After some consideration, I decided to bump iCarly up to become my favorite show. While I have several TV series on my hard drive in their entirety, I have only been watching iCarly lately. I have been watching the Wonder Years previously and probably should finish it sometime, but Season 6 just isn't as fun.

I'm downloading Hey Arnold and might get a chance to view it over Christmas. The more I read about Helga, the more I think about Sam. I can only hope this extends to the secret crush aspect as well.

Image spam!

Here's a quote from every episode of Season 1:

SAM: Carly will never love you.
FREDDIE: That's it! I'm taking my stuff and going home!
CARLY: Please stay.
FREDDIE: OK.

SPENCER: It was a terrible mistake, Officer... Carl.

(Sam notices her head is resting on Freddie's shoulder.)

FREDDIE: If I do, will you kiss me?
CARLY: No!
FREDDIE: Then no!
CARLY: Oh, come on!
SAM: I'm gonna puke all over both of you!

SPENCER: I don't know when I grew leg hair!

(Sam pushes Freddie and the shopping cart down the hallway.)

SPENCER: Never forget to buy candy on Halloween.

FREDDIE: You know, this might not be so bad: just you and me, together, alone...
CARLY: OK, we are in a serious situation here, this is no time for you to bust a move!

SPENCER: What doesn't really work?

MARILYN: Dear God, he fell through the floor.

SPENCER: Read my back!
MORGAN: (to Carly) If you ever need my help with anything, you just call me.

(Carly and Sam perform the Ankle Swear)

CARLY: "Carly and Sam roll Freddie in bread crumbs and bake him at 350"?
SAM: Just 'til he's golden brown!

CARLY: You can't have a real job, you're Spencer!

FREDDIE: I'm talking about the blond one!

SPENCER: Please tell me I'm wearing underwear.

CARLY: But wait. Don't you still have to remember to put that ball back at the top every day?
SPENCER: I'm going to bed.

(Sam and Freddie carefully remove their Tekfoots. The three of them slowly walk away.)

SAM: Impressive, that might get you double detention. (Finally, a compliment! Woot!)
FREDDIE: Yep. When Principal Franklin sees that, you better believe he's gonna--
(Gardener washes off Freddie's vandalism.)

SPENCER: Do you know what it's like to be harassed every day by some kid?
(Freddie glares at Sam, who smiles sheepishly.)

SAM: Sound like Spencer, not Darth Vader!

BOY: Sam, does your mom drive a rusty old pickup truck?
SAM: Yeah.
BOY: It's on fire.
SAM: Ssh! Reading!

(In the limo)
SAM: Whoops! My finger's in your nose!

FREDDIE: I just got the new cable for the--Whoah.

CARLY: Please never make those faces again.

I compiled a list of things Sam did to Freddie on iCarly. Have fun.

101 Sam drags Freddie across the hall by his feet

102 Sam wrings out her hair in Freddie's face

103 Sam pours her breakfast in Freddie's backpack

105 Sam puts a piece of popcorn up Freddie's nose

106 Sam sends Freddie on a shopping cart ride

107 Sam slams Freddie agaisnt a door many times

109 Sam spits half-chewed watermelon in Freddie's face
Sam throws Freddie across the hall
Sam gives Freddie a wedgie

111 Sam spins Freddie around while he is suspended from the ceiling

115 Sam squirts cheese in Freddie's face

117 Sam pushes Freddie down

119 Sam pushes Freddie's ladder

123 Sam blows up Freddie's pants
Sam sticks a rib to Freddie's face

125 Sam shakes Freddie around by his shirt

201 Sam squirts Freddie with a water gun

202 Sam slaps Freddie
Sam ruins Freddie's clothes
Sam destroys Freddie's laptop

204 Sam pants Freddie

205-7 Sam hits Freddie with an apple
Sam flicks pudding in Freddie's face
Sam pounds the door with Freddie pressed agaisnt it
Sam pushes Freddie out of a plane

208 Sam knocks Freddie over
Sam hits Freddie with an umbrella
Sam and Freddie fight, pulling each other's hair

This list is incomplete, for example there are too many insults to track on this show. But feel free to add to it.

