Any remaining Lost viewers out there? I know, I suffer from battered woman's syndrome when it comes to suckage TV. Seriously though, this show is BACK ON AN UPSWING! And what the hell just happened tonight? My mouth is still agape at the absolute shock of that last minute.
Before I gush, I must give credit where credit is due. Nikki has recommended so many shows that I've subsequently Netflixed voraciously and then fallen in love with: Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, The Wire, The 4400. Thank you, my TV twin, for your amazing taste in TV. I am your TV Padawan, your apprentice, and I have much to learn from your pop culture tube taste.
This lead came from a House o' Blogger blog, and I still can't believe I never watched it before. I freaking LOVE Veronica Mars. I've only made it through the first two discs of the first season, but it's love at first sight. Here's a little sample of Veronica's tough girl, smart mouth awesomeness:
Veronica: (defending a friend) Leave him alone.
Weevil: Sister, the only time I care about what a woman has to say is when she's riding my big old hog. And it's not so much a bunch of words, just "oohs" and "ahhs," y'know?
Veronica: So, it's big, huh?
Weevil: Legendary.
Veronica: Well, let's see it. I mean, if it's as big as you say, I'll be your girlfriend. Aww, we could go to prom together.
Seriously man, you can NOT let your brother torture you three times in three hours. That just makes you look bad.
So, I guess when your brother won't give you the information you need, you bring out the big guns and shoot him up with sodium penathol for that good ol' burning sensation throbbing through every vein in your body. Pause, and then shoot him up with two more ccs.
And if that doesn't work, you let your dad finish the job for you.
Anyone remember that drug commercial where this kid's dad looks in his son's closet and finds a box full of pot? Then the dad indignantly shakes the box in his son's face and asks him, "Who taught you how to do this stuff?" And the son weepily says, "You, Dad! I learned it by watching you!"
So, in 24land, Jack's Dad indignantly shakes the syringe of sodium penathol in Jack's face and asks him who taught him how to do this stuff. Yeah, according to last night, Jack learned it by watching his dad. (I'm being purposely vague here because I hate accidental spoilers.)
Talk about a fucked up family.
If your brother puts the entire country at risk of nuclear attacks, turn him over to the feds before he turns you in. If he won't go willingly, tie him up with more electrical wire, suffocate him with a bag, rinse and repeat.
Oh God, I cannot turn away, I cannot change the channel, I cannot stop watching. I need a support group, or I might watch this show again.
I've always hated Simon Cowell and American Idol and I've never understood why anyone watches that cruel show. But, I didn't stay late at work tonight and Lost isn't on yet, so what else is a TV addict to do but be a hypocrite and watch American Idol. Whaddya know, I'm crying. Fuckin' CRYING!? It's people like Sarah from Ohio--lied to her disapproving father, skipped school for two days, came to NY to try out, and won a ticket to Hollywood--that turn me into a sappy girl. Thanks, Sarah. I fucking hate this show, but now I have to keep watching to see how you do.
If your brother won't give you the information you need, punch him in the face, tie him up with an electrical cord, and interrogate him. If he continues to resist, suffocate him with a plastic bag. Then rinse and repeat.
...is what I've decided to call Monday nights from 8-10pm on Fox. Prison Break is back and back-to-back with Jack. Christmas cometh again, and again!
Now I'll need to update my countdown to my next show I'm waiting impatiently for: Lost.
P.S. Netflix pulled through for me and delivered the 24 premiere DVD to e over the weekend. I'm all caught up and I have no need to use this forum for bitching and moaning...for now.
I refuse to pay for anything other than the Season 6 DVD of 24 when it comes out this fall, even if it means that I've missed part of the 4-hour premiere. Just on principle alone!
But, I've got a plan! I returned an (unwatched) Netflix DVD today, which should be received and processed tomorrow morning, and Netflix should ship out the next disc in my queue on Friday (24 premiere), and have it to me by Saturday. If all goes well, I'll be all caught up in time for Monday and I'll be happy snappy camper.
If things don't run smoothly, Nikki's already offered to let me watch it at her place (because she rocks and she said she'd save it on her DVR), and then Netflix will taste my wrath. Oh, yes they will.
For a long time Gilmore Girls was one of my favorite TV shows, so of course, when the news hit that Amy Sherman-Palladino was leaving, I was among the throngs of fans who collectively cried out into the ether.
No surprise, I hated the first episode of the season (I liked calling it the Fake Fendi), but I stuck around for the second. Hated that one too and I was gone for good. My DVD collection will simply have to stop at Season 6 and I can live with that. This is only because I'm a TV addict and have commitments elsewhere to help fill my time. Virginia Heffernan at the Times wrote a spot-on review, which I will link to here, because I'm no Virginia Heffernan.
In light of this, what on earth possessed me to plug into the CW tonight? I haven't a clue, but I do know that what I hate more than the Gilmore Girls is this Aerie Tuesday b.s. Aside from the fact that it's sponsored by American Eagle, sister to Abercrombie & Fitch, or as I like to call it, Only Whites Allowed, it's the perfect pairing for the Gilmore Girls. A bunch of girls (and the token Asian) sit around in their AE clothes and say things like, "Can you belive what Lorelai did?" "OMG, yeah!," which is their deep commentary to the current episode of Gilmore Girls. Although, now that every snarky comment and super smart and obscure reference has been drained from the show, the Aerie girls and Gilmore Girls deserve each other. They can enjoy the company of fellow empty vessels with their vacuous looks and dialogue death.
