An ABC Episode Recap of the Lost finale clarified the identity of the Four-Toed Statue. Click "Read More" for my analysis on the significance of her identity in relation to Jacob and Lost as a whole.
The statue is a representation of Taweret! Let's begin our discussion with her name. Taweret means "(one) who is great," which links up nicely with the answer to "What lies in the shadow of the statue?:" "The one who will save us all." Certainly Taweret signifies what we already knew: Jacob is a big-freaking deal.
Although my research on this is a bit murky (but props to me for looking beyond Wikipedia), it seems that Taweret was married to Apep, the Egyptian deity associated with evil. Taweret could then be seen as a counter-point to evilness and was often considered the "Restrainer of Evil". Is Jacob really good and counter-balancing the evilness of The Man in Black (or the other way around)? Let's not get carried away. Because Apep could only come out at night, Taweret was seen as responsible for all evil acts that occurred during the day. In fact, Taweret was considered a demon! Her likeness was composed of multiple man-killing animals, most notably the hippopotamus, lioness, and crocodile.
Perhaps the most intriguing link between Taweret and the mythology of Lost is that she was seen as the protector of pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnant women wore amulets of her likeness around their necks to be protected from any evilness jeopardizing the safe delivery of their babies. Obviously, we know there are some major fertility issues on the Island amongst the Others. However, Claire was able to give birth to Aaron, and Sun was miraculously impregnated by Jin (who was supposedly infertile) while residing on the Island.
Digging deeper, almost every character on Lost has major Mommy issues. Ben's mother died during child-birth. Jack decided to turn on his father when he realized the woman Christian killed while performing surgery drunk was pregnant. Ana Lucia cracked after getting shot in the abdomen, losing her pregnancy. The list could go on.
So now we ask, when did the damage to the statue occur, leaving nothing but the calf and foot, and when did the fertility issues amongst the Others arise? Certainly there could be a connection there.
What else do you know about Taweret that could be seen as relevant to Lost? And isn't this fun?!
Read more!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
TV - Preview - The Vampire Diaries
As mentioned in my Apocalypse post, the CW has picked up a pilot of "The Vampire Diaries" based on the series by L.J. Smith, staring Ian Somerhalder and some other people that I don't care about. This is why that matters to me.
When I was in high school, I read a lot. I am talking like maybe two or three books a day. And by books, I mean 170-page young adult novels. I consumed them like crack - or popcorn, or that it is more believable that I would actually consume. One of the primary authors of my high school reading era was L.J. Smith. She wrote fantasy novels with a heavily romantic focus. I read just about everything she wrote. A year or so ago, when I became aware of the Twilight mania, I thought, this sounds just like L.J. Smith. After having read the entire Twilight Saga (and completely enjoying it - with the exception of the ridiculous fourth book) I still prefer my old school L.J. Smith. I thought to myself, 'I bet this Twilight craze will bring some publicity to L.J. Smith.' Sure enough, most of her books, written in the mid '90's have been reprinted and reissued. I have to stop myself from buying them just to support her, since I already own just about everything she has written.
The Vampire Diaries was never my favorite series of hers. I liked the set-up and the characters, but it was one of her earlier series and I don't think she had quite worked out the whole love triangle angle that would become a huge focus of most if not all of her subsequent books. I am a HUGE sucker for a love triangle. Especially one where I can actually see the person in the middle with either of the other two. And as low-brow as her books are, in my opinion, she's got that down.
So, I'm hoping that the new show keeps the characters and set-up, but manages to use the love triangle more effectively than it was used in the books.
Also, I have to ask, why do TV shows cast guys who are older than their characters are supposed to look as vampires? It's going to make things really difficult when Ian Somerhalder (who is 31, and playing a character who was made into a vampire at 21, and therefore should look eternally 21), starts to look older, assuming this show lasts more than one season. It happened on Buffy with David Boreanaz and James Marsters. They were both older than their characters were supposed to look when the series started, so it could only get worse from there. I mean, I'm glad to have Ian Somerhalder on a TV show again (since he is just objectively beautiful), but seriously, guys. Think about the fact that this person is not supposed to age when you cast them.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the show. I know perfectly well that it could be completely awful. But Ian Somerhalder knows hat he's doing and the guy who directed the pilot has directed shows for Dexter, so I have an inkling of hope that it could actually be good. Read more!
When I was in high school, I read a lot. I am talking like maybe two or three books a day. And by books, I mean 170-page young adult novels. I consumed them like crack - or popcorn, or that it is more believable that I would actually consume. One of the primary authors of my high school reading era was L.J. Smith. She wrote fantasy novels with a heavily romantic focus. I read just about everything she wrote. A year or so ago, when I became aware of the Twilight mania, I thought, this sounds just like L.J. Smith. After having read the entire Twilight Saga (and completely enjoying it - with the exception of the ridiculous fourth book) I still prefer my old school L.J. Smith. I thought to myself, 'I bet this Twilight craze will bring some publicity to L.J. Smith.' Sure enough, most of her books, written in the mid '90's have been reprinted and reissued. I have to stop myself from buying them just to support her, since I already own just about everything she has written.
The Vampire Diaries was never my favorite series of hers. I liked the set-up and the characters, but it was one of her earlier series and I don't think she had quite worked out the whole love triangle angle that would become a huge focus of most if not all of her subsequent books. I am a HUGE sucker for a love triangle. Especially one where I can actually see the person in the middle with either of the other two. And as low-brow as her books are, in my opinion, she's got that down.
So, I'm hoping that the new show keeps the characters and set-up, but manages to use the love triangle more effectively than it was used in the books.
Also, I have to ask, why do TV shows cast guys who are older than their characters are supposed to look as vampires? It's going to make things really difficult when Ian Somerhalder (who is 31, and playing a character who was made into a vampire at 21, and therefore should look eternally 21), starts to look older, assuming this show lasts more than one season. It happened on Buffy with David Boreanaz and James Marsters. They were both older than their characters were supposed to look when the series started, so it could only get worse from there. I mean, I'm glad to have Ian Somerhalder on a TV show again (since he is just objectively beautiful), but seriously, guys. Think about the fact that this person is not supposed to age when you cast them.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the show. I know perfectly well that it could be completely awful. But Ian Somerhalder knows hat he's doing and the guy who directed the pilot has directed shows for Dexter, so I have an inkling of hope that it could actually be good. Read more!
TV - American Idol Results Scam
I declare a foul! I don't know if this would have really made a difference determining this season's winner, but it sucks knowing that scheming like this might be going on.
Read more!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Film - Best Theme-Setting Scores
The other day I heard the theme song to "The Lord of the Rings" (remember? "Eeeeee-Aahhhhhh eh-ah-eh-ah-eeeee-ahhhh." There, that should help), and I got to thinking about what an incredibly powerful piece of music that is. I turned to my husband, Greg, and said "I think that LOTR has the best theme-setting score. Whenever I hear that music I am automatically scared, excited, nervous, and on-the-edge of my seat," which I think are the perfect emotions to be experiencing when following Frodo on his quest.
Greg said, "I think you mean besides Darth Vadar's theme in the Star Wars movies" and he has a point there (dah dah dah dum-da-dum, dum-da-dum). That music tells you to "Hello! Evil on it's way!," but in a playful manner, perfectly in keeping with the original three films. (While watching Episodes 1 - 3 you should be experiencing some gagging and eye-rolling emotions).
I'm going to stick with my original premise that for me, for you, for me, LOTR has the best theme-setting score. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment. Read more!
Greg said, "I think you mean besides Darth Vadar's theme in the Star Wars movies" and he has a point there (dah dah dah dum-da-dum, dum-da-dum). That music tells you to "Hello! Evil on it's way!," but in a playful manner, perfectly in keeping with the original three films. (While watching Episodes 1 - 3 you should be experiencing some gagging and eye-rolling emotions).
I'm going to stick with my original premise that for me, for you, for me, LOTR has the best theme-setting score. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment. Read more!
The Apocalypse - A Buffy movie sans Joss Whedon
Thanks, Jenna, for bringing the apocalypse to my attention.
Fran Rubel Kuzui is a complete idiot. There has been talk of a Buffy movie since the series went off the air in 2003. Alternating rumors that it was in development or that it would never happen made fans like myself appear bi-polar to outside observers. You'd think we would all be thrilled now that Kuzui, the rights holder to the franchise, is actively pursuing a Buffy feature film. You'd be wrong.
The reason we fans have been clamoring for a film, is that we are invested in the lives of the characters from the TV show. We want to know what happens to them after Sunnydale is leveled. Luckily, Joss Whedon's Season Eight comics have done that, to an extent, but I'd really like to see a movie with all of the characters from the Buffyverse with a little bit more closure on some of the main storylines (who does Buffy end up with, or does she not end up with anyone?, does Angel get to become human?, why was Angel brought back from hell?).
However, this feature film, spearheaded by Kuzui isn't going to be a sequel or continuation of the television show. Instead, in the wake of the Twilight frenzy, it's going to be a complete reboot, ignoring both the TV show, and the 1992 movie, and trying to gain a whole new generation of fans. Seems like a good idea, right?
Problem #1: The only reason the Buffy franchise is so successful is because of the insanely rabid fans. There aren't very many casual Buffy-watchers. People either never watched enough to get hooked, or they are completely nuts about it. Those are the only two options. By rebooting the franchise, and ignoring the characters that the fanbase cares about, the feature film may appeal to a new generation, but it will completely alienate the existing fans. And without the existing fans on board, I doubt the movie will do very well.
Problem #2: Joss Whedon has not even been approached about being involved. So, this pretty much guarantees that the movie will suck. You can't do Buffy without Joss in complete control. They took control away from Joss for the 1992 movie, and look what happened. Plus, now, the rapid fans of the TV show aren't just going to ignore the movie, they will actively work to undermine it. Speaking as a rabid fan, I promise you, this will happen. Check out the article and accompanying poll at EW.com. If there are riots, I will totally go.
Problem #3: We are flooded with vampire related TV shows and movies right now. The CW just picked up a show based on L.J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" starring Ian Somerhalder (Boone from Lost), and some other people that I don't care about. Plus the Twilight books and movies, True Blood, etc. I can't think of others right now, but it just seems like it is everywhere. A reboot of Buffy right now would just fall in with the vampire frenzy and probably wouldn't stand out at all. If it were a sequel to the series, it would work, because the aforementioned rabid fans would make it stand out. But if it's just going to be a from scratch movie, what makes it different from all the other vampire stuff. I realize that the fact that vampires are "so hot right now" is a reason to make the film now. Kuzui practically says as much in the Hollywood Reporter article, but fads change so quickly. By the time the movie is made and comes out, vampires might be "so over."
Problem #4: I hate the idea. And we all know how much pull I have with my highpowered blog. Read more!
Fran Rubel Kuzui is a complete idiot. There has been talk of a Buffy movie since the series went off the air in 2003. Alternating rumors that it was in development or that it would never happen made fans like myself appear bi-polar to outside observers. You'd think we would all be thrilled now that Kuzui, the rights holder to the franchise, is actively pursuing a Buffy feature film. You'd be wrong.
The reason we fans have been clamoring for a film, is that we are invested in the lives of the characters from the TV show. We want to know what happens to them after Sunnydale is leveled. Luckily, Joss Whedon's Season Eight comics have done that, to an extent, but I'd really like to see a movie with all of the characters from the Buffyverse with a little bit more closure on some of the main storylines (who does Buffy end up with, or does she not end up with anyone?, does Angel get to become human?, why was Angel brought back from hell?).
However, this feature film, spearheaded by Kuzui isn't going to be a sequel or continuation of the television show. Instead, in the wake of the Twilight frenzy, it's going to be a complete reboot, ignoring both the TV show, and the 1992 movie, and trying to gain a whole new generation of fans. Seems like a good idea, right?
