Monday, May 16, 2011
A change is coming!
I'll be joining forces with Jen, The Pop Culture Curmudgeon, and blogging at her website. Hope to see you there!
Monday, February 28, 2011
I really wish they would stop doing this...
Will someone please PLEASE convince Hollywood that it is a terrible idea to make movies into t.v. shows or vice versa? Two of the few successes that comes to mind are Parenthood and Friday Night Lights. I haven't watched Parenthood but generally hear good things about it, and you all know how I feel about Friday Night Lights. (Which, if you haven't seen, please go to netflix and start watching. NOW.)
Beyond that, I keep having visions of The Dukes of Hazzard, The Beverly Hillbillies, State of Play, Miami Vice, and a slew of Saturday Night Live inspired skits. Okay, yes, The Blues Brothers is a classic. And Wayne's World was a commercial success. Does that really justify inflicting all of the other Saturday Night Live movies on an unsuspecting public? I think not.
Anyone else remember the Ferris Bueller t.v. show? For your sake, I hope not. It was a train wreck and almost ruined one of my favorite teen movies for me. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. Oh, and be sure to check out the hottie on the right. Yep, that's who you think it is.
The history of movies and television is full of crossovers. Most of the time they're a colossal failure, but when they're good, they're epic. Is there a t.v. / movie crossover that you're fond of? that you despise? What was good and/or bad about it?
Beyond that, I keep having visions of The Dukes of Hazzard, The Beverly Hillbillies, State of Play, Miami Vice, and a slew of Saturday Night Live inspired skits. Okay, yes, The Blues Brothers is a classic. And Wayne's World was a commercial success. Does that really justify inflicting all of the other Saturday Night Live movies on an unsuspecting public? I think not.
Anyone else remember the Ferris Bueller t.v. show? For your sake, I hope not. It was a train wreck and almost ruined one of my favorite teen movies for me. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. Oh, and be sure to check out the hottie on the right. Yep, that's who you think it is.
The history of movies and television is full of crossovers. Most of the time they're a colossal failure, but when they're good, they're epic. Is there a t.v. / movie crossover that you're fond of? that you despise? What was good and/or bad about it?
re-makes suck
So, out of curiosity (and knowing that this year's Oscars were going to be a snooze), I decided to watch Let Me In, the Americanized version of Let the Right One In, to see how they compared.
I should have known better.
I was so hopeful! Rottentomatoes.com gave it an 89% approval rating by a wide variety of critics. That's a good sign, right?
Wrong.
Let the Right One In was just so fantastic, and I loved that it let you use your imagination and draw your own conclusions. Let Me In made unnecessary changes that spelled everything out for the audience and removed all of the subtleties that made the original so intriguing.
And, to be fair, Let Me In was hindered from the start (for me, anyway) by the presence of Cody Smit-McPhee. He aggravated the crap out of me in The Road with Viggo Mortensen. Something about that kid just makes me want to smack him. I feel guilty for having that thought, let alone sharing it, but in retrospect it definitely affected how I felt about both films that I've seen him in. It's a bad sign when you have trouble sympathizing with the protagonist.
It's not just movies, either. Television producers are just as guilty of corrupting source material. Anyone have fond thoughts of the Bionic Woman and Knight Rider re-makes? Oh, and NBC? Please make sure that your current remake projects, Wonder Woman and Prime Suspect, kick butt. You need them to be hits and the source material is pretty revered.
Speaking of Prime Suspect, there have been several other re-makes of British t.v. on U.S. airwaves this winter: Shameless, Skins and Being Human, to name a few. Of those three, Shameless came closest to being good t.v., but having been a fan of the original it just felt odd to see other actors portraying characters I care about - and not in a good way. Skins and Being Human just fell completely flat.
Can you think of exceptions to the re-makes suck rule? Battlestar Galactica comes immediately to mind, but beyond that I'm grasping at straws.
(I could get into t.v. / movie crossover remakes, but that is potentially another blog post.)
I should have known better.
I was so hopeful! Rottentomatoes.com gave it an 89% approval rating by a wide variety of critics. That's a good sign, right?
Wrong.
Let the Right One In was just so fantastic, and I loved that it let you use your imagination and draw your own conclusions. Let Me In made unnecessary changes that spelled everything out for the audience and removed all of the subtleties that made the original so intriguing.
And, to be fair, Let Me In was hindered from the start (for me, anyway) by the presence of Cody Smit-McPhee. He aggravated the crap out of me in The Road with Viggo Mortensen. Something about that kid just makes me want to smack him. I feel guilty for having that thought, let alone sharing it, but in retrospect it definitely affected how I felt about both films that I've seen him in. It's a bad sign when you have trouble sympathizing with the protagonist.
