Movies, Awards and Debacles

As usual I apologize for the lapse in postings. Must say upfront, before I become distracted by the Conan/Leno/NBC debacle, that It’s Complicated was incredible. See it now and then go see it again. I went twice and it just convinced me even more that there’s nothing wrong with idolizing Nancy Meyers.

Rented Duplicity… it was good. Not great. The twists were incredible, I’ll give them that and I did enjoy the ending. But there were a few spans during the movie that failed to hold my attention.

Golden Globes were tonight. Pleased with some disappointed with others. I’m sorry but Avatar holds no interest for me. There were a lot of great choices for best dramatic picture and that was not the one that I would’ve picked. Not even one of the top three that I would’ve picked. Tarantino was robbed all over the place. I was however, very pleased that The Hangover took best comedy film, Sandra Bullock FINALLY won (best actress in a drama for Blind Side) and Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart. Both are superb performers and these acknowledgements have been a long time coming. Also pleased that Drew Barrymore won for Grey Gardens, she is just the dearest person. And Mo’Nique for Precious, what a sincere acceptance speech.

I’m going to be brief about the whole Conan/Leno thing. It is probably not a surprise that I’m on Team Conan. I’ve grown up watching him. I adore his self-deprecating, random, quirky humor that I’ve always felt a kinship to. If I could watch him all the time I would. My personal feelings about Conan aside, as someone who wants to work in the Television industry I am embarrassed and ashamed of both NBC and Jay Leno. They tried a new experiment and it didn’t work. But instead of just cancelling Jay they decide to wedge him in between the news and Conan. Now if the show isn’t working at 10 o’clock, why would it work better at 11.35?

If Jay Leno returns to the Tonight Show he isn’t going to do anything different, the program isn’t going to grow. It’ll simply go back to the same old shtick that we said goodbye to months ago. Why would you want to take a step back? Conan O’Brien has been making a valiant effort to put his mark on the program. Take a moment and look back, didn’t he turn the Late Night program into something that drew in numerous fans? Didn’t he produce results with time?

Instead of giving Conan a chance, support, or a solid lead in, NBC has decided to rest on their laurels. And it is a disservice to Conan, the Tonight Show staff, and the viewing audience… that might explain why they don’t have one at the moment.

I am so horribly embarrassed by this whole thing, both as an audience member and someone who aspires to work in this industry. The situation makes NBC look bad, it makes Jay into a villain, and it makes out the industry to be exactly what people imagine it to be. Granted Jay should take a page from Johnny Carson’s book and bow out gracefully. But that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. This is rumored to be Conan’s last week. Which saddens me, but I am hopeful that he’ll get an offer from Fox and crush NBC in the ratings (which isn’t too difficult to do).

And on that I wrap this up. Doing a lot of script work recently, it's been good.

Team Conan.

4 Day Weekend Baby!

Netflix arrived today, you know how excited I get when that happens!

So this is what came:

Love in the Time of Money (2002) an Indie/romantic comedy. Normally these movies tend to be identical and depressing but I actually enjoyed this one... although it still had hints of being depressing. And it is rated R for a reason, there are some areas that might be uncomfortable for some people. I don't want to give anything away but there are some dealings with suicide in it.

So, the amazing cast. No one can feel depressed with this cast:

Steve Buscemi

Rosario Dawson

Michael Imperioli (*melts*)

Jill Hennessy

Adrian Grenier

And many more. The movie is woven together with little segments about different characters. They each get about 15-20 minutes each and then they meet someone and we follow that person to the next portion. It moved quickly and had some dark comedy. Now I know everyone thinks that Adrian Grenier is all dreamy and what have you. But I beg to differ. Between Michael Imperioli and Steve Buscemi there was just no screen left for Adrian. Imperioli tends to get type-casted as the Italian badass, but this movie proved that he is capable of so much more. And I'm just happy any time Steve Buscemi gets a girl in a movie. I'm always like "Yay! Good for you!"

Now the other movie that arrived that I watched tonight was Miami Rhapsody (1995). This is one of those movies that I think I've seen all of, but aren't quite sure of it. What a great flick! Again a fantastic cast:

Sarah Jessica Parker

Gil Bellows (Billy from Ally McBeal anyone?)

Antonio Banderas

Mia Farrow

Kevin Pollak

Jeremy Piven

A small part for Ben Stein

And some very uncomfortable moments from Kelly Bishop (Aka Emily from Gilmore Girls) Some people I just see as a "grown-up" no matter what age I am. And when they get freaky or say dirty things, I find it moderately unsettling.

So SJP's character Gwen is at a new Gynocologist and starts to tell this story about how she was proposed to. It takes off from there, looking at the different marriages and relationships around Gwen and how they affect her. It really is a great movie, especially if you're looking for something to just kind of veg out and watch.

I also got Las Vegas, An Unconventional History: American Experience... because that's just how I am. I love documentaries about cities, periods in time, Hollywood pre-Hays or post-Hays Production Code, the rating system for movies, the use of the F-word, past presidents, etc. I'm all kinds of Doc-geek.

And on that note, Conan is starting and my geeking must be focused on that lanky, red-headed delight.

