Thank You Mary Tyler Moore

I grew up watching Nick at Nite, staying up as late as my parents would let me to watch Lucy and Ethel, Jeanie, and of course there was Mary Tyler Moore. I loved watching her on The Dick VanDyke Show as the intelligent and witty homemaker Laura Petrie AND on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mary Richards, strong, single working woman in her 30s.

The contrast between these two characters was such a great thing for my young mind. As a child, I didn't see them as two distinct characters, I saw them as two versions of the same woman and I grew up aspiring to be BOTH.

Just like Mary Tyler Moore, I could be a loving wife with awesome dance moves who enjoys hosting friends for dinner and occasionally gets into shenanigans involving a blow up boat in the living room or a closet full of walnuts and then after a commercial break and a hat throwing theme song, I could be comedically navigating awkward situations at work then hang out with my best friend in my own apartment.

For Mary Tyler Moore, Laura Petrie and Mary Richards were two different rolls, but for me, they were rolled up in one. She did both and so could I. My version of it looks a little different, currently balancing marriage and work, and not yet getting around to having kids (Shout out to The Mary Tyler Moore Show for portraying a woman in her thirties w/o kids!) but I will always be thankful to Mary for showing me it was possible to have my own version of it all.

From my vantage point now, I see that those shows aren't perfect. They portray somewhat idyllic versions life for women in the 60's and 70's-  a housewife, married to the man she loves, a man who has a good job insuring her the privilege of being able to stay home and raise their son and conversely a single woman who is educated and able to support herself in a white collar job where the snarky comments about her being unmarried and without children were part of the comedy the show was built on rather than something that is intrinsically wrong with her. I'm thankful that my life fits pretty well into this idyllic version of things too. This is a privilege, and not a reality for many women in the U.S. and around the world. When is why I continue to support any cause that helps women live their best lives like me, and both versions of Mary.

As I child, I just saw the characters, now as a woman with a foot in the entertainment industry, I have so much respect for Mary Tyler Moore and her roll within the industry. Along with her husband, she formed MTM Productions, which produced the groundbreaking Mary Tyler Moore Show among other hits. AND she put her cat in her logo.

PS. Both shows are available to watch on Hulu! Toss your hat in the air with joy!

What I've Been Up To....

Fall is officially upon us! I went back to work September 1st and it's been a lot of transition for all of us but it's going great overall. I've been getting back into a routine and enjoying these little treats if you need a recommendation:

Reading... Liane Moriarty. How did it take me this long to catch on?? This is exactly what a sleep deprived mother needs. Also, they are making Big Little Lies into an HBO series with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon!

Watching... Easy on Netflix, check it out, lots of star power and good conversation starter.

Listening... The new Solange album (so good) and the new Bon Iver.

Watch This: Stranger Things

If you haven't checked out Netflix's new original series "Stranger Things" yet. You really must! Without giving any of the plot away, here are a few reasons I'm loving it:

It's set in the 80's and the attention to detail is fabulous, from Trapper Keepers to the wardrobe and hair, they nailed it. The show does a great job of channeling E.T. and The Goonies with a little bit of a John Hughes movie thrown in for good measure.

It features great music! Who doesn't love a good make out scene set to Toto's "Africa"?

The suspense! I'm half way through the first season, and I have no idea what's going to happen next.

Oh and there's so much more to love, I just don't want to give anything away! Check it out!

Image via Netflix

Watch This: Twinsters

I'm a little behind on this one, it's been out for awhile, but incase you missed it like I did, check out Twinsters! 

It's the real life, separated at birth story of two girls, adopted from Korea. One grew up in the US, the other in France. They would have lived their entire lives without knowing of the other one's existence except for a chance YouTube viewing. Crazy.


Twinsters is currently available to stream on Netflix.

#worldrefugeeday

Learn more at Global Citizen. 

Return of the Tanners

Who else grew up on Full House? I just watched the new preview, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm excited for Fuller House or not. Are sequels ever as good as the original? Is ANYTHING ever as good as the things you obsessed over as a child?

PS. This moment was a childhood dream come true :)

Watch This: The Man in the High Castle

I spent last weekend catching up on work while binging "The Man in the High Castle". SUCH an interesting show! It takes place in an alternate 1962, one in which the Allies lost World War II. Half of the U.S. is a Nazi territory, the other Japanese. I don't want to say much more, it's one of those shows where it's better know less going into it and let everything unfold as you watch.

