Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes yesterday. To clarify, although I joked, it’s not the getting older that had me reluctant to ackowledge my birthday yesterday. I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday because no amount of well-wishing was going to keep it from being a crap-tastic day. Call me crazy, but I think birthdays should continue to be special, even in your 30s. Instead of having a special day, I had work (I’m a fucking rock-star for hard-coding updates to our website because we’re having problems that prevent me from using our usual web editing software, big boss can’t operate basic office equipment or software which makes life harder, and I’m dealing with a far-less-than-competent contractor daily), class, homework, dieting, and trying to keep my brave face on despite my friends moving away. In short, it just wasn’t a special day, it was a banal, if not abnormally bad sorta day.

Anywho, the final issue of the Whedon/Cassaday run on Astonishing X-Men came out today. It’s hard to believe that this story arc I’ve been reading for three and a half years, the very book that brought me back to comic books (curse you Joss Whedon!), is over. The final issue had me choking back sobs in public during my lunch break. {spoiler font - highlight to read} I’m so glad Kitty isn’t officially dead - it will be less obnoxious when they eventually bring her back. Also, the final exchange between Kitty/Emma - beautiful, just beautiful. So much goodness: Beast/Brand. Scott’s eyes failing. “Brand isn’t my given name.” “I will rule it.” And the reveal featuring a drooling Reed Richards… I fucking love this shit. {end spoiler font} I’m looking forward to some quiet time where I can start at the beginning and read the whole 25 episode story in one sitting.

In fact, I’m very much looking forward to late June, when I can (theoretically) go back to pleasure reading, watching movies instead of doing homework, and playing video games.

Also, even though all those internet quizzes tell me I’m a Carrie, I’ve still never watched a single full episode of Sex in the City. It makes it hard to get excited about the movie. I guess I’ll always be more of a Golden Girls sorta guy (I’m totally Dorothy)…

The Golden Boys

Posted: May 30th, 2008 under comic books, movies, personal, television.
Comments: 5

Leave me alone, I’m watching BSG!

Battlestar Galactica: it’s what geeks do on Friday nights.

Posted: April 11th, 2008 under television.
Comments: none

Some days, for no good reason, this song still gets stuck in my head. Today was one of those days. About halfway through a very stressful morning, I found myself humming this song.

But for some reason, the next one is even more firmly embedded in my brain for random earworm fun…

Now why have I never seen a good drag performance of Jem and the Holograms?

Posted: April 4th, 2008 under music, television.
Comments: 1

After Elton has a great story about Sketch Comedy’s Greatest Gay Hits featuring some of the best gay-themed skits of the past 30 years. From Kids in the Hall to more obscure shows, it’s kinda cool to see both how sketch comedy changed in their portrayal of the gays and how to have smart (not-mean) humor about homosexuality.

My favorite skit, though, came from SNL:

Homocil

Although I think the list seems incomplete without…

Jake hosting SNL - opening monologue - DREAMGIRLS SPOOF

Posted: January 8th, 2008 under Funny, links, television.
Comments: none

Ugh. I hate it when I fall asleep earlier than I intended then wake up again. I should know better than to let myself fall asleep between 5pm and 9 pm - I never sleep through the night and it’s hard getting back to sleep. Plus, I missed Chuck and Heroes, so I’ll have to catch up later this week. At least I get to watch the second part of Tin Man as it repeats tonight.

No TV tomorrow night, though - either internet downloads or otherwise. I’m going to see Juliette and the Licks in concert with a bunch of friends. I haven’t been to a concert in months, so I’m glad, even though it means being out on a school night.

Can I kvetch about one of the things that is irritating the bejebus out of me? The new “Citizen Soldier” video by 3 Doors Down playing at the beginning of every movie in every theater right now. It’s violent (betraying the worlds of comfort and support on the screen), two of my friends have commented on the same mildly racist undertones I picked up on (although none of us can point to exactly why we thought that), and it’s blatant pro-military propaganda.

