Friends

1. Okay, so it's one week until Christmas (I know!) and get this: they're calling for snow here today. Yes: snow. Can I tell you the last time I remember it snowing before Christmas around here? That would be NEVER. (Although my memory is not reliable, just as a disclaimer. I can barely remember my name or where I left my keys most days.) Anyway, I refuse to believe this until I actually see flakes falling and sticking, mostly because we are having a huge holiday party this weekend and I have already bought all the food. What will I do with three lasagnas and a vat of spinach artichoke dip if the roads are bad and nobody shows? (Remember, this is North Carolina: if there is even an inch of snow on the roads, people stay home. Yes, I hear you laughing in New England.) Don't get me wrong. I would love a light dusting, to help get into the holiday spirit. But more than that, not so much.

2. And do you want to know WHY it's going to snow? Because about a week ago, we had a thunderstorm. And according to Southern legend, if it thunders in winter, you'll see snow within nine days. Or something like that. My parents are from New York and Baltimore, respectively: I wasn't exactly schooled in the Farmer's Almanac growing up. Still, I have found that a lot of these things turn out to be true. Like you see cows laying down before it rains. Weird, right?

3. Speaking of the holiday spirit, I can't believe that with only seven days until Christmas I have not yet indulged in one of my steadfast holiday traditions: watching Love, Actually. Usually by now I would have watched it at least three times, and have it in the DVD on standby so I can revisit my favorite scenes whenever the mood hits. What is wrong with me this year? Well, there's this move to my office. And the little issue of this novel I'm writing. Oh, and the fact that I have a two year old who is not really a fan of Hugh Grant yet. Can I tell you how many times I have watched the Gabba Gabba Christmas special? No, I can't, because I don't even know. But I will say that it is on right now, as I write this. Sigh.

4. I really do want to get to the movies over the holiday. It's hard to believe, but I used to go to the movies at least once a week, if not more than that. Seriously! I loved to skip out on a writing day and hit a midday matinee with a small buttered popcorn and a bottled water I snuck in inside my purse. Ah, memories. Can I tell you the last movie I saw in an actual movie theater? I think it was Sex and the City. Yes, that was like a year and a half ago. How did this happen? Well, again, there's that issue of the novel. It's a lot harder to play hooky when I'm paying someone else so I can work. But maybe I'll do it over the holiday, as a present to myself. We'll see.

5. Finally, I just have to share this. My husband just came inside, shivering. "It's REALLY cold out there!" he said, and I turned, ready to offer sympathy. Then I saw what he was wearing:


(Yes, I documented it just for this entry. But I cut off his head at his request.)

I mean, honestly. Shorts and a t-shirt AND shoes with no socks? Of course you're cold! Then again, this is the same person who runs the thermostat at a crazy high temperature so he can wear shorts in the house all year round. I grew up in a house where if you were cold, you put on another sweater. Touch the thermostat and there were repercussions, big time. Marriage is all about compromise, I guess. If not about wearing socks and a jacket when it's below freezing.

(Oh, and before you ask, yes, those are tattoos. He's got a bunch of them. And no, I don't have a single one. I always say he's got more than enough ink for both of us.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

1. Well, it's official. I knew changes were coming, but I don't LIKE change, especially in the morning when I am not fully caffeinated. But, yes: George Stephanopoulos is replacing Diane, and JuJu Chang is replacing Chris, who, in my opinion, deserved his own last day and not a kind of "don't let the door hit you on the way out" in the midst of Diane's big celebratory farewell. Clearly, though, nobody is listening to me. I do LOVE me some Juju Chang, though. So clearly, even when the higher-ups shut a door (and ask you not to let it hit you as you exit) they open a window. So, welcome George and Juju. I will do my best to adjust. Starting Monday. Today, I reserve the right to just get all verklempt.

2. In other TV news, the Top Chef finale was Wednesday night. But, because I am super lame, I just couldn't manage to stay up and watch it live. So yesterday, I had to do the whole news media blackout thing, so I wouldn't see a spoiler of who won. It was HARD. I couldn't read Google News all day, and now I know I am kind of addicted to that, which I guess is helpful. But last night, we FINALLY got to sit down and watch. And I don't want to ruin it for any of you who haven't had a chance yet to watch it, so I will just say I was not really happy with the outcome. It was kind of like Project Runway: I understood why they picked the person they did, but it would not have been my personal choice. I will leave it at that.

