what i'm up to...

reading... a painfully accurate account of academia and family

listening to... still as fresh today as it was 20 years ago. Bono looks so young!

watching ... the book, especially its ending, was better, but I still enjoyed it. It's a frothy little fairy tale, much in the vein of The Princess Bride, and I have to say, I enjoyed the addition of Robert De Niro's character. Much better than the BBC adaptation of Neverwhere.

tivoing... Go Sun! You smack that Juliet bitch around some more!

wanting... my preordered Battlestar Galactica Season 3 DVDs to arrive already! And for April 4 to come so I can watch season 4. I'm on a bit of a BSG kick here. Then again, when am I not?

So....

we received the DVD for season 1 of Heroes last week. Zack and I had been religiously avoiding watching or reading anything about the show, since it appeared to be the kind of serialized show that ought to be watched from episode 1 on, so we decided early on to pre order the DVD whenever it became available. All I really knew was that the premise was about ordinary people discovering that they had extraodinary powers and that there was a cuddly looking time traveling Japanese dude that all the fans were going bananas over. Oh, and of course, "save the cheerleader, save the world." Over Labor Day weekend, I managed to log in serious time mowing through the show (I'm up to episode 20); the new season starts in three weeks. So yes, it's very addictive. And worth watching.

Now, let me just say that I had a few reservations before I started watching. It's a show I should like - I've read comic books since I was a teenager, I go for the sci-fi/fantasy genre stuff and I'm anti-reality TV (okay, maybe except for Project Runway). But with few exceptions (Lost, Sex and the City) I'm pretty wary of a highly popular show; shows I like are usually not (Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars). Then they're cancelled (Arrested Development, Carnivale, Freaks and Geeks). And I dunno, the show seemed like a blatant X-Men ripoff. Plus, petite blond indestructible cheerleader? Blatant Buffy ripoff. But actually, it's done pretty well. By emphasizing the relationships between the characters, the show fleshes out the humanity of the characters - Matt the cop, and his wife, Mohinder and his departed father, Hiro and his friend Ando, Claire and her father, and (I think) most compellingly, the Petrelli brothers Nathan and Peter. Don't get me wrong - someone once tried to throw down and tried to say that Battlestar Galactica had nothing on Heroes (this person had never seen BSG before). I realize that they're two different shows... but BSG is more relevant to current events. More real, believe it or not. The storylines are a bit more Shakespearean, (though Mrs. Petrelli could give Gertrude a run for her money. Then again, the fans don't call Ellen Tigh Lady MacTigh for nothing. And Edward James Olmos and Mary MacDonnell carry just a little bit more gravitas on the acting front. Heroes is fantasy, a fairy tale. But I think I can find a place for both in my fangirl world.

Geek rant

Ugh. I hate that I have to wait til NEXT YEAR for the new season of Battlestar Galactica.

And I hate that I have to wait till November for the "Razor" movie.

And I really hate that NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHEN THE SEASON DVDs come out!!!

I'm not crying. It's been raining... on my face!

Right now, Zack and I are totally enamored of Flight of the Conchords. It's like the Kiwi answer to Mr. Show and Tenacious D meets Wes Anderson. Their goofy antics, dry banter and most especially, their quirky songs have us laughing our asses off.

Sigh. It's totally doomed to cancellation.

Vaguely spoilerly re: Lost

Am I a total sap for sniffling through tonight's episode of Lost? It was utterly manipulative, and I realized it as I was watching, but still. I even thought, hmph, the way this episode is playing out, what everyone's predicting will happen probably won't. Although he can be grating and annoying, I do like Charlie. Even before tonight's episode. Maybe it's a hobbit thing. This is probably a really unpopular opinion, but I actually like him more than Locke.

Cognitive Dissonance?

So during a very long drive on the I-5 back from SoCal, I finally caught up on all TAL podcast shows that I'd been missing since my iPod crapped out on me. As usual, some of the stories were a little slow, some were gut-bustingly hilarious ("Do it for the LOTTO!!!") and some were absolutely heartrending. I swear, I'll be listening, put-putting along, and towards the end of the act, the storyteller will say something, Jon Brion soundtrack music will cue in and the next thing I know my chest gets that achy feeling and my eyes are a watery and my nose is all sniffly. But the most surprising moment for me was when Ira Glass (squeee!) revealed his enthusiasm for "The O.C." Apparently, he and his wife would sit on the couch and sing along to the Phantom Planet "California" themesong every week. "They could have killed off Marissa in the first season, as far as I was concerned," said Ira. Spoken like a true fan. He went on to play the segment in which Seth namechecks TAL, and Summer responds with derision. Ira nearly goes apoplectic with fanboy delight. It was all very endearing but...

HEY IRA MAKE YER DAMN NEW TV SHOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES CAUSE I SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO SHOWTIME !!!

