1. If I don't blog for a few days, it quite possibly is because I have keeled over dead from inhaling the fumes produced by accidentally mixing bleach with vinegar.
2. After working all day since I'll be moving Monday, and then coming home to pack some more, I am highly unmotivated to wear anything but jeans and a t-shirt to the movies, and Elizabeth should count herself lucky that I even bothered to shower.
3. I have also been unmotivated to switch the channel from Nickelodeon and have discovered two things: iCarly is amusing; Sponge Bob is not.
4. I bought Milanos (chocolate), towels (paper) and a brush (toilet) at Walgreen's today.
5. I'm going to see 21 in about 45 minutes and am looking forward to it, although I don't think Anorexic Kate Bosworth is as pretty as Blue Crush Kate Bosworth.
I am often jealous (a perfectly normal, healthy amount) of movies and TV shows because ordinary and not-so-ordinary goings-on are backed -- and usually enhanced -- by music. In the past few years (I think I first noticed when Dawson's Creek and Felicity premiered, and then re-noticed with the advent of The OC), the trend of using popular and not-so-popular-but-who-become-popular-with-all-the-exposure artists and songs with actual lyrics has emerged.
Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy are largely responsible for launching the career of Joshua Radin. The OC made Death Cab for Cutie and Rooney household names and gave then-brand-new The Killers a ton of exposure.
Anywho, so I always have music on the brain in some form or fashion.
When I was reading the Twilight series -- I read all three books back-to-back twice -- I was constantly thinking of different songs. As in, hey, this would be great on the movie soundtrack. Or I'd hear a song and think, hey, this reminds me of Bella. Or Edward. Or Edward and Bella.
So I made myself a mix. I sent Erin and Steph copies since I knew they'd appreciate it. After all, they are the only people I know besides my sister who have read this beyond awesome series.
But as I was listening to it today at work, I realized that not only is it kind of eclectic, but it's very emo. If I'd had the chance, I'd have added a ton more Secondhand Serenade. I am obsessed (a perfectly normal, healthy amount) with their (okay, his, in the Chris Carraba/Dashboard vein) latest CD. It is awesome. I listen to it non-stop on repeat while I'm at work. It's the perfect music to a) turn up loudly and b) sing along loudly.
Secondhand Serenade, The All-American Rejects, and Boys Like Girls are just about my favorite bands right now and I don't think I ever get tired of them.
Even if my dad calls them "whiny."
(I think I listened to the first track five times in a row today; the second is my favorite of all of his songs.)
A while back Last week (I have no concept of time) I posted about how I was trying to streamline my budget so I'd have lots of extra money to waste on other stuff. Like Target. And my dog.
So naturally I didn't think twice barely thought twice about getting rid of my digital cable/phone/internet package and just keep basic cable and wireless internet (I have a wireless adapter for my TiVo). Everything I normally watch is on the regular networks and my parents will either record Burn Notice and The Closer this summer or I'll download the episodes through my TiVo or online.
No big deal, right?
Um, wrong.
Tonight is the premiere of The Hills and guess who doesn't have MTV?
I am irritated.
And yes, I watch The Hills, and no, I'm not ashamed of that fact.
Nor am I ashamed of the facts that I also watch FOX news, listen to Laura, Rush and Sean eight hours a day, read political commentary galore, think Barack Obama is nothing but a bumper sticker who can regurgitate a speech well, and I am quite intelligent and confident in my ability to voice my own opinions.
OH. And as a retort to some random person featured on the Culture page? I drive a car, shower twice a day, and shop at Target WITH NO GUILT WHATSOEVER.
So there.
TV Guide columnist Matt Roush moderated the recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer panel at last week's Museum & Radio's 25th annual William S. Paley Festival.
Present was the main cast minus Alyson Hannigan and David Boreanaz.
His opening remarks were truly spectacular and reminded me of the sheer and utter brilliance this show encompassed.
A Tribute to Buffy, by Matt Roush
Because I was so honored to be a part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion, wanted to share my opening remarks in text form with the fans who weren't there. (Our crew was busy catching late arrivals on the red carpet, so we don't have video.) Imagine moments when the hyped audience burst into spontaneous applause: not so much at my words (heartfelt as they were), but at the shared love for the magic that was Buffy. At times, I felt I was giving a state-of-the-Buffy-union address. What a rush. Here goes:
My name is Matt, and I'm a Buffy-holic.
Have been since 1997, when Joss Whedon’s odd and completely disarming Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the WB. Trying to find a point of reference when writing about it at the time at USA TODAY, I likened it to “Clueless meets Carrie by way of Salem’s Lot” and described it as “90210 with a 666 suffix.”
We had no idea.
What Buffy really was, was My So-Called Life as a Vampire Slayer, a show that used fantasy to get to some very real and disturbing places. It was so ingeniously entertaining, so scary and so funny, but also so emotionally evocative. A coming-of-age allegory where high school really was hell, where the wrong decision truly could herald the end of the world, where adolescent anxieties often took demonic form, and where even after graduation (a truly explosive event) the life lessons—and afterlife lessons—never stopped coming. With all of the pain and joy and sex, and friendship and betrayal and sex, and consequences and death and sex, that all of that implies.
