Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Watching ‘Raising The Bar’

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 29-06-2009

Category : Family entertainment, Featured Reviews

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So nobody told me that Zack Morris was on tv again. Then I started hearing these rumors about the actor who played him, Mark Paul Gosselaar, talking about blondes vs. brunettes and I was like, “Hmm, that’s weird.” Then I got a copy of season one of Raising The Bar, a legal drama on TNT, to review and after a couple seconds I nearly dropped my glass of root beer because, “OMG Zack is a brunette and he’s on this show!”

Jerry Kellerman is the new Zack Morris

Evidence : Photographic Proof – It’s Really Him!

This realization was pretty cool but nowhere near as cool as the show itself. It does however lead into my Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Watching ‘Raising The Bar’…

  1. If you were a fellow Zack Morris fan like myself, you now have an opportunity to get that Zack-fix you’ve been waiting for. Even better, you can enjoy that fix with your husband right next to you – and he’ll be too busy enjoying the actual show to make fun of you. If you can get past the hair, you should be set for an enjoyable evening. At first – the hair was a bit much for me and I couldn’t quite find the Zack we all knew and loved. But after an episode or two (you know the first episode of any new series is always the worst) he really gets into his groove with this new character, Jerry Kellerman, a brass public defender who always seems to be ruffling feathers as he fights for his latest cause.
  2. The other characters, yeah they are pretty good, too! Michelle Emhard, played by Melissa Sagemiller, is the quite suddenly off-again flame of Kellerman’s and also one of his rivals in the world of law. She is almost always on the other side of his cases – something which rarely interfered with their personal relationship until it really did, big time – and now (at the time that I’m watching mid-way through season one) there is that whole relationship dynamic – love thrown off the tracks – that is oh so fun to watch. And she’s pretty. So your husband will be thrilled.

    Emhardt vs. Kellerman - the usual scene

    You really shouldn’t mix love and work – but it does make for good tv!

  3. The plot line is actually really excellent. My husband actually called the pilot, “the best pilot for a show he’d ever seen.” He is seriously hooked and I’ve got to say, I am, too. I love how they really present all sides of a story (or twelve) with no real good guys or bad guys at the end of the day. Everyone is human – mistakes are made on all ends – and the result you hope for throughout the show may or may not be the best result. Even when the “good guy wins” it’s not always a good thing – and the good guy doesn’t always win. It’s very down to earth in that regard and it’s exciting but it’s also realistic.
  4. The actors and actresses who are not Michelle and Jerry are also terrific. You’ll recognize Judge Trudy Kessler, played by Jane Kaczmarek from the hit tv series Malcom In The Middle. She is excellent, in that you really can’t stand her half the time, even though you almost understand where she is coming from, except – who can be so cruel to the adorable Jerry on such a frequent basis? And she’s just another of many, many fabulous faces in this legal drama which has officially become a favorite in our household.
  5. Okay now for the “relevant to you here and NOW” part. Tonight at 10pm ET the newest episode from Season 2 (catch up on Season One now on DVD – or the first few episodes of Season 2 online) is one I think any mother blogger would be interested in. The episode is entitled, “No Child Left Behind (see a sneak preview here)” and reviews for this episode have been all over the net. You can read a great review by 5 Minutes For Mom here. The basic plot line is this: A man is arrested when an innocent bath time photo of his son online is picked up by a pervy website. See? This is a topic we all deal with frequently as mom bloggers – and according to 5 Minutes For Mom it’s really well done. I’m planning to record it on my DVR to watch asap (and hope I don’t get too many relationship spoilers from it!)

So – there you go – a great new legal drama for you to enjoy now with a fix of Zack Morris ogling and a topic relevant to you as a mom blogger. No need to thank me – unless you really, really want to. :)

DVD Review: Pink Panther 2

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 23-06-2009

Category : Featured Reviews, movies

Tags: , , , , , ,

Pink Panther 2 on DVD June 23rd

Grade: B+

My husband and I have been anxiously looking forward to seeing The Pink Panther 2, starring Steve Martin, since we first heard it was coming to theater. Dan is a really big fan of Steve Martin and loved the first movie starring Martin as well as the older Pink Panther movies. Personally, I have really only enjoyed Martin’s versions – his style of comedy is, to me, genius and I always enjoy watching his movies. I love how he completely immerses himself in his roles – he really becomes Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the detective whose colleagues mainly either love to hate or hate to love.