Maybe I've been watching too much of The Wonder Years lately. Little Kevin was so adorable, so prone to getting in trouble, and so me. Of course, growing up in super-urban Hong Kong 32 years after he did in suburban America meant I didn't go through a lot of what he did, yet somehow I still related to it. For example, I can't help but think about my own wonder years.

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We were one of those handful of private schools in Hong Kong that followed another country's curriculum instead, an "international school" as it was called. "A" transferred to our school in grade 11. At least I think she did, since she's not in my grade 10 yearbook. Anyhow, something about the different school systems meant that she was a full 20 months older than me, yet in the same grade. But I didn't know that. All I knew was that in high school Math class there were a lot of classmates who asked me to help them with a question once in a while, but she seemed to be at my desk more often than most.

We also had some science classes together. We did a lot of lab projects together. I'm not sure why. Maybe we were forced to be lab partners once, found that we worked well together, and so chose each other time and time again. And somehow, we became pretty good friends, even though we hardly talked about anything but academia.

In grade 12 chemistry, we sat together in class. Of course, it was awkward. For the most part, there were guy lab benches and girl lab benches. And then, right at the front of the class was us. While it wasn't like we purposely sat as far apart as we could (after all, we were friends), there were definitely times I spent peering over the projector in the front of the room because I still wanted to keep a fair distance from her. After all, I didn't want to give people the wrong impression.

But there was this friend of ours. Other than the fact he wasn't my roommate at a Malibu boarding school, he could have come straight out of Nickelodeon's tween show Zoey 101. His name was Michael. He played the flute. And he knew me inside and out. Or at least, he knew the one thing that would make it look like he did. (Sorry Michael for mentioning you by name, but I needed to do the comparison.)

It was the last semester of high school, in Calculus class. As usual, I wasn't paying attention; after all, I took the AP exam in Grade 11. Heck, I wasn't even in my seat; I was on the other side of the classroom where Michael and she were. One tip, Michael: if you're going to ask someone if they liked someone else, don't do it in front of that person.

She shot that question down before I could even open my mouth. I don't remember exactly what she said, but it was something along the lines of "That's crazy, we're just friends". Now, if this really was The Wonder Years, I would have been heartbroken. But in my 2000s version of classic 80s television, her reply brought more reflection than depression. I came to realize that she was right. I liked her, but I wasn't in love with her. Instead, I had a crush on someone else, even though I guess I knew all along I wouldn't get her.

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"B" had been going to our school since grade 5. I don't know why, but it wasn't until grade 6 that I really noticed her. But I did, and thus began many, many years of hell.

I'm not sure if she found my crush on her creepy or she simply hated my guts. She even kicked me in the calf once. Of course, it hurt more emotionally than physically.

I don't remember which grade, maybe 6th, but we had French class together. I remember having to work with her a few times. I'm not sure how we got through it all. I'm not sure how we even got past that half-minute of teasing before we even started. The teacher pointed out that it wasn't like we were getting married, but that obviously didn't help.

Watching her go out with other guys made me realize that my chance of doing the same was zero. And I guess after I backed off a bit, she eventually stopped hating me. She still didn't like me, but at least going to school was a bit more bearable.

Still, there was this one time I gave in to my feelings once again. I started following her around school, heck, I was stalking her. Of course, she caught me. Fortunately for me, she and her friends decided to talk to me directly rather than telling me off to some teacher. She didn't slap my face, punch me in the stomach, or even call me a jerk. Maybe she understood what I was going through, even if she didn't like that she was the object of my affection.

We even became friends of sorts towards the end of high school. We didn't hang out at school (she had her own cool group), but we chatted on the computer a few times. Only my closest friends still teased me about my crush on her, maybe because if anyone else did, I would have risked suspension just to make them pay for it. But then, would I really? After all, I wasn't exactly on the fitter end of the class spectrum.

We haven't kept in touch after graduation.

