So it's the end of the year. I've been watching things like The Year with Katie Couric and looking at things like the 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011 on Buzzfeed. (Also on Buzzfeed the 30 Most Important Cats of 2011.) I got my Entertainment Weekly issue of the Best & Worst of 2011. Film critics everywhere are making their Top 10 lists. And some of my Seattle friends are making their Top 10 book lists. So I thought I would share some of my favorite things from this year.
Books My book list features only two books published in 2011. It also features more nonfiction than usual. Top Ten Pictures at a Revolution: Five Books and the Birth of the New Hollywood by Mark Harris Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? by Mindy Kaling Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith The Passage by Justin Cronin Runners Up A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Currently Reading By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham The Tale of Telsharu by Valerie Mechling and Samuel Stubbs Great Expectations by Charles Dickens A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin Excited For Habibi by Craig Thompson Bossypants by Tina Fey
Movies I actually did not see that many movies in the theater this year, so I do not have a full top ten list. Favorites Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen This (somewhat thin) fable was thoroughly enchantement as Owen Wilson realizes that the l'age d'or of the 1920s was not all it was cracked up to be. This movie hit all my buttons: Woody, nostalgia, modern Paris, 1920s Paris including such luminaries as Hemingway, Dali, the Fitzgeralds, Stein, and more. It was the most fun I had at the movies this year.
Drive directed by Nicolas Winding Refn This neo-noir thriller with a boss synth soundtrack was my favorite movie I saw this year (so far). It's destined for cult classic-ville. And I wanted to climb Ryan Gosling like a tree. Notables The Descendants directed by Alexander Payne I didn't love it as much as I loved Sideways way back in 2004. It's still a very good (and Paynesque) movie. Clooney is great, as always, and Shailene Woodley is a revelation.
Beginners directed by Mike Mills This is a lovely little jewel of a film, as a father (Christopher Plummer), recently out of the closet, and son (Ewan McGregor) look for love. The father embraces his new lifestyle while his straight son is more trepidatious in embracing a new love--Melanie Laurent, who is refreshing and wonderful in what could have been just another manic pixie dream girl role.
The Help directed by Tate Taylor This movie, a huge hit, is not without its problems, nevertheless it's notable for all its wonderful actressing. Viola Davis surely deserves an Oscar nomination.
Bridesmaids directed by Paul Feig This was another smash success starring women who were very, very funny and (dare I say it?) ballsy. Kristen Wiig is wonderful as the lovable, pathetic loser whose life is falling apart as her best friend is getting married. Melissa McCarthy steals the show in a batshit crazy performance.
Crazy, Stupid, Love directed by Ficarra and Requa I love and will watch anything with Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell. Their plot lines were mostly great, however, I really didn't care for the son/babysitter plot line. Excited For Melancholia directed by Lars von Trier Young Adult directed by Jason Reitman Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese Shame directed by Steve McQueen The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo directed by David Fincher The Iron Lady (only for Her Streepness) directed by Phyllida Lloyd Music Favorite Albums 21 by Adele What can I possibly say that hasn't been said? It's the number one record this year. Adele also has the number one single this year, "Rolling in the Deep;" number one video, Live at the Royal Albert Hall; and a boatload of Grammy nominations.
Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine I've already discussed my love for this album. It's been playing on repeat in my car's CD player since it came out. Excited For Tori Amos Tori released her twelfth solo studio album this year, Night of Hunters. I did not buy it because her last four albums have not been super great (especially the last two). However, this tour is apparently "amazeballs." I'm so upset that she's not coming to SLC this time. I did ask for the CD for Christmas. So I hope I get it and that I love it. What I really want for Christmas is Andreas Ottensamer, the impossibly hot Austrian clarinetist that accompanies her. I love/hate him. You know, I used to play the clarinet, but I'm not the super hot, super talented one playing with Tori.
Television Oh my god, I love TV. There were a lot of great shows this year. Here are five of my favorites: Parks and Recreation on NBC It's one of the best and funniest sitcoms on television and it has Amy Poehler, so you have to love it. I especially love the romance between Poehler and Adam Scott.
Downton Abbey on PBS It's the most amazing Masterpiece period show EVER. The cast is superb, especially Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess Violet, and it's so elegantly plotted. I'm rewatching season one and SO excited for season two coming in January.
30 Rock on NBC Tina Fey's brainchild is another awesome piece of comedy. The fifth season, which wrapped in the spring, had several standout episodes. I'm rewatching all five seasons to get ready for season six coming in January.
Revenge on ABC It's this year's dishiest nighttime soap taking its cue from 80s titans like Dynasty and Dallas. It's a loose reworking of The Count of Monte Cristo. Watch it for Madeleine Stowe and its complex, episodic plotting.
Happy Endings on ABC Ignore it's fairly horrible title. Happy Endings is about the lives, loves, and travails of six friends living in Chicago. Entertainment Weekly writes, "If you're not watching Happy Endings you're missing the sharpest, funniest, giddiest show about six friends since that other show about six friends." Not every episode is amahzing, but when it's on, it's on.
P.S. Buffy the Vampire Slayer It's only came out in 1997, but I finally watched all seven seasons of this landmark television series this year. That was a helluva good time. Highly recommended.
Did you watch any television yesterday? No. Gosh, what was yesterday like? --Calvin & Hobbes
As you all know, I love television. Probably too much, but, hell, what's too much? Just because I no longer read books, watch movies, apply for jobs, or talk to real-life people...
Anyway, I love fall for many reasons, and one of them is the fall lineup of new and returning television shows. So here's what I'm watching.
On Mondays, we have the fifth season of Gossip Girl on the CW. Sadly, none of our television sets receive the CW for unknown, tragic reasons. So I have to watch Gossip Girl on the Internet. Still plenty of gossip, secrets, and drama.
Since I can't watch Gossip Girl when it airs, that means I can watch How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls on CBS. However, I haven't seen HIMYM for a few seasons. 2 Broke Girls is kinda funny. We'll see.
On Tuesdays we have New Girl and Raising Hope on FOX. (Following Glee which I stopped watching halfway through last season.) I thought the pilot of New Girl was adorbs (yay Zooey Deschanel!), but I didn't love the second episode. I missed the third episode last week, and now you can't watch online until eight days later, unless you have Dish Network or Hulu Plus. Ridiculous. Last year, I stopped watching Modern Family when one of the episodes was Hulu Plus only. If I can't watch New Girl until weeks later, I might forget about it. People (the media) told me I needed to watch Raising Hope, so I did. I don't really get it. I'll give it a few more episodes, but if I'm not loving it, I'll stop.