I will say, wardrobe and set design did an amazing job creating this alternate United States that was stunted in the 1940's.

All 10 episodes of the first season are available to stream on Amazon Prime. Enjoy!

New Show: Chef's Table

Patrick and I are about half way through a fabulous new series on Netflix called Chef's Table.  It showcases different chefs from around the world, how they got started, their creative process, support system, and what makes them great.  The cinematography and showcasing of the different dishes is incredible. Even more than the food though the show's emphasis on hard work and creativity is inspiring. I'd highly recommend it! You can watch the trailer here. 

Watch This: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

You guys. I cannot stop talking about this show. I tell EVERYONE I see that they need to watch it. I think it's especially good for my exact demographic, females who hit their teens in the late 90's. We're the exact group to LOVE jokes about Full House, The Babysitters Club and American Girl dolls.

Since it's on Netflix, all 10 episodes of the first season was released at once. So feel free to binge the whole thing and then watch it again a few days later, which might have been what I did :)

If you were a fan of Tina Fey's last show, here's a guide to 30 Rock references in Kimmy Schmidt. 

And the theme song makes me happy every time I hear it...

Watch This: MANH(A)TTAN

That's right, I found another period drama to watch!

Manhattan, set Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1943, follows the lives and jobs of the scientists involved with the Manhattan Project aka creating an atomic bomb. The work is so top secret the wives of these scientists don't even know why they've been uprooted and moved to this crazy desert outpost. I'm only a few episodes in, but the plot lines, costumes and music have already sucked me in.

The show began airing this summer, but I like to binge watch things, so I waited until the first season was all on Hulu :).

My favorite moment of watching the pilot was when Jason casually asked, "Hey, was that bearded man one of the wet bandits?" Why yes, yes he was. 

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Watch This: Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Lillehammer Olympics and the most notorious incident in the world of figure skating. Who else remembers watching the media coverage as it all unfolded like a soap opera?

I was thrilled to find ESPN's 30 for 30: The Price of Gold on Netflix. I highly recommend it. The archival footage was amazing. It's worth watching for the clothes, costumes and hair alone. Above all, I appreciated revisiting this saga as an adult. 

The Price of Gold made me feel for Tonya Harding, Yes, she made bad decisions, but in many ways, she is a product of her environment, which was something I couldn't understand when I was in 4th grade. 

I missed NBC's documentary Nancy & Tonya which aired before the Sochi closing ceremony on Sunday night. If anyone can find it online, let me know! However, Nancy Kerrigan's interview after the documentary is online, and that was super interesting to hear a bit of it from her perspective. 

Nancy was definitely a role model for me as a child, in part due to her pretty costumes, but I'm even more impressed with her now as an adult who can somewhat comprehend the effects of negative press. I couldn't imagine the determination and willpower it would take to not lash back in the media and not even to defend yourself against backlash in the press, but to stay out of the drama and focus solely on recovering and training for the Olympics. Even now while Tonya still seems to be living in the drama of it all, Nancy is free, she's forgiven and forgotten, which is always a great lesson in life. 

I have always admired Nancy Kerrigan's class and sportsmanship, now she's also my new role model for what I want my skin to look like when I'm 44. 

If you'r interested, Slate does a good job comparing and contrasting the two documentaries. 

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Watch This: Orphan Black

You MUST watch Orphan Black if you haven't already. I'd been hearing about if for months and last week Jason and I binged the entire first season.  

Part of me wants to go on and on about all of the reasons I love the show, my favorite characters, etc. but not knowing what you're in for when it begins is definitely one of the best things about it. Just trust me and check it out. 

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THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

The trailer for Wes Anderson's newest film is out today. It looks really good!

WIGS

I've gotten sucked into the WIGS channel on YouTube. I'm not even sure how I found it, but I'm glad I did. They have great short series and short films with a much higher production value than I expected to find on YouTube. The entire channel is original content and features dramas with female leads. Among others, there's Jennifer Garner in this short, and Maggie Grace and Anna Paquin in this series.  

My favorite thus far is Blue, starring Julia Stiles, an actress I've loved ever since she nailed late 90's teen angst in 10 Things I Hate About You. Anyway, Blue is the story of a young mom who juggles single parenting and a full time job while moonlighting as a-ahem-call girl (lady of the night, prostitute...what's the nicest way to put this?) anyway, there's a bit of a hooker with a heart of gold/Pretty Woman vibe going on here while delving into the character, giving you a peek at how she got into prostitution and how it impacts the rest of her life. Check it out.

