Dear Lost,

Thanks for erasing any need for me to watch the inevitably crappy film adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife, Penny and Des will do just fine thanks.

Oh Lost. I want to post coherent and unbiased analysis for you but how can I when you fill me with so much awe and glee? How can I offer up cold-hard analysis of a scene like
Des and Penny’s Christmas Eve phone call that it so clearly the definition of poetry in motion? The sheer epicness of their relationship means I cannot speak about it in the cynical manner I usually use when talking about the dreaded "star-crossed lovers".

And Sayid with his old school season one MacGyver skills! And looking after Desmond! And slamming Doctor Man against a wall!

And there was time travel. Honest to God time travel that was explained well sans paradox---well mostly. (Sidenote: Shouldn’t Desmond have already possessed the memory of meeting Daniel in 1996?) And “Desmond is my constant”. There should be a t-shirt, yes?

And Daniel Faraday: time traveling super genius for the win! Oh and thanks for making my brain spin crazy theories about Eloise (She’s his ex-love who died tragically! She’s his ex-partner who he accidentally trapped in the fourth dimension! She has a restraining order against him because he’s really a creepy stalker! She’s his time traveling lab rat….wait, what?).

Well you see why I can’t have rational thoughts about you. I guess I’ll just have to settle for channeling my squee-filled inner fourteen year old on Thursdays. I hope you’re happy.

P.S. If you hurt one hair on Juliet’s head next week I swear I will post unbiased and completely coherent analysis about you, don’t look at me like that I’m not kidding.

P.P.S. To ABC actually, feel free to run that Iron Man preview on a continual loop if you like. MMM…Robert Downey Jr.

Reasons to Stay Up Past 11:00

I’ve spent many years resisting the allure of the late-night television show. Well, okay technically for many of those years my parents had a strict be in bed by 10:00 rule, but even now sans bedtime I rarely feel the need to watch late night chat shows. Sure I tune in if Seth Green’s guesting on Conan or if one my Lost folks is popping up on Jimmy Kimmel, but mostly I opt for Simpsons reruns if I’m up past the 11:00 hour.

Lately, I’ve begun to feel left out. I’ve never actually seen one of Letterman’s Top 10’s or watched an entire episode of Saturday Night Live. What does this say about me as a pop culture consumer? That I value sleep over largely overrated late-night television? Perhaps, but I fear that is not a valid excuse for such a glaring cultural blind spot. Especially since these shows have been pretty entertaining as of late. For instance last night’s Jimmy Kimmel retaliation to girlfriend Sarah Silverman’s extracurricular activities with Matt Damon? Priceless (with the added bonus of Dominic Monaghan and a profane Josh Groban). And what about the Tina Fey hosted episode of SNL? Man, I really should have watched that one live.

Then there was the Stewart/O’Brian/Colbert match up a couple of weeks ago that I had to google before I could get the joke. Late night television appears to be culturally relevant again and I suppose it’s time for to dip my toe into these uncharted waters. It’s not feasible for me to watch all of the late night shows so I feel I should pick one or two to watch at least once a week, you know just so I no longer feel left out of those annoying Who’s your favorite late night host conversations.

I know I won’t be picking Leno. Once I watched a few minutes of his show and became some distracted by the strange proportion of his head I found I hadn’t heard a word of what he had said.

I find Letterman to be a bit dry for my taste, but he does get props for being the first host to step up and pay his crew during the strike. But his show has too much audience interaction for my taste. Leave the audience alone, Letterman, I do not want to audition for a seat to watch your show---why don’t you do a backflip while singing the national anthem backwards?

Now Conan I’ve watched before and liked, so he’s a distinct possibility for regular viewing. I particularly enjoyed the episode last season when B.J. Novak called out the Cadbury company on decreasing the size of their chocolate eggs. Youtube it, it’s fantastic.

Kimmel gets bonus points for being a Lost fan. Out of all the late night shows I’ve seen his the most, which is you know six more times than I’ve seen Letterman.

And then there’s Ferguson who would be a serious contender if he wasn’t on so late. I watched him one night while taking a break from writing a paper that was due at 9:00 a.m. and found him delightful. Plus Dominic Monaghan appears on his show. A lot.

Hey, does Carson Daly still have a talk show? Oh well, I’ve never seen it and I don’t think anyone else has either.

And then there’s SNL, not technically a chat show, but it is on quite late and I’ve only ever seen the random skit.

So, in conclusion, I think I’ll make an attempt to catch Kimmel and O’Brian when I’m not in desperate need of a good eight hours and I’m totally going to watch an entire episode of SNL. I will be well versed in late night television you just wait and see. And now I’ll be able to let you know where I land on that whole best late night host issue.

