the score. The dress she wore was hideous, and the jewellry that she added as accessories was overdone. She needs to get herself a stylist or else be tagged as the laughing stock of Hollywood.

But as an actress, she's good.

Katherine Heigl is currently playing Izzy, a doctor on Grey's Anatomy, but I first saw her playing... Izzy on Roswell.

The Roswell role was interesting, because she was playing an alien and had special powers that allowed her to...
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Katherine Heigl is currently playing Izzy, a doctor on Grey's Anatomy, but I first saw her playing... Izzy on Roswell.

The Roswell role was interesting, because she was playing an alien and had special powers that allowed her to 'dream-walk'. She was sister to the main character and so was in many of the scenes and all of the episodes; she played the character well and was believeable as a small town high school teen.

Now, she's playing a doctor, and once again is believeable in the role. She's funny, serious, intelligent and sexy, all in one package, in the role of Izzy. She's definitely talented!

TR Knight plays George O'Malley on Grey's Anatomy, and this review is based on his appearance there.

TR plays George well; this has to be a difficult character to portray. He needs to be vulnerable and caring, but not a wimp, and...
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TR Knight plays George O'Malley on Grey's Anatomy, and this review is based on his appearance there.

TR plays George well; this has to be a difficult character to portray. He needs to be vulnerable and caring, but not a wimp, and that's exactly what TR Knight pulls off in his characterization of George. He cares for Meredith and that's just a hopeless case, which he knows, but he can't stop caring.

The character is extremely well written as well, and that always helps, but that's really only half the battle. It's all TR Knight for the actual acting, and he does a superb job!

Ellen Pompeo plays Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy; she's the lead star in an ensemble cast, and that's an accomplishment in itself. Although the show is named for her character, she's not the sole focus of the show; we are early on introduced to...
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Ellen Pompeo plays Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy; she's the lead star in an ensemble cast, and that's an accomplishment in itself. Although the show is named for her character, she's not the sole focus of the show; we are early on introduced to the other interns and doctors, and come to care about all of them as much, if not more, than Meredith.

Ellen plays a difficult character as well; Meredith is damaged and doesn't know what she wants, so keeps hurting other people in her search to make herself happy. This character is selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate and whiny, yet Ellen Pompeo plays her so well that we still ~care~ about Meredith. The cliff-hanger in Meredith's relationships at the end of the second season was fantastic, and I can't wait for the third season to start, to see who Meredith chooses. (My bet: she'll make the wrong choice!)

Musa was a contestant in the top 20 on the second season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and this review is based on his appearance there.

Musa has had no formal dance training; by that I mean he hasn't taken ballet or ballroom...
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Musa was a contestant in the top 20 on the second season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and this review is based on his appearance there.

Musa has had no formal dance training; by that I mean he hasn't taken ballet or ballroom training. He began street dancing and dancing in clubs, and was given his big break when he tried out for a dance part with Beyonce in the 2003 MTV Music Awards.

He made it into the Top 20 on SYTYCD, and with no formal training, managed to last against those who ~did~ have formal training. It must have been difficult for him, but he perservered and made it through. To me, that means more than seeing someone who's had tons of training do what they always do. It was more exciting to see Musa dance a ballroom number, because everyone knew that this was something completely new for him. He may not have been perfect, but he was really good, and that alone can give hope to people that just the 'average guy' can succeed!

Dmitry was a dancer in the top 10 on So You Think You Can Dance, season 2, and this review is based on his performance there.

Dmitry definitely stood out from the crowd in the beginning; he was tall, dark, and handsome. His accent...
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Dmitry was a dancer in the top 10 on So You Think You Can Dance, season 2, and this review is based on his performance there.

Dmitry definitely stood out from the crowd in the beginning; he was tall, dark, and handsome. His accent didn't hurt any, either. But as far as the dancing goes... well, he didn't really stand out there, unless it was for the wrong things.

He was good when it came to ballroom dance styles. That's not a surprise, because that's his specialty. But the other styles... well, he did okay, but not great. And then he started to stand out for another reason... he kept being in the bottom three and losing his partners.

Was it his fault or the girls' fault? I don't know, but he went through three partners in three weeks. He managed to stay in by getting a large fan base who were enamoured with his chest. See, that was the other thing he was known for... ripping open his shirt in his solos, which he had numerous chances to perform. It became a joke, and remained one even after Dmitry left.

