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Okay, I may steal this off of one of my flist's journals - it's the heading of their friends list, that made me chuckle aloud: "Hell is other people" - Bwaahahaa! So true.
Yet, like all things in life, or so I've discovered - "Heaven appears to be other people too" - why is that? Why must everything in life contradict each other? Makes it very confusing. Don't mind me. My brain hurts. Work broke it. It's recuperating.
Am worried don't have enough friends. Am single. Anything happens. Such as ...I don't know, I fall in the tub, break my back, can't move and die of starvation - will anyone notice? Guess this is where it comes in handy to have a roomate, don't it? Work might. Which is one of the many reasons it is a good thing to have a job that you have to commute to. Momster might. Since I keep calling her. She worries when I don't for an extended period of time - like ahem five days. Wales might. Although that would take at least a week or two. Landlord would when he didn't get his rent - but that would be at least a month. Would you notice? Well after a couple of days. When I went offline for a month last year - I got two or three worried emails. Momster ordered me today to make sure I stayed in better touch with people - had a little support network. So am worried. This reminds me of a 30 Rock episode where Liz Lemon worries about choking to death in her apartment and no one being able to help or noticing she's gone. It is the single person's greatest fear - to die alone (well we all do that) unnecessarily and without notice.
So in that instance at least hell and heaven are both other people.
On TV front...
Summer tv watching or shows trying out:
1. HEx - strong female witch fighting demons, and with lots of chemistry with the a half-demon/half-human who could bring the end of the world. Also has a nifty lesbian ghost.
Sort of Buffy meets Dark Shadows but with witches and fallen angels.
2. The Closer - strong female inspectator running a team of homicide detectives, similar to Prime Suspect
3. Damages-strong female head of a law firm in her fifties, who will do anything to win - basically Shark but with Glenn Close
4. Saving Grace-strong, macho, forty-something female police detective who sleeps around and drinks too much solving crimes with an angel trying to save her soul - NYpD Blue meets Snarky Guardian Angel with a female lead
(Do we see a trend here?? Yes, I believe we do...)
5. Eureka - Sheriff who reports to a strong female scientist that runs the town and has a female deputy sheriff who could beat him up. Takes place in a town of science fiction geniuses
6. The 4400 - Basically the X-Files meets Heroes, with a male/female detective team. Except it came before HEroes.
7. The Loop - a situation comedy that takes place at an airline
8. Starter Wife - Debra Messings new comedy about an ex-LA Wife.
9. MI5 - the brit series about spies that everyone online has been watching and raving about off and on for four years.
10. Supernatural - in reruns, the ones haven't seen. Not the ones I have. Not a show that works upon rewatching. Though to be bluntly honest - there's a select few shows that do work for me upon rewatching. Like maybe four if that. So this is hardly a critique, more a personal thing. While I have major issues with the series - (see kinks and buttons post) - at the same time I like the whole B-movie John Carpenter Horror/Clint Eastwood-Howard Hawk Western formula. You know - two tough guys either brothers or buddies, ride into town, take down the big bads, quote funky lines, are a bit dark and gnarly themselves, ride out again. It appeals to the little girl in me who watched these types of shows with her kidbrother and dad way back when. Yet at the same time, I rail at it for not showing a frigging tough female who is heroic! Frigging hell. Why can't it be Themla and Louise just once? So you see, at the horns of a dilemma here. Am a complicated soul - my likes often conflict with my principles. This happens quite a bit.
11. Bones - not the ones I've seen. I should like this show. It has all the things I like.
Don't know why it isn't grabbing me. Maybe just catching the wrong episodes? (Yes, I've seen the Ryan O'Neal and Stephen Fry ones - which were amongs the better ones. Actually sort of enjoyed those. The mysteries bored me though. Weird. I like the character bits, but find the mysteries dull.
12. The Lot - which rocked tonight. Really really liked the Dough Musical - made me giggle.
It won't win. Because the one after it was sooo polished and professional. Except it bored me, seen before. Was a story about a gay Indian comic conveying the message that you can't go wrong if you be yourself. Loved Carrie Fisher's critique of that - "not a new message, been told that one too many times by now - you should hunt for something new." Hee. Oh is it just me or does it look like Carrie got a face-lift? A pretty obvious face lift. Hear it gets better after time.