Dexter Meet Shawn

On the surface Psych and Dexter seem like unlikely companions. Could the outgoing, life-loving Shawn Spencer and the coldly logical Dexter Morgan have anything in common? On any other day perhaps not, but if you like me spent the weekend watching the boys side by side you might agree.

I was introduced to Dexter, that most morally ambiguous serial killer, for the first time this weekend and immediately fell for him and his dark horror/noir confection of a show. It is remarkably well crafted and Michael C. Hall is eerily convincing and appealing in this unusual role. So far (I’m six episodes into season one) I love everything about the show from the unexpectedly jaunty music to the dark Miami setting to the character’s constant eating. It’s a strange and disorienting world that’s almost compulsively watchable. However, I had to take a break sometime. It just so happened that I filled that break by watching the season finale of Psych.

I’ve loved Psych since it debuted two years ago on USA. It’s a light, funny show peppered with obscure 80’s references and random pineapple sightings. It’s at once silly and fully aware of its silliness, merrily lampooning those serious procedurals and psychic cop dramas in one fell swoop. At its center is James Roday as the hyper-observant faux psychic Shawn. Roday mugs and jumps and still manages to give one the most purely comedic performances on television. The show is in short a joy to watch.

So you can imagine my surprise when in a weekend television haze I began to think the two shows had something in common besides being led by two handsome blond men.
In my fevered state it seemed to me that the shows were shadow twins. What is Dexter but a fun-house reflection of Shawn? Stay with me here.

From what I’ve gathered from the series, Dexter is a product of his adoptive father’s molding. Harry saw a dark impulse for killing in Dexter and nurtured that impulse, directing it towards small animals and later “bad” people. He turns Dexter into a sort of vigilante and it seems sets his son up to carry out the impulses he himself as a cop must keep in check. Did Harry really “save” his son as Dexter believes or did he simply hone him into a finely tuned killer? Either way Harry shaped Dexter, never allowing him to find his own path, never giving him any other choice but killing. And Dexter followed that path.

Then there’s Shawn. From a young age Shawn’s cop father Henry honed his son’s observational skills. Everything was a challenge (how many hats in the restaurant, how many towels on the beach) and he tried to keep Shawn grounded, stomping out imaginary notions. In this case Shawn rebelled from his father, using those childhood lessons not to become a cop but to become a “psychic” detective marrying the imaginary and the irreverent in a way that drives his father crazy. Both boys are a product of their father’s molding, Dexter embraces that mold while Shawn took the mold, smashed it and did a little Irish jig on it.

Their very characters are similar. Shawn and Dexter are always performing. Dexter pretends to be normal; he brings donuts to his coworkers and picks up his girlfriend’s kids from school all the while hiding this dark life he leads. Shawn revels in his showmanship, every day is a performance for him. He leaps on desks and throws out fake names leveling every person in his path with his sheer charisma, but we know that this isn’t Shawn. Shawn doesn’t like to be vulnerable, he doesn’t like to be serious so he created a persona that allows him to hide.

And on the superficial side, are there two shows on television any more enamored with the art of eating than these two? The characters are constantly eating or talking about eating, particularly Shawn and Dexter who both approach the act with a strange sort of reverance whether that be Dexter’s ode to the pleasure of eating while driving or Shawn’s joy in preparing the perfect pineapple upside down cake.

Then there’s the whole death thing. The character’s are constantly dealing with death (although Dexter is alone here in inflicting it), but both men approach it in a deeply detached fashion. They don’t grieve over these deaths, in fact they often joke about it. A corpse is a corpse as far as these men are concerned. For each of them a dead body is a source of joy---for Shawn it means a new case to solve and for Dexter it’s either a mystery to unravel or the end result of his favorite pastime.

Finally, to round out the mirror analogy they’re located on opposite sides of the country---Shawn in sunny San Diego and Dexter in well, sunny Miami. So the next time you settle in for a fun, silly night of Psych think about his dark brother the equally charming Dexter and play the what if game. What if it was Shawn merrily killing killers? What if Dexter palled around with Gus solving murders with his hyper-observancy? Is it really such a stretch?

Lost "The Economist"

When Lost is good it’s better than pretty much everything on television with the exception of Mad Men. When Lost is really good it’s better than pretty much everything, ever. At this point you’re probably thinking overstatement much, but join me as we discuss “The Economist” and I convince you that as in all things I am right.