Wednesdays is a banner night of television on ABC! First there is Modern Family (I'm watching again) which swept the Emmys, and is always reliable for a laugh. Then there is Happy Endings which may be my new favorite show. Ellen showed me half of the first season last week, and I laughed out loud. a lot. Anyway, it's amahzing. Then we have Revenge which is a dishy, soapy drama starring Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe--and when they face off it's spectacular. You need to watch it from the beginning, but Emily has moved to the Hamptons to exact revenge against the powerful and wealthy who framed her father who died in prison. Some have compared it to The Count of Monte Cristo (which I have read, unabridged, twice), and there are some similarities.
Also on Wednesday nights is American Horror Story the latest offering from Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, Glee) on FX. Sadly, we do not have cable, but happily they are showing episodes (at least the pilot) on the FX website and Hulu. Here are the creepy opening credits:
In this hot mess of a show, Connie Britton left her happy marriage to Kyle Chandler on Friday Night Lights for a troubled one with Dylan McDermott (who is frequently naked in the pilot). After suffering a miscarriage and catching her husband having an affair, the family has moved to LA for a fresh start in a very old, haunted house. I can't wait to see what happens next.
On NBC Thursdays there is Parks and Recreation the very funny show created by Amy Poehler. And later there is Prime Suspect the American remake of the British Helen Mirren vehicle. It stars Maria Bello--the entire reason to watch--as a tough homicide detective who has recently transferred to a new, good ol' boys squad. If you're interested in this procedural drama, I would recommend the pilot just to orient oneself. And should I be watching Community?
I'm looking forward to the midseason premiers of 30 Rock and Mad Men (though again with the cable). I still actually need to see the last few MM episodes from season four.
1) Today is the first day of Fall. Yay! Still it was a pretty warm day; those are nice. It will be cold and wintery soon enough.
2) I went and saw Drive today. Midnight in Paris has been the most delightful film I've seen this year, but I would have to say that so far Drive is the best film I've seen. The movie is entirely in control of itself. It's amazing visually, which is good because Ryan Gosling's character archetype doesn't even have a name (i.e., it's not a talky character piece). It's neo-noir, the visuals are surreal, the violence is brutal, the casting is superb, and the soundtrack is unexpected and interesting and effective. Go. See. It.
3) Ryan Gosling. He's so hot. and perfect. *sigh* I still haven't managed to see Crazy, Stupid, Love (must change that soon, before it leaves theaters), and I'm looking forward to Ides of March.
4) Did you see the Emmys? I love television, and I love awards shows. The best moment happened when the best comedy actress nominees staged a beauty pageant. And Melissa McCarthy won for BridesmaidsMike & Molly.
Also, Kate Winslet now has an EGO. Time to get that Tony, Kate! Also, Downton Abbey pretty much swept the miniseries category; Poor HBO. If you haven't seen Downton Abbey, you have an incredible seven hours of TV ahead of you! I can't wait for season two to come to PBS in January.
5) Amy Poehler. Sadly, I missed last night's premiere of Parks and Recreation as I was having drinks with Kristen. But that just means I have an episode to look forward to very soon. Yay for the Internet.
6) New Girl. It's the new show starring ZooeyDeschanel. The pilot was so great, I've watched it three times! Even though it has a few problems, I'm sure those will get ironed out soon. Check it out!
7) Seattle. Yesterday, I was trying to find a bar in SLC, I thought of all the many bars I knew and loved in Seattle. And earlier this week, a couple of Mormon friends asked me what they should do when they go to Seattle in a few weeks--I couldn't think of anything except bars. But later, I did think of lots of non-alcoholic things to do and sent them a very long itinerary. It made me just a little homesick(is that the right term?) and a bit newstalgic. I hated grad school, but it turns out I kind of liked Seattle.
8) Stupid Jobs. I still have not found a job yet. Boo. However, there are some entry-level jobs opening up at the San Francisco public library. Yay! I'm not getting my hopes up, but how awesome would SF be? And I don't even want to go to California. By the way, did you know that San Francisco is a consolidated city-county?
9) Facebook. Every time Facebook changes, people bitch and moan, and then other people bitch and moan about the first bitchers/moaners. I just tried to put my big girl panties on and adapt to the changes, because sooner or later we all do. Resistance is futile. But now I'm really not sure how to use Facebook anymore. and the Ticker thing pisses me off to an unreasonable degree. Lame.
10) Ten...ten...ten..? I don't know. Oh, Tori Amos's latest studio album came out. I have not bought it. yet. It's a song cycle riffing off a lot of classical pieces (she is a classically trained pianist), I've listened to some of it; none of it has caught my attention. Too arty. Tori can do what she wants, but I wish she would get back to her roots and make an album similar to those circa 1992-2002. Or stop making albums and just tour a lot. Also, the Netflix/ Qwickster thing is pissing me off. Oh, and I had Arby's today for the first time in .... well, a really long time. Delicious.
Don't ask me how to kill a demon, for that you'll need a slayer or a vampire with a soul. Or a bazooka. But once it's dead--to keep it from coming back--there's just a few steps to follow. Incinerate the body. Douse the ashes with holy water. Divide and bury the remains in separate plots. No more demon redux!
(Isn't "redux" a great word? Also "avuncular"--though it's a bit weird too. What if my uncle isn't like your uncle? I guess it mostly means a kindly uncle. Is there a word that means aunt-like?)
Anyway, I've been watching way too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel lately. It's taken over my dreams. I am addicted and obsessed. I decided to watch the first season of Angel to see what was going on, but I actually like it on its own merits, though I still like Buffy more.
For more vampire/werewolf fun, check out The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger. It's ridiculous, silly, stupid fun. It's a paranormal romance/mystery series set in an alternate Victorian steampunk London. I read Soulless back in March, liked it and then forgot about it. But I got an itch and am now reading book two, Changeless. I'm giggling a lot.
I just finished reading Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef/owner of Prune in NYC. It is an excellent memoir of a hard-lived life. It didn't have the same joy I felt reading Julie & Julia or Comfort Me with Apples, but I think it's a better written book. If you enjoy food writing, I would recommend it. I've also stated A Clash of Kings book two in the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series. They are very long, intricately plotted books, and once I finish this one, I'll take a long break before continuing the series.
The last movie I saw in theaters was The Help. Have you seen it? I thought it was a pretty good movie, though it got a little long. I think it was well-intentioned, but Hollywood added some pastel colors and sanded down some splinters of the Civil Rights era. I think it is for white audiences especially women. A way to assuage white guilt, pat ourselves on the back, and ignore contemporary racial injustice. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching some great actresses doing great work. What is your take on The Help?
Speaking of The Help, Mark Harris has begun his Oscar column on Grantland, discussing early contenders for Best Picture. Like he says, 'when it comes to the Oscars, obsessive overkill is part of the fun [and] this post-Labor Day moment is the last opportunity to weigh in before things get complicated." It's a really good, funny piece, especially if you like movies and awards.
