What I'm Watching Right Now...

Downton Abbey

As an English major, this show fills a certain void for me that most American shows can’t. I love the subtle storytelling (particularly in the first season), the amazing period gowns, and of course, the proper English accents. Set during the time before and during WWI, it’s fascinating to see the tensions that result from the dissolution of the rigid class divide that existed at the time.

Parks and Recreation

I adore this show, and I adore Amy Poehler. Although it started out a bit weak, this show has grown to be the current best comedy on television, in my opinion. I could write an essay on why Leslie Knope is the perfect feminist heroine, but I will save that for another, future post. Every single member of the cast shines whenever the light is directed their way, particularly Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) and Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford). Plus, Ben Wyatt is dreamy in a really nerdy way.

Portlandia

I have to admit—I was skeptical of this show at first. I have never been a particular fan of Fred Armisen, but now I think that may have had more to do with shoddy SNL writing than anything else. I love this show! He and Carrie Brownstein are adorable, funny, and the perfect way to end the week. My favorite episode of season two so far has been “One More Episode.” The characters’ obsession with Battlestar Gallactica perfectly illustrates the obsessive geek mentality that has long been a part of who I am.

On Netflix Streaming:
 

Black Books

Hooray for English comedy! Those that have been reading this blog for a while, or who know me in real life know that I love most comedies that hail from across the pond. This one hasn’t wound its way into my heart quite like the IT Crowd yet, but I am enjoying it so far, especially the character of Fran, the shopkeeper next door.

Party Down

Ben Wyatt! I mean, Adam Scott! I love him on Parks and Recreation, so I figured I would give this show a shot. It’s pretty funny in a subtle way. No laugh out loud moments so far, but plenty of giggles. It also stars the magnificent Jane Lynch, who is always a pleasure to watch.

The Vampire Diaries 

The jury is still out on this one. I began watching when a friend visited me a few weeks ago. She warned me that it was cheesy, and it is, but it is still quite watchable (unlike some of the current vampire-themed fare…coughtwilightcough). I haven’t grown attached to any of the characters yet, so that isn’t a good sign. But I’ll wait and see if the fake fog and melodrama of the first few episodes gives way to more plot and character development before I cast my final judgment.


Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Our Online Selves: Recent Thoughts on Blogging, Identity and Authenticity

I have been struggling lately with trying to find a direction for this blog—one that fits my current state of being and path in life. At times I feel that I would like to take the blog in a more personal direction, but then I also feel afraid of “putting myself out there.” I see personal blogs that seem to depict the blogger’s life as perfect in every possible way—from their effortless personal style and their impeccable house to their perfect significant other, and I think, “does anything I say really matter if I don’t look great while saying it?”

I think part of it comes from the fact that I don’t much like talking about myself. I mean, I will talk about myself from time to time, but usually what you’ll find here is a catalogue of my opinions on pop culture, music, television and movies. If you look at my posts as a whole, you would probably label this blog a pop culture/media review site. And you wouldn’t be wrong. However, sometimes I feel like I have deeper things to convey, and I fear that I will be trapped in this online persona that doesn’t fully express who I really am (or even who I want to be).

Sometimes it feels as though our online presence is all that really matters anymore. If your life looks good on the page (or screen, rather) you can create the perfect version of yourself—the person you always wanted to be. It’s a bit like the Matrix, really. We project our ideal selves online via avatars and personal blogs, and on the surface, our lives can look perfect. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this idea. Having an idealized version of ourselves ready for public consumption is what drives most of us in our day to day lives. After all, when you go for a job interview, you try to “put your best foot forward.” It’s a part of our survival.

But when do our online lives eclipse our real lives? Do we forget to actually enjoy life when we are so intent on making everything seem perfect online? How many of us have ducked out of view of someone’s camera at a party for fear that the photos will be plastered all over Facebook the next day?

I guess what I am trying to say is, "How can we live our lives authentically when even one image or blog post has the potential to define us in the public eye?" As I continue to struggle to find my online voice, I fear being pigeon-holed. But I also know that if you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no-one. I suppose that the best course of action is to just not think about it too much, and blog about what interests me in the moment.

Here’s to our online selves…


Photo courtesy of  Jamie Zawinski.

Golden Globes Party!

I'll be quite honest: I haven't seen many of the films and television shows that are up for awards this year. I know, I know, what kind of pop culture junkie do I think I am?! With the exception of Parks and Recreation (my absolute favorite show at the moment) Downton Abbey (Maggie Smith is my hero) and Bridesmaids (hilarious film!) I am not really rooting for anything.

