This has been my life for a couple of weeks now, and it will continue to be my life for about another week and a half. I have a big audit coming up at work and have been spending almost all of my free time at home working on the accounts.
I apologize for for how quiet I've been, but I promise that things will pick up once I get through this. In the meantime, I will be posting things here and there, just not with as much frequency as usual.
Thanks!
1.30.2009
All work and no play makes thisisgina a dull blog.
More LOST talk.
And they are absolutely going to give me a heart attack waiting for something bad to happen to Desmond, or Penny, or both. It's amazing how this couple who've had a tiny sliver of the shared screen time compared to any combination of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle, or of Jin/Sun, have become the romantic pairing I care most about. That's a testament to Henry Ian Cusick and Sonya Walger's performances, and to the brilliant heartstring-yanking climax of "The Constant," and to the way their story seems so integral to what the show is revealing itself to be about. I felt moved by the childbirth scene, even though I've seen variations on that about 9,000 times over the years, and I misted up a bit when I found out they'd named their son after Charlie (whose life Desmond had worked so hard to save, and whose sacrifice helped Penny find Desmond). As I watched Desmond steer his yacht, little Charlie on his lap, content as any man has a right to be, I felt a joy for him that I rarely feel for fictional characters, outside of maybe those rare moments where good things happen on "The Wire."
And as I felt happier and happier to watch these two, a voice inside my head got louder and louder with its warnings that something terrible is going to happen. No one on this show can be this blissful, this satisfied, with so much time left to go before the finale. I just know that Desmond is going to have to break his promise to Penny about going back to the island, or that Ben -- who's currently in the city that's next on the Hume family's travel itinerary -- is going to get to Penny before Desmond can stop him, and I'm not sure I can handle seeing that. (If my worst fears are proven right, expect that night's blog entry to be either a lot of incoherent wailing, or else a video like the crying Giants fan --
Alan's reviews - of LOST and a host of other TV shows - never disappoint. And his community of commenters are some of the most intelligent and civil that I've come across. Please bookmark him and visit regularly!
1.29.2009
LOST: Episode 5.03
OK, I am REALLY biased, but is it not true that Desmond episodes ROCK? Maybe it's because his stories have more of an emotional resonance than most of the others? And the rocking was not just by him - I liked everyone in this episode.
Alright, a quick recap and then some items of interest.
Off Island, 2008 (?)
- Can Richard time travel? I don't think he can. Somehow, he's immortal. Or maybe it's the island that is stuck in time, and anyone who "belongs" there is stuck, too, and they never age?
- So, if Ellie is Daniel's mother, could Widmore be his father? It could explain why he funded his research. And why Widmore would have his mother's current address in his day planner.
- Could the bomb be what's buried behind that wall of concrete in the Swan hatch?
1.26.2009
This guy is NUTS.
Ah, yes, thank God he found perspective. It must have been soon after he acquired a little perspective that he considered appointing Oprah to Obama's vacant Senate seat! This guys needs to disappear and take his crazy eyes and Lego hair with him.
1.22.2009
LOST: Episode 5.01 and 5.02
Oh my goodness, wasn't that good?? Even with all of the time-traveling stuff, I don't really feel all that confused! (That's probably because I completely misunderstood everything, heh) Both of the episodes were just jam-packed, and I really liked how they seemed to pick up right where they left off, and you couldn't tell there was a gap of almost 8 months between the season 4 finale and these episodes.
- I really liked Juliet last night, and I REALLY like her with Sawyer. Dump Kate, James!
- I enjoyed seeing Yemi's plane, Ethan, Dr. Candle, the Hatch and Hatch Desmond again.
- I learned a valuable lesson: Remember to close the dishwasher before engaging in a fight-to-the-death in your kitchen. (or, you could always just put your knives in pointy part down!).
- Hurley dragging around Sayid's unconscious body was hilarious to me, especially when he put the sunglasses on him.
- Even though I didn't like her all that much when she was alive, I loved Hurley's visit from Ana Lucia and the "Libby says Hi."
- While the ensuing flaming arrow attack was terrifying, Frogurt's death was a welcome reprieve.
- These episodes were really heavy on the mythology, and a little light on the character-driven, emotional moments, but the one that really stood out for me was Hurley's talk with his mother. I'm so glad she said she believed him. I think that's part of what gave him the confidence to stand up to Ben.
- So Daniel made a trip back to the early Dharma years? Did he do that when he was at Oxford?
