Youtubesday: Emo Kid is throwing Slow-Mo Dove at my face

It's very likely that you've already seen this video or one of the other Literal 80's videos. But if you haven't seen this one yet, you should watch it as it is the best of the bunch.

I could watch this on repeat all day.

RPattz update:

First, the bad news: the Twihards went effing crazy in NYC yesterday and attacked him on the street when he was in between filming scenes of his new movie Remember Me. Here's the video.

Bitches are crazy. Poor Bert. I wouldn't blame him if he became a hermit after all of this Twilight stuff is over with. Second piece of bad news: Tombert will not be starring in this movie together. The part of Aidan will be played by this guy:

Not bad, but not how I pictured him. Because I'm a dork I pictured Kellan Lutz the whole time I read the script. I was thrilled at the idea of Tom playing Aidan, even though it was quite a switch. This actor is reportedly named Tate Ellington. Check out his IMDB here.
The good news: Lot of pics of Rob looking happy and healthy.
Apparently they decided to just let Rob wear his own clothes to play Tyler. Either that or the costume department isn't very creative.

Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Zack Morris/Mark-Paul Gosselaar is Friday's Fun Fearless Male

If you haven't seen this yet, you must stop whatever you are doing and devote the next few minutes to watching it.

Can I just say that I love Mark-Paul for doing this? Most child/teen actors want to leave their well-known character behind and never talk about it interviews. Mark-Paul not only talked about it, he WAS Zack Morris in this interview. And he agreed to come to the Saved by the Bell reunion that Jimmy Fallon is planning.

Isn't it kind of amazing how he looks exactly the same? He looks at least 8 years younger than he did on Saved by the Bell: The College Years (not to mention 30 pounds lighter). Don't get me wrong, you can tell that he's wearing some heavy makeup. But he looks good (and the hair. GOD, the hair).

Mark-Paul Gosselaar has gone on to a fairly successful career. He's had recurring roles on many long-running television shows, including NYPD Blue, John from Cincinnati, and his newest show, Raising the Bar. And it must be acknowledged that he is still super good-looking.

So basically, Mark-Paul Gosselaar played an archetypal figure in the minds of many people around my age. The rambunctious, scheming good-looking guy who was always getting into mischief, but always got away with it because he was so gosh-darn likable. I realize that there were others before him and there have been others since, but for people of my generation, it just doesn't get any better than Zack Morris.
We didn't have the same over-saturation that kids have today. As the only live-action Saturday morning show for many years, SBTB looked different than anything else in the morning lineup. It was appointment television viewing for every kid my age. Who doesn't remember the prom that Kelly Kapowski couldn't afford to go to because her father lost his job and so Zack held an outdoor prom/picnic for the two of them right outside the gym? And there was that epic moment when Jessi and Slater were lip-syncing/singing Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" in their gladiator gear and off-the-shoulder sweatshirt-clad Kelly breaks up with Zack because she wants to go out with the older guy, Jeff. These were life-changing moments for kids my age. And everybody talked about it.

Saved by the Bell is one of the shows that defined my generation. Actually, now that I think about it, I challenge anybody around 25 years of age to come up with any other show that so clearly represents our age group. One could make an argument for Beverly Hills, 90210, but boys didn't watch that show in large numbers. And there was lots of sex in that show. Saved by the Bell had sexy cast members (well...they were sexy by 90's standards) but the show itself never got too sexy. After all, they showed it on Saturday Mornings. But I digress; what I mean to say is it is hard to find a person around my age who doesn't know what the Max is (or for that matter, who Jeff Hunter is). You could go to any hip, downtown bar on a Friday night and suggest everyone do "The Sprain" and the majority of the people would know what you were talking about.

Thank you, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, for having the courage to don your Zack Morris gear again. And God bless you, Jimmy Fallon, for trying to get the gang back together.

Zack Attack!+The Roots=AWESOMENESS.

Have a great weekend everybody and remember to take a TIME OUT to acknowledge Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a fun, fearless male (TIME IN).