The first sign that this episode was going to rock was the part where it started with Sayid. That’s always a good sign my friends. On the superficial side Naveen Andrews may very well be the most attractive man on the planet. Outside of that he’s one of the finest actors working today (even if he often makes truly terrible movies). It’s like he has this fire in his performance, a passion that can’t help but bubble over into his work. It’s the reason the man has palpable chemistry with everything from his costars to the floor he’s standing on. That’s why I love his episodes, whenever the rest of the cast stands back and lets him go he commands the screen. It’s always breathtaking.

Thursday’s episode may have been his finest to date. In “The Economist” we discover that Sayid gets off the island becomes a hitman, falls in love yet again, has love end in tragedy yet again, and is working for Benjamin Fricken Linus. Throughout it all Sayid ran the gamut from terrifying (shooting that dude on the golf course) to vulnerable (lying with his head on guest star Chloe Bell’s stomach) to broken (breaking down in Ben’s office). Yes, in the end Sayid seemed to be every bit as damaged in the future as the other members of the Oceanic 6.

And can I just say, what an ending that was? From Sayid shooting his latest lady love and crawling across the floor to close her eyes and remove her bracelet in a perfect mirror scene to the beginning of the episode to the reveal that Sayid had “sold his soul” and was now working for Ben it was tragic and aching while still managing to be completely tantalizing. (My crazy theory: The death Ben uses to recruit Sayid to do his dirty work is Nadia’s. Anyone else thinking she might be working for these freighter folks? She was working for a pharmaceutical company was she not? And I’m sorry but I’m not buying a future where a post-island Sayid doesn’t make a beeline for her.)

And what about the on-island action? That shot of Sayid looking out the island as the helicopter rose into the sky was one of the most beautiful Lost has ever given us. Right up there with Sun dropping her shawl in a quiet declaration of freedom back in season one. Also I think I’m falling for Daniel the way I fell for Juliet last year. His stuttering, bumbling genius makes him difficult not to like. I love it when new characters actually work, in fact I’m a little enamored with all of the freighter folk. And what about that experiment? Time moves differently on the island? Or was it a little more sciency than that?

Finally, Sawyer convinces Kate to play house. Oh, Sawyer she’s going to break your heart so bad sweetie. Line of the night goes to Hurley, after Miles calls him tubby he sighs, “Oh great, the boat brought us another Sawyer.” Oh, Hurley.

In conclusion: Lost > everything else.

Join me next week when Kate deals with the stalkerazzi.

Things That Are Cool:

1. Doctor Who season 4 cinematic trailer. I loved the Bride! And dude, there are giant wasps. How is that not terrifying?
   


2. Writer’s Strike over! New Shows Imminent.
   


3. More importantly via Ausiello, Damon and Carlton have promised five additional episodes this season. They also promised the three cut episodes will be added on at some point.
   
4. Lost is moving to the post-Grey’s slot meaning ABC’s Thursday night line up will be Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost! Win.


5. Diane Sawyer. Just cause.

Brothers and Sisters, "The Missionary Imposition"

Brothers and Sisters is one of those shows you don’t quite realize you miss until you watch it after a long absence. I was pleasantly surprised to see a new episode this week, and even happier when it turned out so awesome. B&S has been a little maudlin this season what with the president drama, Justin’s relapse, and the marital woes of Tommy and Sarah. A lot of time has been devoted to the bad decisions these character’s make. Which is all very dramatic, but seriously make good choices Walkers.

Last night they did. From Nora’s budding relationship with Danny Glover (no I can’t remember his character’s name, but come on he’s Danny Freakin Glover) to Tommy not being a tool to my favorite, Kevin committing to Scotty. Okay so all of these good choices are going to be undone by next week, but for a moment let’s pretend they’ll stick.

My favorite storyline of the night was a tie between Nora/Danny Glover and the Kevin triangle. Let’s start with Nora, shall we? Every time I watch this show I’m struck by just how good Sally Field is. I loved the scene where she’s babbling on about her kids and Danny Glover busts out that gravelly voice of his all, “I asked how you were, not your kids.” Dude. Then he blows of a presidential campaign for her. That’s love man.

Then there was Scotty/Kevin/Hot Priest. I love Kevin and I feel his pain, it can’t be easy having to sort out your feelings for two guys as cool as Scotty and Hot Priest, but man was I ever glad to see him facing the situation. For the record, I want him to stand by his decision to stay with the adorable, crustacean bringing Scotty but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion he’ll be transgressing with Hot Priest soon enough. Oh Kevin, you’ve grown so much since this show started, but I fear you’re still a commitmentphobe at heart.

