I Hate You Downton Abbey

yes - I do - I hate you. (Don't read this post if you haven't watched the Season Three finale)

I absolutely think that Downton Abbey is the BEST television show we have on the tv right now.  Every single episode will make you laugh (the Dowager Countess has the BEST quips) and cry over the silliest romantic parts.  And I try to get everyone I know to watch the show.  Including buying Season One as Christmas gifts for friends (and Grandma!).

It captured my love from the very first episode.  I love the setting and the time period.  I love the history and the fanciness.  I love the upstairs and the downstairs stories and how they all interact.  I love the Britishish-ness of it all.

It has the best lines that make your heart go pitter-pat. At the end of Season Two, Matthew kept calling Mary "My Darling", I insisted that Matt start calling me that too (cause you know, our name.....) but he hasn't yet. I just sigh my way through the scenes with Mary & Matthew - they are the MOST romantic couple on television - and those that know me, know I'm not really a romantic.  They make me want to be a romantic.

I was shocked - SHOCKED - when Lady Sybil died after childbirth in the middle of season three but understood the story line - it played so well into Lord Grantham softening his heart to Tom and the family welcoming him as their own.  It was suited for the plot line. So I accepted it.

but.

I did NOT see the ending of season three coming.  Never in a million years would I expect Matthew to be killed off.  One moment I am tearing up as the new family is so deliriously happy and an heir to Downton has been born and the next minute he is lying under a truck dead???  WHY??? WHY Julian Fellows must you mess with my sweet Matthew?  After taking TWO seasons to get them together - we love them and root for them and want to see their happiness - must you cause such misery?

Are you laughing sinisterly at all the fans who are so angry with you?

I know it's good writing - I know keep ing them together so happy would get boring - I know it's all about the ratings.  But I have grown to love these people and are so sad (ok - I recognize I'm sounding a wee bit crazy here......).  And the worst part of it all????  I don't want to have to wait til next January to see what happens next!

That said, I don't really hate you.  I still adore you.  You jut made me mad.  Like a little.  Maybe I'm over it now.  Maybe.

If you bring Shirley McClaine back and put her in with the Dowager and Violet, I might get over it real quick.......

Til January 2014.

Crazy Fans: Let's be clear- I'M NOT ONE OF THEM!!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I get a wee bit excited to meet a celebrity.  Just a tiny bit.  Chris Tomlin anyone?

And after meeting Rob Lowe in NYC recently, I thought my weekend in the Big Apple had been fulfilled.

I mean, I can't post this picture enough right?

We were both at the Book of Mormon and he brushed my shoulder...yes brushed it (have I told this story already?  Yes?  Oh well, here it is again).  Anyways, the ladies in the picture ran up to him to take their picture and I was standing right next to him fumbling with my phone to take a pic - I looked at him and asked if I could take a picture and he winked at me - WINKED AT ME! - did you catch that he is looking right at me in the pic????

I immediately texted Matt to tell him I had a new crush and he had competition.

Anyways.......
While we had a fun girls weekend in the big city, the main reason we went was to attend a charity event celebrating All My Children and the end of the show.  AMC has had a central place in our lives for YEARS.  My Mom & Aunt watched it from the very beginning, bringing myself and my cousin into the fold when we were old enough.

So when my Aunt heard about the event hosted by Ricky Paull Goldin (aka "Jake"), she grabbed tickets.  We were all so excited to head to a "private event hosted by several actors from the show."  uh-huh.

We showed up at a club on the upper West Side - Prohibition - where we were shocked to see a line wrapped around the building - they were handing our wristbands to get in.

Once we got in, we saw this:

Standing Room Only y'all.  The whole time.

We were very excited to see Alicia Minshew (Kendall - Erica's Daughter) and Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake Martin) and a few other actors.  It was exciting to see these performers you have watched on tv daily in real life.

Alicia is funny, gracious, beautiful, and tiny!

But the crowding was out of hand.  According to some of "Lish's Fans" this event was much crazier than usual.  After attending an event like this, I am likely to never go to one again.  The actors tried to "mingle" with the guests but all they ended up doing was getting crowded and pushed - I stood patiently in line to meet Alicia, however many ladies pushed in front of me to get to her.

