While browsing through my Netflix instant watch suggestions on my TV, I discovered something super duper exciting. (Jenn, you should get excited, too!) An Australian TV show from 2010 called Dance Academy! It's a show following a small-town girl, Tara, as she gets into a highly competitive dance school. What better combination than teen tv drama, dance, and Aussie accents? I've only watched the first episode so far, but I'm already extremely excited about the show and can't wait to watch the rest of it!!!!
It's like Satin Slippers (book) in TV form!! Yay!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 12
Mira:
Watching... Catching up on Once Upon A Time and following all the crazy NFL off-season craziness. Peyton to Denver! Tebow to the Jets! Saints scandal! --- BUT, totally hoping that this time next week I can say that I saw The Hunger Games movie!!!
Listening... I feel like I'm jumping on a bandwagon, but this is a song that's started popping up on the radio that also has some really awesome cover versions of it. Original: Gotye - Somebody I Used to Know. Covers: Walk The Earth (one group all on one single guitar! sooo awesome!), Pentatonix (acapella, and winner of last season of Sing Off), Ingrid Michaelson (hopefully she'll cover this when I see her in concert in May!). Based on the newest preview for the next Glee episode, I believe they are singing it on Glee soon, too.
Reading... NOTHING. All I have time to do these days is wedding stuff. So I am reading the RSVP spreadsheet and my knitting pattern. I do want to re-read The Hunger Games, though. *After* the movie, though.
Jennifer:
Watching... Surprisingly Bent, a new midseason NBC sitcom with Amanda Peet, is getting some pretty good reviews, so I'm planning to check it out at some point.
Listening... I have two new young adult audiobooks on the queue: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher and Chime by Franny Billingsley.
Reading... Still plodding along with The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. This probably sounds weird, but I read while blow-drying my hair. So basically I only get in about 15 minutes of reading every day...
Watching... Catching up on Once Upon A Time and following all the crazy NFL off-season craziness. Peyton to Denver! Tebow to the Jets! Saints scandal! --- BUT, totally hoping that this time next week I can say that I saw The Hunger Games movie!!!
Listening... I feel like I'm jumping on a bandwagon, but this is a song that's started popping up on the radio that also has some really awesome cover versions of it. Original: Gotye - Somebody I Used to Know. Covers: Walk The Earth (one group all on one single guitar! sooo awesome!), Pentatonix (acapella, and winner of last season of Sing Off), Ingrid Michaelson (hopefully she'll cover this when I see her in concert in May!). Based on the newest preview for the next Glee episode, I believe they are singing it on Glee soon, too.
Reading... NOTHING. All I have time to do these days is wedding stuff. So I am reading the RSVP spreadsheet and my knitting pattern. I do want to re-read The Hunger Games, though. *After* the movie, though.
Jennifer:
Watching... Surprisingly Bent, a new midseason NBC sitcom with Amanda Peet, is getting some pretty good reviews, so I'm planning to check it out at some point.
Listening... I have two new young adult audiobooks on the queue: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher and Chime by Franny Billingsley.
Reading... Still plodding along with The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. This probably sounds weird, but I read while blow-drying my hair. So basically I only get in about 15 minutes of reading every day...
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 11
Jennifer:
Watching... Community is back tonight, yay!
Listening... I find it interesting that this band fun. (yes, the period is in their band name) is all over the place with We Are Young. I thought that they sounded familiar and it's because the lead singer used to be with the Format, a band that I was into back in college. Their song The First Single is still one of my favorites.
Reading... The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I guess it's only natural that authors wrote characters that are English major types because they were probably English major types themselves but I generally find the way these characters think to be rather foreign.
Mira:
I'm back!
Watching... GCB (Good Christian Bitches/Belles). So far this show is entertaining enough; its craziness kind of reminds me of Desperate Housewives. I am having major issues resolving the fact that Leslie Bibb's character and Kristen Chenoweth's character are supposed to have been in high school together, meaning the characters are the same age?!
Listening... There's this song that I've heard a couple of times on the radio and though I'm confused by the topic of the song, it's rather catchy: Young the Giant's "Cough Syrup."