13. Studio 60 - remaining 6 episodes
14. The Office - ones haven't seen
15. Smallville...am trying, just because it is cheesy fun and I'm curious
Shows tried and gave up on: Traveler (don't like the premise - didn't like it in Prison Break either - the whole, I have to find whoever set me up, find out why, and clear myself before I'm killed or sent to the slammer for life. What I hate about it is I know the formulae - for the show to last, the lead has to be perpetually hunting for the guy who set them up, perpetually being chased, the only thing that gets resolved is well helping folks each week or finding little clues each week for however long the series is meant to last.
I struggled with Angel in it's first two seasons because of the whole *perpetual* formula.
The moment they told me that Angel's priniciple goal was to become human and get Buffy, I knew it would never happen and the whole series would be me watching Angel reach perpetually for that carrot that would always stay out of his reach. He can't reach it, if he does - the story ends. At the time - S1 and 2, Angel, I was still invested in the B/A relationship. Then something happened, the shows moved on. The formulae changed. Angel was no longer just searching for redemption for Buffy nor was Buffy really that important. And Buffy was no longer pining over Angel - she'd moved on to Riley then to Spike. Angel moved on to Kate, Darla and then Cordelia. And I no longer felt I was caught in that perpetual will they ever be together...of course not there would be no story - catch 22 that tv shows love to pull and I've grown sooo bored of.
Sooo...whenever I see a show built around a plot premise that cannot be resolved until the entire tv series ends? I lose interest. Because watching the thing just gets torturtous after a while. No one moves forward. You are just going around in a circle. Lost threatened to pull that this year, then surprised everyone by doing a 160 and resolving the big question in the season finale. Instead of leading the audience on for six or seven or how many seasons they air...they answered our question, which opened everything up. Gutsy writing. And very innovative. Whedon did the same thing with Buffy - instead of having everyone wonder what would happen if Buffy slept with the villain, he let her do it. Or what would happen if she died? Or Willow became evil? Or Spike got a soul or a chip? We weren't kept perpetually in suspense. I lovve it when tv shows and books do that. Go against the formula.)
Hidden Palms - tried a bit of it. Sort of dull. Reminds me of a lukewarm Beverly Hill 90210 trying to be Twin Peaks and not quite pulling it off. Wish shows would stop trying to be Twin Peaks - you can't copy or emulate David Lynch without looking cheesy. Lynch is one of a kind.
Okay enough yammering on my lj for one night. Off to bed. IF I get more sleep. Maybe I'll be in a better mood?
Yet, like all things in life, or so I've discovered - "Heaven appears to be other people too" - why is that? Why must everything in life contradict each other? Makes it very confusing. Don't mind me. My brain hurts. Work broke it. It's recuperating.
Am worried don't have enough friends. Am single. Anything happens. Such as ...I don't know, I fall in the tub, break my back, can't move and die of starvation - will anyone notice? Guess this is where it comes in handy to have a roomate, don't it? Work might. Which is one of the many reasons it is a good thing to have a job that you have to commute to. Momster might. Since I keep calling her. She worries when I don't for an extended period of time - like ahem five days. Wales might. Although that would take at least a week or two. Landlord would when he didn't get his rent - but that would be at least a month. Would you notice? Well after a couple of days. When I went offline for a month last year - I got two or three worried emails. Momster ordered me today to make sure I stayed in better touch with people - had a little support network. So am worried. This reminds me of a 30 Rock episode where Liz Lemon worries about choking to death in her apartment and no one being able to help or noticing she's gone. It is the single person's greatest fear - to die alone (well we all do that) unnecessarily and without notice.
So in that instance at least hell and heaven are both other people.
On TV front...
Summer tv watching or shows trying out:
1. HEx - strong female witch fighting demons, and with lots of chemistry with the a half-demon/half-human who could bring the end of the world. Also has a nifty lesbian ghost.
Sort of Buffy meets Dark Shadows but with witches and fallen angels.
2. The Closer - strong female inspectator running a team of homicide detectives, similar to Prime Suspect
3. Damages-strong female head of a law firm in her fifties, who will do anything to win - basically Shark but with Glenn Close
4. Saving Grace-strong, macho, forty-something female police detective who sleeps around and drinks too much solving crimes with an angel trying to save her soul - NYpD Blue meets Snarky Guardian Angel with a female lead
(Do we see a trend here?? Yes, I believe we do...)