While I will agree with my husband, who commented at the end of the movie that the first movie was better, I still really enjoyed it. As far as sequels go, I’d venture to say that it was excellent. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sequel that was better than the first movie, so this is no surprise. We both really enjoyed watching the movie. The cast was hilarious, delivering excellent acting chops and the story line was, although predictable at times, always entertaining. With all the antics you’d expect and more that you will never see coming – it really is a great family movie – I’d recommend renting it right away for your next movie night or buying it – if you, or someone you know, is a big fan of Steve Martin and / or The Pink Panther, you’ll want to have this one in your collection for sure.

If you’ve already seen the movie or have a long wait to get it from your Netflix queue or local movie rental place, you can have some Pink Panther fun now online – the movie website has five different games – I tried Clouseau’s Character Search and Kenji’s Security Breach and both were fun. The website also boasts links to the Facebook and Myspace pages, downloads, videos, images and more. Definitely worth checking out for an extra Clouseau fix.

Have you seen the newest Pink Panther movie? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the movie in the comments section below!

Movie Night Suggestion: He’s Just Not That Into You

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 05-06-2009

Category : Featured Reviews, movies

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I was pretty excited when He’s Just Not That Into You, the movie adaptation of the book of the same name, starring a slew of big names (including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long to name a few) showed up in my mail. I’ve been wanting to see this movie since before it hit theaters but with the economy where it is, these days we’ve been waiting to see most of our movies on Netflix and this was no exception. But at long last, we popped it in this week and even my husband, who was sure he wouldn’t, enjoyed this awesome romantic comedy.

The movie tells a lot of different stories about a lot of women (and men) searching for love. Searching everywhere – diligently – often to the point of extreme. It shows the friends of these people and their helpful (and often not-so-helpful) advice. What are the rules of dating – or the rules of love? Are we the rule or the exception? Is there an exception? A lot of people think they have the answers and most of them learn by the end of the movie that maybe they didn’t have it all figured out. Who can’t relate to that?

The relatability, for me, was the best part of this movie. I think I’ve found myself in the shoes of almost every character, for better or worse, and it was amazing to see how far I’ve come romantically – and to rather clearly see the mistakes so many of us, myself included, have made or are making in love. But in the end, I think we all learn that there aren’t really any hard and fast rules – that love works where it will and it works differently for everyone – but the real thing – is that when it is love, it works.

This movie had me laughing and crying and shaking my head in disappointment. There were some characters I did not like so much (despite being a big fan of the actors and actresses who portrayed them) and some that I loved, in spite of myself at times. I was very happy with the whole movie, from beginning to end. It ends how it should, how you want it to (or at least how I wanted it to) and I think it delivers a very healthy message about love. And like I said – my husband enjoyed this one, too – I think he even put his laptop away for most of it. ;)

I’d give He’s Just Not That Into You 4 out of 5 stars easily and highly recommend it to just about anybody.

Movie Review: Yes Man!

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 17-04-2009

Category : movies

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Based off the comedic memoir of Danny Wallace, Yes Man tells the story of Carl, played by Jim Carrey, a man who decides to start saying “Yes” to everything in his life, in an attempt to cure his overall unhappiness with life. My husband and I are both big Jim Carrey fans and also absolutely love Zooey Deschenal who also stars in this film, so we were very excited for this movie and were not disappointed.