So summers is over. My family went camping over Labor Day, and I stayed home and watched Buffy. I think camping is more fun with friends and beer, less with family and no beer. And I like having the house to myself. Anyway, it's time to get serious with job hunting. No more staying up till 2 and sleeping in till noon, and doing absolutely nothing. I haven't written much all summer, because I haven't done anything all summer. It was really lame. So here's to being a more productive person, getting a job, and perhaps even writing more posts. And to fall--I really love fall.
As you should all know, March is Women's History Month, but in case you did not know that, Will Forte shares the amazing richness and depth of women's herstory on Saturday Night Live:
Good job, women. Indeed.
For March, the lovely ladies over at On How to be Lovely are celebrating women. Go join them! It was there that I learned that TV Squad was paying tribute to the 100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters. zOMG! I love TV and female characters! Not all of these characters are role models or feminist-approved, but I think they are largely memorable. Some of my favorites include Karen Walker, Lorelai Gilmore, Starbuck, Sydney Bristow, Joan Harris, C.J. Cregg, Liz Lemon, Veronica Mars, and Laura Roslin. Good job, TV.
Just today, The Critical Condition and Low Resolution revisited Alanis Morissette's debut, diamond-certified, album of 90s amazingness, Jagged Little Pill, on its 15th anniversary (of what I'm not entirely clear since it was released in 1995). I would not hear Alanis wailing for several more years since at the time I was nine-years-old and did not know what pop music was. But she was still my first radio love, because even seven+ years later Ms. Morissette was still getting a lot of radio play on Star 102.7. However, it wasn't until my freshman year in college that I bought the CD and listened to it in the car ALL THE TIME. So rest assured, Alanis was there to guide me through angsty teen times with girl power. Time to re-listen. Good job, Canada.
It would not be until later in college that I would be introduced to Tori Amos. You know how Emma Thompson, in Love Actually, says that Joni Mitchell taught her husband's cold, English wife to feel and that true love lasts a lifetime. That is Tori for me. And not to diss Alanis, but Tori is the better musician and feminist. Good job, Tori. and Joni.
In case you want something meatier for March than corned beef, you should check out the stylized HBO film Iron Jawed Angels which recounts how activists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns formed the National Women's Party and petitioned for national suffrage. The film was written, directed, and produced by women and features a nearly all female main cast, including the delectable Angelica Huston. It's kind of amazing that less than 100 years ago, women didn't have the right to vote--and how hard it was to get it. Good job, ladies. and HBO.
As much as the women's rights have been enlarged, equal pay is still not a reality and the glass ceiling remains very real. There's still a lot to do--for both women and men. How are you celebrating women's history month?
I'm not going to do a full recap of last night's show--for that you can read the live blogs of The Film Experience and/or IMDb.Here a just few thoughts.
Since I don't have television I had to stream it live which took a while to get going, so I missed the first few minutes. I also drank a whole bottle of Domaine Ste. Michelle blanc de noirs which is a sparkling wine I can finally get behind.
Ricky Gervais killed it last year, and I was so excited he would be hosting again. Shame, shame, shame on you, Ricky. You were not funny, just rude. I would like to join IMDb in hoping that Robert Downey, Jr. might like to host next year.
I have not seen The Fighter yet, but everyone says it's amazing. I must see it before the Oscars.
Chris Colfer wins for Glee, and is just adorable! LOVED it so much! Lea Michelle cries all night. Jane Lynch also win for Sue. And Glee wins Best TV Series--Comedy or Musical, and I'm sorry, but even though I like the show for it's glitzy musical numbers, the show long threw out things like story lines and character development.
IMDb writes, "Andrew Garfield presents 'The Social Network' but gets totally tangled on the word 'inspiringly' because, well, it's not a word." But he's so cute we don't even care! The Social Network wins four prizes including Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin), and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). All very deserved in my opinion. If you haven't seen it, go; it's still playing. I'm waiting till it hits the dollar theater to see it again.
Pixar cannot be stopped, and Toy Story 3 wins Best Animated Feature. I liked it, but I preferred How to Train Your Dragon which is just as good as anything Pixar's done.
Annette Bening wins for the (seemingly) effortless The Kids Are All Right. Natatlie Portman wins for her bravura performance in Black Swan. They both gave excellent speeches and will be dueling for the Oscar, and I can't decide which one I want to win more. The Kids Are All Right also wins Best Picture Comedy, and it would have been a travesty if it didn't. Yay!
Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are very funny presenters. Maybe Tina Fey should host! How good is she off-the-cuff though?
Paul Giamatti bests Johnny Depp and Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal's ass for some movie I've never heard of: Barney's Version. Good for Paul.
And Colin Firth wins for The King's Speech which I haven't seen yet either. Clearly, I have a lot of movies to see before the Oscars.
Anyway, Gervais wasn't very funny, most of the winners earned it, and there were very few surprise moments. But I was very drunk, so I had a very good time with lots of clapping that drove my roommate insane. What did you think?
Happy New Year people, but enough of that. It's the first day of the quarter and I've already said goodbye to productivity, hello do-nothingness!
I mean I did wake up early.ish. I mean what is early anyway? And then I went to work. For three whole hours! And I just got back from grocery shopping. That was expensive. So I've done things. I even checked my gd email. And right now I'm writing this blog--you're welcome.
But before that, I set up my Roku player! It was one of my Christmas presents--the best Christmas present ever! (There will be another post about holiday highlights. Later.) Right now I'm streaming Netflix on my television! We live in a magical, magical world people. All my fears and anxieties about technology have suddenly disappeared. I just watched like eight episodes of 30 Rock.
So basically school can rot in hell, because now that I can stream TV shows onto my TV--I may never leave my apartment again. Ever. And later tonight I'm going to watch The Thin Man on DVD (from Netflix) with a martini. I get two DVDs at a time--I may need to drop it to just one. But there are so many movies I need to see for the Golden Globes and the Oscars!, many of which are already out on DVD, others are not--like Black Swan which I am DYING to see. I should go this weekend.
I didn't get any DVDs for Christmas because I didn't ask for any, except for Tori Amos Live at Montreaux (which I did get). So then I felt a little sad and ordered 10 movies I love and 2 seasons of Will & Grace. It's going to be a great quarter.
After I spend all day in front of the TV, I'm going to need time to read my GQ and Entertainment Weekly and then some more to study some poetry, so I think I'll just have to shunt my cataloging reading and lectures. You can't say I don't have priorities.
Yesterday, I drove up Aurora--which is kind of dicey, think State Street in South Salt Lake--to get my emissions tested. I passed. And then I drove to South Seattle which is even dicier to get my car weighed--2620--which apparently I didn't need to do even though it said so on the licensing website. Liars! However, Washington doesn't require a safety inspection, so that's something. And today I got the damn thing registered, however, the rear plate won't come off. I seem to remember having the same problem when I bought the car, and my dad used a power drill to replace the plate and now the screw is not coming out. I used a screwdriver, some pliers, and about 20 wrenches. Notta. Meagan said she has some power tools, so hopefully those will work. After this, I should get my tires rotated, and then I think my car will be in excellent shape.
