Category Archives: tv

Reading, watching, listening

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We now interrupt the relentless snow for a report of what Erin’s been up to:

Reading: Essays, journals, portfolios. A little bit of Starman by James Robinson, art by Tony Harris. More essays. 8th grade research paper outlines. It’ll break soon…

Watching: Bits of season 5 of The Simpsons. It’s funny…I’ll often grumble about watching The Simpsons (again), but I always laugh. I especially love watching the physical Homer stuff. For whatever reason, Homer getting injured is funny.

We also watched the last new episode of 30 Rock. Rand and I are both busy grading right now, so we’ll just take short breaks to watch something funny, then go back to it.

We have a mile-long list of movies we want to watch once we make it through the end of the semester. Here are some of them, in no particular order (some are more important to him, and others are more important to me):

Juno, The Darjeeling Limited, Sweeney Todd, The Mist, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Enchanted, Charlie Wilson’s War, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, No Country for Old Men, Into the Wild.
Also, some things I want to see on DVD: Once, Waitress, Hairspray…uh, I’m sure there’s more, but I can’t remember right now.

And one more–I am excited beyond words for the film version of Mamma Mia! It doesn’t open until next July, but I just watched the trailer and nearly wept with joy. (I saw the stage version–twice!)

Listening: Almost a Full Moon, Hawksley Workman. Currently hearing in the background: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: Pride of Baghdad, and Ex Machina, vol. 6, both by Brian K. Vaughn. I have an issue of Buffy sitting here for me to read, and I might get to that today sometime.

Watching:  Finished watching Ed Wood, which was good, but really kind of sad. Poor Ed just had this relentless optimism that he was going to be the next Orson Welles. Martin Landau was amazing, and his Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi was well deserved.

Bender’s Big Score, the Futurama movie. I adore Futurama, and the movie had its moments, but it was nowhere near as good as the show.

The finale of Heroes. Gasp! Ack! Any speculation about what’s going to happen next?

And by the way, I am so sick of Sylar. I want him to go away and be, like, dead for good.

Rand and I are also slowly catching up on season 2 of My Name is Earl courtesy of Netflix, while also watching the current season. I’m happy that this week’s episode got Earl out of prison. I was really tired of that story.

Listening: I finally broke out the Christmas tunes this past week. I need to once again pimp the Hawksley Workman album Almost a Full Moon. (available at Amazon, Maple Music, and on iTunes)

I was listening to my Christmas playlist and “Merry Christmas, I Love You” came on, and that one always makes me a little bit weepy…

Immediately following that one, “O Holy Night” came on. Sigh.

And of course,  we had the Lowest of the Low show last night. More on that to come. I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend!

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: Not really a whole lot at the present moment. I checked Just Listen by Sara Dessen and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke out of the school library. I started Inkspell, but didn’t get very far. I’m sure I’ll get around to finishing it, but so far, I’m not as captivated as I was by Inkheart.

I’ve still got a “to read” list a mile long…

Watching: Rand and I have been on a movie binge in the past week…

Reefer Madness–the musical version. The DVD also had the original film on it, so we watched enough of it to get the idea. I adore Kristen Bell, so I was all over this.

Little Shop of Horrors–Rand couldn’t believe I’d never seen this. So now I have. 🙂

Jeffrey–a mid-90s AIDS comedy starring Steven Weber and Michael T. Weiss. Most people would know Steven Weber as the guy from Wings, and Michael T. Weiss as the guy from The Pretender. I did watch both shows…but I remember Michael T. Weiss as Dr. Mike Horton from Days of Our Lives. He was yummy. Anyway…Jeffrey starts out as a total slapstick comedy, very silly, and ends with some serious emotional stuff.

Pittsburgh–a Jeff Goldblum mockumentary. Er, sort of. Jeff Goldblum does a regional theater production of The Music Man in Pittsburgh so his Canadian girlfriend (a musical theater actress) can stay in the country on a work visa. He plays Harold Hill, and his girlfriend plays Marian. He gets Ed Begley Jr. and Ileana Douglas to star in the show as well. The thing is…it all actually happened. I mean, of course they went a little over-the-top for the movie, which is what made it a mocumentary rather than an actual documentary, but it was very funny.