It's not just movies, either. Television producers are just as guilty of corrupting source material. Anyone have fond thoughts of the Bionic Woman and Knight Rider re-makes? Oh, and NBC? Please make sure that your current remake projects, Wonder Woman and Prime Suspect, kick butt. You need them to be hits and the source material is pretty revered.
Speaking of Prime Suspect, there have been several other re-makes of British t.v. on U.S. airwaves this winter: Shameless, Skins and Being Human, to name a few. Of those three, Shameless came closest to being good t.v., but having been a fan of the original it just felt odd to see other actors portraying characters I care about - and not in a good way. Skins and Being Human just fell completely flat.
Can you think of exceptions to the re-makes suck rule? Battlestar Galactica comes immediately to mind, but beyond that I'm grasping at straws.
(I could get into t.v. / movie crossover remakes, but that is potentially another blog post.)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Stay home and make a difference! Part 2
You may remember a blog I posted a couple of weeks ago, encouraging you to stay home on Saturday night and donate the money you saved by not going out to a Facebook friend of mine who is working on the ground in Uganda to make a difference in Bugabo Village. Be sure and check out her blog here, where you can also make donations via Paypal.
Here's the good news: They've raised enough money for the borehole well for the village. Don't worry, I didn't know what a borehole was either. It's a well that sunk deep enough to tap an unending reservoir supply of water so the entire village can have easy access to clean, fresh water year round instead of having to walk miles during the dry season to find a water hole that hasn't dried up yet - and that may or may not have parasites in it. Isn't this awesome news? Clean, fresh water for everyone! Yay!
And now for the not so good news: There are still many items left on the list of things that need to be covered, including electricity for the school compound, transportation, housing for the teachers, and a refuge unit for those in need of a safe place. These are all things that we take for granted every day.
Will you join me in staying home another Saturday to raise the rest of the money? I hope you'll at least consider it, and even if you can't please lift Christy, her efforts, and the residents of Bugabo up in your prayers.
Here's the text from my original blog in case you need a reminder of what I'm writing about or have questions about what Christy is working on:
I'm ashamed of myself.
I'm facebook friends with Christie Cotney, a missionary who is trying to make a difference in Bugabo Village, Uganda, East Africa. You can read all about her story, her calling, her dreams for the village, here. It's really a very honest, interesting blog, written by someone who is truly walking the walk.
Lately, I've been vaguely annoyed by Christie's facebook posts. She posts status updates regularly to let us know how her efforts are going - or not. She, and her fiancee, George Magera, have come up with a "faith list." It's a list of various things that they NEED not WANT, but NEED to make their ministry in the village work. It includes things like a well for the village so everyone has enough water, even in drought. Serious things, not "administrative fees." Her idea is that if 1500 people donate $36, everything will be covered.
Lately, she's really been pushing making a donation to her list or at least "sharing" a link to her blog so that others can learn about it - and posting her aggravations when she isn't getting the donations she needs.
I've found myself thinking that I've already donated enough money to her cause - I've sponsored three children to go to school, paid for the desks they'll need at school, purchased the Ugandan jewelry she sells as a fundraiser, etc. What more can she possibly expect from someone she's never even met? Someone that has taken on faith that all of the money she's already sent is being used responsibly - especially in light of the bad news from the Global Fund?
And then came the realization. $40. FORTY DOLLARS. I'll spend that in one night when I go with friends to dinner and a movie. So, this Saturday night, I'm staying home. And I'm sending Christie $40 so that everyone in the village can have fresh water to drink. Really, what does it matter if they can go to school if they have no water to drink?
Please consider joining me in staying home this Saturday night and making your donation for $40 on Christie's blog. Everyone should have clean water to drink.
Here's the good news: They've raised enough money for the borehole well for the village. Don't worry, I didn't know what a borehole was either. It's a well that sunk deep enough to tap an unending reservoir supply of water so the entire village can have easy access to clean, fresh water year round instead of having to walk miles during the dry season to find a water hole that hasn't dried up yet - and that may or may not have parasites in it. Isn't this awesome news? Clean, fresh water for everyone! Yay!
And now for the not so good news: There are still many items left on the list of things that need to be covered, including electricity for the school compound, transportation, housing for the teachers, and a refuge unit for those in need of a safe place. These are all things that we take for granted every day.
Will you join me in staying home another Saturday to raise the rest of the money? I hope you'll at least consider it, and even if you can't please lift Christy, her efforts, and the residents of Bugabo up in your prayers.
