Tuesday, June 29, 2010
One of maybe 5 upcoming movies I am looking forward to...
I know very little about the actual plot, but based on this trailer, I am TOTALLY in.
I'm such a sucker...
I hate myself a little bit for openly admitting this, especially considering it's really not that surprising, but I think I am going to the midnight showing of Eclipse tonight.
Goddamn you Twilight Saga and your capacity to get me to lose sleep and spend money...
We can thank my lovely roommate Adubs for appealing to my inner tween with the pic above.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Shakira covers the xx
A surprisingly good cover of "Islands" originally by the xx.
No fair. I too want to frolic around a stage barefoot.
Worth noting: I first started listening to Shakira around the same time I discovered Manu Chao - when I was 13 at summer camp in Mexico. Her Spanish-language stuff is much better than the American pop she's put out in the last 10 years, but regardless, she's pretty fantastic, and this cover is pretty great.
No fair. I too want to frolic around a stage barefoot.
Worth noting: I first started listening to Shakira around the same time I discovered Manu Chao - when I was 13 at summer camp in Mexico. Her Spanish-language stuff is much better than the American pop she's put out in the last 10 years, but regardless, she's pretty fantastic, and this cover is pretty great.
Monday Music
One of my favorite bands of the moment is LCD Soundsystem - I like to think of them as my generation's Talking Heads, although James Murphy is nowhere near as cool as David Byrne (I have to point out, however, that I don't think that anyone could ever reach Byrne levels of coolness). Still, their music is fantastic, and I've seen them live twice now and both times it was a pretty extraordinary show.
However, this isn't all about LCD Soundsystem (although if you aren't familiar with their music go educate yourself immediately). I actually wanted to share this great cover of the newish LCD song "I Can Change" from my friend Courtenay's band See Green. She kills it.
Also, I'm a sucker for a voice decoder or whatever that thingy that makes her voice sound cool is called. So get to know See Green.
However, this isn't all about LCD Soundsystem (although if you aren't familiar with their music go educate yourself immediately). I actually wanted to share this great cover of the newish LCD song "I Can Change" from my friend Courtenay's band See Green. She kills it.
Also, I'm a sucker for a voice decoder or whatever that thingy that makes her voice sound cool is called. So get to know See Green.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
So much TV, so little time...
The other night I watched one of the best pilots I'd ever seen which inspired me to find some more damn good TV to watch. So right then and there I started watching Breaking Bad. It's great. I am only two episodes in, but that is quite a show, and I've heard nothing but amazing reviews of its most recent season, so I am psyched to catch up. However, this has me thinking about all the other amazing TV shows I have yet to watch. Yes, even I, the girl who seems to watch craploads of TV, has many, many shows I have not watched but feel that I must. Some of them are current shows, some are older... but there just seem to be so many. In no particular order, here they are:
The Wire
Deadwood
Fringe (almost caught up - I have like 6 more episodes to go)
Party Down (only seen the pilot)
Mad Men
Damages
Carnivale
The Vampire Diaries
The Comeback
Angel (I've seen most of the first season, but that's it)
Breaking Bad (just begun...)
And that is just off the top of my head... Okay I need some sort of strategy here. Obviously I am close to being caught up with Fringe which means when the new season starts in the fall I can pick that up. As for the others, yes, I realize there is a range of quality (The Wire and The Vampire Diaries would be the obvious example) but then there's the issue of whether or not to watch shows from the past over current shows...
And HOLY CRAP I just realized I never finished Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So add that to the list.
Okay, I know that those of you who aren't related to me or are a personal friend read this blog for my various TV ramblings - which means there's enough of you to help me figure out a game plan for watching these shows. Anything I should tackle first (taking into account I've got Fringe and Breaking Bad going right now)? Anything I should not even bother with? Any of those shows have a season I can skip? And can anyone magically summon up more time in the day?
The Wire
Deadwood
Fringe (almost caught up - I have like 6 more episodes to go)
Party Down (only seen the pilot)
Mad Men
Damages
Carnivale
The Vampire Diaries
The Comeback
Angel (I've seen most of the first season, but that's it)
Breaking Bad (just begun...)
And that is just off the top of my head... Okay I need some sort of strategy here. Obviously I am close to being caught up with Fringe which means when the new season starts in the fall I can pick that up. As for the others, yes, I realize there is a range of quality (The Wire and The Vampire Diaries would be the obvious example) but then there's the issue of whether or not to watch shows from the past over current shows...
And HOLY CRAP I just realized I never finished Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So add that to the list.
Okay, I know that those of you who aren't related to me or are a personal friend read this blog for my various TV ramblings - which means there's enough of you to help me figure out a game plan for watching these shows. Anything I should tackle first (taking into account I've got Fringe and Breaking Bad going right now)? Anything I should not even bother with? Any of those shows have a season I can skip? And can anyone magically summon up more time in the day?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bullet Points
Despite what you may have heard, I have not been in hiding since the disappointing Celtics loss in the NBA finals last Thursday. The days just seem to get away from me so here are a few bullet points as to what's going on...
+Yep, I lost that Celtics-Lakers bet, which means I need Twitter followers to start responding to me or Marisa with what show they think I must suffer through. And we're getting a lunch date on the books so I can endure the pain that will be donning Laker gear for a picture.
