"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" - spoiler movie review

I had really enjoyed the first "Transformers" movie, but I wasn't all that fond of the sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". However, since the trailer for the third film, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" looked pretty good, I was willing to give them another try.

I did like this movie much more than the second movie, but I think it fell far short of the first film. The story and the film itself was very uneven, and there were a couple story points that I really didn't enjoy. I really liked Megan Fox in the first film, but not in the second film, but I did not much care for the new girl. Yeah, she's a hot model, ok, but she just didn't do anything for me. The only time I liked her was when she made Megatron jealous that Sentinel was going to take over the Decepticons. But I wasn't interested in her story or the story of her and Sam. Let's save the romance story for a different film.

Oh, but I thought it was pretty cool when it turned out that the fancy car her boss had given her was actually a Decepticon.

I also really didn't like the scenes with Sam's parents. OK, they weren't quite as bad as in the second film, but really, could they have gotten worse? It seemed like they were meant as comic relief, but instead, they were still just really annoying and useless. If I could have fastforwarded through their scenes, I would have.

Oh, and ok, the Decepticons want to transport their home world RIGHT NEXT TO Earth. Ummm, ok, is no one else thinking about the detrimental effect that would have on Earth's gravity and orbital path around the sun? I had this same question when the aliens in "The Event" wanted to do the exact same thing. I mean, I know that the rest of the story itself is completely fantastical, but if you're going to take as granted that talking transforming robots from another planet can exist, that's fine, but you can't ignore normal regular things on Earth like gravity and planetary pull and orbits and such.

They had several awesome action sequences, as you'd expect. That corkscrew Decepticon 'bot was just evil - it's got no purpose other than to just destroy on a huge scale. That whole sequence when it took down the skyscraper was pretty cool, but I found myself thinking about what the crew had to go through to shoot those sequences, especially with all the furniture and office supplies and such going everywhere as the building was getting destroyed and falling.

I was actually quite proud of myself for figuring out two plot points before they explained it, which is fairly unusual for me. When they were loading up all the Autobots onto the shuttle to leave Earth, it occurred to me that it was the perfect time for the Decepticons to destroy them - they were all in the same place at the same time! So I wasn't surprised when the Decepticons blew up the shuttle. I will say, though, that I found that scene kind of disturbing because it reminded me a lot of the explosion of the Challenger. I don't think the vapor trails were the same, but just the images of the shuttle exploding, how far above the Earth it exploded, and then the look on Sam's face when he saw it explode so suddenly and unexpectedly - it just all brought back memories of when the Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. And to me, it's never going to be ok for a fiction movie to remind me of that real-life tragic event.

However, I did know that even though the shuttle blew up, that the Autobots were not dead. They did something to trick the Decepticons and they were fine. I had thought they'd somehow managed to fake getting on the shuttle, so it was fun to find out that they'd hid themselves all in the rocket booster that broke off and therefore was not destroyed.

The fight between the titans - Optimus Prime and Sentinel - was pretty cool to watch. But while the fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron was good too, it didn't have the same effect. OK, so Megatron was killed, again. He'd already been killed in the first film. Granted, it was a much more graphic ending this time, given that Optimus yanked his spine out instead of just killing his battery/spark/whatever and dropping him in the ocean intact. But hey, who knows, maybe he can still be revived or put back together. Which would make his death (sorry, his SECOND death) even that more unimportant. But if Megatron really is dead, that doesn't work for the story either. Whether or not they plan to make another film is irrelevant - even if they don't make another film, the STORY of the Autobots and the Decepticons isn't supposed to be over, but if the Decepticons have actually lost their leader, then it's not much of a fight, is it? Before the fight, Megatron asks Optimus what he would be without Megatron there, and Megatron is right. The victor is only as good as the opponent he defeats. If the opponent is weak, if there's no great villain to fight, then the "hero" is much diminished. All the great superheroes and "good guy" characters are such because they have a worthy and formidable nemesis.

Shia LaBeouf was fine in this film. He did what needed to be done for an action film. Josh Duhamel was quite good, and I'm glad he had more to do in this film.

I've always loved the voice casting for Optimus Prime - Peter Cullen. He has an amazing voice quality, and I'm amused that he's also voiced the character of Eeyore in several Winnie the Pooh projects.

In the trailers that I'd seen of the film, there was no mention of the character of Sentinel, and it only took a few seconds of hearing him speak for me to realize that he was voiced by Leonard Nimoy, who I had not known was in the film. I actually found it a little distracting to try to separate him personally and his well-known character of Spock from the "Star Trek" universe from the part he was playing in this film. But that then made it all the more shocking when it was revealed that Sentinel, the Autobot elder, revered for having supposedly died in trying to help the Autobots win the war, had actually been defecting and had made a deal to work with the Decepticons. The turn was especially devastating for Optimus, who had been used by the Decepticons to resurrect Sentinel, since Optimus was the only one who could.

However, there is one line in the film, which, as a "Star Trek" fan, really pissed me off. At one point towards the end of the film, Sentinel is sort of justifying his actions and the deal that he made with the Decepticons. And Sentinel says that sometimes, the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. The line "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" is a pivotal line in the "Star Trek" universe as it explained Spock's sacrifice of his own life to save his shipmates in "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan", and that point is played in future sequels in the series as well. It really pissed me off that they took that line and used it in this situation, made worse by the fact that it was voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Frankly, I'm shocked and really disappointed that he agreed to actually say that line, knowing the place the original line holds in "Star Trek" history and lore.

Overall, I wouldn't necessarily dissuade people from seeing this film, which I would have done regarding the second film, but it's not really one I can recommend too highly either.

Hello Kitty has some new looks

I have a couple of friends who are into Hello Kitty, and I'm well familiar with her myself. So when I found out about a series of pictures of Hello Kitty in various familiar attire, it was just too funny not to post about.


There are a lot of really cute pics, but here are a few of my favorites.


With a new Smurfs movie being released this year, this Smurfy Kitty seems very apropos now.






And who says only boys can be Space Rangers?






Mickey Kitty!!!!






There are a few Star Trek pics, but I like the Spock one best.






And of course, if there's Star Trek, there's gotta be Star Wars too, right? These are my faves of the group.














There are also a number of pics in other franchises (like X-Men and Watchmen) as well as comic book characters, other well-known characters from various media and just random fun.

But. I think this one is my absolute favorite.





Make sure to go to the actual page where this pic is housed (just click on the pic) to read the description/disclaimer. It's funny.


Hello Kitty is taking over the world!

make it "Sir"

First, there was the rumour.

Then, there was the confirmation.

And now, it has actually happened. Patrick Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

It's too bad that Xavier was killed off in the "X-Men" series because that means that Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen won't be in another movie together again as Xavier and Magneto. (Yes, there's supposed to be a prequel movie featuring those two characters, but there's no way they can be played by the two of them again.)

But to see the two of them on stage together? Now that would be a dream. I'm not a huge fan of "Waiting for Godot", so I'd prefer to see them in something else, though I'd pretty much settle for anything. I'm trying to figure out which Shakespeare play would best accommodate both of them.

Sir Patrick

I'd previously mentioned a rumour going around that Patrick Stewart would be knighted by the Queen of England.

Well, today, the rumour has been confirmed!

2 celebrities - 1 sighting, 1 encounter

celebrity sighting

A little more than a month ago, the husband and I and a friend were wandering around Disneyland doing rides, and we got in line for Big Thunder Railroad. We had gotten to the front and were assigned 2 rows, so we waited for the next train to come in so we could board. I noticed across the track that a ride cast member (CM) was taking a girl to be measured to see if she was tall enough to go on the attraction. It occurred to me that the man with them looked a lot like Noah Wyle. And then I realized that it was in fact Noah Wyle. I was actually a little surprised that I still recognized him because I haven't seen anything he's been in for quite some time, but then, he didn't look any different from the last time that I *had* seen him. The girl (presumably his daughter) was tall enough to ride, so Noah and his daughter (and the plaid-dressed CM who was presumably their assigned escort) all ended up getting into the same train that we were riding. So, I pretty much spent the entire ride watching the backs of their heads. I saw Noah turn to his daughter a couple of times, and Noah was smiling, so I'm assuming his daughter was enjoying herself as well. After we got back into the station, we exited behind them, and I saw them join up with several other people. And yes, I managed not to follow him around the park for the rest of the evening.


celebrity encounter

My niece was on a JetBlu flight from New York to Burbank, and the row she was in was empty except for her, so she was enjoying that she could lay across the seats and be comfortable taking a nap. Shortly into the flight, she heard a woman ask if she could have the aisle seat in that row because her row was very crowded. My niece was not happy about having been awakened from her sleep and now having to share her empty space, but she begrudgingly agreed. She still took up the remaining two spaces but said she pretty much had her "feet and butt all up in her [woman's] face". She said she also had to get up to use the restroom a couple of times during the flight, so the woman would have had to let her in and out of her seat. She was half-asleep, and she'd taken her contacts off and didn't have her glasses on so really hadn't paid that much attention to the woman now sitting in her row. She said she was also a bit distracted because she'd noticed that Peter Facinelli (No, I had no idea who he was when she told me his name. She said he was married to Jennie Garth, so I looked him up on imdb.) was sitting in the row or two in front of her. She said she did notice at some point that the woman had a script with her, but it wasn't the couple pages of sides that you'd get if you were auditioning - they were full-size scripts, so my niece had a fleeting wonder about who this woman was. Hours later, as the plane was about to make its final descent into Burbank airport and the flight attendants were collecting all of the remaining drink cups and trash, my niece overhead one of the flight attendants approach the woman and say how much he liked her in "Leverage" and other projects. That's when my niece realized the woman she'd allowed to sit in her row was Jeri Ryan. She put her glasses on and looked, and yep, that's who it was. She was mortified at that point that she hadn't been nicer to her. I asked her if Jeri had seemed annoyed at all, and she said no, she was nice, and she even passed her beverage to her from the the flight attendant when they went around with drink service. My niece said she also thought about her hair being a mess and such, but since she'd had her feet and butt all up in her face already, it was pretty much too late by then. She said she did kind of stare at her once they landed and Jeri got her things to leave. My niece said Jeri was dressed simply in jeans and didn't have any makeup on and was very unassuming. I told her that she hadn't actually done anything wrong. She did give up the seat, and being on the aisle, you pretty much expect that you're going to have to get up if someone wants to use the restroom. I also figured that since she was flying fairly incognito (neither my niece nor I had expected that Jeri Ryan would be flying in a regular seat in JetBlu), she might have actually liked just being treated like a normal person, and it really wasn't like my niece was rude to her or anything. My niece said that she knew she had to tell me this story because she knew I was a Star Trek fan. So after she told me her story, I told her my Noah Wyle story, which she enjoyed.