Was he a good dancer? Yes. Was he a great dancer? I don't think so.

Heidi was a contestant on season 2 of FOX's So You Think You Can Dance and this review is based on her appearance there.

When the season started, or more precisely, when the top 20 started, Heidi was easy to lose in the crowd....
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Heidi was a contestant on season 2 of FOX's So You Think You Can Dance and this review is based on her appearance there.

When the season started, or more precisely, when the top 20 started, Heidi was easy to lose in the crowd. She was good, but so were all the others, and she didn't stand out. As the season progressed, she improved. With each week that passed, she mastered more types and styles of dances and began to shine. The Cuban Rhumba that she did with Ryan was a wonderfully original dance, and really set Heidi apart from the other dancers. Her African Pop dance with Travis later on in the season was another great dance.

But Heidi's best week on the show was when she and her cousin, Benji, were paired together. They were given a ballroom dance (Mambo) and Broadway to do and they were absolutely superb. All the judges agreed that they were an amazing couple and their years of dancing together really showed that week.

If Broadway doesn't give Heidi a call after that, then there's something wrong with Broadway! She's an excellent dancer.

Benji is a contestant on the 2006 season of "So You Think You Can Dance" and this review is based on his appearance there.

There have only been a few episodes so far, but Benji has been a stand-out. From his first audition, he made...
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Benji is a contestant on the 2006 season of "So You Think You Can Dance" and this review is based on his appearance there.

There have only been a few episodes so far, but Benji has been a stand-out. From his first audition, he made his mark, and showed himself to be a really good dancer. Last night's episode had the top 20 dancers paired up for their first couples dancing. Benji had to do a hip hop dance and he performed very well. As he said himself, he doesn't usually move like that, so to see him do the dance and look like he'd been doing that style of dancing all his life was really great. Another couple did a hiphop dance, but they were just robotic compared to Benji and his partner.

I'm looking forward to seeing Benji continue to perform well for the rest of the episodes, and hoping that he'll win!
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Well, I originally wrote that review in June when the show started, but it's still true now. There seems to have been some mix-up with the names of the contestants as Benji was originally listed as "Benji Weiland" instead of "Schwimmer."

I originally typed this up on June 16th, but it seems that there was a mistake on the name of the contestant, as I discovered that the person I'd reviewed was no longer listed as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. So here's what I had to...
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I originally typed this up on June 16th, but it seems that there was a mistake on the name of the contestant, as I discovered that the person I'd reviewed was no longer listed as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. So here's what I had to say on June 16th...

Ivan is a contestant on the 2006 season of So You Think You Can Dance? and this review is based on his appearance there.

Ivan auditioned for the judges and did a sort of retro-robot type dance that was a bit hiphop... I don't know what it was. All I know is that (a) I don't really know anything about dancing, from the technical point of view, and (b) I know what I like, and I know what I think looks good. So Ivan did his dance, and I thought he was nothing particularly special.

I was quite surprised when the judges all raved about him, and immediately gave him a ticket to go through to Las Vegas. Okay, fine, I thought. But in the first night of couples' dancing, Ivan really bombed. He held his partner back, and she did all the dancing while he just stood there and looked wooden.

Nigel was right when he told Ivan, "you don't want to be that guy"... the guy who gets his partner kicked out because he's so bad. In Ivan's defence, he's young, and has lots of room and time for improvement. And that's what he needs to do, but not in his preferred style, he's fine there. It's other forms of dancing that he needs to learn, and he needs to work with a partner more as well.

Otherwise, he seems like a very nice teenager. Happy to be given the chance that he's been given, and I hope he uses this chance well!
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And it seems that Ivan has taken the opportunity and he's improved a lot in the last month and a half. I don't think he'll win but he's a really good dancer, and should last a few more weeks.

Paula Abdul is a judge on American Idol and this review is based on her appearance there.

Paula loves everyone. This might be nice in your everyday life, to meet someone who never has a bad word to say, but she's not appearing in...
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Paula Abdul is a judge on American Idol and this review is based on her appearance there.

Paula loves everyone. This might be nice in your everyday life, to meet someone who never has a bad word to say, but she's not appearing in our everyday lives; she's a judge on a singing contest, and she needs to learn how to JUDGE.

