Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

We Meet Shawn Johnson... And Contemplate The End

Yesterday afternoon, I was able to treat my daughter to a rare opportunity: a personal chat with Olympic gold medalist and Dancing With the Stars finalist Shawn Johnson.

I was referred to the meet and greet (part of a promotion by Oscar Mayer Lunchables and the Woodward camps) by LA Mom Blogger Elizabeth Peterson, who knows that I blog quite a bit about my daughter's participation in competitive gymnastics.

On Monday afternoon, just as I was getting ready to drive her to her workout, my daughter dropped a bombshell on me.

"I want to quit gym," she said, tears streaming down her face.

I've written a lot about the sacrifices my daughter makes to participate in this crazy sport. I also confess to a bit of smugness about it, because in contemplating the adolescent storm she has now entered, her dedication to gymnastics makes ME feel very secure. If she is spending 20 hours a week at gym, she won't have time for activities that might get her into trouble.

But I also know that the reason she excels in the sport is because she LOVES it. There is NO WAY you can MAKE a child spend all of her evenings and most of her weekends in a hot, chalky gym unless she or he is having FUN. And I have always known that there might come a time when she might not feel that way about it any longer.

The question is: Is THIS really THAT time?

"It's not my favorite thing any more. I'm not enjoying it."

This statement is flabbergasting to me, my husband, my friends and my family, who have all seen my child at home, practicing floor routines (not just hers but the routines of all her teammates). But if it's true -- if she really isn't enjoying it any longer -- she should be allowed to quit.

But exiting gymnastics would leave a huge 20-hour-a week void in her life -- not to mention the fact that I count on her being at gym during the summer so I can work n peace. I absolutely don't want her to spend her days hanging out at home watching TV or prowling the local mall. I don't think she wants that, either. She has too much energy for that.

"If you do quit, you need to find another sport," I told her.

"I've been thinking I might try track and field. Or tennis."

Now that the bomb was dropped, she went out back to sit on our diving board, dangling her feet in our pool. I called the gym to let them know she wasn't coming -- and why. Her coaches weren't there yet. I was told to expect one of them to give me a call.

I started researching summer track and tennis programs in our area.

I hadn't seen any previous indication that she was tiring of the sport. In fact, she was moving full steam ahead: she had been promoted to Level 8 after just three meets at Level 7 (the third was her state competition). She had momentum. Her coach was training her on tough new skills at advanced levels 8-10.

Ahhhh...

"I've been thinking about this since just before state," she told me. About a month. Since her 13th birthday.

"I can't do the double back flip on the high beam, and that's what I've been assigned for the tumble-a-thon. All I do is fall and my coach has to catch me. Every time. I hate it."

Ah-haaaah...

The tumble-a-thon is our new old gym's current fundraiser. It's like a walk-a-thon, where the kids find sponsors... only instead of paying for laps walked, they have to pay for successful performance of assigned skills. Megan's coach probably thought she was encouraging her to try harder at this skill -- but my daughter's perfectionism -- which is an asset for a gymnast -- may also be causing her a major bout with fear of failure.

In hindsight, maybe her coach should have assigned her a skill she's already mastered -- a conclusion I think she now shares, judging from the chat we had when she called.

"I don't want to talk to her," Megan sulked.

I relayed the information.

"She's 13," her coach noted in a way that seemed to say that explains everything. "Put me on speaker," she said.

Megan scowled and turned her back at me when I pressed the speaker button.

Her coach admitted to riding her pretty hard the last couple of weeks. She told her that she was going to lighten up, and ease off on that double back handspring on the high beam. She begged her to come in -- even if just to talk. She said that they would be having FUN that day.

Megan wouldn't hear any of it. She walked away from me and my phone and locked herself in her room. I thanked her coach for calling and told her I'd keep her posted.

"You are going to have to talk to your coaches," I told Megan.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you can't just leave without having a discussion. They need to know why. It's helpful for you and it's helpful for them."

Silence.

"Even when you quit a job, you have to have an exit interview," I told her.