Sir Picard

Wil Wheaton tweeted this link to a story that Patrick Stewart is to be knighted. Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart have a nice ring to them, don't you think? :)

domestic violence

Wil Wheaton (@wilw) tweeted the following a couple of days ago with a link to this article: "Very powerful essay about domestic violence, written by Patrick Stewart, in the Guardian".

I just read the article, and my only comment is: wow.

space (hotel) ... the final frontier

Wanna stay in a hotel that's out of this world, literally? Well, you're going to have the chance in just a couple of years. Yeah, it'll cost you a bit though. The article doesn't say if meals are included during the three-night stay. Or if a bed is included for that matter.

Personally, there's about as much chance of me wanting to stay in a space hotel at this point in time as there is of me spending a night at the ice hotel.

"FlashForward" - semi-spoilerish review

I hadn't really been interested in "FlashForward", but the husband and a friend were interested in the show (for slightly different reasons), and I heard a bit more about the premise and thought it interesting enough to give it a try.

We hadn't had a chance to watch the show until tonight. I was surprised to see Brannon Braga's co-creator credit as I hadn't known that he was attached to this show. After watching a bit of it, this was definitely right up his alley, and I think he's found a great outlet for it. I did like his episodes from "Star Trek: The Next Generation", but they didn't always fit in with the feel of the show as a whole. And he could only really do so much on "24". But he might just have found his element here.

I liked the first show a lot - good story, nice setup, and they really put together a terrific cast. I've always liked Courtney B. Vance, and I think Joseph Fiennes is really good in this as well, though I do lament that they didn't let him keep his English accent. Maybe they thought it would appeal to more people if he just had an easy-to-understand generic American accent.

I had heard rumbles about a connection between this show and "Lost", but I hadn't really paid attention to details. It took me looking at imdb to figure out that the lead female/doctor was the same actress who played Penny on "Lost" (and a friend reminded me that she also played Charlie's wife on "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", which I had seen in her imdb listing but couldn't place her character name), and the husband saw the billboard advertising Oceanic Airlines. I laughed at the tag line about them having the best safety record or something like that. And from the imdb listing on the show, it appears another "Lost" alumnus will soon be appearing on the show.

The ending of the first show was great. All the people crumpled over weren't creepy, but the lone person walking around nonchalantly was definitely so.

I liked the show enough that I wanted to watch the second episode right then, and it didn't disappoint. The little girl who plays the daughter reminds me a bit of Heather O'Rourke from "Poltergeist" - little blonde girls who know things they shouldn't know are creepy. But, I was annoyed that she got in trouble for pushing the boy, but it seems no one else got in trouble when the other kids were the ones taunting her, and the boy was the one taking her stuffed animal away and even damaged it. She didn't hit him, only pushed him, and that's because of what he did. But she's the one who gets in trouble? Not fair.

Wow, Alan Ruck looks different! I recognized him but couldn't think of his name until I saw it in the credits. Cameron sure looks different.

I like all the side stories developing, and I think my hunch is right about girlie tech who saw her ultrasound vision and John Cho's character having no vision at all. That's gotta be unnerving, especially when the woman cop had no vision either and then bang, she's dead. Of course, phone call from random lady (who I know won an Oscar for "House of Sand and Fog", but I know her really from "24") confirming the date of his death probably doesn't do much to cheer him up.

But I think Joseph Fiennes' character is a bit of an ass. His wife is admitting to him her vision of being with another man, so she's wracked with guilt about cheating on him. But he completely withholds from her that he might be giving her a reason to leave him since he was drinking again in his vision, so he's totally letting her take all the blame!

But that last scene was amazing, and the look on Joseph Fiennes' face was perfect. Your blood would be chilled hearing your little daughter say that name too!

I'm hooked!

The website I liked to above also has links to each of the episodes if you didn't see them. I highly recommend it.

Brent Spiner's Twitter story

So, it started with me following Wil Wheaton. And then I found out that LeVar Burton was on, so I started following him. And then, he APPARENTLY got Brent Spiner to join, so I started following him. I've been a fan of Brent's from his Data days, and he's also got a wicked sense of humour, which I enjoy, so his tweets were fun to read. He was going into rehearsals for "Man of La Mancha", so he would tweet about rehearsals and shows. And he'd tweet random things about his life, about his son, about what he was going to have for breakfast. Yeah, I know, some of that sounds mundane, but like I said, he has a wicked sense of humour and injected a weird twist to the mundane. And then he started with some weird tweets. And they continued. And continued. And continued. I will admit that they annoyed me for the longest time because I missed hearing about his life. And it took me a really long time to figure out that he was just telling a story. But trying to follow a story, one tweet at a time, that spans a period of just over a month, is pretty hard. Now that I've had a chance to read the entire story at once, it's actually pretty fun. I'd love to know if he'd had any of it made up ahead of time or how much he was just winging it day to day.

Brent talks about being in re-hab, which ends up turning out to be a mental institution, and then he breaks out and tries to get back into acting, but while he's staying at a hotel, he meets the mysterious Amber, and in true film noir fashion, Amber is not what she appears to be, as Brent is drawn into her web. I particularly liked Brent's reference to "Double Indemnity" as well as Hitchcock. Foreshadowing!

Brent hasn't returned to regularly tweeting yet, so I miss that, but for your enjoyment, I am duplicating his Twitter story below. I've not made any changes, so any typos or weird spacing or whatever are completely his. It's a bit of a long story, but I think it's worth sticking with it.


Brent's story begins on March 28, 2009.

I'm thinking of going into rehab. I'm not addicted to anything, but I think it's good way to jumpstart an acting career.
5:40 PM Mar 28th

I'm now writing from the Betty White Clinic. Group session. We have to say what we think is wrong with us. I'm saying, "bad agent".
11:34 AM Mar 29th

Watched "Family Guy" in the rec room with the other prisoners...er, patients. They seem to think I'd get more work if I was a cartoon.
9:15 PM Mar 29th

Looks like I'm not the only one here with this idea. I saw James Woods playing ping-pong last night.
9:18 AM Mar 30th

Had my first solo therapy session in the Allen Ludden, "Password" room. Cute therapist. Couldn't decide whether to give or receive.
10:45 AM Mar 30th

Thankfully, that session ended before the "lightening round". I'm going to take a nap now.
12:24 PM Mar 30th

Refused to take my pills. They put me in a straight jacket. Am typing this with my nose. Feel so goooooooood.
9:09 PM Mar 30th

Woke up in a fog and realized...Hey, they don't give pills in rehab! And they don't put you in straight jackets! Where am I? Helllllppppp!!!
9:04 AM Mar 31st

Not in rehab. Must've been dreaming. Told I've had a breakdown. In institution. Okay, should be good enough to get me on Oprah or The View.
9:30 AM Mar 31st

Thanks for all your good wishes. Apparently, my entire life since "Nemesis" has been a dream. Family, friends, everything. Got to get out.
3:56 PM Mar 31st

It's clear to me now. Nothing here is as I thought it was. Well, James Woods is still here playing ping-pong.
4:04 PM Mar 31st

Woods asked if I wanted to play. I was going to, then he said he didn't like "Nemesis". Not speaking to him. Or anyone else for that matter.
5:09 PM Mar 31st

Movie night here. "Girl Interrupted". Woods says he used to be married to Angelina. I don't believe him.
8:26 PM Mar 31st

Spent the morning in Crafts. Made something out of paper mache. It's either a pig or a fish. Hey maybe I could do this when I get out.
7:42 AM Apr 1st

Doc says I may get out in the next day or so. Suggest another shock treatment. Kind of enjoyed the last one. If I remember correctly.
8:51 AM Apr 1st

While I was catatonic, Patrick, bless him, came to visit. He read a selection of sonnets for the inmates. When he left, they were catatonic
4:44 PM Apr 1st

Unless it was an April Fool's joke, the doc says I get out tomorrow. I'm watching TNG with my friends here. "Schizoid Man". Apropos.
9:35 PM Apr 1st

Woods now making everyone watch, "Once Upon a Time in America". The long version. Everyone asleep but me. Hid my pills under my tongue.
9:52 PM Apr 1st

Doc now says next week. No way. Bribing a guard to get me out. He's a ST fan. Autographed photo and original Galoob action figure should do.
10:22 AM Apr 2nd

I keep few Galoobs handy for emergencies. This may require one with a spotted face. Guard says there will be a key in my pudding tonight.
11:27 AM Apr 2nd

Never looked forward to dinner as much as I am right now. For one thing, I'm soon going to be outta here. For anthoer, I'm oddly hungry.
3:42 PM Apr 2nd

For those who keep asking, here's how it works. Click on my picture and read a few back posts. Geez, don't I have enough to deal with?
3:50 PM Apr 2nd

Great. The chef is on twitter. He's a company man. He's onto me. No pudding tonight. I hope the key's not in the mashed potatoes.
5:01 PM Apr 2nd