Problem #1: The only reason the Buffy franchise is so successful is because of the insanely rabid fans. There aren't very many casual Buffy-watchers. People either never watched enough to get hooked, or they are completely nuts about it. Those are the only two options. By rebooting the franchise, and ignoring the characters that the fanbase cares about, the feature film may appeal to a new generation, but it will completely alienate the existing fans. And without the existing fans on board, I doubt the movie will do very well.
Problem #2: Joss Whedon has not even been approached about being involved. So, this pretty much guarantees that the movie will suck. You can't do Buffy without Joss in complete control. They took control away from Joss for the 1992 movie, and look what happened. Plus, now, the rapid fans of the TV show aren't just going to ignore the movie, they will actively work to undermine it. Speaking as a rabid fan, I promise you, this will happen. Check out the article and accompanying poll at EW.com. If there are riots, I will totally go.
Problem #3: We are flooded with vampire related TV shows and movies right now. The CW just picked up a show based on L.J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" starring Ian Somerhalder (Boone from Lost), and some other people that I don't care about. Plus the Twilight books and movies, True Blood, etc. I can't think of others right now, but it just seems like it is everywhere. A reboot of Buffy right now would just fall in with the vampire frenzy and probably wouldn't stand out at all. If it were a sequel to the series, it would work, because the aforementioned rabid fans would make it stand out. But if it's just going to be a from scratch movie, what makes it different from all the other vampire stuff. I realize that the fact that vampires are "so hot right now" is a reason to make the film now. Kuzui practically says as much in the Hollywood Reporter article, but fads change so quickly. By the time the movie is made and comes out, vampires might be "so over."
Problem #4: I hate the idea. And we all know how much pull I have with my highpowered blog. Read more!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Book & TV - The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card, and Dollhouse
So, when watching the two part season finale of Dollhouse, I was inspired to re-read The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card, because of some similarities. Both stories involve taping people's memories and/or personalities and then replaying them into themselves or others. More after the jump.
The Worthing Saga is one of my favorite books of all time. I've probably read it six or seven times, and every time, I'm surprised at how much I love it every time. It's a very involved story; it's not called a saga for nothing. It's got three separate main worlds that the saga takes place in, separated by thousands of years AND thousands of light years. But the most compelling thing for me, in the entire saga is the use of a drug called somec. Somec is a drug that allows the people in this society to basically hibernate. The drug is used as a social status symbol. People with a lot of money, power, talent or intelligence are given somec and allowed to use it at high levels, like spending five years sleeping and one year awake. That way, they can live five times longer than they would have otherwise. The ruler, an empress-like woman called Mother, wakes for one day every ten years.
But that's not really the part that interests me. What interests me is that prior to taking the drug, a person's mind is taped into a bubble, and then it is played back into their head when they wake. There's a short story about a woman who was in love with a very powerful man. She had invalid parents who desperately needed her to take care of them. The man she loved wanted to marry her, but she couldn't leave her parents. So he offered to put her on somec until they passed away. He would make sure that they were taken care of, but she wouldn't have to do it herself, and she wouldn't get any older. She was conflicted, but she agreed, so he took her to the place to have her mind taped. But after her mind was taped, and before they gave her the drug, she changed her mind. She couldn't leave her parents. So he took her home and she stayed with her parents. They lived five more years, in which she became reclusive and bitter. After they died, the man returned, and still wanted to marry her. She couldn't do it. She was too unhappy, to bitter, and she couldn't move forward. So, he offered to put her to sleep and then play the old tape back into her head. She wouldn't remember the past five years, so she wouldn't be the bitter, sad person that she was, but he would tell her what had happened, so she could know that she had done the right thing. So, they did that, and they were happy for a short period of time, but slowly, it started happening that she couldn't live with herself. She couldn't remember taking care of her parents, so for her it was like it had never happened. And she couldn't live with that, because it wasn't the decision that SHE would make. It made her crazy to feel as though, and to remember that she had not taken care of her parents, even though she was told that she had. And she couldn't live with remembering having made a decision that isn't the one she would make.
On Dollhouse, there are dolls, or actives, who come in "voluntarily" and have their memories wiped so that they become blank slates. That way, they can be imprinted with different personalities. However, there is a character named Alpha. Before he became an active, he was a criminal. He had kidnapped a woman and had slashed her face with a knife. He would have killed her if he had not gotten caught. After his mind is wiped, when he is in the doll/"blank slate" phase, he slashes the face of another doll.
These two situations have a shared idea behind them. They both suggest that even if our minds can be wiped, our memories erased, and possibly different ones put in, there is still something that makes you you. There are still things that you simply wouldn't do, because of who you are, even if you can't remember why. Or, in Alpha's case, there are still things that you will do, even if you have no memories or personality which should make you want to do them. Neither The Worthing Saga, nor Dollhouse specifically addresses the idea of a soul, but I think that is what they are both implying.
It's also a strong comment on the nature/nurture debate. They both indicate that there is a very strong nature component. I don't think either requires the belief that people's personalities and decisions are 100% due to nature, but it suggests that there are major components of who we are which are ingrained, and removing our memories won't eliminate those. Read more!
The Worthing Saga is one of my favorite books of all time. I've probably read it six or seven times, and every time, I'm surprised at how much I love it every time. It's a very involved story; it's not called a saga for nothing. It's got three separate main worlds that the saga takes place in, separated by thousands of years AND thousands of light years. But the most compelling thing for me, in the entire saga is the use of a drug called somec. Somec is a drug that allows the people in this society to basically hibernate. The drug is used as a social status symbol. People with a lot of money, power, talent or intelligence are given somec and allowed to use it at high levels, like spending five years sleeping and one year awake. That way, they can live five times longer than they would have otherwise. The ruler, an empress-like woman called Mother, wakes for one day every ten years.
But that's not really the part that interests me. What interests me is that prior to taking the drug, a person's mind is taped into a bubble, and then it is played back into their head when they wake. There's a short story about a woman who was in love with a very powerful man. She had invalid parents who desperately needed her to take care of them. The man she loved wanted to marry her, but she couldn't leave her parents. So he offered to put her on somec until they passed away. He would make sure that they were taken care of, but she wouldn't have to do it herself, and she wouldn't get any older. She was conflicted, but she agreed, so he took her to the place to have her mind taped. But after her mind was taped, and before they gave her the drug, she changed her mind. She couldn't leave her parents. So he took her home and she stayed with her parents. They lived five more years, in which she became reclusive and bitter. After they died, the man returned, and still wanted to marry her. She couldn't do it. She was too unhappy, to bitter, and she couldn't move forward. So, he offered to put her to sleep and then play the old tape back into her head. She wouldn't remember the past five years, so she wouldn't be the bitter, sad person that she was, but he would tell her what had happened, so she could know that she had done the right thing. So, they did that, and they were happy for a short period of time, but slowly, it started happening that she couldn't live with herself. She couldn't remember taking care of her parents, so for her it was like it had never happened. And she couldn't live with that, because it wasn't the decision that SHE would make. It made her crazy to feel as though, and to remember that she had not taken care of her parents, even though she was told that she had. And she couldn't live with remembering having made a decision that isn't the one she would make.
On Dollhouse, there are dolls, or actives, who come in "voluntarily" and have their memories wiped so that they become blank slates. That way, they can be imprinted with different personalities. However, there is a character named Alpha. Before he became an active, he was a criminal. He had kidnapped a woman and had slashed her face with a knife. He would have killed her if he had not gotten caught. After his mind is wiped, when he is in the doll/"blank slate" phase, he slashes the face of another doll.
These two situations have a shared idea behind them. They both suggest that even if our minds can be wiped, our memories erased, and possibly different ones put in, there is still something that makes you you. There are still things that you simply wouldn't do, because of who you are, even if you can't remember why. Or, in Alpha's case, there are still things that you will do, even if you have no memories or personality which should make you want to do them. Neither The Worthing Saga, nor Dollhouse specifically addresses the idea of a soul, but I think that is what they are both implying.
It's also a strong comment on the nature/nurture debate. They both indicate that there is a very strong nature component. I don't think either requires the belief that people's personalities and decisions are 100% due to nature, but it suggests that there are major components of who we are which are ingrained, and removing our memories won't eliminate those. Read more!
TV - Lost Season One
Re-watching Lost has been more rewarding than I predicted. I thought it was going to be fun, I didn't realize it was going to be crazy, awesome fun.
I'm already completely invested in the characters, and I know some answers to the mysteries they are questioning right now (so I'm not burdened with that "WTF?!" rage). Most importantly, I don't really remember any of the details of the early seasons, so as I watch, I still get surprised and even sometimes teary-eyed!
After the jump here, I'm going to go on a tremendous rant about Lost. If you feel like nerding-out with me, please, read on!
The outline to the following rant is as follows:
1. Character Analysis
2. Favorite Moments and Episodes
3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance
4. Goofy Theories
1. Character Analysis:
JACK:
Without doubt the most complicated character, for me, is Jack. All of the other characters' redemption stories are a bit more cut and dry, but Jack's is layered and difficult for me to wrap my head around. My best guess is that he needs to accept humility, because obviously pride is a major problem for our "hero." We hear Christian telling Jack he doesn't have what it takes to be a hero because he cannot deal with failure.
However, I think this goes beyond him accepting that failure is sometimes inevitable. I think he is meant to have humility towards his abilities as a human to control his own fate. The Island is haunting Jack with images of his father. One time Jack follows Christian through the jungle and falls of a cliff-edge, only to be saved by Locke. Is Christian being used as a tool to lead Jack to follow Locke (and his Man of Faith philosophies)? Obviously, we see Jack embrace ideas of Destiny and Purpose in Season Five. The big question is: what will be the pay-off for Jack's believing in Fate? (I'm capitalizing like a German here!)
SAYID:
Sayid says an interesting line at the beginning of this season: "Losing hope is a dangerous thing." We see how this philosophy plays out in Season Five when he has lost Nadia and is back on the Island he so desperately wanted to escape. With no hope left in his heart, he shoots a child (albeit a child version of Ben) and signs up for Jack's mission of blowing up a hydrogen bomb to destroy his 1977-day self in favor of granting sweet Island-ignorance to future versions of Sayid.
Sayid is also a major player. First he's trying to bone Kate, and then he moves on to Shannon (INEXPLICABLY: She's the worst!). All while grieving the loss of Nadia?! I get that it's been seven years since he lost track of Nadia, but still: if he was this ready to move on, wouldn't he have a wife or girlfriend on the mainland? What leads him to go on a booty quest only after he crash lands on an Island of mystery?
KATE:
In the very first episode, Jack explains to Kate his Count to Five method of dealing with stress (which we learn in Season Five was actually taught to him by his father, interesting!). Kate responds that if she had been in such an intense situation, she probably would have run. Jack says that she doesn't believe she would have, and that, my friends, is why Kate falls for Jack. He believes the best of her. Whenever Jack treats Kate like the schemer she is (as when he asks her if she poisoned Michael) she gets mega-pissed. But Kate did poison Michael (second-handedly, by giving Sun the idea), so she gets mad at Jack for not believing that she's a person she isn't.
Sawyer, on the other hand, loves Kate for who she really is, not some ideal image of her. (DISCLAIMER: Sawyer is my favorite character and has been from the first time I watched Season One, and although I'm not thrilled about Kate, I want Sawyer to be happy, and if that means being loved by Kate, so be it.)
2. Favorite Moments and Episode
SAWYER AND KATE PLAY "I NEVER": Sawyer doesn't need any mugshot pictures to realize that Kate's a fugitive: he knows that just by looking at her. I think that when it really boils down to who Kate is supposed to be with, it's Sawyer.
CLAIRE CUTS CHARLIE'S HAIR WHILE HE WRITES A SONG: It's called "The Monster Eats the Pilot"!
