Sunday, February 27, 2005

the Oscars...

Just my notes on the 2005 Oscars...
  • Platinum blonde hair is really not becoming on Kirsten Dunst.
  • Mike Myers with his shiny face and dyed black hair looks a LOT like Jason Bateman.
  • Is Renee Zellweiger from the south? Cuz that's how she talks! And her voice is really squeaky, I hadn't realized that!

My notes on the awards given:

  • Yay for The Incredibles!
  • Morgan Freeman finally got one!
  • Was The Aviator really that incredible of a movie? I've missed out, huh?
  • But surprisingly, after the way The Aviator was cleaning house, Million Dollar Baby came back to take the big ones. Yet another movie I missed out on.

My favorites:

  • Hair: Scarlett Johansson (so princess-y!)
    Tied for second:Gwyneth Paltrow/Halle Berry (makes me want long hair again!)
  • Dress: Halle Berry
    A close second: Charlize Theron (it was crazy!)
  • Man: Jake Gyllenhaal, there's something really sexy about him..
  • Women: (overall) Cate Blanchett
    A close second: Emmy Rossum
  • Couple: Jamie Foxx & Daughter
    A close second: Antonio Banderas & Melanie Griffith

msn news gossip

Came across this a few minutes ago:
Someone fuel up the invisible plane, 'cause that long-anticipated "Wonder Woman" movie may finally be ready for take off. The New York Post claims producer Joel Silver is in talks with "Buffy" mastermind Joss Whedon to bring the bustier-clad, golden lasso-wielding Amazon to the big screen. The early word on casting: Jessica Biel as young Wonder Woman and Kim Basinger as the older version. And no, those choices don't work for us, either.

No, Joss, no!! Don't do this to us!

In other news:
Jennifer Love Hewitt has inked yet another TV development deal, and this one sounds about as promising as "In the Game," her defunct ABC sports comedy pilot. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actress will play a newlywed who communicates with the dead in an untitled CBS drama pilot billed as "The Ghost Whisperer."

Oh dear lord, save us!

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Happy Birthday Mira!

And happy moving!

Friday, February 25, 2005

i retract my last OC statement

The show HAS redeemed itself. I can't figure out what made me laugh more, Seth creeping up the roof to fix the cable antenna, or Seth and Summer's Spiderman kiss. I'm glad that finally Sandy and Kirsten are fixed. I'm glad that the Lindsey-Caleb thing is figured out. But more than anything, I'm glad they got me caring about Seth and Summer. I think that Summer really is one of my favorite teenage characters. *sigh* That episode made me happy. Of course we get to look forward to them screwing things up some more. Or attempting to at least.

But YAY for Seth and Summer!

And yay for a humorous episode of The OC for once! I liked Seth's comment about "real life" versions of angsty dramas or something. Hahaha, nice shot at Laguna Beach: The Real OC. Or Seth and Ryan talking on cellphones because neither of them wanted to go walk through the rain to get to the other building. Or Seth and Summer's choice of music: Boyz 2 Men, "Water Runs Dry." Ahh! Yay for a good episode of the OC.

the mediator

I've been complaining about this for a while now, but seriously Meg Cabot gypped us tv-fans when she allowed her Mediator book series to get optioned as a Disney Channel original movie. This series could have been the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seriously, it's set up exactly like our beloved BtVS...

First off, the characters! There's Suze, who's the Buffy, of this series. She's the sassy, strong, independent girl, with the notion of doing good with her powers. In this case, she has the ability to see ghosts (yes, yes like the kid from the Sixth Sense, she "can see dead people"). And she believes that with this power, it is her job to help the ghosts to find peace and move on. Then there are the two school sidekicks: Ceecee and Adam. Ceecee is the editor of the school paper, Willow-style dork! Adam is the goofy guy who's been best friends with Ceecee since forever and the unrequited love of Ceecee's life -- Xander! Then the eccentric adult figure, Father Dom. He's the headmaster of the school Suze has transferred into (which strangely enough is a religious school, so there are a lot of Fathers and Sisters at the school). He, too, can see ghosts, and he believes that this is a God-given gift and assists Suze to see the good in her powers. The Giles of the series! Then there is the "mysterious guy" quickly turned into love of Suze's life, Jesse. Think Angel-vampire, Buffy slays vampires, Buffy loves a vampire? Well Jesse-ghost, Suze helps get rid of ghosts, Suze loves a ghost!

Second off, plotlines. So there are the miniplots of the different ghost characters she meets in each episode -- I'm sorry, I meant volume. Similar to the different supernatural forces/vampires Buffy gets to meet. Then there's the underlying overall storylines that are going on -- the mystery of Jesse, why'd he die? why's he still around? -- her powers, why does she have them? what can she actually do with them? The formula for Buffy's success! Short themes for each episode, and one bigger overall storyline running through each season.