No more tweets till I'm free. I'm breaking out of this joint. I'll update you from the other side. Hopefully on Entertainment Tonight.
5:09 PM Apr 2nd

Dissolved my pill stash in the guard's late night Bosco. Switched clothes with him. Literally strolled out of the joint. Free at last...
9:22 PM Apr 3rd

Hitchhiked to a gas station in Flagstaff. Enjoying a Dr. Pepper and a Slim Jim. Best meal in seven years. Hollywood, here I come.
9:35 PM Apr 3rd

Feeling a little sad. Lonely for the Betty White. Miss some of my friends. Toothless Ted, Cowgirl Clara, Brittany, well, everyone but Woods.
10:00 AM Apr 4th

Almost home. A beautiful day! Can't wait to sleep in my own bed. Ahhhh. Today is the first Monday of the rest of my life!
11:20 AM Apr 4th

Foreclosure sign on my house? Thought I was well invested. Calling my financial investor, Bernie. If I can borrow a quarter.
11:52 AM Apr 4th

No pay phones? Had to use a neighbor's. Chad from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Long distance. Had to give him action figure. Running out.
2:35 PM Apr 4th

The bad news: The market crashed, Bernie's in jail, and I'm broke. The good news: My agent has dropped me. Breakdowns aren't marketable.
3:18 PM Apr 4th

Don't worry folks. I'm not down. If there's one thing I learned in rehab...well, I didn't learn anything there. But I'm an eternal optimist.
3:32 PM Apr 4th

Called my friend Dave. He lent me enough for a month's rent at a transient hotil in Hollywood. Same place I stayed when I first came here.
8:08 PM Apr 4th

They say the room next door was where Joplin OD'd. Sorry to drop the name,@ Greggreenburg, whoever the hell you are.
8:09 PM Apr 4th

Obviously meant hotel. Not a bad place. At least I have company. A charming spider who hovers just above my pillow.
8:18 PM Apr 4th

Well, as Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day". And what better day than Tuesday to go looking for a new agent!
9:25 PM Apr 4th

Hey, today is Sunday! Why didn't anyone tell me??? I'll look for an agent tomorrow. I'll start with the ones who are in walking distance.
9:52 AM Apr 5th

Again, please don't think I'm despondent. I know something great is going to happen this week. May has always been a lucky month for me.
10:33 AM Apr 5th

A friend tells me my breakdown happened at a ST con. Got confused and thought I was my character. Stopped using contractions. Now I am fine.
1:31 PM Apr 5th

Interesting crowd at this hotel. Some at the beginning of their careers and some at the end. I am sort of both.
4:44 PM Apr 5th

Had a nice chat with a young actress at the pool. She says they're making a new Star Trek movie! See, things are looking up already!
7:37 PM Apr 5th

Colored my hair dark brown. Have to stay competitive when I go see agents. I have to say, took at least three years off.
7:57 AM Apr 6th

Recharged with a bag of donut holes and a cup of Ovaltine. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Watch out world, here I come!
9:28 AM Apr 6th

Was held up at gun point as I walked to agents. No money. Took my shirt. Went to agent without a shirt. Don't think he was impressed.
8:12 PM Apr 6th

He did tell me the new ST movie is already in the can. Guess I'm not in it. Directed by a Mr. Abraham or something. Try again tomorrow.
8:17 PM Apr 6th

Agent called. Wanted to know if I'd do Sci-fi porn. A film called "Live from Uranis". I guess the shirtless thing worked. Considering it.
1:58 PM Apr 7th

Could use the cash, but despite your encouragement, I passed. Like Data, too old for this job. Do they do Senior's porn, anyway?
3:21 PM Apr 7th

Going to see my first agent Monty Gold in the morning. Better have more nourishing breakfast. Chocolate donut holes. Lots of anti-oxidents.
7:03 PM Apr 7th

T.V. doesn't work here. Said they'd fix it yesterday. A few books others have left. Think I'll read, "Day of the Locust". Love nature books
7:15 PM Apr 7th

Monty is semi- retired but keeps an office and one toe in the business. Says he might have something interesting for me. Very exited.
10:44 AM Apr 8th

Pardon my speling. I meant excited.
10:48 AM Apr 8th

The walls here are paper thin. People next door are listening to "The Knife Show". Wow, you can get a thousand knives for a hundred bucks.
10:56 AM Apr 8th

Monty called. Wants to pay me to march in his grandson's Bar Mitzvah made up as Data. I don't know, I'm thinking about it.
6:45 PM Apr 8th

Yelling and crying from next door. Two women. Interesting character studies, but I prefer sleep. Might have to talk to them.
6:50 AM Apr 9th

Told Monty I'd wear the make-up but no uniform. Agreed to tallis and yarmulke. Asked Mike Westmore to make me up. Hopefully, he remembers.
11:06 AM Apr 9th

Told Monty I'd wear the make-up but no uniform. Agreed to tallis and yarmulke. Asked Mike Westmore to make me up. Hopefully, he remembers.
11:06 AM Apr 9th

Can't sleep. Someone left a Hagadah, so I'm reading that. Four questions. Fifth, no noise next door last night? Till now. Lots of yelling.
5:16 AM Apr 10th

This will be a good Friday. Monty sent advance to buy a suit. Suggested place called Zindler's. A $100 for a coat and ten pairs of pants.
6:51 AM Apr 10th

UPS came with a package for the woman next door. Asked if I could give it to her when she returned. It's from the Knife show. Gulp.
11:30 AM Apr 10th

Opened package. Couldn't resist. Not a thousand knives, just one big one. Gulp again. Gotta find some tape. Her name is Amber. Nice.
12:00 PM Apr 10th

Delivered retaped box. She opened the door a crack, snatched it, muttered"thanks", then slammed it. Noticed a face like an ice cream sundae.
7:36 AM Apr 11th

Don't think Amber recognized me. That's good. Seemed like a Southern twang in her terse two words. Redhead. Make that sundae, strawberry.
10:37 AM Apr 11th

Bought suit at Zindler's. Charcoal. Ten pairs of pants. All colors. Only one fits. Fortunately, the gray. Should go well with Data make-up.
11:49 AM Apr 11th

Rode the bus home. Sat next to a woman with a parrot. It kept saying, "Meshugenah! Meshugenah!". Didn't know whether it meant me or her.
1:18 PM Apr 11th

Easter. Staying in bed all day. Don't feel like rising.
6:17 AM Apr 12th

Got up to go get a paper. Box of Peeps and a note at the door. "Sorry for being so rude." Amber.
7:52 AM Apr 12th

Was about to go properly introduce myself when I heard more screaming next door. The good kind. Sort of exciting. I love Easter.
7:56 AM Apr 12th

Quiet now knocked on door. Nothing. Left note. " Come by later. I'm serving Ding Dongs.
1:32 PM Apr 12th

Guess she's not into chocolate enveloped devil's food with a cream filling. Ate them all myself. Went into coma. Woke up with Ding Dong face
6:25 AM Apr 13th

Message light blinking. "Meet me at Yamashiro. Sevenish." Hmm, I thought there was a look in her eye as she slammed the door in my face.
7:57 AM Apr 13th from web

I'm definitely going. I'll wear my Bar Mitzvah jacket. Having trouble deciding which pair of pants. Maybe the chartreuse.
11:52 AM Apr 13th

I'm reminded of a Hitchcock quote. "If you see a gun in the first act, it's bound to go off by act three." I wonder if that goes for knives?
2:04 PM Apr 13th

Okay, okay, Chekov. But Hitchcok must've read it. Got another call from the porno agent. Now they're offering a three picture deal.
2:11 PM Apr 13th

"Amber Jordan, nice name". "My real name's Amber Hamburger but I changed it when I decided to be an actress." "Good choice."
6:07 AM Apr 14th

Another woman joined us, Bobbette. Amber's girlfriend. They're going through a rough patch. Bobbette"s been seeing her husband again.
6:19 AM Apr 14th

BTW, I passed on the porno. You have to supply your own wardrobe, and mine is woefully lacking.
6:20 AM Apr 14th

Drank too much last night. Bobette paid. Married to a rich dinosaur. Invited to his swankienda for lunch tomorrow. Interesting girls.
10:58 AM Apr 14th

FYI They loved my chartreuse pants. I'll wear the orange one's to lunch. They didn't recognize me. Told them my name is Norman Maine.
11:29 AM Apr 14th

Bob (that's what Amber calls her) sent a limo for us. Feels like the good ol days. Met the dino. About eighty. A zillionaire. Now I get it.
2:06 PM Apr 15th

Harry Boik (I think it's Berk,really) wore a plaid 50's bathing suit at lunch by the pool. Said my pants were absoid. Look who's talking.
3:36 PM Apr 15th

The girls ran off and left Harry and me alone. Smoked some huge Cuban's. Said he bought a couple million pre-embargo. Think I like this guy.
3:40 PM Apr 15th

"What kinda woik do you do, Norm?" "I'm between engagements". "I need a driver. Interested?" "I'll let you know, Mr. Boik." "Call me Harry".
4:42 PM Apr 15th

Harry Berg. Came here in '49 with $35. Won sixty thou in a poker game. Opened talent agency. Sold it for 60 million. Self made man. Me like.
8:57 AM Apr 16th

Tested to see if he knew who I really am. "Harry, what do you think of this Star Trek thing?" "Feh!" Could be the start of something big.
9:01 AM Apr 16th

Jason Gold becomes a man tomorrow. Confirmed with Mike to meet me at Temple. Probably wear a yellowish shirt in case the make-up gets on it.
10:33 AM Apr 16th

Started exercising again. Gotta look good for the next phase. Swam width of the pool. Well, halfway. Twenty feet is longer than it looks.
12:23 PM Apr 16th

Amber swam by. Very happy. Got her first gig. Deodorant commercial. Just underarms but a start. She looks great in a bikini. Bob's lucky.
12:34 PM Apr 16th