Ed Wood–the topic of Ed Wood and his films came up while having breakfast with Lisa last weekend. Rand saw this when it came out, but I did not, so we decided to get it. (actually, not quite finished with this. more later…)

Also keeping up with my regular TV watching, but I don’t have much to say about that. I’m *loving* 30 Rock. Tina Fey is awesome.

Listening: Been listening to a lot of Soul Coughing lately, because Rand’s been on a kick. That’s okay, because I’m enjoying it. Also, some other stuff that I’ve forgotten.

Of course, this past weekend was a live music extravaganza, but more on that later…

Don’t forget to share your own reading/watching/listening experiences, and make suggestions if you like. Happy Monday!

Tuesday Tidbits

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  • Last night’s episode of Heroes was pretty good, but I must say I am disappointed in Peter. How gullible can he be? Gah. Kristin has the scoop on what’s to come…sort of. (no real spoilers). I SO want Elle (Kristen Bell) to turn against her creepy father and join our Heroes. I heart her. I don’t want her to be bad. 🙁
  • I have just now remembered two things I left out of my last Reading, Watching, Listening post–at school, I watched The Devil’s Arithmetic (based on the book of the same title) with the kids. I thought it was great–very well done, harrowing without being too graphic. Also, 1408. Stephen King! John Cusack! I liked it. I didn’t *love* it, but I liked it.
  • And, some sad news…Lowest of the Low is saying goodbye. I’m planning on being at the show at Club Infinity next weekend (now a farewell show…). Who else is going to be there? In a way, I’ve been a very, very lucky Low fan. I didn’t really become a fan until well after they had already broken up (the first time), and they reunited shortly after I moved to Buffalo. I’ve had lots and lots of opportunities to see them live. Sigh.

That’s it for now…happy Monday, all!

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: I finished the other two books in the Scott Westerfield trilogy, Pretties and Specials. The trilogy was interesting. I didn’t find it earth-shattering or anything, but it did raise some interesting questions. I can see why middle school English teachers would like it.

Watching: Last week, Rand and I watched Hot Fuzz (which I already talked about). There was lots of random TV watching this week…like bits and pieces of VH1’s 100 One-Hit Wonders (or something) hosted by William Shatner.

Thanksgiving night, we watched Christmas Vacation, which never ceases to amuse me. (I giggle every single time they shake the box and it meows.) I just learned that the movie was written by John Hughes–I should have realized the connection between the embarrassing visiting grandparents in this move and in Sixteen Candles.

While I was doing laundry and other random tasks, Rand watched Slime City, a dreadfully, hilariously bad horror movie from 1988. We met the director (who is from Fredonia and now lives in Buffalo) at that comic book/memorabilia show a couple of weeks ago. Rand traded him an Ookla CD for a copy of the movie. I ended up watching about the last third of it with him. I wouldn’t say the movie is *good*, but it was entertaining. One thing that was interesting that we both commented on was that we think Zachary Quinto (Sylar on Heroes) has seen and studied the lead actor from this movie.

Listening: Elliott Smith, Brian Regan (sometimes very funny, sometimes not so much…), Lewis Black at Carnegie Hall (not nearly as funny as I’d hoped it would be), some Christmas music, and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t seem to remember right now.

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: I’ve just begun Uglies by Scott Westerfield. It’s the first in a trilogy that’s been getting a lot of attention. The underlying concept seems to be very similar to Lois Lowry’s The Giver, but the story is quite different.

My “to read” pile is beginning to get out of control. 😉

Watching: How much do I love Chuck? (the answer is: a lot) Loved seeing Kevin Weisman, even if he was playing a baddie.

Dirty Sexy Money continues to entertain.

Last night, TiVo recorded Don’t Forget the Lyrics, so I went ahead and watched the episode. Hmmm…I’ve gotta say, I much prefer the pure, unadulterated cheesefest that is The Singing Bee. The only thing Lyrics has going for it is Wayne Brady, and he doesn’t even get to sing.

The worst of it? Lyrics is a shameless rip-off of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (according to Wikipedia, the format is similar to “another FOX show, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? No mention of Millionaire. But seriously…you get three “back ups” (aka “lifelines”) and Wayne asks you to “lock in your lyrics” as opposed to Regis’s “final answer” question. Even the set and lighting and “dramatic tension” music invoke memories of Millionaire. Hrm.