Third off, introduction of subsequent "Big Bad." BtVS was extremely good with this, and in having those Big Bads have dual-sides. Best example: Spike. We loved to hate him, then we loved to love him. Well Meg Cabot has created that character (well as best as she could, in a 6 book teen-series): Paul!

But besides the Buffy-like ensemble (the Ghostbusters meet the Scoobies?), and the Buffy-reminiscent plotlines and complex relationships, the Mediator does have some of its own flare to add to the mix. The kooky family of Suze's. Her mom is newly remarried at the beginning of the series so she has a terrific new stepdad, who loves to cook, and 3 crazy stepbrothers (that she nicknames after the 7 dwarfs). Sleepy, the overprotective older stepbrother who takes his role seriously; Dopey, the "stupid jock" who's her age. He's the one she gets into fights with all the time; and Doc, the incredibly intelligent youngest child who is the only one Suze genuinely likes from the beginning. Plus, she has the ghost of her father popping in every once in a while.

Come on! Wouldn't this be a really great tv show? It would fulfill that void that's been left in our tv-watching lives since the end of BtVS! SERIOUSLY, Meg Cabot, you really robbed us crazed-tv-watchers of a potentially really good show. *sigh*

But, thanks for the happy ending at the end of Book 6, Twilight. Also, double thanks for knowing when a series needs to end. Too often, books and tv alike, series are dragged out beyond what their lifespan should've been. Thank you for keeping it short and sweet. :-)

Ithaca I hate you still

Okay, so maybe hate is too strong of a word this time. But the Slope Day committee, which, if I remember correctly, takes $12 of my mandatory student activities fee, has gotten Snoop Dogg and some other rapper (the Game?) to perform at Slope Day this year.

Basically I do not listen to rap, but I guess I don't hate it like I hate say, country. (Well, to be fair, I didn't know I hated country until I had to listen to it for 6 hours a day at work last summer, so maybe I do hate rap and I just don't know it yet.) Anyway, I guess I'm just disappointed because I was hoping for a non-hip-hop act this year, because last year Kanye West headlined and it was Fat Joe the year before. Like, I don't know, Green Day? Maroon 5? Simple Plan? (Not that I'm a huge fan of those bands either, but I'm trying to think of some mainstream rock stuff.) I'm still sad that they had Stroke 9 the year before I got here...

Oh, well. I'm going to go anyway...this is my last Slope Day and the only one at which I can drink, yay! And Snoop Dogg is kind of cool...he was really funny (and really really skinny) in Starsky & Hutch. Haha obviously I have no idea what his music is like, but I'm sure he puts on a good performance.

Note for the uninformed: Slope Day is Cornell's last day of classes, celebrated on, of course, the Slope. It used to just be a lot of public drunkenness, but it's become this organized, tightly secured event in the past few years. You can't bring your own alcohol, but they serve cheap beer and wine to people over 21.

l.o.r.e.l.a.i.

l.o.r.e.l.a.i.
l.o.r.e.l.a.i.
NOT
l.o.r.a.l.i.e.

it's l.o.r.e.l.a.i.

Yup I've officially learned how to spell Lorelai Gilmore's name correctly. Lorelai. Lorelai. Jennifer should be proud. She might also kill me for making an entry on this. I only misspelled this name like a dozen times or so... Actually many more, but once Jennifer actually went and corrected each misspelling in the entry for me. :-)

When I have a daughter, I will name her Lorelai, but spell it the prettier way: Loralie. Seriously, I think that LOOKS nicer. But then again that does run into the trouble of being pronounced incorrectly... Lorally? Like Amelie? Or maybe not? Well it definitely is in trouble of being SPELT incorrectly as I myself am a very good example of that. Hmm, would I allow Rory to be the nickname though?

Jen, wasn't there a guy named Rory in our elementary school? Maybe Rory isn't such a hot nickname for Lorelai/Loralie after all. But Lori... *shudder* I don't like that nickname at all. There definitely was a girl named Lori in our elementary school, though!

Thursday, February 24, 2005

i want to be a concert girl!

So here's a list of concerts I would die of happiness to go to:
  • The Killers, they're on tour this spring, and I'm hoping that it's simply an oversight for the time being, but they have no EAST COAST concerts booked as of yet (except for Music Midtown June 11th)... So I'm guessing this will happen sometime between 5/11-6/11 in the DC-area. Please, oh please!
  • Snow Patrol, DC-area 5/24 at 9:30 Club... Tickets aren't available for sale yet, but oh it'd be so nice to see them in concert, too!
  • Stroke9, no DC-area dates yet, but they're just starting to schedule their tour. So far it stops as in the midwest. Surely they'll get some dates up in the East...
  • SR-71, I've already seen them in concert but they're recording their new record right now. Plus, I'm moving near their hometown in Maryland! So I'm really hoping that I'll get a chance to see them play again in one of those small local venues...