Here's the text from my original blog in case you need a reminder of what I'm writing about or have questions about what Christy is working on:
I'm ashamed of myself.
I'm facebook friends with Christie Cotney, a missionary who is trying to make a difference in Bugabo Village, Uganda, East Africa. You can read all about her story, her calling, her dreams for the village, here. It's really a very honest, interesting blog, written by someone who is truly walking the walk.
Lately, I've been vaguely annoyed by Christie's facebook posts. She posts status updates regularly to let us know how her efforts are going - or not. She, and her fiancee, George Magera, have come up with a "faith list." It's a list of various things that they NEED not WANT, but NEED to make their ministry in the village work. It includes things like a well for the village so everyone has enough water, even in drought. Serious things, not "administrative fees." Her idea is that if 1500 people donate $36, everything will be covered.
Lately, she's really been pushing making a donation to her list or at least "sharing" a link to her blog so that others can learn about it - and posting her aggravations when she isn't getting the donations she needs.
I've found myself thinking that I've already donated enough money to her cause - I've sponsored three children to go to school, paid for the desks they'll need at school, purchased the Ugandan jewelry she sells as a fundraiser, etc. What more can she possibly expect from someone she's never even met? Someone that has taken on faith that all of the money she's already sent is being used responsibly - especially in light of the bad news from the Global Fund?
And then came the realization. $40. FORTY DOLLARS. I'll spend that in one night when I go with friends to dinner and a movie. So, this Saturday night, I'm staying home. And I'm sending Christie $40 so that everyone in the village can have fresh water to drink. Really, what does it matter if they can go to school if they have no water to drink?
Please consider joining me in staying home this Saturday night and making your donation for $40 on Christie's blog. Everyone should have clean water to drink.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Sweet Sarah C.
Fourteen years ago now, I taught a class of two-year-olds part-time in a mother's day out program. I had just dropped out of college and was aimlessly looking for a job when this opportunity fell into my lap. It was a lot of fun and led to lots of extra babysitting jobs (gotta love that cash!). I even got along extremely well with my partner. It was a great year.
Anyway, one of my kids, Sarah C., was an absolute sweetheart. She had apple cheeks (I still want to pinch those cheeks!) with brown hair and eyes, and when she spoke it was with the cutest little lisp. Sarah got along well with the other kids or could entertain herself, and was eager to participate in every activity. In other words, she was a teacher's dream.
One day at nap time, I was rubbing the back of another child, trying to coax him to go to sleep. On the next mat over, Sarah poked her head up and piped up sweetly, "Mith Katie, will you wub me?" To which I replied, "Sarah, honey, of course I love you. I love all my boys and girls."
My sweet Sarah shot me an aggravated look and said, "NO MITH KATIE, WUB ME." You could practically hear the all caps in her words. When she saw that I still didn't get it, she grabbed my spare hand and proceeded to stroke it down her back. "WUB ME."
So, Sarah C., this story is for you. It's been 14 years since I saw you last and I still love you. :)
Anyway, one of my kids, Sarah C., was an absolute sweetheart. She had apple cheeks (I still want to pinch those cheeks!) with brown hair and eyes, and when she spoke it was with the cutest little lisp. Sarah got along well with the other kids or could entertain herself, and was eager to participate in every activity. In other words, she was a teacher's dream.
One day at nap time, I was rubbing the back of another child, trying to coax him to go to sleep. On the next mat over, Sarah poked her head up and piped up sweetly, "Mith Katie, will you wub me?" To which I replied, "Sarah, honey, of course I love you. I love all my boys and girls."
My sweet Sarah shot me an aggravated look and said, "NO MITH KATIE, WUB ME." You could practically hear the all caps in her words. When she saw that I still didn't get it, she grabbed my spare hand and proceeded to stroke it down her back. "WUB ME."
So, Sarah C., this story is for you. It's been 14 years since I saw you last and I still love you. :)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Stay home and make a difference!
I'm ashamed of myself.
I'm facebook friends with Christie Cotney, a missionary who is trying to make a difference in Bugabo Village, Uganda, East Africa. You can read all about her story, her calling, her dreams for the village, here. It's really a very honest, interesting blog, written by someone who is truly walking the walk.
Lately, I've been vaguely annoyed by Christie's facebook posts. She posts status updates regularly to let us know how her efforts are going - or not. She, and her fiancee, George Magera, have come up with a "faith list." It's a list of various things that they NEED not WANT, but NEED to make their ministry in the village work. It includes things like a well for the village so everyone has enough water, even in drought. Serious things, not "administrative fees." Her idea is that if 1500 people donate $36, everything will be covered.