I had a job interview today! I interviewed for special collections, and I think it went pretty well. She'll let me know on Friday. And tomorrow I interview for circulation. Hopefully, I will get one of those jobs. Cross your fingers and wish me luck! Being broke is not nearly as glamorous--in an angsty, twentysomething kind of way--as one would expect. I may also need to finagle a loan to pay the last two months of my exorbitant rent. I'm pretty excited though that--as long as I don't move to NYC, Chicago, or the state of California--pretty much anywhere I go will be cheaper than Seattle.
So I've pretty much been bumming around my apartment since I can't afford to do anything. We had a heat wave the week after the 4th--they weren't lying--and it was kind of wonderful. and miserable. I haven't really noticed the humidity in Seattle except when it dropped below freezing back in December and whenever I went back to Utah. Oh, and now when it's excessively hot. No one has AC in their homes/apts and it's kind of ridiculous. So then I went to Target and bought a fan--the last one left!--and it's amazing. It was hot and sunny outside and cool inside. And then the heat wave went away the next day, of course, and the weather's been pretty sucky since. I want my summer back!
My reading list continues to languish. I'm halfway through The Iliad and while it's bloody and great, it's a lot to take in. I'm also reading The Omnivore's Dilemma--I know, only three years after everyone else--and it's pretty interesting. It's fairly critical of capitalism, but who isn't these days? Even the right currently prefers the term "free enterprise system." But what's striking is how terrible industrial agriculture is. It's harmful to our health and the planet's and it's just not sustainable. As described by Michael Pollan, agrarian farming is the silver bullet. Sustainable, ecological, and healthy, it benefits farmers, consumers, and the planet. You know, Thomas Jefferson was a proponent of agrarianism. I think he's always been more radical than most people have been comfortable with, so I'm glad he's been written out of history textbooks. But why stop there? Who needs any of the founders--I mean they were all frickin' revolutionaries.
Instead of reading all my books, I've been watching entirely too much television. I finished the last three seasons of The West Wing which aren't nearly as good as the first four, but I've seen those seasons too many times. I also just finished watching all three seasons of Veronica Mars. Whew. I never watched the show when it was on the air, but it was available on Netflix for instant viewing, and I thought, "Why not?" 45 hours later... It's pretty addictive, especially when you can just keep hitting "next episode," as I so, so often did. Veronica, played by Kristen Bell, is the daughter of a private investigator and former sheriff, and she's picked some things up. In every episode she solves a single case while helping to solve a larger case. It's definitely an ode to detective fiction and film noir. Veronica is punky and sassy, but not in an annoying way, and the dialogue is brilliant. La Weekly noted that "the hard-boiled dialogue comes from its teen protagonist's mouth in a way that stabs any potential cutesiness in the heart with an ice pick." Can writing be sharp and blunt at the same time? Its mining of pop culture is excellent too. I've had some pretty vivid Veronica Mars dreams.
Now that I have nothing else to watch, Meagan and I are going to start BattlestarGalactica from the beginning--get our frak on. We probably won't make it very far before school starts again. That's a shame. Our drinking continues haphazardly. We got a small group together at Oliver's Twist, and even Maggie, who usually abstains, had two cocktails. Meagan and I each had three. We're both very indecisive people, but we're pretty good at deciding to drink more than we really should. She's leaving me next week to go to Alaska and see her boyfriend, psshaw, leaving me alone on my birthday. Lame sauce!
In other news, my grocery shopping habits have changed for the better. The last three weeks, I've consistently managed to only spend $70! It's still a lot, but I'm a bit of a foodie, dammit, and I've never been much of a penny pincher to begin with. (And did I mention that Seattle's expensive?) I could never feed a family on $100/week. But by looking at the weekly ads for sales and specials, and writing out a menu (not inspired by Food Network), I've gotten much better. I just made bistecca tagliata (Italian style steak) as shown by GQ. It was deliciozo! I made a bed from a bunch of arugula, squeezed a lemon over it (I think squoze should be a word, don't you?), and topped it with shavings of Romano cheese. Then I placed my beautifully pan-fried steak, sliced, on the arugula and topped it with deglazed pan drippings. It's excellent with a Lillet spritzer, though Campari might be more appropriate. (Okay, so that's a little glamorous.) Bon appetit!
Well, here it is, my bloggy blogger blogthing--started way back on Christmas Eve 2008--has turned 100. Thank you to everyone who has ever read or commented on a post, especially my regular readers. If no one read this, I would probably still send send my thoughts out into the ether, or rather the void of cyberspace, but it's nice to know some of you are out there.
So I finished the first week of my third quarter. After nine more weeks, I will have finished my first year of library school. Crazy! And I'll only have one more year left. Two-year graduate programs are kinda short. I was talking to a law library student the other day, and they only have a one-year track. I couldn't imagine graduating after only one year--but then they already put three years into law school.
On Mondays I have two classes. I start the week at 10:30 am, not too shabby at all for a Monday, with Information Literacy for Teaching and Learning, which we helpfully shorten to Info Lit. Or when we can't remember the course name, we refer to its call number: 568. What's crazy is that since we only met once a week for this class, there are only eight more sessions left; we already meet this last week and there's no class on Memorial Day. It's a small class that's roughly half first years and half second years. Our teacher is Sarah Evans, a PhD candidate who has a lot of energy as a former cheerleader and former teen librarian and middle school teacher. She said she might do cheers in class but promises that she's not talking down to us. The energy is really helpful for a three-hour class. I'm not really sure what the class is about yet--for Monday we all have to bring our own definition of Information Literacy. (I also need to buy the textbook this weekend!) Anyway, I've only heard good things about Sarah Evans, and she seems wonderful. This class shouldn't be too bad.
On Mondays, after three hours of 568, I have ten minutes to make my way across campus for my one core class this quarter: Instructional and Training Strategies for Information Professionals. There's no real shorthand for this except to call it 560, and then we just know it's that required teaching class. The logistical problem with Mondays is that I have five hours of class from 10:30-3:20 with only very short breaks. First of all, that's a lot of time in class. But more than that, it's a long time to go without eating lunch. I guess I can go eight more Mondays with just a PB&J (peanut, peanut butter and jelly!).
Our 560 professor is Dr. Trent Hill who never wants us to call him "Doctor." You know how some people resemble animals? Trent strongly resembles a turtle--it's endearing. He's also from ... North Carolina (I think), and still has a slight southern accent, which he says is sometimes nice since people never think he's smarter than they are. He also used to be a former English professor. Anyway, our program is the only MLIS program that has a required instruction and training course, so lucky us. But it does make sense that whether you're going to teach courses as an academic librarian or simply lead a committee or train new employees, it is imperative that you know good instruction techniques. Our four foci are info literacy, learning theory, critical thinking, and instructional practices. As it's my only core class this quarter, it shouldn't be too bad. And Trent already seems like a great instructor. I also have his class on Wednesday afternoons.