Reading... I've been gone for 3+ weeks, and I actually read a book off my shelf! (Resolutions 2012!) The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee. It's a book about Hong Kong during WWII, after the Japanese invaded, as represented by one couple during the war and another couple 10 years later. Was a really easy read and a very interesting story.
Watching... Community is back tonight, yay!
Listening... I find it interesting that this band fun. (yes, the period is in their band name) is all over the place with We Are Young. I thought that they sounded familiar and it's because the lead singer used to be with the Format, a band that I was into back in college. Their song The First Single is still one of my favorites.
Reading... The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I guess it's only natural that authors wrote characters that are English major types because they were probably English major types themselves but I generally find the way these characters think to be rather foreign.
Mira:
I'm back!
Watching... GCB (Good Christian Bitches/Belles). So far this show is entertaining enough; its craziness kind of reminds me of Desperate Housewives. I am having major issues resolving the fact that Leslie Bibb's character and Kristen Chenoweth's character are supposed to have been in high school together, meaning the characters are the same age?!
Listening... There's this song that I've heard a couple of times on the radio and though I'm confused by the topic of the song, it's rather catchy: Young the Giant's "Cough Syrup."
Reading... I've been gone for 3+ weeks, and I actually read a book off my shelf! (Resolutions 2012!) The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee. It's a book about Hong Kong during WWII, after the Japanese invaded, as represented by one couple during the war and another couple 10 years later. Was a really easy read and a very interesting story.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 10
Jennifer: Apparently this week is good intentions but no execution week?
Watching... I recently discovered that the UK version of Skins is on Hulu. I started series 5 (the third generation) awhile back but fell behind so I'm looking forward to catching up.
Listening... Finishing up the audiobook of The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. Can't wait for my library to get the third book on audio!
Reading... Still working on books from previous weeks. I did borrow The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides from the library yesterday, we'll see if I have time to actually get to it.
burkie (filling in for mira):
watching...reruns of Psych, in preparation of the new season. i've only watched this show sporadically, but it's always amusing.
listening...Songbones, by grayson capps. i discovered him when i saw the travolta/johannsen movie A Love Song for Bobby Long, which i rather enjoyed. the movie is set in new orleans, and capps is a new orleans musician, and this cd definitely relects local color.
reading...nothing, really. still doing research on Scotland :)
Watching... I recently discovered that the UK version of Skins is on Hulu. I started series 5 (the third generation) awhile back but fell behind so I'm looking forward to catching up.
Listening... Finishing up the audiobook of The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. Can't wait for my library to get the third book on audio!
Reading... Still working on books from previous weeks. I did borrow The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides from the library yesterday, we'll see if I have time to actually get to it.
burkie (filling in for mira):
watching...reruns of Psych, in preparation of the new season. i've only watched this show sporadically, but it's always amusing.
listening...Songbones, by grayson capps. i discovered him when i saw the travolta/johannsen movie A Love Song for Bobby Long, which i rather enjoyed. the movie is set in new orleans, and capps is a new orleans musician, and this cd definitely relects local color.
reading...nothing, really. still doing research on Scotland :)
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 9
burkie (filling in for mira this week):
watching...the NFL Scouting Combine. i know, football geek. who watches this stuff? i do. the college seniors run 40-yard dashes, bench press 225 pounds, broad jump, vertical jump, and run drills. thrilling stuff :) and, the Oscars. it was just over 3 hours this year, so good time-wise. they didn't perform the songs, so that cut down on it. billy crystal returned as host and seemed get get better as the night went on after a meh start. i assume they'll want to find a host who can skew younger, though last year's experiment was a disaster (more on franco's part and the weak material, i thought). i'd love to see ellen host it 'cause i like her. i only saw one of the 9 best picture nominees (The Help). frankly, i wasn't that interested in seeing most of them. a weak group of nominees, in my opinion.
listening...Buddy Miller. good stuff.
reading...about Scotland, getting ready for my vacation in May :)
Jennifer:
Watching... Recently reviewed (and liked) Awake. Also the season finale of Top Chef (blah) and the new season of Amazing Race (same old, same old, but not necessarily a bad thing). On a side note, I didn't watch any of the Oscars. I saw 0 of 9 Best Picture nominees this year. How did I manage to watch 9 of 10 last year?
