House M.D. is another of those television shows about doctors and hospitals that I would never intentionally watch. I watched 3 episodes, however, when I was held captive on a flight from the Philippines to Phoenix, on the leg from Guam to Honolulu.

Dr. House is an ass, and freely admits to it. He hires and fires doctors on his team for all the wrong reasons and gets away with it. Why? Because he's a brilliant doctor who's a kind of medical detective, searching for the cause of an affliction, not just treating the symptoms.

This is an excellent show and I don't know how I managed to miss it since 2004, even intentionally. Perhaps it was those 12 hour work days that went from 5 pm to 5 am. I probably missed more than my fair share of excellent programming.

House M.D. stars Hugh Laurie and an ever-changing cast of supporting characters. The 3 episodes I saw also had Kal Penn (Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar), which was an amusing addition. Here's a popular scene:

The Nanny Diaries is one of those movies I would never intentionally watch. I was, however, a captive audience while on a flight from the Philippines to the United States, on the leg that stopped in Guam. I watched it because it was the only thing to watch.

The story is about a young lady, fresh out of college, who decides being a nanny would be her chosen profession. It wasn't really boring, but it wasn't exciting either. Billed as a comedy/drama, I expected more laughs, but they didn't come.

The Nanny Diaries stars Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and others including Chris Evans (the only face I recognized). Here's a trailer:

The "Papaya" dance number was part of an album put together by famous Filipino actor, politician, TV host and comedian Eduardo "Edu" Manzano in 2007 called "World’s Greatest Dance Steps".

The video is taken from the popular game show, "Pilipinas Game KNB", a TV show he hosts here in the Philippines. He's dressed in 70s disco regalia to emphasize the style of the music. The actual Papaya song doesn't start until about a minute after the video starts. The song is annoying, but it grows on you. Here's a link to a better-sound file if you just want to listen to it: Groovychick - Papaya

"Spiders On Drugs" is one of those videos that makes you scratch your head at first. A friend sent me the link and I thought it was a documentary (and I was wondering why he would send me this kind of thing) until I got to the part with the restraining order. Okay, okay, I won't give anything else away. Enjoy the show.

A few years before "Spider-Man (2002)", Tobey Maguire starred in this charming flick about the simpler life of the 50s (in the USA) and the end of innocence. Most of the movie is in black and white, as intended, which causes the splashes of color to stand out even more.

Having grown up in the 60s, I can tell you that most television shows were still like that when I was a pre-teen. Parents slept in separate beds, children were respectful to their parents, there wasn't any swearing, and there's a whole lot more I don't even remember. Pleasantville is a "pleasant" reminder of simpler times and simpler things.

Pleasantville stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and even a few appearances by the legendary Don Knotts.