Lately, she's really been pushing making a donation to her list or at least "sharing" a link to her blog so that others can learn about it - and posting her aggravations when she isn't getting the donations she needs.
I've found myself thinking that I've already donated enough money to her cause - I've sponsored three children to go to school, paid for the desks they'll need at school, purchased the Ugandan jewelry she sells as a fundraiser, etc. What more can she possibly expect from someone she's never even met? Someone that has taken on faith that all of the money she's already sent is being used responsibly - especially in light of the bad news from the Global Fund?
And then came the realization. $40. FORTY DOLLARS. I'll spend that in one night when I go with friends to dinner and a movie. So, this Saturday night, I'm staying home. And I'm sending Christie $40 so that everyone in the village can have fresh water to drink. Really, what does it matter if they can go to school if they have no water to drink?
Please consider joining me in staying home this Saturday night and making your donation for $40 on Christie's blog. Everyone should have clean water to drink.
I'm facebook friends with Christie Cotney, a missionary who is trying to make a difference in Bugabo Village, Uganda, East Africa. You can read all about her story, her calling, her dreams for the village, here. It's really a very honest, interesting blog, written by someone who is truly walking the walk.
Lately, I've been vaguely annoyed by Christie's facebook posts. She posts status updates regularly to let us know how her efforts are going - or not. She, and her fiancee, George Magera, have come up with a "faith list." It's a list of various things that they NEED not WANT, but NEED to make their ministry in the village work. It includes things like a well for the village so everyone has enough water, even in drought. Serious things, not "administrative fees." Her idea is that if 1500 people donate $36, everything will be covered.
Lately, she's really been pushing making a donation to her list or at least "sharing" a link to her blog so that others can learn about it - and posting her aggravations when she isn't getting the donations she needs.
I've found myself thinking that I've already donated enough money to her cause - I've sponsored three children to go to school, paid for the desks they'll need at school, purchased the Ugandan jewelry she sells as a fundraiser, etc. What more can she possibly expect from someone she's never even met? Someone that has taken on faith that all of the money she's already sent is being used responsibly - especially in light of the bad news from the Global Fund?
And then came the realization. $40. FORTY DOLLARS. I'll spend that in one night when I go with friends to dinner and a movie. So, this Saturday night, I'm staying home. And I'm sending Christie $40 so that everyone in the village can have fresh water to drink. Really, what does it matter if they can go to school if they have no water to drink?
Please consider joining me in staying home this Saturday night and making your donation for $40 on Christie's blog. Everyone should have clean water to drink.
Friday, January 21, 2011
TV - Early 2011
My friend, The Pop Culture Curmudgeon, wrote a short blog post about what she's watching right now. I realzied that my comment was actually longer than her blog post, so I made my response a blog post instead...
I've been getting a real kick out of Community and Cougar Town. I tried the new Americanized revamps of three British shows, Being Human, Shameless and Skins, but wasn't really impressed by any of them. Check out the originals instead. They're all available via Netflix. (you can even stream Skins instead of waiting for the disks.) Chuck is back and entertaining as ever. TNT's Southland is good and provides my Ryan Atwood fix. And Friday Night Lights... (mildly spoilery)
Well, I didn't think it was possible for FNL to get any darker... I mean, how do you top going to jail so your brother won't have to or becoming paralyzed from the waist down?... and then came season five. It has been so good, so heartbreaking, so... well, so FNL.
Coach and Mrs. Coach have been amazing as always - and how much do you love that Billy and Mindy have become role models? That absolutely cracks me up.
I do kind of wish they hadn't followed Julie to college - I really haven't cared for that story line at all, and there's been enough heavy stuff without it.
While I love they way they brought Street and Saracen back, and would love to see other favorites before the series ends, I kind of don't want to watch the last couple of episodes. I don't want to say good-bye. Ever. I know it it's ridiculous - it is a t.v. show after all - but I'm that attached to Dillon and its denizens. And don't even get me started on Tim Riggins... (I would completely watch a spin-off about the Riggins family, wouldn't you?)
Sigh.
Other than that, I'm patiently waiting for Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries to come back next week. It's been way too long.
I've been getting a real kick out of Community and Cougar Town. I tried the new Americanized revamps of three British shows, Being Human, Shameless and Skins, but wasn't really impressed by any of them. Check out the originals instead. They're all available via Netflix. (you can even stream Skins instead of waiting for the disks.) Chuck is back and entertaining as ever. TNT's Southland is good and provides my Ryan Atwood fix. And Friday Night Lights... (mildly spoilery)
Well, I didn't think it was possible for FNL to get any darker... I mean, how do you top going to jail so your brother won't have to or becoming paralyzed from the waist down?... and then came season five. It has been so good, so heartbreaking, so... well, so FNL.
