Desperate Housewives

Good morning, everyone! Ready to dish? I am! Picking one actor this week was a tough job. I was partial to one’s performance, but another one also did really well. So, I have decided to go ahead and pick them both. This week, I’ve picked Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross.

Ever since the beginning, Felicity has managed to make me tolerate Lynette no matter how many dumb moves she makes. Like getting Tom fired, pretending one of her kids is sick to get into yoga… you get the idea. Still, I’ve really warmed up to Lynette ever since Kayla and her mother entered the picture. I like that, for awhile anyway, Felicity managed to walk a thin line between resentment and discomfort with the kid and affection. Now, she’s doing an excellent job of portraying a scared and frustrated mother dealing with a clearly messed up kid. The slapping scene in the mall is a perfect example of that. You could just feel the terror and frustration coming off her when Penny is threatened. She combines it with total regret over the slap itself. Kudos to her…. can’t wait to see where this all goes.

Meanwhile, Marcia Cross is doing a great job as well. Especially in the scenes where Edie blackmails her and she confesses the truth to the others. As Edie reveals she knows everything about the baby, Marcia Cross seems to visibly age several years in about two seconds. As for the confession, I loved the combination of resignation and regret in her voice as well as the obviously gratitude and relief when the others side with her and tell her she’s a great mom.

So, there you have it: my favorite performances this week. What do you think? Did I overlook someone? Let me know about it in the comments. Well, that’s about it for now. See y’all next time. I’ll be dishing about the finale promo, Richard Burgi’s (Karl) appearance on Reaper tonight and more this week. You won’t want to miss it!

Hello, again! As promised, I’m back to give you a little recap of James Denton and Marcia Cross being interviewed on a couple of talk shows.

First up was James Denton. He appeared last night on Last Call with Carson Daly. Carson introduced him by saying he stars on Desperate Housewives and, in the process, is keeping the show from reaching dangerously high levels of estrogen. Ok, kinda lame, but it still got a laugh out of me. Surprisingly, Housewives wasn’t the first thing they talked about. They started off the conversation by talking about James’ band called “Band from TV”. It features Bachelor Bob Guiney, Bonnie Somerville, Hugh Laurie and Greg Grunberg and others. James said that Teri Hatcher recently joined the band as well. He credits her as the reason that the band was featured on the recent Idol Gives Back special and that Band from TV actually helps raise money for a variety of charities. A new DVD they are releasing through the website will also contribute to these causes He also talked about how they convinced him to sing a couple of songs himself, even though he usually plays guitar. According to James, he made a point of choosing songs he can mostly talk through. He added that, while the band doesn’t sound selfish, it really is because “we get to pretend we’re rock stars.” I thought that was really cool. They don’t seem to take it too seriously. Carson actually played a clip of Bonnie and Hugh singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. It didn’t sound half bad. Check out a picture of him performing with the band:

That wasn’t all they talked about, though. James also told a funny story about going to the Golden Globes one year. Apparently, a guy cornered him at the event, calling him “Lost”. Someone else with him said they don’t think it’s him, but a picture was taken of James anyway. Just in case he was actually Matthew Fox of the series Lost. They closed off the interview by playing a clip from this weekend’s Desperate Housewives and talking about Out and About with Allergies. It’s a free Zagat guide for people who have allergies that tells about the best places to go when you have them. It also tells people how to control allergies and things they should ask their doctor about. James is supporting it because he suffers from allergies himself. The free guide is available here. Now, we move on to Marcia…

She appeared on ABC’s The View this morning. She even came onto the set pretending to read Barbara Walters’ new biography. This interview seemed a bit shorter to me, and the ladies almost seemed to talk over her in some parts. They started the interview off by talking about Marcia’s twin girls and showing a picture of them. I really liked her for this because she admitted it was hard to get pregnant at her age and said she wanted to make people aware that it really isn’t that easy. She says she even turned down magazine covers because she didn’t want to be out there promoting a misconception about fertility. On a slightly less serious note, she talks about suffering “mom guilt” when she can’t be with them and feeling like a true success now that she not only has the career, but a family as well.

Whoopie then asked her about the period between Melrose Place and Housewives. Marcia says it was a time when she was trying to figure herself out. She wasn’t getting roles that really interested her and wasn’t quite fulfilled personally, so she decided to take time out to get her psychology degree.