Listening...Regina Spektor - All the Rowboats. (Actually I'm a bit guilty of taking most of my picks from All Songs Considered...)
Reading... Still working on books from previous weeks, almost done with 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. It's getting weirder and weirder...
watching...the NFL Scouting Combine. i know, football geek. who watches this stuff? i do. the college seniors run 40-yard dashes, bench press 225 pounds, broad jump, vertical jump, and run drills. thrilling stuff :) and, the Oscars. it was just over 3 hours this year, so good time-wise. they didn't perform the songs, so that cut down on it. billy crystal returned as host and seemed get get better as the night went on after a meh start. i assume they'll want to find a host who can skew younger, though last year's experiment was a disaster (more on franco's part and the weak material, i thought). i'd love to see ellen host it 'cause i like her. i only saw one of the 9 best picture nominees (The Help). frankly, i wasn't that interested in seeing most of them. a weak group of nominees, in my opinion.
listening...Buddy Miller. good stuff.
reading...about Scotland, getting ready for my vacation in May :)
Jennifer:
Watching... Recently reviewed (and liked) Awake. Also the season finale of Top Chef (blah) and the new season of Amazing Race (same old, same old, but not necessarily a bad thing). On a side note, I didn't watch any of the Oscars. I saw 0 of 9 Best Picture nominees this year. How did I manage to watch 9 of 10 last year?
Listening...Regina Spektor - All the Rowboats. (Actually I'm a bit guilty of taking most of my picks from All Songs Considered...)
Reading... Still working on books from previous weeks, almost done with 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. It's getting weirder and weirder...
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Spring TV: Smash
Mira already posted some thoughts on Smash but I thought I'd do a quick review as well. I watched the preview on Hulu Plus and was really pleasantly surprised by it. I soured on Glee pretty drastically and was wary of any show that was trying to ride its coattails, but actually this is actually a show about theater from real theater people. Actually it's kind of funny that there haven't been any TV shows about this before -- it's really interesting to see how an original Broadway musical comes together.Anyway, one of the biggest surprises for me was Debra Messing. I was not really a Will & Grace fan but she's super great when in sitcom over-acting mode. She plays Julia, one half of a successful Broadway writing team, along with Tom. I gather that she primarily works on the "book" (script) and Tom does the music and lyrics. Through some random conversation with Tom's new assistant Ellis (racing his way to becoming one of the more unlikeable characters on television), they come up with the idea to do a musical about Marilyn Monroe.
Vying for the part of Marilyn are Ivy, a Broadway veteran who is currently in the ensemble for Tom and Julia's last musical, whose looks and stage experience make her a logical choice, and Karen (American Idol's Katharine McPhee, who I never really liked but is actually okay here), a newcomer to the city from Iowa (of course). There's also Derek, the director, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston, who I find really...smiley? I've found her scary in the past but she's pretty likable here), the producer, and various other supporting players, both in the musical and off.
There are quite a few songs in each episode, but not all are part of the Marilyn musical (I think they'd run out pretty fast if that was the case). They're kind of a mix of Ivy or Karen singing in other situations and fantasy/dream sequences, but nothing too out there like on Glee. None of the musical numbers have really blown me away but it's believable enough. I remember one of the things that ruined Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (another behind-the-scenes kind of TV show) was that the supposedly hilarious skits on the show-within-the-show were just not funny at all.
One thing I really do like about the show is that the focus really is on the women. Julia, Ivy, Karen, and Eileen are very much the principals, with the men in their lives being the supporting players instead of the other way around.
A promising beginning!
Spring TV: Awake
This was one of the shows I was most looking forward to from last year's upfronts and I was disappointed that they decided to push it to midseason especially because I feel like it kind of already has an uphill battle to fight. It kind of has shades of last year's critically acclaimed instant failure Lone Star (it comes from the same creator, Kyle Killen) but at least this is on NBC, which is a bit less hasty with the ax than FOX is.
