The BBC series Robin Hood is playing now on BBC America. It’s not spectacular groundbreaking television, but it is a rollicking good adventure show where the bad guys are delightfully bad and the good guys are good but conflicted. It’s lots and lots of fun, and you should watch it, if only to encourage BBC America to bring good shows over here quicker (like, concurrent with their UK release).
Category: entertainment
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This tickles my funny bone, though it kind of scares Kevin:
The World Weekly News, has an article about the characters from Supernatural as if they were real people. Which is awesome in so many ways. Of course the boys would use a source like that to hunt down man-eating-cows. Heeee. Supernatural’s all new tonight, btw, on The CW at 9 pm EST.\
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Awesome!
The news and entertainment shows have been showing that crazy bride video after I linked to it. My new motto should be: shares crap first. It turns out that the crazy bride video was a fake, posted by a wanna-be actress, which is ok by me because I questioned its authenticity in my post. Had I not, I would have been embarrassed. Also, I don’t think the bride was so great, but her friends did an awesome job of acting. Major kudos to them. They felt so real to me, I wanted to bitch-slap two of them and pet the third.\
Here is another awesome video totally worth one minute and ten seconds of your time: The Liberation of Katie Holmes. It’s an oldie, but a goody.\
Max is back at school. Hope he is doing ok. Cross your fingers! But he passed his cold to Kevin. Boooo! And to Brian. Super booooo! We ran out of baby cold medicine this morning. “Oh noes” heard all around the Lawver house this morning. Until I realized that Brian isn’t a baby. He is old enough to actually take most of the same medicine Max can. Then a whole new type of “Oh noes” were heard being wailed.\
In other awesome news-\
Supernatural kicked ass last week. Kicked. Ass. Literally. Figuratively. Lots of ass, lots of kicking. The CW is streaming the episode online if anyone is interested. A new episode airs tonight. Yippeee!\
Veronica Mars has been super cool since coming back from holiday hiatus. It, too, is being streamlined on the web.\
That’s all I got. What’s being awesome in your life? -
Wii First Impressions
I told you we got a Wii, and here are my initial thoughts:
- Everything about it is gorgeous. The box itself, the wiimote, the nunchuk, the menus, the sounds, everything. It’s one of the best designed consumer electronic thingies I’ve ever used.
- It’s usable. I didn’t have to look anything up to get it hooked up, play my first round of bowling or get connected to the internet. It all just worked. Better yet, it’s very easy to get started playing. Including Wii Sports was a great move, because it gives you an easy introduction into totally changing how you play video games.
- It’s a workout. Yeah, you can fairly easily do everything you need to while relaxing in a chair, but it’s not as much fun as really going at it (see the video in the original Wii post).
- It makes watching people play video games fun (finally!). We had a great time laughing at each other box, bowl and golf last night.
- The controller takes some getting used to. When I say it totally changes how you play video games, I’m not kidding. Everything is based on motion, and you have to figure out the best way to keep the controller pointed at the screen.
- Everyone can play. We still have to convince Jen of it, but Max, my 24 year-old brother, my over-50 dad, and I were all able to pick up Wii Sports and be relatively successful with it (Max is the king of nut-shots in boxing… I’m scared for all the little Wii boxers’ hopes of having children).\
In short, it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. If you get one, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a great first game. Lots of crazy minigames, easy to pick up, and funny. The first-person shooter bits could be a game all by themselves. If you can find a Wii, get it. I can’t wait to see what other crazy games come out for it.
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Kids Love the Ska
Want to make your kids dance like mad little dervishes? Throw on some ska! I was listening to the SKAverville episode of Coverville where Brian played an unbelievable version of the Can Can. I loved it so much, I made Max listen to it (because he was nearby). He giggled uncontrollably and then started boogying. I tried it this morning on Brian with the same results – spinning happy kid.\
There you go, scientific proof that kids love ska. If you don’t have some, I highly recommend the Trojan Ska Revival. It’s got the Can Can on it, and most of the rest of the songs were recorded live, so they’re chock full of energy. These are going in the “dance” playlist we have in iTunes that we roll out when the boys need to let off some excess energy before bed time (I Like to Move It from Madagascar is one of their favorite “dance freakout” songs, along with Move Your Feet by Junior Senior).\
I love watching Max and Brian dance. It’s this funny combination of running, hand waving, head bobbing and butt shakin’ that warms my heart and makes me giggle. When Brian’s just grooving, he does this cute little head bob with the beat that just cracks me up. I’ll try to get it on video in the near future… -
Supernatural
Hey, there is a new Supernatural on tonight (Thursday, 9pm EST on The CW) that looks awesome. YAY! This is the last new one until January though. Boo. But we finally get to know what the big, super-secret secret that John told Dean is. Yippeee! I can’t wait. Any guesses about the secret?\
I’ve also heard that Supernatural is now available on iTunes, which is cool. Now all you peeps out in internet-land can watch at your own convenience. Neat-oh, huh? -
Cookies Are Yummy
In case you didn’t know, chocolate chip cookies are yummy. Max and I made a double batch while Brian was pretending to take a nap (he serenaded us over the baby monitor with babble-singing, then whining, then crying). They turned out really well. The keys?