It was obvious that talking about it any more that afternoon was not going to be productive -- so I grabbed one of the gift cards she received for her birthday and took her shopping, which brightened the mood a little. I resisted the urge to make a stop at the gym, even though we were in the neighborhood.

Monday night, Megan received a text message from her coach. "Shavahn wants me to call her tomorrow after school," she sighed. And when one of her teammates called her after practice, we overheard Megan tell her she intended to quit... "unless Shavahn talks me out of it."

Megan also complained that she learned that Monday's workout had turned into a "fun day" - heavy on silly games and light on conditioning. "I didn't want to miss that! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" she whined.

So there was hope.

On Tuesday, Megan finally talked to her coach.

"What did she say?" I asked Megan eagerly.

"She said that when she was a gymnast, she almost quit five different times -- but always decided to come back. And it all began when she was 13."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked.

"I guess I'll give it a try. She says that we're going to have a lot more fun days. And that in the summer, we'll have days when we do beach trips or go to Magic Mountain."

So she's back at gym... for now. But she says she still feels confused. I guess that's why I couldn't resist asking Shawn Johnson about it (check out the look on my daughter's face when she hears my question):

See the rest of our interview with Shawn Johnson here.

Jon Stewart vs Cramer

It's been a sobering day.

I spent the morning at the home of Erin Kotecki Vest, where Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Stacy Gerlich showed us what we need to do to prepare for the next big disaster (be it another brush fire or an earthquake).

As I left Erin's home to pick up my daughter, I returned a call from one of my closest friends and learned that she's been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's stage one, so that's in her favor. But as I said, it's been a sobering day, nonetheless.

So I'm in need of some laughs - which I got when I viewed the following from Tuesday's Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

The smackdown continues tonight, when Jim Cramer shows up as Jon's guest. After today, I can't wait.

Confessions of a Comedy Geek

Most of the people who come here are aware that I was a production assistant on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show while aspiring to write for television myself.

Of course you know that, because I never stop reminding folks, lest you all think I've always been the 50-Something suburban gymnastics mom you see today. I really was a capable and accomplished young person once, and I may even have been borderline cool.

I think that's why I had SO MUCH FUN at last week's PBS showcase for television critics. For one thing, I ALWAYS enjoy it when my silly little blog is treated with the same respect shown for "real" (traditional) media. But TWO of the presentations dealt with comedy and comedians... and once a comedy geek, always a comedy geek. So I hung on every word spoken by veteran stand-ups Lewis Black and Richard Belzer as they talked about George Carlin and what made his work so extraordinary.

Carlin's daughter Kelly was also on hand to help promote the network's broadcast of the Kennedy Center's tribute to him as recipient of this year's Mark Twain Award (set to air February 4th).

The discussion reminded me of my days on the Carson show (I was the writers' assistant), when the guys would parse jokes and sometimes get into heated (and somewhat academic) discussions about what constitutes "funny."

I became even more nostalgic later that afternoon, when Amy Sedaris took the stage to talk about "Make 'Em Laugh," a six-part series tracing the history of comedy in America, from the turn of the 20th Century. Amy narrates the series, which debuts tonight and is hosted by Billy Crystal. Each episode deals with a different aspect of funny business.

I've seen five of the six episodes already (thanks to the DVD review copy the PBS folks gave all in attendance - like I said, "treated with respect"!) - and the entire series is comedy geek heaven. 

Tonight's program consists of two episodes:

1: "Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?"

Subtitled "Nerds, Jerks & Oddballs," the hour features clips from silent comic Harold Lloyd to Woody Allen, Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters to Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Cheech & Chong and Andy Kaufman through to stars of today, like Steve Carell and Seth Rogen. But it's the commentary from admirers like Judd Apatow, Michael McKean, Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock that put it all into context.

I love that they went to Bob Hope's comedy writers (Harold Kanter and Larry Gelbart) to talk about the evolution of Hope's material. Of course, the man isn't around to do new interviews, so all that's left are his writers! Still, it's always nice when someone reminds the public that while comics are naturally funny and witty people, most are usually supported by an army of writers.

