Peggy Wholesome

"'When I'm twenty-six, if I'm not married by then, I'm going to take a lover,' Caroline said.
'Really?' April sounded a little shocked. Then she thought about it. 'I think you're right. If you're that old, you have a right to live.'"

---from the definitive word on "office girls", Rona Jaffe's 1958 novel The Best of Everything

Matthew Weiner better be paying her royalties, for reals.

Echo Base

If you could play Sim City on the ice planet Hoth, Philadelphia in the midst of a blizzard is what you would get.

YouTube K-Hole: Neil Diamond

It is so easy for me to fall into a YouTube K-hole. All it takes is one silly video posted on Facebook and I'm in trouble. I find myself clicking on all the related videos until I've wasted hours playing this internet version of Six Degrees of Seperation. So, when one of my coworkers forwarded me this apocalypse-summoning version of Adam Sandler's The Chanukah Song, covered by none other than Neil Diamond, I knew I had the next part of my day mapped out for me.

After hearing that godawful cover (of an equally godawful song) I got a little obsessed with finding examples of musicians doing their own versions of the songs of Neil Diamond. I had no idea I would find so many! Behold, the spoils of my procrastination:



Neil began his career as a songwriter and his earliest success came from writing a bunch of popular tunes for The Monkees, including "I'm a Believer".



The song had a surge in popularity when Smash Mouth covered it for the Shrek soundtrack. (Click on this video at your own risk. Smash Mouth's version is inexplicably horrible.)



Remember this from Pulp Fiction? So good.



This song has such a characteristic Johnny Cash vibe, it's hard to believe Neil "Jewish Elvis" Diamond wrote it. Good for him!



Speaking of Elvis, his cover of "Sweet Caroline" is my absolute favorite YouTube find. Nobody can work a jumpsuit quite like him.



This compilation wouldn't be complete without an appearance by Diamonds in the Rough, the Neil Diamond cover band from the underrated low brow movie Saving Silverman. The attention to detail in the costume design is remarkable.

P.S. Did you know "Neil Diamond" is not a stage name? That's the name he was born with! He actually considered using either "Noah Kaminsky" or "Eice Chary" but decided to stick with his (superior) real name as a tribute to his grandmother. By the way, you can tell I have it bad when Wikipedia gets involved.

Food for Thought

Mmm. Authors and cinnabons. I think I gained five pounds just by making this video. Maybe the next author will want to cook a salad for our internet show. Maybe not.

The Philadelphia Transit Strike Hits Close to Home

I think if I worked from home everyday I'd forget how to wear a bra. Just saying.

The Recession Affects Comedy

It looks like the folks on SNL are reusing costumes. And apparently Fred Armisen and Scarlet Johansson wear the same size. Who knew?

2006:



2009:

Necessary Film Revisions: Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink hasn't aged well for me. I used to totally buy the starcrossed love affair between Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy, even though it doesn't make any sense at all. Although they hail from vastly dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds and the fact that all of their friends hate each other's guts, the two characters share a mutual, yet completely inexplicable, attraction that culminates in one of the most awkward dates in cinema history. Seriously, this date is excruciating, especially since it is never made clear why they like each other in the first place. Yet, after a mildly okay-looking kiss, the exceedingly dull pair are OMG SO IN LOVE! Then, torn apart by the scorn of supporting characters who lack any plausible motivation whatsoever, the lovers triumphantly reunite at prom, much to the surprise of teenage girls who DON'T think Duckie's gay. Whatever. Not buying it.

Although I've soured on Pretty in Pink in general, I still have a soft spot for Steff, James Spader's deliciously evil yuppie character in the film. His glorious jerkitude is a pleasure to behold. My friend Eem, who shares my affinity for Steff, and I have joked for years about making a cut of Pretty in Pink that spotlights our favorite teenage devil. Well, I had a lot of free time this weekend. Ladies and gentlemen, the Steff edit.