Out of my price range:

  • Velvet Revolver with Hoobastank. $35-$45, May 21 @ Merriweather Post Pavilian in Columbia, MD.
  • Green Day. Not only is it $35, but I've got a choice of driving over to Norfolk, VA or Pittsburg, PA. *sigh*

I'll probably think of some other concerts I would like to go to. But for now, really, if I can get to a Killers concert, I'll be content. If I can get to some of the others, increeeedibly happy. :-)

Lost in Translation indeed

So Lost is another J.J. Abrams show, which makes me a little nervous. Both Felicity and Alias were excellent their first seasons, but then they went downhill pretty soon after that. Lost is doing really well right now. It's fresh and interesting and the large, diverse cast isn't hindering it all. I like slow revelation of the characters with the flashbacks, and since well, they're stuck on a tropical island, it's not like there need to be THAT much plot development. I'm not sure how long this can go on though...the formula is going to get old. And seriously, I cannot go that long without knowing what exactly what the heck Kate did to be escorted by an armed Federal Marshal.

Anyway, one of the more intriguing things about this show is that there are two Korean characters played by (gasp!) Korean actors. Daniel Dae Kim I know from Angel and 24, both English speaking parts, and I was kind of skeptical of his character speaking only Korean on this show. And in the beginning, I thought his Korean was pretty bad. I mean, he claims to have a Pusan accent, and sure, maybe that was part of it, but his speaking was so stilted and unnatural and I don't think that really had to do with an accent. But because of the ensemble nature of the show, he doesn't really have that many lines week to week, so it wasn't too annoying. This week's episode was a Jin-centered (his character), though, and I think he's improved a lot. His co-star, Yunjin Kim, speaks fluent Korean (she's a popular actress in Korea even though she grew up in the States) and she's definitely helped him out. Her character (Sun) speaks English too though...her acting in both languages is really good.

I'm not fluent in Korean by any means, but I can understand a good amount, and it's a bit strange. Most of their lines are subtitled, but some aren't...in that case, I assume the writers didn't want the viewers to know what they were saying or maybe it was just irrelevant, but I understood, so...yeah. I almost feel like I have some like inside knowledge I'm not supposed to have. (The hardcore fans will go so far as to get translations for the unsubtitled lines anyway.)

Another funny thing is that while I was Korea this winter, I noticed that Lost was being aired there. Which makes sense because of Yunjin Kim...but the entire episode was dubbed. But of course they didn't need to dub Jin and Sun. So...all the normally English-speaking characters are dubbed in Korean and Jin and Sun are speaking Korean but they're not supposed to understand eachother? And with Sun switching between Korean and English...even more confusing! A scenario in this week's episode: Sun is speaking Korean. Then she switches to English, and that gets dubbed. Then another character is like "You speak English??" but that's dubbed in Korean! How strange is that?? Haha, I mean, I'm sure that the viewers in Korea won't have a problem understanding what's going on, but yeah...it's still strange!

Oh, and I'm kind of bothered about their characters just being called Jin and Sun. I don't know very many Korean people that would go by just the first character of their given name, and it was revealed in this episode that Jin's full given name is Jinsoo. Which isn't that hard to say or remember...definitely not harder than Sayid. Oh, well...

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

okay, good news and bad-ish news!

On TV Tome: "Jared Padalecki (Dean on Gilmore Girls), and Jensen Ackles (Smallville) have been cast in the lead roles of the drama pilot Supernatural." That not only means a show with hottie Jensen Ackles -- though I can't decide how I feel about him overall. I mean he's hot, but not super duper hot. I think it's a result of his role as Jen's boyfriend on Dawson's Creek, a character I really didn't like. But man, I did like him as Eric on Days of our Lives... Anyway, this also means that Dean is GONE FOR GOOD! Which corresponds with the bad-ish news...

Gilmore Girls season 6 is a go! So 22 more episodes starting Fall 2005... Oy. Meaning room for them to keep Loralie and Luke apart. Perhaps the season finale this year will have a cliffhanger of Loralie proposing to Luke? That would make me sufficiently happy. And notice, I ask for LORALIE to propose to LUKE. Not the other way around. So c'mon, Gilmore Girls writers, get it right!! Then we can enjoy Season 6, the FINAL SEASON (PLEASE???), of Luke and Loralie bliss. And c'mon, how fun would it be to be planning for a Luke-Loralie wedding?