Most illuminating for me is the focus on how difficult it was in the 50's and 60's for females who aspired to be comics: Jean Carroll, Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers and Lily Tomlin are all represented, and they talk frankly about how difficult it was for women to step out of the accepted role of housewife and mother.

Back then, it helped to be unattractive, which Phyllis Diller says was part of her initial success. People (men) had a hard time surrendering to a female commanding the stage.

I think a documentary on female comedians would be a fabulous follow-up to this series.

The second hour of tonight's program is "Honey, I'm Home!" (Subtitled "Breadwinners and Homemakers"). This is an excellent history of the American situation comedy - from The Goldbergs (which is so old even I'd never seen it before!) to the Simpsons. It's got as many clips, interviews and analyses as the first episode -- and is just as interesting. And funny.

The entire series is wonderful relief from the reruns and reality dreck the commercial networks are feeding us this month -- not to mention the fact that the world seems to be crumbling down around us. I don't know about you, but I don't think I will get through the next two years without my fix of The Daily Show and SNL.  (Alas, you will have to wait a couple of weeks to see those shows covered in the final episode on satire and parody. It's called "Sock it to ME?" - and if you're as old as I am, that phrase will mean something to you.)

As the old saying goes, "Laughter is Medicine."

And if you're a comedy geek like me, you'll love it.

Hey! I'm giving away a Superbowl Party pack (valued at $250) over at SoCal Stuff. Find out what's in the pack and how to win it here.

SoCal Weekend: Grocery Shopping with the Stars at 10 Items or Less

Los Angeles is just like other company towns.

In Washington, you are likely to rub shoulders with politicians and lobbyists. In Seattle, you meet a lot of aircraft workers. And in certain neighborhoods in SoCal, you stand in the checkout line with celebrities.

That happened to me a lot when I lived in Studio City. It was no big deal to see Michael J. Fox buying bagels at Art's Deli, or sit beside Journey frontman Steve Perry while sipping coffee at Muffins, etc. (Yes, I'm remembering an establishment from a LONG time ago.) And I have a friend who swears she once saw Paul McCartney - and his entourage - buying groceries at the Ralph's Fresh Fare on Ventura and Coldwater.

But those of us who live several miles north of Ventura Boulevard rarely come face to face with people familiar to the readers of People.

Except for the folks who live near a certain Jons Market in the center of the San Fernando Valley, which doubles as the production offices and set for the TBS series "10 Items or Less."

TV sitcom productions have changed a lot since I worked as a production assistant (my last gasp was back in 1991!) Reality has changed the television landscape forever. Series are no longer stuck on soundstages in front of studio audiences. I love identifying Valley locales that double for the fictional town of Camden on "My Name is Earl," and I confess to wasting more than a couple of hours searching for the nondescript Van Nuys business park that houses Dunder-Mifflin on "The Office." (No luck yet, but I'm pretty sure it's near the former warehouse where my daughter used to train for gymnastics.)

Therefore, I wasn't surprised to learn that "10 Items or Less" is taped in a real, live grocery store in middle-class Reseda. I WAS surprised to discover that they tape their episodes during the store's operating hours... allowing real live shoppers to wander into the same aisles that are serving as their set, doubling as "atmosphere."  A disclaimer is posted at both store entrances, warning customers that their entry onto the premises gives them implicit permission to use their images on TV.

What's On My Mind Today

I have 250 messages in my Inbox - and that's AFTER I pared down everything that came in overnight.

Can you say "over-stimulated"?

I'm taking the day to go through my messages, follow up on those that need a response and delete the ones that are no longer relevant.

One reason it's so full is that we had a gymnastics meet over the weekend that required an overnight stay.

Correction: We COULD have driven back home afterwards (in fact, most of the other families did that). But the meet ended around 6:30 and Megan was famished - as she usually is after four hours of physical activity. Actually, the entire family is hungry after these events, and I've learned the hard way that when it's over, we need to have a meal AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - or I'll get battered in the ensuing battle of low blood sugar between my husband and daughter.

We had a nice dinner with one of the other families (who decided to eat before they embarked on their own long drive home) and a good night's sleep in our hotel.