Going out to celebrate with Amber and Bob. Feel I'm betraying Harry, but their schtick is really none of my business. Besides, I eat better.
5:01 PM Apr 16th

Guy came to our table for my autograph. A&B asked why. Told them I look just like an actor on ST. They've never seen it. It's all ironic.
10:38 PM Apr 16th

Great night for all. The antics next door literally shook the entire building. And I got to listen. Sometimes it's the little things.
8:56 AM Apr 17th

Mike made me up in the bathroom. Very embarrassing. I looked in mirror. Oy. In my suit I look like Jimmy Stewart in Greatest Show On Earth.
7:33 PM Apr 17th

An old cocker came out of a stall. He looked at me with a very quizzical look."What's that on your face, egg?" "Exactly".
7:35 PM Apr 17th

Marched with Jason and seven of his buddies. Heard a man say, "Big deal, we had Solo from the original series at my kid's Bar Mitzvah."
8:21 PM Apr 17th

The rabbi is a big ST fan. Sermon was about how you can go wrong in life. Like the way we did when we killed Data in Nemesis. Sheesh.
8:23 PM Apr 17th

I am feeling strange again. I do not know what is happening. Hailing frequencies...out.
8:24 PM Apr 17th

Last night: Posed for pictures with the family. Uncle Shelly refused to stand next to me. Rabbi asked could I get him tix to the new movie.
9:31 AM Apr 18th

Split a piece of herring w/Monty. Introduced me to his mentor, Harry Berg. Gulp. Harry: "You remind me of someone...are you PeeWee Herman?"
9:33 AM Apr 18th

Spent the day in fetal position. Amber came by. Wanted to know what was wrong. Told her I was just having a Viet Nam flashback. Hugged me.
2:33 PM Apr 18th

Woke up next to Amber. Sweet. Don't know what happened but she was wearing my tallis. Hope she doesn't tell Bob. No more Bar Mitzvah's.
10:29 AM Apr 19th

Went to Denny's with A&B. Don't think Amber said anything to Bob re:last night. Maybe nothing happened. But Amber keeps looking at me funny.
8:43 PM Apr 19th

I can't believe everything is so foggy. I must've drunk too much Mogan David at the Bar Mitzvah. I've got to confront Amber...tomorrow.
8:53 PM Apr 19th

"Amber, I just don't remember what happened last night. I hope I didn't do anything I should be sorry..." "No." She smiled enigmatically.
9:24 AM Apr 20th

"Off to my first job, Norman. I'm not really looking forward to it". "Hey, it's a foot in the door, Amber". "Well, an armpit, really."
10:10 AM Apr 20th

Inspired by Amber. Sometimes we just have to work, like it or not. Called Harry. Agreed to be his driver. Start tomorrow. I'll wear a hat.
10:49 AM Apr 20th

Concerned about Amber. Excited about her first job, then depressed. Seemed to be into Bob, now me. I don't know, maybe it's all in my mind.
11:16 AM Apr 20th

Decided to get away from it all and go to a movie. Going to see a classic, "Double Indemnity". Boy, they don't make 'em like that anymore.
5:20 PM Apr 20th

Close call. Milk dud stuck in my throat. Fortunately, usher knew the Heimlich. A big fan. Autographed a box of Junior Mints for him.
9:42 PM Apr 20th

"Mr. Spiner, wake up, it's time to take your pills" "No, nurse, I..." AHHH! I woke up in a cold sweat. Dreamed I was in the clinic. Whew!
8:35 AM Apr 21st

After the Milk Dud episode, restricting myself to liquids. Go next door to use Amber's blender. Make a donut shake. Gotta keep strength up.
9:34 AM Apr 21st

No answer. Door ajar. Peeked in. "Amber...?" She wont mind me using her blender. Besides, now I can add breaking and entering to my resume.
10:19 AM Apr 21st

Guess it's not really B&E. More like unlawful entry or trespassing. Whatever, it's sure to impress casting agents. I'll leave a note.
10:35 AM Apr 21st

Found paper. Writing on it. 1.Dispose of knife. 2. Dispose of body. 3. Clean area thoroughly. 4.Get fuschia highlights. My head is spinning.
10:51 AM Apr 21st

Amber's note has me freaked. Maybe she's writing a novel or something. Maybe. Called Harry. Postponed job till tomorrow. Too dizzy to drive.
11:01 AM Apr 21st

In the fetal position again. In the dark. I thought she was attracted to me. Should I be scared? Let me answer that question. I already am.
12:17 PM Apr 21st

Monty called. Has audition for a new show. No lines. Possibly recurring. Great. The walls are shaking again. Safe for tonight...I think.
10:31 PM Apr 21st

"Monty, what's the no line character's name?" "Let's see...uh, DEAD BODY." "And it recurs?" "That's what it says. You're perfect for it."
8:41 AM Apr 22nd

Audition tomorrow. Today, real job. Went to Army Surplus. Bought military hat w/visor. Looks good. Bus to Harry's. Should be there by noon.
9:41 AM Apr 22nd

Made it to Harry's a little early. He told me to get familiar with the car. 1958 Mercedes. Beauty. I'll should look great behind the wheel.
11:42 AM Apr 22nd

Drove Harry to his club. " Norm, you think I'm too old for Bobbette? I'm 81, she's 28." "Nah, Harry. Anything under sixty years is fine."
12:13 PM Apr 22nd

Harry burst into tears. "She used to love the sex. Ever since that damn Amber came into our lives, nothing! I think they want to kill me!"
12:40 PM Apr 22nd

Harry whimpered through a round of golf. Took him home. "Say something to make me feel better, Norm". "Could I have the day off tomorrow?"
1:40 PM Apr 22nd

Quiet next door. Thank God. Lying in bed. Working on my audition.
8:38 PM Apr 22nd

Knock at door. Amber. "Norman, I'm scared. Someone's been in my apt. I found this. (paper with the list). Can I stay with you tonight?"
8:58 PM Apr 22nd

"Norman,who could've left this strange note in my room?" "I don't know...'clean thoroughly'...maybe it was housekeeping." "Hold me." "Okay."
9:27 PM Apr 22nd

Amber looks like an angel when she sleeps. Maybe she didn't write the note. Maybe it was the maid. Folks, I'm just as confused as you are.
9:03 AM Apr 23rd

Kissed her gently so I wouldn't wake her. Crept out of the room to go to my audition. Hope she's here when I get back. Wonder where Bob is?
9:56 AM Apr 23rd

On the floor in the audition. Pretended to be dead. Tried to clear my mind of all thought. Images of Amber. Became aroused. Not good.
11:13 AM Apr 23rd

Called Monty for audition feedback. "You didn't get the part. They said you were not believable. That you were wooden." I have to agree.
12:12 PM Apr 23rd

Trying not to get discouraged about acting career. But, gee, I got turned down for the part of a dead body. What's next, inanimate objects?
2:14 PM Apr 23rd

Took a nap. Knock on the door. My heart leapt. " Hey bab..." It was Bob. "Norman, can I talk to you? I think Amber's seeing someone else"!"
9:25 PM Apr 23rd

"Why do you say that, Bob?" "She didn't answer her phone last night. She's been distant. There's someone else." "Nooo, I don't think...". Oy
9:40 PM Apr 23rd

I was finally able to reassure her. Sometimes I'm a pretty good actor. And liar. From the sounds next door, all is well. For them.
9:55 PM Apr 23rd

Monty: " An offer. A producer who was at the Bar Mitzvah wants you to come to his grandson's Bris. No make-up. You're not a Mohel, are you"?
8:55 AM Apr 24th

Amber and Bob came with Harry's car. "Let's go to breakfast! You drive. And wear your hat." They giggled in the back the whole way there.
10:19 AM Apr 24th

Felt kind of sorry for myself, but sorrier for Harry. If A&B are thinking about him at all, it can't be good. At least I get free pancakes.
10:32 AM Apr 24th

" Norm, I need a scene partner for acting class. Wanna exercise your chops?" "What"s it from? "Carnal Knowledge". Our eyes met. She smiled.
11:25 AM Apr 24th

Dropped the girls and went to work. Harry wasn't feeling well. Stomach cramps. " I must've eaten a bad tongue sandwich. Come back tomorrow".
12:13 PM Apr 24th

" Anything I can do before I go, Harry?". "If you see Bobette, ask her where she got that sandwich. Farcacta thing is burning my kishka's".
3:11 PM Apr 24th

Knock knock . "Hi, Bob went home. Ready to rehearse our scene, Norm?" "Sure, did you bring the script?" "I thought we could just improvise."
11:03 PM Apr 24th

What a night. Amber and I spent better part of it doing "sense memory" exercises. She really is very talented. I want to know her better.
9:47 AM Apr 25th

She's really an All-American girl. From Chicago. Her father is in the meat packing business. Kinda funny. Mr. Hamburger makes hot dogs.
10:08 AM Apr 25th

Made a date for later. Off to Harry's to see if I can borrow the car for the evening. Starting to feel happy for the first time in years.
11:58 AM Apr 25th

Harry's. Surrounded by police cars, ambulance. Lights flashing. A stretcher was being carried from the house. Body covered with a blanket.
1:16 PM Apr 25th

I started to pull back the blanket. Cop:"Who are you?" "A friend". "Pretty gruesome. Knife wounds. You sure?" I nodded. Lifted blanket. Bob.
1:20 PM Apr 25th

In house. Harry in bed, tube in nose. " My baby goil is gone, Norman! Why? Why?!" "I'm so sorry, Harry". Poor Bob. Poor Harry... Poor me.
3:13 PM Apr 25th

"I'm Det. Martinez. No murder weapon. We'll find it. And the killer. Don't leave town, Mr. Maine. Hey...you know who you look like like?"
3:54 PM Apr 25th

"You rest, Harry. I'll come back tomorrow. If there's anything I can do...Uh, say...I don't suppose you'll be using your c...oh never mind".
4:03 PM Apr 25th

