Tag: television

Hoarders: The HGTV Edition

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HGTV has come to Netflix. I assume the House Hunters and Love It or List It collections were released in time to coincide with cold, rainy fall weather that keeps people like my shut up in the house, drinking tea, eating soup, and staring at the walls thinking about all the things we would change. Here’s the thing, though: If you watch Love It or List It back to back, you start to realize that about 75% of the people are just slobs/hoarders who don’t know when to stop having children. The people on this show are just lucky that HGTV showed up at their doors before TLC and the Hoarders crew.

Yes, sometimes you get people who genuinely have a mess of a house. Their kitchens are falling apart, their windows leak, and the walls are drafty. But most of them could get by with hiring a professional organizer and buying some new furniture. Alternatively, they could stop having kids, because more often than not the big problem seems to be that the kids’ toys are EVERYWHERE! A simple trip to IKEA could solve all their woes.  Continue reading →

I Am Bootleg Rory Gilmore

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You may have noticed a plethora of Gilmores Girls-themed internet posts lately. This is because GILMORE GIRLS IS COMING TO NETFLIX! This is such a big deal that even the New York Times had to get in on the action.

This is one my favorite shows of all times, folks. I love the shit outta that show. I’ve created more than one fellow Stars Hollow groupie in my day. And while this is a show filled with relatable, lovable characters, I feel especially close to Rory…’cause I’m kind of her. Here are the ways I am like Rory Gilmore:

  • We were both born and raised in Connecticut
  • We both grew up with single mothers
  • We are both very close to our grandparents
  • We both got Priuses in college (I bought mine, unlike Rory)
  • We both became journalists
  • We both have blue eyes
  • We both have Asian-American friends who grew up in strict religious households and rebelled

We’re basically the same person. I’ve actually thought about suing the show…but that just doesn’t seem like the Gilmore Spirit.

Anyway, if you haven’t already discovered the wonders of Star Hollow, Connecticut, be sure to binge watch Gilmore Girls ASAP. It is one of the smartest, more literate television shows to even grace the airwaves. And what other show boasts guest appearances by Normal Mailer, Carole King, Christian Amanpour, and Madeleine Albright? NONE!

I’m Fully on Board with the McConaissance/Obsessed with True Detective

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I am no small amount of obsessed with True Detective…specifically Matthew McConaughey, who I suspect of being a half-lunatic. Seriously, this guy pulls off crazy eyes like no other! He is also the most convincing functional drunk I’ve ever seen–like, h e even looks like actual alcoholics I know. He’s got the thousand yard stare of someone who isn’t all there down to a T!

But what I’m even more fascinated by is how the internet has completely lost its mind theorizing about the final episode. Here are a few examples:

One Last Wild True Detective Theory Before the Finale

This one about the Lawnmower Mann is soooo long

And a collection of a whole bunch of crazy theories Continue reading →

Sad News: Lena Dunham and I Probably Couldn’t Be Friends

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The second season premiere of Girls was last night. I haven’t seen it yet, because like all those people The New York Times wrote about last year, I watch the show on HBO GO, not live on TV. But this premiere has the media buzzing again.

They’re talking about the lack of diversity, Lena Dunham’s audacious nudity, and the completely insane depiction of twenty-something sexuality. Yes, Girls certainly gives us plenty to talk about. I just want to chat about why I don’t think I could be friends with Lena Dunham.

Let me start by saying I admire what she’s done professionally — maybe even jealous. She’s obviously smart, funny, and savvy. She cleaned up at the Golden Globe awards last night. But I hate every character she creates. If I ever met Hannah Horvath in person… the mind boggles… I can’t even imagine what venom would spew forth after a drink or two.

Of course, that’s sort of the point, right? Dunham wrote the character to be hard-to-like — though I assume she wants us to ultimately decide to root for her anyway. And so far, I just can’t… Continue reading →

Game of Thrones, My New iPad, & Other Things I’m Obsessed with This Week

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It’s my first full week back to work since before Christmas, which has the potential to be depressing, but luckily I’ve got some distractions — one of which I am typing on, the other I am watching.