----------------

June 2006. Prom night. I went stag, in fact, I even took a marker to the slot next to my name so that no prankster could embarrass me by writing "B"'s name there. But of course, if someone did, he'd have to answer to her boyfriend too. I have to admit I even liked the guy somewhat. Maybe I was starting to surrender, but I thought they *were* cute together. They were announced cutest couple that night, but was there really any competition? (They're broken up now.)

I was nominated for some awards, like "Most likely to be a millionaire by 25". I'm glad I didn't win; I definitely am not living up to that title now. There were other awards and stuff, and some music, and dinner. To sum it all up, I was bored stiff. But then there was "A". We didn't interact all that much that night, but if it weren't for her, the night would have gone from decent to "I'm outta here".

I'm not sure why we took that picture together. Maybe it was the first sign of something more than friendship between us. But things would have to start slow. We didn't dance that night, so she never found out I didn't know how. We did however, leave the prom together, just the two of us on our way to the subway ("MTR") station on our way home. I'm not sure why we left together or what we might have said to each other that night. All I know it that it was the first time we hung out together outside of school.

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Before I left for Canada for university, we hung out one more time. We had dinner and a movie (actually, a movie and then dinner) at Times Square. Of course, Hong Kong's Time Square is nothing like its New York namesake. And I didn't see the night as a date until much later. For the two of us, it was just two friends hanging out one more time before I left.

The movie we watched was the great epic "She's the Man", to be sarcastic. I don't know what I liked about the movie the first time, but every time it aired on cable since, I couldn't stand to watch more than a few minutes of it. Maybe it was just the company I was with, me right against the wall, her by my side. Sometimes I wonder: why didn't I fall for her that night? Or at prom? Dinner was at a cheap Japanese fast-food restaurant. Fortunately, there's more to Japanese food than sushi. To this day I remember that she doesn't like raw fish.

I did meet someone I knew at that mall that day. I admit I was a little embarrassed. At least he wasn't in my grade.

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"A" applied to a university in Hong Kong. Hong Kong universities tend to look down on international school students, and they made her take a mathematics assessment test. So naturally, I offered my support and even gave her a few example problems to try out. I didn't think much of it, but apparently she thought it was sweet. August 9, 2006, she sent me an email signed "Love, [name deleted]". A week or so later, she flat out told me she liked me.

I wasn't shocked. We had been getting closer, even without high school to keep us together. But even ignoring the fact that she was in Hong Kong and I was in some small Canadian university town, I didn't feel ready for a relationship. Somehow, we didn't let that email affect our friendship. But over the coming months, I started to change my mind.

Jump to Valentine's Day, 2007. I sent "A" the cheesiest, most cringe-worthy email I could. And so we started a long-distance relationship. We talked about what we were up to, some of the things we liked, and we especially enjoyed thinking of things to do when I came back to Hong Kong for the summer. But we also talked about how she hated studying at her Hong Kong university. I knew it would mean we'd have trouble seeing each other again even in the summer, but when she told me she was considering a university in Australia, I encouraged her to pursue her dream. March 2007 came for me with the biggest phone bill I ever saw. Of course, it was how I was going to spend my money anyway, even if it was a rip-off.

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My semester ended in April and I returned to Hong Kong for a long summer break, only I didn't know just how long. June 28, 2007 was the last time I saw "A". It was 5 in the morning and there she was, walking into the arrivals hall at the airport, pleasantly surprised to see me there. I only got a hug, but hey, we were only friends the last time we saw each other. Maybe the physical stuff would take time.

Me, "A", and her brother went back to her place. We had breakfast at a nearby Chinese restaurant, and then I never saw her again. I think the weather that day was trying to tell me something. Anyway, a few days later, we were chatting on the computer, and out of the blue, she asked me if we could just be friends.

Maybe if I had forced her to explain why she was suddenly dumping me, we could have worked things out. But instead, all I thought was "it's over". I reluctantly agreed to her offer to be friends again, but somehow, it was just too awkward. Somehow, it seemed like suddenly we had nothing to say to each other. I did try to chat her up earlier this year, but it felt like it was always me trying to get her to talk and she really wasn't that interested. So I stopped.

