I Realize It's Over, But I Still Love It

So, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to take a look back at the one show that never fails to make me smile. Of course I'm talking about FRIENDS. The show ended in 2004, but I own every season, so, for me, it continues to live on (not to mention the fact that it still airs weekly on Fox and TBS). I've seen every episode so many times, that I can quote a good chunk of the series by memory. Some may call that pathetic, but I like to think of it as passionate :). I don't know what it is about FRIENDS, but no matter how I'm feeling, it always puts me in a good mood, and after so many years, it still makes me laugh. Watching with your own friends is the perfect pastime on lazy day. 

I'm aware that the lives of these six characters are completely unrealistic. For example, they spend far too much time at the cleverly named Central Perk Coffee House and not enough time at, say, work, but I can't help but wish that these were my friends. To live across the hall from each other, get into comical shenanigans and spend the majority of your twenties growing up with your five favorite people just sounds delightful. The relationships that they all have with each other is what I really love about the show. Not to mention, their individual quirks and personalities. 

Although I love them all, Chandler Bing, otherwise known as Ms. Chanandler Bong, is probably my favorite character of the bunch. He is a sarcastic SOB who can turn anything into a joke. The relationship he ventures into with Monica, the overly particular, mother hen of the group, is one of my favorite story lines of the series. Keeping it a secret from everyone led to my all time favorite episode and Phoebe delivering the line of "They don't know we know they know we know." It still makes me giggle. Phoebe's random jingles and funky style makes her the oddball of the group. She and Joey have a funny connection because they are both a little less intellectual than the rest of the friends. Joey is the aspiring actor who isn't very good and always ends up mooching off of Chandler. But, Joey is so lovable that he Chandler just doesn't care. And finally, the on again, off again, romance between Ross and Rachel. This is definitely one of the major aspects of the show that made it such a success. Ross is the nerdy paleontologist that has had a thing for Rachel since high school. She was popular and he...wasn't. But eventually, years later, she ditched the spoiled daddy's girl persona and made something of herself in the fashion world. They started dating, then took a break, then got back together, then broke up. You get the idea. But I think everyone knew they would end up together in the final episode. How could they not? They're Ross and Rachel.   

I've probably listened to the opening song by REM hundreds of times, but as soon as they say, "So no one told you life was gonna be this way," I instinctively sing along. And I probably won't ever stop.       

"Jersey" is Making its Way to Italy

"GTL," "DTF," and "the shirt before the shirt" are now common phrases that have finagled their way into popular culture. And, we have MTV's "Jersey Shore" to thank (or to hate) for that. Having watched an episode of this mega hit in my Senior Seminar class yesterday for the sake of analyzing its widespread appeal, I figured now is as good a time as any to write about it.

I'm willing to venture a guess and say that if you haven't seen the show, then you've at least heard about it, and you probably know that it is essentially the Italian "Guido" version of "The Real World." Eight housemates live together for the summer and over 50 cameras are used to capture their every move. For one reason or another, we enjoy watching the drama unfold making "Jersey Shore" the highest rated show in MTV's history, pulling in over seven million viewers during its season three finale just a week ago.

I can't even lie, I was one of those seven million viewers. I realize that it's crap t.v., but that doesn't stop me from giggling whenever one of the cast members does something ridiculous or off the wall. The show isn't meant to be serious, and I don't take as such. For me, it's simply comical. I mean, how many times can Sammi and Ronnie break up and get back together in one episode? You'd be surprised.

Season four of this ratings buster will no longer be filmed on the classy shore of Seaside Heights. These "Guidettes" and "Gorilla Juice-heads" are making their way to Italy. I guess a change in scenery was necessary for their partying lifestyle. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this. The cast has managed to perpetuate many stereotypes that people believe to be true about Italian Americans, and I know that many people have been offended by the show and the cast members' behavior. I wonder how the natives of Italy are going to respond to them being there.

These eight fist-pumping, spray tanning party animals are still riding the wave of their 15 minutes of fame, and it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. And while we laugh at Snooki for getting stuck in a cardboard box and drunkenly stumbling around on the beach, she and the rest of the cast are making millions, so maybe the joke is on us.