Fine, I support the troops. But I don’t support the war, I don’t support the use of the troops except in the very most egregious and necessary situations, and I don’t support misleading recruiting tools. All I want to do is watch a fluffy movie about a cartoon princess coming to the real world NYC, not sit through propoganda about a biased institution I’m not allowed to join anyway.

But you know what really, really pisses me off? The target audience for Enchanted involves young children. In fact, when I went to see it, there were several families including kids younger than 8. the ages of my own nieces and nephews. I wouldn’t want them seeing something so violent, loud, and explosive. But as part of the pre-movie marketing, there’s absolutely no way to escape this video when you attend Enchanted.

Judge for yourself, would you want a 6-year-old watching this?

Posted: December 4th, 2007 under movies, politics, television.
Comments: none

The worst thing about daylight-saving time is that when I leave the office at 4:45, it’s already nearly dark out. It saps my motivation to do smart things like go to the gym or take care of daily errands.

Since Hollywood is going on strike just as I hit my winter slump, I guess now makes as good a time as ever to evaluate the TV season.

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Heroes

Last year, the thought of going out on a Monday night was crazy. This year, I’m still watching but I’m not as impressed. I continue to be troubled by the dubious racial, gender and sexual politics of the show, but I will admit that Matt is a lot more interesting as part of the Matt-Mohinder gay daddies dynamic.

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Chuck

I sorta adore this show. Adam Baldwin alone would be enough to have me salivating at the screen (a.k.a. Jayne in Serenity or the well-dressed-man Marcus Hamilton in Angel). Add to that mix the most tragically under-used character to date: Devon. Devon is more appropriately referred to as “Captain Awesome” and is played by the gorgeous Ryan McPartlin. He’s the guy in the fig leaf in the picture over there. Yeah, I know it was distracting you.

Aside from the pretty, the show is actually a pretty deliightful mix of comedy and suspence. It’s also one of the many shows this year showing that geeks are the new studs.

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Gossip Girl

Okay, so saying I “watch” Gossip Girl is a bit of a stretch. It’s far more accurate to say that it plays on the television while I surf the web or read a book. But from what I can hear, there are worse choices for background noise. Thankfully, aside from the first episode, the GG time slot cancells out any lingering interest I might have in the new Bionic Woman and the post-”faggot” career of Isaiah Washington.

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Ugly Betty

Finally we arrive at Thursday night, the only night of television worth planning your schedule around. I was a relative latecomer to the Ugly Betty party, but thanks to the magic of internet downloads (legal, even) I was able to catch up. Thank you internet downloads. Now, studio executives give a fair share to the writers so we can end the strike.

This season of Ugly Betty is better than last. Every episode has the moment that makes me laugh out loud and another one that makes me cry. I think it’s the best thing on TV right now… and I’ll include Battlestar Gallactica in that statement.

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Grey’s Anatomy

Getting rid of Addison and Burke has actually helped this show a lot. Back off haters, I like Lexy Grey. And I really love the Izzy/George relationship. And I think they’re finally going to give Alex a story that goes somewhere. I can even generate a bit of interest in Meredith and Cristina (although I think the McDreamy/McSteamy bromance has much more dramatic potential than more on-again-off-again from Deredith).

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Brothers & Sisters

Love this show. It feels a bit too much like my own family at times (if my family’s stories were a whole lot more interesting, involved more money, and more attractive people). Despite my early worries, I really dig the McAlister family and hope they’re around for a while. I just wish real Republicans were at all like the Republicans in this show.

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Anyway, that sums up the shows I make an effort to see. I catch Journeyman, Desperate Housewives, and Eureka when I happen to be doing nothing else. I did see last week’s episode of Dirty Sexy Money with the now infamous towel scene (pictured right). I think many shows have won me over with hot-guy-in-towel scenes (i.e. Battlestar, Grey’s), but unless I happen across the show again and take more interest, I don’t think I’ll be tuning in again.Let’s hope the writer’s strike doesn’t last too long so we can get back to great scripted television.

