Existential questions, Atticus Shaffer, The Middle and a date update

I often wake up with existential questions running around in my head like squirrels on meth. Questions like am I a nerd or a geek? Or am I both? What was Aaron Spelling thinking when he hired Shannen Doherty to work on Charmed after what happened on the original 90210? And who came up with the word “hubris”? That word sounds weird, “hubris”!

The existential question I woke up with today is: if I were able to pick a TV character to be my friend whom would I choose? The answer came very easily to me. It would definitely be Brick from The Middle. Brick is quirky, smart, loves to read, whispers to himself, has no friends and is afraid to kick a ball! He would be perfect as my friend. Sure, there is a vast age difference, but who cares, I’m sure we’d have fun. I must say the charming young actor who portrays Brick, Atticus Shaffer, has perfect comedic timing. Even the blandest of lines sound funny when he works them (not that there are that many bland lines on The Middle, this show is pretty good). Who wouldn’t want a friend with a cool name like Atticus? Somebody slap this kid with a couple of Emmys already. Listen to me Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, you must be watching shows from another dimension if you don’t recognize this kid’s talent soon.                                                           

                                                                                                               

The very talented Atticus Shaffer (Brick, The Middle)

Speaking of The Middle, did you catch Brooke Shields as the skanky Rita Glossner on this week’s show? DeAnn Heline, Eileen Heisler, ABC...please do us all a favor and hire Brooke as a permanent fixture on the show. Please. America, do yourself a favor and watch this show. The wry, humorous take on family life on The Middle is often roll-on-the-floor hilarious. Combine this with a very talented cast and what more do you want from a show? Comparing The Middle to Malcom in the Middle is legitimate but unfair. The characters have different issues, the focus of the show (mom-centricity?) is very different and the sense of humor is unique. The Middle is also much funnier. The show has been overshadowed by the critical success of the slightly overrated Modern Family this season. Yeah, the critics love Modern Family, it’s their doll. They praise it for its diversity, cast and humor. I get that, but I think The Middle deserves more praise than it’s getting. Well, that’s my two cents about the show!

       The hilariously skanky Rita Glossner (Guest star Brooke Shields, The Middle) sporting a bra and a beer (A guy's favorite two words starting with a B?)

-tonight I’ll be going out on a date with OKteChy22 from that personals website. If it goes well, I’ll let you know how it went in my next blog. Otherwise, I'll pull a Scarlet O'Hara, ignore the whole thing, think about it on a different day or pretend it never happened. Another existential question, should I wear the blue shirt or the green one?

The superbly funny cast of The Middle. Left to right: Neil Flynn (Mike), Patricia Heaton (Frankie), Atticus Shaffer (Brick-my imaginary friend), Charlie McDermott (Axl) and Eden Sher (Sue).