Does Amber know what's happened? She'll be devastated. Unless she...No. I don't want to believe it. But then...the note.
9:27 PM Apr 25th

No one home next door. Several hours pass. Amber said she was going to yoga. That was this morning. She must be really limber by now.
9:36 PM Apr 25th

I'm going to try to sleep. Feel uneasy. Put a chair against the door. And a refrigerator. I'll deal with this when I wake up...if I wake up.
9:58 PM Apr 25th

Morning. Whew! Slept in a fitful fetal. Dreamt about Bob. She was pointing at her head. Wonder what that means? Alev a shalom, Bob.
10:06 AM Apr 26th

Amber still not home. Such a sweet kid. Scared for her, worried for Harry,too. Better get over there pronto. As pronto as a city bus can go.
10:23 AM Apr 26th

Expected the nurse to answer the door, but Harry did. He looks different. Oh, his hair is kind of pink or red...fushcia. "Come in, Brent".
11:18 AM Apr 26th

"Nice dye job, Harry". "You're one to talk, kid." "What've you done with Amber?" A familiar voice. "Don't worry, Normie, I'm copacetic."
12:30 PM Apr 26th

"Amber...? "Haven't you hoid, kid, love is funny." His arm slid around her. She kissed his cheek. There was a spot of fuschia on her lips.
1:37 PM Apr 26th

"Why did you kill Bob?" "We had to. She'd have never let him go. She'd have taken all our...his money. Fortunately for us, you came along".
2:17 PM Apr 26th

"I knew who you were from the start, Brent. I saw all TNG movies twice. Except "Nemesis". That one sucked. And I knew you opened the box."
2:43 PM Apr 26th

"Your prints are all over that knife." "My prints aren't on file." "Don't matter, kid, they match the ones on my steering wheel. Run along".
3:19 PM Apr 26th

"You'll never get away with this." " Martinez finds that knife tomorrow." "There's just one thing I have to say... 'Nemesis' did not suck!"
3:26 PM Apr 26th

I ran. Fast as my legs would carry me. Which is slow. Back to the apt/hotel, gathered my few things and checked out. It was awful, but home.
8:25 PM Apr 26th

Into the night. Where to go? Wish I was back at the Betty White. 'Nemesis', good or bad? Who gives a shit!! Sorry...I'm a little strung out.
8:35 PM Apr 26th

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...Nam M...
9:02 PM Apr 26th

Got a cheap room. The Taranchula Arms. Sink/toilet combo. Watching t.v. 'COPS'. Hey, maybe this show will be my return to series television.
9:11 AM Apr 27th

Watching 'Jerry Springer' now. Woman married to proctologist, cheating with circus clown. Makes me feel slightly better about my life.
9:30 AM Apr 27th

Bought wheels from a guy in a coffee shop. I think it used to be some kind of Toyota. Can sleep in it if I have to. If I can remove my legs.
4:22 PM Apr 27th

Call me crazy, but I miss Amber. Going to drive to the beach tonight. Nothing like a little salt air to clear the mind. What's left of it.
4:45 PM Apr 27th

The Pacific at night. A dark and inviting mistress. Perhaps I am Norman Maine. I removed my clothes and disappeared into the black abyss.
8:54 PM Apr 27th

OH MY GOD!! IT'S FREEEEZING!! Only got in as far as my knees. There's no way they shot that scene in L.A. Toweling off with my orange pants.
9:00 PM Apr 27th

In the Blanch DuBois suite. Wonder what Harry and Amber are doing? Wonder where the knife is? Wonder if I survive ? It's a Wonderful Life.
9:32 PM Apr 27th

"Monty, I need help." "Where are you? The hotel said you moved..." "I'm being framed for the murder of Harry's wife!" "You did it?" "No!!!"
9:12 AM Apr 28th

"They haven't found a murder weapon and the only suspect is his driver." "That's me." "Wh...?" "I'll explain when I see you." "Where?"
9:18 AM Apr 28th

" Pink's at noon." "Ok." "And if you get there before me, order me two chili dogs, all the way." "So, this mean you're not doing the Bris?"
9:23 AM Apr 28th

Watching Oprah. Always makes me cry. I'm a wuss. Hey, maybe if I survive this thing she'll have me on. Look what it did for Tom..oh, yeah.
10:20 AM Apr 28th

Drive past Pink's. Crawling with cops. Damn that Monty. He ratted me out. If you can't trust your agent who can you...What am I saying?
12:01 PM Apr 28th

Now what? Can't think, Can't think! Thank God I didn't tell Monty where I was living. Damnit, I'm furious. I really wanted those hot dogs!!!
12:34 PM Apr 28th

"Why Monty?" "For your own good. Meshugeh, turn yourself in." "What did Harry tell you?" "He's too upset to talk. It was his nurse, Amber".
3:16 PM Apr 28th

"She said you were a son to him. You fell for his cute little wife, she didn't respond, you stabbed her.""You think there a pilot in this?"
4:22 PM Apr 28th

"I'm ashamed of you. As a client and a Jew." "Oh for Crissakes, I didn't kill her! Harry and Amber did it! " "You're sick." "You're fired."
5:33 PM Apr 28th

She fooled Monty. Like she fooled me. Clever dame. If I don't stop them I'll be playcationing for life in the Big House. Whatever that is.
9:29 PM Apr 28th

New York Post. Headline: DATA DOOD IT! "... knife was found in the trunk of the car Spiner was driving...police suspect...subject at large.
9:25 AM Apr 29th

They must've matched the prints on the knife with those on the steering wheel. There's a lesson in this. Don't open other people's mail.
9:41 AM Apr 29th

Found a surgical supply. Pulled the brim low on my baseball cap and bought a mask. Put it on. With this swine flu thing, no one will ask.
10:18 AM Apr 29th

Looked in the mirror. Even with the mask, still looks like me. Can't go out again. Think of something else. No time to grow beard. I know..
3:59 PM Apr 29th

Shaved my head. Pretty smooth. A few nicks. I look like Mr. Clean on heroin. Scary. Some of the patients at the clinic would be so jealous.
4:29 PM Apr 29th

Tested new look. Went to Zankou Chicken for dinner. Had a shwarma plate. No one recognized me. Though, difficult to eat in a surgical mask.
9:07 PM Apr 29th

Still can't believe Amber didn't feel something for me. Her affection seemed so real. Particularly when she...well, you had to be there.
9:34 PM Apr 29th

Maybe I should see Martinez. Tell him everything. The truth will set you free. Maybe he'll believe me. It's always better to tell the...Nah.
8:29 AM Apr 30th

I'm jonesing for Amber. I have to see her. Talk to her. Running out of money. And time. I'm going back to the house. For what?... Who knows?
9:12 AM Apr 30th

Preparing myself. Did yoga. Chanted. Pressed my suit as best I could. Reshaved head. Must leave instructions should anything happen to me.
10:46 AM Apr 30th

I, Brent Spiner, of sound mnid and body, leave all my earthly possessions (one suit,6pr pants) to The Actor's Fund. Will get big$$ on ebay.
10:51 AM Apr 30th

Driving around LA. Reliving all of my past Adventures in LaLaLand. It all comes to a head tonight. I can feel it in my...well, in my head.
11:58 AM Apr 30th

Just had what I hope won't be my last Fatburger...my last anything. Got special sauce all over my mask. Good thing I bought a spare.
3:36 PM Apr 30th

Driving toward the hills, and Amber. Don't think she'll recognize me. Wearing my suit. With shaved head and mask I look hip and paranoid.
3:43 PM Apr 30th

Parked outside Harry's house. Don't know what I'll say or do. Can't go in till I stop shaking. Wish I'd saved some of my pills from clinic.
4:14 PM Apr 30th

The gate opened. A limo pulled out. Harry and Amber in the backseat. I have to follow. Going East on Sunset. Turning South to Melrose.
5:06 PM Apr 30th

I know this neighborhood well. The limo turning into Paramount Pictures. Oh my God...They're going to premiere of the new STAR TREK movie!
5:11 PM Apr 30th

Limo drove past guard gate into parking lot. What to do? What to do? Namyoho renge kyo, Namyoho renge kyo, Namyoho renge...Oh what the hell.
5:22 PM Apr 30th

Kip, the guard, I know him. Pulled my mask up. (ala Patrick Stewart) Hello, Kip!" " Evening Mr. Stewart. Enjoy the film" "Make it so!"
5:26 PM Apr 30th

Hiding in a bathroom stall till lights go down. I'll sneak in. This is the perfect place to be. There's a very good chance I might vomit.
5:41 PM Apr 30th

Lesson #2 : Remove mask before throwing up. I'll be going into the theater sans mask.
6:37 PM Apr 30th

Found seat in the back. Missed first five minutes. Spotted Harry and Amber. I've got to do something. But I think I'll watch movie first.
7:08 PM Apr 30th

Wow,great movie. Crowd goes wild. Director and cast come out on stage. Nimoy steps to the mike. Tumultuous applause. He begins to speak.
9:05 PM Apr 30th

But, at that moment I find myself standing up. "Ladies and gentlemen..." A gasp goes through the audience. I hear my name being whispered...
9:06 PM Apr 30th

" I know you've been heard some crazy things about me. If I may, I'd like to set the record straight. I didn't kill anyone I..." "STOP!"
9:13 PM Apr 30th

Martinez and crew with Kip."I knew it wasn't Mr. Stewart! His head has a much nicer shape." Martinez steps forward," Come with us, now."
9:17 PM Apr 30th

A voice. Leonard's. " Let him speak! Give the man his say." The crowd concurs. Martinez steps back. "Thanks, Leonard. Loved the movie."
9:25 PM Apr 30th

"Mr. Abraham, forgive me. This is your night. I'll continue with your kind permission." Abraham looked at me, nodded and smiled, "Engage".
9:27 PM Apr 30th