Love,

Elle Bunny

Life's Eternal Questions: The Baby-Sitters Club Edition

I have read every Baby-Sitters Club book at least once. There are some of them that have been read so many times that the covers are taped back on. There are some of them I would never care to read again (I'm talking to you, Kristy & Jessi). I literally have read all of them-I'm talking the regular series, the mysteries, the Super Specials, the Super Mysteries, the California Diaries and the Friends Forever. And I will admit that I still read them on occasion. What? Don't judge. At this point, there can't be any shame in my game-you already know I'm ridiculous when I analyze Twilight and "Beverly Hills, 90210" to the nth degree. The jig is up-I'm officially a nerd.

The books are a comfort. For the same reasons I still love Twilight and "Beverly Hills, 90210". It's something safe and familiar, and in the case of Bev Hills, it reminds me of my childhood. There is something wonderful about the stagnant environment that is Stoneybrook, Connecticut. It is safe. They don't get the chance to grow older and so we never have to see them start dating guys with moustaches or come out of the closet in college (*cough*Kristy*cough*). I like that--to a point. But there are some eternal questions about the BSC that still annoy the ever-loving crap out of me.

1) Did a parent never need a sitter between 5:30-6:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday? If so, why the hell not? The parents in Stoneybrook got a babysitter every time they had to go poop.
2) What is the point of getting a sitter to come by and take care of your kid for an hour when you go to a meeting at the school? Bring the kids to the school with you and have them sit outside in the hallway and wait for you. You'll save money and the humiliation of having a 13 year old scold you for not telling them about your child's food allergy.

3) Why was a kid like Karen Brewer seen as "Precocious" (codeword for annoying little shit?) and "Cute" while Jenny Prezzioso is seen as "Prissy" and "Difficult"? Because Jenny likes nice clothes and felt wary of having a new baby sister? I think those are pretty average things for a little girl to do. Unlike, say, a 6 year old girl convincing everyone in your community that your elderly neighbor is a witch named Morbidda Destiny or going to the salon on a cruise boat and charging it to your room without telling your parents. Karen was a little shit and she was only 6 years old. Can you imagine what she would be like at 16? And don't get me started on them calling Jackie Rodowsky the "walking disaster." Those bitches.

4) Everyone goes on and on about Kristy's Great Idea. Which really is just like a Nanny agency, but with younger and less experienced employees. That's right, BSC, you've been had. Kristy stole her great idea.

5) Everyone always goes on and on about how Watson, Kristy's step-dad, is a millionaire. Yet these girls all live in Connecticut, Stacey's dad lives on the Upper West Side in NYC and Dawn's dad lives in a beach front community in Orange County, CA. I doubt Watson Brewer was the only Millionaire in the bunch. I would almost agree with those who say that the reason the club members go on and on about his being a millionaire is because they live in a mansion but I can't. Later on in the series, Abby joined the club and she lived in the same neighborhood in another large house. Nothing is ever said about her mom being a millionaire. You can't convince me Watson was the only millionaire amongst the BSC's parents.
6) What happens when somebody turns 11 that magically prepares them to be a baby-sitter? Because the kids who are one year younger than Mallory and Jessi seem to be pretty high maintenance. So I want to know why these girls are somehow capable of baby-sitting large numbers of kids when they are only a year older (I think I remember one specific instance in which Jessi was left alone overnight with her 9 year old sister Becca and 1 1/2 year old brother Squirt. Who in their right mind would do that?).
7) No one ever gets older. Seriously! It starts to go old after awhile. They just keep starting 8th grade over and over again. No wonder Mallory complained so much about how hard it was to be 11. She was that age for 20 years!
8) What was it that was so revolutionary about a side ponytail? I'm the biggest Claudia Kishi fan in the world, but everyone always go on and on about how "dibble" and "acute" Claudia's style is, but the covers always show her with a damn side pony. I want to see some of the intricate hairstyles they describe in the books.
9) Why don't these parents want to spend anytime with their kids? They seriously want baby-sitters all the time. Worse than that, the girls in the BSC take it upon themselves to give these parents advice about how to raise their children.