Does that mean that I won't be enjoying any Golden Globe festivities? I wouldn't miss it for the world. I must admit that I have a bit of an obsession with awards shows. Ever since I was a kid, my family always had parties for the Golden Globes and for the Oscars. My mom would set out a tray of snack foods, open a bottle of Martinelli's and we would dish on the different celebrity outfits.

This year, I am going to be enjoying the Golden Globes with some close friends. I can't wait to see if Ricky Gervais offers up a repeat performance of last year's snark-fest. Or will he tone it down? Hopefully not!

Photo courtesy of Thomas Lewis at Flickr.

Book Review: The Sookie Stackhouse Novels

Recently I started a new job--an hour and a half away from where I'm currently living. As such,  I now have about 3 hours of public transportation time a day, which, while tiring, also has the advantage of allowing me time to read. After a grueling day in the office, it's great to unwind--but I don't necessarily have the mental energy for anything heavy.

So I've finally broken down and have begun reading the Sookie Stackhouse series (or, The Southern Vampire Mysteries) on my Kindle (which I love, because no one can tell I'm reading trash). The books are a lot of fun, and super fast reads (I've just finished the third), but don't expect Shakespeare. Charlaine Harris' syntax is simple and linguistically uninspiring, but her main character is fiesty, fun and gosh darnit, kind of an empowered sort of gal.

The sharpest contrast between the books and the show is the first person narrative that Harris uses. In the books, we only see the action from Sookie's perspective, and because of this, the other characters lack depth and development. It's surprising how much these characters have become fleshed out on the show, considering the fact that they are practically card board cutouts floating in the background of the narrative here.

I thought maybe if I read the books I would finally understand the initial attraction between Bill and Sookie, but no. I don't. I do, however, enjoy Eric's character in the books immensely, and love the sexual tension between the Viking vampire and Sookie. Bill who?

As stated, the books are told entirely from Sookie's point of view. This means that a lot of the subplots that Alan Ball has added to the True Blood series are absent from the book, and many of the beloved characters from the show are blips on Sookie's (somewhat self-centered) radar.

I have to say that after reading the books and watching the show, I find the "equal rights for vampires" B storyline problematic--especially in light of the fact that every single vampire character in the books (and on the television show) is portrayed as (at least potentially) violent and mercenary. I know, I know, humans can be, and often are, just as violent and mercenary. But the complete lack of any vampires in the books who haven't killed people makes the concept of equal rights for vampires seem a bit absurd.

Believability be damned, these books are good, mindless summer reading, and I am enjoying the ride. I have stopped at the fourth book for now, because I am also watching True Blood season four and don't want to be spoiled. Yeah, it's a sad day when I don't want to be spoiled for a television show by the books that show is based on. That's just how I do.

Short Interview With Retta (Donna From Parks and Recreations) at the Los Angeles GLAAD Awards

Photo by Elaine Cameron, The Seattle Lesbian

When my good friend Sarah Toce--editor-in-chief of The Seattle Lesbian--asked me to cover the red carpet at the Los Angeles GLAAD Awards, I was ecstatic. Especially since the cast of Parks and Recreations was going to be there. But while most of the cast didn't give interviews to more than a few publications, Retta (who plays Donna) was kind enough to talk to me. Here is my brief, but wonderful, interaction with the lovely star of Parks and Recs.

Lisa: Hi Retta! I’m Lisa. I’m here for The Seattle Lesbian. How’s your night been so far?

Retta: Hi! I just got here, so it’s been pretty uneventful. I had a birthday party last night, so I was up really, really late. So I’m like, the latest I could get here…and I’m literally sweating, because I still got liquor in my body. [Laughs]

Lisa: [Laughs] So tell me, what’s the scoop on Donna? What’s in her future?

Retta: Um, [laughs] sadly, a lot of drinking.

Lisa: At the club?

Retta: Well yeah, she has a lot of club scenes. Other than that, I think next season we’ll find out a little bit more about her. We already know that she lives beyond her means, you know, with her Mercedes.

Lisa: [Laughs] Definitely. Well, I look forward to seeing more of her. Could I get a picture of us?

Retta: Sure.

[We pose, take picture, yada yada]

Retta: I get photo approval. Photo approval. [Checks the photo on my iPhone] OK. That’s OK.

The PR people then swept her away. But it was the highlight of my night. Such an awesome lady!

Interview With Scott Allie for Curve Magazine

There’s no question about it: Buffy the Vampire Slayer has staked a claim in the hearts of the LGBT community. And now that Buffy Season Eight has come to a finish, fans are eagerly awaiting Season Nine. In the meantime, Dark Horse editor Scott Allie reflects on the past four years, working with Joss Whedon and the challenges and rewards of keeping the beloved characters alive (mostly) in comic book form.

[WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SEASON EIGHT AHEAD]

When Joss first proposed the concept of an eighth season, there were only around 25 issues planned, correct? Did Joss, or anyone at Dark Horse, think that the series would last this long, and be this successful?

We expected a pretty high level of success, but we didn’t plan on a forty-issue run. I think initially it was to be 22 issues, like a 22-episode season of a TV series. But we soon realized that A) we had too much story to tell, and B) the episode-to-issue comparison didn’t hold water. The volume of story is different, the way a monthly issue versus a weekly episode works on the audience is totally different. The story wound up being forty issues, and I don’t know how that would compare to episodes of a TV season.

Since this is Curve Magazine, you know I have to ask about the Buffy/Satsu relationship—the seeds of which were planted pretty early in the series and which culminated in “Wolves at the Gate.” I thought that story arc was really sweet and well-executed. But there were some that saw it as sensational—as a way to get sales. What would you say to that criticism?

It’s inaccurate, and it foists upon Joss an agenda that’s simply not him. He doesn’t do sexually exploitative stories to boost ratings or sell comics. He tells involved stories of often ill-conceived romance, full of twists and turns and heartbreak, but I don’t think that’s exploitive. Accuse him of the agenda he’s guilty of—throwing gay characters in peoples faces so they have to deal with them. We got a lot of letters that started, “I’m not homophobic but …” Guess what, buddy …

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW AT CURVEMAG.COM

Big Love's New - And Last - Season

Does anyone out there even watch Big Love anymore?

I know there used to be weekly reviews on Jezebel, but I haven't seen any this season. Nary a mention from the Tumblr community either—at least from what I've seen.

So I am gonna talk about it here.

Despite Nicky's realization that her father was a false profit and her subsequent transformation, season four was definitely my least favorite season of the show. Bill's whole political run seemed way too unbelievable, and I think they really backed themselves into a corner with his win.

Now that the fifth season has begun, and Bill is in the senate, it isn't terrible—but those scenes are definitely the least interesting to me. The soap-operatics are the only thing keeping me going at this point—which is a shame, since this show has really sparked a lot of intelligent debate in the past amongst my friends and I concerning polygamy and coercion and how things aren't always as simple as black and white.

Barb has finally started to act out against Bill, which is fun and interesting. Between drinking wine and asserting her priesthood, she has finally started to gain some independence. By the end of the show, one assumes that she will have gained it fully (those of you who watched last week's episode know what I am talking about.)

Nicki is very grating this season. I though that maybe she was over the whole holier-than-thou self-righteous crap, cause, you know, she got that cool makeover and doesn't look like a prairie girl polygamist anymore. But no. She is still Nicki. Maybe even more so. And she is bound to drive her daughter, Cara Lynn, away with her overbearing concern. It's kind of tragic really.

And when she  does, will Cara Lynn go running into the arms of her teacher? There's definitely something weird going on there. I kind of hope that they don't play that out the way we expect. He could be gay, after all. Anything that slightly subverts expectation will do.

While we're on the topic of creepy, Margie reveals that she was only sixteen when she married Bill, which means that she was probably 15 or so when they started having a sexual relationship (it was revealed in earlier seasons that they had been intimate, pre-marriage, which royally pissed Nicki off.) What I find interesting is how everyone is so mad at Margie about this, and they basically absolve Bill for any wrongdoing. Come on, he must have had some inkling of her age. The only person who calls him out on his behavior is Don Embry, who claims that Bill was obsessed with Margie, and would have pursued her at any cost, despite consequences. That sounds like Bill to me.

Half into season 5, I feel sad that the show is almost over, for good. I think there are a lot of interesting stories that could still be told here. Hopefully some of them will play out before the big finish.

Better Late Than Never: Merlin Edition

I have been craving a new TV show. Preferably something with magic. As I searched Netflix Watch Instantly yesterday, I realized that I had often overlooked the perfect candidate...Merlin. Now, I have tried to watch British fantasy shows before, and I hate to say it, but the effects are often so horribly cheesy that I am put off and give up. I know, I am shallow.

But Merlin is fantastic. I can't really remember the mythology that well, so between watching Camelot and The Sword in the Stone as a kid I am a little confused about who is who. I am sure I will get the gist of it after a few episodes. I love that Merlin is a teenager who is trying to learn to control his gift for magic, although I feel a little bad about the fact that his "destiny" is ultimately being a manservant. Ah, well, I am sure great things are in store for him.

Oh, and hello Anthony Stewart Head (AKA Giles from Buffy)! Head plays the slightly evil King Uther; though unsurprisingly, he brings a humanistic quality to a character that many would render completely unlikable. Love this man, and can't wait to see what he does with this role.

Here's to countless hours of entertainment ahead!