I also watched another episode of Reaper, which is fun…I’m just not sure I care enough to stick with it.

Listening: Hmmm…not sure I have anything new to talk about. I just picked up Jackdaw’s Blackgrass, but I have not yet listened to it. Check back for a report.

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: I actually read a book this week! It was Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky, a Red Dress Ink title. I love chick lit. I love paranormal chick lit. And as is typically the case, I finished the book wondering why I’m not writing paranormal chick lit. Sigh.

It was a fun book. Very entertaining. It is the first book in a series, though. It seems like no one just writes a novel any more. It has to be a series.

I also read the most recent issue of the Buffy comic. Still enjoying it, even if I don’t particularly like the artwork.

I have a whole pile of things to read here, which I will get to eventually…I have Monday off, so hopefully I’ll get some more reading in!

Watching: Not in much better shape than I was last week. I did watch Heroes, and I’m feeling pretty much the same. Something had better happen soon. Peter’s current storyline is feeling very “alternate 1985” to me. (I hope there are at least a couple of people out there who get that reference!)

Also watched The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock. I’m beginning to think that The Office can’t sustain itself too much longer (and they’re talking spinoff? Hmmm…). I adore 30 Rock. Tina Fey is full of awesome. I think it’s a good thing that Scrubs is on its way out…and I loved that the whole episode centered around everyone telling JD he needs to grow up. OMG, yes.

Depending on how long this strike goes on, I may have *lots* of time to catch up on my TV viewing.

I think the last movie Rand and I saw was Superbad, which is super sad. Any recommendations?

Listening: I just downloaded the song “Deep Inside” by Glengarry Bhoys. It was the first dance song at Rand’s cousin’s wedding, and it’s a sweet, lovely little song. I’ve also been listening to Eagles Live, although I’m kinda disputing the “live” part of that title. It’s more like Eagles Studio Recordings with Audience Noise Added. I’d forgotten how much I liked “Seven Bridges Road” and “Life’s Been Good.”

Also listening to the new Michael Franti and Spearhead. Very cool stuff. Makes me want to get up and dance!

Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. As always, feel free to share your media with me!

Reading, watching, listening

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Reading: Well, this one will be short. 😉 Student essays. Lots of student essays. Um…last book I finished was Beige by Cecil Castellucci. Quick, enjoyable read. I liked it even better than The Queen of Cool.

Watching: I’m pretty far behind on my TV watching as well…tivo’s got a bit of a backlog going. Heroes, I have to admit, has been sort of letting me down. I was so excited about Kristen Bell, and I’m not even sure that’s enough to hold my attention. I haven’t watched Pushing Daisies in a couple of weeks, and I’m a week behind on Chuck.

So what have I watched? Well, I’m up-to-date on The Office and Scrubs (but a week behind on 30 Rock and two on My Name is Earl. Last time I watched Earl I was a little concerned that they’re out of ideas. Two episodes in a row that didn’t advance the plot at all…)

OH! and I’m continuing to love Dirty Sexy Money…but didn’t watch this week’s episode yet. Like I said, behind. If you had asked me if I thought Dirty Sexy Money was going to become my new favorite show, I would have laughed. But there ya go.

Listening: Not much new to report musically. Rand and I have been on a comedy kick lately. I’m quite enjoying Lewis Black, Hugh Fink, Elvira Kurt, and a whole host of others that I was already familiar with.

Of course, I listened to lots of music last weekend at OVFF! I was happy to get to see Michael “Moonwulf” Longcor, who is very entertaining and has a fantastic voice!

That’s it. Look for more next week, and tell me what you’re reading/watching/listening (to)!

Mid-week musings

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How can a short work week seem so long?

Received some potentially good (but unofficial) job-type news today. I’ll update, should it become official.

Things are going well at school…not much to say there. Still very, very busy, of course!

Watched Pushing Daisies again. I am charmed…I really am. I just don’t see how the concept is sustainable long-term. I loved Kristin Chenoweth singing “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” I *love* Chi McBride. I love that last week, when I said Ned reminded me of a male version of Jaye from Wonderfalls, I had totally forgotten that he played Jaye’s brother on Wonderfalls. (God, I loved that show. Stupid FOX.)