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Feb. 24th, 2014 10:56 pm1. Have discovered that eating nuts helps a great deal during sugar withdrawl. I've become quite found of pistachios. So too does tea. And celery (and/or carrots - although they can be a bit sweet) dipped in tahnini, or almond butter. Of course it helps if you aren't allergic to nuts. (Should mention this does not include "peanuts", I'm off those too. Yes, I know, my list of foods that I can't eat has become much longer than the list of foods that I can eat. But hey? I found a slicer that permits me to slice zuccini and summer squash so that they have the same consistency as pasta or spaghetti.) Also there are some yummy nutbutters out there - almond butter and cashew butter. Cashew Butter goes very well with celery.
2. Finished watching S4 of Downton Abbey - anyone else still watching this? If so, you're being very quiet about it. Seen almost no posts from either side of the Atlantic.
Not that I blame you - this season was a bit on the lackluster side. Yet, in some respects, I preferred it to last season. Yes, even with that horrible Anna/Bates storyline - which seemed to employ just about every television cliche out there. This episode wrapped the remaining plot threads from that storyline up quite neatly, thank god. Other than that - I have to admit, I enjoyed the banter between the Dowager Duchess and Mrs. Crowley.
( plot spoilers )
3. Why are they rebooting HEROES? And why not something more interesting like Firefly or American Gothic or Pushing Daisies or some other series that I can't remember but loved and got killed before its time? Heroes had outlived its time, it deserved to die.
And broadcast networks wonder why viewers are fleeing to cable and streaming sources?
4. Saw Country Strong last night. This was the movie that Gwenyth Paltrow starred as a country singer in, and in order to sell it - showed up on all sorts of things, as a singer and dancer? While her performance in the movie isn't necessarily bad (actually she's a better singer in it than she was in Glee or the Grammy's, but let's not quibble), the movie is ...boring. My attention wandered. I honestly can't tell you if the actors were any good, since it was so poorly directed, edited and written...nothing flowed. It just jumped about.
Will give it kudos for not going the whole cliche younger singer vs. older singer route, which was what I expected. But I wish it did more than meander. As a result, when the big emotional moment comes? I felt nothing.
Some of the songs, however, were catchy. But Nashville is better.
Of course it did not help that I'd watched True Detective prior to this. If you are a fan of either Breaking Bad or Justified, and like those gritty, film noir, series - you'll love this. It also reminds me a lot of Denis Lehan's Mystic River and the movie LA Confidential.
The writing, acting, direction, and editing are all top notch. Also great musical score from T Bone Burnett, and excellent front credits.
It does require concentration. Find bits of it hard to hear - McConaughy speaks in a soft Texas Drawl..that isn't always easy to hear or understand. I keep blasting my tv. And it's dark and gritty and depressing. Hello? Noir. Also, only 8 episodes - so no commitment required. Plus, has a great cast - Woody Harrleson and Matthew McConaughy.
Will state, it is hands down the best written, directed, and acted television series I've seen since Breaking Bad, Justified and The Good Wife. Okay, it's better written than the Good Wife, but I enjoy the Good Wife more.
2. Finished watching S4 of Downton Abbey - anyone else still watching this? If so, you're being very quiet about it. Seen almost no posts from either side of the Atlantic.
Not that I blame you - this season was a bit on the lackluster side. Yet, in some respects, I preferred it to last season. Yes, even with that horrible Anna/Bates storyline - which seemed to employ just about every television cliche out there. This episode wrapped the remaining plot threads from that storyline up quite neatly, thank god. Other than that - I have to admit, I enjoyed the banter between the Dowager Duchess and Mrs. Crowley.
( plot spoilers )
3. Why are they rebooting HEROES? And why not something more interesting like Firefly or American Gothic or Pushing Daisies or some other series that I can't remember but loved and got killed before its time? Heroes had outlived its time, it deserved to die.
And broadcast networks wonder why viewers are fleeing to cable and streaming sources?
4. Saw Country Strong last night. This was the movie that Gwenyth Paltrow starred as a country singer in, and in order to sell it - showed up on all sorts of things, as a singer and dancer? While her performance in the movie isn't necessarily bad (actually she's a better singer in it than she was in Glee or the Grammy's, but let's not quibble), the movie is ...boring. My attention wandered. I honestly can't tell you if the actors were any good, since it was so poorly directed, edited and written...nothing flowed. It just jumped about.
Will give it kudos for not going the whole cliche younger singer vs. older singer route, which was what I expected. But I wish it did more than meander. As a result, when the big emotional moment comes? I felt nothing.
Some of the songs, however, were catchy. But Nashville is better.
Of course it did not help that I'd watched True Detective prior to this. If you are a fan of either Breaking Bad or Justified, and like those gritty, film noir, series - you'll love this. It also reminds me a lot of Denis Lehan's Mystic River and the movie LA Confidential.
The writing, acting, direction, and editing are all top notch. Also great musical score from T Bone Burnett, and excellent front credits.
It does require concentration. Find bits of it hard to hear - McConaughy speaks in a soft Texas Drawl..that isn't always easy to hear or understand. I keep blasting my tv. And it's dark and gritty and depressing. Hello? Noir. Also, only 8 episodes - so no commitment required. Plus, has a great cast - Woody Harrleson and Matthew McConaughy.
Will state, it is hands down the best written, directed, and acted television series I've seen since Breaking Bad, Justified and The Good Wife. Okay, it's better written than the Good Wife, but I enjoy the Good Wife more.