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Saturday, July 03, 2010
 The TV meme returns, rearing its necromanced zombie head!
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch Didn't we do this already? While I appreciate the semantic difference between "more people" and "everyone," I'm not sure what it means in the context of this survey. Is "a show everyone should watch" a show I feel has broad, nigh-universal appeal, and "a show more people should watch" a great show with more niche appeal in danger of cancellation due to low numbers? Meh, I'm just going to say Leverage. It's smart, and it's ridiculous amounts of fun, plus explosions. While it's been known to toss merry bricks into my suspension of disbelief, and the product placement is hilariously obvious (the brilliant hacker uses Windows 7? BAHAHAHAHA.), it's so delightful that I'm happy to go along with it. Hardison and Parker are two of my favourite characters on TV at present. ilu Parker. Crazy, crazy Parker. Priscilla said at 9:54 PM
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show:
As we established on Day 4, my favourite TV show is Firefly, though I can never decide between "Out of Gas" and "Objects in Space." I seem to like "Objects in Space" a lot more than my friends, and I wonder what's wrong with them. You've got your existentialist-philosophizing bounty hunter, River's craziness being a force for AWESOME, and Simon being snarky and shirtless. Plus some really amazing facial expressions from Nathan Fillion. What more could you want? I have a great fondness for characters who are a little whimsical in the brainpan--Dru in Buffy, Auri in The Name of the Wind, Delirium in Sandman, and above all, River. The insight into the way she sees the world was just neat. It was fascinating to see her take center stage, then to see her acceptance of sorts by the rest of the crew. "Out of Gas" is simply a revelation. It juggles three separate timelines--one present, one recent past, and one more distant past--with grace and wit. We're given a hefty dose of backstory for a number of characters, but at no point does it feel gimmicky. It changes the way we see the crew, and it makes us love them even more. And Alan Tudyk's story about stealing the shuttle recall button and giving it to Joss has been known to make me sniffle. Labels: firefly, joss whedon is my master now, memes, tv Priscilla said at 11:25 PM
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
TV Meme, Day 05 - A show you hate
The dregs of Reality TV. Not all of reality TV, mind you. I give a pass to shows like Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance that are about identifying, honing, and rewarding real talent. Self/home-improvement shows like What Not To Wear and whatnot that help folks take pride in themselves and their surroundings also are undeserving of my ire. But shows that bring out the worst in humanity and give national soapboxes to vapid attention whores of society strike me as wastes of time and money. And when quality scripted television gets shunted aside to make room for more of it, I lose patience. I can hear the national IQ dropping. Priscilla said at 11:34 PM
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
TV Meme, Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
 Forgive me, guys, but I'm going to have to be lame and predictable here. Firefly. But just because something is lame and predictable doesn't mean it isn't valid. A few weeks ago, my friend Kait had a Fangirl Tea Party at her house, in which we giggled merrily about fannish things, ate a lot of baked goods, and watched a lot of random TV episodes. One of these episodes was "Safe," which I consider lower on the spectrum as far as Firefly episodes go. It's not "Objects in Space" or "Out of Gas" or "Our Mrs. Reynolds," after all. But I hadn't watched any Firefly in about two years, and I'd forgotten how good it was. I was dumbstruck. How could I have forgotten how much I love this freaking show? I discovered Firefly in that awkward, torrent-tastic time between cancelation and the release of the DVDs. I watched the episodes in the order in which they finished downloading, "Serenity" being among the last and "Ariel" being among the first, putting me only slightly higher on the confusion scale as those who watched it on Fox. But confused or not, I still recognized greatness when I saw it. This show has everything: action, romance, witty banter, plastic dinosaur fights, psychology, innovative cursing, gratuitous shirtlessness, chosen family, mystery, a deliciously genre-bending aesthetic, brilliant low-budget special effects that put higher budget productions to shame, folk songs about men with girls' names, and the prettiest cast you've ever seen, including my BFF Nathan. And it did it all in 14 episodes and a movie. Damn you, Fox. Labels: firefly, joss whedon is my master now, memes, tv Priscilla said at 10:56 PM
Monday, May 17, 2010