On Tuesday and Thursdays, I have Principles of Information Services generally known as 521 or that reference class. Our professor is the magnificent Joe Janes who is a fabulous and hysterical gay man. He also has the best stories. I've heard that he's a very hard grader though, and looking at the syllabus this quarter's going to be intense. After one week though, I think this will be my favorite of the three classes I'm taking. On Thursdays we talked about bibliographies including library catalogs, trade, national, and subject bibliographies. He referred to reference bibliographies as porn, especially Books in Print and the National Union Catalog of Pre-1956 Imprints. I think I like reference, and I think this course will be very helpful in determining whether or not I really do.
Last quarter I had 8:30 classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, followed by four more hours of class (and an hour lunch break) so that I was on campus till 3:30. What's nice this time is that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get to come home at 10:30--already showered, dressed, and awake. Last quarter, when I didn't have class, I was usually still in bed by 10:30, much less ready for the day. Like my first quarter, I don't have classes on Fridays which is loverly. However, this quarter I definitely need a job. Meagan said there were a lot of UW library openings currently and by a lot, she meant like four. So I need to get on that so I can pay for silly things like rent and groceries this summer.
In other news I finished Yann Martel's Beatrice and Virgil which I already mentioned started out well enough. It is, however, a stupid book (yes, Slarue, I know "stupid" is not an academic argument). So again, it starts out somewhat engaging, and then he steps into a taxidermist's shop and his "life is changed" according to the synopsis on the back cover. This is the momentous occasion we readers have been waiting for, and we meet the taxidermist, named Henry but who might as well not have a name since he is entirely devoid of character or development. This is purposeful, but it makes for tedious and frustrating reading, a tedium and frustration felt by the protagonist. The taxidermist is writing a play, which itself starts out interesting, but becomes increasingly absurd. There is an explicit reference to Samuel Beckett, but this is no Waiting for Godot. And much like the man-eating island in The Life of Pi and the two alternate versions of the events, there is a "twist" at the end of this novel which is pretty, well, stupid, and I threw the book very hard at the wall. I won't give it away in case you do want to read this book despite me recommendation to avoid it, but there's also something contradictory about the taxidermist. Aside from that, it's all too clever while thinking it's profound. Now I'm reading Angelology by Danielle Trussoni which came out in March. I'm only fifty pages in, but it seems promising. The movie rights have already been bought by Sony Pictures, and Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner) is set to direct. Also, after reading The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake I just had to make my own lemon cake, and I had to buy this Microplanezester/grater, to zest a lemon, and it is my favorite kitchen gadget currently. It zests citrus effortlessly, and shreds my Romano into pillowy hills of salty, cheesy goodness. I can't wait to use it on ginger. Maybe I'll be making my own zenzerino this year.
Since we attend the iSchool, there is a tendency to name all things "i" like the iBall this spring which is like a drunken prom for the iSchool. iBall is kinda funny, but most of the time it makes us sound like Mac products. All of this is to say that a few of us unofficially started the iRun club this week. Megan, who is an intense runner, got me to agree to work out with her (and Susan and Andrew) at the IMA which my tuition already pays for, so why not use it? So on Thursday we all got together to run. God, I haven't worked out since I did yoga my junior year in college, and I haven't run since 10th grade. This was my first time in a locker room since high school and I had forgotten how fraught I find locker rooms. Meagan decided I should alternate walking and running since I didn't want to hurt myself, which Susan also did. I did run over 2.5 miles. and got blisters on my feet. I should buy some real running shows instead of my Adidas Sambas which are technically a soccer-training shoe. I've decided they're more for looks than performance. I also got to test my workout playlist, to which I will be editing and expanding. Anyway, we're going back on Sunday. I've also decided to walk to campus, up the hill, when I don't have 8:30 classes. Hopefully this, combined with less beer consumption, will help turn my weight around a little bit.
On Thursday night a bunch on students were going to College Inn Pub, and I was too--basically to invalidate all the work I did at the gym. But once I got home and showered, I didn't feel like walking there or back. It's a shame though, because I want to be more outgoing. About a month ago I caught Yes Man on HBO, and I'm not really into Jim Carrey comedies, but I watched it because I was being lazy and I love me some ZooeyDeschanel. And I decided I should be more of a yes man, so life doesn't pass by me. But last night I did go to an ALISS event where we watched Party Girl which is probably the best movie about librarians ever, and I thought to myself if Parker Posey can be a librarian, then dammit, so can I! The movie also reminded me a little bit of HBO's series How to Make It in America (updated for the 2010 set) which, truth be told, I've only seen like half an episode and the previews. (It also has nothing to with libraries.) Speaking of HBO, they're running an encore presentation of True Blood season two which I am giving a shot. I was so excited when I started watching the first season, but by the end, I was like, meh. But really, what else am I going to do with my Sunday nights--homework? I don't think so. Anyway, I have to take advantage of having HBO while I can since who knows if I'll even have cable next year.
And that brings us to today, tomorrow being Easter. There was a couple on the MAX in Portland discussing the holiday dismissively as in that crazy holiday wherein our country collectively celebrates the resurrection of our lord and savior. To the agnostic in me, it did sound like an absurd holiday (like April Fool's!), but it also felt like a slight, and I have realized (a realization that's been a long time coming) that I am a "Cultural Christian." I always wanted to a be a secular Jew and to have aunts using their Jewish guilt on me, and for a while I wished we were a big fat Greek family (after seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding of course); I just didn't want a large, Mormon family. Maybe I just wanted a family that drank--take my family and make it more dysfunctional with alcohol! But my family is not Jewish or Greek, they're just Mormon, and you can take the boy out of Utah, but there's still some Mormon in the boy. But I will always celebrate Christmas since I love presents and I'm a greedy SOB, and I like Easter too if only because of Cadbury eggs! I have some dark chocolate mini eggs right now, and I already finished my Whopper's Robin Eggs. I won't be making ham tomorrow, but maybe some deviled eggs or at least egg salad. Maybe I'll even buy a movie at Blockbuster as a present for myself. And while our country isn't officially Christian, it is socially (for the most part). And so I will celebrate these holidays which are as cultural as they are religious--thank you American consumerism. (And I hope this exegesis didn't offend anyone as it was not intended to.) Happy Easter!
Anyway, I think this will be a pretty good quarter. And I hope everyone is having a lovely spring, especially all those poor souls still stuck in wintry Utah.
So I just read this post by the ladies over at Being Lovely which also refers to this post by Shannon Hale. In some respects my post follows my other recent post about my totally reconstructed views regarding feminism. Now Disney has always been accused of being anti-feminist or whatever--we discussed this at some length in my Advanced Critical Theory class--but Disney made me a "feminist," which is probably at the root of my problems with classic academic gender feminists.