I pointed at Harry and Amber. "That elderly man and that...absolutely adorable creature sitting next to him killed his wife and framed me".
9:33 PM Apr 30th

Harry sputtered,"That's absoid! The man's crazy! Arrest him before he hurts someone else." He took Amber by the hand and stood to leave.
9:36 PM Apr 30th

"Harry, I understand. Love is a powerful thing. Makes you do things you never thought you were capable of. Amber, it's you. You caused this"
9:41 PM Apr 30th

" Bob loved you, and you killed her. I loved you, you framed me. And Harry, believe me, you're next. How could so much love lead to this?"
9:45 PM Apr 30th

"Amber, you'll regret this. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life." Amber and Harry stood frozen.
9:47 PM Apr 30th

The room was silent.Then, a man stood and raised his hand. "Mr. Spiner, do you think it was a mistake killing Data at the end of Nemesis?"
9:53 PM Apr 30th

Harry pulled a pistol from inside his coat."Someone's got to stop him before he kills again!" Several people screamed. Mostly women. And me.
9:59 PM Apr 30th

Martinez grabbed Harry's arm. Shots rang out. The crowd became hysterical. Absolute chaos. A cop grabbed me but some fans pushed him away.
10:04 PM Apr 30th

The room has gone mad. Like one of Tod Hackett's paintings in Day of the Locust. Bullets flying. Felt something burning hot graze my temple
10:08 PM Apr 30th

The room was spinning out of control. A black hole opened. I was sucked in...
10:09 PM Apr 30th

After drifting in space for several hours, regained consciousness in a jail cell in downtown LA. My head still aches. Bullets will do that.
8:32 AM May 1st

Wonder what's become of Harry and Amber. What a crazy night. The thing I keep remembering most about it? That new Uhura is sizzling hot!
8:38 AM May 1st

Martinez. "You're a lucky man. We traced the weapon to 'the knife show'. Ordered by one Amber Jordan." "Hamburger." "No, meatloaf today."
8:54 AM May 1st

"Harrry told us everything. You're free to go, sir." "Could I see her?" " He took me to Amber's cell. She looked looked cute in prison garb.
9:00 AM May 1st

"Baby, I love you. It was Harry. He.." "You killed Bob. Wouldn't call her a friend, but she was nice to me. You're taking the fall, sister."
9:05 AM May 1st

"But, I love you." " I love you,too. And when you get outta here in fifty years or so, I'll be waiting." "But, you'll be dead." " Oh yeah."
9:08 AM May 1st

Martinez walked me to my car. We shook hands. " Piece of advice, Mr. Spiner. If I were you, I leave town." "What, and quit show business?"
9:16 AM May 1st

I drove into the beautiful morning light. A perfect day in Lotus Land. Three blocks from the prison, my left front tire fell off. The end.
9:19 AM May 1st

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto on Saturday Night Live - safe from spoilers of new "Star Trek" movie

A friend of the husband sent this to him, and he in turn sent it to me.

On this past week's Saturday Night Live, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto made an appearance on Weekend Update to talk about some of the backlash aimed at the new "Star Trek" movie. It's a great segment, and a surprise visitor even shows up.

There are no spoilers in the clip for the "Star Trek" movie, so it's even safe to watch for those self-proclaimed super-Trekkies who STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE YET.

"Star Trek" - spoiler movie review

Seeing a new "Star Trek" movie is like revisiting my past, to the days when I was enough of a Star Trek nut that I went to conventions and such. OK, so it's not like I saw the original crew during its first run, but I used to really be into Star Trek, even before I was into "Star Wars". I was mostly a Next Generation person, but while I've never seen all of the original Star Trek episodes, I've seen (or at least know of) many of them, and I did see all of the films.

Then I heard that Paramount was re-starting the franchise, with J.J. Abrams directing the new movie. I'm not as enamoured of him as a lot of people are - I like a lot of stuff that he's done, but he's also disappointed me, so while I knew I'd probably go see the new film, I was reserving judgement on the entire idea.

And as it got closer to the release date, and then I saw the trailer for the new movie, I got excited again. The trailer looked awesome. And then, everything culminated in deciding to go to a midnight screening on opening night, which we did last night.


This movie was incredible. And as a Star Trek movie, it was an even more incredible movie. I can't think of a better way to reignite the franchise. I think there was enough in the film so that non-Trek people can still really enjoy the movie, and yet there's enough information given so that some of the more important points are still relayed. And really, if you've had any contact with life, even if you don't do Trek, you do know some of the details like the Kirk/Spock/McCoy relationship. But, if you are knowledgeable in the Trek universe, there are so many little things in this film that you can appreciate.

It's a sort of re-imagining of the Star Trek universe, but what's interesting is that it's not like recent franchises that have taken known stories and characters and used them but totally gone against what the original stories and characters did - the "Miami Vice" movie comes to mind. Yes, there are things in this Trek film that are very different than what happened in Trek canon, but the explanation is that this is actually an alternate reality. Because the Romulan ship and Spock were brought to the past by the black hole that enveloped them, things happened differently than they did in the timeline that we already know. So, the events of this film don't contradict or obliterate what's happened in Trek previously - this is actually a completely different timeline.

The opening segment of the film, all even before you see the title card, sets the tone of the rest of the film in being an incredible segment which sets out some of the story points but already jump-starts the action aspect of the film. George Kirk is given command of the Kelvin when the captain goes over to the attacking Romulan ship and is then promptly killed. Kirk has the ship evacuated and expects to join his pregnant-and-in-the-middle-of-labor wife, but when the autopilot fails, he makes the decision to stay with the ship. His wife pleads with him to leave, but he knows that without the Kelvin laying fire cover against the Romulan ship, the little shuttlecrafts have no chance of escape, so Kirk basically decides to sacrifice himself to save the others. He does live long enough to hear his baby boy being born, whom he names Jim after his wife's father, as opposed to Tiberius after his own father. And then the Kelvin, which Kirk had set on a collision course with the Romulan ship, crashes as Kirk is telling his wife he loves her and she sees the explosion outside the shuttle window. O.M.G. Ok, let's start the movie off by making me tear up, shall we?

There's then a short scene of young Jim Kirk joyriding in a car he's absconded with, and then we see Kirk as a young man, hitting on a hot Starfleet Academy cadet named Uhura who adamantly refuses to tell him her first name. Circumstances (and Christopher Pike) end up convincing a reluctant Kirk to join Starfleet.

Simultaneously on the planet Vulcan, a young Spock is already being tormented for his half-Vulcan/half-human heritage. He is offered admission to the Vulcan Science Academy, but he shocks them by declining and joining Starfleet instead.

One by one, the well-known crew of the Enterprise make their way to the ship, and more action and story happens.


Random notes:

The design of the Romulan ship was really odd. OK, so that's supposed to be in the future, but other than being jagged, it didn't really scream Romulan to me. It mostly looked like a giant jagged metal vegetable flying through space. It didn't look nearly as elegant as a warbird, though, yeah, I know, it was supposed to be a freighter and not a war ship.

I didn't catch the reference myself, but the husband did when Montgomery Scott was explaining why he'd been assigned to the equivalent of Siberia because of his messing around with transporting technology, and he references Admiral Archer's beagle. Well, that would be Jonathan Archer from the TV show "Enterprise", and the beagle would be Porthos. Awww, poor Porthos.

I noticed Chekov's use of "away team" to describe the team dropped off on Earth to stop the drilling. That term was actually developed during Next Generation. In the original series, I think they just used "landing party". And, in subtle Star Trek tradition, the non-recognizable dude is the one who dies - and he happens to have a red suit/parachute.

Why did Sarek have a British accent? Other than that, he was one of the characters that was very different for me. I loved Sarek, but he was always depicted as having been very stern and strict and disapproving of Spock because of his half-human heritage, but this Sarek seemed much softer than that.

Yeah, the Kobayashi Maru segment was just too frickin' hilarious if you already knew the outcome, and then there was the amazing confrontation between Spock and Kirk in the Academy hall.

They always have the obligatory "reveal" shot of the Enterprise, but it still works every time.

First movie out of the chute, and they not only kill Spock's mother, but they also destroy the planet Vulcan and mostly decimate the race. That surprised me. I thought that somehow, the recreation of another black hole that entraps the Romulan ship or something like that would end up resulting in another time travel thing that reverses everything that happened, but that never came to pass.


Chris Pine was really incredible as James Kirk. He has looks similiar to William Shatner during the original series, but he didn't have the staccato talking that most people make fun of Shatner for. He was definitely a terrific leading actor. But his name is so confusing - if you just change one letter of his last name...

Zachary Quinto did a terrific job as Spock, though I will admit that I kept waiting for Sylar to show up. I stopped watching "Heroes", but that doesn't mean I've forgotten how terrifying he was in that role. When Spock is being offered entrance into the Vulcan Science Academy despite his "disadvantage", and he asks them to explain what that means and they mentioned his human mother, I totally expected him to just kill the lot of them (except his father) on the spot. I'm sure all of the actors were feeling the pressure of recreating characters that are very well known and beloved, but how much more pressure was there for Quinto to play Spock while Leonard was there watching him?

Speaking of which, it was really terrific seeing Leonard Nimoy in this film. Yeah, I knew he was going to be in it, but I didn't know how that was going to work (I'm glad I managed to avoid spoilers), and I think they made the time-travel thing work really well. When he ends up meeting his younger self, I loved Spock's line about his general signoff ("live long and prosper") not really working in that situation since it would be self-serving.

Eric Bana was really terrific as Nero, the villain of the story. I'd heard how awful he was in "Hulk", but I thought he was terrific in "The Other Boleyn Girl", so this is the second film I've seen him in where I've really liked him.

Bruce Greenwood is someone I recognize but can't necessarily pinpoint what he's been in, but I do know that I always like him, and I loved that he was playing Christopher Pike. He played the perfect mentor to Kirk.