10) Don't some people commute from Connecticut to NYC everday for work? If so, then what was the point of the McGill's moving out to Stoneybrook when Ed's job transferred him to Stamford, then within the next year, moving back to NYC when he got transferred BACK and THEN moving back to 'da Brook when her parents went through the big "D" (and I don't mean Dallas or Diabetes). Isn't Stacey's life stressful enough, what with the Beetus? Does she really need to move back and forth three times within the course of a year?

I really do love these books, though. If you having any of the old BSC books laying around, you should try giving them a read, if only for the outfit descriptions. They tend to bring on the lols now, but at 10 years old, I would have given my right arm for Claudia's wardrobe.

Have a great day!

Love,
Elle Bunny

Robyn

I used to love Robyn back in the day. Her CD was one of the first things I bought when I got a CD Player. I enjoyed her video for "Show Me Love."

Doesn't that bring you back? And let's face it, she's the best export from Sweden-other than Abba, Ace of Base, Swiss Chocolate, and my personal favorite, Swedish Fish.

Anyway, I guess I'm late to the party on this one, but I adore her song

"With Every Heartbeat". It's nice to see someone I adored growing up doing well and being inventive.

Loves it!

I also thoroughly enjoy her video for "Bum Like You" which was filmed in little old Granger, Texas.

Isn't that awesome?! Her music makes me want to dance, and I'm not just talking about Two-Stepping. I want to full out jump up and down dance. It might be my new dance break music. Do you ever have dance breaks? I think they are the best thing for your soul-screw the chicken soup.

Have a great day and remember to dance!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Oh My Blog...my train of thoughts keeps running off the tracks

Do you ever wonder how in God's name you started thinking about something, then realize that it all started with you pondering a seemingly unrelated topic? It happens to me all the time, particularly when I'm driving.
For instance, yesterday morning was particularly cold and while on the way to work, I looked over and saw a little girl in a car seat. She had on a big puffy jacket and I was brought back to my mom's old blue boat of an Oldsmobile. I remembered what it felt like to be stuffed in one of those marshmallow jackets and then put in a car seat that could barely contain my puffiness.

I remembered how hard it was for me to relax my arms due to all the puffiness-the material made my arms stick straight out. Then I started wondering why it is necessary for the jackets to be that puffy? As adults, we don't necessitate these huge over the top jackets

(most of the time). Does the puffy jacket prevent a child from freezing to death any better that a non-puffy jacket made out of the same materials but without the stuffing? And what do they stuff these jackets with? Is this a question for my BFF Meredith? Would she learn about this in her textile class? Do they teach the fundamentals of the Big Puffy Jacket in Fashion Merchandising? I wonder if I should go back to school and if I did, what should I get a masters in? And why are all of my interests the low paying ones? Why didn't I develop an interest in accounting as a young girl? Maybe I should have gone to an all-girls school-girls and boys learn math differently and I probably would have learned better. And the uniforms are really cute and it might have been fun. But I probably would have missed the boys.
Wait, how did I start thinking about this?
Another example:
Last night I was watching Beverly Hills, 90210 on my DVR and the live feed footage of the Twilight Premiere on my laptop (the live feeds-all 4 of them--sucked. See below.) Anyway, it was the episode where Kelly gets caught in the bathroom with a lesbian when Steve's rave house goes up in flames. During the bathroom burning, Brandon is busy getting it on with Emily Valentine, who just happened to drop by and ruin everything.

I hate that ho. So earlier in the episode, Brandon and Kelly are out on the balcony at the beach apartment. They both can't sleep because of the Santa Ana winds that keep blowing. Then they both have flashbacks of the Thanksgiving the year before, when Brando went to visit Emily in San Francisco and when Kelly and Dylan were together. And they show Dylan talking about the Santa Ana winds and how there are these winds in Africa and "if you kill somebody when they are blowing, nobody will blame you" or something like that. Anyway, this show is always making such a big deal about the damn Santa Ana winds. And I know that right now they are causing a lot of fires in CA which is really sad, but do they really change your mood? I think somebody on the writing staff might have read The Stranger one too many times and now they think they're Camus. Are these winds really that bad? My first trip to LA was to spend Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle, and I swear I never even noticed the winds.In fact, not only did I sleep right through the Santa Ana winds, I slept through an earthquake. It was only like a 5.2, but whatever. I was 7 during that trip and I'm horrified when I think back on the outfits I wore. My mom dressed me and my sister in matching black leggings with oversized Garth Brooks t-shirts. I'm dying at the thought right now. We looked like country bumpkins come to town. What were we thinking? When is it ever a good idea to dress like that? And the Keds.