Edit:
Okay.. Eeeeee, there might be 2 more years of this show... At least that's what Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham are signed up for... For more info: http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Kristin/Archive2005/050205.html

oops

Okay, so I said I wasn't going to post on the same show twice until I got through the rest but apparently I have no willpower and Gilmore Girls seems to be my obsession lately so...

I felt that this week's episode was pretty much just filler, but for some reason it seems to have caused quite a lot of discussion over at the TWOP boards about Logan vs. Marty. I usually don't post there because my posts usually get either ignored or attacked, so I thought I'd just put out my thoughts here.

Okay, so it is no secret that I LOVE LOGAN. I loved him when people thought he was a jerk when first introduced, and I loved him when he was arguing with Rory, and I loved him when he was snubbing Rory. He's so incredibly hot and if a Logan ever came after me I'd probably be the happiest girl in the universe.

But I like Marty too and I feel bad for him. Whereas Rory has been part of the rich kid culture because of Richard and Emily even though she's technically not one herself, Marty is just looking in from the outside, and I hate how Logan's friends look down on him. And it's hard not to feel bad when the girl you like likes some other guy who happens to be rich and articulate (and HOT).

But people on the TWOP boards have been debating all these odd topics like who's more "intellectual" and why Logan is a man and Marty's a boy. Which I don't really see as having any bearing on the situation at all. Sure, Logan has all the witty comebacks and the knowledge needed to banter with Rory, but he's also a huge slacker. And it's not like Marty's unintelligent either...he got into Yale, and like most Ivy League kids (including Rory) he needs to study to get by. As for the man vs. boy thing...Logan's a man? Sure, he can act mature (and I think he might actually be a few years older), but he still parties like a frat boy (well, a rich frat boy, I suppose) and wastes money on ridiculous poker games. And why does Rory need a man? She is 20 years old and I hope to God the series ends before she gets MARRIED. Oh, and maybe TV Yale is different, but I go to an Ivy League School too and there are no MEN here...at least in undergrad.

Hm, I'm not sure what the point of this post was. The funny thing is that I love Logan but I'm not sure if I want him to end up with Rory. I just feel like Rory's getting really comfortable in the world of her grandparents, and I guess that bothers me a little. Before Logan came along, I was totally rooting for Marty but now I just don't understand why he's still around except to have two guys liking Rory, which we really do not need to see. Haha I think just want Logan for myself.

But what was up with Rory practically sitting in Marty's lap while watching the movies? Poor guy, no wonder he was confused.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Desperate Housewives (and their families)

I must really be growing up or something because the lives of middle-aged housewives is about a hundred times more interesting to me than the teen drama of the OC...

Trying to post about all of the shows I'm watching this season before posting about the same show twice. So it is time for Desperate Housewives!

My take on the housewives:

Bree: Probably my favorite because she always has the best lines ("What about Palestine?") and the best delivery. At first I couldn't believe how uptight she was, but she's really grown on me. I can't really imagine her and Rex ever really being in love, but for some reason they still work (and are really amusing) as a couple. Oh, and Andrew is the devil but of course the writers came up with a way to make him a little more sympathetic.

Susan: I envy her career. She's a children's book illustrator so she basically just works at home and apparently makes enough money doing it? How amazing is that? Anyway, former Ms. Lois Lane is doing really well for herself. The physical comedy and embarrassments get a little old, but she's probably the most average of the housewives. And she's also incredibly lucky because Julie is the best daughter on television.

Lynette: A lot of people hate her apparently, and I half agree. I do feel bad that her kids are monsters and her husband is never home, but she really just needs to hire a nanny and go back to work.

Gabrielle: She might be a little evil, but dang, she's smart. Haha, I like her a lot better now that she's done with John (who I feel is sooo much hotter than he was when he was Miguel on Passions) and that she's bringing more of the independence and determination that she must have had while working up to being a supermodel. Plus she's hilarious.

This show is definitely a prime-time soap and it doesn't pretend to be otherwise. But there are about a million storylines with loose ends and I really hope that they're all taken care of eventually. There is nothing more I hate on TV shows than inconsistency...

Saturday, February 19, 2005

campus student performances

Thanks to connections my friend has, I got a chance to watch Impact dance group perform today at the Mendelssohn Theatre at U of M, featuring also the Friars (an all-male acapella group) and ComCo (an improv group).

