Monday Munchies - Tostitos Hint of Jalapeño

I'm old enough that it seems like every day I encounter something that reminds me how old I am.  Sometimes it's a joke that Jimmy Fallon makes on his late night talk show.  Usually it's the realization that, despite being legal, the chick I was thinking of hitting on is too young.

But I'm also of the age where I can remember when Jalapeños were a frighteningly powerful south of the border pepper that would literally melt your face off.  It something was branded jalapeño it meant that it was for someone much more manly than the average American.

Now I could toss together a witty line involving "Arizona" "border" and "Republican's worst nightmare" but this intro is already running too long.  Needless to say the "Average American's" palate in 2011 had adapted to tolerate jalapeño everywhere, even snacks, like Tostitos Hint of Jalapeño.

Remembering - Phil Hartman

Thirteen years ago tomorrow, my world became a darker place.  One of the few things I looked forward to, Phil Hartman making me laugh, was taken away.

Yeah, Thursday May 28th 1998 was a pretty sad day for me because one of the funniest people I knew of and a guy who played a role in three of my favorite shows was dead.

I'll never forget when I heard the news.

Thanks Netflix! - Luther

I think the first time I was aware of the BBC program Luther was when I saw an ad in something I was reading.  And the first thing I thought was "oh snap; it's Stringer Bell!"

Of course at the time I didn't have cable or a television, so I didn't get a shot to watch it.

But now that I've got a television and while I don't have cable, I am doing the whole Netflix free trial thing and Luther is available on the Instant Queue.

Six hours later, here are my thoughts.

Five Shows We're Glad Are Not Available on Netflix Instant Queue

Netflix has devastated our free time.  We're talking an ugly back alley beatdown  involving elbows, brass knuckles and possibly a sock full of nickels.  It's ugly how much time we're spending glued to our respective and occasionally collective televisions.

But things could always be worse.

Case in point, there are some shows that lasted for multiple seasons which aren't available with the Instant Queue option.  We'll share with you five shows that could totally ruin any of our summer plans.



Quincy M.E. - Look, despite the fact that every February we at F&S predict the death of Jack Klugman, we really love the guy.  And that's one of the reasons why we're glad Quincy M.E. isn't available on Instant Queue; because we can't get enough of the guy.  

Other reasons; Quincy M.E. is awesome.  Murder.  Corpses.  An awesome theme song.  Quincy's assistant Sam.  Seriously, just writing this and thinking about the show has us lamenting the fact that we can't watch it right now.


Barnaby Jones - How cool is Buddy Ebsen?  The Beverly Hillbillies ends and he takes a year off before jumping back with the hit show Barnaby Jones.  That is star wattage.

Barnaby Jones was cool because it conformed to some cliches of the tv detective drama while rebelling against others.  Barnaby was a retired P.I. who came out of retirement to get justice for his slain son.  On the other hand Barnaby didn't drink anything stronger than milk.  Admit it; you're frustrated you can't experience this show for yourself.


The Odd Couple - Did you not understand when we said we couldn't get enough Jack Klugman?  Seriously, we are diehard Klugmaniacs.

But we also love (and sorely miss) the late Tony Randall.  We met the guy once and it was one of the realest moments of our lives.  So, yeah, if we had the chance to watch The Odd Couple featuring two of our favorite actors of all time, we'd do nothing else.


The Bob Newhart Show - Being the students of comedy that we are, we've got the upmost respect for Bob Newhart.  In addition to directly influencing us, he's influenced us indirectly by influencing some of our favorite comics.

Um, plus the show was darn funny.  It featured sitcom director Peter Bonerz in front of the camera and The Simpsons' Edna Krabapple as Bob's receptionist.  Also, it's a damn funny show.    


Police Story - It's a cop show.  It's an anthology.  It's a precursor to the modern cop ensemble.  It's Police Story, the best show you've never heard of.

Ok, we'll admit that of all the shows we've listed, this is the one we've seen the fewest episodes of.  That's why we wish this show was on Netflix; we've only seen glimpses of it's glory and we want more.

We implore you; if any of you readers have the chance to watch only of these show you should drop everything and jump at it.  Trust us, you'll be glad you did.

Monday Munchies - Häagen-Dazs Limited Edition Sweet Chai Latte

I am not a fan of tea.  It goes back to my childhood and my deadly serious asthma attacks. Ma Serpico would try a home remedy recommended by my babysitter.

It was a pungent tea that was brewed.  I distinctly recall seeing a strainer being used and it's horrible taste.  As a kid it felt like the remedy was worse than the ailment.

As a result I swore off of tea.  I don't drink ice tea.  I don't drink sweet tea.  In fact the I'm pretty sure the only time I ever drink tea is when a) I'm sick or b) last year when I lost my voice at The xx concert.

Still, I've often had people recommend that I try out Chai Tea.  And that's why when I saw Häagen-Dazs' new limited edition flavor was Sweet Chai Latte, I was full of trepidation.

