They WERE on a break...
I have been to the puppet show. I have seen the strings.

And I'm not happy about it.

As the quintessential Pisces girl, I live life with a pair of Rose Coloured Glasses firmly strapped to my head. I prefer illusion to harsh reality, which is why I have always found it difficult to reconcile the fact that I love documentaries. Love of learning could be one answer, but it's what you learn that ruins a lot of things for me.

Case and point: "The Making Of (Name Your Film/Show Here)". I love the snippets of interviews and behind-the-scenes goodies we get to see, but always come away with an altered view of the original presentation. Which is the general idea, I suppose. Suspension of Disbelief is incredibly easy for me to achieve. I enjoy getting lost in the plot. I very nearly failed one course in college when I was required to write a film review of Broadcast News, one of my favorite movies. Since I was taking Print Journalism, it used a lot of lingo and visited a number of issues that I could identify with. The paper I eventually handed in was pitiful, and I had to explain to my instructor my love of cinema and my obvious inability to pick it apart, analyzing the protagonist's stuggle, etc. He passed me, but I suspect it was based on my review of my reviewing techniques more than anything else.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, the mall.

While out shopping for Christmas gifts for others, I was drawn like a moth to flame into one of the music stores in the mall. I located the dvd I was searching for, and immediately put it back once I saw the price for the Criterion Life of Brian was going to top $70. Gah. Maybe later. On my way out, of course my eye caught the Special Edition of The Princess Bride, a must for any respectable collection. Oh, Best of Friends, Volume 3? Sure, throw that in as well. Big mistake.

Included in the Top Five shows is a documentary surrounding the creation from beginning to end of the first episode of the 1999-2000 season. Even as I was watching it, I knew it was an error of epic proportion. I don't want to know that 14 writers are responsible for the witty banter between the actors, or that Monica and Chandler's apartment doesn't at least sit, complete, over the summer hiatus, ready for everyone's return in August. They have tons of pictures so they can recreate the immaculate #20. On a sound stage. Bummer.

Okay, you can just stop that right this instant. I know what you're thinking. Well, I'm not some eejit who thinks these characters are real. Don't get me confused with Brooke Shields' character. I just thought my favorite sitcom worked differently, that's all.

I can see you're not convinced...

Posted at 6:48 a.m.