Oh, and speaking of podcasts, Ron Moore (producer of BSG) revealed that he liked to watch Cheaters. "It's the worst show ever on TV. Just awful." I understand, Ron. And yet when it's on, you just have to keep watching.

Ten years

since Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired on T.V. Lord I feel old. You know, I just can't let a few months slide by without mentioning Buffy, that's how much this show has sunk its fangs into my heart. It is my personal opinion (probably expressed several times in this very blog) that the musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling" might be the most perfect hour of television ever. Whenever I've had a horrible day, or when I'm feeling down in the dumps, nothing cheers me up quite like BTVS. The episodes where Buffy loses her virginity, Angel's soul is restored, and Buffy and Angel break up (for real)... sigh. Makes my life seem a hell of a lot less tragic.

The hour is getting late

The most recent season of Battlestar Galactica has just ended, and I'm completely blown away. Yeah, I know there have been a couple of missteps in the second half of the season, but really, a weak episode of BSG is still stronger than most other hourlong T.V. dramas. There's just so much to talk about (what happened? what does it all mean? what's going to happen next?), and I don't want to spoil too much for those who have not caught up or those who have yet to be converted, so I'll address this in bits and pieces.

The effects. Before I started watching the show, I just assumed the effects would be bad. Like Next Gen bad. Firefly's got a little better, but there's some really obvious CGI. Some of the best effects I've ever seen on television is on the fourth episode of this season (Exodus II, which may be my favorite episode).

Adama Sr. and Roslin. I was watching a scene from the finale, in which Adama tells Roslin that she needs to move on, in a nutshell. And I realized that these two have reversed roles somewhat since the Cylon invasion. At some point during the miniseries, Roslin tells Adama that "The war is over. We lost. If we are even going to survive as a species, we need to get the hell out of here and start having babies." As Adama has gotten less militant, Roslin has gotten more so. Interesting, eh?

Apollo. Oh, Lee. So cute. So dumb. So whiny. So easily riled by Starbuck. And yet such a goody-goody, which is why I liked your character in the first place. But you surprised me with your rather accurate analysis of what's happened to the fleet since the Cylons invaded, and the acknowledgment of personal accountability. Will you stay this observant and self-aware next season? I hope so. Because I missed Captain Apollo and his faux-hawk this season. Just don't get fat, 'cause nobody wants to see that.

Starbuck. The fan favorite who's gone to a really dark place in the last season and a half. Hmm, what can I say about her? Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but I don't want to give too much away. Why don't I just say that she's very complicated, and she brings a certain necessary energy to the show and it seems noticeably empty when she's not around. Given the finale, I'm not sure what her role will encompass in the next season, but I'm *really* looking forward to finding out.

Colonel Tigh. Can I just say that Tigh is my favorite character? Who doesn't love a one-eyed drunk? They could make a show just about Adama Sr. and Colonel Tigh and call it Grizzled and Grizzlier (or Doc Cottle and Tigh, for that matter), and I would totally watch it. Gruff yet ultimately loyal to Adama Sr. and the fleet, it makes his displays of pathos all the more affecting. But with this season's finale, his is another role that is completely up in the air.

Oh, and I loved the very last shot of the season, in which the camera pulls away from the fleet and goes all Google Earth. Gotta love Google Earth. Who doesn't?

Soooooo... bring on the fourth season! January 2008 is way too long to wait. I could (literally) conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term by then!

lame, lame, LAME!!!

Okay, now that we've learned their story, are we supposed to sympathize with Nicki and Paolo? What-ever. 'Cause they killed that perfectly nice old guy in cold blood. Unapologetically. For diamonds. Yeah, I know they're not the only murderers on the island, but the only character that has done worse things is Eko. And it would be pretty difficult to top him. Plus there was the failure to move the storyarc forward, the retconning and the giant plot holes.

Last week's episode notwithstanding (in which we learn how Locke got into the wheelchair), I'm beginning to accept that Lost has jumped the shark.

Nothing but the rain.

So say we all.

Sniff.

Acquiescence

After many viewings and acquisition of the DVDs (thanks justin and brian!) I must finally concede that (new) Battlestar Galactica is indeed better than... Firefly! (Not better than Buffy, though. No show will ever be... and I even watched a couple episodes of season 4 the other day.) The characters on Firefly are more likeable and the dialogue is wittier, but the generally, BSG is more resonant and the storylines are stronger. Plus, there's no space hooker. Okay, maybe there's one space hooker. But she's only in one episode, and she's not a member of the cast. I don't feel too bad for betraying Joss, though, as he has said that the new BSG may be his favorite TV show ever - "it's so passionate, textured, complex, subversive and challenging that it dwarfs everything on TV. Or in theaters. Or boho perfomances spaces. Stuff hanging in the Tate? Not as cool". BTW folks, did you know that Joss is pennning a "season 8" Buffy comic? I can't wait!