- I think I get the "skipping record" explanation for the island's time-jumping phenomenon, but I'm not sure what's actually jumping. I think it's the plane crash survivors who are jumping. The island and The Others jumped to a place and time, but Sawyer and crew are bouncing around and can't complete the jump until the 6 return. Maybe? But then why are Daniel, Charlotte, Miles and Juliet all jumping around in time, too?
- Sun totally blames Jack and Kate as well as Ben, for Jin's death, don't you think? She was freaking me out during her conversation with Kate.
- Alan S. pointed out that the compass that Richard gave John is probably the same one that John was supposed to choose when Richard tested him as a child:
They look pretty similar, but I'm not sure it's the same one. I think Alan's right, though, that the two are connected in some way. Good catch, Alan!
- What do you think is going on with Charlotte's nosebleed? I think it's safe to say that it's an effect of the time travel, and that Dan knows it's not a good thing, but why just her? Is it because she was a Dharma baby and grew up on the island, as some have theorized?
- No matter how hard he tries to be trustworthy, poor Ben's crazy eyes just give him away. What is he up to now? Is he behind the lawyers that visited Kate, to give her a reason to run back to the island? Who the heck is the butcher lady? I must say it certainly is convenient to have a butcher lady friend with a walk-in freezer when you have a dead body that you need to hide and "keep safe".
- Who are the guys shooting the flaming arrows? They can't be a new group - they must be either Dharma or, more likely in my opinion, members of Rousseau's crew.
- What is Mrs. Hawking doing in that church basement with her chalkboard of equations, swinging (Foucault?) pendulum, Dharma-era computer and monk's hood? Who is she? Oh wait, could she be at a monastery? Do you remember that she was in that photo on Brother What's-His-Face's desk at the monastery that Desmond joined?
So, talk to me - any thoughts??
1.21.2009
At long last, LOST returns.
After a very long 8 months, and a seemingly endless number of promo teaser-trailers, season 5 of LOST will finally begin tonight on ABC at 9:00 PM (with a recap show airing in the hour prior, at 8:00). The show is on for 2 hours, so double-check those DVRs!
Can't remember what happened at the end of last season? Read my post about the season finale and refresh your memory. Although I kind of doubt any of you forgot that Ben moved the freaking island. Or that John Locke was in the casket. Or that Ben told Jack they all had to go back. Or that Jin died. Did you?
One more thing to whet your whistle: The Ajira Airways site has been updated. Book your "Destination Destiny", if you dare. Print a sample boarding pass and fold it into an oragami ball and look inside.
Enjoy the show tonight, and come back in a day or so and we can talk about it!
Hey, X-Files Geeks - This remind you of anything?
Here's a hint: Notice the pugilistic attitude of the corpse.
Moments from Yesterday.
Sasha certainly approves:
1.20.2009
1.19.2009
Frak Earth.
So yeah, I watched Friday's BSG episode, "Sometimes A Great Notion" (embedded above) and, OK, that was UNBELIEVABLE. If this is just the beginning of the end, I can't even imagine what the next 9 episodes are going to be like.
Instead of re-inventing the wheel, and because I'm strapped for time, I'm just going to post the content of an e-mail I wrote to friends this weekend. It's not a recap, but a random sprinkling of thoughts about Friday's episode.
Warning: SPOILERS.
With everything that was thrown at us, the thing that's sticking with me the most right now is Dee's suicide. They had totally tricked me into thinking she was the Fifth, just about up to the moment she shot herself. When Gaeta left the room and her expression dropped and she took her ring off, I said out loud, "Is she going to kill herself?" I think I hadn't even finished saying the words when she did. I think she just finally succumbed to the despair. Poor Dee has always been there to prop up the Adamas, to give them the pep talks that keep them going, and she was the voice of Galactica, the re-assuring beacon that would call the fighters back home. It's so sad that there was no one to talk her down and call her back in the end.
I've been trying to parse what the title, "Sometimes a Great Notion", means with regard to the episode, and I haven't been able to. Has anyone read the book or seen the movie? I read that Ken Kesey got the title for his book from the song Goodnight Irene, and these lyrics:
Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in the town
Sometimes I get a great notion
To jump into the river an’ drown
I suppose you can connect that with what Adama told Tigh about the fox who just wanted to float downstream and drown in the sea, which I suppose is exactly what Dee did. And what many others wanted to do.