5. Eureka - Sheriff who reports to a strong female scientist that runs the town and has a female deputy sheriff who could beat him up. Takes place in a town of science fiction geniuses
6. The 4400 - Basically the X-Files meets Heroes, with a male/female detective team. Except it came before HEroes.
7. The Loop - a situation comedy that takes place at an airline
8. Starter Wife - Debra Messings new comedy about an ex-LA Wife.
9. MI5 - the brit series about spies that everyone online has been watching and raving about off and on for four years.
10. Supernatural - in reruns, the ones haven't seen. Not the ones I have. Not a show that works upon rewatching. Though to be bluntly honest - there's a select few shows that do work for me upon rewatching. Like maybe four if that. So this is hardly a critique, more a personal thing. While I have major issues with the series - (see kinks and buttons post) - at the same time I like the whole B-movie John Carpenter Horror/Clint Eastwood-Howard Hawk Western formula. You know - two tough guys either brothers or buddies, ride into town, take down the big bads, quote funky lines, are a bit dark and gnarly themselves, ride out again. It appeals to the little girl in me who watched these types of shows with her kidbrother and dad way back when. Yet at the same time, I rail at it for not showing a frigging tough female who is heroic! Frigging hell. Why can't it be Themla and Louise just once? So you see, at the horns of a dilemma here. Am a complicated soul - my likes often conflict with my principles. This happens quite a bit.
11. Bones - not the ones I've seen. I should like this show. It has all the things I like.
Don't know why it isn't grabbing me. Maybe just catching the wrong episodes? (Yes, I've seen the Ryan O'Neal and Stephen Fry ones - which were amongs the better ones. Actually sort of enjoyed those. The mysteries bored me though. Weird. I like the character bits, but find the mysteries dull.
12. The Lot - which rocked tonight. Really really liked the Dough Musical - made me giggle.
It won't win. Because the one after it was sooo polished and professional. Except it bored me, seen before. Was a story about a gay Indian comic conveying the message that you can't go wrong if you be yourself. Loved Carrie Fisher's critique of that - "not a new message, been told that one too many times by now - you should hunt for something new." Hee. Oh is it just me or does it look like Carrie got a face-lift? A pretty obvious face lift. Hear it gets better after time.
13. Studio 60 - remaining 6 episodes
14. The Office - ones haven't seen
15. Smallville...am trying, just because it is cheesy fun and I'm curious
Shows tried and gave up on: Traveler (don't like the premise - didn't like it in Prison Break either - the whole, I have to find whoever set me up, find out why, and clear myself before I'm killed or sent to the slammer for life. What I hate about it is I know the formulae - for the show to last, the lead has to be perpetually hunting for the guy who set them up, perpetually being chased, the only thing that gets resolved is well helping folks each week or finding little clues each week for however long the series is meant to last.
I struggled with Angel in it's first two seasons because of the whole *perpetual* formula.
The moment they told me that Angel's priniciple goal was to become human and get Buffy, I knew it would never happen and the whole series would be me watching Angel reach perpetually for that carrot that would always stay out of his reach. He can't reach it, if he does - the story ends. At the time - S1 and 2, Angel, I was still invested in the B/A relationship. Then something happened, the shows moved on. The formulae changed. Angel was no longer just searching for redemption for Buffy nor was Buffy really that important. And Buffy was no longer pining over Angel - she'd moved on to Riley then to Spike. Angel moved on to Kate, Darla and then Cordelia. And I no longer felt I was caught in that perpetual will they ever be together...of course not there would be no story - catch 22 that tv shows love to pull and I've grown sooo bored of.
Sooo...whenever I see a show built around a plot premise that cannot be resolved until the entire tv series ends? I lose interest. Because watching the thing just gets torturtous after a while. No one moves forward. You are just going around in a circle. Lost threatened to pull that this year, then surprised everyone by doing a 160 and resolving the big question in the season finale. Instead of leading the audience on for six or seven or how many seasons they air...they answered our question, which opened everything up. Gutsy writing. And very innovative. Whedon did the same thing with Buffy - instead of having everyone wonder what would happen if Buffy slept with the villain, he let her do it. Or what would happen if she died? Or Willow became evil? Or Spike got a soul or a chip? We weren't kept perpetually in suspense. I lovve it when tv shows and books do that. Go against the formula.)
Hidden Palms - tried a bit of it. Sort of dull. Reminds me of a lukewarm Beverly Hill 90210 trying to be Twin Peaks and not quite pulling it off. Wish shows would stop trying to be Twin Peaks - you can't copy or emulate David Lynch without looking cheesy. Lynch is one of a kind.
Okay enough yammering on my lj for one night. Off to bed. IF I get more sleep. Maybe I'll be in a better mood?