+KCRW's recurring series World Music Night at The Hollywood Bowl kicked off this past Sunday, and I was one of the lucky attendees. I went mostly for Brooklyn band Yeasayer, but I'm a huge fan of Tinariwen and Baba Maal as well - yes, folks, I love World Music, and if you've been following this blog you know this is nothing new.
+Yesterday I opened my mailbox to find a letter I had written to myself in April 2001. It was pretty crazy reading something from 9 years ago - and I had to laugh at my sweet worldly intentions - see I wrote it during the second day of a three day solo during a semester I spent in high school living on a farm in Maine (seriously). So it was hardly surprising that one of the items of advice I gave myself was "listen to birdsongs. You know them." Seriously. Truth is - I actually did know them; I spent that semester taking ornithology classes!
+Two weeks ago I went to the book party for the new Bret Easton Ellis novel, Imperial Bedrooms, the much-anticipated sequel to his well-known classic Less Than Zero. The party was exactly what you might expect - at a lovely suite in LA's famed hotel The Chateau Marmont, and I swear to God the DJ just took the soundtrack from American Psycho and pressed play. Celebrity spottings included Rose McGowan and Shannyn Sossamon, and then there was the general crowd of attractive-people-who-look-familiar so maybe there were more.
+I took a pause on writing up recaps of The Hills for The Huffington Post because that show is just so bad. I briefly considered writing them for The Bachelorette, but that show is way too long for me to be interested in recapping. I mean I'm all for making fun of crappy TV, but those 22 minutes on MTV are a lot easier to handle than two hours of awkward dates.
+I've been watching more TV pilots - including the much-buzzed about Lone Star, airing on FOX this fall - definitely a show to check out. The lead actor, James Wolk, is a sort of cross between George Clooney and Kyle Chandler.
+Two bands I've gotten into recently are Grum and Four Tet - check them out.
Happy Summer, by the way! Hopefully regular blogging will resume now that I've emerged from whatever fog my head's been in.
+Yep, I lost that Celtics-Lakers bet, which means I need Twitter followers to start responding to me or Marisa with what show they think I must suffer through. And we're getting a lunch date on the books so I can endure the pain that will be donning Laker gear for a picture.
+KCRW's recurring series World Music Night at The Hollywood Bowl kicked off this past Sunday, and I was one of the lucky attendees. I went mostly for Brooklyn band Yeasayer, but I'm a huge fan of Tinariwen and Baba Maal as well - yes, folks, I love World Music, and if you've been following this blog you know this is nothing new.
+Yesterday I opened my mailbox to find a letter I had written to myself in April 2001. It was pretty crazy reading something from 9 years ago - and I had to laugh at my sweet worldly intentions - see I wrote it during the second day of a three day solo during a semester I spent in high school living on a farm in Maine (seriously). So it was hardly surprising that one of the items of advice I gave myself was "listen to birdsongs. You know them." Seriously. Truth is - I actually did know them; I spent that semester taking ornithology classes!
+Two weeks ago I went to the book party for the new Bret Easton Ellis novel, Imperial Bedrooms, the much-anticipated sequel to his well-known classic Less Than Zero. The party was exactly what you might expect - at a lovely suite in LA's famed hotel The Chateau Marmont, and I swear to God the DJ just took the soundtrack from American Psycho and pressed play. Celebrity spottings included Rose McGowan and Shannyn Sossamon, and then there was the general crowd of attractive-people-who-look-familiar so maybe there were more.
+I took a pause on writing up recaps of The Hills for The Huffington Post because that show is just so bad. I briefly considered writing them for The Bachelorette, but that show is way too long for me to be interested in recapping. I mean I'm all for making fun of crappy TV, but those 22 minutes on MTV are a lot easier to handle than two hours of awkward dates.
+I've been watching more TV pilots - including the much-buzzed about Lone Star, airing on FOX this fall - definitely a show to check out. The lead actor, James Wolk, is a sort of cross between George Clooney and Kyle Chandler.
+Two bands I've gotten into recently are Grum and Four Tet - check them out.
Happy Summer, by the way! Hopefully regular blogging will resume now that I've emerged from whatever fog my head's been in.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
"There is no relationship that isn't a Celtics-Lakers relationship."
Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs has an entire essay devoted to a literary and pop culture exploration of the NBA and the peak of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry in the 1980s. When I first read the book about five years ago I remember reading that chapter and just thinking, wow - this? This is genius. Not only did I connect with the book, and this chapter in particular, but I think Klosterman's writing style has had a large impact on my own writing - both in style and subject matter.
In honor of tonight's Game 7, the final match-up between the Celtics and the Lakers for the 2010 series, I'm including below some of my favorite quotes/segments from that very essay, titled "8 33 0:97" (or, check out almost the entire chapter here).
On the NBA today:
And finally:
Klosterman provided a funny update in 2008; read that here.
Quotes pulled from here and here.
Buy the book here.
In honor of tonight's Game 7, the final match-up between the Celtics and the Lakers for the 2010 series, I'm including below some of my favorite quotes/segments from that very essay, titled "8 33 0:97" (or, check out almost the entire chapter here).