Generally, you'd expect everyone to patiently wait their turn to see her. Nope - it was push and shove to get to her as soon as possible - manners went out the window.

After 20 minutes of not getting any closer, I gave up.  We visited with the girl who has played the 7th Bianca:

She was very fun to talk to - her boyfriend lives in Dallas, so we chatted with him.

One thing I did enjoy was watching all the crazy fans - the actors were so very gracious to these nutjobs:

I have never seen more appliqued t-shirts and jackets in my life:

What made me laugh the most?

The GIFTS!

These ladies brought the most crazy gifts to Alicia.  She received fancy lace dresses, shoes, crocheted blankets and dresses, and toys for her daughter.

Huh?  I didn't even know she had a daughter.  What kind of a fan am I??

One lady even bought her an American Girl Doll!!!  I was so aghast, I had to take a pic of it - here is the hired security holding the doll.  Bet he didn't expect to be working THAT hard that day.

The event ended with an auction. An Erica Cane Clutch anyone?

Or how about a piece of cake?

Looking back, I laugh at the silliness of it all.  I enjoy watching the show but I am not going to go all ga-ga over the actors.  As my sweet friend Viv reminds me, these are all just "regular people." Their job just puts them on tv.

It was a neat way to commemorate the ending of an era in our lives - and we have plenty of funny stories from it.

But just don't call me one of those "crazy fans" - ever.

Growing Up with All My Children......

I heard a nasty rumor yesterday.  And I didn't believe it.  Until I saw it on the front page of the USA Today as I checked out of the HEB this morning.

ABC canceled All My Children.

what??

seriously??

I have such mixed feelings over this.

Let me explain.

I grew up watching All My Children - no, I really did - my mom (and her mom and her sister) all watched it from the very beginning - so I remember seeing it on tv in the background, overhearing conversations about it with my mom & grandma, and so inevitably, I started watching it along with her as a teenager.

By the time I was 18, I was hooked.  As I  headed to college and did not own a VCR, I had to schedule my classes around All My Children.  Yeah - I really did.  Somehow Organic Chemistry didn't get picked over AMC - go figure.

When I finally could own a tv & vcr, I taped it - sometime taping all 5 days in a row so I could fast forward through it all to get to the parts I really liked to watch.  And when the dvr came along?  I could zip right through my soap in less than 15 mins if I wanted to.

I even went so far as to meet the famous Susan Lucci at a perfume signing at....

don't laugh...


a Walmart!

(y'all, she was the most gracious, sweetest person.....)

I never really questioned why I liked it.  I didn't care about the bogus story lines - I mean who can't live through a bombing, tornado, kidnapping, airplane crash, and bear mauling? All in one year???

Hasn't everyone had their fiancee ride off a cliff on a motorcycle only to appear 2 years later perfectly fine?

Or find out that you have had a long lost twin sister that your alcoholic mother "gave" to another family?

Or had a baby in a cabin in the woods during a flood?  And was switched with another baby that was born that same night in that same cabin?  Confused much??  Nah- it all makes sense when you watch it....

And that I did - throughout all my working years, I always made time for my show.  Even if I only had an hour to catch a whole week's worth, I'd get it in.

Matt would laugh at me, call me ridiculous, but then ask, "so are Erica & Jack back together?"  Uh huh. Ridiculous.

I can't say it was the story lines or amazing acting that drew me in....I think it was more the tradition of watching it....discussing it with my family as it the characters on AMC were our family.....

Ironically, now that I am home with the kids, I have stopped watching it.  It got too complicated, I got too busy, I got too bored...who knows?  I just stopped.

Yet hearing that it has been canceled makes me a little sad....as if part of my childhood traditions is going away with it.

The Great & the Least,

The Rich & the Poor,

The Weak & the Strong,

In Sickness & in Health,

In Joy & in Sorrow,

In Tragedy & Triumph

You are ALL MY CHILDREN......