Yes, Buffy was also a very hot show. And yes, it was very good for me.
In fact, the new issue of TV GUIDE ranks the scene of Buffy and Spike bringing down the house as they do the hot nasty the #1 hottest scene ever. (Even outranked The Thorn Birds. Imagine.) But what really set this show apart, and why we’re still talking and obsessing about it five years after it left the air, is what it represented. Buffy took genre conventions and flipped them upside down, starting with a title that was too easy to regard as a joke. As we all know, Buffy was no joke.
Like its title, it mixed comedy, horror and action as it took the horror-movie cliché of the pretty blonde girl who always got killed in the first reel and turned her into a kickass icon of feminist empowerment. Although her power always came with a price, and like everyone else on the show (living or living dead) she was far from perfect, she juggled duty, incredible sacrifice and responsibility for the world along with friendship, family and love.
The tone could range from a stark episode without music in which Buffy’s mother died suddenly of natural causes to a full-fledged musical comedy episode complete with dancing demons. Buffy was known for its clever, quippy, pop-culture-obsessed dialogue, but earned its one Emmy nomination for writing for what was basically a silent horror movie. As the Scooby gang might say: Ironic much?
In its seven years—first on the WB, then on UPN (making it sort of the first actual CW show), it became a true cult phenomenon, adored by fans and endlessly dissected by academics. We are all "Buffy-ologists."
And the show lives on, currently in Season 8 in comic book form, but also in its influence in such shows that came later, like Alias and the current Heroes.
And now, let’s get this party started.
And what a party it was.
"Let Go" by Frou Frou is one of my very favorite songs. Whenever I hear it, I instantly think of the final scene in Garden State, one of my favorite movies. I never thought anyone else could ever top Frou Frou.
Until Boys Like Girls.
Holy. Crap. Their unplugged version is absolutely beautiful.
...but I am really getting excited for the release of the movie, schedule for a May 8, 2009 release.
I used to characterize myself as an avid detractor of anything sci-fi, even though I liked the Star Wars franchise. (And by Star Wars franchise, I mean the original, non-Hayden-Christiansen trilogy.) I did see the fourth Star Trek movie, the one with the humpback whales, and I can't even remember why. It doesn't sound like something I'd do.
But then I stumbled headlong into Firefly -- and subsequently, Serenity -- and fell in love. I decided maybe I wasn't being fair to the genre and, like anything, it depended on the story, the writing, and whether or not the characters were relatable. After Firefly woefully went the way of other short-lived greats like Wonderfalls (is it wrong that I'm still bitter about FOX's stupidity?), I was willing to give the reincarnation of Battlestar Galactica a shot, and I loved it.
Therefore, when it was announced that there would be a new movie of the early years of Captain Kirk & Co., I didn't immediately nix the idea of seeing it.
Especially when it was revealed that JJ Abrams would be directing. He is on my list (not that list -- get your minds out of the gutter) of people I would love to meet and grill about their awesomeness, along with Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Rob Thomas (the writer, although I wouldn't mind meeting the singer, too) and Joss Whedon.
I think I have an advantage going into this experience: I'm basically unfamiliar with the Star Trek mythology. I equate it to the whole Terminator thing. I love the TV series because I could care less about the movies. I like Lena Headey so much better than what's-her-name, and the Terminator movies didn't have Cameron. So whether or not there are discrepancies from the movies -- I have no clue. To me, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a brand-new show.
Likewise, I understand there's an uproar from the, erm, Trekkies about a lot of what JJ's doing. I'm blissfully unaware, nor do I care. (And wow, I didn't rhyme on purpose.)
His Enterprise crew casting is, in my opinion, awesome: Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Karl Urban (McCoy), John Cho (Sulu), Simon Pegg (Scotty).
Plus, Jennifer Morrison, Rachel Nichols, and Eric Bana have been cast as well. As has Winona Ryder, but I haven't decided if that's a good or a bad thing.
"My goal is to make Trek REAL -- that is to say, not have it be camp, not have it be phony, not have it look like a scrap of green scrap was used anywhere. Of course, this is Star Trek. We're using every trick in the book. But WHEREVER WE CAN, we are shooting on sets -- either built on sound stages or expanding upon found locations. This is important. What this means is that the movie won't have that 'actors performing in a blue or green void then placed in front of a spaceship set' feeling that makes me insane. " -- JJ Abrams
Okay, so my impatience (and insomnia) won out and I went to the Wal-Mart that's five minutes away from me and picked up Atonement. Since it was after midnight, they had already put them out. I should've just waited for Netflix, but I have a feeling that there's going to be a "Long Wait" tag for quite some time, especially with the buzz the Oscars created. Also, I can't rent from Blockbuster because I don't have a credit card. They won't even take Visa check cards or whatever. If that's not the most ridiculous policy, I don't know what is.