To say the 1980s rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers represents America’s racial anguish is actually a short-sighted understatement. As I have grown older, it’s become clear that the Lakers-Celtics rivalry represents absolutely everything: race, religion, politics, mathematics, the reason I’m still not married, the Challenger explosion, Man vs. Beast, and everything else. There is no relationship that isn’t a Celtics-Lakers relationship. It emerges from nothingness to design nature, just as Gerald Henderson emerged from nothingness to steal James Worthy’s errant inbound pass in game two of the 1983 finals. Do you realize that the distance between Henderson and Worthy at the start of that play – and the distance between them at the point of interception – works out to a ratio of 1.618, the same digits of Leonardo da Vinci’s so called “golden ratio” that inexplicably explains the mathematical construction of the universe? Do not act surprised. It would be more surprising if the ratio did not.
This is what sets the NBA apart from every other team sport in North America: Everyone who loves pro basketball assumes it's a little fixed. We all think the annual draft lottery is probably rigged, we all accept that the league aggressively wants big market teams to advance deep into the playoffs, and we all concede that certain marquee players are going to get preferential treatment for no valid reason. The outcomes of games aren't predetermined or scripted, but there are definitely dark forces who play with our reality. There are faceless puppet masters who pull strings and manipulate the purity of justice. It's not necessarily a full-on conspiracy, but it's certainly not fair. And that's why the NBA remains the only game that matters: Pro basketball is exactly like life.
"We had to get over the psychological element of the Celtic mystique," Lakers coach Pat Riley insisted. "After we choked in '84, I had to teach my guys exactly who the Celtics were in a historical sense. I mean, the Celts were a cult who did sinister things in secret places. That's where I took it. I had to teach them who their opponent was originally, because that's exactly who they were playing in 1987. I don't know if the Celtic players knew about Celt history, but that's how those guys played."
This is probably true, although a bit comical (I like to imagine Riley handing out scouting reports that included such insights as, "Dennis Johnson: no range beyond twenty-one feet, initiates contact on drives to the hole, may have aspirations to sack Iberia"). But it proves that Riley understood that sport (or at least transcendent moments of sport) has almost nothing to do with the concept of a game. Scrabble is a game. Popomatic Trouble is a game. Major League Baseball is a game. But any situation where Bird is boxing out Magic for a rebound that matters is not. That is a conflict that dwarfs Dante. That is the crouching tiger and and the hidden dragon.
On the NBA today:
Guys like Allen Iverson and Vince Carter are mechanically awesome, but they don't represent anything beyond themselves. They're nothing more than good basketball players, and that's depressing. Watching modern pro basketball reminds me of watching my roommate play Nintendo in college. In order to remedy this aesthetic decline, the league decided to let teams play zone defense, which has got to be the least logical step ever taken to increase excitement. This is like trying to combat teen pregnancy by lowering the drinking age.
And finally:
I am a Celtic Person. That’s my identity, and I’m never going to try to pretend I’m some sort of eclectic iconoclast. This does not mean I’m always right and you’re always wrong, nor does it mean I subconsciously need other people to feel the same way I do about anything. You need to side with the Boston Celtics to be a good person. But you should definitely side with somebody. Either you’re with us or you’re against us, and both of those options is better than living without a soul.
Klosterman provided a funny update in 2008; read that here.
Quotes pulled from here and here.
Buy the book here.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Oprah Just Made Everyone Else's Boss Look Like a Real Asshole
Well, good work Oprah - you go and you give all your magazine employees an iPad and $10,000 and now all those other nice bosses in the world look real shitty.
Who am I kidding? I have GREAT bosses but I am just jealous... I want an iPad and $10k! Shit, I would be okay with just the iPad! Or just the $10k!
NO FAIR NO FAIR!
Who am I kidding? I have GREAT bosses but I am just jealous... I want an iPad and $10k! Shit, I would be okay with just the iPad! Or just the $10k!
NO FAIR NO FAIR!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
"Why are you a Celtics fan?" "Well, I'm from Maine..."
OMG NO WAY! Another post about the Celtics! Look, it's like election day, when all I can think about is my team (at least I am not live-blogging my every thought and whim, right?) so indulge me for a moment, as I am going to explain my love for the Celtics...
My dad loved basketball. When he was a kid growing up in Michigan, that was the sport he loved to watch, play, whatever. So, only natural that when my brother and I were kids my dad wanted us to find the same enjoyment and fun out of watching basketball as he did. Thing is, we grew up in Maine. There are no professional basketball teams in Maine (well until about a year ago when the Red Claws, the Celtics' development team, came to Portland), for that matter, there aren't any major league professional sports teams in Maine - so my dad had no choice but to take us to see games in the nearest city with some high-caliber sports events - thus, hello Boston, hello Celtics. My father was, and still is, a diehard Pistons fan, and besides that, he likes to be contrary just to be contrary, so he holds strong to hating the Celtics.
How ironic that in the process of getting his two young kids to fall in love with basketball, we both fell in love with the Celtics in the process?
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This picture makes me laugh because I am SUCH a little sister...
My dad loved basketball. When he was a kid growing up in Michigan, that was the sport he loved to watch, play, whatever. So, only natural that when my brother and I were kids my dad wanted us to find the same enjoyment and fun out of watching basketball as he did. Thing is, we grew up in Maine. There are no professional basketball teams in Maine (well until about a year ago when the Red Claws, the Celtics' development team, came to Portland), for that matter, there aren't any major league professional sports teams in Maine - so my dad had no choice but to take us to see games in the nearest city with some high-caliber sports events - thus, hello Boston, hello Celtics. My father was, and still is, a diehard Pistons fan, and besides that, he likes to be contrary just to be contrary, so he holds strong to hating the Celtics.