RIP Randy "Macho Man" Savage

One of the best to ever do it.

Five Acts I Expect To Release Albums in 2011

2011 has been shaping up to be a pretty good year musically.  Saigon, Foo Fighters, Iron & Wine, The Kills and Raekwon have all released stellar albums and the year's not even at it's halfway point.

But I'm never content when it comes to musical content.  I'm always expecting  for an artist and group to drop new material. And the cool thing about listening to so much music is that there always seems to be someone I like who's got something new on the horizon.

Well you can take your Detox and The Carter IV and cram them somewhere tight. Here are five acts that I'm hoping release new albums before the year is out.

Doves Are the Business

You know those bands that are so great you're amazed that they aren't super stars?  Well, that's how I feel about Doves.  I just simply can't believe that everyone doesn't love Doves.

This occurred to me because on awhile back I put their four albums into my stereo and I've pretty much listened to them for a week straight.  It's like I'd been taken back to when was first introduced to the band.

Thanks Netflix! - 30 Days

So, I  recently signed up for the whole Netflix 30 day free trial, which means that I'm not going to be doing productive for the next 30 days.  Seriously, my queue is pretty stacked right now.

In an effort to try to keep Fish & Spaghetti afloat, I decide that I'd do my best to write up what I'm clearly going to be spending too much of my time watching.

And I figured that since this was a 30 day trial, it's start things with the docuseries 30 Days.

Monday Munchies - Izze Sparkling Birch

I'm a pretty big fan of cream soda.  It's pretty much the only thing, apart from water, that I drink on a regular basis.  It's been established that the presence of cream soda is how I decide if a store sucks or rocks.

It's equally established that I shop for groceries like someone who's stoned.  So when I went to Whole Foods with a hankering for something to drink I ended up leaving with a four pack of Izze Sparkling Birch.

It may have been the biggest mistake of my life.

Allow me to explain my thought process.

FOX News vs Common (Sense)

Ok, so this FOX News attack on Common is officially out of control.  It was funny in the beginning.  It was like a cute little throwback to the culture wars of the 1990's.  "Hey remember when Dan Quayle attacked Tupac? Well now your kids can say they experienced something as absurd as that."

But this "story" is still going on?

It's bloody ridiculous.  Allow me to explain.

Cesar Luciano - The Great Depression (Mixtape)

Providence's Pride and joy back with another banger.. Three tapes in four months.. always quality over quanity.. That said, I'd say this kids got a lot on his young mind and something to say worth a listen or a hundred.. Download link below..

Cesar Luciano - The Great Depression

previously Cesar Luciano - Black Thursday Mixtape

You Know Why Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is Dynamite?

All this talk about the death of Osama Bin Laden has gotten everyone at One Fish & Spaghetti Plaza thinking about the nature of revenge and the justification of the use of lethal force.

Naturally the conversation turned immediately to one Paul Kersey.

By this point we at Fish & Spaghetti shouldn't have to continue telling telling you why the Death Wish franchise is easily one of Hollywood's greatest and most enduring franchises.  The proof should be in the pudding.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

Monday Munchies - Häagen-Dazs Limited Edition Blueberry Crumble

I have generally fond memories of Häagen-Dazs ice cream from my childhood.  These memories hail from a time when ice cream was licked with a tongue rather than eaten with a spoon.

Whenever Ma Serpico and I would go the Foothills Mall we would hit up Häagen-Dazs for a treat.  She's usually get Butter Pecan and I'd opt for something childish like Cookies & Cream or Strawberry. It was a nice little mother/son experience.

And since Mother's Day was yesterday I thought perhaps I'd be able to make a tangential link between those experiences and my thoughts on Häagen-Dazs Limited Edition Blueberry Crumble.

(Yeah it's a stretch, but it's I'm writing this at 3 in the morning and my logic says it's cool)

"Follow these rules, you'll have mad bread to break up..."

Twitter Tuesday - The Saga Bin Laden

I'm not the biggest twitterer out there.  I'm barely on and I can rarely manage tweeting something I'm interested in typing much less something someone else is interested in reading.

But social networks sites can be useful.  They have the immediacy of being on the pulse of the public, so when something happens, everyone knows about it. And that's what happened with the news of Osama Bin Laden's death.

Monday Munchies - Lay's Kettle Cooked Creamy Mediterranean Herb

I've never been a fan of potato chips.  Maybe it's because I was raised in the American Southwest, but I've always preferred corn chips to potato chips.  I'd much rather have a Frito or Dorito over a Ruffle, despite their lack of ridges.  Maybe it's a texture thing or maybe they just come in better varieties, I can't call it.

But lately potato chips have been winning over some of the snack shelf share because of the kettle cooked kind.  I love how crunchy they are.  I've really been enjoying the Utz kettle cooked line.

So when I saw that Lay's had two new varieties of Kettle Cooked chips I knew I was going to try them out.  This week; Creamy Mediterranean Herb.