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
What a perfect day to talk about how much I love White Collar! For those who don't follow my Twitter, I visited the set of White Collar today (filming on my walk route to the F train) to try to nab new participants for Project Teddybear. Willie Garson (Mozzie) was the only big name on set at the time, but as I belatedly realized I only had one signature tag in my camera bag, this way I didn't have to embarrass myself. :D I'm so grateful to the crew for allowing me to wait around, then facilitating our brief meeting. The photo turned out ridiculously cute! So yes. Good grief on a stick, I adore White Collar. Everyone on the show is awesome, and above all, competent. This isn't one of those shows where you have some characters carrying the Idiot Ball to make another character look cleverer--everyone is pulling their intellectual weight. There are so many characters who could easily have been played for laughs or as goofy caricatures--Peter and June particularly--but the show refuses to walk that road. Competence! We likes it. And THANK THE GODS, it has a strong, functional marriage! And strong women! Elizabeth is brilliant, funny, has a life beyond keeping her husband's dinner warm, and has a trusting relationship with her husband. She'll get upset with him when it's warranted, but she's more likely to laugh at him than argue. And the OT3 writes itself. I considered using strikethrough for comedic emphasis there, but no, I am not ashamed. It's true. I see you googling for fic. Another awesome point, which I technically made earlier in this post: It's filmed in New York. It's not like Castle, which is supposed to take place in New York, only to make me fall over laughing when they try to depict any major landmark. Oh, honey, that's not what Grand Central Station looks like. *pets* But New York is all New York on White Collar! I get a little thrill of delight when I recognize some building in the background. And when I get a fan favourite actor to participate in a breast cancer fundraiser... well, that's just gravy. :D In conclusion, Matt Bomer needs to play Thomas Raith in The Dresden Files: The Movie. And Natalie Morales I adored from The Middleman, so it's always good to see her on my TV. I feel no shame in referring to White Collar as "The Thomas Raith and Wendy Watson Show." Except how Natalie's character was woefully underused to the point that she was eventually completely phased out, though I'm glad to see the return of the aide from the pilot episode, as TV needs more awesome lesbians. And as "The Thomas Raith Show" is kind of unfair to all the other fabulous characters on the show, I may have to retire the nickname. But yes. White Collar. It's good, fun TV, and my favourite new show this season. Can I have season 2 yet? Labels: project teddybear, tv, white collar Priscilla said at 11:35 PM
Sunday, May 16, 2010
TV Meme, Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
This is the first season in a while that I haven't had a proper bubble show in my viewing list. I've almost always had a "MORE PEOPLE NEED TO WATCH THIS SHOW OR ELSE IT WILL DIE" show in my lineup, be it Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies, Middleman, or any of the other shows I sent packs of M&Ms or Mars Bars or NYC postcards or whatever to. Castle seemed to be on precarious footing after season 1, but for now, it's safely renewed for a third, thanks to solid ratings and an ABC exec's wife's crush on Nathan Fillion. And Dollhouse was pretty bubbly, but Joss seemed to do his best work when he was operating under the belief he would be canceled, so I wasn't too broken up to see it axed. Except for how I wouldn't get to see Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj on my teevee every week anymore, and that's tragic. (I am so gay for Dichen Lachman. Maybe because she needs to play Kitai. The number of photos I took of her versus Joss, Eliza, and Fran at the SDCC Dollhouse panel last year verges on creepsterdom.) Anyway, to answer the question, I'm going to surprise myself and say I wish more people were watching Community. It no bubble show; it doesn't need higher ratings to stay afloat. It was just renewed, in fact. But as Jane Espenson raves, "it's a master class on new and fresh ways to tell jokes. And on how to actually be about something at the same time." (How much do I love that Jane is blogging again? A lot, I can tell you.) It's consistently hilarious, and it's a love letter to film and television culture. Also, Abed is a god. It's very episodic, so you don't need to watch every episode to understand or fully appreciate it. Just tune in and be entertained! Labels: community, dollhouse, i am gay for dichen lachman, memes, tv Priscilla said at 10:53 PM
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Katness is doing a 30-day TV meme! Because nothing short of an Act of God gets me to blog nowadays, I shall ape her.