How ironic that in the process of getting his two young kids to fall in love with basketball, we both fell in love with the Celtics in the process?
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This picture makes me laugh because I am SUCH a little sister...
A Celtics Fan in Laker Country
It's pretty fun to be a serious Celtics fan in LA. Granted, I'm not walking around in any really rough neighborhoods but for inciting the occasional trash talking session, it's a good time. I've been wearing my various Celtics gear out and about - and today I've busted out my Paul Pierce t-shirt, adding a blazer to attempt to make the look "work appropriate." I've been getting all sorts of dirty looks from co-workers, but in my opinion, there's nothing quite like some good sports rivalries to get everyone psyched up!
GO CELTICS!
GO CELTICS!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Epic!
The only good thing about suffering through the first 10 minutes of True Blood was catching the new teaser trailer for HBO's Game of Thrones, based on the epic fantasy series by George R. R. Martin.
Holy CRAP, I cannot wait for this show. These books are epic. EPIC I tell you!
Holy CRAP, I cannot wait for this show. These books are epic. EPIC I tell you!
Friday, June 11, 2010
It's a Great Weekend for Some Sports
Between the World Cup and the NBA finals, this weekend is aaaalllll about the sports. I love it. I love playing sports, watching sports - everything about it.
If you're not nearly as psyched as I am, then watch this fucking epic (yeah, I said fucking epic) video of pretty much every badass sport set to some badass jams - Explosions in the Sky - who's music you would know if you watched Friday Night Lights. Also, watch Friday Night Lights, tonight on NBC.
Fucking epic! Right? RIGHT!
If you're not nearly as psyched as I am, then watch this fucking epic (yeah, I said fucking epic) video of pretty much every badass sport set to some badass jams - Explosions in the Sky - who's music you would know if you watched Friday Night Lights. Also, watch Friday Night Lights, tonight on NBC.
Fucking epic! Right? RIGHT!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
I love Shakira but I hear "waka waka" and think of Fozzie Bear. Just me?
Okay so now I'm thinking it's something to do with a cheer for the World Cup. That's acceptable.
Here's Fozzie's version:
So he spells it differently. Got it.
Summer Mondays are Must-See TV
This summer Monday nights provide a solid three hour block of quality television programming. The sad thing is, according to the ratings last night, it looks like the best Monday night shows aren't getting the ratings they deserve. So I'm going to go through each of these, because the three shows I'm talking about could not be more different from each other, but are all worth checking out - so here's a little more info as to why exactly you should be watching.
Lie to Me
(FOX, 8pm)
I adore this show. I watched the first season over the course of a weekend thanks to a DVD set I just stumbled upon at my apartment (I think one of my boyfriend's roommates had left it with us) and was hooked from the pilot on. Thanks to Hulu I caught up to the second season in time to enjoy a few new episodes before the show took an insanely long hiatus. Last night's summer premiere not only reminded me that I really do love this show, but that it's also a really high quality program.
The conceit of Lie to Me is really interesting - Cal Lightman can read facial expressions, voice cadences, intonations, body language, etc. to determine whether or not a person is lying, and with the help of his team at the Lightman Group, he consults on a variety of open crimes. There's usually two cases per episode, and I find myself instantly interested in this procedural drama more than most, partly because of the clever conceit, but also because Tim Roth plays Dr. Lightman as a very fascinating man. Check out the mid-season/summer premiere, featuring Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars alum!) as an especially creepy suspect.
The Good Guys
(FOX, 9pm)
I'm a huge fan of Burn Notice, and I suppose you could call The Good Guys the sister show, as it also comes from showrunner Matt Nix and features some similarly great action sequences and fun humor. Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford have an absolutely fantastic dynamic which is probably best summed up by some of their hilarious conversations. For those laughs, I will refer you to this review - it's okay if you haven't watched the show just yet, I think you'll find these exchanges laugh-out-loud funny and pique your interest in this buddy cop action hour-long comedy!
Okay. If anything, watch this show to marvel at Whitford's phenomenal mustache.
Persons Unknown
(NBC, 10pm)
I don't think any show will fill the void that Lost has left, and that's important to consider before you begin watching this sci-fi thriller mystery drama. The thing is, I think this show has the potential to be a surprise hit - it certainly has all the makings of one, and for viewers who are looking for a captivating and intriguing series to obsess over, I think Persons Unknown can be that. I'm not really going to attempt to explain the premise of this show, both because I probably wouldn't do it justice and because I think this is one of those shows where it's actually better to go into it knowing very little.
Or check out this great review of the pilot from The AV Club. Also, I guess they filmed this in Mexico before the country went to shit - so that's cool.
Any other summer shows, new or old you're looking forward to? One of my roommates just got into Royal Pains and I'm considering giving it a try, especially because I think USA has been really nailing their programming slate the past few years (even though I'm not over the moon about Covert Affairs, I will give it a few episodes before I finally make up my mind). Or, is there another night that rivals Mondays for the best Must-See TV? Obviously SYTYCD is a great show, but I'm thinking about scripted TV specifically... sound off in the comments!