Oh, the Keds. I had them in every color and matched them with my bows. God, fashion from the early 90s was so awful.
How does any one train of thought cover Garth Brooks and Albert Camus?

Am I going crazy?
In the
Twilight Zone,
the Hollywood Premiere was last night. Like I said, the live feeds were crappy and they all cut in and out on me. Here are a few videos from last night (and they don't cut in and out!).

It makes me happy to see all of them looking so happy and healthy.

Kristen actually seemed excited (for her) and looked stunningly beautiful.Rob looked adorable and deliciously awkward-and that's why we love him. Also, here is a link to Lainey Gossip's take on an awkward interview with Rob, Kristen, Nikki and Rachelle that she did while they were in Canada. It totally confirms my suspicions that Kristen is totally in love with Rob and stuck in between a rock and an Oregano.
Countdown to Twilight at Midnight: 59 hours!Love,

Elle Bunny

Ooh, a long line, try again later!

Mall Madness rocked my face off. On the rare occasion that I have watched that show Intervention, I always manage to see girls my age with shopping addictions. I am left wondering if the addiction began with this delightful game.

In Mall madness, you had to buy from a certain amount of stores and leave the mall, sanity and pocketbook intact, before any of the other players finish. But there was all this shinola to get in your way. To start with, there was this annoying sales clerk who would slap you with "You're item costs FIVE DOLLARS More!" But sometimes you would get on her good side and she would say "You get a special clearance!" Sometimes they would announce that the red player had left their lights on and had to go all the way out to the parking lot to turn them off. I know it doesn't sound that bad, but it is when you are taking it one tiny square at a time and keep rolling the dice and getting two.

There were always announcements of new sales and clearances and everyone would try and run over there to get something before the sale went away. Then you had to climb the rickety orange stairs to get money from the ATM. This game was my first exposure to ATMs, and most importantly, my first experience with plastic--I am now the proud owner of about half a dozen credit cards, and Visa should write a thank you note to whoever created Mall Madness, and with it, my affinity for using plastic.

***WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG WITH AN IMPORTANT 90210 UPDATE***

The show was much better than I expected--actually made me think of the original show's pilot. The acting was just okay (they will get better) but the plot was strong and I am excited to see where the show goes. I love the joke about Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez, who was reporting the news (the hot teacher said "what is that girl, 30?")--it was such a tribute to the old fans. I have heard a lot of people complaining about Annie, the "Brenda" character, but I actually really liked her and think she did a good job. I am also very intrigued but Kelly's baby and hope that Dylan is the father--and coming back; but I also feel it is a possibility that Brandon is the Dad since Brenda was at the birth. But I really can't imagine Brando skipping off to Belize when he had a son at home. He is way too responsible.

I only have two complaints. First of all, I want more Brenda! They didn't even introduce her until 3/4 of the show was through! She better have a major role in the next episode. Finally, I also have to say that all of the young girls are way too thin. They need a sammammish.

***WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG***

Anyway, this game was so incredibly quotable that I can hear a small snippet of conversation and suddenly I'm saying the lines out loud. My favorite quotes were always when there was a glitch in the recording--specifically, "There is a sale at the fashoon boutique." But the best line comes from the guy who say, "ooh, a long line, try again later".

This was a game that my sister and I got as a joint present and was one of the few that she actually liked to play with me (my sister wasn't as big into board games as I was). I think our love for this game is evident presently in our excellent shopping skills.

Hope you enjoyed our trip down board game memory lane!

Love,

Elle Bunny

He looks good in whatever he wears...

He's not wearing..pants!