Day 01 - A show that should never have been canceled Kat said Middleman, which would've been my answer, too. It's gleefully absurd, stuffed to the gills with geektastic sci-fi references, and infused with genuine heart. Plus, it soars triumphantly over the Bechdel Test, whooping and hollering with awesome lady character joy. Natalie Morales in a catsuit as a plot point should also not be underestimated. ART CRAWL! But because Kat got there first, I'll pick a different one. I think a "Veronica Mars at the FBI" would have been awesome, but as seasons 2 and 3 couldn't quite capture the brilliance of Season 1, I'm not going to suggest it shouldn't have been canceled. Except how everything else on the CW sucks, and I'd have rather seen something else get the axe. But yes! Something else! Wonderfalls was pretty freaking brilliant, and canceling it after FOUR EPISODES WERE AIRED is stupid beyond measure. Fox's sole purpose seems to be to create awesome shows, then squash them flat as soon as I fall in love with them. I can easily imagine its formula growing tired and stale if it continued much longer, but it was still fresh and thriving when the end came, and if the DVD commentary from the creative team was any indicator, there was more greatness to come. Stupid Fox. I'm still sore about Pushing Daisies, so I'm going to go with that. This show is guaranteed to perk up the foulest mood, except when you emerge from the high and realize that no new episodes will be produced, and you delve back into depression. This show was part star-crossed fairy tale, part Hitchcockian homage, and a feast for the eyes and the heart. What shows do you miss most? The rest of the days, if you want to participate: Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season) Day 04 - Your favorite show ever Day 05 - A show you hate Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show: Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show: Day 08 - A show everyone should watch Day 09 - Best scene ever Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving Day 11 - A show that disappointed you Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times Day 13 - Favorite childhood show Day 14 - Favorite male character Day 15 - Favorite female character Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show Day 17 - Favorite mini series Day 18 - Favorite title sequence Day 19 - Best TV show cast Day 20 - Favorite kiss Day 21 - Favorite ship Day 22 - Favorite series finale Day 23 - Most annoying character Day 24 - Best quote Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new) Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale Day 27 - Best pilot episode Day 28 - First TV show obsession Day 29 - Current TV show obsession Day 30 - Saddest character death Priscilla said at 9:10 PM
Friday, September 05, 2008
Middlememe:
Mutual of Omaha! When you see this, post a random quicky Middleman exclamation in your lj/blog. Priscilla said at 5:34 PM
Friday, August 29, 2008
Linkspam!
India's poor urged to 'eat rats' And an even more brain-injuring political move: A McCain advisor seeks to solve the health care crisis through semantics. I did a double-take, convinced I was reading an Onion analogue. Illustrating and cartooning blog Drawn! posts some excellent Ronald Searle-related links! So much love for Ronald Searle! Anyone that hasn't read Molesworth is missing out on something extraordinary. Aaron Sorkin writing movie about Facebook. My face looks like this: o_O? Biden: "Think About It" Chris Crocker's soulmate in an angry rant against the Twilight haters Labels: art, linkspam, obama is awesomesauce, politics, tv, wtf Priscilla said at 5:02 PM
Monday, August 18, 2008
"Vlad the Impaler had two loves: feasting on the blood of his impaled victims and puppet shows."
I can't wait for tonight's Middleman. Preview here! Priscilla said at 4:45 PM
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Pilot roundup time! It's leak season online, so on Thursday, I checked out the pilots for J.J. Abrams' Fringe and the TV adaptation of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, True Blood.