August 11, 2008 was the very last time I talked to her. In MSN Messenger, there is space beside a user's name for a short blurb, and hers read "Although it's been a year, you're still in my dreams...Can I not let go?" Of course, I never stopped thinking about her, and that little line gnawed at me for a few days. I finally decided I'd rather get shot down than go on like this.

Of course, I did get shot down. Not that she hated me now or anything, but I was simply just another guy. While the line was from a favorite TV show of hers, and she told me she simply liked it enough to use it, sometimes I wonder what about that line made her like it so much. But I felt like I shouldn't press the issue any further.

And that was the end of it all. Our connection broke, but it didn't matter. There was nothing left to say.

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Maybe you are also a fan of that great show The Wonder Years. But even if not, all of us have a period of their lives they will never forget. All we can do is remember and hope others do too. After having not used Facebook for a year, I recently went back to the site. I found out that most of the comments on "A"'s Wall have been coming from one guy. They met in Hong Kong and seem to be good friends, but she's still in Sydney and he goes to college in the States. So I do see a slight variation of the situation I was in, only we are all a few years wiser now. Maybe they won't suffer the same fate we did.

I'm 20 now. Whoo-hoo. I feel 15. I'm not ready to be an adult. But time stops for no one. I'll just have to wing it.

For those of you who didn't watch Dancing with the Stars, Cody Linley gave the most fiery performance ever bar the Hough's pro performance on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good, but the moves were there. I mean, jumping off the stairs and landing in perfect sync with the music? I dare Lance to try. Leave it to Julianne to mould that raw energy into something coherent.

I'm hooked on the Wonder Years now. My favorite scene is the last scene of Nemesis (S2 E11). Fred Savage's performance just wouldn't be the same without Daniel Stern's narration.

I got a visit from some family friends on Sunday. It's been a while since I really interacted with anyone other than ordering food at the local plaza. So that was good.

Lastly, I want to promote the Naked Brothers Band. I realize some people might have been put off by the earlier episodes, but the drama in Season 3 has been ramped up to the max. Go to Turbonick and look for "Mystery Girl". No, it's no "iGo to Japan", pulling "only" 4 million viewers as opposed to 8.7 million, but hey, it won't kill you to give it a try. And if you like it, the next episode is coming out Nov 22.

Screenshot: Dancing with the Stars, 10 Nov 2008. That's not the pro who's in the air.

I had a major exam this week worth 50%, and I managed to miss it. I had forgotten about it, but even that wasn't too bad, as it was during class and I might have squeezed some marks even without studying if I had just shown up. But due to my craziness, I stayed up late last Thursday surfing TV.com, Youtube, and whatnot, and my sleep schedule has been wack ever since. I've failed to attend a single class this week.

I have two options:
1) Get a 92 on the second exam, using my 4 extra credits to save me (I got them by being a lab rat for the Psych department), or
2) Drop the course and try to maintain a 75% average so I'm allowed to retake it as a 6th course next term. The drop will be shown on my transcript.

If I choose the first option, it is doable, given my knack for multiple choice, but I would have to work extremely hard and will still only have a 50 or 51. If I choose the second option, it might be doable, but with harder and harder courses each term, my marks next term will tank. I'm already a terrible student who can't get himself to study unless it's just before a exam. That will have to change now. Of course, there's also an issue of the 75%. I'm hoping that doesn't include the course I'm in trouble in, or else I'm really dead.

I can attempt the first option and retake the course only if I fail, but if I wait until December, the course may be full next term by then. I don't know what to do!

I could have put up a post-it note. I could have entered it into my phone. But all I did was enter it into my iPod, which doesn't even alert me of events unless it's on, and it's usually not. Stupid, stupid, me.

I guess my parents ought to know. They'll yell at me for sure, but if they have any advice at all, I could use it.

Just saw HSM3 on Youtube (all of it). I have to say that while there was a plot, it wasn't very well executed. While the songs and choreography was great, there really wasn't much there to bind them into a single work. Still, I'll definitely watch it again when it becomes availible in higher quality.