(Marky-Mark in his heyday)

Holy crow, I loved Dream Phone. I owe my mom big time because she has yet to get rid of any of my old board games either (she has asked me a time or two). I love you, Pinky!!

Play revolved around a ginormous pink phone and lots of hot guys (actually they weren't really hot at all. They looked kind of stinky...except for my one true Dream Phone love, Dale). To begin with, you got a couple of cards of the guys who you knew weren't your guy. You had to call them all, and they would give you clues that would help you eliminate who it couldn't be. Then you would narrow it down and have to call the guy who you thought was crushing on you. If you were smart enough to have figured it out, he would say "You're right, I really like you." If you weren't right, or just thought it was funny to get rejected by a fake guy, it would say something insulting when you called. It was kind of like a desperate, anti-feminist, romantic version of Clue. I loved it.

The clues were quite quotable--this game is almost as quotable as the infamous Mall Madness (Choom, choom). My favorite was always

He looks good in whatever he wears...he's not wearing orange.

Um...first of all, if you are supposed to be a guy that could possibly be interested in me, why do you think he looks good in whatever he wears? And in any town other than Austin (where we wear our Burnt Orange with pride--Hook 'Em!),

do people actually wear orange?
One summer while I was in college, me and my Struthrope Sisters (that's a story for another day) Meredith and Rachel decided that it would be fun to play Mall Madness and Dream Phone. But the Phone wouldn't work, so we figured we had to put in new batteries. But the old batteries had corroded and it was really gross. Rachi, brave girl that she is, cleaned the whole thing out with a Bic pen. We enjoyed the game, but it turned into a game of getting them to say stupid things to make each other laugh.

Ahh, memories.

Coming up next time--How does the economic downturn effect Mall Madness? Do all the stores start yelling "Your item cost five dollars more!"?

Love,

Elle Bunny

Every woman in the world can be classified as a member of the BSC.

Alternatively titled: Everything I need to know, I learned in Stoneybrook.

Second Alternative Title: I'm a Dork.
Growing up, I was obsessed with these books. I have every single book from the series, including my recently acquired collection of California Diaries and the Friends Forever Series. As an adolescent, I wanted to be Claudia (didn't we all?), but was really more of a Mary-Anne/Stacey hybrid with a dash of Dawn thrown in.
How, you might ask (or maybe not), can a series of books for little girls change the way you look at the world? How could it not? After reading every single book in a series, you are bound to be influenced in some way, especially as a child/adolescent. I have been heavily influenced by Twilight, and not only am I an adult now, but I have only be reading those books for the last few months. The BSC books were a part of my life for so long, I knew the characters better than some of my friends and family.
My sister and I used to share a room (not by necessity, but by choice. I know...we were weird) and I remember begging her to read out loud to me from her Baby-Sitters books (I think this was either before I could read or before my parents thought I was grown up enough to read BSC). I also remember that she preferred to read to me from her Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark books. Needless to say, I didn't always sleep very well when I shared a room with my sister, and eventually we grew tired of the arrangement and I moved back into my old room.
The first chapter book I ever read was Karen's Roller Skates. And while in later years I found Karen to be incredibly annoying, I will always have a soft place in my heart for that book-especially when I think of the surge of pride I felt when I ran in to my parent's room to tell them I had just finished reading my first chapter book all by myself (sounds like I was having a Karen moment myself).
I first started reading the BSC books myself during their heyday. Every girl was reading them and I felt like I was part of the "in" crowd. As I grew up, they waned in popularity, but I remained loyal. My friends and I kept reading. I finally dropped off around the Friends Forever series. The last book I remember reading was The Fire at Mary-Anne's House. I remember reading one California Diary when I was young and I didn't like it--especially the handwriting throughout the whole book. They seemed so much more grown up than the BSC--and I think that scared me. So I never explored those two series until many years later.

I have to thank my parents, who first of all, took me to the book store every month so that I could pick up the latest copies. My mom was the one who made me keep buying them towards the end--she kept saying "Don't you want a complete set?" They also never made me get rid of my books. From what I understand, having your parents insist on getting rid of your BSC books is a pretty common, and very traumatic occurrence in BSC fandom.