Awake stars Jason Isaacs (um, Lucius Malfoy! Looks completely different without the long blond hair) as Michael, a police detective who is in a terrible car accident with his wife, Hannah, and his son, Rex. After the crash, Michael finds himself switching between two realities every time he goes to sleep: one where his wife survived the accident, and one where his son did. He returns to work in both realities, and has different partners (Steve Harris and Wilmer Valderrama), and also begins to see a therapist in each (Cherry Jones and B.D. Wong). Michael is unable to tell which is real and which is a dream, and doesn't necessarily want to find out as that would meaning losing either his wife or son forever.
This sounds pretty depressing, and the gritty camera filter only adds to the grim atmosphere (everyone's pores look huge!) but the cast already has some great chemistry and I there's definitely story to tell. It looks like the show is going to have a procedural aspect to it, with Michael working on a case in each reality that for some reason share clues and details. I have no idea what this means, whether this is going to have any science fiction or fantasy leanings or not, but I'm curious to find out.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 8
Jennifer:
Watching... Modern Family and Suburgatory. I don't think Modern Family is necessarily as great as it was in the beginning but it's still a quality sitcom. Suburgatory learns a lot more towards the absurdist but it's such a hoot. The whole cast is hilarious, especially Cheryl Hines as Dallas, who you really can't not like.
Listening... The Hunger Games soundtrack seems like it's going to be really interesting. On the one hand, there's some very pop/country stuff like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Maroon 5, and on the other hand, there are original songs from Arcade Fire, Neko Case, and The Decemberists. Only a month until the movie comes out!
Reading... Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, a science fiction young adult novel that is set in a near future that is for some reason obsessed with 80s gaming culture. I don't think I really get all the references but so far it's been a unique and fun read.
Burkie (filling in for Mira this week):
Watching...up to date on White Collar, which has only one episode left this season. i really enjoy this breezy show. looking forward to the new seasons of In Plain Sight & Fairly Legal (also on USA Network).
Listening...Aleph, a book on CD by paulo cuelho about a middle-aged man's spiritual journey. also, listening to a lot of ryan adams, lately. i like his style, and how he jumps around from rock to country to folk to pop.
Reading...The Twelfth Enchantment, by david liss. chick lit about a girl named Lucy in early 19th century England. lord byron & william blake appear as characters. since i'm guilty of using historical figures like that in my own writing, i like that sort of thing :)
Watching... Modern Family and Suburgatory. I don't think Modern Family is necessarily as great as it was in the beginning but it's still a quality sitcom. Suburgatory learns a lot more towards the absurdist but it's such a hoot. The whole cast is hilarious, especially Cheryl Hines as Dallas, who you really can't not like.
Listening... The Hunger Games soundtrack seems like it's going to be really interesting. On the one hand, there's some very pop/country stuff like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Maroon 5, and on the other hand, there are original songs from Arcade Fire, Neko Case, and The Decemberists. Only a month until the movie comes out!
Reading... Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, a science fiction young adult novel that is set in a near future that is for some reason obsessed with 80s gaming culture. I don't think I really get all the references but so far it's been a unique and fun read.
Burkie (filling in for Mira this week):
Watching...up to date on White Collar, which has only one episode left this season. i really enjoy this breezy show. looking forward to the new seasons of In Plain Sight & Fairly Legal (also on USA Network).
Listening...Aleph, a book on CD by paulo cuelho about a middle-aged man's spiritual journey. also, listening to a lot of ryan adams, lately. i like his style, and how he jumps around from rock to country to folk to pop.
Reading...The Twelfth Enchantment, by david liss. chick lit about a girl named Lucy in early 19th century England. lord byron & william blake appear as characters. since i'm guilty of using historical figures like that in my own writing, i like that sort of thing :)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 7
Jennifer:
Watching... Cougar Town is back! Despite it being from the creator of Scrubs, I never really expected to like this show, but it's definitely found its groove over the years and the cul-de-sac gang is one of my favorite casts on TV right now.
