Champagne or not Champagne...is the question

[shadowkat]

Thousands of People are already lined up in Times Square. Crazy people. But at least it's not cold this year. Wet and gross from the snow. But not that cold. 45 degrees with a low of 38. That's actually doable. Last year it was in the 20s. (Been there done that in 1999. Except, I came around 11:00pm and hung out in a crowded bar five blocks down like a sane person. You can't leave once you get there. Not even to go to the bathroom. You can't drink in the area. All you can do is stand there and wave. Watching on TV is a better idea. There's also fireworks and a run in Central Park - if that's your thing. Me? I've still got this annoying cough, so I'm playing it low-key this year.)

Champagne or not Champagne? Have chosen not to do champagne for the first time in 20 years. I'm taking a stand... between you and me? I don't much like champagne, tastes a bit like carbonated piss water and gives me a headache. Never told anyone that. Because you are supposed to love champagne. It's expensive. Even went to a champagne bar once...and no, did not taste a difference. Must be an acquired taste? Or I'm just weird. Most likely the latter. Will state it's quite good mixed with orange juice - takes the piss out of it, so to speak, yet keeps all the alcholic carbonated fizziness. Was half tempted to buy champagne just to make mimosas the next morning - but let's face it, champagne gets stale fast - plus a tad expensive just for mimosas.

Personally? I prefer hard apple cider. Which I'm doing instead. Found two brands at the American Beer Company - which also has, gasp, gluten-free beer. Green Valley Dover from the UK is the best, but I passed on the beer and just bought two different bottles of hard cider. One was hard cider and pear (which is a bit different, but has a tangy taste) while the other is cider made from organic apples - it states from the UK, but was bottled in Washington State...which seems a bit far from the UK - as in on the other side of the planet. Wouldn't it be cheaper to bottle it in the UK?

Anywho...keeping it low-key this year, much like last year. Plan is to watch a marathon of Breaking Bad episodes which I DVR'd from AMC's replaying of I think the first or second seasons. AMC wasn't nice enough to date the episodes. So for those in the know? The episode I just watched was the one where Cranston's character, Walter, strangles this guy in his basement after he realizes the guy is about to stab him with a missing broken plate chard. At the end of the episode he decides to tell his wife who thinks he is doing drugs, that he has lung cancer. It's called, I think.."...in the bag" ? I know it's not the first episode or the first four (because I saw those a long time ago, when I first attempted to watch the series, but couldn't get into it.) I'm trying Breaking Bad again, because at least two people on my lj flist have fallen madly in love with it. (And they actually have taste that is similar enough to mine for me to pay attention.) And AMC has decided to rerun it in order - but not the entire first season, apparently, which I didn't know until now. But hey, got ten episodes saved, so might as well watch them, right? So if you know where I am in the story? Let me know.

Also have netflix DVD of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (and since it's not in 3D, it won't give me the headache the previews did). The only 3D flick I like is Avatar because of the seed thingies, which reminded me of doing shrooms in college.

And a lot of saved Smallville, Leverage, The Closer and Supernatural episodes. (This is what happens when you DVR more tv shows than you have time to possibly watch.)

Have decided to finish marathon of Breaking Bad before I do my best of 2010 list of tv shows, and Alice in Wonderland before the best of 2010 films.

In other news -- somewhat proud of this, they published my article on the church's Haiti Forum in the church's newsletter (not to be confused with the listserve), which goes out once every four or five months. I didn't get a by-line (ie credit for it), but hey it was published. Will address which if any resolutions I've accomplished later. It's the little things.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Personally? I prefer hard apple cider. Which I'm doing instead. Found two brands at the American Beer Company - which also has, gasp, gluten-free beer. Green Valley Dover from the UK is the best, but I passed on the beer and just bought two different bottles of hard cider. One was hard cider and pear (which is a bit different, but has a tangy taste) while the other is cider made from organic apples - it states from the UK, but was bottled in Washington State...which seems a bit far from the UK - as in on the other side of the planet. Wouldn't it be cheaper to bottle it in the UK?


You'd certainly think so. I have several bottles of an organic hard cider made here in Michigan, it's excellent for adding to pork roasts and the like.

Happy New Year.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. Happy New to you, as well!