BACKGAMMON BETWEEN LOCKE AND WALT: "Two players, two sides: light and dark." Finding out what's up with Walt is something I hope gets fleshed out a bit more in Season Six, even though Walt will look like he's 25.
Favorite Episode: Exodus Part One
This episode is such an amazing piece of work. My two favorite parts are when Sawyer tells Jack about his chance encounter with Christian, and of course the entire goodbye scene. Sun and Jin reconciling was sweet enough to bring me to tears! I also loved the shots of Sawyer and Kate looking for each other at various points to attempt a goodbye. But the best is the entire ending scene. We see the raft hit the water successfully, and everyone is happy and sad and scared and hopeful! There's a slow fade, but then OH YEA! BAM! The shot of the smoke billowing up into the sky signifying that the Other's will soon be attacking. SO GOOD.
3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance:
I'M LETTING YOU OFF THE HOOK: Both Rose and Boone tell Jack that they are forgiving him for his broken promises. All part of Jack learning that failure is sometimes inevitable?
DO YOU HAVE MY BACK?: This is how people on Lost as their significant others if they love them. We see Jack ask Kate in this season, and we will see it be a key element to the blossoming of Sawyer and Juliet's romance in Season Five.
DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO: Both Jack and Locke yell this sentence, always wanting to feel empowered and constantly feeling challenged by others. They long for limitless abilities and complete confidence in those abilities by those who surround them.
4. Goofy Theories:
I've got to tell you, I'm starting to think that VINCENT IS JACOB.
IS THE SMOKE MONSTER THE MAN IN BLACK / JACOB / OR SOMETHING ELSE?
The monster certainly doesn't seem happy that the castaways are on his Island, so it seems more likely that it's The Man in Black rather than Jacob.
The monster also revealed itself in some way to Locke. He says that he looked into the eye of the Island and it was beautiful: which makes me think it's plausible that Jacob is the monster.
I feel pretty confident that the monster is under the control of one of these guys, rather than it being an independent-minded spirit or a creation of the Others.
But seriously, Vincent... something's going on there. Read more!
I'm already completely invested in the characters, and I know some answers to the mysteries they are questioning right now (so I'm not burdened with that "WTF?!" rage). Most importantly, I don't really remember any of the details of the early seasons, so as I watch, I still get surprised and even sometimes teary-eyed!
After the jump here, I'm going to go on a tremendous rant about Lost. If you feel like nerding-out with me, please, read on!
The outline to the following rant is as follows:
1. Character Analysis
2. Favorite Moments and Episodes
3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance
4. Goofy Theories
1. Character Analysis:
JACK:
Without doubt the most complicated character, for me, is Jack. All of the other characters' redemption stories are a bit more cut and dry, but Jack's is layered and difficult for me to wrap my head around. My best guess is that he needs to accept humility, because obviously pride is a major problem for our "hero." We hear Christian telling Jack he doesn't have what it takes to be a hero because he cannot deal with failure.
However, I think this goes beyond him accepting that failure is sometimes inevitable. I think he is meant to have humility towards his abilities as a human to control his own fate. The Island is haunting Jack with images of his father. One time Jack follows Christian through the jungle and falls of a cliff-edge, only to be saved by Locke. Is Christian being used as a tool to lead Jack to follow Locke (and his Man of Faith philosophies)? Obviously, we see Jack embrace ideas of Destiny and Purpose in Season Five. The big question is: what will be the pay-off for Jack's believing in Fate? (I'm capitalizing like a German here!)
SAYID:
Sayid says an interesting line at the beginning of this season: "Losing hope is a dangerous thing." We see how this philosophy plays out in Season Five when he has lost Nadia and is back on the Island he so desperately wanted to escape. With no hope left in his heart, he shoots a child (albeit a child version of Ben) and signs up for Jack's mission of blowing up a hydrogen bomb to destroy his 1977-day self in favor of granting sweet Island-ignorance to future versions of Sayid.
Sayid is also a major player. First he's trying to bone Kate, and then he moves on to Shannon (INEXPLICABLY: She's the worst!). All while grieving the loss of Nadia?! I get that it's been seven years since he lost track of Nadia, but still: if he was this ready to move on, wouldn't he have a wife or girlfriend on the mainland? What leads him to go on a booty quest only after he crash lands on an Island of mystery?
KATE:
In the very first episode, Jack explains to Kate his Count to Five method of dealing with stress (which we learn in Season Five was actually taught to him by his father, interesting!). Kate responds that if she had been in such an intense situation, she probably would have run. Jack says that she doesn't believe she would have, and that, my friends, is why Kate falls for Jack. He believes the best of her. Whenever Jack treats Kate like the schemer she is (as when he asks her if she poisoned Michael) she gets mega-pissed. But Kate did poison Michael (second-handedly, by giving Sun the idea), so she gets mad at Jack for not believing that she's a person she isn't.
Sawyer, on the other hand, loves Kate for who she really is, not some ideal image of her. (DISCLAIMER: Sawyer is my favorite character and has been from the first time I watched Season One, and although I'm not thrilled about Kate, I want Sawyer to be happy, and if that means being loved by Kate, so be it.)
2. Favorite Moments and Episode
SAWYER AND KATE PLAY "I NEVER": Sawyer doesn't need any mugshot pictures to realize that Kate's a fugitive: he knows that just by looking at her. I think that when it really boils down to who Kate is supposed to be with, it's Sawyer.
CLAIRE CUTS CHARLIE'S HAIR WHILE HE WRITES A SONG: It's called "The Monster Eats the Pilot"!
BACKGAMMON BETWEEN LOCKE AND WALT: "Two players, two sides: light and dark." Finding out what's up with Walt is something I hope gets fleshed out a bit more in Season Six, even though Walt will look like he's 25.
Favorite Episode: Exodus Part One
This episode is such an amazing piece of work. My two favorite parts are when Sawyer tells Jack about his chance encounter with Christian, and of course the entire goodbye scene. Sun and Jin reconciling was sweet enough to bring me to tears! I also loved the shots of Sawyer and Kate looking for each other at various points to attempt a goodbye. But the best is the entire ending scene. We see the raft hit the water successfully, and everyone is happy and sad and scared and hopeful! There's a slow fade, but then OH YEA! BAM! The shot of the smoke billowing up into the sky signifying that the Other's will soon be attacking. SO GOOD.
3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance:
I'M LETTING YOU OFF THE HOOK: Both Rose and Boone tell Jack that they are forgiving him for his broken promises. All part of Jack learning that failure is sometimes inevitable?
DO YOU HAVE MY BACK?: This is how people on Lost as their significant others if they love them. We see Jack ask Kate in this season, and we will see it be a key element to the blossoming of Sawyer and Juliet's romance in Season Five.
DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO: Both Jack and Locke yell this sentence, always wanting to feel empowered and constantly feeling challenged by others. They long for limitless abilities and complete confidence in those abilities by those who surround them.
4. Goofy Theories:
I've got to tell you, I'm starting to think that VINCENT IS JACOB.
IS THE SMOKE MONSTER THE MAN IN BLACK / JACOB / OR SOMETHING ELSE?
The monster certainly doesn't seem happy that the castaways are on his Island, so it seems more likely that it's The Man in Black rather than Jacob.
The monster also revealed itself in some way to Locke. He says that he looked into the eye of the Island and it was beautiful: which makes me think it's plausible that Jacob is the monster.
I feel pretty confident that the monster is under the control of one of these guys, rather than it being an independent-minded spirit or a creation of the Others.
But seriously, Vincent... something's going on there. Read more!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Film - Terminator: Salvation, McG
I really wanted to like this movie. Desperately, actually. I love dystopic visions of the future (even if that future is only nine years off). I love Christian Bale. I love action movies. I thought it was a guarantee.
Well, I liked it. But I only liked it. Here are the good things about the movie. SPOILERS follow.
The acting. Almost everyone was way above the usual action movie level of acting. Christian Bale was his usual awesomeness and Aussie recruit Sam Worthington more than holds his own. My husband said that there wasn't enough Christian Bale in the movie, but whenever Bale wasn't on the screen, Worthington was, so it was all fine by me. Anton Yelchin is great as Kyle Reese, though his other summer release (Star Trek) is a far superior movie, even if his part isn't quite as big. The rest of the cast is good, but forgettable.
The action. Tons of great action sequences. I actually jumped a couple of times, which I didn't expect to happen. They found lots of interesting ways to destroy seemingly indestructible machines. I was particularly fond of the chase with the motorcycle class of terminators.
Still on the good things. The mood and tone of the movie were exactly what I was looking for. Dark, desolate and barren. Director McG did a fantastic job of realizing what most viewers of the Terminator series imagined for the future of that world. The world that Kyle Reese was sent back from.
The Ah-nohld cameo. Speaks for itself.
Ok, the Bad things.
The women. One was pregnant, and might as well have been barefoot and in the kitchen. She was basically only there to be John Connor's pregnant wife. I don't even remember the character's name. I could look it up, but I'm making a point here. She was played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who did a fine job, but had very little to work with. Ho hum. Dustin pointed out that she was a doctor, but that was completely not central to her character. The other, Blair, played by Moon Bloodgood, was just pathetic. She is supposed to be all tough, she's a Resistance pilot, for crying out loud, but she has to be saved twice in her first few minutes on screen by Marcus (Sam Worthington). Then, when everyone realizes Marcus is (mostly) a machine, she sticks by him and believes he's on their side. Whether she's right or wrong isn't important to me (and she's kind of right and kind of wrong, as it turns out), but the fact that she buys his story just because he made her go all weak in the knees is ridiculous. Come on now.
Some story points. First of all, the resistance has found this signal that shuts down the machines. But they have to get close enough to a machine to broadcast the signal to shut it down. Lame. Totally lame. Luckily it turned out to be a Skynet ploy, but that just made me wonder why they weren't more suspicious of such an obvious easy way out of all of this. Second, Blair and John Connor both trust Marcus even after they know he's part machine. WHY?! I mean, in the end, his intentions were in the right place, but he was programmed and sent to them by Skynet, so they really shouldn't have trusted him. And these people have been fighting against the machines for a long time, you would think they'd be a little more wary about trusting one of them. Third, at the end of the movie, John Connor is mortally wounded and Marcus offers to provide his own human heart (which has been described multiple times throughout the movie as being very strong) as a transplant to save John. This struck me as a little hokey, just on the surface. Blair is basically fine with it (even though she risked her own life to break him out earlier in the movie and she clearly believes that he is a person, not a machine), which is bizarre. Then, as they are laying on medical cots, about to be operated on, Marcus and John look over at each other, and John gives a little nod. I laughed out loud. The guy is a living being who is choosing to die so that he can donate his heart to you, and you're going to give a little grateful nod to him? It was ludicrous. It completely cheapened the moment (even though I already thought the moment was ridiculous).
The story was too repetitive. It seemed like the same thing over and over again, instead of a narrative which was moving forward. Eventually, it moved forward, but it wasn't moving forward for large chunks of the movie.
Lack of mythology. Terminator has an incredibly rich mythology about destiny and fate and free will. It was all but lost in this movie.
Basically, all the bad stuff, I blame on the writers. So, John D. Brancato, and Michael Ferris, you get a big thumbs down from me, and everyone else gets a thumbs up. Read more!
Well, I liked it. But I only liked it. Here are the good things about the movie. SPOILERS follow.
The acting. Almost everyone was way above the usual action movie level of acting. Christian Bale was his usual awesomeness and Aussie recruit Sam Worthington more than holds his own. My husband said that there wasn't enough Christian Bale in the movie, but whenever Bale wasn't on the screen, Worthington was, so it was all fine by me. Anton Yelchin is great as Kyle Reese, though his other summer release (Star Trek) is a far superior movie, even if his part isn't quite as big. The rest of the cast is good, but forgettable.