Listening... Sleigh Bells - Born to Lose. New album out next week!
Reading... 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Murakami's books are hard to describe...they often have elements of science fiction or fantasy and feel somewhat...dream-like? Surrealistic? I don't know, but it's very captivating. This is a massive novel though, and I was only able to finish the first half last year before I had to return it to the library. I was lucky enough to pick it up again this week and I haven't been able to put it down!
Mira:
Watching... I think the most captivating show for me this February has been Revenge. We finally have caught up to where the season started -- the engagement party. Hoping this show continues to draw me in, though sometimes the storylines get to be a bit much/annoying.
Listening... Adele's performance at the Grammys has renewed my respect for her. She makes singing look/sound so effortless! I'm a little sad that she's taking supposedly a 4-5 year break from her music career...
Reading... Absolutely nothing.
[Posted on 17 February. Apparently one or two reminders about Thursdays isn't enough to get me, Mira, to post! Sigh. Next week, Burkie has agreed to graciously join Jenn in checking in on Thursday cuz Mira's out of town.]
Watching... Cougar Town is back! Despite it being from the creator of Scrubs, I never really expected to like this show, but it's definitely found its groove over the years and the cul-de-sac gang is one of my favorite casts on TV right now.
Listening... Sleigh Bells - Born to Lose. New album out next week!
Reading... 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Murakami's books are hard to describe...they often have elements of science fiction or fantasy and feel somewhat...dream-like? Surrealistic? I don't know, but it's very captivating. This is a massive novel though, and I was only able to finish the first half last year before I had to return it to the library. I was lucky enough to pick it up again this week and I haven't been able to put it down!
Mira:
Watching... I think the most captivating show for me this February has been Revenge. We finally have caught up to where the season started -- the engagement party. Hoping this show continues to draw me in, though sometimes the storylines get to be a bit much/annoying.
Listening... Adele's performance at the Grammys has renewed my respect for her. She makes singing look/sound so effortless! I'm a little sad that she's taking supposedly a 4-5 year break from her music career...
Reading... Absolutely nothing.
[Posted on 17 February. Apparently one or two reminders about Thursdays isn't enough to get me, Mira, to post! Sigh. Next week, Burkie has agreed to graciously join Jenn in checking in on Thursday cuz Mira's out of town.]
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Check in Thursdays: Week 6
Jennifer:
Watching... The Voice. Well, I'm intending to watch the Voice...
Listening... Cults - You Know What I Mean. Beautiful but driving retro-ish sound. Also really like Abducted and Go Outside.
Reading... Swim the Fly by Don Calame. Why am I reading a book targeted to teenage males?
Mira:
Watching... The Voice. Ha! I'm actually caught up on it, too. Still love the blind auditions. Ceelo in his ridiculous sequined red robes and holding a white puffy cat (Goldfingers-style) is hilarious. And Blake is just dreamy.
Listening... Ingrid's album, Human Again -- yeah now I'm actually listening to it. My initial thoughts is that it doesn't grab me like her last CD, Everybody, probably because it doesn't have any happy music. But it's an album that definitely is growing on me the more I listen to it.
Reading... um... ah... eh... Nothing. I've got nothing. Ooh! Reading... this!
Watching... The Voice. Well, I'm intending to watch the Voice...
Listening... Cults - You Know What I Mean. Beautiful but driving retro-ish sound. Also really like Abducted and Go Outside.
Reading... Swim the Fly by Don Calame. Why am I reading a book targeted to teenage males?
Mira:
Watching... The Voice. Ha! I'm actually caught up on it, too. Still love the blind auditions. Ceelo in his ridiculous sequined red robes and holding a white puffy cat (Goldfingers-style) is hilarious. And Blake is just dreamy.
Listening... Ingrid's album, Human Again -- yeah now I'm actually listening to it. My initial thoughts is that it doesn't grab me like her last CD, Everybody, probably because it doesn't have any happy music. But it's an album that definitely is growing on me the more I listen to it.
Reading... um... ah... eh... Nothing. I've got nothing. Ooh! Reading... this!
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