In my opinion, she doesn't know how to do that, and is quite rude to boot. She thinks everyone is wonderful; you can always tell when she secretly thinks that their singing sucked, because she'll tell them that their outfit looks great and won't say anything about the singing... unfortunately, it's all about the singing. Being a judge means telling people whether they're good or bad. She can tell someone that they didn't do well without being rude about it - it's called "constructive criticism". She needs to learn to do that.

But she's also quite rude. She sits there and gushes (sometimes inappropriately) over the contestants, and then, when it's Simon's turn to speak, she doesn't let him! She shouts over what he's saying and makes rude noises... she acts like a five-year old who's not getting her way. Simon lets her speak, even though he mostly disagrees with what she says; she simply isn't capable of showing him the same courtesy.

Sometimes, I really have to wonder what she's been taking, or what's ~really~ in that Coke glass she has sitting in front of her... she's just SO inappropriate.

American Idol producers should really think about getting a new judge to replace her, as she seems to be highly unstable, and inappropriate, and completely unable to actually "judge" anyone.

I think Simon Cowell is great! He says what he thinks and he doesn't sugar coat it. He tells the performers on American Idol the truth; sometimes he's a little too brutal, but after Paula and all her sugar-sweetness... well, sometimes brutal...
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I think Simon Cowell is great! He says what he thinks and he doesn't sugar coat it. He tells the performers on American Idol the truth; sometimes he's a little too brutal, but after Paula and all her sugar-sweetness... well, sometimes brutal honesty is called for.

This past season (2006) on American Idol, I found myself agreeing with Simon more and more, especially when he'd turn to Paula and tell her to just let him speak. And he's right; he sits there while Randy and Paula go overboard on singing the praises of the contestants; then when he tries to say something, they talk over him and tell him that he's wrong. He doesn't do that to them at all. So... I guess that makes him a lot more polite than they are, right?

In short, Simon says the things that I'm sitting in my living room saying about the contestants. He's honest, he has a good ear, and a great vocabulary! I love him, and hope he stays on as a judge for many years to come!

Nigel Lythgoe is a judge (and executive producer) on So You Think You Can Dance, and this review is based on his appearance there.

It seems to me that Nigel is filling the required "Simon Cowell" spot as a judge in a reality/talent...
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Nigel Lythgoe is a judge (and executive producer) on So You Think You Can Dance, and this review is based on his appearance there.

It seems to me that Nigel is filling the required "Simon Cowell" spot as a judge in a reality/talent show. I don't know why this is necessary... except that it is. Someone has to be realistic and a little nasty. Not everyone can do that; Simon certainly can, and so can Nigel.

I don't mean that as a bad thing, either. It's good. Someone has to be realistic after all the gushing is over, and Nigel does that well. He's not as nasty as Simon is either, which is good, but he's honest, and tells the dancers what he thinks. He's usually nice about it, but sometimes can be abrupt and to the point. But that's needed, so that's good.

And he can be nice too... this season (2006), one of the contestants hurt herself in Las Vegas, and had to drop out of the competition. Nigel told her that she could come back next year and skip the initial auditions, and just pick up where she left off. He didn't have to do that at all... he could have just said, 'oh, well, that's the dancing world for you... you get injured and you lose out! Bye bye!' But he didn't do that; he was kind to her and gave her another chance to try again after she's better.

Overall, I like Nigel for his honesty. He's a good judge and should be on more shows!

Sorry, this isn't the person I thought he was.... and so now I have to type 100 words so that I can edit this. I got to this page by clicking on the cast listing for "So You Think You Can Dance" and this person was listed as one of the season 2...
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Sorry, this isn't the person I thought he was.... and so now I have to type 100 words so that I can edit this. I got to this page by clicking on the cast listing for "So You Think You Can Dance" and this person was listed as one of the season 2 contestants. But I guess there was a mistake in the name, as the person that I wanted to review is now listed with a different last name... Ivan Koumaev. So I'm moving my review over to that page, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused!

Sorry, this isn't the person I thought he was.... and so now I have to type 100 words so that I can edit this. I got to this page by clicking on the cast listing for "So You Think You Can Dance" and this person was listed as one of the season 2...
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Sorry, this isn't the person I thought he was.... and so now I have to type 100 words so that I can edit this. I got to this page by clicking on the cast listing for "So You Think You Can Dance" and this person was listed as one of the season 2 contestants. But I guess there was a mistake in the name, as the person that I wanted to review is now listed with a different last name... Benji Schwimmer, not Benji Weiland. So I'm moving my review over to the right page, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused!

