Television in 2011, Part 2

Now for some of the good stuff:

Game of Thrones. LOTS of sex. Murder. Spies. Beheadings. Intense, insane power struggles among whoremongering fools. Medieval CNN, with Sean Bean. Peter Dinklage is not an overrated Tyrion Lannister and having read everything up to Martin’s most recent release, I can’t wait to watch his storyline unfold. I love every episode and I love every book. April’s a long time coming.

True Blood. Still here, but this season choked a little. Lafayette’s possession didn’t work for me. As a matter of fact, all the out-of-body action that went on this season was a bit much. I do like Rutina Wesley’s character (Tara), as she seems to be the only truly grounded resident of Bon Temps. Christopher Meloni is joining the cast as someone really old and thirsty. Maybe he’ll reattach this show’s balls. One more minute of Eric shuffling around, blinking at everybody and cooing about eternal love for Sookie and the fairy puppies they’ll raise together or whatever the fuck and I swear...

Dexter. The Season Six finale surprised me, but then it didn’t. It actually made a strange kind of sense. The nine month (or so) wait will be a little painful. There is so much loose cannon potential in Debra Morgan, it's almost painful to watch her fight with herself.  It is now Jennifer Carpenter that I look forward to seeing every week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's that time of year again, and I'm not entirely sure how much I'll get to post over the holidays. However, I'm sure we'll get up to plenty in the next week or so, and I'll have beaucoup to yammer about in the New Year. Be sure to stop and celebrate.  I, for one, am blessed in this life...

S~ xo

Television in 2011, Part 1

HBO announced today that they've cancelled ‘Hung’, ‘How to Make it in America’, and ‘Bored to Death’ in favour of the renewal or introduction of  programming.

I know that 'Hung' was about a bored guy who decides to override the monotony of his life with a new side career as a prostitute. I kept meaning to see this show because I find Thomas Jane exceedingly attractive in a really dirty way but I haven't seen him in anything that has validated my feelings. Synopses for 'How to Make it in America' relate ambitious, pretentious people trying to make it big in the fashion industry. I have always completely missed the point that high fashion tries to make. Hell, its largest employee pool hasn't hit puberty yet, so I have to say I don't feel connected to all of the parties involved. 'Bored' sounded boring, or at least like a little too much work for what I got out of it. I enjoy Zach Galifianakis, but I have to be in the right mood for his brand of heightened indifference.

I really didn't watch a lot of TV this year that I hadn't been watching in previous years. I watched a lot less, and grew a lot more impatient what I did see.

The Worst

Two and a Half Men. I can’t say as there was anything that could have been done about Charlie, but the show’s done. I’m so sorry, Chuck.

Jersey Shore. I don't know where the fuck they found these vapid fleshbags. I think Snooki was in Toronto a little while ago, and I was thoroughly dismayed to hear she was in my city. THESE people are interesting? THESE people? I have a fat and weirdly affectionate cat with extra toes at home. If I spray paint her orange and post pictures of her, will she become inexplicably popular? No. Because my cat is really, really smart. 

Reality Television. Reality television has crippled television. Even the original reality series, Survivor, has turned into a bastion of stupidity, and spectacle for spectacle’s sake. The exception seems to be a handful of competitive cooking shows that hold up simply because good cuisine is an art form and art still appeals to some people. Gordon Ramsay is an talented and entertaining bastard, and watching him hand some entitled saladboy his own ass is wildly enjoyable. Also, some women still eat.

19 Outstanding Words You Should Be Working Into Conversation

19 Outstanding Words You Should Be Working Into Conversation - Mental Floss

LOST

Mental Floss issues a daily missive, Watercooler Ammo, detailing a single, cool... thing.  Today's: funny lost and found posters. There's a slew of 'em at kuriositas. The very first one tugged at my sleepy heart this morning. First thing.

For more on lost things, check out Rob Lammle's Mental Floss article, 6 Lost Treasures Just Waiting to be Found.

Best and Worst Films of 2011

Could be the year was weak.  Could be my memory’s for shit.  Could be I have shitty taste in films.  Could be all three.  Oh wait.  I didn’t see many new releases this year.  I was a bit of a broke shut-in this year. My TV list will be understandably better.

The Best

Bridesmaids.  A male friend of mine told me he didn’t find it that funny.  I took that to mean it disgusted him.  My other half correctly predicted, after seeing just one episode of SNL with Kirsten Wiig, that she would be HUGE.  I loved this film, and I'm excited for Kirsten. This sort of comedy deserves an Academy Award nomination. I'll fall over if it gets one...

Anonymous.  Oh yes, yes, ridiculous artistic license was taken with just about every major plot point.  But it was delicious and dirty, this one.  I loved every minute of it.

The Worst

Dream House.  It started with a great deal of promise.  (Hey. DANIEL CRAIG.)  We got to the twist with the same- no, you know what?  I’ll say that was hope.  But then it ended, and it was bad. I don't have a lot to say about that, except that my oldest daughter and I wasted money on it and we were sad about that.

Films I Plan to See: Barney’s Version, The King’s Speech, Scream 4, Moneyball, A Dangerous Method, War Horse, Drive, 50/50, J. Edgar, The Iron Lady.