I don't know how they found Karl Urban, but I want to know how much of his performance was him and how much was him completely channeling DeForest Kelley. He was really remarkable, not doing an imitation of McCoy but actually being a young McCoy, being as irrascible as ever.

Zoe Saldana played Uhura, and she was good. I had no idea whe played the Haitian lady in the last two "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies - I liked her *much* better in this film. So instead of the whole "first interracial kiss" thing with Kirk, she ends up having a romance with Spock. Wonder how that's going to play out in the next film. I can't remember Uhura's heritage - was she from Earth too or another planet?

Simon Pegg was really funny as Scotty. The accent was good, but it wasn't just a generic Scottish accent - he did a pretty good job of being Scotty.

John Cho was fine as Sulu - I had forgotten Sulu's thing with fencing, so that was cool. I heard one of the people after the movie complain that he looked too Korean and not Japanese. Ummm, yeah, that's because he IS Korean. And what's the big deal with the name? After all, Jean-Luc Picard has a British accent.

I actually found Anton Yelchin as Chekov to be very distracting with his Russian accent, though I was amused when Chekov had to give a passcode to the computer that included "Victor", and his pronunciation of the "v" as a "w" made the computer not grant him access.

Now that I've seen the film, I'm very surprised at the casting of Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother. It's a fairly iconic character in Trek history, but her role in this movie was mostly a throw-away. I don't know that it would have mattered that much who was cast as long as they were decent in the one scene where she reassures Spock that she will always be proud of him.

A friend alerted me to the fact that the voice of Kirk's stepfather that comes over the car he's stolen is voiced by Greg Grunberg. I'll have to listen closer next time to see if I recognize his voice.


The music is very nicely done by Michael Giacchino, good use of themes we know and new music that goes great with the action on screen.

In addition to applauding at various other credits, we also applauded when Ben Burtt's credit came on screen.

And then, of course, the dedication credit at the very end to Gene and Majel Barrett Roddenberry was lovely and elicited much applause. What a nice touch.

Stewie Griffin: Make It So

I've seen a few episodes of "Family Guy" here and there, but I don't really watch the show. I will also occasionally hear an episode because the husband is watching it in the other room. I still haven't actually seen the "Star Wars" episode even though I have a t-shirt related to that episode.

Today, Wil Wheaton tweeted a link to the trailer for this Sunday's episode of "Family Guy", which features a reunion of the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

Oh.My.Heck. It's just too funny. And it took me a second to figure out who the blondie was. Denise! I wonder if she has any lines.

I thought the trailer was funny in general but I literally laughed out loud when Stewie tells Brent to take Michael to the bathroom, and Brent says ok, and he and Michael get up and hold hands to walk away.

Brings back nice memories. I think I'm going to have to actually watch this show.

"Man of La Mancha" - Reprise Theatre Company

We'd gone to see Reprise Theatre Company's production of "Once On This Island" last year, and I'd noticed that they were doing "Man of La Mancha" this year. I've heard of the show, but admittedly, I don't really know anything about it, so I didn't really have any interest in seeing it.

And then I found out that Brent Spiner would be the lead in the show. OK, then, guess we're going.

I've been following Brent since his "Star Trek: The Next Generation" days. I think I have the CD of the original Broadway recording of "Sunday in the Park with George", which Brent was in, and which Mandy Patinkin was in as well, but I've never listened to it - I really need to listen to that CD. I've seen Brent in a couple things since Next Generation went off the air (including the short-lived television show "Threshold") but for the most part, I haven't known what he's been up to. "Man of La Mancha" is being performed on the UCLA campus, same as "Once On This Island", so I figured it would be cool to see Brent in a live show.

Some people might not know that Brent can sing, but I also have his CD entitled "Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back", which I rather like. But on a side note, did you see what a used copy of that CD is going for? I could sell my copy and get THAT much money? Wow! Yeah, not gonna happen.

So, tickets to the show were purchased, and we're going to see it at the end of the month. I'd been following Wil Wheaton on Twitter, and then LeVar Burton showed up, and then LeVar got Brent to sign up for Twitter. Wow, how cool is that? Brent's actually been quite funny on Twitter - I forgot what a wicked and dry sense of humour he has. Brent's been a little quiet on Twitter lately because he's in rehearsals for the show, so he's a little busy.

I got an email from Reprise today since I'm on their mailing list, and lo and behold, they're advertising the show.






There's also a link to a video about the show, which includes interviews with the show's director and other show personnel. There's also a bit of footage of rehearsals, but unfortunately, no interview with Brent.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the show.




And speaking of looking forward to seeing shows, Reprise had announced last year that they'd be putting on a production of "Chess", which sounded interesting to me for various reasons. I had a note to myself that tickets would be going on sale later this month and that the show itself would be in May. Well, as I browsed around the Reprise site tonight, I noticed they're doing "The Fantasticks", which I've heard of but don't know anything about. And I noticed tickets were going on sale the same time as for "Chess". And then I saw the blurb at the bottom.





Well, ok then. Guess I can cross that off my list. I hope the "Tarzan" debacle didn't have anything to do with this show not being put on. Yeah, I know, it didn't, but I was supposed to have been seeing "Tarzan" next week in San Jose. *sigh*

Majel Barrett Roddenberry - wife, mother, Number One, Christine, computer, Lwaxana

I heard the news on Thursday that Majel Barrett Roddenberry, wife of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, had died of leukemia early that morning. I'm not usually one to be overly saddened necessarily by celebrity deaths because they're not people I know. I think the last celebrity death that really hit me was Douglas Adams, and that was partly because he had a very young daughter at the time.

I was saddened by Majel's death more than I expected to be. There were reasons not associated with her personally, but she's also the last main connection in my mind to "Star Trek". I know that most of the original cast is still around, and other creators and writers and such are as well, but I guess for me, "Star Trek" was Gene and Majel.

I didn't get into "Star Trek" heavily until the third season of "Next Generation", so I didn't know that much about Majel until that point. I know she voiced the computer, and I know she played Christine Chapel, and I even know she was the original Number One. But I really knew her as Lwaxana Troi, the very outspoken mother of Deanna Troi. Majel was just really good as Lwaxana, and whereas Majel had to be mechanical as the computer and shy as Christine Chapel and austere as Number One, she could show her comedic flare as Lwaxana. But she also could show her vulnerable side. There are two episodes that stand out in my mind when I think of her.

One is the episode "Cost of Living" from "Next Generation" when Lwaxana was supposed to get married and had decided to tone herself down for her very proper, very stuffy, soon-to-be-husband, which included abandoning Betazed marriage customs that required the bride to be married naked. The very end of the show has her deciding that changing herself to suit her would-be husband was not the way to go, and she showed up to her wedding in full glory - and nothing else.





The other episode is "The Forsaken" from "Deep Space Nine" when Lwaxana is trapped in a turbolift with Odo, and Odo has to regress to his liquid state after so many hours. He is struggling to hold himself together after being trapped for so long, and if he melts, he's also likely to leak through the pores of the elevator, not to mention that he's not comfortable melting in front of people. Lwaxana removes her makeup and her wig and shows herself to him without all that, which convinces him to melt into the basin she has made out of her dress. It's an amazing side of Lwaxana that we'd not seen before.

When I was attending "Star Trek" conventions, I saw her a few times, and she was always smiling and grateful to the fans.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Gene and Majel's son Rod and the rest of the family and all who knew and loved her. But at least Gene and Majel have now been reunited - I'm sure they've both missed each other a great deal.

I will look forward to seeing the new "Star Trek" movie next May and applauding (and probably crying) when her credit and/or acknowledgement card appears.

Here's the official Roddenberry site.

Here's a news article about Majel from the San Jose Mercury News.

Here's a really good article about Majel from zap2it.com.

Here's a blog entry from Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on "Next Generation", about Majel. I found his post to be very touching. I would also suggest reading the comments because some of the stories told in them are pretty incredible as well. In particular, the fifth comment on the blog post, from Tall Rob, tells an amazing story about Majel.

Here's an article from a Trek site with comments from various people who knew and worked with Majel. Marina Sirtis' comment was especially touching for me. Because she played Deanna, who was Lwaxana's daughter, Marina has said on many occasions that she really formed a bond with Majel, even though it was intimidating at first to be working with the boss's wife, but she said Majel really put her at ease.

It's a small Twitter world after all

So, I follow Wil Wheaton on his twitter feed. And I laugh at the stuff he tweets. I generally don't understand the responses he sends to people, but that's because I don't know what prompted the response. But I was amused the other day to see that Greg Grunberg of "Heroes" had contacted Wil through Twitter since Greg is on Twitter as well. And I got to see the love-fest between them. And they were really funny as they bantered back and forth. There was this whole thing where Greg said Wil would be great on "Heroes" and that he'd talk to the people there.

Here's Wil's first blog post about the subject.

But, stuff happened, or more correctly, stuff didn't happen, as Wil expected it wouldn't. Here's his followup post about the subject.

OK, so maybe that would have been cool, and having Wil on an episode might have gotten me to actually watch that episode as opposed to me not caring about "Heroes" anymore and at most half-listening while the husband watches the show in the other room.

And then Wil had a blog post today that included a link to this comic strip and commentary. Too frickin' funny!

BTW, "Anne" is Wil's wife. What I really want to know, though, is whether all three of them actually use Apple computers!




On a different note, I laughed really hard at Wil's last tweet today.

Thought I'd lost my keys earlier today. Looked for them for an hour. Turns out I'd left them in my car. In the ignition. At the mall.

"The Big Bang Theory" - November 17, 2008 episode

Raj and Sheldon are having a disagreement about what to watch. Raj wants to watch an episode of "Deep Space Nine" and Sheldon wants to watch "Saturn 3", so they debate the merits of each. Leonard tries to be funny and suggests that they watch "Babylon 5" instead as a compromise. Sheldon, not surprisingly, doesn't get the joke.