I think the other brand is Vermont. There were only two brands available.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

Champagne is over-sold. There are plenty of bubbly wines that are generally cheaper and taste as good or better.

I had hard cider for Christmas! (Tonight it will be non-alcoholic bubbly cider.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Considered doing the sparkling cider again...have done that before.
Actually prefer it to the champagne.

Last year, did sparkling wine - which was also cheaper and better than champagne.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the article!

Concerning BB (and how much am I loving it that you are watching it! I can't wait to read more of your thoughts about it!) the episode where Walt kills Crazy 8 is the third one in Season 1 (called "…And the Bag's in the River").

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Ah...so I have seen all of them, then. The only episodes I'd seen before then were the first two. Didn't like the first two episodes.
But everything after that so far has been pretty good. AMC does appear to be re-running the whole thing from the beginning after all.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

:)

I wasn't all that engaged when I watched the first two episodes. That there was a tv show out there that knew that HF would eat through glass and bone but not through PE was enough to make me squee.

I'm currently rewatching the first eps and I think they're good but they have their weaknesses, the characters are a bit over the top (which I guess you have to do in a pilot) compared to their layered later selves.

The show gets better and better, S2 is an incredible step up again and S3 is better still. They really seem to have an amazing team. I was even compelled to watch all the commentary and extras and they reminded me again how much a tv show is created by a collective of people. Vince Gilligan is very outspoken about how much input he gets from the actors and even just production circumstances.

Kinda made it clear why with Buffy the transition to comic book completely destroyed the magic.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Vince Gilligan is very outspoken about how much input he gets from the actors and even just production circumstances.Kinda made it clear why with Buffy the transition to comic book completely destroyed the magic.

Yep, I've learned to never underestimate an actor's influence on a story. David Fury once stated in regards to Whedon that Whedon didn't give Gellar nearly enough credit for making Buffy work. When S6 had hit it's lowest ebb, Gellar went to the writers and begged them to bring Buffy back, that moral on set was almost nil, and the show was losing it's edge. This was around Older and Far Away, long after Dead Things. Gellar also suggested wardrobe choices, the outfit in Smashed and Dead Things - included items that she brought from home.

And the acting in Breaking Bad is remarkably good. Have you seen Terriers? It's just one season, but quite similar in tone and quality to Breaking Bad (just without the chemistry stuff).

I'm admittedly not as into the chemistry stuff (not a chemist and really have no clue what they are talking about) but it does provide an interesting texture to the series for those of us who know zip about it.

Just made it all the way through S1, and watched first episode of S2. AMC is playing two episodes back to back every Wed night...and since each season is only 13 episodes long, if that, may be 6...they tend to be tight and quick. AMC is following the European model of just 6-13 episodes a season. Cheaper to do, and higher quality. As opposed to the American network model of 22 episodes - harder to do, more expensive, and lower quality due to volume. Good example of quality vs. quantity approach.

Shows similar to Breaking Bad include Terriers, Sons of Anarchy,
Damages, The Good Wife, The Shield, Mad Men, Rubicon, and Justified.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

An actor always brings something unique to a character, especially on a tv show, where they are given so much time to develop the role.

I loved it though that Vince Gilligan did not try to take all the credit, he really illustrated what was his basic idea and what the actors brought to the table. Without Anna Gunn Skyler would have ended up a much flatter character for example.

I agree that the acting is superb. I've not seen Terriers yet but I plan too. I like the good wife a lot and if I remember correctly it was you who brought me on to it. With Mad Men I'm already madly in love. For some reason I didn't click with sons of anarchy. Maybe I have to try again some times.

The chemistry on BB is a total treat for me, I caught myself mapping out the synthesis Walt is doing and filling in the blanks. :)

13 eps seems to be a good size, Dexter and the HBO shows also profit from it, while the 22 ep shows sometimes suffer from filler episodes.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Sons of Anarchy didn't click for me either. I couldn't get into it and when I tried it again, I shut it off about five-ten minutes in. I think my problem with it may be that it is too violent, and with a heavy emphasis on sexual violence. Katy Sagal's character is raped and tortured for example. And it's very paternal, with a patriarchial tone that you don't see in Breaking Bad, which subverts that, or in Mad Men - which criticizes and satirizes it. This feels very Stephen King.

But that said, I may try it again if it ever repeats from the beginning.