It's 4 am. My sleep schedule has been wack all weekend. How do I get to class 8:30 on Tuesday?

Do people actually read my blog? I spent much more time than usual on my last two posts, yet neither of them got any comments. I'm bummed.

My assignments are killing me. I had to read the code over and over again before I could figure out how to begin. It's like each term is exponentially harder than the last, but I can only learn at polynomial speed. Now that I finally got a vauge idea of what I'm doing, it will probably take dozens of hours to actually do it since I'm such a bad coder. I can introduce all kinds of bugs into my programs.

I ought to be able to handle the workload, but years of getting by in school with virtually no effort at all has left me incredibly lazy. And the joys of a working program are too far away to provide any motivation. I need to find a way to kick myself in gear.

"iHurt Lewbert"

"Mystery Girl"

Punky Brewster

1984 (Season 1): "Punky Gets a Room"

Man on left is also voice of Mandark on Dexter's Labratory

1988 (Season 4): Going to Camp

Yes, I did the math right. There was no 1986 season.

Kids Incorporated

1989 (Season 6)

Stacy Ferguson (before she became "Fergie") and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Like The Naked Brothers Band, the kids of Kids Incorporated used their real names (with some exceptions) and sang stuff. However, the Naked Brothers Band also write their own songs, play their own instruments, and have maintained the same cast for more than 2 seasons. They also have much better plots. But when it comes down to singing alone, the kids on Kids Inc are pretty awesome.

ACT I
1: Nat and Alex rehearse their lines in the street outside the studio. They break out of character and introduce us to the movie, a musical. They lead us into the studio.

Ironically, the movie has "Top Secret" in its title, yet we get to see this documentary.

Alex is excited about page 94, where he gets to kiss a girl.

2: Opening Credits. There is a Nat/Rosalina kiss that has not aired yet. Do they make up after the events of Operation Mojo? One would believe so.

3: Introduction to the Choreographer, and her son, the Director. Both are cuckoo. "Hardcore Wrestlers (with Inner Feelings)" in background.

The Director wants dark movie, Cooper wants a little humour. Nat and Alex mock the director.

4: Intro to the Writer, brother of the director. The Director explains his dark plans for the movie, the Writer disagrees. The Director goes off to tell his mommy.

5: Nat and Alex find Qaasim, Thomas, and David trying to pick a lock. They have gotten too obessed with their roles as juvenile delinquents. The Director tells them to rehearse their lines and belittles their music videos. They blow raspberries behind his back as he leaves.

6: First reading. Rosalina is late. The Director wants Nat and Rosalina to break up. Cooper, the producer, explains that their real life relationship will not affect the movie, but the Director ignores him. The Director calls Rosalina a shrub.

Nat asks about the Mystery Girl he will be kissing (which will not be Rosalina). Despite prodding from the entire band, even Cooper will not tell, as the deal is not finalized.

Nat and Rosalina read the first scene. Nat is "Daniel" and Rosalina is "Juliet". Their scene proves to play a pivotal role in the episode:

JULIET

Daniel, I have something to tell you.

DANIEL

What is it Juliet, what have you been keeping from me?

JULIET

I'm leaving you.

DANIEL

But I love you! Where are you going?

JULIET

Somewhere far away from here. I've always been too careful, too good. I need to go spread my wings and have the time of my life. Goodbye, Daniel.

DANIEL

Goodbye, Juliet.

It is revealed that Rosalina is a terrible actress. The first try, she deadpans her delivery, the next two tries she flaps her arms uncontrollably.

7: Nat reveals that Rosalina is in a national violin competition. Alex is looking through headshots of his potential kissing partners in the movie. Nat tells him that Juanita has been asked to audition, which freaks Alex out.

However, this is temporaily forgotten as it is revealed that Dad and Jesse are auditioning too. However, Jesse needs to sing, but can only do so in the shower, as she demonstrates by singing under the sink.

8: Qaasim, Thomas, and David are trying to break into Cooper's office when Qaasim's mom catches them. Cooper arrives right then and she begs for a role in the movie. She starts showing off her dancing skills, or lack thereof, as the guys (except Cooper) sneak off.