Coach and Mrs. Coach have been amazing as always - and how much do you love that Billy and Mindy have become role models? That absolutely cracks me up.
I do kind of wish they hadn't followed Julie to college - I really haven't cared for that story line at all, and there's been enough heavy stuff without it.
While I love they way they brought Street and Saracen back, and would love to see other favorites before the series ends, I kind of don't want to watch the last couple of episodes. I don't want to say good-bye. Ever. I know it it's ridiculous - it is a t.v. show after all - but I'm that attached to Dillon and its denizens. And don't even get me started on Tim Riggins... (I would completely watch a spin-off about the Riggins family, wouldn't you?)
Sigh.
Other than that, I'm patiently waiting for Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries to come back next week. It's been way too long.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
easing back in...
I know, I know, it's been at least a month since my last blog entry. Let's just say that between moving, work, the holidays and family stuff, life's been extremely hectic. So, I'm going to ease on back into the swing of things with a short, funny story from my days as a switchboard operator at a hospital.
I was working the overnight shift on the switchboard at Terrebonne General in Houma and had to dispatch security. At 2 a.m., I got a call from the loony ward. One of their patients had escaped and I get this description to provide to the security guards: he's medium height with dark hair, wearing a Harley t-shirt. I asked for further description and finally got a very sheepish, "Well, he's naked from the waist down."
Naked. From the waist down. Wouldn't you mention this first?
Oh, and by the way, when I got off shift at 7 a.m., they still hadn't found him. He was eventually found in the parking lot by an 80-year-old Cajun lady who was arriving to visit her husband in ICU. She called security from the courtesy phone in the lobby with this message, "Cherie, there is a little man in the parking lot asking everyone if they have extra pants. i don't think he's right and Lord knows what he got ain't enough to brag about."
Needless to say, they kept a recording of that conversation for "training purposes."
ROTFLMAO
I was working the overnight shift on the switchboard at Terrebonne General in Houma and had to dispatch security. At 2 a.m., I got a call from the loony ward. One of their patients had escaped and I get this description to provide to the security guards: he's medium height with dark hair, wearing a Harley t-shirt. I asked for further description and finally got a very sheepish, "Well, he's naked from the waist down."
Naked. From the waist down. Wouldn't you mention this first?
Oh, and by the way, when I got off shift at 7 a.m., they still hadn't found him. He was eventually found in the parking lot by an 80-year-old Cajun lady who was arriving to visit her husband in ICU. She called security from the courtesy phone in the lobby with this message, "Cherie, there is a little man in the parking lot asking everyone if they have extra pants. i don't think he's right and Lord knows what he got ain't enough to brag about."
Needless to say, they kept a recording of that conversation for "training purposes."
ROTFLMAO
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Atheism and a can of worms
An old friend of mine, C., is in religious studies. On her blog, she recently posted comments about an interview of Ricky Gervais which features an explanation of why he's an atheist. It's an interesting read and worth your time. (Click here to read the Gervais article; here to read her comments.)
In response to C's blog about the article, I left a comment which evidently opened a can of worms and she wrote an even longer blog post in response. To which, of course, I had a respone. That conversation can be found here.
What are your thoughts about God? do you believe?
In response to C's blog about the article, I left a comment which evidently opened a can of worms and she wrote an even longer blog post in response. To which, of course, I had a respone. That conversation can be found here.
What are your thoughts about God? do you believe?
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Musing about music - take 2
You may remember a post from earlier this year (July maybe?) that I wrote in response to an idea my cousin Clay had on Facebook. Clay was proposing that we stop listening to music made prior to 1990 so that we'd be more open to new music. (You can read my original post and Clay's response here.)
In response to Clay's proposal, I've been making it a point to tune into radio stations with more obscure playlists which is quite a feat here in BR. And so, while I'm not exactly breaking new ground, I have developed an appreciation for artists/groups that I hadn't previously considered. Acts like Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Regina Spektor, Mika, and Florence + the Machine, have made it into regular rotation on my playlists.
Have you thought about making an effort to add to your playlist? What have you added?
In response to Clay's proposal, I've been making it a point to tune into radio stations with more obscure playlists which is quite a feat here in BR. And so, while I'm not exactly breaking new ground, I have developed an appreciation for artists/groups that I hadn't previously considered. Acts like Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Regina Spektor, Mika, and Florence + the Machine, have made it into regular rotation on my playlists.
Have you thought about making an effort to add to your playlist? What have you added?