Man it was really really entertaining! I'm kind of sad that I missed out on 3 years of opportunity to watch more of these types of performances... especially on the acapella front. The Friars were soooo entertaining (and not too unpleasant to the eye either). And it makes me wonder how I, going to this school of a bajillion acapella groups, managed to have never seen an acapella performance before! The improv group I wasn't so impressed by. But I've seen them several times before. Funny moments, but overall ehh... Impact was really, really fun to watch as well. Whenever I watch good dancing, I feel sad that I never got a chance to learn to dance as a kid. Apparently my lack of coordination convinced my parents that I was not a kid to be sent dancing or to any somewhat athletic activity... Anyway, basically the point of all this -- I missed out!

rewatching Felicity season 1

The last time I watched this was during its original airing on the WB in 1998...when I was a sophomore in high school. And now I'm a senior in college. Isn't that insane? Anyway, it's kind of amazing how my perspective has changed. And I mean, why wouldn't it have? Back then I was younger than these characters, had no idea what college was like, was just discovering Manhattan myself, and had never experienced any kind of relationship drama...not even through my friends. Now, I'm older than these characters, I'm three months away from being done with college, I've been living in the hick towns of Ithaca and Rochester for the past three and a half years, and well, now I know people whose lives are straight out of Dawson's Creek.

And of course I know how everything turns out, having seen the ending of the series.

Anyway, so back then, I thought Felicity was a total psycho, for following Ben across the country, for giving up pre-med, for meddling in everyone's affairs, for most of her over-emotional reactions to everything. I didn't like Ben because I felt like he always had that annoying smile and he seemed so indecisive, and I liked Noel because he was thoughtful and sensitive. I loved Julie's character even though I still thought of Amy Jo Johnson as the pink Power Ranger. And well, I thought that was what college was like. That college kids all had massive drama and lots of issues and everything was a big deal.

And now? I strangely sympathize with Felicity. I mean, I think that going to New York was the right risk she needed, but doing it for Ben was still ridiculous. And I actually admire that she was willing to drop a practical career to go after a not-so-practical dream. I mean, she ends up going back to medicine, and her art detour probably cost a heck of a lot of money, but at least she got to see, I don't know, what it would be like. As for Ben and Noel? Reversed. I like Ben. His character was actually pretty appropriate for his age...18-year-old guys have no idea what they want. And Noel is just too...sensitive, I guess. So I'm definitely not into Felicity and Noel as a couple. But I'm not into Felicity and Ben either, because I still really like Julie and I like Julie and Ben together.

As for the college stuff...the show makes me miss New York. I know I didn't want to stay in the city for college, it was a conscious choice I made. But gosh, I hate Ithaca. I hate living here. And it's probably magnified by the fact that I read way too many NYC blogs, but gosh, I really wish I could have a chance to live there again. And college? This is probably just my fault because apparently I'm an expert at having pretty much no drama (or friends or boyfriends...) in my life, but wow, things in Felicity-world are so emotional. There was more crying in the first episode than I did all of last semester (which is the only semester I cried at all during my entire college career).

Oh, and there is WAY too much of that "pretty and sad" acoustic guitar background music.

But I like it. It just has this nice quiet feel to it. So different from everything I'm watching now. Roswell used to have that feeling to it, too. Well first half of first season anyway (before it went downhill, see previous posts on this topic).

Wow, I'm am really plowing through this DVD set. I LOVE TV DVD SETS!

Edited to add:
Oh, I either didn't fully watch or I don't remember very well the second, third, and fourth seasons, but I do know that I didn't like them as much. And for the record, there was no Tess/Oliver/Lauren problem. As stupid as this sounds, I think that Felicity cutting her hair was part of the problem.

Friday, February 18, 2005

The Motorcycle Diaries

Okay last post for today. I think. And it's positive!

I saw The Motorcycle Diaries yesterday at Cornell Cinema, and I remember thinking that it had been good after leaving the theater. But today, I'm still thinking about it, and I know that the movies that stick with me are the really good ones.

Probably since it's foreign, but it was just so not-Hollywood, if you know what I mean. The acting was superb, and I don't know, you could just tell that everyone involved with the film really cared about making it real and heartfelt and meaningful, and not about money or awards or recognition. The two main actors played wonderfully off of eachother, and there was just the right amount of humor, especially in the beginning. And while there was a little bit of Guevara's future revolutionary persona starting to push through, it wasn't overwhelming, and while the montages were a little cheesy, they were, in the end, pretty moving.

I guess I didn't know too much about Che Guevara, and actually I still don't, but independent of that, this was just a great movie about friendship and seeing the world outside your own.

Sigh Alias

Gosh maybe I'm getting too picky or something but I seem to be doing way more complaining about TV shows than praising. My next target: Alias.

I really loved first season. It was fun, we sympathized with Sydney and her inner turmoils, she had a life outside of work, we were rooting for Sydney and Vaughn, the double agent stuff was fresh, episodes were nicely structured but still tied together...I can probably go on and on. I mean, sure, it wasn't perfect.The plots were probably more complicated than anyone could keep up with, the cliffhangers were just annoying, and wow, some of those disguises totally sucked, but gosh, it was still so good.