The action. Tons of great action sequences. I actually jumped a couple of times, which I didn't expect to happen. They found lots of interesting ways to destroy seemingly indestructible machines. I was particularly fond of the chase with the motorcycle class of terminators.
Still on the good things. The mood and tone of the movie were exactly what I was looking for. Dark, desolate and barren. Director McG did a fantastic job of realizing what most viewers of the Terminator series imagined for the future of that world. The world that Kyle Reese was sent back from.
The Ah-nohld cameo. Speaks for itself.
Ok, the Bad things.
The women. One was pregnant, and might as well have been barefoot and in the kitchen. She was basically only there to be John Connor's pregnant wife. I don't even remember the character's name. I could look it up, but I'm making a point here. She was played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who did a fine job, but had very little to work with. Ho hum. Dustin pointed out that she was a doctor, but that was completely not central to her character. The other, Blair, played by Moon Bloodgood, was just pathetic. She is supposed to be all tough, she's a Resistance pilot, for crying out loud, but she has to be saved twice in her first few minutes on screen by Marcus (Sam Worthington). Then, when everyone realizes Marcus is (mostly) a machine, she sticks by him and believes he's on their side. Whether she's right or wrong isn't important to me (and she's kind of right and kind of wrong, as it turns out), but the fact that she buys his story just because he made her go all weak in the knees is ridiculous. Come on now.
Some story points. First of all, the resistance has found this signal that shuts down the machines. But they have to get close enough to a machine to broadcast the signal to shut it down. Lame. Totally lame. Luckily it turned out to be a Skynet ploy, but that just made me wonder why they weren't more suspicious of such an obvious easy way out of all of this. Second, Blair and John Connor both trust Marcus even after they know he's part machine. WHY?! I mean, in the end, his intentions were in the right place, but he was programmed and sent to them by Skynet, so they really shouldn't have trusted him. And these people have been fighting against the machines for a long time, you would think they'd be a little more wary about trusting one of them. Third, at the end of the movie, John Connor is mortally wounded and Marcus offers to provide his own human heart (which has been described multiple times throughout the movie as being very strong) as a transplant to save John. This struck me as a little hokey, just on the surface. Blair is basically fine with it (even though she risked her own life to break him out earlier in the movie and she clearly believes that he is a person, not a machine), which is bizarre. Then, as they are laying on medical cots, about to be operated on, Marcus and John look over at each other, and John gives a little nod. I laughed out loud. The guy is a living being who is choosing to die so that he can donate his heart to you, and you're going to give a little grateful nod to him? It was ludicrous. It completely cheapened the moment (even though I already thought the moment was ridiculous).
The story was too repetitive. It seemed like the same thing over and over again, instead of a narrative which was moving forward. Eventually, it moved forward, but it wasn't moving forward for large chunks of the movie.
Lack of mythology. Terminator has an incredibly rich mythology about destiny and fate and free will. It was all but lost in this movie.
Basically, all the bad stuff, I blame on the writers. So, John D. Brancato, and Michael Ferris, you get a big thumbs down from me, and everyone else gets a thumbs up. Read more!
TV - Glee
After the American Idol finale, Fox aired a preview premier of the High-School Musical infused hour-long comedy "Glee." There was certainly a lot to like about this cooky program, brought to us from the creative minds of "Nip/Tuck."
For one, there's Lea Michele. She originated the lead role in the broadway production of "Spring Awakening," and she's a tremendous talent. She has all the drive of Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon's character in "Election") with no hopes for the popularity. The other members of the New Directions glee club have a bit to prove. The adult characters are infused with more than their share of quirks, and are played by skilled actors.
However, there are a lot of wrinkles that need to be smoothed out in the fall, when the show resumes. Are they going to continue with the multiple narrators? I hope not. Although it's a easy way to gain access to the background stories of the characters, I find it a bit scatter-brained. Maybe they could give each character their own episode to narrate, and alternate it every week.
There's also the fear that eventually the show will start to take itself too seriously, as was the downfall of "Nip/Tuck." Keeping it light and fun, with plenty of odd-ball humor, will be the saving grace of this program. We'll be checking back in come September!
Read more!
TV - The Fashion Show
I am currently in the middle of viewing the third episode "The Fashion Show." I've been waiting for the show to gain its footing before writing a review, but now I've had it.
The casting for this show is obnoxious. I am sure there were thousands of aspiring fashion designers who auditioned, and yet they chose to cast almost exclusively based on personality. The skill levels are laughable in several contestants. To give you some insight: three designers have said that they do not know how to sew. They are designers in the same way that every middle school girl says that she wants to be a fashion designer: they doodle dresses but have no idea how to get the design from paper to runway. What did they think this competition was going to be? That there would be a team of pattern makers and sewers helping the contestants with each challenge?!
In the second episode, a contestant pieced together an outfit with safety pins, and admitted openly that he doesn't think sewing is important and STILL WASN'T ELIMINATED.
The other annoyance is that the show has relied completely on team challenges, even in the mini-challenges, with the exception of one event so far in the first three episodes.
On the positive side, the challenges are creative and interesting, just like in Project Runway. Also, in a divergence from PR, the Fashion Show hosts a real runway show with a full audience every week, which is sort of fun.
I will continue to watch, simply because I have a lot of time pinned underneath a sleeping baby. Furthermore, I've got to have faith that eventually those without talent will be voted off and we could be left with 5 or so authentic, talented designers.
Read more!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
TV - American Idol 5/20
Kris for the win!
Read more!
Like we've already written here, this is not a complete shock to most. Kris was sure to have picked up some Danny votes (even though many voted for Kris to be in the finale as a Gokey Block), and Adam can be a bit off-putting to some (*cough* who are idiots *cough*). But let's not loose perspective: there were almost 100 millions votes cast and dial idol claimed it was the first time they had no reasonable guess who was going to win. If you won essentially 49% of 100 million votes, you shouldn't feel like a loser!
And gosh darnnit if those two cute kids didn't make it seem like they were just there to have fun, anyway. Kris's mom put it best when she almost forgot why they were there the show was such a blast.
My favorite moment? The Kara Surprise! Once I accepted the dismal fact that Idol was going to waste time giving a bonus 15 seconds of fame to the corny/tacky Norman, Tatiana, and Bikini Girl, I was at least happy that they were going to let Bikini crash and burn on stage for all the mock. Did you HEAR her first couple of notes? Oooo trainwreck. I would have been happy enough listening to her suffer, but then Kara came out goofily diva-ing out. Is she the best singer and performer in the world? No! But she's a heck of a lot better than most of the Top 13. And moreover, she has a sense of HUMOR! She flashed her slammin' body in front of all of America (let alone thousands of LIVE viewers) to see for the sake of fun and charity. Way to go!
The night featured chart-topping performers covering the entire spectrum of music genres and history. Some guest singers were more welcome than others. I love her majesty, Queen Latifah but am lost on the appeal of Lil Rounds. Rod Stewart is a great crooner, but is kind of scary to look at and certainly in the wrong venue (do tweens even know who this guy is?). Steve Martin is fantastic, but Corkrey sort of slaughtered that sweet diddy.
On the other hand, I'd never turn down an opportunity to see masked striped weirdos frisk will.i.am! And I thought the Cyndi Lauper/ Alison version of "Time after Time" was pretty incredible (the dulcimer never gets enough respect!).
I'm not a Keith Urban fan, but Kris seemed to handle that number quite pleasantly.
But c'mon... KISS?!?!?! How frakkin' fantastic! Not to mention Adam's wardrobe straight from the closet of Lady Ga Ga or some sort of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain. And then to have that number followed not to shortly by the Queen performance. Please tell me there were some backstage wheelings and dealings (especially after the Adam loss) where Brian May at least proposed the idea of hiring Glambert.
When the results were announced, I was happy for Kris! I think he is going to be a great artist. I also have to admit I was happy he gave Adam the praise he deserved. And in further snarkiness, I am happy for Adam that he doesn't have to deal with being an "Idol." If he wants to wear the highest of club-boi platform boots with the shiniest of guyliners, he can do so without any producers giving him notes. All the press without the constraints!
Lastly, for anyone buying into the culture war, please take a cue from these guys. Kris is a person of faith who does not see his love of God interfering with developing a close friendship with a (possibly) gay man. Kris oozes love and peace, and I hope his music brings enlightenment to those who have hate in their hearts.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Mid-Idol Finale Update
This is my version of SNL's Weekend Update "Really?!" segment.
REALLY?! American Idol? Really!? On the night of the finale when you've got all these amazingly fortunate, talented people performing you're going to go back and make fun of the bad auditions from the beginning? Really?!
I mean, really, it's lame early in the season, but at this point, when you don't need to do it to keep viewers it's just inexcusable. I mean, really.
ETA:
REALLY?! Bikini Girl? Really? Haven't you done enough to show that you are misogynistic as a show? Really?! And with a boob job? REALLY!? And then Kara DioGuardi comes out pathetically trying to convince us that she should have made it as a singer? REALLY!? And then she also has a bikini on?! Actually that last part was kind of funny, and it was for charity, so that was okay with me. But, really? Read more!
REALLY?! American Idol? Really!? On the night of the finale when you've got all these amazingly fortunate, talented people performing you're going to go back and make fun of the bad auditions from the beginning? Really?!
I mean, really, it's lame early in the season, but at this point, when you don't need to do it to keep viewers it's just inexcusable. I mean, really.
ETA:
REALLY?! Bikini Girl? Really? Haven't you done enough to show that you are misogynistic as a show? Really?! And with a boob job? REALLY!? And then Kara DioGuardi comes out pathetically trying to convince us that she should have made it as a singer? REALLY!? And then she also has a bikini on?! Actually that last part was kind of funny, and it was for charity, so that was okay with me. But, really? Read more!
TV - American Idol 5/19
For me, for you two, dawgs, the finale was a bit of a let-down.
Even before the blue glow of the Idol stage illuminated my television screen, I was agitated. How much hype has been given to the "culture war" represented by the final two? Why did the many bloggers and columnists have to take the Adam/Kris finale and make it so... personal? I get that producers like a nice polar story-line, but why did it have to be Gay versus God? For one, I think Kris and Adam have made it pretty clear that they are not trying to label themselves as either a voice for the evangelicals or the homosexuals. For another, hello! There's already a perfectly good story-line to be had here: the explosive, power-house rocker versus the soulful, acoustic crooner!
Anyway - getting to the actual show:
I was pretty bummed that the contestants had to do a repeat performance, unlike last year where David Cook was able to present a new song. I thought both Adam and Kris nailed their songs, but it just didn't have the surprise factor. I think Kris benefited from this round because he did an even better job on "Ain't No Sunshine..." than he did the first time.
I thought that the producer's pick songs were great fits for the artists, and again, they both did fantastic jobs.
Now let's get to this atroshe Idol Anthem! When I heard that Kara had co-wrote the finale song, I was given an inkling of hope that she would redeem herself to all the haters. The Idol Anthems have always been terrible, and this one ended up being no exception. Something about hurricanes and fighting another day... and then there's that "You Can Go Higher!/You Can Go Deeper!" bit drilling "DO RE MI FA MI DO RE MI FA MI" into my head so completely that it provided the soundtrack for ensuing nightmares.
Neither song sounded great when sung by the contestants. Adam came across as shrill and out of breath, not to mention like he was attempting to become a sugary pop star when he is a metallic and glittery rocker to the core. The song was more suited for Kris, but he was also straining (despite the songs limited range, when in too high of a key, it was a killer).
However, the night ended on a great note: While Ryan was cueing all of America to vote for their favorite contestant Adam let out a goofy, joyous, "THIS GUY!" while pointing to his compatriot. And Kris didn't miss a beat shooting it right back at my future best friend.