Fringe was rather meh. I might tune in for the second episode, to see just how sad an X-Files ripoff it's going to be, but right now I'm on the "leave it" side of the "take it or leave it" conundrum. I really enjoyed the first part of the pilot, but when they started pulling in the big mytharc guns, it just felt silly. It was entertaining, certainly, but... While it's easy to suspend one's disbelief for crazy "fringe" science, it's a lot harder to swallow when the stupid little details closer to reality aren't believable. The whole show loses grounding. A dude's skin is reduced to the consistency of Jell-o, but he still keeps his eyebrows and a perfect head of hair? The devil is in the details, writers. The ending kind of sucked. Still, there were some aspects of the show that were pretty cool. I liked the way they floated the location cues in the scene. That was just neat! And Denethor was awesome in his role as a brilliant but insane scientist. The astral plane sequence was delightfully trippy, and all the other visual effects were very well done. WOO, ZOIC! But yeah. While I imagine it'll find an audience somewhere, that somewhere won't be my couch. True Blood was a bit more difficult to quantify. The pilot is quite faithful to the events of the first half of the first book, so good job TV creative team! Unfortunately, that meant that all the things that bugged me about the book were there in force. Though I'm probably letting my book-irk and utter lack of patience for Bill color my perception of the show, as the show actually did a passable job showing why Sookie was attracted to him. (For the record: Sookie/Sam, woo!) They did a great job with Sookie's psychic effect, though the vamp effect was utterly laughable. The guy at the convenience store looked like some dweeby vampire rabbit! Also, the sex was way more graphic and obnoxious than it needed to be. Stupid HBO. I think it definitely shows promise, though. Anna Paquin's Southern accent has improved considerably since the first X-Men. And it'll be nice to have a vampire show on TV that isn't all brooding angst and private detectiving. There's a unique, quirky freshness to the novels that I think will do well on TV. I'm curious to see how it adapts. Labels: tv Priscilla said at 1:54 PM
Friday, June 27, 2008
HAHA, YES! Managed to snag a ticket to Eddie Izzard at Radio City Music Hall tomorrow night! They've been sold out for ages, but I guess they released a few more. I win at life!
Also, mah Summer Shows are getting cloooooser! Middleman: Mondays, 10/9c (ABC Family) Burn Notice: Thursdays, July 10 @ 10/9c (USA) Project Runway: Wednesdays, July 16 @ 9/8c (Bravo) Psych: Fridays, July 18 @ 10/9c (USA) Obligatory linkspam: In the past couple weeks, I've become a follower of the Big Picture, a blog that describes itself as "News Stories in Photographs." Some are inspiring, some are moving, some are devastating, and all are in breathtaking high-res. Check it out! Schedule of TV-related Panels at San Diego Comic Con. I already adored xkcd, but... God bless you for giving me the phrase "Barack Me Obamadeus!" I laughed for like thirty seconds straight. New trailer for the Repo Man rock opera. An utterly brilliant entrant in Colbert's "Make McCain Exciting" challenge: Vogue. Priscilla said at 9:44 AM
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
I left work at 12:15 last night, but I impulsively stayed up late and watched the pilot of The Middleman, which was ridiculously fun. It has early cancellation written all over it, but I plan to enjoy the heck out of it as long as it lasts! It's a deliciously quirky, self-aware show about an art school graduate who is recruited by a secret agency to fight against evil forces. Her square-jawed employer is best summarized as Captain Carrot working for the Men in Black. In one scene, he beats up a mob boss between taking long drinks of milk.
I'm not quite sure what age group it's intended for, which is one of the reasons I'm so convinced it's doomed to be prematurely canceled. With its light tone and goofy comic book stylings (not to mention its slot on ABC Family), one might think it was intended for young teens, but some of the content surprised me. There are comments about the heroine, Wendy, being a "beard" for her film student boyfriend, a running joke about cursing (which is bleeped out with a little black rectangle over the person's mouth), and pop-culture references I wouldn't expect tweens to get, such as Wendy's cry of "Get your filthy paws off of me you damn dirty ape" when being dragged away as a hostage by a genetically engineered, super intelligent gorilla. I don't know. Maybe it's intended specifically for me! So check it out. This show is pure, unadulterated fun! If you don't believe me, check out this glowing review from the New York Times. If you have ABC Family, it's on Mondays at 8/7c. If you don't, it's on In other news: Wave 4 of the Doctor Who action figures includes a 6" Doctor with five Adipose, due to hit stores late July. If the Beeb can't cough up a plushie Adipose, this would make an absolutely delightful addition to my desk diorama! Labels: doctor who, tv Priscilla said at 11:07 AM
Saturday, February 02, 2008
The season finale of Psych will be called "Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead."