I’m going to start by saying that this is probably better suited as a date night movie, and not a family film. It’s rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity and while your older children might not have a problem watching this movie, I certainly wouldn’t want to watch it in the same room with them. You can check out the parental guide at IMDB.com for a more detailed account of the movie. This feature on IMDB allows parents to “describing the facts of relevant scenes in the title for each one of the different categories: Sex and Nudity, Violence and Gore, Profanity, Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking, and Frightening/Intense Scenes.” If you haven’t heard of this before, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, back to my review. Unlike Bedtime Stories, which we also watched last week, I found Yes Man to be a perfect example of a character who is flawed but changes for the better by the end. I really thought the script was well thought out and that Carrey did an excellent job bringing his character full circle by the movie’s end. The concept of saying yes to everything or no to anything is really well fleshed out in the movie. They do a great job visualizing for you what your life would look like if you did either, and the good and bad aspects of both. All of the acting in this film was superb and aside from telling a really good moral story, it’s a typical Jim Carrey film in that it’s just hysterical. I enjoyed every minute of this movie, never feeling bored by it at all (which I’m prone to lately in my “old age”). I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially Jim Carrey fans.

I’d give Yes Man 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Bedtime Stories

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 10-04-2009

Category : movies

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I have mixed feelings about this new movie starring Adam Sandler. While Bedtime Stories is certainly a family friendly movie (rated PG) it was not exactly what I thought it would be. Yes, it’s a movie about bedtime stories coming true – but not in the fantastical sense that the previews might lead you to believe – for the most part, there seem to be perfectly rational explanations for a lot of things – nothing just pops out of thin air in a magical way – it’s more like the stories become premonitions for Sandler’s character’s real life.

Sandler plays Skeeter  Bronson, whose father built and ran into the ground the hotel he now works in – as a janitor. It had always been his father’s dream for his family to inherit the hotel, but when he proved to be a not so great business man, he ended up selling the hotel to a man who promised to give his son a job running the hotel someday. And then of course, he didn’t quite keep his promise. But with the help of Skeeter’s adorable niece and nephew, a bug eyed guinea pig, and some imaginative bedtime stories, things start to change – and in true family movie fashion, he manages to turn his life around.

I think the only thing that bothered me about this movie is that, despite being funny, Skeeter’s character isn’t terribly likable. He is pretty rude and, well, crude. Don’t worry about inappropriate material – that’s not really an issue – it was just a little disappointing this his character was never really admirable. I guess you could say he was an underdog, but I couldn’t help but feel like he often deserved his underdog status. And even by the end of the movie when he “turns his life around” and learns the lessons that make him a better person – it isn’t really as rewarding as it could have been – he just sort of pulls things together and comes out okay – he gets the girl, but you can’t help feeling sorry for her for that.

I don’t know – I think I’m being overly critical – Sandler certainly has his style of humor and he excels at it – and the movie was good – I laughed all the way through it – it was really just the mom in me who said, “But wait – ” at the end. Your kids will probably love the silly antics – and you grown ups should enjoy it, too. Netflix deems it appropriate for kids ages 7+ and I think I’d agree with that.

I give Bedtime Stories 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Roku Digital Video Player

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 13-02-2009

Category : gadgets & electronics

Tags: , , , , , , ,

I recently had the opportunity to review the Roku, a digital video player that allows you to watch any of the 12,000+ movies and television shows from Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature right on your television. I’ve been intrigued by this idea for awhile, loving the idea of being able to watch a movie or tv series on the spur of the moment when there are lags between DVDs from my queue and nothing on tv (we have a very small, inexpensive cable plan so this does happen frequently and we have no movie channels or On Demand options to fall back on).

I was really impressed with the Roku – the set up was so simple, I never even glanced at their instruction manual during set up (but glancing through it afterwards, I did see that the manual was very straight forward and easy to understand). Just connect the box to your internet connection via wireless or wired Ethernet and you are good to go. Literally within minutes of opening the box, we were up and running and watching a movie (Gattaca).

The picture quality and speed were excellent – honestly I can think of nothing to complain about in regards to the Roku, which sells for just $99 and works seamlessly with your current Netflix subscription (meaning that if you have Netflix already, you won’t have to sign up for a subscription) and the movies and tv shows you watch won’t affect your queue or billing at all. And the good news doesn’t end there. You’ll be able to use the Roku with Amazon on Demand in the near future, gaining you access to over 40,000+ movies and tv shows available for purchase or rental.

