DVD Quote of the Day: Ellen

I re-discovered this show last week. I bought the Season 1 DVD of Ellen (last year? year before?), and we recently pulled it out last week. I ended up getting the Season 3 DVD after that and haven't stopped watching it. Season 1 wasn't as good because the characters hadn't been developed and the cast was a little bit different.

Ellen Degeneres is Ellen Morgan, a bookstore owner in L.A. The rest of the ensemble are her friends. Arye Gross is Adam in season 1, 2 and part of season 3, Ellen's roommate and photographer friend. I'm not sure why Adam left the show, but he was gone after about four episodes into the third season. The hotness that is Jeremy Piven rocks as Ellen's cousin from N.Y.C., who moves in to get his life sorted out after getting kicked out of his doctor residency. Joely Fisher came on after the first season as Paige Clark, Ellen's sort of selfish, sort of promiscuous "producer wanna be" friend. David Anthony Higgins was a more minor character in season one, but became one of the main characters between season 1 and 3. His character, Joe, is the sarcastic coffee master who works in Ellen's bookstore, and is actually from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (about forty minutes from me). I forgot Joe was from Canada, so it's funny to hear him say "Back in Moose Jaw...". Clea Lewis is Audrey, who made an appearance in season 1, and returned as a regular and different person. Audrey in season 1 wore dark clothes and was complaining and pessimistic, but in season 3 she's annoyingly sunny, perky and perpetually in pink. Excellent ensemble cast.


I forgot how much I loved this show. It's hilarious and Ellen is often compared to Lucille Ball, for good reason. Ellen's over eagerness to please people and concern for other people's feelings often have her getting involved in other people's business, making the situation worse. Her easygoing attitude is nicely juxtaposed with Paige and Spence's high strung neuroticism. For me, it's a good show if you get sucked into the environment and feel like you're there with them while you're watching. Also, if the characters and situations are interesting and fun enough that you wish you were there is another sign of a great show.


Some other people who have made guest appearances on Season 3 include Martha Stewart as herself, Carrie Fisher (Joely Fisher's sister) as herself shooting Paige's movie at Ellen's bookstore, Mary Tyler Moore as herself who comes to Ellen's aid over lobster rights, Ron Palillo (Welcome Back, Kotter's Horschak) as himself who starts dating Audrey, Janeane Garofalo as a fellow patient in a waiting room that Ellen wants to befriend, and Jamie Kennedy as Tad, the guy who rents Adam's apartment after he moves out.


Season 3 starts with an earthquake, the destruction of Ellen's bookstore and the arrival of Ellen's cousin, Spence (Piven). The first two episodes have Ellen feeling unsure about her future because of the bookstore in the earthquake's aftermath. I really like these two episodes because I think Ellen represents every person who goes through that indecision and doubt about their future and whether or not they are traveling the right path. At one point, she gets on a bus to search her feelings and think about whether she should rebuild the bookstore or not. She comes to a very strange store/museum with a strange man running the place and talks a bit about her search to him. I really like what he says to her. Here it is.....

Jake: The way I see it, if you get up every morning and you like where you go and who you see there.....then maybe, you've found your dream.

More ramblings to come.....

DVD Quote of the Day: Corner Gas

I friggin love this show. Corner Gas: Season 3 came out on DVD this Tuesday and I picked it up, but haven't had time to watch it. I plan on doing that this weekend. Great ensemble cast with Brent Butt (gas station owner, Brent Leroy), Gabrielle Miller (big city transplant, Lacey Burrows), Nancy Robertson (Brent's smart alecky co-worker, Wanda Dollard), Fred Ewanuick (Brent's loafing friend, Hank Yarbo), Eric Peterson (Brent's over-reacting father, Oscar Leroy), Janet Wright (Brent's all powerful matriarch, Emma Leroy), Lorne Cardinal (bumbling police officer Davis Quinton), and Tara Spencer-Nairn (Davis' more adept partner Karen Pelly). A lot of people compare this to Seinfeld and there are some similarities, but it's a show all its own. Saskatchewan plays a major character, as well. I sent Season 2 on DVD to my sister in Rhode Island for Christmas last year. She loves it, but I'm not sure if her hubby thinks it is as funny because he hasn't seen it. Seeing things like, the house on main street that's a liquor store/insurance broker (this house is in every small town in Saskatchewan), and the cars parked on an angle on main street with the doors unlocked and the windows wide open, these are distinctly "small town prairies". We're awfully proud of this show here. The kids and I actually went out to Rouleau, where the exteriors are shot, and visited the Cop Shop which is actually an ice cream/souvenir shop. I was pretty disappointed when the owner and resident Corner Gas expert informed me that there was no "World's Biggest Hoe", it was put in digitally on the computer. I was hoping it was something props built and was somewhere out there so I could get a picture.


This show takes place in fictional Dog River, Saskatchewan. Brent owns and runs the town gas station (40 klicks from nowhere). His co-worker Wanda is very educated, obviously too smart to just be a cashier at the gas station and full of sarcasm. Lacey moved out from Toronto when her Aunt Ruby died and left her the town cafe. She's sweet and well-meaning and as much as she tries to fit in, she just can't help inadvertently alienating and offending everyone. If this was the prairies Seinfeld, Hank would be Kramer. He doesn't seem to have a job and is always wandering around town getting into everybody's business. Oscar and Emma together are hilarious. Davis and Karen are the two police officers in Dog River with very little to do, afterall, how much crime happens in Dog River? The other characters in town are as quirky as the main characters. Since I am not familiar with Season 3, I'm quoting from season 2, the episode where Brent, Wanda and Hank bring back their band from the 80's. Brent is playing a tune for Lacey on an air guitar that their band played before......

Brent: What does this sound like to you?
Lacey: A weasel caught in a fan belt?
Brent: A weasel in a fan belt sounds completely different.
Lacey: A gopher caught in a chainsaw?

More ramblings to come....