Happy Birthday Erika.

In terms of Oxford comma. I'm fine either way, as long as you are inconsistent. Yes inconsistent, because either way has exceptions. "I want to thank my parents, Jesus, and Ayne Rand" needs the serial comma, unless you are of very UNusual parentage. "A Panda walks into a bar, eats shoots and leaves" needs to omit the Oxford comma unless the Panda was armed.

The advantage of the Oxford comma is that it requires fewer exceptions than omitting it. An Oxford comma user will be more consistent. Omitting the Oxford comma and putting it in only when needed means having to make more exceptions, but overall involves typing fewer commas over a lifetime.

"A Panda walks into a bar, eats shoots and leaves" needs to omit the Oxford comma unless the Panda was armed.

That sentence is ungrammatical as written. It's not a question of Oxford comma. It's a comma splice.

My problem is that it was drilled into my head that comma=pause. So if I read "....Buffy, Xander and Willow" I read it as "Buffy (pause) Xanderandwillow." Which I realize is kind of weird.

I just met Joe Morton.

And I comported myself with dignity!

Did I even mention he's on my "National Treasure" list of American actors? No?

Where?

Typo, there's a couple things wrong with your second example. It's not the kind of series the Oxford comma uses, for one. As Hil said, it's a comma splice; you've got two different clauses there.

Gina Torres on the red carpet! Holy crap, she's gorgeous. And taller than Lawrence Fishburne, which I didn't know.

this just in from the Emmy Red Carpet: Gina Torres towers over Lawrence Fishburn.

HA! Gina Torres xpost!

Uh, anyone else not getting CBS? Like, black screen with no actors on it?

I thought Nimoy didn't want to be on camera anymore!

Where?

Colin's. He had some people from work over.