3. I've written here before about how I am kind of obsessed with lipstick and lipgloss. My favorite brand, for years, has been Stila, for all kinds of reasons, but especially because it was the ONLY brand that didn't have some kind of drying agent in it that, apparently, I am kind of allergic to. But I just got some new lipstick from Stila and now I'm having a reaction. What's up with that? Does this mean I have to abandon Sephora altogether and start buying my lip stuff at Whole Foods? Oh, please say no. I don't think I can quit that place, allergies or not.

4. It was announced yesterday that Kirkus Reviews, one of the big book reviewing magazines, is being shut down. It's right up there with Booklist, Horn Book and PW when you're waiting for reviews of a new book, and totally nervous about what people will think of it. I can't believe that Kirkus is being shuttered, especially since I FINALLY managed to get a good review out of them for Along for The Ride. They gave me a star! I should have known it was the beginning of the end for them. It's like the center could not hold, or something. Oh, well.

5. Speaking of writers and writing, this week Amazon announced their annual Breakthrough Novel Award contest, and this year, there's a prize for YA fiction as well. And guess who is listed as a judge on their "panel of experts" ? Stop laughing! I'm really excited to be part of this contest, and I'm looking forward to reading the finalists in the spring. If you have a novel--General Fiction or YA---and want to enter, go here for more info. And good luck!

Okay, I'm grabbing some tissues and my coffee and sitting down to catch the last half hour of GMA. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Aside from GLEE (which I blogged about yesterday) and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (which I haven’t started watching yet- I have season one on DVD), I’m not sure how many network (ABC/NBC/CBS) shows there are that concentrate largely on teenagers- but lately, I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the way teens are depicted in shows with mostly-adult casts. A lot of these teens I love. Claire has always, always been my favorite character on Heroes (she’s a cheerleader with Wolverine’s power… how could I not love her? And the whole “I’m Claire Bennett, and that was attempt number six” thing was a most excellent introduction). I’ve just started watching Castle, but one of my favorite parts of the show is Castle’s teenage daughter, Alexis, and watching Nathan Fillion (as Castle) interact with her.

So I was incredibly excited to hear that they were introducing a recurring teen character on Grey’s Anatomy: the eighteen-year-old daughter of McSteamy (aka Dr. Mark Sloane). I literally squealed when I saw the “next week on Grey’s Anatomy” preview the week before the first of little Sloane’s episodes aired. Teenage character! Sudden fatherhood! So many of my favorite tropes, all condensed into one!

And then I actually saw the episode in question, and I was severely underwhelmed. In the past, Grey’s has done such an incredible job introducing new characters. A lot of the recurring parts build slowly, until the characters take center stage. At this point, besides Bailey and occasionally Cristina, all of my favorite characters on the show were introduced this way at one point: Lexie (love her!), Callie, Arizona… even McSteamy himself.

So I had very high hopes for the Sloane daughter story line. And then when met her. She’s petulant. She’s utterly convinced of her own hotness. She’s a total flake. And she’s (SPOILER ALERT) about to make McSteamy a grandfather. Maybe the Grey’s writers will peel back some of her layers, and turn her into a force of awesomeness, like they did with Addison. But at the moment, she feels a lot more like a plot device (let’s complicate McSteamy’s relationship with Lexie! And give him an identity crisis! And then do a crossover with Private Practice, because little Sloane can go to Addison if and when there’s something wrong with her baby!) than a person.

And for a show that, in general, does a great job of having a really diverse and interesting cast of characters, from different backgrounds and with different perspectives on life, love, and medicine, it’s so disappointing to me that the first even semi-major teen character on the show might turn out to be little more than a cardboard cut-out. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but as of the last episode, I just turned off the television set feeling like the writers felt like it was okay for the only eighteen-year-old on the show to be two-dimensional, because she’s a kid, and everyone knows that you don’t develop your second or third dimension until the magical age of 21.

Now, to be fair, Grey’s has featured teens in minor story arcs before- as patients. And some of those teens were really interesting. Beyond that, a lot of the main characters on the show have really fascinating back-stories and there’s been some discussion about what each of them were like as teens, so it’s not like the writers think ALL teenagers are as flat as mini-Sloane. And as I said before, it’s definitely the case that Grey’s often introduces characters who seem really unlikeable or one-dimensional for a couple of episodes, and then, as we get to know them, more is revealed.