There are currently a small handful of devices that you can use to watch Netflix’s Watch Instantly shows on your television (including your XBox 360, a TIVO or an internet connected blue ray player) but nothing is as inexpensive as the Roku. For just $99 you’ll have access to all 12,000+ shows available on Netflix and all 40,000+ shows soon to be available on Amazon on Demand. I think that’s quite a bargain, especially considering the excellent quality of the device.

Have you tried the Roku yet? What did you think of this digital video player?

Workout Review: Pick Your Level Weight Loss Pilates

Posted by Jen E @ mommablogsalot | Posted on 16-01-2009

Category : Featured Reviews

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Grade: A+

So my latest DVD workout attempt was Pick Your Level: Weight Loss Pilates. Admittedly, this might be the best disc I’ve done so far and I know you will be so proud of me when I tell you I did the entire 30 minute workout ::coughs::overthecourseofthreedays::coughs:: – that’s right, I actually finished the entire DVD. I think that’s a first.

So let’s review, first the things I liked, which kept me sticking with it:

  • Unlike Just My Size Yoga, this DVD felt like a workout. I am fairly confident a calorie or two has been burned this week and I felt truly challenged. Gasping on the floor, asking, “Does my body do that challenged?” a couple of times, but not so often that I died.
  • Unlike 10 Minute Solutions: Kickboxing Bootcamp this DVD was not made for the Athletically Elite. You do not HAVE to be super skinny with loads of energy to survive 5 minutes (although it certainly wouldn’t hurt).
  • Despite being faster paced than JMS Yoga, it was not so fast paced that I tripped over myself, a la 10 Minute Soltions: Fat Blasting Dance Mix. They walk you through where to put what and do a couple of slow demonstrations before moving into the faster pace and usually that faster pace actually came right in time, you know, when you are thinking, “If you don’t let me move my arm soon, it might fall off.” Before that.
  • They explain in the beginning that there are three people working out in the video at 3 levels. It’s obvious who is who, not only by the varying degrees of agility, but more noticably by the progression of skin to clothing ratio. The first model (level 1 – that would be my level) is wearing skin tight legging style pants and a tank top. Not skimpy, but not a powder blue full body suit. Level 2 wears something more resembling a sports bra with leggings. Level 3 manages to somehow show more skin, in a slightly skimpier different colored sports bra, but just in case you get confused between 2 and 3, Model 3 will usually have one leg over her head in impossible looking positions. Think broken Barbie doll.
  • One cool aspect is you aren’t supposed to limit yourself to one level. If you are feeling like, “I could be doing more,” you can temporarily move from level 1 to level 2 or even 3. If you are thinking, “this level choice was a bad idea, I think I’m dying,” tone it down a level. Easy peasy. I know we’ve all seen the DVDs with the multiple people and it’s all cliched, but it really does work well in this video and it’s interesting to see what people in shape are capable of.
  • I like that the Level 1 chick doesn’t appear to be immortal. She occasionally makes faces as if to say, “oh this one is tough,” or breathes a little more deeply than the anamatron robots in levels 2 and 3 who could probably sing the national anthem throughout the whole workout without breaking a swear, dropping a beat, or batting an eyelash. Okay, maybe they’d bat an eyelash, but that would be intentional.

The DVD is divided into three-ish sections – standing, side lying and lying lying. I personally prefer the standing workout, but that’s probably because if there was a level 0, I’d be all over it. But I kept up fairly well with level 1, and occasionally I did a level 2 move. I was pretty proud. I’d consider keeping the DVD for awhile but since I switched to a 2 at a time plan on Netflix, I’m planning to send it back by the end of the weekend so something new can come in cause I don’t see MM parting with Cinderelmo anytime soon. But I do plan to try another Pilates DVD soon and I’m pretty proud that I finally finished a disc. So let’s hear it for Pilates:

YAY PILATES!!! A+ For Not Sucking!!

Have you tried any new workouts recently?

About the Momma:

Jen @ mommablogsalot.com

Jen is a Stay at Home Mom and Loving Wife. Spends too much time online reading RSS feeds and posting in her blog. If you haven’t heard from her in awhile, she’s likely lost in a good book, sleeping or watching Grey’s Anatomy.

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