Lie to Me
(FOX, 8pm)
I adore this show. I watched the first season over the course of a weekend thanks to a DVD set I just stumbled upon at my apartment (I think one of my boyfriend's roommates had left it with us) and was hooked from the pilot on. Thanks to Hulu I caught up to the second season in time to enjoy a few new episodes before the show took an insanely long hiatus. Last night's summer premiere not only reminded me that I really do love this show, but that it's also a really high quality program.
The conceit of Lie to Me is really interesting - Cal Lightman can read facial expressions, voice cadences, intonations, body language, etc. to determine whether or not a person is lying, and with the help of his team at the Lightman Group, he consults on a variety of open crimes. There's usually two cases per episode, and I find myself instantly interested in this procedural drama more than most, partly because of the clever conceit, but also because Tim Roth plays Dr. Lightman as a very fascinating man. Check out the mid-season/summer premiere, featuring Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars alum!) as an especially creepy suspect.
The Good Guys
(FOX, 9pm)
I'm a huge fan of Burn Notice, and I suppose you could call The Good Guys the sister show, as it also comes from showrunner Matt Nix and features some similarly great action sequences and fun humor. Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford have an absolutely fantastic dynamic which is probably best summed up by some of their hilarious conversations. For those laughs, I will refer you to this review - it's okay if you haven't watched the show just yet, I think you'll find these exchanges laugh-out-loud funny and pique your interest in this buddy cop action hour-long comedy!
Okay. If anything, watch this show to marvel at Whitford's phenomenal mustache.
Persons Unknown
(NBC, 10pm)
I don't think any show will fill the void that Lost has left, and that's important to consider before you begin watching this sci-fi thriller mystery drama. The thing is, I think this show has the potential to be a surprise hit - it certainly has all the makings of one, and for viewers who are looking for a captivating and intriguing series to obsess over, I think Persons Unknown can be that. I'm not really going to attempt to explain the premise of this show, both because I probably wouldn't do it justice and because I think this is one of those shows where it's actually better to go into it knowing very little.
Or check out this great review of the pilot from The AV Club. Also, I guess they filmed this in Mexico before the country went to shit - so that's cool.
Any other summer shows, new or old you're looking forward to? One of my roommates just got into Royal Pains and I'm considering giving it a try, especially because I think USA has been really nailing their programming slate the past few years (even though I'm not over the moon about Covert Affairs, I will give it a few episodes before I finally make up my mind). Or, is there another night that rivals Mondays for the best Must-See TV? Obviously SYTYCD is a great show, but I'm thinking about scripted TV specifically... sound off in the comments!
Monday, June 07, 2010
Oh, Mexico
I've been catching up on my pile of New Yorker subscriptions and not too long ago read a fascinating article about Mexico. The digital version of it is here, and I highly suggest reading it.
Essentially, Mexico is fucked. It's tragic really; the country is resembling a failed state, much thanks to the dominance of the drug cartels, government corruption, and a myriad of other problems.
I realize it's rare that I get talking about other topics besides TV or stupid personal anecdotes, but I think it's so important to educate yourself - and when I read something I especially enjoy, I like to share it.
Also - I have a soft spot for Mexico. It's a beautiful country with fascinating history and culture - and I went to summer camp there for six weeks when I was 13. It was a great summer, and I have many fond memories.
Essentially, Mexico is fucked. It's tragic really; the country is resembling a failed state, much thanks to the dominance of the drug cartels, government corruption, and a myriad of other problems.
I realize it's rare that I get talking about other topics besides TV or stupid personal anecdotes, but I think it's so important to educate yourself - and when I read something I especially enjoy, I like to share it.
Also - I have a soft spot for Mexico. It's a beautiful country with fascinating history and culture - and I went to summer camp there for six weeks when I was 13. It was a great summer, and I have many fond memories.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
The Greatest Rivalry in Sports History? Duh, Annie vs. Marisa
I’d like introduce a friend of mine, Marisa Roffman, a savvy and wonderful TV Blogger for Zap2It.com’s KorbiTV. Marisa and I share a lot of similar interests. We both love Twitter, TV, and talking about Twitter and TV, sometimes over lunch, but because we live on opposites ends of the city, usually on Twitter or email. However, there is one big difference between the two of us – our team loyalities.
In fact, we may be as passionate about our cities’ respective sports teams as we are about our TV shows. And you should see the length of emails back and forth over The X-Files, Lost, Bones, etc. We’d sort of made an agreement that we wouldn’t talk about the finals with each other, but thanks to Twitter, and the fact that we seem to overlap in followers, we’re doing a sort of Twitter/NBA Finals/TV bet.
Here are details:
If the Lakers win then I have to watch a full episode of any TV show of Marisa’s choosing, and if the Celtics win then she has to watch an episode of a TV show of my choosing. Furthermore - the next time Marisa and I have lunch, the loser will have to take a picture in the winning team's gear, which the winner will share on Twitter for everyone to laugh at.
While we might seem like people who enjoy all TV shows – I can promise there are more than enough crappy programs out there we’d rather not suffer through. Even better – we’re such social media/crowdsourcing lovers that we’re going to let our Twitter followers help the winner pick the crappy TV show the other must watch – and to prove she’s watching, the loser must live-tweet the entire episode as well as change their Twitter avatar to the winning team's logo while they watch.
This might be the nerdiest bet in the history of bets but we don’t really care – we’re all about the fun. Feel free to leave suggestions for the TV show the loser has to watch in the comments below - and of course any stipulations to add to the bet are always welcome!