Then second season...things started to slip. Irina was amazing and incredibly interesting, but the Rambaldi stuff was starting to get really out of hand. Then SD-6 was shut down and the show lost everything it started with. Then Sydney "dies" and third season skips three years? Francie was ruined and then killed, Will is in witness protection, and Vaughn is married to another Tess/Oliver incarnation, Lauren. I don't even remember most of third season because I felt like the writers were just trying to deal with all the mess they created. And what bothered me the most was that through it all, the characters became so dimensionless...especially Sydney and Vaughn and Dixon.

Then J.J. Abrams admits that the show was off track and promises to do better with the fourth season. My verdict? Good try but no cigar.

Having all the major players, including Sloane, working together was smart. And I like Nadia, even though I usually hate siblings that appear out of nowhere, mostly because the actress playing her is doing such a good job. And they seem to have brought back some of the old Dixon. But so far there doesn't seem to be enough of an arc. No, I don't want things to get as convoluted as the Rambaldi stuff, and yeah maybe I'm a little partial to season arcs because of Buffy, but there doesn't seem to be much going on this season in general except everyone hating Sloane and hiding who killed Irina. What the heck is APO's purpose? I don't feel like their missions are any more "black-ops" than the ones from their legit CIA days. And where is Sydney's personality? I mean, maybe I should cut her some slack with all the crap that she's been through, but she's so HARD. Everytime she makes a speech about Sloane being evil, I want to hurl.

Sigh, I think J.J. Abrams needs to go back and watch some of his old episodes of Felicity and remember what it's like for people to have REAL EMOTIONS. Actually no. He's doing perfectly fine with that aspect on Lost, so he remembers. He just needs to pay a little more attention to Alias before it gets stuck in that group of TV shows that were good...for awhile.

OC rants

So I composed this during class earlier (yeah, I'm such a good student) before I got totally aggravated by the stupid Ithaca concert scene and before I watched the latest episode. Anyway, in agreement with Mira's post, I think the OC is getting really close to being beyond repair...I don't know why, but I feel like my relationship to the OC is really similar to what I had with Roswell. I was totally obsessed and addicted to the show for the first half of the first season, but then they introduced a horrible character (Tess/Oliver) which pretty much made the show terrible, but other storylines kept me from giving up completely, and I held out hope that things would get better. But then second season continued to suck and I wondered why the heck I liked the show in the first place but I still had this ridiculous attachment and I needed to keep watching...

Anyway, here is my list of current OC complaints:

1. There are moments where I do still root for Seth and Summer, but Seth's attitude this whole year had just been shitty and I don't think he deserves much of anything.
2. I like Lindsey but I really wish she had just been left out of the whole Cohen-Nichol-Cooper family drama.
3. I'm glad Ryan is over Marissa but why is the kid from Chino now the most boring person in all of Newport?
4. It's fitting that Summer moves onto Mr. Perfect, aka Zach, but seriously, they have no chemistry and everyone knows it.
5. Marissa and Alex. Who cares?
6. Sandy and Kirsten. WHY are they messing with the one thing that DOES NOT NEED to be messed with? And damn Peter Gallagher, he's making it all seem so in character. Plus Rebecca is not even remotely sympathetic or interesting.

Ithaca I hate you

So, Ithaca, being in the middle of NOWHERE, generally gets a few big concerts a year, half of which I'm not really interested in, being hip-hop or rap or whatever, so HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT TWO OF MY FAVORITE BANDS ARE PLAYING ON THE SAME NIGHT???

Okay, so I saw Something Corporate last year and they haven't come out with anything new since then and I haven't seen Jimmy Eat World yet so I'm probably going to that show, but I wouldn't have minded seeing SoCo again. Seriously, of all the inane and illogical things to happen...most people who are fans of one band are likely fans of the other so both are totally losing out by this like freak occurrence of nature.

WHAT IS GOING ON??

there is perhaps no hope for the OC

I dunno, I watch this show on a daily basis, but more and more I keep wondering... why?!?! But it was quite funny because today I discovered that two of my guy friends (who will here remain unnamed) watch it EVERY week while their other 2 housemates are ballroom dancing... Haha, one of them turned to the channel, looked at me and goes "Look, it's the OC..." and waited for me to squeal "Ooh! Let's watch!" Except much to his dismay I squealed "Oh no! I can't watch this! I haven't watched last week's episode!" Hence he had to 'fess up that really, HE wanted to watch it... LOL.