Speaking of Mindy Kaling...

...she'll be at Jezebel today (December 21) at 3:00 p.m. EST, answering questions and being feisty / adorable.

Best People of 2011, Part 2 and an Appeal

I'm adding Kate Middleton, on account o' how she probably has impeccable manners...

So I appeal to you, the three people who have read this blog so far. Out of all of the people that you've had to hear about and read about all year, who's left the most positive impression with you?

Things That Happened in 2011 That You Should Ignore, Part 1

Assertions that Christopher Hitchens’ death is anything other than unfortunate.  For his family.  He didn’t just disbelieve in God.  He resented God.  He loathed God.  He actually took the idea of God personally, and picked on a nun.  One of the greatest thinkers of our time.  How many hungry people did he feed?  How many complete strangers did he extend himself to?  How many baby bunnies did he stomp to death?

Fuck off, Christopher Hitchens.  I respected your right to stop believing in God and start believing in nothing but yourself, but your penchant for taking a shit on the more gentile of us did not win me over.  You argued that people could still be good – were inherently good – without religion.  Indeed, you believed religion was at fault for all the bad things in the world.  You denounced religion and you were still a really shitty human being.  I hope that there IS a God.  I hope you met Him.  I hope He tasered you right at the gate, threw you in a burlap sack, and tossed you down a set of stairs.  And then set you on fire.

Things That Happened in 2011 That You Should Care About, Part 1

Things You Should Care About

The Recession.  Seriously. No matter where you are.  It’s a blessing to be employed right now.  It’s a bigger blessing to have benefits.  I do.  I've got a job and good benefits and the world on a string and I know it. 

Bullying.  Not a single person – fat, black, brown, white, disabled, freckled, gay, whatever – deserves to be abused.  The recent surge of concern about bullying and the effects it has on our youth is not overkill.  Children are killing themselves left, right and center.  Pull your collective head out of your ass, and pay attention to what (y)our children are doing.

And would it kill you to stand up for somebody once in a while, just because it might be the right thing to do?

(There will be more on this some other time, I'm sure.)

Best People of 2011, Part 1

Um...

Yeah. This is hard. Because generally, people suck. I know many nice people, but they aren't widely admired by all. In a perfect world, they would be.

So...

I can start with Mindy Kaling. One of the funniest, smartest, and seemingly kindest people working TV today.  Her character on The Office, Kelly Kapoor, is a proudly ignorant chowderhead (and if I knew her IRL I'd itch to slap her), but she makes me laugh without fail. Mindy wrote the 'Diwali' episode in Season 3, and at least a dozen and a half others besides.  I haven’t read her book yet, but I hear it's as charming as she is and I'll get to it one of these days. She does a lot of charity work, but you won't hear that from her (except for her birthday this year, when she tweeted that she would make a donation to a different charity every hour). We share a birthday, and of that I'm kinda proud. Follow her on Twitter: @mindykaling 

The Worst People of 2011

I'm not feeling well today. No surprise this one's coming first.

Worst People (in no particular order)

Kim Jong Il. You won’t be missed.  The shittiest thing about your death is not knowing whether or not your son is crazier than you are.  I guess we’re all about to find out.

The parents of Lindsay Lohan.  One of your daughters is a drunken, desperate, disparaged mess.  She possessed some talent, but you wastrels have managed to squander it. Your other daughter is a walking shirtpin.  Oh the places she’ll go.

The Duggars.  Look after the ones you have, for Christ’s sake.  Oh, and no more fetus photos, please. 

The Kardashians.  People are starving, economies are crashing, wars are being fought, and the only people fighting for the survival of the institution of marriage are the gays.  These people are decadent, wasteful, godless ‘human beings’ who make a mockery of every right they’re given as ‘heterosexual’ Americans.  Please dry up and blow away.

It's harder to figure out who qualifies as the Best People. Good people don't get much play...

The Best and Worst of 2011 - To Come!

I'm going to do it.

Younguns.

Today, while eye-jogging on Gawker (fuck off, that’s all you can do there), I found the Thought Catalog  They're illuminating and informative. Also, according to their 'About' page:



3. TC contributors are smart. They’re at the vanguard of their respective fields and have published everywhere from The Paris Review to Maxim.

No one should ever do that. If you have to point out that you're smart... well...



8. We’re generous. We’re positive. We’re friendly. We prefer to focus on the good than the bad. We’re more celebratory than critical.

Oops. Guess that means I'm just old and negative!! Nah, I'm neither. This shit is just boring and none of it applies to anyone. Not even their 24-year-old peers.

Gawker asserts that this site is populated by creative writing students in their 20s. Look, unless those kids grew up in Libya or the Gobi Desert, only their friends are really interested. Teenagers feel everything incredibly deeply and they internalize everything. Twenty-somethings realize a) they aren’t teenagers anymore and b) HOLYFUCKTHEREAREPEOPLEOUTSIDEOFME. This site is an ode to their feelings about that.

And ‘Wheel of Fortune'. And Stuff Girls Say. Don’t forget those.