So Marisa, Lakers – bring it on.
Go Celtics!
Marisa loves the Lakers. Diehard fan.
I love the Celtics. Diehard fan.
I love the Celtics. Diehard fan.
In fact, we may be as passionate about our cities’ respective sports teams as we are about our TV shows. And you should see the length of emails back and forth over The X-Files, Lost, Bones, etc. We’d sort of made an agreement that we wouldn’t talk about the finals with each other, but thanks to Twitter, and the fact that we seem to overlap in followers, we’re doing a sort of Twitter/NBA Finals/TV bet.
Here are details:
If the Lakers win then I have to watch a full episode of any TV show of Marisa’s choosing, and if the Celtics win then she has to watch an episode of a TV show of my choosing. Furthermore - the next time Marisa and I have lunch, the loser will have to take a picture in the winning team's gear, which the winner will share on Twitter for everyone to laugh at.
While we might seem like people who enjoy all TV shows – I can promise there are more than enough crappy programs out there we’d rather not suffer through. Even better – we’re such social media/crowdsourcing lovers that we’re going to let our Twitter followers help the winner pick the crappy TV show the other must watch – and to prove she’s watching, the loser must live-tweet the entire episode as well as change their Twitter avatar to the winning team's logo while they watch.
This might be the nerdiest bet in the history of bets but we don’t really care – we’re all about the fun. Feel free to leave suggestions for the TV show the loser has to watch in the comments below - and of course any stipulations to add to the bet are always welcome!
So Marisa, Lakers – bring it on.
Go Celtics!
PROMO: Boardwalk Empire
True Confession: I did not watch The Sopranos.
Okay now that I've gotten that out of the way I must share this new promo for Boardwalk Empire, which looks awesome and I don't even really know what's going on except I see Steve Buscemi and Martin Scorcese and some writer from The Sopranos had something to do with this... and I read this article about that chick Paz de la Huerta yesterday (who I've decided I hate for her obvious desire to be the next queen of the manic pixie dream girls) so I guess it's Atlantic City in the 1920s or something...
Will you watch? That trailer is so well-cut and scored and that I'm totally in.
Okay now that I've gotten that out of the way I must share this new promo for Boardwalk Empire, which looks awesome and I don't even really know what's going on except I see Steve Buscemi and Martin Scorcese and some writer from The Sopranos had something to do with this... and I read this article about that chick Paz de la Huerta yesterday (who I've decided I hate for her obvious desire to be the next queen of the manic pixie dream girls) so I guess it's Atlantic City in the 1920s or something...
Will you watch? That trailer is so well-cut and scored and that I'm totally in.
Where was this school when I was applying to college?
Duchovny is on here twice. I would take both his classes. And I would crush him so hard. Let's just say I'm one of those girls who always had a thing for professors...
My Name is Annie, and I Watch Reality TV
There was a time when I enjoyed denouncing reality television. That time was about two years ago. My how the times have changed. Sure, I've always watched The Hills, but I am now realizing that I'm much more well-versed in reality TV than I realize.
Last night I was watching So You Think You Can Dance - which for the purposes of laziness, I will henceforth refer to as SYTYCD - and there was this amazing audition from a young dancer who was deaf that just really touched my cold black heart and I felt the formation of tears in my eye ducts. The tears did not fall, but I was totally happy to be watching this fantastic show. Really, it was a delight.
No longer will I spend my time pretending like I am some sort of TV snob who doesn't watch reality shows. I do watch reality shows. I watch the shitty ones on E! even. I may never watch Survivor or really understand the obsession with American Idol - a show I am pretty sure I still hate - but I am going to shed my discomfort at owning up to watching this crap and just embrace it. Yeah, I'm gonna embrace crap.
Last night I was watching So You Think You Can Dance - which for the purposes of laziness, I will henceforth refer to as SYTYCD - and there was this amazing audition from a young dancer who was deaf that just really touched my cold black heart and I felt the formation of tears in my eye ducts. The tears did not fall, but I was totally happy to be watching this fantastic show. Really, it was a delight.
No longer will I spend my time pretending like I am some sort of TV snob who doesn't watch reality shows. I do watch reality shows. I watch the shitty ones on E! even. I may never watch Survivor or really understand the obsession with American Idol - a show I am pretty sure I still hate - but I am going to shed my discomfort at owning up to watching this crap and just embrace it. Yeah, I'm gonna embrace crap.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Summer Jams
The new album from Sia drops June 7th (MONDAY!) and I am psyched. She's fabulous. Listen to "Clap Your Hands" embedded below.
I don't really understand what's happening here, but I am IN.
I'm not a regular viewer of this Kardashian show, but whatever is happening in the preview has me down.
Okay, I will admit I've caught a marathon on E! from time to time. It's unavoidable. Now I think I'm on a path to getting hooked!
Okay, I will admit I've caught a marathon on E! from time to time. It's unavoidable. Now I think I'm on a path to getting hooked!