Not surprisingly, he watches it for the hot girls, not for the captivating storylines. Seriously, there's only one couple that I give an ounce of care about, and they've screwed that up -- Sandy and Kirsten. So what the heck am I doing still watching this dumb show? I don't care about Marissa. I don't care about Seth-Summer. I'm starting to seriously tire of Lindsey and everything related to her, her-her mom, her-Caleb, her-Kirsten, her-Ryan. Oy vey.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

KEANE

Wow! So yesterday I had the good fortune to see Keane (with The Redwalls and The Zutons opening) at Michigan Theatre. WOW! They were absolutely fantastic. I mean I liked their CD (Hopes and Fears) a LOT and felt their music is really mellow and so beautifully complemented with the piano. But man, I never realized they would be so great to watch in concert. I, having never seen the music videos for them and also being ignorant, had no idea that the ONLY instruments backing up the beautiful vocals of Tom Chaplin were the piano and the drums. So, unlike other rock bands where sometimes the many guitars, bass, drums, etc, can sorta drown out parts of the vocals, Keane just has a beautiful melding of the piano, the vocals, and the percussions.

Tom Chaplin's voice is seriously beautiful. I mean it's one thing that it was beautiful on the CD, and it's a whole entire different thing that every song he sang, every note he sang was just absolutely perfect LIVE! The pianist, Tim Rice-Oxley, was totally way too big for the piano he played on (electric piano, I think? Which is sad cuz I was expecting like a real piano like Something Corporate had at their concert. It was funny because Andrew McMahon, the lead singer and whose autograph I have!, was like dancing on TOP of the piano and stuff) , and he sorta reminded me of Linus from Peanuts and his tiny grand piano ("baby" grand?).

Anyway, Keane was absolute perfection in concert. My only complaint is that they don't have more songs to sing since they only have the one album out. They did perform 2 new songs though, and I'm really excited for their next album.

Also, taking a break from my Keane-lovin', while I couldn't say I was too impressed with the Redwalls, I really enjoyed the Zutons. They hail from Britain as well, and their music was really upbeat and fun rock. They are officially on my list of CD's to buy as soon as I can find it for <$10. :-) Even though the only girl in the band, the saxophone player, kinda dances really funny on stage.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

filmography

I'm usually good at matching actors to their other roles, maybe because of my IMDB addiction or something (and selective memory?) But anyway, I can't take credit for this following actor association (I found it while reading the TWOP boards) but I was just totally amused because it shows just how much TV I watch and absorb.

Actress: Leighton Meester
She was on this week's episode of Veronica Mars and I knew she looked familiar and I even looked up her IMDB bio earlier today but I guess I didn't really read it. Anyway, here are her four most recent appearances:
1. "Veronica Mars" playing "Carrie" in episode: "Mars vs. Mars" (episode # 1.14) 15 February 2005
5. "24" playing "Debbie Pendleton" in episode: "Day 4: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m." (episode 4.2) 9 January 2005
7. "Entourage" playing "Justine Chapin" in episode: "The Review" (episode # 1.2) 25 July 2004
8. "North Shore" playing "Veronica Farrell" in episode: "Pilot" (episode # 1.1) 14 June 2004

I have seen ALL of these. And I remember her from the episodes too! Debbie was Behrooz's girlfriend on 24, the virgin popstar on Entourage, and the rich attention-starved girl who accused Gabriel of rape on North Shore! At least I don't recognize her from her 7th Heaven appearance...

Wow sometimes I horrify even myself.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

my happy show is making me sad!!!

*sigh* Gilmore Girls made me frickin' TEAR today... AGHH! I HATE FEBRUARY SWEEPS WITH A PASSION! UGH! Breaking up THE couple? All for stupid ratings? Agh, how could you do this to Lorelai-Luke? Agh!! And next week it gets worse! Arghh...
On the other hand, Logan is getting really sweet, but I'm annoyed cuz I'm totally seeing committed relationship happening between Logan and Rory. Like he seemed upset that he felt she was implyin she just wanted to hook up... So it seems like he really does like her A LOT. Which, of course, isn't fair. Why can't I have a Rory life?
WHY CAN'T THEY KEEP LORELAI AND LUKE TOGETHER?!
Please tell me the final season of Gilmore Girls is like soon. Cuz then maybe they'll let Luke and Lorelai get married, live happily ever after, and I can be in peace.
Then my happy show can stay my happy show.
Now where do I go for giddy happy TV?!?!?!

(yes, I am a loser who is visiting friends in Ann Arbor, but still made time to watch Gilmore Girls...)

nuclear meltdown

So last semester I took an course called Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, which was pretty interesting and completely not difficult. By the professor's own admission, it was just supposed to be a fun elective for us. Anyway, we learned all about nuclear reactors and what would happen if they melted down and all the biological effects of radiation and stuff like that and while I liked the class, I didn't think I would ever find what I learned to be terribly useful.

But I was wrong!