UPDATE 12/16/06:
I was just catching up with old issues of New York when I noticed the Aerie Girls appeared on The Approval Matrix in the 12/11 issue, in the lowbrow-despicable quadrant. Yes'm, I do flatter myself. I OUTSCOOPED NY Mag!
Dear Wonderfalls fans:
I'm sorry that I'm an editorial assistant and don't make very much money, because if I had a better job, I would have been able to buy this and share it with you all.
When I first saw this on eBay, it had two days left in the auction and the price was at $51.00. In a dizzy moment of J.Crew-like frenzy, money didn't matter and I was convinced that I would win this piece of merch. 128 minutes of raw, unaired Wonderfalls dailies footage from "Wound-Up Penguin." Who knows what's in here! Caroline Dhavernas and Tyron Leitso stumbling over their lines and laughing uncontrollably? Tracie Thoms pulling pranks on the poor lowly grip? Katie Finneran kissing random female extras in an attempt to authenticize her screen lesbian persona? Yes, I did imagine a Wonderfalls viewing party to unveil this prize. Wax lion giveaways and barrel bear beers for everyone!
Unfortunately, $202.50 is way out of my budget for needful things, and I had to let this item go. If spiralout9 has a Wonderfalls soul, he/she will rip this DVD and post it on YouTube for us poor folk to watch.
In the meantime, we can enjoy this little goody goody that I found on the Tube. It's the unaired pilot with the original Mahandra and Aaron. Enjoy!!
To the tune of Rilo Kiley's "The Frug." Can this get any better? Wonderfalls and Jenny Lewis rolled into one. It's an early Christmas for me here in the Forest. Wiiiiiiii!
For months, Nikki's been gushing with rave reviews about the new season of The Wire while Matt Yglesias has been parsing each episode with the same gravity as blogging on the crisis of our foreign policy agenda. With all that buzz, catching up on the last few seasons of The Wire is a no-brainer, but my momentum has long been stalled because Season 1, Disc 1 has been sitting in my Netflix queue with a "Very Long Wait" for around two months now!
The funny thing is, only Season 1, Disc 1 has a wait, but not any other disc on any other season. (Yeah, and by funny, I mean fucking annoying.) I could just imagine all those Disc 1s out there going to waste as drink coasters and frisbees--being used as anything other than a DVD because no one is watching and/or returning them!
Please understand, I have an undiagnosed TV-watching condition. I am a Galactus who devours whole seasons of shows at an alarming rate. I am Locutus of Borg. I must assimilate The Wire and resistance is futile. I leach off of the fake lives on my TV screen. It's not a normal symbiotic relationship that TV and I have. No, it's completey parasitic. Instead of living my life, I'm watching someone else's, and man is it entertaining and better than mine!
After a ripe ol' shitty day at the office, lo and behold what I find in my mailbox. Yes'm. The Netflix gods have smiled upon me--and despite the "Short Wait"-- I now have Disc 1 in my greasy palms. And I thought I didn't have any plans this weekend? Phshaw!!
Side note: In my defense, I didn't have HBO in college, so this show slipped my radar when it first aired. Plus, after graduation my attention was fully consumed by the illustrious Carnivale. May it rest in peace! Or better yet, may it rise up from the ashes and be reborn like the Phoenix that it is. (wild cackling laughter)
Side note to the side note: Every poorly used comic book reference here deserves a proper shout out to my better half.
For me, the beauty of Netflix is being able to watch whole seasons of television at one time. This, above all else, is why it's the best $19.50 I spend in a month. No commercials, no waiting for the next episode, no interruptions, and yes, no life.
I recently devoured Wonderfalls: The Complete Series and man was it good. Jaye Tyler is a sharp, witty, and sarcastic 23-year old Brown University graduate who is putting her philosophy degree to good use as a store clerk at a souvenir shop in Niagara Falls. Jaye's incredibly smart and has the potential to do very cool things with her life, but she's a Gen Y slacker who doesn't feel compelled to move beyond her trailer park and souvenir store lifestyle. I like to flatter myself and think Jaye is a version of me, but hell, she's prettier, thinner, smarter, graduated from an Ivy League school, and has glossier hair than me. A girl can dream, right?
Of course, as is the case with many well-written, smart, and ahead-of-its-time shows that found a home at Fox, it was cancelled after four episodes. And another of course, I discovered this show two years after it's been cancelled.
Before I made my recent, mindblowing discovery that I've been using television as a substitute for meeting new people and having friends, I was devastated with the end of Wonderfalls. In my mind, Jaye was a dear friend of mine and it was killing me to see her in so much pain in the last three episodes of the series. I just wanted her to be with her soulmate, Eric Gotts, and live happily ever after.
Yes, I have reminded myself time and again that Jaye and Eric are not real people, they aren't going to live happily ever after, and even if I make a trip to Niagara Falls with my better half, we're not going to find the Wonderfalls souvenir shop. They're not going to invite me to their wedding, and I'm not going to have meet them after work at The Barrel for drinks. They're not real people and they're not my friends.
I imagine this is how all sorts of fan fiction starts: with a person who loves something so much and refuses to accept it when it's over. Well, I'm probably not going to go writing Wonderfalls: The Story Ain't Over fiction, but I probably will buy myself a muse.