Anyway, if we look at the television shows and movies I own, there is a recurring theme of interesting female characters. I shall guide you through a portion of my DVD shelf. First up Gilmore Girls, the center of which is the mother/daughter team of the Lorelais who are smart, witty, funny, and culturally literate women. Mother/Grandmother Emily Gilmore is another strong female character, and the bucket of neuroses known as Paris Geller is my favorite character on the show. The West Wing (my favorite show) is lousy with men, as real-life politics are, but my favorite characters are the women: Press-Secretary C.J. Cregg, Josh's assistant Donna, Republican Counsel Ainsley Hayes, women's activist Amy Gardner, and the firecracker of a First Lady, Abigail Bartlet, played by StockardChanning. I also own a couple of seasons of Sex and the City, a gynocentric show to be sure. Finally, in the HBO miniseries Angels in America, my favorite character is Harper played to perfection by Mary-Louise Parker.
Moving on to movies, my favorite of course is The Hours headed by three real women: Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf writing Mrs. Dalloway, Julianne Moore as a 1950s housewife suffocated by familial duties and the era's malaise, and Meryl Streep as a contemporary society hostess. These are the lead characters and they're fascinating. The book and the film ignited my love of Virginia Woolf, a fascinating woman and writer. We have Out of Africa starring Meryl Streep as the strong-willed Karen vonBlixen (who was also a writer; psuedonym Isak Dinesen). V for Vendetta stars Natalie Portman as the lead character. Casino Royale features Judi Dench as M and sexy Eva Green as the feisty Vesper Lynd, one of the few (if not the only) women with whom Bond truly falls in love. Kill Bill follows The Bride, female assassin-extraordinaire. White Oleander is a story of a mother's love and a daughter's struggle for independence. It features a diverse array of female characters. I especially love Michelle Pfeiffer's brilliant portrayal of the manipulative mother, Ingrid. We have Drew Barrymore as the free-spirited heroine in Ever After who rescues the prince and even herself. In Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett dazzles as the Virgin Queen with the heart of a lion. She also reigns in The Lord of the Rings as the ambiguous Elven queen. Audrey Hepburn turns in an iconic performance as Holly Golightly.
I know some people have proposed eliminating the "Best Actress" awards categories as sexist, and just having Best Actor categories for male and female actors instead, but I'm always much more interested in the actress nominees, and I'm not entirely sure the nominations would be shared equally.
And then we reach the Disney Princesses. A child of the "Disney Renaissance," we begin with The Little Mermaid, which centers on Ariel, a strong-willed daughter who rebels against her father. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle is a girl who reads!--can you believe it?!--who learns that beauty is more than skin-deep. In Aladdin, Jasmine declares "I am no prize to be won!" In Hercules we have the sardonic Megara. And in Mulan, our eponymous character dons men's armor and proves she's just as good as any man. While Sleeping Beauty, one of my personal favorites, features an excessively passive princess, it also has the perpetually charming good fairies and Maleficent, who I think is the best Disney villain ever.
Now, I'm not saying that all of these characters are strong women or ideal role-models for girls, but they are interesting female characters. (A "good" feminist should be able to tell you everything wrong with Disney.) The Disney princesses made me interested in female characters which in turn made me interested in women. Now maybe I was predisposed to like women and female characters since I'm gay. I mean I played with my sisters' Barbie dolls more than they did, and I even had a Little Mermaid board game (seriously, how did my parent's not know!?). I forgot where I was going with this, but I think Disney films can be important as cultural heritage and collective memory. It's up to parents to know what their kids are watching and to be aware of the messages, explicit or implicit, the media is preaching. Finally, you wouldn't have books like Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber or Anne Sexton's Transformations without the Brothers Grimm. You also wouldn't have songs like "Hallelujah," "Samson," "Past the Mission," or "Building a Mystery" without the Bible and religion. You actually wouldn't have a lot of literature without the Bible.
So anyway, I think I wrote this because I'm in love with interesting female characters in TV and film, and they do exist. Also, patriarchal texts can be rich for female subversion. Now I really want to watch a princess movie.
In Other News: Classes end tomorrow. I don't have any finals scheduled next week because this is library school, though I do have a JavaScript project due next week. Dammit. But after tomorrow (at 11:45pm) I will be mostly free. I should be doing homework right now. I hope to get some good reading in over spring break. I started reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay at the beginning of the quarter, and while it's very good, I got stuck because at times it's very description heavy. Sometimes, you need to reset your reading, and I think I'll do that with To Kill A Mockingbird. It's such a great novel yet easily accessible. I often prefer to reread a book than read a new one anyway, and it's been so long since I've read Mockingbird that it will still be interesting. After my post on feminism, I picked up Sexual Personae again, which I had stopped reading once grad school started. Anyway, better get back to homework.
Today I woke up early, not on purpose, but decided to get a head start on my day anyway. I even made breakfast--not something I usually do. I then headed to Zoka Coffee to do homework, except even at 9 am, which I personally feel is plenty early enough, it was completely full on a Monday morning. I'm starting to think that it may be slightly busier than usual because it's a holiday. If it's not normally so busy and I can find a seat there, it may become my new homework/reading haunt on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings (late mornings, basically early afternoons), because let's face it, when I'm at home, I'm terribly unproductive. This post--case in point.
So I checked my school email, no small task, before feeling defeated by my JavaScript class and opting to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay instead. Now I'm back home and don't feel particularly inspired to do homework--and the day started off so well. My printer came in the mail though, and I just set that up. So instead of reading I thought I'd give a quick rundown of last night's hoopla. If you're not into film and television and Hollywood navel gazing the way I am, you may as well stop reading now.
First though, on Friday, after class, I made my way down to Capitol Hill to see Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (worst movie subtitle ever) in the historic (drafty) Harvard Exit Theatre. It was a pretty depressing and bleak movie, and while it offered some hope it didn't really offer redemption. Gabourey Sidibe did a fantastic job, though I'm not sure what all the buzz is about. Mo'Nique, a stand-up comedienne, gave a wrenching performance fully deserving of the Golden Globe, even if I would have preferred the lovely Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), or perhaps Julianne Moore, who I always love, even if I still haven't seen A Single Man. Even though the movie was kind of a punch in the gut in the theater, I had mostly forgotten about it by the next day.
On Saturday I saw It's Complicated which was delightful. I was the only guy in the theater with a bunch of middle-aged women. It's a typical Nancy Meyers' film, so it's not going to be a most amazing film you've ever seen. But I think they're smart, funny, well-written, easily-digested movies about relationships. I laughed out loud a lot, and I was charmed. Meryl Streep is fantastic as always, opposite Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. John Krasinski (The Office) stole several scenes even though he's getting typecast as Jim.