9: Nat reveals that Rosalina won the national violin competition (see I.7). However, he says that there was no prize, which sparks the other guys' curiosity. Cooper finds a pamphlet that Rosalina dropped and hands it back to her. It is about the prize Nat doesn't know about yet.

10: New scripts are handed out. Rosalina has been written out. Nat protests to the Director, but he tells him to talk to the Writer.

The band does acting excercises. The Director breaks up Nat and Rosalina, so Nat works with Alex. Alex, obsessed with the page 94 kiss, almost kisses Nat!

Rosalina knows that Cooper knows her secret and tells him not to spill. Cooper agrees.

ACT II
1: Alex sings "Blueberry Cotton". Jesse joins in, but Alex stops her, telling her to sing only under the shower or sink. Jesse protests but is interuppted by Dad practicing for his audition.

Jesse reveals that Alex chose Juanita as his potential partner in the film. Alex did not recognize her without her skating clothes and freaks out at this revelation. Juanita arrives to go skating with Alex, who hides under the piano.

2: The Writer tells Nat that the reason he wrote Rosalina out of the script was because she begged him to.

3: Rosalina confirms to Nat that she asked to be cut out of the movie. They joke about her arm-flapping.

4: Qaasim, Thomas, and David interrogate Cooper on the identity of the Mystery Girl. Cooper agrees to answer yes/no questions only, but it turns out to be a bad idea.

5: "Face in the Hall" music video. Rosalina messes up her part and the Director yells at her. Nat stands up for her, scaring off the Director, but the Choreographer yells back at him.

6: Nat comforts Rosalina over the previous scene, but Rosalina tells him there's something else. But before she can say anything, Nat gives her a present. It is a music box shaped like a violin. Nat says it is for winning the competition, still not knowing about the prize. They laugh at the poor rendition of "Your Smile". It is the first few bars of the song (originally played on the piano), but much too slow.

7: Qaasim, David, and Thomas have gotten some clues to who the Mystery Girl is, but can't piece it together, even as she (Miranda) walks right past them.

8: Juanita is trying on dresses for her audition. She asks Alex for his opinion, but he covers his head with a popcorn box and runs out of the room.

9: Continuation of 8. Alex tells Cooper (who is with Nat) he can't let Juanita get the part, claiming he can't control himself in front of Juanita now that she looks all girly.

After Alex leaves, Nat and Cooper talk about the interrogation the other guys put Cooper through. Cooper says that it is important to keep secrets, as Steven Spielberg told him, but lets slip that Rosalina is keeping a secret from Nat. He refuses to tell the secret but suggests that Nat talk to her.

10:
Crowning scene of the movie. Nat and Rosalina rehearse for the scene from I.6, which is now slightly different.

NAT (as Daniel)

Are you keeping something from me?

Rosalina is stunned until Nat points to the script. She is keeping something from Nat.

After a few lines, Nat breaks out of character. He tells Rosalina that Cooper told him to talk to her. He asks about the pamphlet she was reading, and grabs it out of her hands. This is when all hell breaks loose.

Rosalina has won a six-month cruise around the world as her prize in the violin competition and has decided to go. She tells Nat she hasn't told him yet because she needed time to think.

Nat is infuriated and throws his script down. He doesn't want to deal with it and orders Rosalina to go back to rehearseing the scene. The director secretly films this, and with all the real emotions going into the acting, even Rosalina suddenly becomes a stellar actress, and the scene is perfect... except Nat says "Goodbye, Rosalina" instead of "Goodbye, Juliet". The scene is so good the Director decides to use the take anyway, fixing the audio in post-production.

The other guys have found out who the mystery girl is. Right as they are about to reveal her identity, she, Miranda Cosgrove, shows up herself. As "Face in the Hall" plays in the background, Nat glances behind him at Rosalina, who is crying, then turns back to face Miranda, smiling awkwardly.

ACT III
1: Miranda is on a TV show discussing her role as the Mystery Girl in the movie. The host keeps putting words in her mouth, ending with "Miranda neither confirms or denies that she and Nat Wolff are an item."