Sunday, December 5, 2010
fave 10 of '10
So, I was leaving a comment on Mo Ryan's TV Squad blog post for the best 10 shows of 2010 and realized it had turned into its own blog post. Here you go:
I'm not sure these were the 10 BEST shows of 2010, but they were certainly my favorites.
Not in any particular order:
Glee - Yes, it is wildly uneven, but most episodes leave me smiling. What more can you really ask for?
Modern Family - This show is so good, they even managed to make a family vacation episode funny.
Cougar Town - Jules and the Cul-de-sac Krewe have stolen a little piece of my heart. This show has improved so much that it is almost unrecognizable from the first episodes that aired in Fall 2009.
Justified - Timothy Olyphant kicking butt and taking names as a US Marshall. Walton Goggins as his former friend and sometime adversary. How awesome is that combination?
The Vampire Diaries - This surprised me as much as anyone. Believe it or not, it's consistently well acted, big things happen in every episode and I have yet to see an episode I wasn't entertained by. And that's not even talking about the drool-worthy cast...
Community - So, so funny. The paintball episode alone would've earned the show a spot on this list and it isn't even my favorite episode. I know all the pop culture references are a bit much for some, but they make it all the better for me.
Chuck - Season 3 was a little bit of a let down for me, but I've really enjoyed season 4. And even season 3 was more entertaining than a lot of what's on out there...
Supernatural - Yes, season 5 was uneven and had pacing issues, but when it was good, it was SO good. AND Jensen Ackles will probably never be recognized for his exceptional work as Dean Winchester. For that matter, Jared Padalecki has certainly stepped it up a notch this fall with Robo-Sam. I've been really rather amazed by his completely new character portrayal.
Friday Night Lights - FNL will always have a spot on my top 10 list, even after it finishes its fifth and final season. It's that good. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton have created one of the most realistic tv marriages it has been my privilege to see - and they make it look easy. FNL has also done a fantastic job of ushering out fan favorites as they graduate and move on with their lives while introducing new characters and making me care about them almost as much. How often does that happen? And, it has Tim Riggins. *sigh*
Terriers - oddly enough, it's filled that spot that has been empty since Veronica Mars. It's fantastic!
I'm not sure these were the 10 BEST shows of 2010, but they were certainly my favorites.
Not in any particular order:
Glee - Yes, it is wildly uneven, but most episodes leave me smiling. What more can you really ask for?
Modern Family - This show is so good, they even managed to make a family vacation episode funny.
Cougar Town - Jules and the Cul-de-sac Krewe have stolen a little piece of my heart. This show has improved so much that it is almost unrecognizable from the first episodes that aired in Fall 2009.
Justified - Timothy Olyphant kicking butt and taking names as a US Marshall. Walton Goggins as his former friend and sometime adversary. How awesome is that combination?
The Vampire Diaries - This surprised me as much as anyone. Believe it or not, it's consistently well acted, big things happen in every episode and I have yet to see an episode I wasn't entertained by. And that's not even talking about the drool-worthy cast...
Community - So, so funny. The paintball episode alone would've earned the show a spot on this list and it isn't even my favorite episode. I know all the pop culture references are a bit much for some, but they make it all the better for me.
Chuck - Season 3 was a little bit of a let down for me, but I've really enjoyed season 4. And even season 3 was more entertaining than a lot of what's on out there...
Supernatural - Yes, season 5 was uneven and had pacing issues, but when it was good, it was SO good. AND Jensen Ackles will probably never be recognized for his exceptional work as Dean Winchester. For that matter, Jared Padalecki has certainly stepped it up a notch this fall with Robo-Sam. I've been really rather amazed by his completely new character portrayal.
Friday Night Lights - FNL will always have a spot on my top 10 list, even after it finishes its fifth and final season. It's that good. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton have created one of the most realistic tv marriages it has been my privilege to see - and they make it look easy. FNL has also done a fantastic job of ushering out fan favorites as they graduate and move on with their lives while introducing new characters and making me care about them almost as much. How often does that happen? And, it has Tim Riggins. *sigh*
Terriers - oddly enough, it's filled that spot that has been empty since Veronica Mars. It's fantastic!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Charitable options this Christmas
A facebook post from a friend directed me to this blog about Christie, who truly feels called to help others, specifically a village in Africa. She has suggestions about how you can help, too, so check it out. I'll be keeping Christie and her ministry in my heart and mind this Christmas. Won't you as well?
More interested in helping a secular group? Check out One, which doesn't actually require a donation (although they'll take that too!), just making your voice heard in unison with people across the country and around the world. Another option is Matt Damon's project, water.org, which is dedicated to finding ways to provide safe drinking water to everyone. Kiva is an interesting option; you provide microloans to small start-up businesses in developing nations which can improve the lives of whole families.