I don't know what it means that Earth was populated solely by Cylons before it was destroyed 2000 years ago. For me, it puts into question what it means to be a Cylon. We know for sure that Chief, Tigh, Ellen, Tory and Anders lived on Earth 2000 years ago, which would make them Cylons; but they are different than the Cylons that humans built and the skin jobs that Cylons built. And I don't think that the Earth Cylons (including the FF) are machines at all. They may be different from human beings in some way, but I don't think they're machines the same way as the 1-8 models are.
Earth was the "Thirteenth Tribe", right? So at the same time as the exodus of the 12 tribes from Kobol, the 13th tribe of cylons on Earth suffered a nuclear catastrophe. I am so confused. If the Five all died 2000 years ago, what the hell have they been doing in the meantime?
I really surprised at the revelation of Ellen as the Fifth, but I think it really works with what has been shown to us so far, especially the episode where she was introduced. Remember all of the speculation about whether she was a Cylon, and how she so mysteriously appeared? I don't think, however, that she is particularly special in comparison to the other Four, like, she's not the Queen or anything. I just think that she didn't hear the signal because she was dead. Whether she has resurrected and if so where, I have no idea.
What is Starbuck? I cannot claim to have even an inkling. I hope that she tells Lee about it. I think that she must have traveled through time, back to Earth prior to the holocaust, and crashed and was somehow rebuilt, using the same technology that Ellen was referring to when she told Saul they would be reborn together. How she got back, how she got a new viper, I have no idea. But there is some kind of guiding hand at work here, and I'm dying to know who or what it is.
Whatever is going on, it's not what Leoben thought it was. You know it's bad when you out-weird the weirdo.
*******
Here is a fantastic Mo Ryan column about the episode, which includes and interview with the show's creator Ron Moore, as well as an essay by the writers of "Sometimes A Great Notion".
I cannot WAIT until Friday!
Hail to the Chief
For more information about tomorrow's events, you can go to The Inauguration Committee website for a full schedule and links to sites where you can watch it live. We are going to have a viewing lunch party tomorrow at the office. I'm going to set up a computer in the conference room and we'll order food in and watch it live on Hulu. I'll embed the code here in case you want to bookmark it:
Live Feed Removed
1.15.2009
Tomorrow's the big day.
I hope Heaven is lined with rich, Corinthian Leather.
Here he is in the two roles I know him best for - Khan (KHHAAAN!!) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and, of course, Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island.
Smiles, everyone. Smiles!
1.14.2009
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
From: boingboing.net
'24' Reboot isn't all that different from what it was before.
Redemption was good. Not spectacular, but it did a good job of filling in the gap between season 6 (which ended a year and a half ago!) and Sunday's premiere.
As far as the first hour goes...At first blush, things are different: CTU is gone, Jack's been brought in front of a Senate committee investigating his, er, extreme methods of interrogation, and the action has moved from L.A. to D.C. There's even a new president - a woman! - and a whole new set of White House back-stabbers to get to know. Eventually, hoever, things started to get familiar again, and people who were supposed to be dead are now alive and evil (although I think Tony's undercover) and Jack's sticking pens in peoples' eyes and all is right with the world.
Kiefer's starting to show his age - and he's looking more like his father - but then again, aren't we all? He's still bad ass as Jack, even though he doesn't have his man purse. I think he may have left it in Africa. I hope he has time to get a new one.
1.13.2009
Thank God we don't live in England!
The RSPCA is threatening legal action against people who dress up their dogs.
We would be on the RSPCA's Most Wanted List.
1.12.2009
1.11.2009
1.10.2009
The snow has started.
We're having one of those winters this year, with a new storm blowing through just about every three days. Wednesday's storm brought sleet and ice, but today's should leave behind 6-10" of snow. Shoveling is a drag, but I'd much rather deal with (and drive in) a foot of snow than an inch of ice.
We're hunkered down now, but this morning I went out to see if I could find some ice melt, since we had used what we had during Wednesday's storm. Yeah, me and the rest of the world were looking for ice melt. After checking 4 stores and coming up empty, I gave up and headed home.
This is a picture I took of Mickey on the couch earlier today, all snuggly and warm.
1.09.2009
TV Talk: Baby Come Back!
Quickly, here's a rundown of the return dates of the shows that I watch and write about here:
24 - January 12
ETA: Here's a trailer for Dollhouse:
This show is right up my alley, but that trailer does nothing for me. I'll still give it a shot, though.