2: Alex squeezes pass the paparazzi and into the studio, right into Nat's room. Rosalina comes in right after, prompting Alex to leave them alone so they can "not talk", as he puts it. After a few brief exchanges, Rosalina leaves. The music box rendition of "Your Smile" (as in II.6) plays in the background.

3: Mr. Wolff, Principal Schmoke, and Tuffie are all auditioning for the role of "Dad". Mr. Wolff and Schmoke spill coffee on their pants, so Mr. Wolff borrows Tuffie's pants, which fall down during the audition. He gets the part.

4: Miranda and Rosalina are having lunch together. The pranking trio sit down at another table, lamenting that pretending to be juvenile delinquents is no fun anymore.

Juanita, in a pretty dress, walks up to Alex and says hi. Alex freaks out and shoves a pie in his face. Juanita calls him weird and walks off, and Nat walks over. Nat knows what is bothering Alex but decides not to press the issue. Nat then spots Rosalina with Miranda, and Rosalina sees him too, but they don't speak. Rosalina leaves, and Nat sits down with Miranda.

Miranda shows him a tabloid. The article claims that Rosalina is leaving because Nat has fallen for Miranda instead, and even has a manipulated photo of Nat and Miranda together. They joke about the hilarity of it all, and how Miranda is much larger than Nat in the picture.

The trio are joined by Jesse, who is lamenting her inability to sing unless wet. They hatch a plan.

Miranda asks Nat if he thinks Rosalina is believing the rumours, saying that she seemed kind of down. Nat reveals that he and Rosalina have been in a silent fight. Miranda tells Nat he shouldn't be fighting with her at all and that he should be happy for her for winning the trip, even if he is not happy himself.

5: Jesse auditions. She sounds horrible at first, but the trio set off the sprinklers, and she immediately sounds amazing. As a joke, even the accompianment changes to reflect this.

6: Nat is waiting for Rosalina outside her house, surrounded by paparrazi. Rosalina arrives home. Nat claims to be happy for Rosalina, but Rosalina senses otherwise. Nat claims that he was just upset that she took so long to tell him, but then he blows up.

Nat accuses Rosalina of telling Cooper before him, and even says she was faking her bad acting so that she would be written out of the script, allowing her to go on the cruise. Rosalina insists that she really can't act, but Nat claims she is a better actress than he ever knew. Nat storms off, and the paparazzi swarm in on Rosalina.

7:DELETED. (Nat calls Rosalina to apologize but only makes it worse. This scene has been leaked onto Youtube.)

8: Nat tells Miranda of his conversation with Rosalina the previous day. Miranda says he was probably not happy enough for her. Eventually, she does get Nat to admit he probably did something wrong.

Miranda shows Nat another tabloid picture, this time manipulated to show them kissing. Again they joke about how Miranda is larger in the picture. They even run up to the door and press their lips to the glass, letting the paparrazi snap away.

9: Mr. Wolff gets the part of "Dad", Jesse plays a music teacher, and Schmoke and Tuffie get to be wrestlers. Alex asks whether Juanita got the part or not. Juanita runs in and reveals she did, but refuses to kiss Alex and runs off.

Suddenly, Alex doesn't not want to kiss Juanita anymore and is upset she doesn't want to kiss him. He follows her out into the hallway.

10: "Scary World" music video. After the song, Nat has to kiss Miranda. They screw up twice, and the Director yells at them, but the third time is perfect. However, both Nat and Miranda find the kiss extremely awkward.

ACT IV
1: Alex demands Nat smell his breath. Nat declares it minty-fresh, causing Alex to wonder why Juanita doesn't want to kiss him. Nat suggests that Alex is too young to kiss, but Alex claims otherwise, practicing on some stuffed animals.

Nat reveals that he had just kissed Miranda for the movie, and that it was weird since they had become good friends. Alex says he feels the same way about having to kiss Juanita.

2: "Blueberry Cotton" music video. The filming reaches page 94, the page of the kiss. The singing ends and Alex and Juanita lean in to kiss, but Alex yells stop.