- Use the Toll House recipe
- Mix the sugar and brown sugar before adding the butter and then break up any clumps before adding the butter.
- The butter should be about half softened / half melted
- Use about a half a teaspoon more vanilla than it calls for
- Use about half a cup more chocolate chips than you should
- Use half semi-sweet toll house chips, half Ghiradelli bittersweet.
- Cook them about a minute less than you think they need. There’s nothing better than a gooey chocolate chip cookie.
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Obvious much?
HA:\
Les Moonves actually called Dawn Ostroff yesterday and asked “why the upswing on Veronica [Mars]?”\
She said, “Well, we did give it a bunch more promotion.” -
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars scored its second highest ratings ever with last night’s mystery finale. YAY! For those who missed the beginning of the arc, or those who are just now deciding to watch the awesomeness that is Veronica Mars, the season opener is being shown next week (Tuesdays, The CW at 9pm EST). I think most of the first mystery’s arc will be replayed, which will be a great time to look for clues for the second mystery which was introduced last night. Wheeee. And how fab is it that we already know so much about the suspects and already have clues? Wheeee, again, I say.
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Sci-Fi Resurgent
I was never that into science fiction. I don’t read sci-fi books, comics or get into sci-fi games. But, ever since the new Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who started a couple years ago (has it been that long?), I’ve been hooked. Here’s what I’m hooked on and why:
- Battlestar Galactica – One of the five best shows on TV, regardless of genre. The stories are good (even when they got repetetive in the second season). This season, it’s even better. The characters keep developing, and it feels like the show could go on for years. I thought the “we’re on ships and running away” thing would get old. It hasn’t; it just gets better. If you haven’t watched it, go back and start at the beginning with the DVDs, because at this point, it won’t make any sense.
- Doctor Who – The second season just wrapped up on SciFi, and it was a doozy. The first season was a good old fashioned romp, and it gets rompier (what?) in the second. It’s fun, light, but can still throw a really creepy curveball in when it wants. It’s a great show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Perfectly balances humor, sci-fi and the show’s own camp origins to come up with something truly original.
- Torchwood – I was a little worried about this Captain Jack spinoff of Doctor Who, but boy, there was nothing to be worried about. This one’s currently seven episodes in across the pond, and wow. It’s a grown up show, big time. Where Doctor Who is shown at seven PM, this show is shown at ten, and that makes a huge difference. The subject matter is darker, the emotions more raw, and the language is saltier. It’s a good moody drama, but still has a spark of the Doctor’s humor in it. Plus, it’s always fun to see Captain Jack. They’re doing a great job slowly developing his character, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
- Heroes – This is the only new show this season I’ve stuck with. It’s gotten better with every episode, and I’m hooked. It’s funny, dark and will keep you guessing in a good way (not in a LOST “What the hell?” sort of way). It’s paced so well that each episode feels almost exactly like reading a comic book, and you know I love that. Oh, and as an added bonus, I’m pretty sure it’s the most diverse show on TV (without rubbing your face in it). Good, good stuff. I think you can catch all the episodes on iTunes.
- Eureka – This one’s definitely quirky. It’s a wink and a nod to sci-fi convention as a sort of cross between Northern Exposure and The X-Files. It’s funny and charming in its own way. I’m glad they’re bringing it back for a second season to see if they can develop the characters some more and go somewhere with the interesting setup.\
And I know it’s not sci-fi, but The Wire has overtaken Battlestar Galactica for the best show on television. No other show that I can remember is so patiently paced, so intricately plotted or has such well rendered characters. It covers so much ground each week without feeling rushed or contrived. If you’re a fan of uncompromised storytelling (think the first two seasons of Sopranos or Deadwood), or were a fan of Homicide: Life on the Street, you owe it to yourself to watch this show. It’s different, and if you’re used to stories that tie themselves up with a nice neat bow after every hour, go somewhere else. But, if you want characters that feel real, stories that feel authentic and subject matter that’s not honestly discussed anywhere else, watch it. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and may be the best cop show ever.\
I’ve had the last few days off, and it’s been great. I haven’t gone so far as to not check my mail, but the break’s been good. I’ve done a bunch of stuff around the house, played with the kids, and caught up on doing nothing. Sometimes, nothing is the best cure for what ails you.