Then there was the Tommy/Lena/Julia/Justin/Rebecca mess that thankfully was resolved. Is it evil that I secretly hope they’ll kill Tommy off in time for sweeps? Come on think of the drama that would create for the family and I care about Tommy just enough to be invested in the aftermath, but not so much I would devastated by his death ala Charlie from Lost (Damn you Damon and Carlton). It’s a win-win.

The best part of that mess was Justin coming to his senses and jettisoning Lena (Repeat after me Brother’s don’t sleep with other Brother’s mistresses). I couldn’t help but think Lena would have been much more interesting had she been played by Maggie Grace. That aside it was nice to see Tommy and Justin, as well as Justin and Rebecca, make up. Although I wish Justin and Rebecca could tone down their incestuous chemistry ( they’re starting to rival the Petrelli brother’s in the inappropriate chemistry department), either that or the show needs to de-Walkerfy Rebecca.

Finally there was Sarah and Steven Weber looking relieved to be on a show that doesn’t suck. I love Sarah, after Nora she’s my second favorite. I loved the flower scene. Sarah might as well give in, it’s kind of hard to resist Weber.

Next week: Karaoke! Drunken Walker’s! We got ourselves a party.

Hey Man, Where's My Journey?

I watched Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me for the first time last night. I’ve wanted to see it for quite some time, but the opportunity had never presented itself. It lived up to the hype, although I gotta say those kids cried a lot considering they were twelve. I’ll give them a pass though what with the dead brother and abusive/negligent parents and all. It was the perfect coming of age story and I love me some coming of age stories---The Dead Poet’s Society, The 400 Blows, American Graffiti the list goes on. Once I started thinking about this particular genre I couldn’t help but notice a trend---there’s seems to be a lot of testosterone in these movies.

Let’s face it, guys have all the cool coming-of-age movies. Judy Blume’s got us covered in the literature department and Buffy and Clare Danes have the corner market on television, but film? Pretty much a wasteland. Sure there are a few that come to mind, the original My Girl for instance. No denying the film has a good grasp on the whole growing up as a girl thing, but I’ve never heard any critic fawn over it the way they laud Stand By Me.

Then you’ve got movies like Now and Then (Stand by Me with girls and extraneous adults!), 13 Going on 30 (Big as Chick Flick), and Mona Lisa Smile (think really crappy Dead Poet’s Society) that try to cut and paste girls into the boy classics. There’s also the I’m pregnant so I better grow up now sub genre featuring Saved! and Juno.

I’m not saying that these movies aren’t good (well some of them aren’t---I’m looking at you Mona Lisa), but can we honestly say that any of them have captured the essence of transitioning into womanhood the same way Stand By Me captured the last gasp of boyhood?

Maybe the experience is inherently different. Boys have long been sent on journeys to mark their passing into adulthood and journeys are interesting things to watch. We like quests and heroes. When girls come of age we get parties and periods. That’s not quite as cinematic. Oh God, with that reasoning our definitive coming of age tale would be Sixteen Candles.

If any film has come close to capturing the experience honestly I would have to say it is Juno, but it’s too early to declare it the "definitive coming of age movie for girls". Maybe it just feels that way because Juno’s tiny and snarky and not even a little pink, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Juno’s going to feel dated real fast. Those witty pop culture references have a shelf life, whereas films like Poet’s and Stand by Me feel timeless.

Then again maybe we don’t need our own film. Just because the films feature boys doesn’t mean we ladies can’t relate. Maybe these films only seem to capture the experience of growing up guy. There’s an air of Hollywood romanticism around them that makes me wonder. Regardless, they’re pretty awesome. Still it would be nice to have a girl movie to point to and say, “yeah man that’s exactly what it was like.” I wonder if Judy Blume’s up for writing a screenplay?

Blogging, Act II

Two years ago I started my first blog. It was an interesting exercise wherein I blogged aimlessly about whatever happened to cross my mind. That blog died. Actually it was murdered. In a fit of annoyance with my real life I deleted that poor defenseless blog without warning. I've been blog free for a year now but I've found myself creatively stifled. Outlets, I've come to realize, are necessary evils.

Which brings me to this blog. This new blog is going to be different. Where my first blog was aimless, this blog is going to have a specific purpose. Here will be nattering on television, film, books, and pop culture in general. These are the things I love and the things I hope to make a career out of loving. With college graduation looming in a not-so-distant future it's time for me to start you know, writing.

So, who am I? Student. Lover of stories. Lost aficionado. Everything else will come in time.

Oh my God, I'm back in the blogosphere.