“Weeds” is laugh-out-loud hilarious… and clever!

I just finished watching Season 1 of the Showtime comedy series Weeds.  (Since I don’t have cable, I have to depend on Blockbuster.)  I was curious about this show for a long time, and finally watched it this past week.  I didn’t know what to expect…  Mary-Louise Parker (MLP) is FABULOUS (as always).  She looks AMAZING for her age (note the skin and figure), and creates chemistry with all her co-stars!

 

MLP plays Nancy Botwin, a recently widowed mom who deals weed in the fictional suburb of Agrestic (near the hills outside Los Angeles).  Dealing is a business to Nancy, not personal.  She learns the ropes from her experienced, tough-talking supplier Heylia James (Tonye Patano) and Helia’s nephew Conrad (Romany Malco).  Heylia and her family live in West Adams, a mostly African-American neighborhood of LA.  Romany can also be seen in The Love Guru with Mike Myers. 

 

 

Nancy has two sons, Silas (a cute, popular teen) and Shane (an eccentric, sensitive kid).  These boys (Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould) hold their own alongside the adults on the show.  Thank goodness, they’re nothing like typical sitcom kids! 

 

It’s the kind of show where the viewer doesn’t know what’s going to happen next.  The music is very fitting, yet quirky.  The dialogue is realistic (yes, people do curse in the ‘burbs), fast-paced, and VERY FUNNY!  Characters are multi-faceted and contradictory (like real people).

One of the best things of this comedy (IMHO) is Justin Kirk.  I couldn’t figure out WHO he was for a few minutes; Justin had longer blonde hair and lost 20 lbs. for his role in Angels in America.  Justin played Prior, a young man dying of AIDS in the 1980s, in the HBO miniseries.  On Weeds he plays the lazy, pot-loving Andy (Nancy’s brother-in-law).  Andy and Nancy’s dim-witted accountant Doug (the always funny Kevin Nealon) NEVER need an excuse to get high.  Andy is dysfunctional, but sometimes pretty wise, too. 

Justin on Weeds

Justin at an awards show

 

Elizabeth Perkins plays Celia, Nancy’s neighbor and quasi-friend, who’s constantly trying to make her (failing) family life look perfect.  She’s obsessed with her little daughter’s weight and rules the PTA with an iron fist.  A lot of the dark humor comes from her character.  Celia has moments of vulnerability, too, defying the typical spoiled, bored housewife stereotype often seen on TV.  (She has a good figure too- not thin like MLP, but curvy.) 

 

 

Back in 2000, MLP and Ben were in Proof on Broadway.  Coincidentally, MLP was also in Angles in America, as was Ben Shenkman (he played Louis, Prior’s ex-boyfriend). 

MLP and Ben in Proof

Ben in Angels in America

 

Check out Weeds- you won’t regret it!  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439100/

U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team won BRONZE!!!

The routine that clinched it for our guys was Alexander (Sasha) Artemev on the (much-dreaded) pommel horse.  I KNEW he was a big talent!  Sasha was born in (what is now known as ) Belarus to gymnast parents.  His father was a former champ (as I wrote earlier) and his mother was a rythmic gymnast.  He came to the US at age 9, and became a citizen in 2002. 

Tonight, NBC broadcast the Men’s All-Around Completition- it was NOT as exciting as I had hoped.  But Sasha did well (again) on pommel horse; he was fast AND graceful.  The Chinese gold medalist (Yang Wei) was quite strong and calm; everyone in the crowd ROARED with excitement when he was competing.  He’s 28 (and a veteran of world comps) and will get married after these games. 

Jonathan Horton was OK, but nothing like during team competition.  He looked less secure.  Many guys had wobbly landings; few even slipped and fell!  This MAY be shocking to some viewers, but I can tell that gymanastics has gotten a LOT more difficult and dangerous (I’ve been watching it for a while).  While I’m NO expert in this sport (I know MUCH more about figureskating)- it seems like athletes are pushing themselves VERY hard.  And I’m sure the Olympics are pretty STRESSFUL (especially to teens and college-aged atheletes).  But I’m happy that we have SEVERAL strong gymnasts in these Olympics- that’s rare for US!

U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team is… PRETTY good!

I was more than a LITTLE surprised by the (mostly young) U.S. men’s gymastics team.  I mean, it’s a BIT hard to feel uber-confident w/o the twins, Paul and Morgan Hamm.  Yes, they’re BOTH out now!  But I discovered that the team can go on…

 

In the 1st qualifying round, Raj Bhavsar (nicely profiled on NBC) did a very fair job.  His family had matching shirts w/ the inverted cross image on them.  It’s cool to see desis involved in sports (at such a HIGH level)! 

 

Recent college grad Jonathan Horton (only 22) seemed like the classic “all-around” athelete; he did everthing w/ ease and confidence (besides the pommel horse).  But, come on, that’s a TOUGH apparatus for many!  His youth, confidence, and calm reminded me of Shannon Miller (naturally). 

 

Justin Spring (what a cool name for a gymnast!) did some AMAZINGLY WILD moves on the high bar.  I don’t remember seeing anything like that before!  Below is a practice pic from The Washington Post.

 

But I saved the best for last- Alexander Artemev!!! 

 

Yes, that last name is Russian; his dad is a former Soviet champion, so that doesn’t hurt.  I have NEVER seen such a beautiful gymnast (on the U.S. team).  Sasha (as he is commonly known) has a slighter build than most other Americans, is light on his feet, has great body line, and can point his toes like a ballet dancer.  He brings to mind another era of gymnastics- thank you, Immigration!!!