But here's the part that I can't shake. I had been shocked at booking the room that even a two-star hotel in this community was going for over $150 a night. I thought about that yesterday morning, while watching Treasury Secretary Henry Poulson on Meet the Press. Our economic sky is falling, and we shelled out $150+ to stay overnight in a community two hours away; living our lives as if nothing is happening.

And we're doing the same thing next week.

I have very real fears about the future. This is bound to impact the lifestyle of our family and that of everyone we know. It already has impacted us; my husband works for a geotech firm which, until this year, was working on a huge slate of housing developments, all of which have dried up. I am even worried for my wealthier friends; I have no idea what kind of investments are in their portfolios or how leveraged they might be.

I'm afraid to sign the catering contract for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in April. I'm afraid that after all this hard work to keep her in gymnastics, that in the near future we might have to eliminate it from our budget. I worry that our wonderful new gym might go out of business in the near future; not because of any mistakes the owners make but just as fallout from the mess on Wall Street.

But worrying about every possible bad outcome isn't going to prevent it and all it can really do is make ME crazy. If there is one thing I've learned in my 52 years, it's that it is better and healthier to go through life with a positive attitude.

So I'm going to try to put the storm clouds out of my mind. I'm going to continue to live my life. And I'm going to continue doing what I think I can to make the world a better place.

That's why last night's Emmy broadcast was such a welcome diversion. Even though the five reality hosts bit didn't really work, I think the show was a lot better than last year's disaster-in-the-round. I love the look of the Nokia Theatre LA Live (it seems way nicer than Pasadena Civic, the site of the Emmy telecasts I used to attend, back in the day). I loved the way they evoked the sets from the classic programs of the past. And I even liked Josh Groban's manic medley of classic TV theme songs.

And I agreed with the Academy on many of the winners this year (for a change). I was disappointed that Jeremy Piven won again for "Entourage" - NOT that he doesn't deserve all the awards he's received for his work as Ari Gold - I think he's brilliant. But it would have been nice to see Kevin Dillon win for the same show. Or Rainn Wilson for "The Office." Or Neil Patrick Harris for his legendary work on "How I Met Your Mother." And as much as I dislike "Two and a Half Men," I've always been a fan of Jon Cryer. So they are all winners in my book.

I was pleased to see both "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" honored with Emmys. I swear, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert and their staffs are doing a better job of reporting the news than the news organizations themselves.

I especially enjoyed tributes to some of my favorite programs of my youth: "Laugh In" was a must-see when I was Megan's age, as was "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." I don't think I got what was happening in Viet Nam back then until Tom and Dick Smothers used the war in their edgy comedy bits on that show. They were brilliant, and it really was a big deal when CBS abruptly pulled the plug on them. For years afterwards, there was a billboard across the street from Television City that translated the network's acronym as "Cancelled Brothers Smothers."

I got a little bit teary seeing Tommy accept his delayed award from 40 years ago. He's a funny guy - when I worked at the Tonight Show in the 1980's, I watched him backstage as he did a perfect impression of Johnny doing his monologue.

I got teary again when Mary Tyler Moore introduced Betty White. Again, in my Tonight Show days, the staff would rejoice whenever we booked her for a guest spot (she sometimes participated in sketches, too). Everyone loved her because she was such a delight to work with. She deserves all the recognition of her peers.

Finally, hooray for Tina Fey! I think Alec Baldwin got it right when he compared her with Elaine May. Tina is brilliant and I'm so happy NBC allowed "30 Rock" to stay on the air. Did you notice that most of SNL's nominations were for the episode Fey hosted - which was one of the few really FUNNY ones from last season? Or that nearly all of the guest performance nominations for a comedy were from episodes of "30 Rock"? Baldwin's own Best Actor win was gratifying too - he may have issues in his personal life, but the man is a brilliant actor, in both drama and comedy.

Finally - I'm jazzed that Mad Men was named Best Drama. Although it was a disappointment to discover that last night AMC aired a rerun (I guess they didn't want to compete for Emmy viewers).

All in all, a good night for the TV Academy. And a decent distraction for me, as I'm already feeling better by thinking about something so frivolous. As if nothing has happened.