Jacqueline Kennedy: White House Tour

Did you know that New Year's Day used to be an open house at the White House? Really! Anyone could come in and shake the president's hand. If you've got a free hour, this is a lovely tour of the White House, filled with fun facts and history all in Jacqueline Kennedy's soft and sophisticated voice.

PS. Yes, I know I'm a huge dork for finding things like this super interesting. But seriously, this is a first lady we can all pick up some decorating tips from.

Via Huffington Post

Orange is the New Black

I just spent the last week waiting. Waiting for Teresa to go into labor, waiting for Kate Middleton to go into labor and waiting for Jason to get home from out of town shoots.  My solution to pass the time? Binge watching Orange is the New Black while working on wedding albums.

Have you seen it yet? At first, a show set in a women's correctional facility didn't sound appealing to me, then I heard Piper Kerman on The Moth and became intrigued.  The show is loosely based on her memoir of the same name which she wrote about her year spent in prison.

Also, the show is a product of Jenji Kohan, creator of Weeds, if you enjoyed that show, chances are you'll love this one too.


PS. Teresa will be taking a few days off to rest and get to know Mylo. She'll be back later this week or possibly next. 

New Show Alert! The Americans

Have you been watching the new FX show The Americans? Patrick and I are totally addicted. It's in the same vein as Homeland but with a 1980's twist. The show centers around married Russian spies who having been living as an American couple and working for the KGB for 20 years. It stars Felicity, I mean Keri Russell, and she is HARDCORE. Anyway, it's a great show, check it out.

What are you watching these days? We're pretty pumped for the Mad Men premiere in a couple of weeks!

Watch This: Monica & David

I've been on a documentary kick lately and just watched this lovely, award winning film on Netflix. 

Monica & David is a love story. It follows two young adults with Down Syndrome through their wedding and first year of marriage.

It's one of the best things I've watched in a long time. I definitely recommend you check it out. 

Getting Excited for Fall TV!

Although I'm going to miss the sunshine and outdoor activity of summer, I am looking forward to curling up with a cup of tea and enjoying some great TV this fall. I'm pumped for the season premiers of some of my favorite shows like The Good Wife, Amazing Race, Boardwalk Empire and New Girl. But I'm also going to try out a few new shows to see if any of them seem worth watching, here are a few on my list:

The Mindy Project is at the top and I've already watched the season premier thanks to Hulu. As, you've read, Jenny and I have a girl-crush on Mindy Kaling and I think this show has a lot of potential. They didn't knock the premier out of the ball park but New Girl was a slow starter too so I'll keep watching.

Ben and Kate is on during the same night as Mindy and New Girl so I'll probably give it a shot too. I watched this premier and laughed a couple of times, worth watching a few more episodes.

Elementary, based on the Sherlock Holmes books, also seems to have potential. It has a lot to live up to as BBC's Sherlock is one of my favorites.

Call the Midwife, already a hit in the UK, this BBC show about midwives in 1950's London comes to PBS in September. I'll definitely be tuning in for this one!

Watch This: The Killing

Have you seen AMC's The Killing? I'd describe it as some sort of a mix between one of the many current crime dramas on TV and Twin Peaks. It's part way through the second season now. I started watching because because I enjoy the many incarnations of Law and Order, Bones and all those other shows where they solve the murder in 60 minutes or less, but lets be honest, I could do with a few less gruesome imaginings of horrible ways to die. This show focuses on solving only one, delving deeper into the relationships of the people effected by the murder of one teenage girl and putting together her secret life in attempts to find her killer.

The added bonus for me, it takes place in Seattle! I love the cinematography, the b roll includes sweeping scenes of Seattle that are muted and beautiful, very uniquely shot, focusing on different angles on the classic views you typically see of downtown and the Space Needle. The show's somewhat wonky interpretation of Seattle geography, along with the random shots of Vancouver thrown in (that's where they actually shoot it) adds for a bit of humor for myself and anyone else who knows the city.

The one slight problem, it's left me a little scared to run or picnic in Discovery Park anytime soon...

Season 1 is available on Netflix. Season 2 is airing now.

PS. Just to save you the trouble of trying to figure out where you've seen Mireille Enos, the show's star, she's was on Big Love.