Barry Lazarus competed with his wife, Fran, on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on his appearance there.

Barry was always there with words of encouragement for Fran, although sometimes the two of them really...
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Barry Lazarus competed with his wife, Fran, on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on his appearance there.

Barry was always there with words of encouragement for Fran, although sometimes the two of them really frustrated me... the times when they'd walk right by the clue box and not see it... I'm not sure why that happened to them as much as it did, but it made me just yell at the TV screen! Times like that made it seem that they'd be eliminated earlier than they were, but they hung in there, and showed us all what real team-work is.

The two of them really did work together, and were positive towards each other, unlike so many of the other teams in the 2006 season. It was good to see an older couple who still have such obvious affection for each other.

I was glad to see them last in the race as long as they did, and I wish they could have gone farther, but someone's got to go... but they did really well, and they should get their own show!

Fran Lazarus competed with her husband, Barry, on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on her appearance there.

Fran and Barry were the oldest couple in the race, and in the beginning, it seemed like they'd be...
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Fran Lazarus competed with her husband, Barry, on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on her appearance there.

Fran and Barry were the oldest couple in the race, and in the beginning, it seemed like they'd be the first to go because of that age difference. But the two of them showed everyone that age isn't the deciding factor; they have strength as a couple and know how to work together. There were times when one of them would be getting down on themselves, but the other would always be there to perk them up with words of encouragement.

Fran really seemed to know herself and what her strengths and weaknesses were. When she could do something, she'd say so and when she couldn't, she'd also say that. That's definintely a plus in a race situation; if you don't know what you can do, you can get into trouble.

I was glad to see them last in the race as long as they did, and I wish they could have gone farther, but someone's got to go... but they did really well, and they should get their own show!

Joseph appeared on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on his appearance there.

Joseph was half of team MoJo, with his girlfriend Monica. At first, I thought he was just a jerk because he always seemed to be...
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Joseph appeared on the 2006 season of The Amazing Race, this review is based on his appearance there.

Joseph was half of team MoJo, with his girlfriend Monica. At first, I thought he was just a jerk because he always seemed to be yelling at Monica and calling her names.

But then my opinion changed... maybe he had reason to yell at her, I thought as I watched Monica have a completely unexpected and childish snit fit in an Italian marketplace. It was the 'carrying the fish' task, and Monica decided in the middle of things that she just wanted to be a cry-baby. Joseph tried to keep her going... but she was too interested in herself to care. And I understood why he yelled at her and called her names; I'm sure he'd seen that behavior before.

As Monica continued to turn into a thouroughly unpleasant person, Joseph stayed the same... and I began to like him more for putting up with Monica. By the end of the race, I can't say that I liked him entirely, as he and Monica both seemed to think that sneaky, underhanded dealing was the way to go, but I think I liked him better than I had at the beginning of the race. Overall, I'd say he's not a nice guy, but he probably deserves better than Monica.

Monica was on The Amazing Race in 2006 with her boyfriend, Joseph. This review is based on her appearance there.

Monica and Joseph, or MoJo, as they called themselves, started out as just another team in the roster of 11 teams in...
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Monica was on The Amazing Race in 2006 with her boyfriend, Joseph. This review is based on her appearance there.

Monica and Joseph, or MoJo, as they called themselves, started out as just another team in the roster of 11 teams in the race. At first, they really didn't do anything particularly noteworthy.

But, as the race went on, and MoJo managed to stay in the race, they began to distinguish themselves. And not in a good way. Monica in particular made herself stand out in my memory by being a whingy brat. She whined and moaned all the time; I think it was with the task that had the racers carrying the fish that she really started to get on my nerves. She always seemed to be negative and whiny. "I can't do this!" Well, if that's the case, she should have gotten out of the race.

And then her true colors came through when The Hippies used their Road Block on MoJo. It was a race to get to the sign, and The Hippies made it first; we all know, without a doubt, that if MoJo had gotten there first, they would have blocked The Hippies, just out of spite. The Hippies had announced their intentions, and had a reason why (MoJo left them no money when they were penniless) they did it. Once blocked, Monica spent the hour complaining about how mean the Hippies were and how unfair it all was.

She's a whiner, and I'm glad that she lost.