One of the cuter moments came when she was asked how she plays the uptight Bree, since she’s nothing like her in real life. Marcia responds that she has no idea how she manages it, it’s just some magic that happens when she gets those clothes on. She said she even starts straightening crooked pictures on the set and stuff like that. Now, that, I want to see!

To close things off, they talk about Marcia’s support of the skin cancer takes friends project and how important it is to protect your skin from the sun. She said her husband only started listening to her when he needed to get something frozen off his face during a doctor’s visit. She also talked about the misconceptions that darker skinned people don’t get the disease. The project has a website where people can sign themselves and a friend up for a free screening.

Well, that’s all for now. Look for another recap next week when Teri Hatcher also appears on The View. I’ll see y’all again on Monday with a recap of the latest episode. Have a great weekend!

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well today and ready for the new episode this weekend. So, how many of you have heard or have the Desperate Housewives soundtrack? If you don’t, you’re missing out (yes, this includes me). I was exploring Amazon last night and listened to some of the sound clips. There’s a lot of country on it, but there are also songs by Gloria Estefan, Joss Stone and others. One of the cuter things about the CD is the bits of dialog that are spread out through it. They picked bits they really fit each character. Gabby, for example, has the “I’ve been poor but happy before, and guess what? Wasn’t that happy” quote, while they chose Lynette talking about how other mothers make the parenting thing look easy.

By far, the best song on it is called “God Bless the American Housewife”. The song is performed by SheDaisy, a country music trio made up of sisters. The song was clearly written to touch of each character and the video is great as well. Here’s just one line from the song:

“Look at how my children play Commando in the cul-de-sac
Look at how my husband has survived another heart attack
Look at all the other mothers envious of all my things
Have to call the plumber cause my daughter flushed my wedding ring”

The video features Kassidy, Kelsi and Krystin on the set of the show re-creating classic moments from the first season. Kassidy (the brunette) plays Susan and Gabby, Krystin (the blonde) plays Lynette and Edie, while Kelsi (the redhead) makes a scary-accurate Bree. They burn down Edie’s house, get pulled over with the kids acting up in the backseat, mow the lawn in a party dress and other great scenes. If you want to see it, check it out here at the CMT web site. When you finish watching it, why not come back and tell me who made the best “housewife”? I’m personally partial to the one who played Bree. Well, that’s it for now. Check back a little later, when I’ll be sharing a really cute photo. See ya then!

I thought I’d take some time each week to recognize one actor or actress who came along and stole the show on the latest episode. This week, it’s Rachel Fox. She’s the adorable girl who pays Kayla, the latest addition to the Scavo house. While there were some great scenes and performances this week, I really feel like the Scavo plot made this episode, and she was at the heart of it. Rachel’s doing a great job of playing a messed up and very creepy kid. When she calmly smiled at Lynette as they were leaving to take Parker to the hospital, I got chills. Her expression perfectly showed what Kayla obviously was thinking when she came up with the whole umbrella idea: Keep messing with me. You see what I can do when you’re not looking?

Rachel is only 11, but she’s already got a nice resume built up. She’s made guest appearances on several Disney shows, including Hannah Montana and That’s So Raven. In addition, she played a young Sydney on Alias and did some voice-over work. If that wasn’t enough, her official site’s resume also lists some theatre credits to her name. Not bad for someone not even out of junior high. I’m thinking that if she keeps her head on straight, she’s got a long career ahead of her.

So what does everyone else think? Feel like another character stole the show? Tell me about it! Well, there you have it: my first “Actor/Actress of the Week”. I’ll be back either later today or tomorrow with news and other cool stuff. See ya then!

Good morning, everyone! So, I took some time yesterday to think about the show a bit and come up with some topic ideas. It didn’t take long for me to start reflecting on all the memorable scenes this show has had. I figured, why not highlight these moments? It’s not easy picking one, but I finally settled on a moment from the Season 2 episode “That’s Bad, That’s Good”.

As you all recall, I’m sure, George spent quite a bit of time harassing Bree and trying to win her over. One day, he finally pushes her too far. Bree is holding one of her dinner parties, when he shows up with a karaoke machine. Much to Bree’s embarassment, he starts serenading her with a house full of guests. Bree tries to politely make him leave, but he doesn’t. So, in typical Bree fashion, she puts on a sweet smile and excuses herself, running upstairs.

