From: arthur@alum.calberkeley.org   
      
   On 2/23/2026 6:11 AM, The True Melissa wrote:   
   snip   
   >   
   > I also watched more American Dad reruns.   
      
      
   I noticed American Dad returned to Fox.  I stopped watching American Dad   
   a few years ago.  I was tempted to sample the return to Fox, but forgot   
   to set my DVR.  I probably won't bother with any reruns.  I know it's   
   not strong on continuity, but still after a several year gap I don't   
   want to even guess what I've missed.   
      
   One was "Vacation Goo," and   
   > that's one of my favorites from the show. The Smiths argue constantly at   
   > home but always have a great time on vacation, and we learn that this is   
   > because all of their vacations have been VR experiences Stan faked with   
   > CIA technology. Francine asks the kids to plan vacations, but they also   
   > prefer sticking their family in the goo. Francine decides the family   
   > must have a real vacation together and the family agrees, but when   
   > things go wrong, Stan can't convince Francine she isn't in the goo again   
   > -- and that's just the first half. Good early characterization, good   
   > jokes, and good plot twists make for an enjoyable episode.   
   >   
   > What did everyone else watch?   
   >   
   >   
      
      
   This will be about a week or so catch up.  Over the past week I watched:   
      
      
   Scream 1-6.  The movies hold up great.  Even 3 was tolerable.  I'm still   
   not sure about the plot point of Scream 4 when some of the characters   
   did a "Stab" movie marathon.  People in the real world don't really sit   
   down and watch slasher flicks back to back do they?  This was my first   
   time watching Scream 6 since seeing it in the theater.  It was really   
   good.  I went into 6 already knowing who the killer was and was still   
   surprised by who the killer was.  I can't say more about *that* without   
   spoilers.   
      
      
   Urban Legend (blu-ray) 1998 horror movie starring a group of late 90s   
   young stars attending a college where a killer is murdering people based   
   on various Urban Legends. I haven't watched this in about 6 years, but   
   this was my first time watching while knowing who the killer is.   
   Catching all of those subtle clues and hints from the killer made the   
   movie more enjoyable.   
      
      
   Urban Legends Final Cut (blu-ray) 2000 direct to video sequel, set at a   
   film school, that I guess maybe had a killer killing people based on   
   urban legends. I don't know.  I do know they sort of had one actual   
   urban legend at the start of the movie that was apparently a reshoot   
   tacked on after they had already made the movie, then added to the   
   beginning due to poor test screenings.   
      
      
   The Skulls (blu-ray) 2000 movie staring Joshua Jackson (who   
   coincidentally was also in Scream 2 and Urban Legend) as a college   
   student who is tapped to join a shady secret society that thinks they   
   can literally get away with murder.  But not if Pacey can stop them.  Is   
   it really believable that there is a secret cabal of rich people who   
   hold the strings of power in Washington and are able to commit crimes,   
   even sexual assault and murder and expect to get away with it?   
      
   The Skulls 2 2001 direct to video sequel starring Robin Dunne as a   
   college student who is tapped to join a shady secret society that thinks   
   they can literally get away with murder. If I didn't know any better I'd   
   think this was just a rehash of the first movie.   
      
   The Skulls 3 (all three movies conveniently on the same blu-ray disc.)   
   Clare Kramer (Glory on Buffy) stars as a college student who wants to   
   join a shady secret society that thinks they can literally get away with   
   murder.  But the twist this time, is The Skulls is an all male sexist   
   society and Glory, I mean Clare Kramer has to threaten to sue them in   
   order to get into the group.  But once she is in she is shocked, SHOCKED   
   I say, to learn that the shady secret society that thinks they can   
   literally get away with murder, turns out to be a shady secret society   
   that thinks they can literally get away with murder.   
      
      
   The Notebook (live stage musical) - I mention this because I recently   
   watched the 2004 movie version and found the movie version dull beyond   
   belief.  I was really worried live stage musical version would be just   
   as bad.  Too my great relief the live version is actually pretty darn   
   good.  It's the exact same characters and plot, but the live version   
   just told the story way better.  One of the most obvious differences is   
   in the movie version, as I recall at least, the story was told in a   
   completely linear fashion except for the musing home narrator in the   
   present day who is telling the story.  In the stage version they   
   constantly jump back and forth in the timeline, with three different   
   actors portraying the main characters at different times in their lives.   
     And the way the musical is structured they often have two or all three   
   of the actors on stage at the same time singing in harmony or at times   
   even singing to each other.  So the younger version of a character might   
   sing to the older version of the same character and vice versa.  It was   
   a nice narrative touch.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)