I LOVE THIS SHOW. Priscilla said at 9:12 PM
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Project Runway. So... do the judges even remember their prom? You don't want you look cute and young and 17, you want to look mature and elegant. Sweet Pea should have won! The only dresses I would have worn to prom were hers or Chris'. Victorya's = Fug. Well, it's cute, but it's also cheap-looking and unflattering. While it may be a decent choice for a mixer or party, it is NOT appropriate for a prom!
Also, I feel so terribly wicked for thinking this, but even though I loathe Christian and want to slap him in the face whenever I see him, I kind of want him to stay on the show for the time being (though leave well before Bryant Park). Yes, his clothes are often rather interesting--albeit TRAGICALLY 80s--but he makes such a lovely TARGET for the natural drama of competition, and we need someone to mock now that Elisa is gone. P.S. HAHAHAHA a girl looking for a designer for her prom dress chose Chris' portfolio over Victorya's? OHSNAP! Some entertaining links for joo: AMPTP vs. WGA: Jocks versus Nerds. There's an 80s movie to be made here, if only we had someone to write it! Mad TV: Under Barack Obama Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft -- Gates rocks for doing this. Labels: john hodgman, links, obama is awesomesauce, politics, project runway, tv Priscilla said at 12:34 PM
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
WOAH. You know that Levi's ad that has the guy struggling to pull up his jeans, then with his jeans comes the entire street, a taxi cab, and a hot girl in a telephone booth? I just saw a variation with the exact same footage, except it's a HOT GUY IN THE BOOTH. And they are cute and gay and Levi's is MADE OF WIN. I am so thrilled with them for doing this. ROCK ON.
Priscilla said at 10:56 PM
Friday, December 21, 2007
This just in: The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to return... without writers.
Um. What? Labels: jon stewart, stephen colbert, tv, wga strike Priscilla said at 10:17 AM
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
OMG, GALINDA AND AUDREY ARE ON MY TEEVEE, SINGING ABOUT BIRDCAGES IN THE HEART. Why is Pushing Daisies the best show ever?
And EEE, ABC just picked up the back 9! A quirky show I love isn't getting canceled after like two episodes! Pinch me, I must be dreaming. Labels: pushing daisies, tv Priscilla said at 9:59 PM
Saturday, September 29, 2007
From SciFi Wire:
"McG has teamed with writer Ari Eisner for Invisible, a drama project, which landed at Fox with a script commitment, according to The Hollywood Reporter; the proposed series tells the story of a criminal who is given a second chance at life when a chemical compound makes him invisible."Um... why don't you just un-cancel The Invisible Man? *wistful sigh* What the heck is up with TV recently? The outright theft of previous TV concepts--RECENT concepts, at that--feels so much more blatant and rampant nowadays. They're like old show OC fanfiction. Labels: tv Priscilla said at 9:52 AM
Friday, September 28, 2007
I've watched an unusual amount of TV while working on the wig this week, so I can actually talk about pilots! Originally, I'd been planning to watch only a select few, let my flist determine the winners of the shows I didn't watch, then play catch up with those that made the cut.
Journeyman didn't really grab me, mostly because I kept comparing it unfavorably to the extraordinary Life on Mars. It certainly has promise, but unless my flist convinces me otherwise, I won't be watching. I haven't gotten around to watching the aired version of Bionic Woman, but it's waiting for me when I get home. I watched the first five minutes of Moonlight and had to change the channel. Returning shows: Heroes returns with a bang, and if Hiro doesn't end up beoming Kinsei, I'll eat my Fangirl Card. I saw this coming from the first time we saw that painting of Kinsei in Linderman's collection and I noticed that he had the same facial hair as Future Hiro. And Will thought I was mad, HAH! Not sure what to call Mohinder's new friend. Has the fandom come up with a nickname yet? My top contenders are "Mister Midas" and "The Alchemist." House was absolutely hilarious. THIS is why I love this show! Priscilla said at 6:00 PM Title cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan, used without permission.
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