Posted: November 5th, 2007 under television.
Comments: none

I arrived in DC safe and sound. Short layover on St. Louis, which, thank Jebus, has a smoking lounge. My last several cross country trips have stopped over in Chicago, Orange County, and Vegas–none of which allow smoking anymore unless you go all the way outside, come back in, get another security screening, etc. For a two hour layover, it’s really difficult to call whether or not it’s worth it. But having the indoor smokers fishbowl cage makes a day-long flying trip much, much easier.

I arrived in time to watch the season premier of Heroes, which was all kinds of “Eh…” After loving this show a whole lot last year, I find that I’m not so much with the gushing praise this time around. I get why they saved the fate of Peter to the end reveal, but why no Nikki? No DL? And another person of color dead within the first episode?

Anyway, today was relatively cake. Tomorrow the hard work begins.

Posted: September 24th, 2007 under DC, television.
Comments: none

The finale just didn’t do it for me.

Everything just felt anti-climactic to me. Nothing about “Bob” the Haitian, nothing was explained about *why* the frigging explosion was supposed to be a good thing, and the Peter/Sylar showdown was surprisingly skimpy on the special effect. I mean, I know this is a television budget and not an X-Men movie, but if you’ve got the powers of telepathy, invisibility, nuclear explosions, making ice, making melt things melt, flying, healing, reading minds, super-strength and more all taking place in one show-down, shouldn’t there be more special effects? I’m just saying.

I have a feeling that neither of the Petrelli brothers is dead. Nathan could have let Peter fly on his own after some point, or just dropped him and zoomed off at supersonic speed (yes, he goes that fast… he created a sonic boom earlier this season escaping Noah ::shudders:: Bennet and Bob the Haitian).

I’m glad that Sylar was able to escape. He makes a good villain and I’d be disappointed if he’d died off that easily. I’m intrigued by Molly’s claim of the “even scarier” guy out there who can see her when she thinks of him. Total season 2 set-up.

Maybe I’ll like the season finale better after a second viewing, but I’m not blown away. I still like the show, but I feel like the promise, the potential, never really came to fruition. There’s an old rule in screenwriting/playwrighting, “if you show a gun in Act One, you better have used it by Act Three.” I’m still waiting for them to fire several guns.

Posted: May 22nd, 2007 under livejournal, television.
Comments: none

I rich and famous now! Well, sorta mildly famous anyway, if getting quoted and contradicted in The Advocate counts as fame. They also left out my entire rationale for the statement… that when corporations embrace LGBT equality and truly embrace inclusion, and LGBT people are able to bring their whole selves to work without fear, that more people get to know LGBT people and familiarity beneifts us all.

There were a whole lot of chihuahuas on my walk home. I wonder if chihuahuas have a cool plural noun form like “pack of wolves” or “kiss of vampires.” Let’s say that I saw a yap of chihuahuas while walking home. I must have encountered at least 6 (different owners, heading in different directions). Is there some sort of chihuahua convention or holiday?

I love Bill Maher. I’d have stoned sex with him.

Posted: May 22nd, 2007 under livejournal, television.
Comments: none

I think I’m packed for the DC-NYC trip. I leave early tomorrow. I’m packing a bit light, only taking what I really need. Sadly, half my suitcase is taken up by the suit I’ll be wearing for about 5 hours Thursday night. I’ll need to find a laundromat sometime on Thursday because I’ll be recycling a few outfits.

Of course, I’ll be in NYC the night before it supposedly blows up…

I thought tonight’s episode of Heroes was great. The scene where Sylar creates the live snow globe for his mother was genius, IMO. Also, the actress playing Sylar’s mother, Virginia Grey,looked so familiar and I couldn’t quite place it until a certain squeak with a pained look flashed across her faced and I practically screamed “Audrey!” Ellen Greene, from the original off-Broadway cast and film version of Little Shop of Horrors. I love her. (of course I do)

It would have been cool, though, if Sylar’s mommy had turned out to have some power. It seems almost all our other heroes have super-powered parents. Maybe it’ll turn out that Sylar!Daddy has some important backstory.

I can’t wait for next week.

Posted: May 8th, 2007 under DC, NYC, livejournal, television, theatregeekery.
Comments: none