-GASP! No title! I wasn't feeling particularly creative when it came to a title, so I skipped it.

-I watched Uptown Girls on Wednesday. This movie is a clear example of an “okay” movie. It was boring at times, but interesting in others. It was predictable but not too predictable. Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning were good in the movie, although most of the other characters didn’t leave much of a mark. This could have been a good movie, and if it was any worse it would have been a bad movie. So, it ends up 50/50.

-I read Fruits Basket Volume 1. I now see why people say the manga is better than the anime (while saying that the anime is very good). The artwork is nice, the story is great, and there are things in the manga that aren’t in the anime. The anime story didn’t deviate from the manga much (at least in regards to what is in this beginning volume) but what got me is how the anime almost exactly duplicated the look of scenes in the manga. I almost wonder if they just used the manga as a storyboard, the scenes are so similar. Also, Tohru doesn’t seem as stupid in the manga as she does in the anime. There is an omake in the manga that makes it clear that Tohru is dumb, but in the anime, she’s a bit stupider. Also, there is more interaction between Kyo and Tohru than seen in the anime. Maybe they took some of the Kyo/Tohru things out to balance the relationships between Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru. From the manga, it seems pretty clear that Tohru belongs with Kyo, but this is only the first volume. Fruits Basket now replaces the completely released Kodocha as the second shoujo series I collect (other than Kare Kano).

-RA#3 (Random Admission #3): I enjoy watching “The O.C.” Yes, the fish-out-of-water story involving a poor teen from a rough neighborhood who moves to a rich neighborhood has been done before. Actually, a lot of the storylines and elements of “The O.C.” have been done before, but they’re being done skillfully and with enough twists to keep you guessing. Also, unlike other teen dramas, the adult characters are just as interesting as the teens. I also like the way the teen characters are archetypes but actually have some depth. Seth is the geek (after all, he is into comic books), but he’s a geek who had two girls pining for him...something most geeks would kill to have. Luke is a jock-type...whose father is revealed as being gay and has humbled quite a bit over the course of the show so far. Summer is the “hot girl”...who is deeper and smarter than she looks or acts. I won’t continue with more examples, but “The O.C.” is a lot of fun to watch without being mindless, uses cliches then breaks them every so often, and is at times as scandalous as any old-school prime-time soap. All this adds up to a show that my mom, sister, and I can’t miss every Wednesday night.

-Gah, I can’t stand those new Quizno’s commercials. Out of all the crazy internet shorts to make into an ad campaign, why use ugly monkeys (yes, those things are monkeys) with horrible voices? I’d rather see Strong Bad advertise for sub sandwiches any day.

-Greg Maddux is with the Cubs again. You know, there is no scarier thought for a Chicago White Sox fan then the Chicago Cubs actually being serious about winning. The Cubs drew crowds to Wrigley back when they were laughing stocks, while the White Sox can barely draw a few thousand if they are actually winning. The signing of Greg Maddux will draw even more crowds to Wrigley while the White Sox (who wanted to draw crowds back with the sorely needed remodeling of their stadium) will probably be left in the dust. I think the rivalry is about to get bitterer.