Who will win? I'm really not sure! There's been so much hype about church groups voting for Kris, maybe he will snag the title. But with "No Boundaries" as the first single for the newest Idol, maybe Adam is secretly hoping to avoid the confetti shower!
Read more!
Books - The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This is the first Sherlock Holmes story I have ever read. I can't believe it took me this long to read one, but now I will definitely be reading a few more.
The story is about a woman who is about to get married. She's very frightened because she keeps hearing strange noises in the middle of the night, the same noises her sister heard two years earlier when she was about to get married, but she died before she could. Now Holmes is trying to keep her safe and find out what happened to her sister.
I'm not going to give away the whole mystery, but I've just got to say, it was refreshing. Compared to most of what I read or watch today, it was incredibly straightforward. Holmes is presented with a problem and he uses observation and rational thinking to solve it. Where's the time traveling and dimension jumping!? :o)
To be honest, the final solution is pretty far-fetched, but it's still just flat out fun. The story is short; it's kind of like the literary equivalent of . . . some kind of snack food. Quick and satisfying. Self-contained. Maybe Pringles.
It's also good for a laugh because the famous second, Watson, is a complete moron. I had no idea coming in, I just assumed that he was at least somewhat helpful, but he seems to be there purely to ask questions and sound like an idiot. But it's entertaining.
Anyway, I'll be reading more Holmes stories soon. Another note is that I read the whole story on my iPod Touch. The program is a reader that scrolls the text up like a teleprompter and you can control the speed by tilting it. I thought it would get annoying, and it might have been if I was reading a whole book, but for a story this length, it was actually great. Read more!
The story is about a woman who is about to get married. She's very frightened because she keeps hearing strange noises in the middle of the night, the same noises her sister heard two years earlier when she was about to get married, but she died before she could. Now Holmes is trying to keep her safe and find out what happened to her sister.
I'm not going to give away the whole mystery, but I've just got to say, it was refreshing. Compared to most of what I read or watch today, it was incredibly straightforward. Holmes is presented with a problem and he uses observation and rational thinking to solve it. Where's the time traveling and dimension jumping!? :o)
To be honest, the final solution is pretty far-fetched, but it's still just flat out fun. The story is short; it's kind of like the literary equivalent of . . . some kind of snack food. Quick and satisfying. Self-contained. Maybe Pringles.
It's also good for a laugh because the famous second, Watson, is a complete moron. I had no idea coming in, I just assumed that he was at least somewhat helpful, but he seems to be there purely to ask questions and sound like an idiot. But it's entertaining.
Anyway, I'll be reading more Holmes stories soon. Another note is that I read the whole story on my iPod Touch. The program is a reader that scrolls the text up like a teleprompter and you can control the speed by tilting it. I thought it would get annoying, and it might have been if I was reading a whole book, but for a story this length, it was actually great. Read more!
Monday, May 18, 2009
TV - Idol Gossip
Apparently Anoop and Megan Joy are an item now?!
All I can think about is how 'Noop Dog's parents are taking this news... Not only does divorcee Corkrey have a baby, but let's not forget (most importantly): bitch be crazy!
Read more!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Film - Star Trek
Disclaimer: I have never, ever seen an episode of Star Trek or any of the previous movies.
So, Star Trek. I knew it would be awesome, because, well, it's SF and it's J.J. Abrams. That's just a recipe for goodness. And it was completely awesome.
I just have to say that all three J.J. Abrams-related media (TV Shows - Fringe* and Lost, and the Star Trek movie) that I have watched recently are dealing with time travel and alternate realities. They each take a slightly different approach to time travel and/or alternate realities, but the overlap is kind of interesting.
The version in Star Trek is one that I can really get on board with. Basically, it is that when someone travels back in time - through a black hole in the case of the movie - they create an alternate reality. The place they came from, where in the past they had not traveled back in time, still exists, but it's an alternate future/dimension/reality. I really like this, because you can have it both ways here. In one sense, it's impossible to change the past. They can't go back into their own past and change what happened. But they can change it in an alternate dimension. It helps with the paradox problem (i.e., if I go back in time and change things so that I am never born, how did I get to the past to make that change).
We haven't quite figured out how Lost if going to deal with time travel, since we ended on a kind of cliffhanger. Fringe isn't about time travel at all, but it is about alternate dimensions. They talk about the fact that every time people make a decision, reality splinters, like a branch of a tree. So, that's consistent with the Star Trek version of time travel, because someone showing up today and claiming to be from the future would be one branch, and the reality where that never happened would be another.
I don't want to go into to much else from the movie, because I know my co-blogger hasn't seen it yet, but I do want to say one other thing. The casting was fantastic, except for one glaring, confusing, question mark. Winona Ryder as Spock's mother. She's only six years older than Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, and they had to age her with make-up. Are you telling me they couldn't find a more age-appropriate actress? I've looked all over the internet to see if there was an explanation for this casting choice, but I didn't find anything. Very confusing. It actually took me way out of the movie.
But the bottom line was that the movie was fantastic. If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend it.
*I didn't blog about the Fringe season finale, but it was fantastic. The major twist was COMPLETELY shocking, but also fit perfectly with the show, which is really hard to do. Just wanted to give them their props. Read more!
So, Star Trek. I knew it would be awesome, because, well, it's SF and it's J.J. Abrams. That's just a recipe for goodness. And it was completely awesome.
I just have to say that all three J.J. Abrams-related media (TV Shows - Fringe* and Lost, and the Star Trek movie) that I have watched recently are dealing with time travel and alternate realities. They each take a slightly different approach to time travel and/or alternate realities, but the overlap is kind of interesting.
The version in Star Trek is one that I can really get on board with. Basically, it is that when someone travels back in time - through a black hole in the case of the movie - they create an alternate reality. The place they came from, where in the past they had not traveled back in time, still exists, but it's an alternate future/dimension/reality. I really like this, because you can have it both ways here. In one sense, it's impossible to change the past. They can't go back into their own past and change what happened. But they can change it in an alternate dimension. It helps with the paradox problem (i.e., if I go back in time and change things so that I am never born, how did I get to the past to make that change).
We haven't quite figured out how Lost if going to deal with time travel, since we ended on a kind of cliffhanger. Fringe isn't about time travel at all, but it is about alternate dimensions. They talk about the fact that every time people make a decision, reality splinters, like a branch of a tree. So, that's consistent with the Star Trek version of time travel, because someone showing up today and claiming to be from the future would be one branch, and the reality where that never happened would be another.
I don't want to go into to much else from the movie, because I know my co-blogger hasn't seen it yet, but I do want to say one other thing. The casting was fantastic, except for one glaring, confusing, question mark. Winona Ryder as Spock's mother. She's only six years older than Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, and they had to age her with make-up. Are you telling me they couldn't find a more age-appropriate actress? I've looked all over the internet to see if there was an explanation for this casting choice, but I didn't find anything. Very confusing. It actually took me way out of the movie.
But the bottom line was that the movie was fantastic. If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend it.
*I didn't blog about the Fringe season finale, but it was fantastic. The major twist was COMPLETELY shocking, but also fit perfectly with the show, which is really hard to do. Just wanted to give them their props. Read more!
TV - Dollhouse Renewed
The official announcement comes on Monday, but it's been leaked that Fox has ordered thirteen more episodes of Dollhouse. Joss had to agree to do it on a reduced budget, but apparently the agreement has been signed.
Here's hoping that Fox puts it in a slightly better time slot next year. Read more!
Here's hoping that Fox puts it in a slightly better time slot next year. Read more!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
TV - Bones - 5/14/2009
Oh dear. Bones, Bones, Bones. What have you done? That was almost a comically awful hour of television. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything amusing about it. It was just awful.
For those who don't watch the show, I'll give a very short recap. Bones is about a female forensic anthropologist, nicknamed Bones (who is also a bestselling author) who helps a male FBI agent named Booth solve crimes. There has now been four seasons of sexual tension leading up to the two of them FINALLY relieving that tension in tonight's season finale. Or at least, that's what was promised.
For the last few months, the creators, stars and the Ausiello Files have assured we viewers that Bones and Booth would in fact do the deed in tonight's episode and that it would be neither a dream, nor a hallucination. But they held back from completely stating that it would be 100% real.
In last week's episode, it came out that Booth has a brain tumor which is causing him to have hallucinations, including seeing Stewie from Family Guy. That, in and of itself, was almost enough to jump the shark. But I thought they made it work. It tied in with previous episodes where Booth had seen a ghost of an old army buddy. So, I stayed on board.
But tonight. Oh tonight. The entire episode was one of two things. From the ending, it wasn't clear which, but it was either going on inside Booth's head while he was in a post-op coma, or it was a book that Bones was working on, but ended up deleting. In the episode, Booth and Bones are married and they own a night club where all of the people who usually work with them solving crimes, also worked. Kind of a Wizard of Oz type thing.
As if that wasn't bad enough. Booth wakes up at the end of the episode, and Bones is in the hopsital room. She tells him that the operation was a success, but that he had a reaction to the anesthetic. Then he looks up at her and says, "Who are you?"
REALLY?! Amnesia!? You just had an alternate universe episode on a non-supernatural show, and now you're giving one of your main characters amnesia. As I tweeted earlier today, this was the biggest shark jumping since Fonzie actually jumped over a shark.
Huge, huge disappointment. Read more!
For those who don't watch the show, I'll give a very short recap. Bones is about a female forensic anthropologist, nicknamed Bones (who is also a bestselling author) who helps a male FBI agent named Booth solve crimes. There has now been four seasons of sexual tension leading up to the two of them FINALLY relieving that tension in tonight's season finale. Or at least, that's what was promised.
For the last few months, the creators, stars and the Ausiello Files have assured we viewers that Bones and Booth would in fact do the deed in tonight's episode and that it would be neither a dream, nor a hallucination. But they held back from completely stating that it would be 100% real.
In last week's episode, it came out that Booth has a brain tumor which is causing him to have hallucinations, including seeing Stewie from Family Guy. That, in and of itself, was almost enough to jump the shark. But I thought they made it work. It tied in with previous episodes where Booth had seen a ghost of an old army buddy. So, I stayed on board.
But tonight. Oh tonight. The entire episode was one of two things. From the ending, it wasn't clear which, but it was either going on inside Booth's head while he was in a post-op coma, or it was a book that Bones was working on, but ended up deleting. In the episode, Booth and Bones are married and they own a night club where all of the people who usually work with them solving crimes, also worked. Kind of a Wizard of Oz type thing.
As if that wasn't bad enough. Booth wakes up at the end of the episode, and Bones is in the hopsital room. She tells him that the operation was a success, but that he had a reaction to the anesthetic. Then he looks up at her and says, "Who are you?"
REALLY?! Amnesia!? You just had an alternate universe episode on a non-supernatural show, and now you're giving one of your main characters amnesia. As I tweeted earlier today, this was the biggest shark jumping since Fonzie actually jumped over a shark.
Huge, huge disappointment. Read more!
TV - My Boys
So, I've been watching My Boys for the past couple of years and I just wanted to do a little shout-out here. Generally, I think TV comedy is in a mess right now. There are a few shows getting it right, but for the most part, hour long dramas, or dramedies in some cases, are just way, way better. Exceptions include The Office, 30 Rock, and How I Met Your Mother but that's really about it.
Now, My Boys. There's no particular reason to think it would be any better than most of the sit-coms on ABC or CBS. It is a single camera show without a laugh track, like The Office or 30 Rock (as opposed to a multi-camera show with a laugh track and a studio audience like Two and a Half Men), which is a good sign, but there isn't really any star power. The most famous person on the show is Jim Gaffigan, who is certainly at least a D-list celebrity, but still.
Also, the show has some traditional sit-com style jokes, which can be a bit groan-worthy to modern TV viewers. I generally avoid that style of comedy, but I'm able to get past the occasional groan on this show.
The reason I put up with all of it is that there is something so natural about the performances that I sit through almost the entire episode wishing that I was friends with the characters.