All of which goes to say that Grey’s could still make little Sloane awesome, by some definition of the word. And I’m hoping they do. Because right now, the “generic teenager” (as if there is such a thing!) vibe just isn’t working at all.

Oh, I just don't even know what to say about the latest GMA developments. It's, like, a bad news-good news situation. The latest is that Chris Cuomo will leave for 20/20 or (sob!) another network and George Stephanopoulos will replace Diane. That's the BAD news. The good? Supposedly, Juju Chang will then become the news reader. And you KNOW how much I love Juju:

She's the whole reason I got to visit the set last year! She introduced me to Diane and Robin and Sam AND Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens. I mean, come on. I kind of owe her my life for that. Plus, she's a totally sweet person and a GREAT reporter. So I'm happy, happy, happy for her. But in a perfect world---and I know this isn't one, none is, but we can dream---they would have moved Chris up to co-anchor, brought Juju in as news reader and TA-DA: dream team. Sigh. Oh, well. I'll shut up now.

In other news, all the power stuff went well on Monday, and my office now has LIGHT! Check it out:

Cabinets come later this week, then carpet next. It's actually starting to seem REAL, finally. On the downside, the power outage apparently caused a fatal error (don't you hate that term? It's so scary!) on the DVR in our playroom. The other one, that has all my Friday Night Lights and Hoarders and everything else, was fine. Which is great. But the one that died had ALL of Sasha's shows: a ton of Olivias, Gabba Gabbas, and Sesame Streets. POOF! They're all gone, leaving me to try to explain why we can't watch Slimy get a pet bug or Olivia in the old west anymore. Yikes. A new receiver is on the way but we're basically relying only on DVDs until it gets here and we can start taping again. I don't let Sasha watch much TV---and I know some of you are shocked to hear that, but it's true---but we do let her have a little while she eats breakfast, and I'm not sure how long we can keep watching these same DVDs over and over before there's some kind of toddler riot. I am trying to stay calm, at any rate.

So I've written here before about how much I love Rosie O'Donnell. I used to watch her talk show RELIGIOUSLY. I even timed my trips to the gym so I could be on the treadmill when it was on. Then I watched her on the View, until that kind of imploded, and she disappeared. But then, flipping around my Sirius XM radio the other day in traffic, who do I hear but Ro? She's got her own morning show, every weekday morning. Hooray! If you've got Sirius XM, find out more here. I am such a nerd that I am just waiting for the chance to try and call in. I would DIE to talk to her, even for just a second. No joke.

Finally---God, sorry this entry turned out to be so long---I got a request from someone on the comments asking for book recommendations for holiday gifts. Personally, I loved the new Jennifer Weiner, Best Friends Forever, and I'm eagerly awaiting Anne Tyler's latest, which is coming out in the new year. Also I LOVED Olive Kitteridge, which is not the newest book but was new to me and reminded me what great writing is all about. What a book. If you have other recommendations for this reader (and for me!) feel free to leave them. Especially if they are picture books. We have all the Olivias and all the Corduroys, and have read them a million times, so I'm ready for a change, Big time!

Have a great day, everyone!

Glee is growing on me. I’m not obsessed, but this season has had a few really stand out moments so far. Like the episode where Kurt joins the football team, and they all dance to Beyonce’s Single Ladies on the field. Football players in Beyonce mode = instant win. Mathematical FACT.

I also really loved the duet that Kristin Chenoweth did with Mr. Shue in the episode where she played the never-graduated thirty-something who re-enrolls in high school and joins the Glee Club as a ringer. I have a deep and abiding love for Wicked, and since Kristin’s from my home town (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma- right outside Tulsa), I’ve always been a huge fan.

Plus, as a YA author, I appreciate the fact that a show set in high school is rocking (no pun intended) the Nielson ratings on a major network. For me, the strongest episodes are the ones that capture some hint of high school flavor, and most of the adult storylines (Shue and his wife, Emma and the football coach, Emma and Shue), I could pretty much do without. And the wife character is a perfect example of characters-who-are-meant-to-be-annoying-and-therefore-just-annoy-me, but, on the whole, I’m still watching and mostly enjoying. And I am beyond psyched that Joss Whedon is directing an episode. From the man who brought us Dr. Horrible and Once More With Feeling, I expect great things- even if he's not writing the episode (oh, how I wish that he were!)