Next thing you know, Bree is in her room, loading a shot gun. She goes over to the window and demands he leave. When he refuses again, she cocks the gun and aims it at the speaker, firing a shot. Of course, George runs and Bree calmly re-joins her guests, acting like nothing ever happened. That image of Bree in a prim party dress, cocking a rifle is one of the most memorable images of the show for me. It also illustrates the complicated nature of Bree’s character. She’s prim, proper and all about maintaining her dignity. Still, she’ll go psycho on you if you give her cause.

To see what happened on last week’s show, check my recap.   In the meantime, I’m sorry I wasn’t around much this week, it was a very stressful time in the house here and I had a lot going on, not to mention a sick baby.  Oy!  But tonight, I’m here and ready to recap!

We see Edie as a little girl, and how the little boys in her neighborhood used to make her scream on purpose.  As an adult, Edie isn’t as scared anymore.  Just about one thing, her lover leaving her.  And we see Edie catching Carlos trying to leave on the fly.  Because he knows she’ll throw a fit.  She won’t spill his secrets, as long he tells her the truth of why he’s leaving.  Is there someone else?  He says, “nope” and so now she feels free to turn him in.   That’s the way to win him back!

It’s Halloween time on Wisteria Lane (wasn’t that last week?).   Bob and Lee are going around the neighborhood to invite everyone to their Halloween party and they start with Bree since they figure she’ll be most understanding, having a gay son and all.  They spot Danielle peeking out an upstairs window and mention bringing her.  Wanting to keep the charade that Danielle is at boarding school, Bree says that’s her son, playing a bit of dress up.  Bree gets on Danielle for looking out the window and Danielle says she’s bored.  She wants to go but Bree won’t have it.  We see Gaby, bags packed and ready, leaving a voicemail for Victor telling him she’s leaving him.  I think it’s funny how she expects that to be the end of that.  Susan is concerned that her doctor wants her to get genetic counseling.  You know, cuz she’s older now.  And in the midst of this, Susan finds out that Mike’s dad isn’t as dead as she previously thought.  He forgot he told her that he was dead when they first met.  Of course, this is a big deal to Susan.   Lynette is home from her pet-scan and she notices a hole in her garden.  And her mom mentions offhandedly that she might have seen a possum around.  Lynette freaks out about it, more than she should.  We see Mike pop a couple pills and stuff the bottle in his glove compartment.  He sneaks in, thinking Susan is asleep.  But she’s not.  She wants to hear more about his dad of his.  He tells her his dad is in prison for murder.  And makes Susan feel like an idiot for pestering about it too (not hard to do).  He’s doing life without parole and he visits a couple times a year but doesn’t have much of a relationship.  Susan, of course, wants to meet him.  He doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but she insists.

More obsessive behavior from Lynette about the possum and her ruined garden.  She has plans of killing the possum and her son (the older one, what’s his name again?) balks at that.  Bree wants to send her daughter back to the convent again.  And she almost doesn’t care.  She’s just tired of being pregnant.   Bree tells her it might be harder than she imagines to give up the baby.  Danielle doubts it.  Gaby is confronted at home by Milton, Victor’s father.  He heard her message (first) and urges her not to leave him.  Victor hasn’t heard the message yet.   A divorce would be damaging to Victor’s campaign for governor and he attempts to bribe her with a huge check.  If she wants the money, she needs to stay married for 13 months, until after the election.  He wants his son to go straight to the top.  Edie is disappointed to see that the IRS can’t find anything amiss with Carlos’ offshore account.  He moved the money, of course.  Which causes Edit to shower him with insults.  She promises him that it isn’t over.  She’s not done with him.  He says it is over, and that he won.

