A drawback to having an obsession with TV shows on DVD — besides the exorbitant amount of money I’ve spent growing my collection — is the fact that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to watch every episode. With my busy college schedule, especially, I find myself tucking boxed sets in a corner cubby, watching them collect dust as I struggle to find a free hour here and there.
But I’m coming up on a two-month break from school between the end of this quarter and the beginning of my study-abroad escapades in Australia. Obviously, it’s the perfect time to catch up on my ignored TV on DVD shows. Thus, my TV to-do list:
01.Battlestar Galactica, Seasons 2.5 and 3
Ohhh, BSG. I’m so terribly behind. I’ve never actually tuned in to the show during its Friday-night time slot on Sci-Fi, instead preferring all-day DVD marathons, which assist in keeping plot lines and characters straight. But the second half of the fourth and final season of the show begins in January, and I really, seriously need to get up to speed if I have any hope of following along with the bloggers’ coverage.
02.ER Season 1
This season I’ve found myself sticking around after The Office and 30 Rock to watch new episodes of the final season of ER. The slew of recent guest appearances from former cast members had me reminiscing, and Amazon.com had the first season on sale for $20, so I went for it.
03.Eureka Season 1
My cousin lent me this in exchange for the first season of BSG, and I haven’t made it past the second episode due to the annoying female characters. But I’ve seen enough to know that I’ll like it if I just give the whole season a fair shot - if I ever make time to watch it.
04.Six Feet Under Season 1
I decided after watching Dexter to watch more of Michael C. Hall, because, seriously, the man is brilliant. Where better to get my fix than Six Feet Under? My current roommate loves the series and was kind of insulted that I’d never seen it, so I also have to watch it to win her respect.
05.The Wire Season 4
I caught up on the first three seasons early this year, but have so far been unable to snag a copy of the fourth to devour. Hearing all the positive reviews hasn’t helped either.
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2008 was to read and review 25 novels. The latest:
THE ODD WOMEN by George Gissing
Summary: A look at the major cultural and societal issues facing women in the late 1800s, through the eyes of a group of particularly odd women.
What I liked: First, it should be said that I read this book for an English class and therefore spent far more time analyzing it than I would have had I read it on my own. In any case, Gissing has an incredible talent for description, and the majority of the plot, despite crawling along at an appropriately Victorian slowness and despite being totally character-driven, was enthralling.
What I didn’t like: I quickly grew tired of the neurotic inner monologue of the characters, as well as their endless discussions over feminist issues. With the exception of Everard and Rhoda, the characters were totally boring. Also - and I’m one of the few people in my class who felt this way - the ending was crap.
Overall: I generally have trouble getting through the ornate language of older literature, but I couldn’t help but like this. B+
I subscribe to a LOT of blogs: When I spend one weekday away from my computer, I am welcomed to Google Reader by literally hundreds of unread posts. It’s about time I promoted some of my favorite reads.
01.Joyful of Indie has been a favorite since I discovered it this summer. Christina posts an eclectic mix of awesome indie music alongside her articulate arguments for why you should listen. I’ve found some of my favorite music through her recommendations. The blog just reached its 100th post - go check it out!
02. Vance at Tapeworthy is probably one of my favorite bloggers, if only because his taste in entertainment mirrors mine. He posts incredibly detailed and hilarious reviews of the best in theatre and TV, and his running commentary of So You Think You Can Dance has to be seen to be believed.
03. For day-after commentary and reviews of the latest on TV, I turn first to Alan Sepinwall, who pairs his spot-on observations and critiques with seemingly endless knowledge of the shows he watches. An absolute necessity for the TV-lovin’ blog reader.
04. Since it premiered in 2004, LOST has been one of my favorite shows, so it’s no surprise that Dispatches from the Island, the personal blog of cast member Jorge Garcia, is one of my favorite reads. Garcia documented his trip through Ireland and Scotland and occasionally shares his camera phone pictures from the set and photo shoots. Awesome.
05. I’ve been friends with Jandy on LJ for ages, but I’m still taken aback by her crazy-expansive knowledge of film - especially silent and black & white cinema, two areas in which I am totally useless. She’s passionate and fascinating and you should read her blog, Jandy’s Meanderings, right now.
B.J. Novak, aka Ryan on NBC’s The Office, came to OU yesterday to perform his stand-up routine. My friends and I jostled our way to second row center seats, which was impressive given that the show was sold out.
I’m not sure if I expected Novak to be an asshole like his character, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed his routine. Standout bits included Wikipedia Brown, the note card test and Shy Puppet, plus brilliant one-liners like: “Battered women. Sounds delicious…” and “My friends gave me the nickname Mr. Compromise. It wasn’t my first choice, but I guess I don’t mind.” At the end of his set he took questions from the crowd, and handled two potential hecklers deftly and professionally.
Afterward we managed to snag photos with him. My [future] roommate Rachel and I had to wait an awkward minute or two while he texted someone (John Krasinski?? Hah) on his Blackberry before we could take our picture, but he was very gracious. See that girl on the right up there? With the curly hair? That’s me!