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
What Makes Some Pilots More “Pick-up-able”
While using Twitter to troll for writing ideas – I mean crowdsourcing – someone suggested I do a little write-up explaining why some pilots get picked up while others don’t (to series, that is – I am not even going to tackle the pilot pick-up in the script stage). First of all, as a measly studio development assistant, I probably only have a very limited understanding of this. Add to that any “cred” I bring as a TV blogger (do I say writer? That makes me sound like I write TV, which, sure I do, but not in any professional capacity just yet) as well as my previous experience as a “trend forecaster” (where my job literally was to predict what shows were going to be hits, even though I was right maybe only 50% of the time, if that), then okay, sure, maybe I’ve got enough background to give me some sort of authority to speak on the matter, but before we get into this I feel I must emphasize that these are my thoughts/opinions and mine alone.
Okay now that I vomited out that paragraph with all the inarticulate wording I can muster, let’s move on to the interesting part of this, where I will ponder why some pilots are picked up and others are not, (and as I so love to do, in list form!):
What Makes Some Pilots More “Pick-up-able” --
Thank you, by the way, to my Twitter follower "augustbenassi" for both the post request and for using "pick-up-able" in a sentence.
1. I have no idea. Really I don’t. I spent the weekend watching a lot of the pilots that were picked up and I have seen a handful of those that weren’t. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out why one and not the other after a first viewing. I will use the rest of this list to make a few guesses as to why, but keep this very important point in mind. I will come back to it.
2. Quality. Shocker right? Sometimes a pilot will get picked up over another one because it is better. Simple. That may not always seem like the case, but I do think that there is a degree to which all creative executives, even the ones at the network, ultimately care about quality programming. For example, I recently watched the ABC pilot “Freshmen” which has all the makings of a great show – Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) stars, some big name producers are attached (Greg Malins and HuffPo’s very own Ariana Huffington), and the setting seems like something Americans would love (three freshmen Congress members living together in an apartment in DC! Hijinks ensue!) – however, the pilot was not very good. ABC did not pick up the pilot to series, which was a great decision – especially after seeing the much higher quality of some of the other shows the network picked up, like No Ordinary Family or My Generation (both already on my fall watch-list).
3. Auspices. Sometimes all it takes is a high-brow writer/producer/director/actor to give the pilot the momentum it needs for the pick-up. Think anything J.J. Abrams has put his name on. Interestingly enough, this year I can immediately think of two pilots with big names behind them that were not picked up – Ben Stiller’s “The Station” and “Pleading Guilty” from Chernin Entertainment and high-brow auspices such as director Jon Avnet and Executive Producer Hart Hanson, not to mention John Laroquette (NIGHT COURT!). Yet neither of these were picked up (interestingly, both were at Fox). Okay, so maybe I’ve already canceled out this point in citing two shows that were not picked-up despite auspices (and already I am remembering more), but for certain networks the auspices behind the show play a very big role. And while this mindset is perhaps starting to shift, I will again say: think J.J. Abrams.
4. Network branding. In case you weren’t aware, the networks all have a specific “brand” or “image.” You can very often watch a show or read a script and think, oh “character-driven legal drama feels perfect for ABC,” or, “if this show had more of a procedural bent perhaps CBS would be interested.” If a show feels like it is on-brand, yet brings something fresh then its chances of a series pick-up increase. Of course, there are always the random shows that seem out of place with a network’s brand. In my opinion, Nikita seems like an odd fit for The CW (it’s actually good – and it’s not all about surly teenagers having sex and doing drugs and shopping and becoming vampires), and would perhaps be better suited for ABC or Fox. Speaking of, I’ve heard from many that while Lone Star has a great pilot and all the makings of a great show, Fox maybe isn’t the best home for the series. And don’t even get me started on NBC because I am pretty sure they don’t even know what their brand is right now.
5. Money-making potential. Duh. I mean, this is a no-brainer. Every pilot has the possibility to be a network’s next CSI, or Grey’s Anatomy, or any other show that’s been a roaring success, spawning spin-offs, DVD sales, and sweet syndication deals (syndication is the real money maker in this biz, keep that in mind as you find yourself four hours deep into that Law & Order marathon on TNT). These pilots are all tested, researched and discussed so that when making decisions, the network execs have all the info they need to choose a show that has the potential to be their next cash-cow – which also means finding shows that ad buyers like (hence why upfronts are so important).
So there you have it, five reasons as to why I think some pilots get picked up while others do not. Yes, "I don't know" is a reason. See, before I leave you with this less-than-clarifying list, think again about my first point. Because honestly, it’s a crapshoot. Sure there are formulas to follow, but you truly never know. It’s kind of like getting into college. Just kind of. Because instead of spending the next four years surrounded by other like-minded individuals who want to both work and party hard with the occasional one-night stand or political debate thrown in, once your show gets picked-up it’s a whole new ballgame, with writers to hire and stories to break and people to please… and it all sounds exhausting actually. But don't worry there are parties in TV land too. You just won't be invited. Unless that pilot gets picked up. Or you know someone who knows someone. Or something. I wouldn't know.
Okay now that I vomited out that paragraph with all the inarticulate wording I can muster, let’s move on to the interesting part of this, where I will ponder why some pilots are picked up and others are not, (and as I so love to do, in list form!):
What Makes Some Pilots More “Pick-up-able” --
Thank you, by the way, to my Twitter follower "augustbenassi" for both the post request and for using "pick-up-able" in a sentence.
1. I have no idea. Really I don’t. I spent the weekend watching a lot of the pilots that were picked up and I have seen a handful of those that weren’t. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out why one and not the other after a first viewing. I will use the rest of this list to make a few guesses as to why, but keep this very important point in mind. I will come back to it.