I haven't watched the movie yet. I watched the bonus features and seriously, you should rent/Netflix/whatever the DVD for those alone. The "making of" featurette is really quite fascinating. One of the parts I liked most was when Joe Wright and the cinematographer were talking about how they wanted an air of tension to surround Saoirse Ronan (young Briony) whenever she walked, moved and even spoke. They said they wanted to create the impression that she was drawing the camera along behind her rather impatiently. There were a couple clips shown as examples, and that's exactly what happened. It was really stunning camera work.
You must also watch at least the first deleted scene. I watched it by itself first and then overlayed with Joe's commentary. He said the majority of the deleted scenes were abandoned because he didn't like the way he directed them, but that this first one created too much emotion in Briony too soon. He said it gutted him to cut it because Saoirse's performance was so phenomenal, and he was absolutely right -- I have never seen a more natural emotional reaction from a child actor before. Not even from Dakota Fanning, who's supposedly the master of everything. Or whatever. She goes from agitated to face-crumpled and tearful in five seconds flat and you can tell nobody was shining lights in her eyes, and there were no cuts to add eyedrops, or any of the other tricks used to elicit tears. Seriously, what a fantastic scene.
It still boggles my mind that the marketing people are choosing to market this as a love story. In a way, actually, I guess it is, but not the type the previews (and the DVD cover) make it out to be. From the opening scene until the closing scene, we see everything through Briony's eyes and from her perspective. But I suppose hailing it as a Titanic-like romance is more appealing to the masses. *eyeroll*
I'm trying to see how many consecutive posts with which I can bore people. This might be the third.
Anywho, I'm sure there will be a QotD or whatever this weekend, but I never see them on the new layout, so I rarely answer them anymore.
So here's my question to anyone who feels like commenting: what are your Easter plans?
Mine: church and lunch with my parents, sister, Kailin, Emily, and Eli (and maybe Kevin and Mia), and then steadfastly avoiding yet another (extended) family get-together. Seriously. It's hard for me to be all cheerful and smiley to certain relatives who talk about me behind my back and then pretend they don't. I'm hanging out with my sister-in-law and Ava on Thursday, and then I'll see the rest of my immediate family Sunday morning, so that takes care of everyone. (I know, I know, I really need to work on my ability to be fake. But I have a hard time grinning and bearing it.)
So after church and lunch, I shall be taking myself to see 21, which opens on Good Friday. It stars Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey, and I loved Ocean's 11 and Rounders, so obviously I'm a sucker for any casino-style flick. Plus I like Kate Bosworth a lot.
Except, never mind, I just checked and it doesn't open till the 28th. Crap. I suppose I'll see Definitely, Maybe, or maybe Jumper -- I hear Kristen Stewart has a cameo, and I like Rachel Bilson and the kid from Billy Elliot.
Atonement releases on DVD tomorrow. It's #1 in my Netflix queue, and I timed it (not on purpose not quite on purpose) so they'll get my latest DVDs back tomorrow, so I'd better get it. I'm just saying.
I downloaded the Oscar-winning soundtrack last night and it is absolutely breathtaking. I instantly remembered every scene as if I'd just seen the movie yesterday instead of two months ago.
This track in particular gave me chill bumps because...well, unless you've seen the movie, it's hard to describe. It's only 76 seconds (or something equally minuscule), but it is powerful.
Every track is beautiful, but my favorites are "Denouement," "Elegy for Dunkirk," and "Atonement."
I just caught up on the last two weeks of Eli Stone, and I'm still wiping the stray tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. That show never fails to make me tear up. Greg Berlanti is so genius at hitting the emotional button.
I am so glad they're giving Julie Gonzalo a bigger role. I loved her on Veronica Mars, and she's even more awesome now that she gets to play her age and not an 18-year-old college freshman. I'm not a guy, so I guess I don't think the same way, but I think she's so much cuter than Natasha Henstridge. The little moment Maggie and Eli shared was so adorable. I hope there's more. And I hope Eli Stone comes back next season.
That brings us to The Return of Jezebel James -- and the return of Amy Sherman-Palladino.
I'm honestly perplexed at the decision to use a laugh track. It is so distracting. The writing is vintage ASP -- it's witty and funny. (And guess what? I'm smart enough that I don't have to be prompted as to what's funny, thanks very much, annoying laugh track.) The dialogue is very reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. I've always liked Parker Posey, and while I never really cared for Six Feet Under, I loved Lauren Ambrose in Can't Hardly Wait.
I'm also perplexed at the decision to name Ambrose's character Coco. Also, I really don't like Sarah and Coco's parents. Or Mr. Medina. I mean, Marcus, Sarah's hook-up partner. (I did smile at the Gypsy cameo.) But the show has potential -- it's well-written, mostly-well-acted (although, if Sarah is supposed to be slightly Lorelai-reminiscent, Posey doesn't come close to the awesomeness that is Lauren Graham), and has a promising premise.
I just wish they'd lose the stupid laugh track.