Bree is trimming her hedges and is confronted by Lynette who needs gardening advice.   She wants to borrow a gun so she can shoot the possum.  But Bree tells her it’s against the law but suggests an air rifle.  It’ll stun him but good.  I think Lynette is trying to avoid thinking about the pet-scan.  Gaby wants to extend the separation between her and Carlos to thirteen months so they can have the money.  Carlos mentions this makes Gaby a prostitute and he’s not at all for it.  She insists that they need the money.  He doesn’t think they do need the money, because he has some stashed away.  A whole $10 million dollars.  Gaby is thrilled to hear this.  But then, she realizes he had this money when they were married and she should have gotten half of this money when they divorced.  How can she trust him?  And if she can’t trust him, she can’t be with him.  She kicks him out.  She’s just bipolar now, isn’t she? Susan and Mike are visiting Mike’s dad and things are a touch awkward.  She asks him some questions from the genetic counselor.  She also wants to know who he killed.  He killed his boss.  Apparently this guy weaseled him out of a job and after a while Mike’s dad got annoyed with him.  So he killed him.  So maybe there’s some mental illness on Mike’s side.

The party is a big one, everyone is all decked out and so is the house.  Adam and Katherine show up Frankenstein and Marie Antoinette.  Bree is Little Bo Peep and her son is Cher, Julie is a faerie and Orson is a goofy Prince Valient looking sort.  Then Danielle shows up and she’s dressed up JUST like Bree.  Ingenious.   Bree isn’t impressed by the impersonation.  Mrs. McCluskey is a witch, predictably.  Susan is upset because Mike’s dad shows no remorse.  Mike seems weary of the topic.  She won’t let it go, because that’s what Susan does.  She thinks he’s evil.  Mike says he’s a good guy who did an evil thing.  She thinks if he was a good guy, he would feel bad about what he did.  Lynette isn’t dressed up, but is laying in wait for the possum.  She’s got her air rifle and she’s single-minded.  Tom urges her to go inside and lie down (he’s dressed up as an old west sheriff).  She’s irrationally upset about the possum.  She will not let it defeat her.  It’s pretty sad and pathetic, actually.  He’s worried for her, as he should be.  Bree wants Danielle to go home and right then, her water breaks.  Bree tries to cover it up but Danielle is in instant labor.  They rush home (where Bree will not allow Danielle on the reupholstered couch).  Oh, and Orson is plastered.  So she rushes off to fetch Adam and swears him to secrecy.  Funny enough, he knew she was faking her pregnancy.  So right there in the kitchen, Adam delivers Danielle’s baby.  It’s a boy!

Danielle is recovering from her delivery and looking tired and quiet.  Bree is holding the baby.  Danielle asks if the baby is okay, he is perfect.   She doesn’t want to hold him, though.  She looks sad though and reconsiders.  How can you not love a baby?  She marvels over him.  Bree looks nervous but motherly.  She asks Danielle what she wants her to do.  She asks her mother to take him.  She asks if she’s sure.  She doesn’t want her to make a mistake.  No, it’s the right thing to do.  It’s as if she’s giving him up because she loves him, not because she doesn’t.  Very mature of her.  Bree obviously feels bad for her daughter.  Danielle fights back the tears.  Very sad stuff.  Gaby leaves a message for Susan, letting her know to tell the other women that she’s going away for a while.  To think and do some things.  She leaves for the airport right away and in her limo is Victor.  She tells him she’s leaving him and he wants to know what he needs to do to fix it.  He offers not to run for governor in order to make her happy. It’s his father’s dream, but she’s his dream.  Gaby looks torn.  Susan returns to visit Mike’s dad, alone.  She doesn’t believe that he doesn’t feel bad about killing that man.  She cares because her baby carries this man’s genes and she doesn’t want her baby born without a conscience.  He explains to her that if he concentrated on what he did to that man, he’d go crazy.  He does regret what he did to his son.  It ruined his life and he’s worried that it will affect him the rest of his life.  He warns Susan to keep an eye on Mike.  She doesn’t look very comforted.

Victor is visited by Edie who shares the photos of Gaby and Carlos that her private investigator took.   Edie, interestingly enough, pushes most of the blame for the affair on Carlos for seducing Gaby.  Lynette is napping on the couch when her doctor shows up at the house.  Lynette is up off the couch in a flash.  He’s happy to tell her that she’s clear of cancer.  Lynette looks stunned.  And then she walks out to the backyard where she stares up at the sky with a new appreciation.  She is victorious.  She’s got her life back.  And that’s when she spots the dead possum and she apologizes to it.  Then she cries.  Bob and Lee pack up their decorations and the neighborhood has their own fears.  And that’s it!  For this week, at least.