First of all, the writing is, on occasion, insanely realistic. Like normally, even on shows like The Office and 30 Rock, I, as a viewer, notice something strange, and wish the characters would comment on it, but they don't. On My Boys, they do. For example, recently, two female characters were having lunch and for some reason, the analogies they were making kept coming around to animals. I turned to my husband and said, "Man, they just can't stop talking about animals." Seconds later, one of the characters says something like, "This conversation has a lot of animals in it." It was just so gratifying. I felt like "Yes! That's what normal people would actually say in that situation!" And it happens a number of times each episode.
Second, the actors are just completely natural. I mean, the Office seems forced compared to these performances. I have to imagine that the actors really like each other and have a great time making the show, because it really just comes across as a group of friends hanging out and living their life. And they are funny and seem like a lot of fun.
To summarize, basically, I watch the show because I wish the people on it would be friends with me. Read more!
Now, My Boys. There's no particular reason to think it would be any better than most of the sit-coms on ABC or CBS. It is a single camera show without a laugh track, like The Office or 30 Rock (as opposed to a multi-camera show with a laugh track and a studio audience like Two and a Half Men), which is a good sign, but there isn't really any star power. The most famous person on the show is Jim Gaffigan, who is certainly at least a D-list celebrity, but still.
Also, the show has some traditional sit-com style jokes, which can be a bit groan-worthy to modern TV viewers. I generally avoid that style of comedy, but I'm able to get past the occasional groan on this show.
The reason I put up with all of it is that there is something so natural about the performances that I sit through almost the entire episode wishing that I was friends with the characters.
First of all, the writing is, on occasion, insanely realistic. Like normally, even on shows like The Office and 30 Rock, I, as a viewer, notice something strange, and wish the characters would comment on it, but they don't. On My Boys, they do. For example, recently, two female characters were having lunch and for some reason, the analogies they were making kept coming around to animals. I turned to my husband and said, "Man, they just can't stop talking about animals." Seconds later, one of the characters says something like, "This conversation has a lot of animals in it." It was just so gratifying. I felt like "Yes! That's what normal people would actually say in that situation!" And it happens a number of times each episode.
Second, the actors are just completely natural. I mean, the Office seems forced compared to these performances. I have to imagine that the actors really like each other and have a great time making the show, because it really just comes across as a group of friends hanging out and living their life. And they are funny and seem like a lot of fun.
To summarize, basically, I watch the show because I wish the people on it would be friends with me. Read more!
TV - Lost - Season 5 finale
Looking back at the questions I posed before watching the finale... none of them were answered. Of course not! That's what Season 6 is for!
HUGE QUESTION #1 Revisited: Can they change the past?
We still don't know! My theory is that Miles was right: their attempt to stop the Incident by blowing-up Jughead actually WAS the Incident. When Juliet ignited the bomb, there will be a flash and all of those who were transported to 1977 will pop up in 2007 somewhere on the Island and that will conclude the time-traveling. Doc Jensen (Entertainment Weekly's major LOST columnist) has a completely different theory. He says that Juliet's bomb blast stopped the Incident from occurring. Doc Jensen thinks a lot of crazy things.
For now we must address new questions!:
Who's that dude talking-up Jacob?
We met Jacob! He likes to make tapestries and eat fish! He has an enemy. To me, this no-name guy oozed Smoke-monster (and Doc sort of thought so, too: neat!).
Here's a part of their obtuse exchange:
No-Name Guy: they come, fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same.
Jaco: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that, it's just progress.
So I'm sort of getting the feeling that Jacob keeps bringing people to this Island with the hope that their interaction with the Island will eventually evolve to a desired end.
But is Jacob good or evil? We're not sure yet who the good guy and who the bad guy is in that beach conversation. Jacob sure seemed nice, and he was wearing white where No-Name was wearing black. However, if I was going to bet money I'd say that Jacob is probably more malevolent than benevolent. And yes, I do think they have to be polar.
One thing that was sort of an "answer" about Lost is that at least some of characters were hand-picked to come to the Island (perhaps that's open for interpretation, still). However you look at it, Jacob reaches out and touches Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Locke, Sun and Jin at some point in their histories. (Yay! Muppet Babies!) How many of the LOST characters did Jacob touch back on the mainland, when, and why? Will we find out next season that Jacob had touched Charlie and the rest of our original cast at some point (it'd be great if they could bring in as many characters from the first season as possible next year!). Interestingly, he touches Hurley and Sayid at points in their lives after they had spent time on the Island. Also note that, although we were treated to a flash-back of Muppet Baby Juliet, Jacob is not featured in that scene. Jacob also contacts Ilana at some point in her life, and they appear to have a pre-established relationship.
Another interesting side-note about Jacob's visits: he often apologizes for the bad things happening to his future Island residents (see Saywer and Locke).
Speaking of Ilana, although we still don't know the deal about the Ajira gang and their candidate-recruitment program, we do know one thing: Who lies in the shadow of the statue?: He Who Will Save Us All (in Latin).
We also discovered in this episode that resurrected Locke (who seemed a bit off after dying, can't we agree?) isn't Locke at all! He's No-Name! Now this is where my theory that No-Name is Smokey (or vis-versa) is a bit sticky because No-Name seemed ignorant of what went down between Smokey and Ben in the Temple. Hmm...
No-Name/Locke and Ben go to visit Jacob in his four-toed statue hangout and Ben goes ahead and stabs Jacob. Before No-Name kicks Jacob into the fire-pit, Jacob warns "they're coming." Who's coming? Does he mean the Ajira gang or the 1977 crew or perhaps some third group?
There's more to discuss (Kate/Jack/Sawyer/Juliet romance issues, for one), but that's all I have in me for now. I will be watching and blogging about Seasons 1 - 5 of Lost over the summer looking for further insight into this wonderful mess of a show. Join me!
Read more!
TV - American Idol 5/13
OOOoo it's going to be a big ding-dong indeed!
Thank you, America! The Gokey is gone. What a delight to view the dropped-jaws of the judges as Danny was booted out of the competition, leaving the two most likable contestants (for me) in Idol history.
Next week could have been a true good versus evil finale, causing me ulcers. However, now it is a celebration of talented, humble dudes rising up to fame! There is no doubt they will both release successful records, it's just a matter of who 19 entertainment will sign.
Much will probably be made for the fact that only 1 million votes separated Adam and Kris. I don't think it's out of line to say that many voters dialed Adam AND Kris this week (ahem ahem... ME... METTA), because they simply couldn't bare to see Danny in the running. Obviously those people probably won't dial for both next week. So how will the math work out for Kris? He will probably gain votes from Danny fans who don't want to see Adam win, but he will also probably lose votes from Adam fans who wanted to see Kris in the finale, but want Glambert to take the cake. My prediction is... I DON'T CARE! Seriously, next week is just icing for me.
On one hand, I'd love to see Adam win because I love him and I'd love for Idol to support such a unique character. On the other hand, I think Kris is very likable and I enjoy his Mraz-y sound. I also think Kris would probably benefit more from being in the idol machine, whereas Adam might appreciate being able to let his freak flag fly a little higher without any producer-pressure.
Mostly, let's just take a moment to admire our wonderful country who realizes YES WE CAN have an idol finale where both dudes are humble, kind, and awesome and haven't been pimped by the judges from day one. (Remember when this was going to be a Lil / Danny finale?)
O beautiful, for spacious skies...
Read more!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
TV - Lost
I've been meaning to post more about Lost, recently. Obviously, I'm sticking to my baby excuse, but there's also the major issue that Lost is so darn confusing right now, it's hard to start a post!
Read more!
Leading into tonight's finale, I thought I'd attempt to jot down a few ideas...
HUGE QUESTION #1: Can the characters change the past?
Early-on in Season Five, Faraday said "Whatever Happened, Happened." Then, later, he said something along the lines of having not-accounted for the variables of *people* and that, hey, maybe we can change the past. He then continued to concoct a plot where they would blow-up Jughead, thus preventing the hatch from being built, thus preventing the sky from turning purple and tacking down Oceanic flight 815. Sadly, Faraday died. However, Jack really likes the idea of having never encountered the Island, and wants to do future versions of Jack a solid and detonate Jughead himself.
A big part of this question is another question: Did Sayid change history by shooting Ben? We're lead to assume that at age 11 Ben is shot by Sayid. Shortly after he is taken to Richard Alpert and undergoes an experience that makes him *different* and erases his memory. Therefore, Ben's history was NOT changed by Sayid: that always happened. However, did Ben's mind get erased? Or is it part of Ben's tricky nature that he has always remembered Sayid, Juliet, Sawyer, Jack, Kate, etc... when he encounters them again in the 2004 post-crash era? So let's go ahead and label this issue MEDIUM QUESTION #1: Does Ben remember getting shot by Sayid? (This question encapsulating the issues of whether or not Sayid changed history, and if Ben's mind was truly erased, and how Ben's mind was erased if in fact it was erased.)
HUGE QUESTION #2: Is the Island all about redemption?
Whereas HUGE QUESTION #1 is more Season-Five specific, #2 is more meta, questioning the big-picture purpose of the Island. Is the Island a deity-like omniscient force? Probably. Is it good or evil? Does it want to deliver it's inhabitants from evil? Which inhabitants and why? Let's mull this over and attempt tackle this theory over the summer. Perhaps after re-watching the first five seasons...
But I will tie in this MEDIUM QUESTION #2: Do all of the leaders of the Others (Widmore, Ben, and Locke) turn evil? If so, why? When Ben was leader of the Others, did he resist redemption at some point? Was the infertility of his followers some sort of punishment for resisting salvation Island-style? SMALL QUESTION #1: Why can't the Others have babies, and when did this problem arise? We saw this season that Dharma folk could have babies, and of course Claire was able to have a baby on the Island... so why not Ben's Others?
HUGE QUESTION #3: What "war" is coming? Earlier this season Widmore warned Locke that a war was coming, and Locke should attempt to fight on the correct side. What is this war? Is it between Widmore and Ben, like I originally guessed? What sides to Widmore and Ben represent and what are their differing theologies? Is the War between Jacob and some other force (some have conjectured that Jacob is anti-Island, and that that's why Locke is now determined to kill Jacob)? Is the war between those who want to change history (Jack and team Jughead Incident) and those who find that undesirable (like Kate - who appreciates the experiences she underwent on the Island), and if so - how does Locke become a part of this battle when it's taking place in 1977 and he's in 2007?
MEDIUM QUESTION #3: Who is Richard Alpert? Was he part of the crew of the Blackrock in the 1800s? Was he a crew member or a slave? Is he somehow Egyptian? Perhaps in the same sense that the Four-Toed Statue seems Egyptian and there are hieroglyphs everywhere? How come he never ages? How come he bows down to the leader of the Others? What is his relationship with Jacob?
SMALL QUESTION #2: What is the point of the Ajira flight? It brought the O6, Locke, and Ben back to the Island, but what about these other "What Lies in the Shadow of the Statue" folk?
I'll end with this little note: someone once called the flash back episodes where you see our characters in their childhood years "Muppet Baby" episodes: hilarious!
TV - American Idol 5/12
Man I wish someone would leak voting totals for each contestant. Is Kris Allen really the "dark horse?" Is that based on actual voting results, or just the opinion of the producers who have been pimping The Gokey from day one? God I hope it's just the latter: redeem yourself, America! Send the Gokster packing! If America voted The Gokey home in favor of an Adam and Kris finale, I'd feel that warm gooeyness I felt on the day of the presidential election.
If Adam and Kris were the final two: who would really care who won? In fact, I'd be happy for Adam to NOT win and NOT be subjected to the Idol machine. But if it was between Adam and Gokey, I'd need Adam to win so I could continue to feel the patriotism I'm still enjoying since November, 2008. It'd be a matter of principle.
