"I'm In." The Good Wife's Shocking Episode.

If you have not watched March 23^’s (Season 5, Episode 15) episode please stop reading now.

Very few would argue that CBS’ The Good Wife has never been, as well good, as it has since Alicia said the words “I’m in,” to Cary at the end of season 4. The Good Wife has never had to rely on car crashes, bombings, or any of the usual sweeps scenarios to generate interest or to propel the drama along. The Good Wife has always been that show that felt real. Yet, “Dramatics, Your Honor” was everything a viewer never thought they would see on The Good Wife, and it was amazing. Not only did the show manage to keep the death of a major character quiet for a year, but it was also written so that it makes sense to the show. How else would a lawyer die, but in a courtroom doing what he loves? It also left lingering questions that I believe will propel compelling further story lines. Why did Will’s client snap? How will his trial play out? What roles will Will’s friends and colleagues play in it? While the cause of Will’s untimely death was a practical behind the scenes reason, this event, it seems, will not be used purely for a one time rating generating event, I’m thinking of Glee’s “Shooting Star” episode, but will, as in real life, have complicated and persistent affects. I believe that The Good Wife will follow more on along the lines of ER’s "Be Still My Heart" / "All in the Family" episodes – Dr. John Carter’s character was never the same after that, and what happened in those two episodes followed the character till the final scene 8 years later.

We will see soon if The Good Wife will sustain itself without the Will/Alicia dynamic. I believe it can. No one thought Florrick, Argos, & Associates would really last either.

2014 Academy Awards

I love film. I also love any excuse to pretend I from a bygone era where everyone dressed up on a daily basis (I looking at you the 1950s). I am also single and childless, therefore, not much opportunity to throw a big bash - except for every year during the Academy Awards. I hosted an Oscar party for the first time last year, and while it was fun I was disappointed with how it turned out: I was too invested in watching every single minute of the broadcast, not enough games or options to accommodate my guests if they did want to watch or if they just wanted to hang out, and not enough guests. Thus, this year I took the 'go big or go home' approach. Here are some ideas to help you host your own Oscar party.

1. Pick a color scheme, stick to it, and make it simple. This year I went with black, white, and silver. Classic Hollywood colors. The year before I tried to do all the official Oscar colors (black, white, red, and gold) and it was way to much going on and did not look clean or elegant. Next year I am thinking all gold or black and red.

2. Find some games. I find that having an Oscar Ballot, Oscar Bingo, and some sort of trivia game works best. I Googled/Pintrested until I found a Ballot that worked best with my theme and printed clearly. For prizes it's better to go with the major categories such as Best Picture, Actress, etc., unless you have major film buffs going to your party. The best bingo that I found was from www.punchbowl.com, but wait till it is closer to the broadcast or your bingo will be outdated. I also found a word search that worked great as a good gooey bag item, but too time consuming for the party itself. I made the trivia game myself. I had my guests guess Academy nominated films by quotes from the film or by trivia from imdb.com. For winning each game I gave out books, dvds, or soundtracks from movies.

3. Add a Hollywood flare. This year I had a popcorn machine and mason jars with each nominated film written on them with chalk. Furthermore, in the picture below my friend baked Oscar cupcakes and added stars and a paper cutout of the famous statue. For the last surprise, after the best actor was announced I pulled out a cake with the words "Sorry, Leo" (see picture below). 

Have fun with it and
see what works best.
Next year I hope to do a candy/ice cream bar. We'll see how it goes!