2. Quality. Shocker right? Sometimes a pilot will get picked up over another one because it is better. Simple. That may not always seem like the case, but I do think that there is a degree to which all creative executives, even the ones at the network, ultimately care about quality programming. For example, I recently watched the ABC pilot “Freshmen” which has all the makings of a great show – Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) stars, some big name producers are attached (Greg Malins and HuffPo’s very own Ariana Huffington), and the setting seems like something Americans would love (three freshmen Congress members living together in an apartment in DC! Hijinks ensue!) – however, the pilot was not very good. ABC did not pick up the pilot to series, which was a great decision – especially after seeing the much higher quality of some of the other shows the network picked up, like No Ordinary Family or My Generation (both already on my fall watch-list).
3. Auspices. Sometimes all it takes is a high-brow writer/producer/director/actor to give the pilot the momentum it needs for the pick-up. Think anything J.J. Abrams has put his name on. Interestingly enough, this year I can immediately think of two pilots with big names behind them that were not picked up – Ben Stiller’s “The Station” and “Pleading Guilty” from Chernin Entertainment and high-brow auspices such as director Jon Avnet and Executive Producer Hart Hanson, not to mention John Laroquette (NIGHT COURT!). Yet neither of these were picked up (interestingly, both were at Fox). Okay, so maybe I’ve already canceled out this point in citing two shows that were not picked-up despite auspices (and already I am remembering more), but for certain networks the auspices behind the show play a very big role. And while this mindset is perhaps starting to shift, I will again say: think J.J. Abrams.
4. Network branding. In case you weren’t aware, the networks all have a specific “brand” or “image.” You can very often watch a show or read a script and think, oh “character-driven legal drama feels perfect for ABC,” or, “if this show had more of a procedural bent perhaps CBS would be interested.” If a show feels like it is on-brand, yet brings something fresh then its chances of a series pick-up increase. Of course, there are always the random shows that seem out of place with a network’s brand. In my opinion, Nikita seems like an odd fit for The CW (it’s actually good – and it’s not all about surly teenagers having sex and doing drugs and shopping and becoming vampires), and would perhaps be better suited for ABC or Fox. Speaking of, I’ve heard from many that while Lone Star has a great pilot and all the makings of a great show, Fox maybe isn’t the best home for the series. And don’t even get me started on NBC because I am pretty sure they don’t even know what their brand is right now.
5. Money-making potential. Duh. I mean, this is a no-brainer. Every pilot has the possibility to be a network’s next CSI, or Grey’s Anatomy, or any other show that’s been a roaring success, spawning spin-offs, DVD sales, and sweet syndication deals (syndication is the real money maker in this biz, keep that in mind as you find yourself four hours deep into that Law & Order marathon on TNT). These pilots are all tested, researched and discussed so that when making decisions, the network execs have all the info they need to choose a show that has the potential to be their next cash-cow – which also means finding shows that ad buyers like (hence why upfronts are so important).
So there you have it, five reasons as to why I think some pilots get picked up while others do not. Yes, "I don't know" is a reason. See, before I leave you with this less-than-clarifying list, think again about my first point. Because honestly, it’s a crapshoot. Sure there are formulas to follow, but you truly never know. It’s kind of like getting into college. Just kind of. Because instead of spending the next four years surrounded by other like-minded individuals who want to both work and party hard with the occasional one-night stand or political debate thrown in, once your show gets picked-up it’s a whole new ballgame, with writers to hire and stories to break and people to please… and it all sounds exhausting actually. But don't worry there are parties in TV land too. You just won't be invited. Unless that pilot gets picked up. Or you know someone who knows someone. Or something. I wouldn't know.
Introducing the Stamos Sammy
I order the same thing at Subway, without fail, every single time I eat there (which by the way, is a frighteningly high number these days). I know you are simply dying to know what it is I eat, so let me share the details of the sandwich I find to be so incredibly delicious that many might argue is outright disgusting.
6 inch
Whole Wheat
Turkey
Provolone (optional)
Pickles
Green peppers
Salt
Pepper
Now, if you want to try this out, what I will from henceforth refer to as the Stamos Sammy (Sammy = Sandwich, duh), then I highly recommend you suggest to your sandwich maker that he or she throws on extra pickles and extra peppers and when he or she feebly grabs for like, three stringy peppers and/or pickles that you repeat the request until your sammy is simply overflowing with pickles and peppers. And you know, you might as well make it a Meal Deal
In case you were wondering, yes, I just ate lunch, and yes, that is what I ate. So no, I am not sponsored by Subway, however I certainly wouldn't shy away from any endorsement opportunities...
6 inch
Whole Wheat
Turkey
Provolone (optional)
Pickles
Green peppers
Salt
Pepper
Now, if you want to try this out, what I will from henceforth refer to as the Stamos Sammy (Sammy = Sandwich, duh), then I highly recommend you suggest to your sandwich maker that he or she throws on extra pickles and extra peppers and when he or she feebly grabs for like, three stringy peppers and/or pickles that you repeat the request until your sammy is simply overflowing with pickles and peppers. And you know, you might as well make it a Meal Deal
In case you were wondering, yes, I just ate lunch, and yes, that is what I ate. So no, I am not sponsored by Subway, however I certainly wouldn't shy away from any endorsement opportunities...
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