Survivor season 41 premieres tonight, and you better believe I’ll be watching (I’ve never missed an episode). Survivor took last year off due to the pandemic and they’ve made a few pandemic-related changes to the format, such as shortening the filming time from 39 days to 26 to accomodate a 14-day quarantine agreement the show made with the Fijian government.
Almost Famous was released on this day in 2000. Featuring a lovely cast, an Oscar-winning (and semi-autobiographical) screenplay and a killer soundtrack, Almost Famous is Cameron Crowe’s love letter to music – and to the people who love the music. You can stream Almost Famous on Amazon Prime.
Lost premiered on this day in 2004. By turns intriguing and infuriating, Lost is one of my favorite series – but I fully acknowledge its flaws. What a pilot episode, though! J.J. Abrams gave the project a cinematic feel, opening on an eye that we’ll soon learn belongs to our hero, Jack Shephard. Fun fact: Jack was initially going to die halfway through the pilot – and be played by Michael Keaton. When the producers came to the ridiculously obvious conclusion that Jack was the leader of this ragtag group of survivors, Keaton dropped out and the role went to Matthew Fox. You can stream Lost on Hulu.
Friends premiered on this day in 1994. The pilot, which features Monica sleeping with Paul the wine guy on their first date, was controversial; NBC, concerned that viewers would see Monica as a slut, asked for some edits. Test audiences responded with a wholehearted shrug, and NBC let the issue go. Nearly twenty-two million people tuned in to Friends that night, and the series lasted ten seasons.
Hubby had never seen The Insider, so we watched it last night. It’s held up well, and Russell Crowe’s performance still blows me away. Crowe should have won the Oscar for this, but Kevin Spacey – who has not held up well – beat him; Crowe took the Best Actor prize the following year for Gladiator. If you’ve never seen this flick, you can check it out on Amazon Prime, but hurry because it leaves on the 30th.
I’m in the middle-ish of watching Friends right now, and I am enjoying it so much. And I haven’t seen The Insider but once, I’ll have to watch it again while it’s on!
Peanut Butter and Julie 
I’m in the middle-ish of watching Friends right now, and I am enjoying it so much. And I haven’t seen The Insider but once, I’ll have to watch it again while it’s on!
LikeLiked by 1 person