Last night my typically bizarre dreams were accompanied by Kenny Loggins singing “Celebrate Me Home.”  

The song has been playing in my head all day long, but I don’t mind.  It’s one of my all time favorite songs – and one that always makes me smile.  I share it with you now.  Enjoy.  (Just click the little arrow to listen.)

Does that every happen to you?  You wake up with a song in your head and it just keeps playing?   It happens to me all the time – which can sometimes be really annoying, depending on the song.  And with the discovery of this cool little flash player, I am going to start a new feature called “Song in my Head” over there on the left column of my blog…    Check back often for this thrilling peek into my mind!  

What song is in your brain today?

For a couple of years now I’ve been feeling like an outsider because I just haven’t been able to get into Lost, when nearly everyone I know is enthralled.   Or Battlestar Galactica, despite the critial acclaim it receives.    Or Heroes, after the first half of the first season.  Frankly, it has been a bit befuddling.

Well, I think I figured out why I can’t get into “Lost” or “Battlestar Galactica”, etc…   there are 2 reasons – and both play a part in my apathy towards Lost.

1.  Apparently I no longer have the patience for shows that require me to watch each week to keep up with what’s going on.    I want resolution at the end of the hour, so it doesn’t leave me fretting and worrying whether they’ll stop the bomg in time for another week.   I think three thilling seasons of 24 and Alias burned me out.   

2.  When shows have fanatical religious undertones – just COUNT ME OUT.  Lost recently had a “recap” episode where it basically showed you what had happened over the year in a single night and I decided to watch it, to see if I could get pulled into the story.  As soon as that creepy guy (Ben?) and then John Locke got fanatical about the island and killed people because of their “faith” I was totally turned off (despite the eye candy cast).

 In it’s final 2 seasons, one of my favorite shows – Stargate SG1 –  ventured into a an ongoing battle with an opressive, powerful alien race called the “Ori” – who claimed to be gods and sent messengers around preaching religion, promising enlightenment & ascension, and then killing anyone who didn’t agree to follow the path.     “Hallowed are the Ori“.   Oh, Just shoot me now.   Look – they even got CSM (Cigarette Smoking Man) from the X-Files to be one of their creepy priors.  Just as they were about to lose me as a viewer, they thankfully threw in some NON-Ori episodes.   

I’m disturbed enough by the irrational religious fanatics in the real world – I don’t want them to invade my “escape” time as well.

So there you have it.   I guess I’m still an outsider, but at least I know why!

Are there any shows or fads you wish you feel left out of?

My tv heroes – as themselves:

• Jon Stewart
• Keith Olberman
• Tim Gunn
• Bill Moyers
• I guess Oprah – she inspires a lot of people

My favorite tv characters (current shows)

• Shawn (and Gus) – Psyche (USA, and now on NBC, too!)
• Detective Goren – Law and Order: Criminal Intent (NBC/USA)
• Deputy Director Brenda Lee Johnson – The Closer (TNT)

My favorite ensembles – enjoy the interaction between the characters

• NCIS (especially Abby)  (CBS & USA)
• Stargate SG1  (SciFi & ?)

I’m sure I’ve neglected to include someone I’ll think of later, but these standout tonight.  

I’m so glad Psyche is on network tv now… it’s really one of my favorite shows, but none of my friends have discovered it on the USA network.  Watch it!

So who are some of your current tv heroes, favorite tv characters and ensembles?

Have you seen this music video yet?  If not – watch and enjoy. 
It’s really well done – and I love the message….

ABC first premiered the song, written/Produced by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas (lyrics pretty much by Barack Obama) and Bob Dylan’s son, Jesse, and featuring Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Amber Valetta and Nick Cannon and others.   

Spread the word, spread the hope… and vote!

Is anyone else creeped out by these Charles Schwab commercials?  Disturbing.  The animation just gives me the willies every time I see one – so much so that I had to blog about it. Lucky you. I can’t imagine this improving their business… 

On the other hand, there are a handful of commercials out right now that always make me chuckle.  They’re stupid, but I always laugh. 

One is the William Shatner as the Price Line Negotiator.  I love his horrible kung fu moves and that he can be such a dork and not take himself seriously.   I also find myself chuckling at the Emerald Nuts commercials…  the Swiss Family Robinson or the “Addicted To Love Girls” that appear at 3pm and mess with the person who’s sleeping because he didn’t eat the nuts to stay awake. Really dumb, but funny.

And lastly – for some reason I smile every time USA Network plays their promo for the upcoming Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It has these dogs, photographed like models, with wind blowing on them (the Afghan hound is beautiful), etc. as “I’m Too Sexy” plays, or “She’s Like The Wind“….

Any standout commercials for you?

Great version by men’s a capella group, “Straight No Chaser”….  
Makes me miss my madrigal days…. 

As I was watching a little tv and walking by a news/magazine racks this week, I realized there are several current happenings getting lots of attention – which I care absolutely nothing about. 

• Survivor: China
• Halo 3
• Angelina – Brad – Jennifer love triangle/squabbles
• Which celebrities are in rehab or jail this week
• OJ Simpson’s latest arrest
• the iPhone

What don’t you care about?

As a teeneager, I dedicated whole pages of my diary to my favorite songs at the time (when I wasn’t writing about my favorite boys at the time ).   Here’s my list (in no particular order) from September 26th, 1975 when I was in 9th grade. 

Do you remember any of these?  Were they your favorites too?   You can click on the song title to listen.

• Lady (Styx)
• Aubrey , If  &  It Don’t Matter To Me (Bread)
• Smoke on the water (Deep Purple – the ultimate “stomp” song)
• Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils)
• Vincent (Don McLean)
• Color My World (Chicago – the official slow dance song)
• Jive Talkin (BeeGees???  I’m so embarrassed)
• Holdin’ On To Yesterday (Ambrosia)
• Trampled Underfoot (Led Zeplin…..   I don’t remember liking this one)
• Daniel (Elton John)
• Tell Me Something Good (Chaka Kahn)
• Rocky – Gonna Fly Now (I pretty much hate this song now)
• Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You (Sugarloaf)
• 2001  – No idea what this song is…. unless 2001 Space Odessy??
• Nights In White Satin (Moody Blues)
• Black Water (Doobie Brothers – and fun to sing along….)
• Sundown  &   If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
• Foot Stompin Music (Grand Funk Railroad)
• Get Down Tonight (KC & The Sunshine Band)
• Something’s Wrong – No idea???
• Ballroom Blitz (The Sweet)
• Exorcist (Tubular Bells) – (Michael Oldfield)
• Old Fashioned Love Song (Three Dog Night….  still such a classic)
• Best of My Love (Eagles – and it totally reminds me of Kevin Hill )
• Life is  Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)  (Reunion – the FIRST rap song?)
• Frankenstein (Edgar Winter Group)
• Sunshine On My Shoulder (John Denver)

By the way, I love YouTube.