Friday, January 10, 2020

Matching Sailor Guardians

After the last few days, I needed to sleep in. By the time I got moving, Buzzr was running Match Game episodes. Orson Bean brought his goofy, laid-back wit to the first episode, joined by a lady named Chelsea Brown whom I'd never heard of, but was a lot of fun. Charles and Brett got a lot of mileage out of teasing each other here, whether it was talking about Brett streaking or joking about his toupee. The next episode brought in redheaded Kaye Stevens of the noisy laugh, Loretta Swit from MASH, and former football player Rosy Grier. (Rosy was the size of the rest of the panel put together. Gene quickly told him he could write whatever he wanted!)  Orson Bean returned for the first '75 episode, joined by Betty White and blonde bombshell Lynda Day George.

Headed out to get the laundry done after the first '75 episode ended. I had a huge load to do, including towels. Thankfully, after the last two weeks, there were several cheaper washers open when I arrived. It was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. I worked on story notes and ignored Action News on Channel 6 and a talk show.

There was a package waiting for me in the mail box when I got home. Lauren found a knitted "Baby Yoda" from The Mandalorian on Etsy and sent him to me as a late Christmas present. He's soo cute and is knitted beautifully. Looks just like the little fellow in the show and is the right size to hug. (I figured he'd be much smaller.)

I put Baby Yoda on my bed, then spent the next hour dusting around furniture. I only do really major dusting every couple of months. Who's going to see it besides me? I just wanted to get as much of it up as I could quickly.

As soon as I finished, I put out the winter decorations. I usually get most of them up when I put out the Christmas stuff, but I forgot. Two folksy snowmen - one on wooden legs, one a "snow angel" with wire wings and a halo - surround the red vase on the music area table. There's a cute little stuffed snowbear ornament guarding the CD player. A lovely little sparrow bell Mom gave me several years ago went up on my bedroom door. Hung a "let it snow" sign and cardboard hangings of snowmen taking part in winter sports on my walls.

For some reason, Charlie was upstairs cursing for a lot of the morning and early afternoon. I really have no idea what he was doing, other than painting the two wooden posts that hold up the dormer roof. I do know it involved much cursing and drowning him out with Sailor Moon Super S (fourth season).

The only new episode out of this batch was actually a two-part "special." In the first story, we encounter Micheru "Sailor Neptune" Kaioh and Haruka "Sailor Uranus" Tenouh for the first and only time in the fourth season. Micheru takes on a possessed ventriloquist and his demonic dummy when they attack her ailing lover. Chibi-Usa is in the spotlight in the second story, based after a short from the manga (comic book) series. A new student in her school may be turning boys heads in more ways than just her looks. The pretty, pale miss is seen eating flowers and avoiding sunlight, leading Chibi-Usa and her friends to believe she may be a mini-vampire.

Went into writing after all the winter decorations were hanging up or on the tables and shelves. Bill Cullen is a wizard who can make the books he's going to deliver vanish and reappear in his carriage. Marcia warns him about going too close to the Summerlands, which are crawling with Malade's trolls, among other monsters. Bill assures her and the others that he can take care of himself. Bill the Wolf tries to explain what happened in the Summerlands, but he ends up howling again.

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers while watching one more Match Game episode. Comic actor  Ron Massak (who ironically also appeared on Password Plus this week) had the honor of watching Charles and Brett spar on the top desks in this one. The delightful Patty Duke Astin traded quips with Richard under them, while sweet Joyce Bullifant told Gene some very odd jokes.

Finished the night online with the 1991 comedy Delirious, which is currently running for free on YouTube. Jack Gable (John Candy) is a soap opera writer who would do anything to keep the show's diva and his crush Laura (Emma Samms) on the air, despite her spoiled behavior behind the scenes. The show's producers (Jerry Orbach and Renee Taylor) hire a hack writer (Milt Oberman) behind his back, and he puts down a pretty young woman (Mariel Hemingway) trying out for a part he deems unimportant.

After he sees Laura returning to her boyfriend, he hits his head, gets into an accident, and wakes up in the world of his soap. Laura is now Rachel, the only woman in a wealthy and powerful male-dominated family, whose evil patriarch (Raymond Burr) is determined to get his hands on a weight-loss formula. Janet DuBois (Hemingway) is the daughter of the formula's creator, who thinks Jack is a big pharmaceuticals executive who wants to buy the formula. Jack tries to tell her otherwise at first, until she makes him realize that his writing changes the outcome of the show and what happens to the characters. He writes himself as a strong, dashing character to catch Rachel's eye, only to realize that Janet is the one who really deserves the formula and his attention. Now he has to decide how he wants this story to end...and learn that no amount of re-writing can make him anything but himself.

I remember Dad-Bill renting this one at least once after it came out on video in the early 90's, but I don't think I've seen it since then. I've never been a fan of soap operas and have no trouble seeing them skewered. Candy has fun as the guy who finds out he can write himself into the macho role he's always wanted, and Samms and Hemingway, both of whom have considerable experience with real soap operas, have a blast as the two different women he tries to impress. This is a fun little gem if you're a fan of Candy or the real soaps from the 80's-early 90's this is spoofing. Here's the YouTube link if you're interested:

Delirious (1991)

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