So last night I sat down with some hummus and a Framboise Lambic from Belgium--technically it's a beer, but it tastes more like alcoholic raspberry juice--to watch the Golden Globes. My reception of NBC is a little fuzzy, so I don't really have any comments on the dresses, though everyone looked lovely. I don't recall any fashion disasters. Ricky Gervais hosted and the man is incorrigible. Aside from shameless self-promotion and catty, British asides, my favorite jokes included being replaced by Jay Leno and blaming anything offensive on the beer a la Mel Gibson. And almost everyone was wearing pins to support Haiti.
The first award went to Mo'Nique for Supporting Actress as I've already mentioned though she forgot to thank the HFPA and mention her fellow nominees. Toni Collete won for United States of Tara beating Tina Fey. 30 Rock has enjoyed a lot of love, but it won only one award last night for Alec Baldwin who was already engaged in a charity event for . . . Haiti, I think. Anyway, I thought the third season of 30 Rock was uneven while the current season is killing it. Still, it's nice to see other shows/people win. John Lithgow won for Dexter and while I've still only seen the first season, I'm excited to eventually get to season four. And Up predictably won Best Animated Feature. Up is a perfectly fine film though I was seriously underwhelmed when I saw it for all the hype, and it might make a nice change if Pixar didn't win for once. And Michael C. Hall also won for Dexter, and apparently he had cancer which is now in remission. And Julianna Margulies won for The Good Wife which I have never seen, though it sounds interesting.
Cher and Christina Aguilera presented Best Song which went to the movie Crazy Heart which doesn't even come out until February. And Best Score went to Up, beating Avatar, A Single Man, and Where the Wild Things All. Best Miniseries went to Grey Gardens which is very predictable since it's HBO and everything. Meryl Streep was nominated twice for Best Actress in a comedy, but still managed to win for her inimitable portrayal of the iconic Julia Child. Which is as it should be, even if she wants to change her name to T-Bone. She was of course fantastic as a Nancy Meyers "everyday" woman, but Julia Child is a legend. And really the other contenders didn't have a chance. Marion Cotillard and Julia Roberts gave fine performances but not necessarily award winning. And I didn't see The Proposal, but really?
Kevin Bacon won for some miniseries. And then Drew Barrymore won her first Golden Globe for Grey Gardens and was flustered and charming and who doesn't love Drew? Still she had some pretty steep competition from Joan Allen, Jessica Lange, and Sigourney Weaver. Well, I'm only guessing because I haven't seen any of the miniseries, but they're all pretty big players. Jason Retiman and Sheldon Turner won Best Screenplay for Up in the Air, yay!, even if they beat Quentin Tarantino's superb Inglourious Basterds the only other real contender.
Sophia Loren presented Best Foreign Language Film which went to The White Ribbon from Germany. And Mad Men won Best Television Drama for the third year in a row. Chloe Sevigny won for Big Love and shared her award with her sister wives, and some guy stepped on her dress. Tear. And Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor who, despite the billing, is the true star of Inglourious Basterds and not Brad Pitt. And then Martin Scorsese's leading men, Robert DeNiro and Leonard DiCaprio, presented him with the Cecil B. DeMille award.
The Best Director category was pretty intense. James Cameron and his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelowe were both up for Avatar and The Hurt Locker respectively. Jason Reitman was up for Up in the Air which as I've mentioned is the best movie of the year, I think so anyway. Quentin Tarantino was up for Inglourious Basterds, again superb, and of course the category has to include Clint Eastwood who directed Invictus which I haven't seen so I didn't even know he was nominated, but of course he was. So James Cameron won, which seems almost inevitable when your film costs $250 mil. Still I would have preferred Reitman, Tarantino, or even Bigelowe or Eastwood. We'll have to see in March whether or not the Academy has forgiven him for Titanic. Who else is bummed that the Oscars aren't until March this year? And who else is upset that they upped Best Picture nominees to ten instead of five?! I mean really!?
Glee won Best Comedy for TV which was great. So the pilot was really good, but then it was apparent that Glee wasn't working at every level. Eventually though, I think the show did get everything together by the end of the first half of the season. So even if 30 Rock was better, it's still great to see Glee win especially since it's so different from everything else on the air. We'll just have to wait to see whether or not FOX cancels it.
And then The Hangover won Best Musical/Comedy. Really? So this was never really going to be my kind of film, but it was a small movie that exploded in the summer and got all sorts of critical love, so I decided to see it. But then the summer ended and I didn't see in the theaters. So when I saw it, it was by myself on a TV screen, but I was seriously underwhelmed. I'm not sure if I laughed even once. Sure it's well-written, and well-acted, and makes more of the material than really any other similar movie would, but I would have preferred any of the other films in this category. (500) Days of Summer is witty and whimsy, yet real. It's Complicated is an actually funny movie. Julie & Julia doesn't work at every level but it's perfectly enjoyable. And Nine is a great musical that I haven't stopped thinking about since I saw it last week.
Sandra Bullock also won her first Golden Globe for The Blind Side. At least it wasn't for The Proposal. I also think Carey Mulligan was deserving for An Education. A perfectly lovely film she holds effortlessly together and who's as glamorous as Audrey Hepburn. But she's young and she'll be back. And this point my mother called me, so I didn't really hear any of the other speeches, which is sad because apparently Robert Downey Jr. gave a really good one. He won, and I didn't even know he was nominated, for Sherlock Holmes. And then Jeff Bridges got a standing ovation when he won for Crazy Heart. Again this movie doesn't even come out till next month, so I don't even know what it's about. But George Clooney needs to win himself a Best Actor (not supporting) Oscar and Up in the Air has been declared his subtlest performance yet. Also I hear Colin Firth is amazing in a Single Man which I am going to see soon . . . I hope.
This brings us to Best Picture Drama. I think Up in the Air should have won. We'll see what the Oscars think. Precious is a well made film, but kind of forgettable--maybe that's just me. The Hurt Locker is a masterwork of suspense and one of the best, non-polemical films about the war in Iraq to date. Inglourious Basterds may be Tarantino's best work even if it doesn't have the cult status of Pulp Fiction, not yet anyway. And I still prefer Kill Bill. Apparently there's a Kill Bill 3 in the works. I'm excited, but also a little apprehensive. So Avatar won of course. Well it did take like 10 years to make, and the amount of money was outlandish though well spent, and it's a fine film in its own right, I just didn't connect with it. So whatever.
Afterward, I watched the final disc of season four of Weeds which Ellen gave me for Christmas. And it sure has gone downhill. The first two seasons were so great and subversive. The third season introduced a lot of changes, which I didn't really care for. Zooey Deschanel who appears as Kat is amazing in her pitifully small four episode arc that bridges seasons two and three. Love you! In season four the location changes entirely, which is pretty unusual for a TV series though Saved by the Bell moved to college. And Heylia and Conrad are gone. So the first two seasons are about a pot-dealing soccer mom living in the suburbs and it's satirical. Now I'm not sure what the series is about--there seems to be no focus anymore. Besides the characters are pretty caustic and there's also been unbelievable scenarios throughout the series which used to be funny but now are just off-putting. And people die though nobody cares. So even though I would watch Mary-Louise Parker read a phone book, I think I'm done with Weeds even though season five just came out, season six has been announced and there are plans for a seventh--I'm out.
