Tag Archives: 4th of July

Just right

It’s Fourth of July weekend — albeit a stormy one here in New York City — and Mashable.com has posted 15 fun ways to ‘geek up’ your 4th of July.

My favorite?

A picnic table condiment set, complete with vintage containers.

Mashable likes it because it’s a retro, miniature version of the real thing.

Maybe it’s my New York City point of view, but….

Looks full size to me.

Where’s the love?

There’s a whole lotta hatin’ going on Facebook and Twitter about tomorrow’s Royal Wedding.

True, the news media is filled to bursting with coverage — all the minutiae on Kate and Wills, their families, the wedding parties, the route, the ceremony, the receptions, the ridiculous souvenirs.

It’s almost as annoying as NBC’s promotion of The Voice.

But how can Americans spew such bitterness upon these nuptials, when we typically lavish such love on all things British?

Don’t we get all excited each summer come Wimbledon… even though its finals fall on or around our nation’s Independence Day?  Sure, we have the US Open in September, but their tennis tournament has the Duke and Duchess of Kent, strawberries and cream, and spiffy tennis whites.

It’s so proper.  It’s soooo not us.

And don’t we love the actors and actresses who hail from the British isle, with their superior dramatic training and — most importantly — their glorious British accentsDidn’t we just bestow the Best Actor Oscar on the very worthy Colin Firth for his performance in The King’s Speech?  We love him ‘exactly as he is’ — for his Mr. Darcy-ness — a quality that could not be achieved if he were not British.

You know it’s true.

So, America, try to recapture some of the love for the British that was in your heart when you gave The King’s Speech the Best Picture Oscar…when the very prickly, very American The Social Network clearly deserved to win.

It’s there.  You’ve just forgotten.

(Ad campaigns will do that to you.)

Marathon weekend

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

You’re no doubt gathered with family and friends around a grill laden with burgers and hot dogs, enjoying a cold beverage and awaiting the start of your local fireworks display.

…or, at least, that’s what every image you see on television and in movies would have you believe.

But did you know that there are 155 television marathons planned for the 4th of July weekend alone?  Fans of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Monk,” “The A Team,” and even “Silent Library” can watch episode after episode of their favorites over the next three days.

Do you think these marathons are planned for folks standing around the charcoal briquettes?   “Gather the kids, Grandma — there’s 12 hours of ‘Ugly Betty,’ and the family wouldn’t want to miss it!”

I don’t think so.

The TV networks program marathons over the holidays because so many people don’t have that idealized, family scenario.  They may just be hanging out, enjoying their free time…or they may be lonely as hell.

It’s just funny to think the folks who sell the idea of what the 4th of July holiday is all about also sell the substitute…

Just in case.