Bloodsuckers and Widowers: A Love Story

I'm sad to report that yesterday, Wendy reported to me that she was falling in love with another man. It's true: his name is Edward (the tramp!), and he just so happens to be a vampire.

Yes, that's right, Wendy is the latest to fall victim to the charms of Stephanie Meyer's vampire romance, Twilight. Since last month, I've watched not one, but four of my family members (all female) find themselves debilitated and distracted by the apparent page-turner. Here are a few other examples of the book's power (with only the slightest of exaggeration):

• Jennie found herself glued to the book in a window seat while flying over the Hawaiian islands. "Are we there already?" she asked, oblivious that we had just crossed four time zones.
  
• Katie couldn't bring herself to come to the phone to talk to me about my wife's then-secret pregnancy because she was "more interested in vampires right now."
• Kristen purchased and finished Twilight and its sequel, New Moon, within three days time. She then promptly gave Jackson three days worth of neglected bottles.
  
• Most recently, Wendy bought or borrowed two pregnancy books, and quickly cast them aside for the more romantic persuadings of Edward and his infernal fangs. "I don't even remember that I'm pregnant when I'm reading about my hunky vampire!"
  

I'm pretty sure that if we husbands don't put a proverbial stake in the heart of Ms. Meyer's witchcraft, we'll promptly be served with divorce papers (signed in blood, of course). Brethren, unite!

I...CAN'T...WAIT!!!

It's really the mother of comic-book movie franchises. The Mona Lisa of superhero flicks. And it's rebooting again, coming up on May 4. Yes, I'm talking about Spider-man 3, and if I sound a little excited, well...that might be understating it a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a comic-book movie nut; there have been more stinkers (Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four) in the genre than real winners. But when moviemakers get one right, man do they make me feel like a 10-year old boy all over again. I mean seriously...fast-paced action, killer special-effects, teen angst, romance...Spider-man movies have it all. And Spider-man 2 was even cooler than the first; here's hoping that Spider-man 3 will continue that trend!

Watch a trailer here, and then go buy your tickets here; I've already bought mine. Isn't it time we all revisited our youth?

Is "Lost" good again?

I really hope my sentiments aren't premature, but right now the answer to the question is YES, "Lost" has been really good in recent weeks. True, the Nikki/Paulo episode was morbid, but in a very logically-satisfying way. But at least the recent Locke and Kate episodes felt relevant and moved the story along. This pleasing trend was magnified tonight in the very intriguing, very smart, very revealing Juliet-centric episode. Why was it so satisfying? Probably because it gave us some good answers, and restored a bit of our waning faith that the producers aren't just making it up from week to week. It feels really good to say it: "Lost" is finally worth talking about again!

I wish I could say the same for "24," which, after starting the season strong, has lagged in recent weeks under the heavy burden of a boring White House, Jack's unconvincing family history, and an interminable nuclear bomb/terrorist plot. I was pleased, though, with this past Monday's finale, which at least promises to bring us back to a character whose past was left up in the air, and which will bring Jack Bauer back into the forefront of the show. I hadn't given up complete hope, but the prospect of a new direction for the remainder of the season brings some promise to an otherwise lackluster "24" season.

Man I love my DVR!