Summer Television "Staycation"

Every year at this time, I complain about the dreck the TV networks throw on during the summer. And this year, after the agony of a long WGA strike and the threat of an actors' walkout, the diet of boring repeats ad inane reality is even worse (with the possible exception of CBS' "Swingtown," which debuted this week).

This is when I usually turn to HBO and Showtime, and British series on DVD. But with gas now selling for $4.69 a gallon in my neighborhood (to think I'm now missing the $4.29 price point I was bitching about last week)...

...this is turning into the Summer of No Disposable Income. I had to cancel my beloved HBO and Showtime. This year, there will be no "Entourage," "Weeds" or the intriguing looking "Diary of a Call Girl." I've laid down the law on those expensive British DVD's from Amazon.co.uk ... and the Netflix queue is now crammed with the shows our daughter misses from HBO Family.

There is a silver lining: The folks running our Basic Cable networks have taken a page from the HBO playbook and are offering some fine original programming during the summer doldrums (even hiring the same people who used to work on those HBO hits). Lifetime's "Army Wives" just returned for a second season, and USA Network is getting good reviews on "In Plain Sight," its Witness Protection drama starring Mary McCormack.

One of my favorites from last year was "Mad Men," and it's returning to AMC next month in all its cigarette-tinged, space-age bachelor pad glory. Other basic cable series returning in July are "The Closer" and "Saving Grace" (on TNT) and Burn Notice (on USA).

There isn't a lot of comedy on that list. Thank goodness for TBS, which has two funny sitcoms returning for their second season tonight.

I did not catch any episodes of Bill Engvall's self-titled series when they aired last summer (I guess I was too busy watching Vinnie and the Boys on Entourage), so the screener the network sent my home was my first time. I was pleasantly surprised: I liked it. I even laughed. Aloud.

Having toiled behind the scenes in TV comedy (which left me with a kind of funny bone immunity), that is saying a lot.

Engvall is a standup comic with a huge likeability factor. He anchors this very traditional family comedy with support from veterans like Nancy Travis as his wife, and former SNLer Tim Meadows as his best friend. The writing and producing team are also veterans, including Mark Kunerth ("Friends") and Heide Perlman ("Cheers").

I didn't need to view the screener for "My Boys," the second half of TBS' comedy hour. I was a fan of the series from its first episode, which introduced Jordana Spiro as PJ, a female sports writer who has been "one of the boys" for so long that she's forgotten how to be "girly" (that is the assessment of her one girl friend, a very girly magazine writer named Stephanie).

Spiro is a charming presence, as are all the "boys," especially the amiable Jim Gaffigan as PJ's goofy older brother. This show is a little more to my taste than Engvall's family oriented humor. It's a bit more adult, a bit more like "Friends" -- but not as sexy as "Sex and the City, "although in one episode they managed a pretty good send-up of Carrie Bradshaw & Co. They've also paid homage to films like "The Natural" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which gives the series a richness that other sitcoms lack.

Last season ended with a cliff hanger: Who is the mystery man P.J. invited to use her extra plane ticket to Italy? The one who upgraded her to First Class? I have my own idea of who that will turn out to be... I'll just have to wait until tonight to see.

Monday Meme: 50 Greatest TV Shows

I found this on Florinda's blog a couple of weeks ago, and then promptly forgot about it (you know, I do not have as many brain cells as I used to).

This originated from a list published in a British magazine called "Empire." The rules of the meme are to:

1. Bold the shows of which you’ve watched every episode,

2. Italicize the shows of which you’ve seen at least one episode,

3. Star * the shows you consider “the best”

4. Post your answers

Since the list is British, there are a number of choices that I'm not familiar with -- but there were still enough to work with. But since I am such a self-avowed couch potato (I used to tell people I majored in Radio-TV-Film so I could write off my love of Mary Tyler Moore reruns as "research") I thought it would be a fun exercise:

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

 

Response to NBC honcho Ben Silverman's remark about the cancellation of the Golden Globes.

Proceeds from the sale of this t-shirt benefit the WGA Strike Fund. Buy one here.