Tangential rambling: I've never seen "Saturn 3", but as I recall, it's one of those cult movies that are really bad but that some people really like. As far as whether or not "Deep Space Nine" is better, well, it all really depends on the episode. If it's any of the episodes where Sisko is seriously neutered because they were so frickin' terrified that Avery Brooks would lapse into Hawk, then I'll pass. Sisko was much less commanding and forceful than he needed to be considering the issues he had to deal with. Cardassian ship is chasing a Bajoran ship in Bajoran space - you think you might want to have a little passion about that? But as far as "Babylon 5", I never watched it at the time and heard all kinds of good things about it, so I gave it a try a couple years ago. It was awful. Maybe it was because it was the pilot and first couple episodes, but the dialogue was atrocious. I hear it got better as the show progressed, especially when Bruce Boxleitner took over as captain, but I couldn't hang in that long.

If they wanted a real compromise, they really needed to watch something with "six" in the title (since six is right in the middle between nine and three). I couldn't really think of anything science fiction that had six in it (maybe the writers couldn't either), but I did come up with "DeepStar Six", which I think I've vaguely heard of but don't know anything about.

When I was originally thinking of "six" movies, I thought about a movie we saw some time ago (which I generally liked), but I was wrong about the title, since it's actually called "Deep Blue Sea". It's about experiments on sharks that end up making them smart, but the husband objected when the shark swam backwards. I'd love to hear Sheldon's running commentary as he's forced to watch this movie!

Sheldon then explains that he's come up with a modified version of "rock paper scissors", adding "lizard" and "Spock" to the list, and then he goes through a whole explanation of how the two new elements fit into the equation with each existing item. They decide to use this new method to decide what to watch. Unfortunately, both Raj and Sheldon throw "Spock", so no resolution is reached.

Tangential rambling: I didn't quite catch Sheldon's whole explanation of who wins against what, and while the gesture for "Spock" is pretty obvious, I couldn't remember what the gesture was for "lizard", so a friend had to remind me. OK, so funniest damn thing, right? But, it turns out that the writers of the show didn't actually invent this new variation. Apparently [sic], Sam Kass came up with it back in 2005. Here's a YouTube clip of that segment of the show with the explanation.





I'm still not getting how paper defeats Spock though.

So the other funny thing is that for no reason I can remember, the husband and I have been regularly doing "paper rock scissors" just for the hell of it - we're not trying to break a disagreement or use it as a decider of anything - it's just to see what happens. We've been doing this for a few months now, at least, so it was funny when it appeared on the show. And in the days to follow after the show, we played the game again for the first time - and wouldn't you know, we both threw "Spock". You know that whole thing Sheldon says in the show about how when people know each other well enough, they're going to usually tie playing this game? Totally true. One of the frustrations is that often, we do end up in a tie, even with going through three rounds. Sure, I don't like to lose, but I hate repeated ties even more. It's so anti-climactic. The next couple times we played the game after the show ended, I think we tied with either "Spock" or "lizard". I think it took a few more rounds of playing before one of us won. I think it might have been the husband.

Howard comes in with some sort of eyepatch gimmick and a plan to insult women that he thinks is going to work in getting ladies. When Penny later comes in, and he tries the new method on her, she goes up to him and snaps his eyepatch.

Tangential rambling: I'm usually not very good about knowing what's about to happen in a show even though it might be telegraphed, but this time, I knew she was going to snap his eyepatch. That was awesome! As far as the "backhanded compliment that's really an insult" method - does that really work? It wouldn't work on me or anyone that I know.

The next dilemma is that "The Clone Wars" series is on TV, but Sheldon hasn't seen the movie yet, so he is resistant to watching the series before having seen the movie. I liked the movie and would be watching the series if I had cable, so I disagree with the sentiment, but Sheldon's line was still classic: "I prefer to let George Lucas disappoint me in the order he intended."

Tangential rambling: I really liked the movie. Yeah, the styling was a bit different, but that didn't bother me at all. But I totally agree with Sheldon's sentiment about needing to watch them in order. But then, I didn't see any of the episodes that ran on TV before the movie, so I guess that kind of blows away my theory. But, George now thinks that you should watch all six "Star Wars" movies in order of the internal chronology. Sorry, George, you're wrong. They need to be seen IV, V, VI, I, II, III. You so lose the impact of the revelation of Vader being Luke's father otherwise. And it's heartbreaking to see Anakin and know and watch him become Vader. Yeah, I know, a lot of people don't like I, II and III. There are elements I don't like, but overall, I like the story arc, so save the negative comments, ok? I've heard 'em before and they have no bearing on what I think of the movies.

The next debate involves whether "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (STI) or "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (STV) is a worse film. In the middle of the argument, Leonard gets a phone call from Howard, and Leonard says they have to go immediately because Howard has called a DefCon 5. Sheldon says that means everything is just fine, and if something was wrong, Howard would have called a DefCon 1, so then they all debate whether 1 or 5 is the emergency number.

Tangential rambling: I had to stop and think about this for quite some time. Is STI or STV a worse film? Wow, that's a *great* question. I didn't see STI in theatres. I saw it on TV. And it was boring and awful. Nothing happened. And then the revelation of what V-ger was? Oh.my.frickin'.goodness. How incredibly lame. But then, you have the equal lameness of the Search for God, as we called STV. We figured they couldn't actually use that title since STIII was the Search for Spock and they didn't want to repeat an element of the title. I have my own personal hellish experience which accounts for why I think STV is worse (if you actually know me and want to know, ask me in person or email me), but looking at it on more of an objective level, STV has got to be the worst. For STI, at least they had the nostalgia aspect - it was the first time there was "Star Trek" after so many years, and on the big screen no less! There was also bald-headed lady who I thought was pretty cool. But what's the deciding factor in STV being worse? Four words. "Directed by William Shatner". Really, do I need to say more?

And then there's the whole defcon argument. Yeah, I have a problem with that too, because you'd think that the higher the number, the more of a problem there is. In the case of defcon, you'd be wrong. One would think that with my fascination for "WarGames", I'd have gotten all that straightened out years ago.

They all arrive at their work place and it turns out that Howard has lured someone back with him by promising to let her drive a car on Mars. And in the process, Howard has gotten the Mars rover stuck in a crater. Howard doesn't want the woman (Stephanie, who's a doctor) to know about this, so he makes up some complicated reason about what he and his colleagues have to do, and he asks Leonard to drive Stephanie home, which he agrees to, but in the car, the two of them end up totally making out.

Tangential rambling: Since Howard's original idea didn't work, it makes sense that he would use the Mars rover as a lure. The thing with Stephanie and Leonard kind of came up out of nowhere, though.

Howard, unaware of this new development, has fast forwarded into overdrive and keeps calling Stephanie to tell her about coming over to his house and his mother will be cooking dinner, and there will be lots of other family there, including family who are flying in to meet her. Meanwhile, Leonard is surreptitiously on a date with her in her apartment, and he later reveals to Penny that he feels guilty because Howard doesn't know, but Penny says he shouldn't feel guilty and is surprised and happy that he and Stephanie have already had sex.

Tangential rambling: OK, the continuous series of phone calls from Howard and the whole dinner situation getting bigger and bigger and more out of hand was just too funny. Desperate? No way! Where would you get that idea? But I will say that as much as I can understand things just happening between Leonard and Stephanie, he really needed to tell Howard. Sure, nothing was going to happen between Stephanie and Howard anyway, so it's not like she was off-limits, but dude, come on, fess up. Penny was funny though. When she asked if Leonard had had sex with Stephanie and he admitted to it, and then he asked if that made a difference, she said no - she was just being nosy! Too funny!

Leonard is at Howard's house, and when Howard answers the door, Leonard is about to tell him about Stephanie when Howard's phone rings. He says very little, but when he's done, it's obvious that Stephanie called to tell him about Leonard, and Howard turns to Leonard and says, "You're dead to me" and shuts the door on him.

Tangential rambling: Well, Leonard tried to do the right thing, but I guess Stephanie beat him to the punch. Poor Howard, I actually kind of feel sorry for him. But then, I remember that he's agreeing to be subjugated by his mother, so hey, whatever.

At some point later, Leonard is coming back to his apartment, and Howard is there but is refusing to acknowledge Leonard's existence, using Sheldon as the go-between instead. When Stephanie shows up, Howard ignores her as well, but Stephanie says it's too bad that it'll only be three of them since she brought her roommate along, at which point Howard breaks his silence and happily agrees to accompany them.

Tangential rambling: At first, I was surprised that Sheldon would go along with Howard's insistence that Leonard didn't exist, but then I realized it was a matter of Howard having set up the parameters. Sheldon was ok with that until Howard broke his own guidelines, at which point Sheldon was out.

All is not well with Howard though. He had erased all evidence that he was responsible for getting the Mars rover stuck because he didn't want to get in trouble, but it turns out that with the Rover stuck in the crater, there were some amazing discoveries made, more conclusive evidence that there was previously life on Mars, but they have no idea who was responsible for making these discoveries possible.

Tangential rambling: Ahh, poor Howard. It was a stupid accident, but it turned out to be a fateful accident, and all the undercover stuff he did to remove his fingerprints on the accident meant he could now take no credit for any discoveries that are made, even if it came from an accidental occurrence.

So I think I've mentioned previously that creator Chuck Lorre has a card at the end of each episode where he just rambles about something. They're usually pretty funny, but sometimes, they're just weird, and sometimes, they're kind of angry or even censored. He has a website where you can find all of the cards, including the ones at the end of his other show "Two and a Half Men". The card for this episode was particularly hilarious. Can I just tell you how *much* I loved the "P.S."? See, I told you so!!!!!!!!




This is a longer clip from the show which has the various uses of "rock paper scissors lizard Spock" and a few other segments I mentioned above.