We know him as Gaby’s shifty political husband Victor Lang.  On AMC, viewers know him as Roger Sterling, ad exec boss on “Mad Men”.  What it comes down to is that John Slattery is a very busy man these days!  Yahoo News Canada recently ran a story on him and his “double duty” that you might want to check out if you think Victor Lang is more hot and bothered than mean and dirty.

Me? I think the guy plays creepy REAL well.  I see him on “Desperate Housewives” and my skin starts to crawl.  Even before he started doing all the shady stuff.  But now that Gaby and Carlos are having an affair (does that sound strange to anyone else?), I can only imagine what will happen when Victor inevitably finds out.  Yikes!

But, as we all probably figured, Victor Lang won’t be on Wisteria Lane for the long haul.  His is a temporary role and he freely admits that “Desperate Housewives” will continue on with great popularity long after he’s left the show.  In the meantime, let’s enjoy what is in the cards for the new Mrs. Lang and her ex-husband.  How far will Victor go to gain the Latino vote in his run for governor?

Don’t forget, “Desperate Housewives” premieres on Sunday at 9pm.  Don’t miss it!

Today I have more “Desperate Housewives” promotional pictures for you to enjoy.  I found these over on the “Daily Mail” website and knew that I had to share them with you all.  These are some great shots, and the ladies look fabulous.  Can you spot the plot cues in each picture?  If you’d like to see the pictures larger, just click on them and they’ll open up.  Are you getting excited for the new season yet?

In case you’ve missed it, you can catch up on season 3 of “Desperate Housewives” right this very minute if you want to.  That’s because season 3 has finally been released on DVD.  The “Dirty Laundry Edition” is currently on sale at Amazon.com for the discounted price of $38.99.

This edition of the hit television series features a lot of extras within it’s six discs.  Check out “On Set with Eva” where we can watch her goofing off on the set or “Here Comes the Bride” which highlights moments and details from the shows three weddings.  That’s not all either.  No, this DVD is jam packed for the average “Desperate” fan and I doubt anyone will be disappointed.

So if you missed season 3 or would like to catch up on the action before the premiere on September 30, stop by your local store or order from Amazon.com.

To be honest, there hasn’t be a lot of “Desperate Housewives” news this week.  Jesse Metcalfe has been in the headlines, as you’ve seen by Wednesday’s post.  Apparently, he’s also going to be getting back together with ex-girlfriend Nadine Coyle, but don’t quote me on that as I haven’t thoroughly investigated that source.  James Denton was challenged to a little bit of baseball by an LA Times columnist with the proceeds from this bet going to charity so it’s hard to know who to root for.  My money is on James.  Everything else has been about Eva and Tony’s wedding and I’m just about sick to death of hearing about it, I don’t know about you.  Thank goodness that in a little over one week’s time, it will be old news and we can MOVE ON.  Yes, yes, I’m sure this wedding will be the bee’s knees and just the most awesome thing to ever hit the planet.  But I can only read so many news stories about the consistency of their wedding cake or what the couple registered for at Tiffany’s or whatever else have you.  I’m looking forward to a weekend off of the goofy details.  Bitter much?  Enjoy your weekend, all!

She’s tried before and failed, but she’s willing to try again.  Even if it means undergoing plastic surgery to get there. She has tried to be on “Desperate Housewives” before, as Susan’s mother, but lost the role to Lesley Ann Warren.  Joan thinks that if it’s her looks that are the problem, she’d happily go under the knife to become beautiful once more.  Surely I can’t be the only who thinks that this all sounds a touch too “desperate”?  As she says, “‘Desperate Housewives’ is one of the best things ever to hit television. I’d jump at a television series.”  You have to admit, the show sounds exactly like something that would be up her alley.  Surely they can find SOME sort of part for her, I’d think.

This may not be a personal blog, but I’m not immune to the charms of the blog meme.  Recently, Victoria from About San Diego tagged me to do a “7 Things” style meme and far be it from me to resist.   I’ll see if I can tie it back around to my topic, but don’t count on it.