My favorite, though, is Heifer Project International. It's similar to Kiva in that it provides a family with a way to start a sustainable business, but Heifer provides families with a way to change the life of not just a family, but an entire community. Heifer gives families in developing nations livestock that can provide continuing food and income sources. For instance, if a family is given a flock of chickens, they can use some of the eggs for food but sell the rest. Then when their flock has grown in size, they pay it forward by helping other families in the community by giving them a small flock of chickens. How cool is that?
More interested in helping a secular group? Check out One, which doesn't actually require a donation (although they'll take that too!), just making your voice heard in unison with people across the country and around the world. Another option is Matt Damon's project, water.org, which is dedicated to finding ways to provide safe drinking water to everyone. Kiva is an interesting option; you provide microloans to small start-up businesses in developing nations which can improve the lives of whole families.
My favorite, though, is Heifer Project International. It's similar to Kiva in that it provides a family with a way to start a sustainable business, but Heifer provides families with a way to change the life of not just a family, but an entire community. Heifer gives families in developing nations livestock that can provide continuing food and income sources. For instance, if a family is given a flock of chickens, they can use some of the eggs for food but sell the rest. Then when their flock has grown in size, they pay it forward by helping other families in the community by giving them a small flock of chickens. How cool is that?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Father Knows Best
In the very early 1990s, The Black Crowes exploded onto the music scene with hits like "Hard to Handle" and "She talks to Angels." At the time, I tried to convince my dad that their "Hard to Handle" was superior to Tony Joe White's or Otis Redding's or any of the other earlier artists to cover this song. Needless to say, he laughed at me. I'll let you judge for yourself:
Here's a version performed by Otis Redding:
Here's The Black Crowes:
Here's a link to listen to Tony Joe's version.
What do you think? Which version did you like better? Are remakes (music or other) ever as good as the original?
Here's a version performed by Otis Redding:
Here's The Black Crowes:
Here's a link to listen to Tony Joe's version.
What do you think? Which version did you like better? Are remakes (music or other) ever as good as the original?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
I got to fix a beauty pageant!
During my year-and-a-half in nursing home hell, I had to plan, promote, publicize and pull-off a beauty pageant for my residents so we could take the winner to the regional pageant. Never having been to a pageant, much less in one, I was kind of at a loss. Thankfully, one of the girls in the office, Kacey, had a lot of pageant experience and was actually excited about helping out.
We got businesses to donate prizes, contacted families to see if they wanted their resident to participate, ordered flowers for the winner, found guest judges and an emcee, ordered crowns, decorated sashes, the list goes on. You get the idea. And of course, since family members and the public were present, we had a party afterwards, which I also had to coordinate and have set up. (At least the kitchen staff took care of the food prep.) Fortunately, it was around Valentine's Day, so we had a decorating theme that was relatively easy to execute for both the pageant and the party.
Thirty residents wound up participating, 23 women and 7 men. Can I tell you how hard it was to make sure that everyone got a prize that was unique to them? That everyone got a question that they would be able to answer? That the aides made sure that the right people were washed and dressed up their Sunday best if they didn't have family to help? Logistical NIGHTMARE. I'm not usually one for lists, but during this job I became one. I had lists of lists of lists.
Are you ready for the funny part? After having gone to all the trouble of arranging guest judges, I was asked to fix the results so that the Mr. and Mrs. Nursing Home we took to the regional pageant were the best combination of appearance and well-spoken, thus having the best chance to win. And no fixing was necessary - the winners would've won anyway, thank goodness.
We wound up taking Jack and Annie. They were so excited - they even got to take multiple trips to Alexandria to be fitted for a tux and formal (at the nursing home's expense, of course), a trip to the salon, and then finally for the event itself. Neither one of them one, but Jack and Annie didn't care. They really were excited just to participate.
I'll tell you what - that whole experience gave me an appreciation for event planners that I didn't have before. The amount of unseen effort that goes into such an event is enormous.
We got businesses to donate prizes, contacted families to see if they wanted their resident to participate, ordered flowers for the winner, found guest judges and an emcee, ordered crowns, decorated sashes, the list goes on. You get the idea. And of course, since family members and the public were present, we had a party afterwards, which I also had to coordinate and have set up. (At least the kitchen staff took care of the food prep.) Fortunately, it was around Valentine's Day, so we had a decorating theme that was relatively easy to execute for both the pageant and the party.
Thirty residents wound up participating, 23 women and 7 men. Can I tell you how hard it was to make sure that everyone got a prize that was unique to them? That everyone got a question that they would be able to answer? That the aides made sure that the right people were washed and dressed up their Sunday best if they didn't have family to help? Logistical NIGHTMARE. I'm not usually one for lists, but during this job I became one. I had lists of lists of lists.