Alex and Juanita tell the Director that they don't want to kiss, but the Writer reveals it was a typo and Juanita was supposed to KICK Alex. She does, and Alex fakes being hurt. They giggle as they return to their places.

3: Nat is waiting outside Rosalina's house as she emerges. There are many paparazzi outside. Nat apologizes for accusing Rosalina of faking her bad acting, but Rosalina tells him not to as every time he apologizes, he ends up saying something to make it worse. She also accuses him of not being truly happy for her, pointing out that he never asked her what countries she was visiting. Nat stupidly responds that he thought she was visiting all the countries.

ROSALINA

Do you even know how many countries there are?

NAT

No, but I do know I'm gonna miss you, and I feel really terrible that you're leaving, and today I kissed Miranda in the scene and it felt really weird!

Upon revealing he kissed Miranda, the paparazzi swarm Nat. Rosalina breaks free from the swarm, while the paparazzi chase Nat in the other direction.

4: "I Don't Wanna Go to School" music video. Jesse is pouring water on herself to sing properly. The student cast throws a riot.

After the shoot, Nat accuses the Director of making Rosalina want to leave by being so mean. The other guys decide to extend the riot backstage, and attack the Director. Even his brother, the Writer, joins in. Cooper reveals that since the Director is incapable of his duties, he, as the producer will be taking over. Everyone else cheers.

5: Nat is on a rooftop and is joined by Miranda, who asks how the riot went. They admit to avoiding each other after the kiss. Nat reveals that he and Rosalina still haven't made up. Miranda tells him that to do so, he has to come up with a big jesture that will wipe the slate clean. Nat recalls something Alex suggested to him way back in "Battle of the Bands", something he never got to do. But this is even better.

6: Rosalina is sleeping when she is woken to the sounds of "Your Smile". She thinks it is the radio, but discovers that it is in fact Nat and the rest of the band. They even moved a grand piano right under her window!

Rosalina rushes downstairs and she and Nat finally make up. Nat, recalling their previous conversation (IV.3), recites a list of countries Rosalina is visiting. She notes that he forgot Australia, but he replies that that belongs in a different category, being also a continent.

Nat, borrowing a line from the movie (see I.6), tells Rosalina to spread her wings and have the time of her life. They kiss, then hug, and the rest of the band joins them.

END CREDITS AND "OPERATION MOJO" PROMO

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Best scenes: II.10 (the trip is revealed), III.6 (Nat accuses Rosalina of faking), and IV.6 (the serenade), the best scene of all.

NOTES:
Alex claims to be ready to kiss in IV.1, but the fact that he demonstrates on the plush toys proves he is not. Kissing is not about the lips, it is about what one feels inside.

Nat slipping out of character in II.10 made all the difference in the movie. It shows just how intense things are as Nat discovers Rosalina had been hiding the trip from him. As seen in the promo, Nat breaks down when forced to revisit this scene in post-production.

To me, the rest of the cast, even the other three guys in the band, were delegated to filler material for most of the movie. This is sad, because the main plots seemed incomplete at times. We don't get to see enough of the tension between Nat and Rosalina, and the awkardness of the Nat-Miranda kiss is never really dealt with. Also, Alex said he and Juanita had discussed the kiss before deciding not to do it, but this is never shown. I think their problem was resolved a little too easily. A typo?

Scene IV.5 is actually very important. If I was not told that it was possible for Rosalina to forgive him just like that if he pulled things off just right, I might not have bought the next scene. Indeed, what Nat did was grander that I could have guessed.

So will Allie DiMeco be pulling a Sean Flynn on us, disappearing for the majority of the season? I really hope not. I wonder how the rest of the season will turn out.

Rating:

Initial score: 10

Alex and Juanita's plot resolved too easily: -0.2
Not showing Rosalina's side of the fight: -0.4
Thomas' hair: -0.1
Not resolving the Nat-Miranda awkwardness: -0.2
Too much time on minor plots: -0.2

Final scene and Nat's white suit: +0.6

TOTAL: 9.5