Now about last night's show: I thought Adam performed well on both of his numbers. Neither were my favorite of his performances, but I LOVED that he picked Crying (THIS is how you sing Aerosmith, Danny**)! However, I didn't love the arrangement of that song (kind of all over the place, no?) and that back-up singer almost ruined the number. Band sabotage!
** People have been ragging on Danny's final note/scream from last week's performance of "Dream-On" but that was NOT THE WORST PART about that number! HE INTERJECTED
"DOOT-DOOT-DOOT" INTO THAT ROCK ANTHEM, PEOPLE! UNFORGIVABLE!
By the way, the judge's pick songs leaked on-line and apparently Simon was also rolling around having Adam sing "Wicked Game" by Chris Issak. I hope Adam performs this song next week! That'd be awesome.
I thought Kris did okay on "Apologize." He could have benefitted from dropping it down a key or two so he could land safely on those "Too Late" high notes (that repeat over and over again). But Kris gets major bonus points in my book for tackling the Kanye tune "Heartless": Genius Song Choice!
Kris and Adam are generally both smart about song arrangement, taking well-known songs and flipping them on their heads, making their performances unique and not karaoke. When Randy praises Danny, he often says "Ya know we talk a lot about arrangement or whatever, but let's not forget this is a singing competition, dawg, ya know, for me for you?" I disagree! This is a competition for who would make the best Pop Artist. It's about singing, yes, but it's also about musicality.
I love Paula for picking "Dance Little Sister (doot doot doot)" for Danny. You're right, Paula!: The Gokey would be relevant if we were in the late 1980s, early 1990s! I could hear any number of Danny riffs playing as background music to a Cosby episode... or promoting new, Crystal Clear Pepsi! As for Danny's performance of "You are so Beauitful?" No comment: I had to fast-forward through it. I danced to that song with my father at my wedding and I'm not about to hear it polluted by Satan's spawn.
Final arguments for a Kris/Adam finale: Danny is a bad person. Also, Kris and Adam landed spots on the 2009 AfterElton Hot 100! The gays do not support The Gokey, and neither should the rest of America.
Read more!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
TV - Mid-Idol Update 5/12/2009
Kara DioGuardi is a moron. She just said to Kris, about his AMAZING performance of "Heartless" by Kanye West, "Why didn't you do that with 'Apologize'?" Maybe because he didn't want to do two of the same performance on what might be his last night on the show, you stupid, stupid woman.
Read more!
Friday, May 8, 2009
TV - Bones 5/7/2009
So, I'm not going to do a recap, I just wanted to make a comment. In the last five minutes of last night's Bones, David Boreanaz did the best acting he's ever done. I've watched him in three seasons of Buffy, five seasons of Angel, and now almost four seasons of Bones. I've never been super impressed with him as an actor. He's charismatic and he can definitely be funny and likeable, but I was never really blown away by his acting. But I really thought that the end of last night's episode was on a whole different level.
He had this sense of anxiousness, verging on desperation, about being in a situation where he has absolutely no control. And his moments with Brennan (aka Bones, played by Emily Deschanel), were just so sweet.
Plus, it was a great episode overall. Can't wait for the season finale. Read more!
He had this sense of anxiousness, verging on desperation, about being in a situation where he has absolutely no control. And his moments with Brennan (aka Bones, played by Emily Deschanel), were just so sweet.
Plus, it was a great episode overall. Can't wait for the season finale. Read more!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Just watched our DVD of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. To be fair, this doesn't really fit into the categories for this blog, since it was an internet show, but I'm including it because it is awesome. And when you watch it on DVD, it's kind of like a short movie, or a stand alone TV show.
Anyway, I know this blog has been dominated by American Idol and Joss Whedon fawning for the last few days, but I am pretty sure that I warned you that I would complain and rave about the same things over and over, so you should just accept it. I'll talk about something else sometime.
So, I think anyone who likes Dr. Horrible should also watch Buffy. If this wasn't inspired by the nerd villains in season 6 of Buffy, I would be extremely shocked. The similarities are pretty major (one similarity is that they are both awesome). Anyway, I like auteurs, and I like when they consistently use the same troup of actors, or when there are callbacks to other works. It rewards the watcher for loyalty to the creator, and since I have watched everything Joss has ever done, I get huge rewards for continuing to watch everything he does. So, the story is, you should be loyal to creators, because it's a different way of experiencing media. I'm the same with books and graphic novels, and - to some extent - movies.
Now we are watching the musical commentary. It's pretty funny so far. I'm a huge fan of self-reflective stuff, and I don't think there has ever been anything as self-reflective as this. I mean, the musical itself is self-reflective, then a commentary is always self-reflective, and then this musical commentary is just like an explosion of self-reflectivity (that's a word, I've decided).
Right now, Nathan Fillion (AKA Captain Hammer) is singing a song in the commentary called "I'm Better than Neil" - all about how he's better than Neil Patrick Harris (AKA Dr. Horrible). It is amazing. It might be my favorite song from the commentary, I'll let you know.
Felicia Day is now singing about her previous web series - The Guild, and about her acting process, and her shoes. She is super cute. She claims to have "baker's dozens" of fans. They come in thirteens.
So, now they are singing about how they bonded over playing a game called Ninja Ropes.
If I ever have to sing for an audition for anything ever again, I'm going to sing something from this commentary. Probably the song going on right now, which is about the ensemble singers. Joss needs to write and produce a Broadway musical. He's on an internet kick right now, but I hope he eventually does the Broadway thing. We'd totally fly to see that.
Sorry this is a little babbly and stream of consciousness. I just really wanted to write about this, but I didn't want to wait.
Now a poor girl is singing about how Asians aren't in movies or on TV. It's pretty true. There was that Margaret Cho show, but really, it's not common. Totally justified complaint. But also really funny.
Joss is singing his song about why commentaries are bizarre. I saw him perform this on This American Life. It's probably the most self-reflective of all the self-reflective stuff in this commentary.
Finally, Neil Patrick Harris has a song. It's the most Sondheim-esqe of Joss's songs, which are all Sondheim-esque. There was actually something about that, in an earlier song, about how the meter of the songs change unexpectedly, but I forgot to mention it at the time.
Now they called us all effing nerds for watching the entire musical commentary. I feel awesome. Not only did I watch the whole commentary, but I blogged about it while it was happening. I think that makes me a strataspheric nerd. That's also a word.
So, I think that's enough. I'm feeling insecure about my cool factor, so I have to stop this. If you haven't seen it yet, watch Dr. Horrible. Read more!
Anyway, I know this blog has been dominated by American Idol and Joss Whedon fawning for the last few days, but I am pretty sure that I warned you that I would complain and rave about the same things over and over, so you should just accept it. I'll talk about something else sometime.
So, I think anyone who likes Dr. Horrible should also watch Buffy. If this wasn't inspired by the nerd villains in season 6 of Buffy, I would be extremely shocked. The similarities are pretty major (one similarity is that they are both awesome). Anyway, I like auteurs, and I like when they consistently use the same troup of actors, or when there are callbacks to other works. It rewards the watcher for loyalty to the creator, and since I have watched everything Joss has ever done, I get huge rewards for continuing to watch everything he does. So, the story is, you should be loyal to creators, because it's a different way of experiencing media. I'm the same with books and graphic novels, and - to some extent - movies.
Now we are watching the musical commentary. It's pretty funny so far. I'm a huge fan of self-reflective stuff, and I don't think there has ever been anything as self-reflective as this. I mean, the musical itself is self-reflective, then a commentary is always self-reflective, and then this musical commentary is just like an explosion of self-reflectivity (that's a word, I've decided).
Right now, Nathan Fillion (AKA Captain Hammer) is singing a song in the commentary called "I'm Better than Neil" - all about how he's better than Neil Patrick Harris (AKA Dr. Horrible). It is amazing. It might be my favorite song from the commentary, I'll let you know.
Felicia Day is now singing about her previous web series - The Guild, and about her acting process, and her shoes. She is super cute. She claims to have "baker's dozens" of fans. They come in thirteens.
So, now they are singing about how they bonded over playing a game called Ninja Ropes.
If I ever have to sing for an audition for anything ever again, I'm going to sing something from this commentary. Probably the song going on right now, which is about the ensemble singers. Joss needs to write and produce a Broadway musical. He's on an internet kick right now, but I hope he eventually does the Broadway thing. We'd totally fly to see that.
Sorry this is a little babbly and stream of consciousness. I just really wanted to write about this, but I didn't want to wait.
Now a poor girl is singing about how Asians aren't in movies or on TV. It's pretty true. There was that Margaret Cho show, but really, it's not common. Totally justified complaint. But also really funny.
Joss is singing his song about why commentaries are bizarre. I saw him perform this on This American Life. It's probably the most self-reflective of all the self-reflective stuff in this commentary.
Finally, Neil Patrick Harris has a song. It's the most Sondheim-esqe of Joss's songs, which are all Sondheim-esque. There was actually something about that, in an earlier song, about how the meter of the songs change unexpectedly, but I forgot to mention it at the time.
Now they called us all effing nerds for watching the entire musical commentary. I feel awesome. Not only did I watch the whole commentary, but I blogged about it while it was happening. I think that makes me a strataspheric nerd. That's also a word.
So, I think that's enough. I'm feeling insecure about my cool factor, so I have to stop this. If you haven't seen it yet, watch Dr. Horrible. Read more!
TV - Scrubs Finale
Scrubs is a funny show, and I'm not just talking about the quirky script. I'm talking about it's bizarre history on television. Although beloved by critics, network executives never gave the show much respect. In their floundering attempts to create a quality weekly schedule, NBC moved Scrubs into a new time-slot and day almost every week. Devoted fans had to search their TV Guides for this adorable hospital comedy every night to avoid missing an episode.
Then NBC gave up any flickering devotion to Scrubs all together and announced it was dumping the show after its seventh season in 2008. They ended the show with a lack-luster fantasy finale having each of the characters don the role of a fairy tale creature, and providing no real closure for the will-they-won't-they J.D. / Elliot romance or the trajectory of their careers.
But low and behold ABC decided to play knight-in-shining-armor and picked the show up to bring to their network for season eight! So the finale wasn't a finale and we had another 18 episodes of Scrubsy goodness. Much like NBC, however, ABC was a bit erratic in how they aired the program. Sometimes it was on Tuesdays, sometimes on Wednesdays, sometimes doing double-header new episodes, often re-airing these episodes randomly throughout the week.
Season eight wrapped up Wednesday night (5/6) with an hour long finale. Before going into any sort of review for this episode, let's address another quirk right away: this may not have been the end... again! Although it's almost certain Zach Braff won't be returning to Sacred Heart (or the 37 minute away hospital to which his character transferred), there are rumors that other favorite characters may stick with the show and produce another season with ABC. Having introduced a new batch of interns this year, there may be a type of "Scrubs: The New Class" sitcom to look forward to (?) in 2010.
Anyway, I liked the finale just fine. There was silliness, but there were also those super schmaltzy moments that are an inherent part of Scrubs. But best of all they did my favorite type of finale... flash-forwards*!! Even though J.D. admitted those heart-warming scenes of the future may never actually happen, the audience was encouraged to dare-to-dream that J.D. and Elliot will get married, the gang will all stay-in-touch, they will all have healthy, adorable babies, and BEST OF ALL, Turk and J.D's babies will one day fall in love and get engaged. Terrific!
So what do you think? Would you watch a Season 9, even without the original Sacred Heart staff? Do you like a flash-forward finale or do you prefer to draw your own conclusions? Let us know!
*"Six-Feet-Under" being the best example of the flash-forward finale, and the best finale of all time.