Overall, it was an awesome evening, and it only reinforced my opinion that the creative team behind The Office deserves far more accolades than they currently receive. If you get the chance to see B.J. Novak live, seize it! He’s a badass.
You know how sometimes you’ll be watching a TV show or a movie, and you’ll think to yourself, “Holy shit, that guy looks like so-and-so!” And you’ll IMDb it only to find that he or she is not, in fact, so-and-so, but looks SO MUCH LIKE so-and-so that they should play siblings?
This literally happens to me all the time.
Here are my top choices of actors/actresses who should sign on immediately to play siblings in a film or TV show. Check out my picks and let me know what you think!
Jon Cryer (Two and Half Men) and Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
When I first saw Pretty in Pink last summer (yeah, I know), I swore up and down that Duckie was played by Jack MacFarland. When I found out otherwise, I decided Cryer and Hayes were meant to play brothers. They have the same smile and mannerisms, and I think they’d play off each other’s comedic strengths really well.
“We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant…We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
And so, tomorrow…we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.
And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea:
Yes, we can.”
Here’s to a better economy, a better image abroad, a cleaner world, equality for all, and eight fucking amazing years. Yes, we can.
I recently re-watched Moulin Rouge! for the first time in about five years, and once again I was torn between feelings of love and total apathy. The music is absolutely fantastic and the art direction is inspired, but the film suffers, in my opinion, from severe directorial ADD and spotty performances (Ewan = moving, Nicole = not so much). Like any pop culture buff, my first thought as the credits rolled was, “What would I have done differently?” And for the first time in my life, my inner response was: “I would have made it a stage musical instead.”
I’m a huge musical theatre geek, so it’s with great hesitation that I admit to this statement. With little exception, film-to-stage adaptations suck; I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that they’re guilty of sucking all creativity out of modern musical theatre (not unlike the havoc wreaked by reality shows on the current TV landscape). That said, I feel like Moulin Rouge!, with a serious script overhaul and a badass creative team, could make as positive an impact on Broadway as The Phantom of the Opera or Wicked.
One of the best shows on Broadway, [title of show], officially closed on October 12 after almost three months at the Lyceum Theatre. It was the little show that could - an unconventional original musical that documented its own inception, featuring a cast of four with the barest set possible - and I’m terribly sad that I didn’t get to see it live in NYC.
The show’s mantra is, “I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing,” and to celebrate this ideal, over 600 people contributed to this amazing video:
And yes, I’m in the vid: I’m the “something” at 00:58. For some reason my name wasn’t included on the list of contributors in the YouTube video info, but I’m definitely there, along with the Keenan-Bolger siblings, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Benanti, Jonathan Groff, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sarah Silverman, America Ferrara, and dozens more.
College is definitely not conducive to blogging in a timely fashion. We’re a little over halfway through Fall Quarter here at Ohio University, which means I just finished up a boatload of midterm exams, papers, readings, and long homework assignments. The time I normally put to good use watching TV shows and reading has been sucked away by The Man, hence the dearth of posts and commentary.
Another thing college is responsible for: a serious decline in the number of TV shows I watch during their actual airtimes. Back in junior high and high school, I picked one show per night to watch regularly for the full season. It was an awesome way to unwind after a full day of school, drama club rehearsal and band practice (because geekery was cool in my private Catholic institution). Now, I’m lucky if I can make time for the amazing three-hour trifecta of Will & Grace, Frasier and Golden Girls every night on Lifetime (which I try my best to do, because, seriously).
Anyway, the point is that I’m seriously behind on the 2008 fall TV season. HOWEVER, I’ve managed to tune in to a few favorites. After the cut, my thought nuggets!
I’m one of those people who has to be at the cinema fifteen minutes in advance in order to get my ticket, find my favorite seat (very top, right underneath the projector) and get settled in time to see all the previews. Yep, that’s right: I’m a trailer junkie.
Because, seriously, how can anyone not be? Trailers are like crack. An entire movie in two minutes, highlighting the best scenes and lines, that you can talk through without people nearby getting pissed, all for free. In the world of film, there’s nothing better.
Trailers, like movies, vary in quality, but the goods ones stick with you (that’s the point). Here are a few that get it right, and have gotten me excited for their release:
W. dir. Oliver Stone, writ. Stanley Weiser
starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn
What’s not to love? This one shows exactly what the film’s about (the life and times of Dubya) without giving away too much, all over the [creepily accurate] Talking Heads tune “Once In A Lifetime”. There’s George vs. the pretzel! Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney! SIGN ME UP.
Laura is a 19-year-old college student pursuing a degree in magazine journalism and film at Ohio University. Her favorite things include TV on DVD marathons, changing seasons, laughing with friends, no homework, complaining, traveling, and her Mac. She'll be studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, from February - June, 2009.
THE ODD WOMEN
Laura is a 19-year-old college student pursuing a degree in magazine journalism and film at Ohio University. Her favorite things include TV on DVD marathons, changing seasons, laughing with friends, no homework, complaining, traveling, and her Mac. She'll be studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, from February - June, 2009.
