Lists! There must be Lists!!!

[shadowkat]

I think Entertainment Weekly finally ran out of things to say, so went with the "Best of" List approach. Not sure what they'll do next week, possibly take a break. It's truly sad what the internet has done to the print publication, specifically the magazine. Truly sad. Not that they were ever fantastic, but they used to have meater issues. An entire, 134 pages worth, of nothing but best lists. This is thicker than normal, they usually run less than 100 pages with ads. The sad bit is that they aren't exactly telling me anything new about pop culture, what people believe is the best of television, film, books, theater, or music in pop culture, or what their critics believe is. Nor am I that surprised by their choices nor the fact that I blatently disagree with most of them. Moulin Rouge at number 10??? Shudder. Although Titantic at number three (Lord of the Rings was 2) is a lot worse (not Lord of the Rings, Titantic). Pulp Fiction I can understand - it was tight and flawless and changed the entire genre, not to mention Travolta's career. The other two were just pop culture teases that gave me a headache. The book list isn't much better, while I can sort of buy Cormac McCarthy's somewhat over- hyped The Road on the list, Harry Potter - The Goblet of Fire? Order of the Phoenix was darker. I found Goblet sort of slow. This is clearly a subjective game, but then anything in relation to pop culture is. It's impossible to be objective about this stuff. You like what you like after all. That's all there is to it. And life would be so much easier if we all liked the same stuff (or my life would be much easier if I liked the same stuff as everyone else did instead of constantly and somewhat stubbornly insisting on going my own way).

The best list or rather my favorite (I don't necessarily agree with all of his choices) is Neil Gaiman's list of new classic monsters...

Swamp Thing (Alan Moore's version),
William Defoe's Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire,
The Weeping Angel's in Steven Moffat's terryifying 2007 Doctor Who episode Blink [which is still the best Who episode ever. The only one I rewatched and considered saving],
Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon back when he wasn't quite human and all the scarier for it,
Grendel,
Eugene Tooms (X-Files),
The Nightbreed (Cliver Barker's 1990 film),
Pennywise the Clown (from Stephen King's IT because Clown's are scarey),
The Pale Man in Pan's Labyrnthe, and
Craddock McDermott - the vengeful ghost that came with the suit in Joe Hill's 2007 novel the Heart Shaped Box.

The rest are rather preditictable and not unlike all the other lists we've seen lately. But if you want to read them, you don't have to pick up EW - the internet has managed to make it possible to read every article in a mag yet never ever have to buy one if you are industrious enough. Me, I like buying and flipping through the things during commericials...but I'm in the minority, I'm certain. The internet appears to be intent on killing print publications or at the very least changing how they are currently distributed, which may not be a bad thing. It's changed how music, film, video, photographs and tv shows are getting distributed, why not print?

Anyhow, I think the whole point of "best of" lists is to limit ones choices from over 1000 to just a 100. Yes, there's over a million books published each year, but if you only read these select few, which we've convienently selected, you'll be ahead of the game, and better still -you'll have something to brag/talk about with your next door neighbor. It also provides great fodder to bloggers, bloggers love best lists. I've already seen two memes regarding the EW lists. Hey, I'm not being critical - I love lists too, make them at work all the time - it's a habit I inherited from my Dad. Keeps me from forgetting stuff. I'm a bit like the heroine of In Plain Sight - I make to do lists than forget about them completely.

The week from hell finally has come to a close. Halleugha. Here's hoping next week is better. Feeling a bit of deja-vue this week. Two things happened that reminded me of 2006. Making me think life really is just one big pattern that repeats itself in different layouts.

Comments

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Well I have to confess that the only periodicals I subscribe to are The New Yorker magazine and a whole bunch of different comic books. I am not really interested in any other magazines or newspapers.... I used to take a lot, but I just found that there is SO much to recycle, and relatively little to read, that I've lost interested in other printed matter.

I hope you have a very nice relaxing weekend! I just saw 'Get Smart' and loved it (it isn't brilliant, but it is fun).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee, I subscribe to two magazines: Entertainment Weekly (because I like reading pop culture articles and it is brainless and they took away my PRemier Magazine, damn them), and Contract Management (which is work related and I never read but pretend to, because I'm too tired and don't want to deal.)

New Yorker? I pick up on the news stands occassionally. Along with Atlantic Monthly (a more conservative version of the New Yorker), the Economist (a more business/financial version of it), Time (a pop news magazine with lots of pictures) and New York. I've also been known to pick up Psychology Today, Newsweek, Vogue, TV Guide, and Vanity Fair. Passing a newstand every time you go to work or travel anywhere can be a dangerous thing. But still cheaper than buying gas.

I actually buy less comics than I read mags. Regarding newspapers? I get the Metro and AM free every morning on my way to work and read them on the train or during lunch. Actually quite informative. I can't spend as much time as I used to on the net, sites are blocked at work (not that I have any time to search - I don't, thank heavens), and by the time I get home the last thing I want to do sometimes is play on the computer - been looking at the stupid thing all day long. Need a break.

So...most of my surfing and reading is done on weekends, Friday nights, or on occassion right before dinner when I get home and check email.

Have a great weekend! And thanks for the movie tip. I remember the original black and white series - Get Smart, it was my babysitters favorite show when I was little. That and Happy Days. So I saw a lot of those two shows because the guy next door who babysat us watched them.
I loved the series - which wasn't as slapsticky as the movie appears to be, and a bit wittier. So not sure I'll like it, may wait to rent...which is what I wished I'd done with "You Don't Mess with The Zohan".

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I think that the Gentlemen from "Hush" should be on Gaiman's list.

I'm with you on "Blink", best Who ever.

I can't stand "Moulin Rouge" and "Titanic" was lame (I much prefer "Abyss").

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

The Gentleman would have been a better choice over Grendel. Although, I get the feeling Gaiman was going for sympathetic yet deadly monsters...and The Gentleman weren't sympathetic. But then neither are the Weeping Angels, so there goes that theory.

Abyss had more to it. The only thing I liked about Titantic was the scientist's description of how the thing sunk, which I found more interesting than the actual renactment.

Right there with you on Moulin Rouge...blasted thing give me a headache.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Isn't it a bit naughty to nominate a character you've written about? (Gaiman and Grendel)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Or somewhat self-promoting? Thought much the same thing.

He even makes it clear that it's the Grendal played by Crispin Glover (of all people) in his film version of Beowolf.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Oh it's the usual holiday filler - note this double issue covers the July 4th. I'm sure Labour Day will see an issue devoted to the top 25 playlists on celebrity iPods and Thanksgiving will have a pictorial salute to office furniture in The Office.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yeah probably. I miss the double fall, winter, and summer movie issues, which have gotten increasingly smaller each year.

Can't say it's not interesting. I read the movie list and scanned the TV ones. They gave a really convincing arguement for Titantic being included : "an epic romance that is all the more epic because you know it would never have worked if the characters had both made it out alive. And a movie that shows the sinking of the Titantic in what feels like real time, we actually feel how long it took."