With September just around the corner, new television is just weeks away, and it's time to decide what, if anything, we will sit down and watch week after week. There are few things I love more than episodic television--both the very good and occasionally the lowbrow--so fall's lineup is a welcome reprieve from the intellectual and moral wasteland of summer's reality programming. So here are the shows I plan on watching this year because frankly I'm going to need a break from graduate studies.
Glee premieres Wednesday, September 9th 9/8c on FOX. For those who missed the pilot back in the spring, it's a one-hour musical comedy that focuses on the Glee Club at one American high school. It features delightful, full-on musical numbers including such songs as Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Look for Jane Lynch as the bitchy, snarky cheer-leading coach.
Gossip Girl third season is back on the CW's Monday nights starting September 14th 9/8c. After a whip-smart second season the gang is headed to its freshmen year in college which makes me a little worried because high school provided the perfect backdrop for this teen soap. Still I love me some Gossip Girl.
The Office is now entering its sixth season--I can't even believe it--returning to NBC on Thursday, September 17th 9/8c. Either you watch it or you don't, still here's the video of the cast to catch you up on what went down last season and where this one may be headed.
Eastwick is a new series that will be appearing on ABC Wednesdays 10/9c debuting on September 23rd. A series based on the movie based on the novel The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. Anyway, it looks promising, so I think I'll give it a try.
The Dollhouse will start its second season on Friday, September 25th 9/8c. I missed the first season, which is now out on DVD, but I think I need to get in on the latest of Joss Whedon's projects starring Eliza Dushku. Here's a somewhat long recap of season one.
And on Sundays PBS will be showing Ken Burn's twelve-hour story of The National Parks: America's Best Idea. The epic six-part film will begin on September 27th 8/7c. It looks like a grand exercise in American history and riveting cinematography. Mark Kirby of GQ says, "Think of it as Planet Earth featuring places you might actually get to go sometime."
Finally, I plan to watch the fourth season of 30 Rock which I find to be sometimes uneven but which the Emmy's love, bestowing 22 nominations on the third season. There's no video for this one, but it premieres Thursday, October 15th on NBC. The Emmy Awards by the way will be presented on CBS Sunday, September 20th 8/7c. Anyway, that does it for me. What will you be watching this fall?
P.S. Here's a hilarious eight-minute recap of the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica called "What the Frak is Going on with Battlestar Galactica." I could watch it over and over and over again. It contains spoilers by the way.
Last night I finally saw Tori Amos live in concert, and it is definitely one of the highlights of my existence so far on this blue marble. It was a perfect birthday present to myself. I'm not a regular concert-goer, but this definitely kicked ass over all other concerts I've attended. The energy in the audience was electric, and Tori is known for her live performances--and she didn't disappoint. I'm not a huge fan of her latest album Abnormally Attracted to Sin--such a great name though--but the selections she performed from this record benefited wonderfully from a live performance. She also played a lot of material from albums past, especially Under the Pink, for which I'm grateful. "Cooling" may have been my favorite song of the night. It's so beautiful, and I think she was referencing the incident on Temple Square with these lyrics: "and is your place in heaven / worth giving up these kisses / these, yes, these kisses." And judging from the reaction of the crowd, I think I'm right--and there were a helluva lot of gay men there; it was certainly fun to people watch. So I'm now able to cross this off my bucket list, though I definitely hope to catch her live again. AMAZING!
I've recently started watching two television shows on DVD. Let's start with Brothers & Sisters which I believe is on ABC. It's a family drama about a group of adult siblings and with Sally Field as the matriarch. The rest of the cast includes CalistaFlockhart as the conservative TV pundit from a liberal family, Rachel Griffiths (one of my favorites from Six Feet Under) who is in the family business, Matthew Rhys as the the gay brother, Ron Rifkin (from Alias) as their uncle, and Rob Lowe eventually joins the cast. However, I haven't made it that far yet, but it's something to look forward to. Anyway, the acting as you should be able to tell is fabulous, and the writing is superb. And what is richer than family drama for material? It did throw me off at first with all these actors from other series--Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, and Matthew Settle (from Gossip Girl), but I got over that quickly enough, and now I am riveted. I also think this is the phase I'm entering in my life. My brother's still in grade school, but one of my sisters is married and the other is starting college, so we're entering the adult world which changes the sibling dynamics.
The next show is True Blood, the vampire series from HBO starring Anna Pacquin who's all grown up. The series does feature a lot of sex and a lot of Ryan Kwanten naked--but as he's super gorgeous, I'm not complaining. Maybe it's just that it's set in Louisiana but it reminds me more of Interview With a Vampire than Twilight--oh and the fact that it's really good (sorry, Val). In fact the opening sequence posted here really evokes the bayou country for me--even though I've never been to Louisiana--and reminds me not only of Interview but also of The Skeleton Key.
Anyway, Pacquin plays Sookie, a telepathic waitress--which isn't nearly as terrible as it sounds--and she falls for a vampire (Stephen Moyer). The vampires have recently come out of the coffin, so to speak, after the development of True Blood, a synthetic beverage that satisfies all of their nutritional needs--though that isn't to say some vampires don't still prefer the taste of human blood--and they're pushing for a vampire rights ammendment. One of my favorite characters is Sookie's best friend, Tara, a black girl with a big attitude. "Isn't that funny a black girl being named after a plantation? No, I don't think it's funny at all. In fact it really pisses me off that my momma was either stupid or just plain mean." Anyway, I've only seen the first two episodes, but my Netflixque-u-e for the next little while is full of True Blood and Brothers & Sisters.
The last thing I want to adulate is the Pimm's Cup--British cocktail extraordinaire. Pimm's No. 1 Cup is, well no one's really sure what it is, but it's like a gin-based vermouth that tastes a little like vanilla, spice, and citrus fruit. Anyway, in the summer the English combine this with lemonade and cucumber slices to make the sublime Pimm's Cup--perfect for picnics and aperitifs. Now in England, lemonade is a carbonated soda water with lemon juice and is either unsweetened or lightly sweetened. So I had to go to a specialty British shop to buy Schweppes Bitter Lemon which was bloody expensive--I don't know why Schweppes doesn't market this in the U.S. Anyway, I may have better luck with San Pellegrino'sLimonata product. Still, it's a fabulous concoction and I look forward to enjoying many more summer days with a Pimm's Cup in hand.
Finally, getting Fridays off is another one of my favorite things. Yay for holiday weekends--even silly Utah ones! And then finally I wanted to link to this list about how to meet and woo nerdy girls. I heard about it on TBTL and it's awesome.
I love/hate him. You know, I used to play the clarinet, but I'm not the super hot, super talented one playing with Tori.