Over the past few months I’ve been considering two purchases: a new laptop and a Kindle. I don’t really need a new laptop, mine works fine, but it’s heavy and traveling with it is a bit arduous. During my last trip to NYC I walked from my hotel to the venue where my conference was. It wasn’t far, and I like to walk, but I was carting a big overnight bag with my giant laptop stuffed in it. I may have dislocated my shoulder. But I just haven’t been able to bring myself to buy the MacBook Air (refurbished, of course) that I had been eyeing.

Continue reading →

Honey Boo Boo: The New Grotesques

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I’ve never been much for short stories but I always loved Flannery O’Connor’s works, especially “Good Country People.” I still can’t talk about Joy/Hulga stomping around on her wooden leg without giggling. For those of you who didn’t benefit from my excellent liberal arts education here’s a little background:

Mary Flannery O’Connor (March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964) was an Americanwriter and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O’Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern writer who often wrote in aSouthern Gothic style and relied heavily on regional settings and grotesque characters. O’Connor’s writing also reflected her own Roman Catholic faith, and frequently examined questions of morality and ethics. Continue reading →

The Problem with Glee

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It’s not like people watch Glee for its amazing storylines, but I’m really starting to get worried about its writers.

I’ve always preferred the supporting characters to the (annoying) leads. In fact, I stopped watching the show about halfway into the first season thanks to Rachel being completely insufferable. What brought me back to it? Britney S. Pierce’s ridiculous one-liners and sweet dance moves. I have a serious soft-spot for Lord Tubbington. But Britney’s dimwitted utterances, and Sue Sylvester’s snarky, but hilarious barbs are starting to be overshadowed by what appears to be a complete lack of coherent storytelling. It’s like they just throw stuff at the wall to see what will stick. Continue reading →

The Problem with Brooklyn 11223

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I am ashamed to say I was sucked into watching a new Oxygen show called Brooklyn 11223. Yes, I’ve recently discovered that despite only getting the basic channels, I can watch lots of things On Demand. Usually I use this for good — like watching Mad Men, or an entire season of The Killing in two days in order to be caught up for the season premiere. But once in a while I end up wasting an hour of my life on something like Brooklyn 11223, which is basically a combination of The Hills, Jersey Shore, and Mob Wives. Continue reading →

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose. (or Rigglets!)

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I am emotionally spent this morning. I just finished watching the final episode of Friday Night Lights and I cried through 2/3 of it.

We all know this was a fantastic show. I won’t go into that (again), but for a while now I’ve been thinking about the Billy and Mindy characters. They’re kind of the Anti-Taylors. Billy is a disaster. Mindy is a stripper. What counts, in the FNL universe, is how much they love each other.

In most shows, these two would have been the butt of the joke. On FNL, they certainly provide plenty of comic relief — Billy’s “Rigglets” line nearly killed me — but their little family unit gets the same respect as the Taylors’. Mindy’s character really snuck up on me this year. She went from being kind of annoying, to being…well…not quite maternal, but sisterly.

I’ll miss this show. It’s what America is about…or is supposed to be about. It’s egalitarian, community-oriented, and about loving your neighbor. In the age of the Tea Party, it’s no wonder the show never caught on the way it should have. On that note, I’ll leave you the same way FNL did.

Communitarianism

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It’s no secret that I love Friday Night Lights, but one of my favorite things about the show is Slate’s TV Club coverage of it. Funnily enough, I often find myself disagreeing with the writers, wishing they’d let me into the club to voice my take on it.

For instance, they’re often talking about how bad they feel for poor Tim Riggins and his inability to get out of Dillon. I want to call them up and point out that Tim loves Dillon. Not everyone is looking to get away from the place they grew up, nor should they. Tim knows what kind of life he wants, he just doesn’t know how to get it. I want to shake them for not realizing this.

But an episode or two ago, the writers started discussing the “politics” of FNL and they decided it’s “communitarian.” This seems kind of obvious. After all, it’s a show about families, teams, and the community they all exist in. The characters that don’t think about other people often find themselves cast out. Today, though, as I was watching one of my other favorite shows on DVD, I realized that I just might be a “communitarian” — not to be confused with communist. Continue reading →