The second season of "Gilmore Girls" is when a lot of things did not happen to Lorelai Gilmore. It started with Lorelai not marrying Max ("Red Light on the Wedding Night") and ended with her not marrying Christopher ("I Can't Get Started"), but Sookie got married so at least there was some progress in that area, although the duo's plan to open an inn together hits a major roadblock ("The Ins and Outs of Inns"). Of course, the most important thing that did not happen to Lorelai was that she manages to really notice Luke despite the fact he is pretty much there in front of her every morning at the diner. Clearly the creators of "Gilmore Girls" remember what happened to "Moonlighting" once Dave and Maddie stopped bantering and started kissing and other things, so the agenda is to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. So even if it is obvious to everyone else in Stars Hollow (to wit, Emily), does not mean that Lorelai has a clue.

As for Rory, her junior year at Chilton has its ups and downs. and not just because of Paris. The ups would be "The Road Trip to Harvard" and making her society debut ("Presenting Lorelai Gilmore"), while the downside would be the rift between her and her grandfather because of Dean ("Sadie, Sadie") and the problems with Dean because of Jess ("There's the Rub" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"). If anything, the common denominator is to make sure that none of the Gilmore women are happy, which means Rory is mad at Lorelai for blaming Jess for the accident ("Help Wanted," Lorelai is mad at Emily for arranging their going to a spa together ("There's the Rub") and Emily is mad at Richard for quitting his job without consulting here ("The Bracebridge Dinner"). What? You thought Emily was going to be mad at Rory? Are you kidding? Have you not been watching this show?

For me the fascinating part is watching the yang of Lorelai and Emily's relationship compared to the yin of the Lorelai and Rory dynamic. For me some of the most memorable moments from season two are when Emily orders Richard to make up with Rory because if their granddaughter ever gets married she to know about it (Lorelai did not tell her parents about her engagement to Max) and the look on her parent's face with Lorelai gets her business school diploma ("Lorelai's Graduation Day"). But then a good rule of thumb is anytime we see a chink in Emily's armor it is a moment that will be hard to forget. I am still trying to make up my mind as to whether or not Lorelai has an even more strained relationship with her father than her mother, given his visit to her place of work ("Richard in Stars Hollow") and her visit to his new office ("Help Wanted"). I am certainly leaning in that direction, but it is still open to debate.

But overall the two emotional highpoints of the second season finding Lorelai giving and then receiving as good as she gets. The giving happens in "Teach Me Tonight" when a totally distraught Lorelai goes after Luke because of the car accident where Rory gets hurt (slightly hurt, but hurt is hurt, and there is a cast on her arm, mister), creating a serious rift in their relationship. The receiving is two episodes later in "Lorelai's Graduation Day" when Rory misses the big event and offers the most high speed combined heartfelt apology and verbal self-flagellation in television history (I agree with her, I think she had a stroke or something).

My strong affection for high-speed dialogue can be traced from "Gilmore Girls" back to "Moonlight" and beyond to "The Thing From Another World" and any movie starring Groucho Marx. Equally as strong is my enjoyment of gratuitous pop culture references, especially as manifested in "The Simpsons" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." So to have a series that combines both of these elements and provides deleted scenes on the DVD is one of those absolute joys you hear so much about (although my wife is tired of me explaining all of the references, allusions, and impromptu name dropping). Then again, while I knew from the start that Carole King was singing the show's theme song "Where You Lead" with her daughter Louis Goffin, I only recently figure out they had re-recorded the song with some of the lines changed to better fit the show (No, I do not fast forward through the title sequence; I always listen to the song).

I am also pleased to see that the "Gilmore Girls" is being seen around the world, although I have to wonder how the pop culture references translate into out cultures (I have no doubt people can speak real fast in any language). But you can see "Gilmore Girls" now from Argentina (the current season is on the Warner Channel Thursdays at 21:00 with past seasons shown weekdays at 11:30 and 16:30) to the United Kingdom (Sundays at 18:00 on Nickeloden U.K.). It is nice to think that Stars Hollow's madonna and child have gone international.

This is a truly amazing film brought to life by four truly amazing girls-- Alexis Bledel as shy Lena, Amber Tamblyn as rebel Tibby, Blake Lively as fun-loving Bridget, and America Ferrera as writer Carmen. Each girl has a different story to deliver from different parts of the world. Lena's in Greece with her grandparents, Tibby's at home working a dull job at Wallman's, Bridget is at soccer camp in Mexico, and Carmen is visiting her father in South Carolina.

Together, they form the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants after discovering that a hot pair of Levi's fits each of their different body types perfectly. They decide that the best thing to do is to share the jeans since they'll be spending the summer apart, wearing them for one week and then mailing them to the next person. Lena gets them first, almost drowning the first day she wears them, only to be rescued by a cute Greek boy, who will no doubt get her out of her shell. Tibby gets them next, who is staying home to work to get money for more camera equipment to make her "suckumentary." She meets a vivacious 12 year old named Bailey, a girl who loves life as opposed to Tibby's "life sucks" attitude. Carmen then gets the jeans-- she learns that her father (who left her when she was young) is remarrying a woman with two children. She feels like an outcast in a see of blonde Brady Bunchers. Then the jeans head to Bridget. She's still coping with her mother's suicide, and flirts with the off limits soccer coach because it gives her something to do other than be sad.

So the jeans travel between each girl throughout the movie, each time getting a new story and opening up new chapters in these girls' lives. This is a wonderful movie. Very well played out and extremely well written, surprisingly so for a film about girl power... it stacks up much better than films like Sleepover or New York Minute, which absolutely stink compared to this rare summer jewel. RECOMMENDED!!

I only bought this movie because Alexis Bledel was in it and overall, I have to say, I'm very disappointed. Aside from the two women (Alexis Bledel and Schuyler Fisk), the acting was awful/bland, and the plot was just really weird/lame. Throughout the story, you get to know the characters and see their relationships develop and then all of a sudden, you realize they were all just acting. At the end, two completely random people end up being the real Jill and Kate and I couldn't have cared less who he ended up with because they were both complete strangers with whom there had been no chemistry developed.

It's really ridiculous to waste so much time building up everyone's relationships and chemistry like that only to extinguish it all in the end. I can tell the director was going for something unique and different here rather than just the predictable love story but honestly, a predictable love story would have been much better. IMO, this just didn't work out at all.

Aside from the ridiculous plot twist, the main character was just not all that likeable. Jay's Reed was less the likeable guy and more the mumbling, moronic loser who I just couldn't like no matter how hard I tried. I wish neither woman had ended up with him in the end because he really wasn't worthy of any of them in any respect.

The only decent part of the movie was when Schuyler Fisk sang at the bar. That was truly the only thing worth watching so please, don't waste your money on this one unless you really want to see her sing (Even then you might just want to fast forward to that part).

I think both of these movies portray a great story about friendship and family values. Both of these movies, as well as the books, do a great job giving us an insight of the issues many young women face on a daily basis. I would recommend showing this movie to any young person, both young men and young women.