Hooray for Dave

As an emeritus member of the WGA, I receive daily emails from the Guild leadership regarding the strike. This one just came in:

To Our Fellow Members,

We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers.  This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort to reach an industry-wide contract.  While we know that these deals put only a small number of writers back to work, three strategic imperatives have led us to conclude that this deal, and similar potential deals, are beneficial to our overall negotiating efforts.

First, the AMPTP has not yet been a productive avenue for an agreement. As a result, we are seeking deals with individual signatories.  The Worldwide Pants deal is the first.  We hope it will encourage other companies, especially large employers, to seek and reach agreements with us.  Companies who have a WGA deal and Guild writers will have a clear advantage.  Companies that do not will increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.  Indeed, such a disadvantage could cost competing networks tens of millions in refunds to advertisers.

Second, this is a full and binding agreement.  Worldwide Pants is agreeing to the full MBA, including the new media proposals we have been unable to make progress on at the big bargaining table.  This demonstrates the integrity and affordability of our proposals.  There are no shortcuts in this deal.  Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.

Finally, while our preference is an industry-wide deal, we will take partial steps if those will lead to the complete deal.  We regret that all of us cannot yet return to work.  We especially regret that other late night writers cannot return to work along with the Worldwide Pants employees.  But the conclusion of your leadership is that getting some writers back to work under the Guild’s proposed terms speeds up the return to work of all writers.

Side-by-side with this agreement, and any others that we reach, are our ongoing strike strategies.  In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows.  At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential.  Outreach to advertisers and investors will intensify in the days ahead and writers will continue to develop new media content itself to advance our position.

We must continue to push on all fronts to remind the conglomerates each and every day that we are committed to a fair deal for writers and the industry.

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGAW

Michael Winship

President, WGAE

Relief for Strike-Induced TV Boredom

Tired of reruns? Missing your favorite dramatic TV shows?

There's good news on BBC America tonight: The second series of "Life on Mars" debuts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

I have already seen the entire series, as my husband and I COULD NOT WAIT until now to find out how modern police detective Sam Tyler copes with finding himself in the year 1973 -- and whether he makes it back to 2006.

This is one of the best television programs I have ever seen.

Here is what I wrote about it over the summer:

The tale of a 21st century cop who finds himself in 1973 at first sounds like a sketch on SNL... and there's a lot of humor in it -- but also a lot of commentary on how far we have come. Is Detective Sam Tyler "mad? Or in a coma? Or back in time?" As he tries to work it out and get back home, he has to function in a world that is quite a bit different from what he's used to... beginning with his new 70's partner, Gene Hunt, who embodies the very un-PC spirit of the time.

It's a cop show with elements of both "Starsky & Hutch" and "Doctor Who." The chemistry between John Simm (who plays Sam with such believability) and Philip Glenister's Hunt is amazing. This show is funny, poignant, and extremely entertaining. In fact, the entire cast is first-rate, as is the production, which really has the look and feel of the 70's (right down to the musical selections).

These episodes originally aired here last July, and I took this as a sign that they would be showing Series 2 (rumored to be even BETTER) this summer. So you can imagine my dismay when they announced an airdate in JANUARY.

(At least, ABC did not pick up the American version they had commissioned from David Kelley. It's not that I wouldn't want to see it done here, but aside from "The Office," we Yanks have a poor track record when it comes to adapting British TV... and I would have preferred someone like J.J. Abrams or Tim Kring obtaining the adaptation rights.)

"No way," my husband said. He promptly got on to Amazon.co.uk and ordered us a box-set of both series.

We have spent the last week watching the eight new episodes and you know what? The rumors are true. This show is amazing, and the final episode (which we watched last night) was truly mind-blowing... no "Sopranos" style disappointment here.

But unless I can collar my friends into coming over here to watch it, we have no one to share it with.

So do me a favor and watch this thing, so we can talk about it, OK?

(If you have problems with the British accents and slang terms -- and I realize not everyone has a live-in translator sitting next to them on the couch -- try turning on closed captioning. You'll be glad you did!)