And yes, there is a BSC fandom. There are a lot of people out there who enjoy re-reading these books. For me, they are like a warm blanket of that I can curl up in. I know what's going to happen, and I'm okay with that. Is it Hemingway? No. But I think we all enjoy reading books because of the way they take us away to a different place and tell us a story different from our own. Who's to say that place has to be unfamiliar, or that you can't revisit a character's story?
Even though it is kind of ridiculous that the girls are frozen at age 13 in the eighth grade, there is also something comforting about the fact that the girls never grow up. We can imagine what they might have become, but it's not in the BSC canon; therefore we never have to learn about the BSC breaking up, or one of the Baby-Sitters becoming Homecoming Queen while another becomes a nerd. And it would have been unnatural if they had grown up and continued with the club, because that's not how high school works (not that the BSC has ever been noted for it's realistic nature).

So, as I was saying, every woman I have ever met fell into at least one of the following categories: Kristy, Claudia, Mary-Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory or Jessi. They may not fit all of the characteristics, but I can't tell you how many times I have met somebody and thought "She is such a Jessi" or thought something somebody did was "such a Mallory thing to do." The more I get to know someone, it is likely that they will become a hybrid of two or even three Baby-Sitters. So here is a list of some of my friends and even some famous people who fit each category perfectly.

Kristy-Tomboy, take charge/bossy egomaniac.

Famous Kristys: Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell

Claudia-Fashion Forward, Hospitable Host, messy, junk-food lover, creative, not the best speller.

My Best Friend Meredith is SUCH a Claudia. She always wears the best clothes and puts together the most amazing outfits--however, I would look ridiculous in the same outfit. Over the years, my friend Rachel and I have always joked about how it was time to go over to "Claudia's house" because her home became like our headquarters. I'm not really sure why, but that is where we always wound up. Meredith has also taken to making jewelry lately. She is most definitely the Claudia Kishi to my Stacey McGill.

Mary-Anne-Sensitive, sweet, doormat, has a temper, cries at the drop of a hat, crushes on male actors, loves cats!
I'm a bit of a Mary-Anne myself--I am quite sensitive, get crushes on male actors and can sometimes be a doormat. I also like kittens!

Famous Mary-Annes: Ann M Martin,

Katie HolmesStacey-Boy-crazy, Fashion-conscious, has diabetes (but really any life threatening disease works), good with numbers, and a teensy bit spoiled and selfish. I would say that I am mostly a Stacey because I would consider myself to be fashion-conscious, a little boy crazy, and I've had a life threatening disease. I would never claim to be good with numbers, though, and I don't think I'm too spoiled.

Famous Staceys: Stacey is such a character that all I can think about is characters in other books and movies that remind me of her. Elle Woods from Legally Blonde comes to mind, along with Shelby from Steel Magnolias ("Drink your juice!") and Rosalie from Twilight.

Dawn-Individualistic, opinionated, California Casual, environmentalist. I hate myself for the fact that in some situations, I act like Dawn--i.e., get stuck on my soap box and won't get off of it until someone agrees with me or at least understands my point.

Famous Dawns:

Al Gore,
Elisabeth Hasselbeck,
Sheryl Crow

Mallory-bookworm, likes horses, nerdy, lots of siblings, frizzy red hair.

Famous Mallorys (take into consideration that Mallory had a lot of growing up to do since she was only 11): Sarah Jessica Parker, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon

Jessi-Obsessed with dance, likes horses, knows sign language, from New Jersey, Black (I'm not racist, but unfortunately they never developed Jessi's character enough..this actually became one of the only traits people could name about Jessi).

Famous Jessis: I have no doubt that Jessi could have grown up to be someone like Beyonce or Brandy.

Maybe we all have a different frame of reference, but I bet everyone has their own version of the "Baby-Sitters Club" that helps them to understand people. I'm glad that I had these books growing up. I am glad that I can still read them and return to a simpler time, when I could go to the book store, pick up a new book, and escape to a new adventure in Stoneybrook.

Happy Reading!

Love,

Elle Bunny