Are you ready for the funny part? After having gone to all the trouble of arranging guest judges, I was asked to fix the results so that the Mr. and Mrs. Nursing Home we took to the regional pageant were the best combination of appearance and well-spoken, thus having the best chance to win. And no fixing was necessary - the winners would've won anyway, thank goodness.
We wound up taking Jack and Annie. They were so excited - they even got to take multiple trips to Alexandria to be fitted for a tux and formal (at the nursing home's expense, of course), a trip to the salon, and then finally for the event itself. Neither one of them one, but Jack and Annie didn't care. They really were excited just to participate.
I'll tell you what - that whole experience gave me an appreciation for event planners that I didn't have before. The amount of unseen effort that goes into such an event is enormous.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Five shows gone too soon
Earlier this week, I blogged about actors and actresses that I'd like to see back on t.v. This post is a list of five shows from the first decade of the 21st Century that I wish had been on longer. These shows aired for one season or less, thus leaving some of my favorites like Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Everwood or Life off the list.
Jack & Bobby - This show about two brothers, one of whom grows up to be President, and their single mother, whom is sometimes a help and at others a hindrance, has a lot of heart and and a surprising depth for a CW show. It a had a fantastic group of character actors in recurring roles - I think their entire budget may have been spent on guest stars. Available streaming on Netflix.
Keen Eddie - Mark Valley was terrific as a fish out of water New York cop who somehow winds up attached to the London Police (or maybe Scotland Yard? I was never really clear about that.). It was sly, funny and completely unlike anything else on t.v. at the time. To top it off, Valley had terrific chemistry with co-star Sienna Miller. Fox canceled it after airing a handful of episodes, Bravo aired the rest. It remains a treasured part of my dvd collection.
Kings - This retelling of the story of David & Goliath wasn't perfect, but Ian McShane was mesmerizing as King Silas, as was Susanna Thompson as Queen Rose. The machinations of these two made me glad that I'm not involved in politics at any level. Ratings-wise, it was a disaster for NBC in spite of heavy promotion. Available for viewing on Hulu.
The Middleman - ABCFamily let this delightful gem go after airing only 12 episodes. On the one hand, I'm terribly disappointed. On the other, I'm glad. About how many shows can you say honestly that you enjoyed every single episode. This is one of those shows - even the vampire puppet episode. That's right, I said it. Vampire puppets. And, especially in the finale, Matt Keeslar gives us a memorable performance.
Wonderfalls - Quirky, sarcastic, charming, there aren't enough adjectives for me to use to describe what was right about this show. It also had a terrific cast with Caroline Dhavernas, Tracie Thom, Lee Pace, William Sadler, Diana Scarwid and Neil Grayston.
What are your favorite shows that aired for less than a season in the past decade?
Jack & Bobby - This show about two brothers, one of whom grows up to be President, and their single mother, whom is sometimes a help and at others a hindrance, has a lot of heart and and a surprising depth for a CW show. It a had a fantastic group of character actors in recurring roles - I think their entire budget may have been spent on guest stars. Available streaming on Netflix. Keen Eddie - Mark Valley was terrific as a fish out of water New York cop who somehow winds up attached to the London Police (or maybe Scotland Yard? I was never really clear about that.). It was sly, funny and completely unlike anything else on t.v. at the time. To top it off, Valley had terrific chemistry with co-star Sienna Miller. Fox canceled it after airing a handful of episodes, Bravo aired the rest. It remains a treasured part of my dvd collection. Kings - This retelling of the story of David & Goliath wasn't perfect, but Ian McShane was mesmerizing as King Silas, as was Susanna Thompson as Queen Rose. The machinations of these two made me glad that I'm not involved in politics at any level. Ratings-wise, it was a disaster for NBC in spite of heavy promotion. Available for viewing on Hulu. The Middleman - ABCFamily let this delightful gem go after airing only 12 episodes. On the one hand, I'm terribly disappointed. On the other, I'm glad. About how many shows can you say honestly that you enjoyed every single episode. This is one of those shows - even the vampire puppet episode. That's right, I said it. Vampire puppets. And, especially in the finale, Matt Keeslar gives us a memorable performance. Wonderfalls - Quirky, sarcastic, charming, there aren't enough adjectives for me to use to describe what was right about this show. It also had a terrific cast with Caroline Dhavernas, Tracie Thom, Lee Pace, William Sadler, Diana Scarwid and Neil Grayston. What are your favorite shows that aired for less than a season in the past decade?
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