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TV - American Idol 5/6
The results are in and Alison is out. This is truly a bummer. American should have put the Go in Gokey, or at least sent Kris home for his weak vocals and lack of energy this week. I could go on and on about my intense distaste for the Gokster, but let me just highlight these two points: he literally pushes his competitors out of the way during group performances to get into the camera shot. Furthermore, although he "humbly" admitted to botching his final note in Dream On, he took a good five minutes explaining just how humble he is, interrupting Ryan multiple times.
Read more!
We also got to witness three "live" performances during the results show from non-contestants. Paula sang her newest dance single, and I have to quote Stephen Colbert (he was referring to the music of Kanye West)... why buy her album? You can basically hear it for free! Just put a tin can to your ear and lean against a Pac-Man machine! Daughtery was not my style.
And although this is a pretty whiny post, I must continue with a final gripe: the No Doubt performance of "I'm Just a Girl". Man did I love my Tragic Kingdom CD... I listened to it until it skipped around every scratched track. All I can really say is that my heart broke as I listened to Gwen's new, no singing more like vibrating-rapping version of this gurl anthem. Sad day.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
TV - American Idol Sexy Songs
"Way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love, I'm gonna give you every inch of my love" he sang, as he thrust his crotch at a slew of 13-year olds clapping and screaming.
In my head there are some serious debates going in the minds of contestants and producers of Idol on where the sexy limits are on song-choice. If you look out into the live-Idol audience, you're going to see a lot of tweens and a lot of parents. However, just because these are the people willing to trek out to see live performances (they will also make up most of the American Idol Tour crowd, I imagine) doesn't mean there aren't a whole slew of 18 and uppers at home also highly invested in this competition. Let's not forget, Ruben won Idol (not Gaiken), and David Cook beat Archuleta. So although it may be tempting to keep things squeeky clean, I think the contestants who explore some sexual themes on stage actually benefit when it comes to gathering votes and displaying emotional attachment during performances.
Matt's best performance was "Let's get it on."
And the main reason I am writing this post is to say that Lil would have made it much farther and with more support from the judges and voters if she sang, during movie week, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp".
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009
TV - American Idol 5/5/2009
So, American Idol tonight went almost exactly how I thought it would. Slash was a great mentor, and it was awesome that he made them do their performances full volume while he was playing. Adam and Allison were great, Kris was bad and Danny was god-awful.
Adam's performance was exactly what the judge's said it was. Perfect. Allison was also great, despite what the judges said. Yet another week where Simon basically says that he liked the performance but still managed to spend about five minutes criticizing her. I'm glad she talked back to him, even though I usually don't like it - and in fact, I initially FF'ed past it - because if anyone has ever deserved to talk back to the judges, it's her.
Then, there was the duet. Kris and Danny looked like they were having about as much fun performing as I was having watching - which isn't much at all. Danny also looked like he was medicated and about to fall asleep or something. Followed by Kris doing a weak version of a fantastic song. Kind of a bummer, but not a surprise, really. The judges said it, again. It's not his genre, and he knew it.
And then there was Danny. Danny, Danny, Danny. When they announced what song he was singing, I flipped out. I mean, first of all, I reacted because I knew Danny would butcher a song that I love. But more importantly, ever since Adam showed up on this show, I kept thinking, "Dream On. This kid would SLAY Dream On." And then Danny "Hokey" Gokey sings it instead? It was like some kind of nightmare. It was bad all around. I don't give him any of the props Randy did for trying something daring or whatever. He was punching WAY above his weight with that. It's not daring or brave, it's just plain stupid. Then there was Kara. Oh Kara. She said that he should have sung "early" Aerosmith, like "Crazy" or "Cryin." Those songs were released in the mid-90's. "Dream On" is from '76. What universe is she living in that she thinks Crazy and Cryin are "early" Aerosmith?
Thankfully, the duet between Adam and Allison made the night. I mean, Adam and Allison were great individually, but by the end of the show, Gokey had made me so angry that I had kind of forgotten how awesome they were. And then their duet was so great. Unlike Kris and Danny, it was so clear that they were having a blast up there, and ADORED each other, and that made it so much fun to watch. I'm glad Simon made that final comment about Allison, even though a lot of DVRs probably cut that off. I only got it because I also DVR the following show, "Fringe."
One final pet peeve. The editors did Danny a huge favor by playing the dress rehearsal version of his high note when the phone numbers were flashing by. That shouldn't be allowed. I know they probably do it that way for logistical reasons, but it is totally unfair. He bombed that note in the performance and they played a much better (but still awful) version when the numbers flashed. I hope the 50 year old Michael McDonald fans who have been voting for him stop after tonight. Read more!
Adam's performance was exactly what the judge's said it was. Perfect. Allison was also great, despite what the judges said. Yet another week where Simon basically says that he liked the performance but still managed to spend about five minutes criticizing her. I'm glad she talked back to him, even though I usually don't like it - and in fact, I initially FF'ed past it - because if anyone has ever deserved to talk back to the judges, it's her.
Then, there was the duet. Kris and Danny looked like they were having about as much fun performing as I was having watching - which isn't much at all. Danny also looked like he was medicated and about to fall asleep or something. Followed by Kris doing a weak version of a fantastic song. Kind of a bummer, but not a surprise, really. The judges said it, again. It's not his genre, and he knew it.
And then there was Danny. Danny, Danny, Danny. When they announced what song he was singing, I flipped out. I mean, first of all, I reacted because I knew Danny would butcher a song that I love. But more importantly, ever since Adam showed up on this show, I kept thinking, "Dream On. This kid would SLAY Dream On." And then Danny "Hokey" Gokey sings it instead? It was like some kind of nightmare. It was bad all around. I don't give him any of the props Randy did for trying something daring or whatever. He was punching WAY above his weight with that. It's not daring or brave, it's just plain stupid. Then there was Kara. Oh Kara. She said that he should have sung "early" Aerosmith, like "Crazy" or "Cryin." Those songs were released in the mid-90's. "Dream On" is from '76. What universe is she living in that she thinks Crazy and Cryin are "early" Aerosmith?
Thankfully, the duet between Adam and Allison made the night. I mean, Adam and Allison were great individually, but by the end of the show, Gokey had made me so angry that I had kind of forgotten how awesome they were. And then their duet was so great. Unlike Kris and Danny, it was so clear that they were having a blast up there, and ADORED each other, and that made it so much fun to watch. I'm glad Simon made that final comment about Allison, even though a lot of DVRs probably cut that off. I only got it because I also DVR the following show, "Fringe."
One final pet peeve. The editors did Danny a huge favor by playing the dress rehearsal version of his high note when the phone numbers were flashing by. That shouldn't be allowed. I know they probably do it that way for logistical reasons, but it is totally unfair. He bombed that note in the performance and they played a much better (but still awful) version when the numbers flashed. I hope the 50 year old Michael McDonald fans who have been voting for him stop after tonight. Read more!
New Blogger and Why Fox Sucks - A Lot
So, since Jenna has like a baby and a life and a house and a job, and I have a whole summer ahead of me of studying for the bar exam, we thought it would make sense for me to co-blog with her, since I generally have a lot to say about TV, Books and Film, and my husband gets tired of listening to me complain or rave about the same things over and over again. So, now you get to read about my raving and complaining about the same things over and over again. Today's topic: Why Fox Sucks - A Lot.
I'm a big Joss Whedon fan; Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, all of it. So, naturally, when I heard that he was developing a new show - Dollhouse - I was incredibly excited. Then I heard that it would be airing on Fox. Really? Joss, did you learn nothing from the Firefly Debacle.* But my hopes were high anyway. After all, if Joss was willing to work with Fox again, then he must be confident that they wouldn't give him the shaft like they did before.
Then I find out that the show is going to air in the no man's land of televisions - aka Friday nights. That's essentially a death sentence, especially on FOX. But I tuned in anyway, sure that even if it was going to be yet another Whedon series cut short by the short view executives at Fox, I would at least get one season out of it. But the first few episodes weren't that great. They were all stand-alones with very little insight into the big picture of the show, and they just weren't very Joss. I am not usually on top of the buzz around shows, but recently, when I've been rabidly trying to find out if Dollhouse is getting cancelled or not, I've been reading some stuff online. Apparently, the reason those first few episodes weren't so great (and probably lost a lot of the Buffy/Angel/Firefly fans who might have tuned in at the beginning) was because Fox was forcing an episodic version of the show. No wonder it was a mess.
Sidenote: Why did they put it on Fridays when they had an obvious lead-in show in Bones? Come on, you've got a Joss-alum starring in a Fox show already, why not use that to get Joss fans on board with both shows? They tried that with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but Summer Glau isn't as big of a draw as David Boreanaz. They should let me do their programming for them.
But since about the fifth episode or so, each episode has been better than the last. Last week's episode, the penultimate episode of the season, was the best yet, by far. And yet, thanks to the complete lack of support from Fox, it's still very likely that it won't be back for a second season. The worst part about all of this is that Fox won't just be cancelling this one show that I love. Most likely, it will be pushing Joss out of the television medium altogether. He's already on the brink, so cancelling the show would probably be the end. That would mean that my favorite creative genius would no longer be working in my favorite medium, so I would not be very happy about that.
So, that's it. That's why Fox sucks. Now, I have to go watch my DVR'ed American Idol.
*For the uninitiated, Firefly was cancelled by Fox before the season was even over. They didn't even air all of the shows that were produced. Luckily, Joss's rabid fanbase mobilized and the movie Serenity got made to give some kind of resolution to viewers (and to just generally be awesome), but Fox still made a major error in not giving that show the time it needed to grow an audience. You'd think they would have learned something from that. Read more!
I'm a big Joss Whedon fan; Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, all of it. So, naturally, when I heard that he was developing a new show - Dollhouse - I was incredibly excited. Then I heard that it would be airing on Fox. Really? Joss, did you learn nothing from the Firefly Debacle.* But my hopes were high anyway. After all, if Joss was willing to work with Fox again, then he must be confident that they wouldn't give him the shaft like they did before.
Then I find out that the show is going to air in the no man's land of televisions - aka Friday nights. That's essentially a death sentence, especially on FOX. But I tuned in anyway, sure that even if it was going to be yet another Whedon series cut short by the short view executives at Fox, I would at least get one season out of it. But the first few episodes weren't that great. They were all stand-alones with very little insight into the big picture of the show, and they just weren't very Joss. I am not usually on top of the buzz around shows, but recently, when I've been rabidly trying to find out if Dollhouse is getting cancelled or not, I've been reading some stuff online. Apparently, the reason those first few episodes weren't so great (and probably lost a lot of the Buffy/Angel/Firefly fans who might have tuned in at the beginning) was because Fox was forcing an episodic version of the show. No wonder it was a mess.
Sidenote: Why did they put it on Fridays when they had an obvious lead-in show in Bones? Come on, you've got a Joss-alum starring in a Fox show already, why not use that to get Joss fans on board with both shows? They tried that with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but Summer Glau isn't as big of a draw as David Boreanaz. They should let me do their programming for them.
But since about the fifth episode or so, each episode has been better than the last. Last week's episode, the penultimate episode of the season, was the best yet, by far. And yet, thanks to the complete lack of support from Fox, it's still very likely that it won't be back for a second season. The worst part about all of this is that Fox won't just be cancelling this one show that I love. Most likely, it will be pushing Joss out of the television medium altogether. He's already on the brink, so cancelling the show would probably be the end. That would mean that my favorite creative genius would no longer be working in my favorite medium, so I would not be very happy about that.
So, that's it. That's why Fox sucks. Now, I have to go watch my DVR'ed American Idol.
*For the uninitiated, Firefly was cancelled by Fox before the season was even over. They didn't even air all of the shows that were produced. Luckily, Joss's rabid fanbase mobilized and the movie Serenity got made to give some kind of resolution to viewers (and to just generally be awesome), but Fox still made a major error in not giving that show the time it needed to grow an audience. You'd think they would have learned something from that. Read more!
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