Seven Unusual Facts About Me:

1. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school and get this: I actually liked it.  It was a very laid back atmosphere but still expected academic excellence and good behavior and that just really jived with my personality.  Plus, I made some really good friends while I was there.
2. I am the last of five children.  Not just last, but way last.  I’m 8 years behind my older sister and 14 years behind my oldest sister.  I think it’s easy to say that I wasn’t exactly planned by my parents.  I’m sure they’re glad they had me now though.  I hope.
3. For the longest time I was a die-hard cat person.  I loved having cats as pets and barely could tolerate dogs.  That is, until we got our rat terrier “Beetoe”.  She decided I was her person and glommed right on to me.  Then we had some cats that were nothing but a pain in the arse.  Now?  I find I’ve flip-flopped.  I prefer dogs to cats.  Of course, we have to be talking about well-behaved dogs.  Still, I do appreciate a good, sweet cat from time to time.
4. When I was growing up I used to love reading these young adult romances from a series called “Sunfire”.  They each featured a different teenaged girl at some tumultuous time in history.  The titles of the books were the girl’s name such as “Amanda” or “Jessica” or “Merrie”.  I loved those books and devoured them from the library.  I wish I had purchased more of them because they aren’t around any more but I still have a few tucked into my bookshelf.
5. All through high school and through most of college I always insisted that I didn’t want to have children when I was older and married.  I never enjoyed babysitting and didn’t feel I would enjoy having my own kids.  I changed my mind when, get this, I watched the film “Nine Months” while I was in college.  Seriously.  The scene where Hugh Grant had missed his girlfriend’s ultrasound and she left him and he was sitting there watching the videotape of the ultrasound is what did it.  Where he saw the heart beating and started to tear up?  Yeah.  I was totally suckered in.  I’m still “baby hungry”.
6. I’m terribly shy and have a very difficult time approaching people.  I’m better than I was when I was younger, however, I still cannot call people on the telephone.  I have no problem (well, maybe I should say less of a problem) if they call me but will do whatever I can to get out of having to call anyone.  That goes for family other than my parents as well.  Email, I can handle.  Txt messages?  Fine.  Phone calls?  FORGET IT.
7. I subscribe to this rather silly law of averages.  For instance: If there are three women other than myself who are pregnant and they all find out before I do that they’re having girls, I believe I will have a boy.  OR if two find out they’re having girls and one finds out she’s having a boy, I’m still having a boy.  So far, that has proven itself to be true.  I believe that if I were to get pregnant again, I might very well have a girl because some close friends of mine have had many boys and only one girl so maybe the next baby born among the three of us will be a girl.  Time will tell, right?

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you all today.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll be back some actual, bonafide news!

This should surprise absolutely no one.  Apparently, the ratings firm Eurodata TV Worldwide recently ranked three shows as the world’s most popular.  They are “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Desperate Housewives” and (wait for it) “The Bold and the Beautiful”. The figures were “based on ratings in 48 countries with a potential 2.5 billion viewers”.  WOW.  I guess those are some popular television shows then.  I knew “Desperate Housewives” had some worldwide appeal but I guess I didn’t realize how much.  Congrats, guys!

You’ve heard of the Forbes 500 list, right?  Where the mega-magazine lists out the 500 top earners and shakers out there.  Well have you heard of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list?  This list measures, you guessed it, the top 100 Celebrity earners but also the top 100 “buzz makers”.  Well guess whose favorite Housewives are on the list?  Our gals of Wisteria Lane rank in at a respectable 34 on the list.  They share real estate with such celebrities as the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy”, Hayden Panetierre (from “Heroes”)  and Jeff Foxworthy.  If you’d like to see the rest of the list, check here and see where your favorite celebrities rank.   I’m guessing you might be surprised who ranks at #1 and who instead ranks at #3.

He played “Desperate Housewives” Ian, Susan’s erstwhile fiance and a fellow that proved to be rather unlucky in love.  But in real life, Dougray Scott is having quite a lucky time in love indeed!  The Brit wed his longtime girlfriend, actress Claire Forlani, in a private civil ceremony in Italy on Friday.  The two met a year and a half ago through a mutual friend and it has been love ever since. The ceremony sounds like it was a lovely one, with the bride wearing “a custom-made strapless gown by designer Junko Yoshioka, a crystal hair pin by Swarovski and Jimmy Choo heels”.  Sounds like every girl’s dream, doesn’t it?  Best wishes to the happy couple!