1.08.2009
1.06.2009
I Love and Hate My TV v.2008, Part II
1. Michael Johns heats up the stage on American Idol's Dolly Parton night. I wonder what ever became of him?
2. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. A pop culture phenomenon who was worthy of that mantle. While she was consistently funny in her subsequent appearances as Palin on SNL, nothing quite lived up to that first cold opening:
"I can see Russia from my house" was the shot heard round the world in the 2008 election.
3. Speaking of the election, number 3 on this list would have to be election night, and in particular watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech. What an amazing moment in our national history, with television allowing us all to participate in the shared experience. Here's the full speech from Grant Park in Chicago, November 4, 2008:
4. The Writers' Strike, without which we would never have been blessed with Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, Joss Whedon's brilliant internet-only musical/comic book mash-up.
5. Pushing Daisies. I love Ned, Chuck, Olive, Emerson, the Aunts, the pies, the clowns, the bees, the corpses, the colors, the music...I love it all and I will miss it very much.
6. HBO's vampire series True Blood, and most especially the sexy Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton. In this clip from Episode 2, Bill and Sookie get to know each other:
Sigh. The way he says her name, he makes me wish I was called Sookie.
7. The next two items on the list are both from Battlestar Galactica, of course! In this clip from Season 4's "The Hub", Laura Roslin and Bill Adama, my two favorite characters on the show, FINALLY get together:
It's about time, indeed.
8. The other BSG moment on this list, and one that surpasses all other 2008 notable TV moments for me (except for #9), is the very last scene of "Revelations", the finale of the first half of season 4. It is technically brilliant and it packs an emotional wallop that has been 5 years in the making. Unfortunately, there are no intact clips of that scene online, so I'll post this "edited" version, which is essentially the same:
9. And finally, "The Constant" was possibly the finest hour on TV last year. It is the jewel in the crown of LOST's comeback 4th season, and it delivered the best payoff of 2008. In a series known for its memorable moments, this is the one most universally praised:
And it's so romantic!
Whew, I think that just about covers it! How about you? What were your TV favorites?
Rock of Love gets its cast from the Free Clinic this year.
I cannot WAIT to watch it next week. Hee! (I had better take my penicillin before I do)
1.05.2009
My mother was telling me about this last night.
"What's so wonderful about Reborns is that, um, they're forever babies," said Moore, who has grown children and grandchildren. "There's no college tuition, no dirty diapers... just the good part of motherhood," she added.
In her Kansas City home, Moore even has an elaborate room for the dolls. She organizes birthday parties, bakes a cake and even invites guests.
That's not right. My God that is so NOT RIGHT.
Battlestar Galactica + Facebook = ...
battlestarbook - Free Legal Forms
Well, that's about as GEEKY as you can get, but if you've seen the show (particularly the mini-series), it's also really funny.
I Love and Hate My TV v. 2008
It's time for my second annual "I Love and Hate My TV" posts, wherein I list all of the things that are on or related to the television that either pissed me off or made me very happy.
Things that made me hate my TV:
1. The death of Warrick on CSI. Was Gary Dourdan the best actor on the show? Absolutely not. Was he smokin' hot and lovely to look at and incredibly cool? AbsoLUTEly. I guess if I'm going to hate anyone for this, it's Gary Dourdan. Dude, get your act together and come back to my TV.
5. If there was one word to sum up the dismal third season of Heroes, it would have to be STUPID. Almost every plot advancement was the result of a character acting stupidly, and the most glaringly stupid example? In the very first episode, Hiro removed the formula from the safe, right after being told not to by his father, for no other reason than he is bored, setting into motion the entire story arc for the season. Characters like Sylar and Nathan and Elle switched allegiances not only from episode to episode, but multiple times within a single episode, with no obvious motivation. And if there was a reason for the shift, it was - yep, you got it - it was stupid. And I have never watched a television show with more superfluous characters. You could kill off Matt, Mohinder, Meredith, Maya, and the girl who runs really fast and whose name escapes me right now without impacting the storyline AT ALL.
I could go on and on about all of the ways that Heroes disappointed me this season, but I would just be repeating myself. I'm still not sure if I'm going to give it another shot when the new chapter starts up, but if I hear that the story arc will involve a future New York City in peril, I'm done with it for good.
So, those are the ways in which my TV pissed me off or disappointed me in 2008. Was there anything that made you hate your TV?
Later, Part II, the "Love" list!