Haha, 24 this season is all about a group of terrorists plotting to melt down US nuclear reactors. And okay, they don't mention that many specifics, and I'm sure I wouldn't feel like I was missing something otherwise, but I totally just feel like I understand what's going on. It's just kind of like when doctors watch ER or something. I think. Haha, anyway, this season has been pretty good so far. It was a good idea to start fresh with a new cast (though I am THRILLED that Tony is back!) and they got rid of annoying characters (Aisha Tyler) relatively quickly.

And of course, having no hiatuses is excellent.

Monday, February 14, 2005

My Top 5 of 2004

I can't rank within, but here are the movies I most enjoyed last year...
- Mean Girls
- 13 Going on 30
- The Incredibles
- Garden State
- Miracle

I really didn't watch that many movies last year, and I guess I didn't see that many movies that I found absolutely fantastic. There were, however, a lot of movies I had wanted to watch and never got around to:
- Troy
- Napoleon Dynamite, seen as of 2/18/05
- The Aviator
- Finding Neverland
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Closer
- Sideways
- Stepford Wives
- I Heart Huckabees
- Friday Night Lights
- In Good Company (it's debatable that that's 2005, though)

Sunday, February 13, 2005

2004 Movies

Whoa I'm posting a lot...this will probably wear off in a few days.

So my taste in movies has always admittedly been pretty odd. I like kids movies, chick flicks, offbeat comedies, sci-fi, action...apparently pretty much anything everything except straight drama. That's probably why every year around Oscar nomination time, I haven't seen (or liked) most of the movies that have been nominated for major awards. This year the only ones I've seen are the Aviator and Sideways. Plus I don't have that much time to go see movies and I'm not into the whole downloading of movies thing anymore.

Anyway, here is my list of my 10 favorite movies of 2004:

1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Sideways
4. The Incredibles
5. Before Sunset
6. Garden State
7. Kill Bill Vol. 2
8. Spider-Man 2
9. Mean Girls
10. 13 Going on 30

Yeah...so 1, 3, and 6 are offbeat comedies, 2 and 4 are family fare, 7 and 8 are fantasy-ish action, and 5, 9, and 10 are chick flicks...

The Walkmen

So on Friday night I went to see the Walkmen perform on North Campus. I was pretty excited about this...Cornell's been getting a lot indie-type bands lately and the two concerts I went to last semester (the Arcade Fire and Ted Leo+Pharmacists) were both awesome.

Anyway, the Walkmen. I didn't enjoy them as much as I expected to. We were standing on the side near the speakers and the two openers were so loud that my hearing was pretty much blown out by the time the Walkmen came on. And then they were really loud too. I guess it's expected when bands play live, but I just couldn't hear the vocals and I couldn't even recognize most of the songs they played. Oh, well. I have to say that The Rat (one of the songs I did recognize) was pretty incredible though. And the lead singer was a lot of fun to watch (even though I couldn't hear him for most of the set.)

I don't know, I feel like it's a dilemma every time I go to a concert. Since I'm short (5 feet) I can't see anything unless I'm right up close, but I can't hear anything unless I back up to the middle or back of the room...

See some pictures on flickr.

Logan

Just caught up with last week's episode of Gilmore Girls. Ahhhh, Logan! I want a Logan! Soooo hot! I want a Logan to say to me: "I have thought about asking you out several times, I just don't think it's a good idea... because you're special... you're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're incredibly interesting, you're definitely girlfriend material." AHH FRICKIN RORY! Lucky frickin girl!

I WANT MY LOGAN! So hot!

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Hero starring Jet Li

I found that most of this movie I just sat there looking at the movie screen confused wondering where it was going, but I guess overall it was pretty alright. I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese artsy martial arts films (though I guess, along with the rest of the US I was pretty impressed with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon because I thought it was such a pretty movie), but this was okay. Not spectacular, not the best film I've seen ever, but certainly one of the better movies I've watched this year. Of course this year I haven't really seen much, and certainly nothing particularly good. (For example, I watched Cruel Intentions 2 recently on TV. Now that was a terrible movie!) So Hero was pretty good.

marriage??

So I'm not really sure why I still watch Joan of Arcadia because it's been getting sillier and Joan just spends every episode doing something dumb and being humiliated and not learning from it, but anyway, there's a high school romance on the show (Joan and Adam) which I was rooting for, but is becoming too...committed for me. I suppose I'm not one to talk since I didn't date at all in high school but do couples in high school really dream of getting married?? I am way closer to marriage age than Joan is and I DO NOT imagine myself married. I mean, I know that people do get married to their high school sweethearts, but most of those people seem to be slightly embarrassed about it, as if they didn't expect it to happen. Which leads me to believe that no, they did not dream about it back then.

So what is wrong with Joan?

To break the silence...

Hi Jenn!