--Geek Girl

Small Lapse

Well didn't post anything yesterday because I didn't really have anything to write about. Also had some reading and note taking to do for school. Didn't really watch anything worth reporting on yesterday. Basically went back and forth between news shows and HGTV until it was time for Conan to start.

Tonight I had auditions for the sketch comedy group down on campus so I was there until about 8 p.m. Didn't get home until 9, ate a BLT minus the T plus Italian dressing (I'm a weird eater) like it was going out of style. I had been at auditions since 4.30 so I was crazy hungry when I finally got home. Did my sign language homework which was delightful because the DVD I have to use for it looks like it's from the 80s. Seriously the people doing the signing are crazy 80s fashion.

Caught the end of Law and Order SVU, which I stopped watching last year because it just got to a point where I couldn't anymore. And now I'm just kicking it with Conan. I love that red headed funny man! Headed for bed after this, if I can't sleep I've got Mah Jong on the iPhone baby!

Night night

--Geek Girl

A Long Lapse

It has been almost two years since I've posted anything here. Stumbling across this link and discover that I remember the password! This prompted me to start up again. I figured that I would use this to write about movies, TV shows, other geeky stuff on a regular basis (Hopefully).

So Netflix has been my boyfriend lately. Nice and reliable, I always get an email if something's going to be delayed, really quite delightful.

Yesterday I received The Last Days of Disco (which was just released this past Tuesday) and season 3 of a Canadian show called Robson Arms.

The Last Days of Disco was enjoyable enough. Any movie that has a soundtrack that features disco music makes me happy, so right of the bat there was that. The cast was great too. The main characters are Alice (Chloe Sevigny, pre-Big Love) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale). Alice is still developing her personality and starts off as a very "kindergarten teacher" type girl. But she slowly comes out of her shell (sex with Robert Sean Leonard gets that ball rolling). Charlotte is a self indulgent bitch that you want to hit at various points through out the film.

Fans of Gilmore Girls will be amused to see Chris Eigeman (aka Jason) as Des, one of the club owners who is on a downward spiral. We're first introduced to his character as he is going through different women, breaking up with them by convincing them that he's gay. He takes an interest in Alice, but has a personality similar to Charlotte's. This adds to irritation.

There's the minor part of Rex, filled by Mark McKinney. Sadly he's only there for a few fleeting minutes.

Overall the plot is a bit fuzzy and there's a lot of random jumping around. But it's fun to watch the interaction between these different characters. And it's a different portrayal of the 1970s, which was surprising considering that it was made in 1998. While it's not a must see, it is worth seeing.

Now Robson Arms, a great Canadian TV show about an apartment building in Vancouver and the intersecting lives of the people who reside there. I enjoyed the first season and had originally gotten it because Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall) and Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables) both had parts in it. As well as William B. Davis AKA The Cigarette Smoking Man from X-Files.

I haven't seen Season 2 but I was trolling Netflix the other day while I was in a Dave Foley mood and saw that he was in season 3 of Robson Arms.

In this season the building has new owners from America, played by Dave Foley (as Chuck) and Allison Hossack (as his wife Trixie). There is of course the usual stereotype of the Americans, but there's something about Dave Foley's way that keeps me from being annoyed.

If you enjoy dramedies this show is worth checking out.

While on the topic of Dave Foley and Mark McKinney, The Kids in the Hall have started to film Death Comes to Town!!

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/08/21/kids-in-the-hall-reunite-tv-series/

And on that happy note, I've got 20 minutes till Conan starts.

Until next time, keep geeking =)

--Geek Girl

New Years Eve and Other Misc

Taking a break from staring blankly at the script I'm working on for my application to the film program. Also waiting for a guy to call, which is a new experience for me. A guy calling me in general is rather astounding to me, waiting for it to happen is rather tedious. It reminds me why I've gotten to the age of 19 without too much of my time being spent like this. 

So Christmas was rather nice. Got Guitar Hero III for Wii. Incredibly awesome. I spent most of Christmas day playing and was able to beat the easy level. Also Christmas brought something that I've wanted for a long time. My first turn table. It's a portable one. Numark, which means nothing to me but it works well.

Found this the other day: http://swiftywriting.blogspot.com/2005/11/in-defense-of-fanfiction-guestblogger.html 

Interesting to say the least. The guy responding to the original attacks is brilliant. I think the most ridiculous claim is that writing fanfiction is damaging to someone who aspires to being a professional writer. That's crap, to put it simply. If anything fanfiction encourages writing. The claim that it's unoriginal and insulting to the fandom is unfounded. One thing that fanfic does is help the fanbase grow. Somebody likes the original work enough to want to expand on it, to want to spend their free time thinking about it and striving to create something that does it justice. How is that a bad thing? 

Alright, back to script writing and Law & Order Criminal Intent watching (gotta love USA Network for the all day marathon.)

Oh and good news for any late night fans. January 2nd marks the return of the late night shows. Conan O'Brien will be back on! Yowzer.

WGA Strike Support; Plea From a Fan Girl

Right now if you were to look at my livejournal page you would see that my profile icon, in the font of Law & Order, proclaims:

No CHA-CHING equals no DOINK-DOINK.

Law & Order: CI fans support the WGA strike.

For those who don't dig the whole Law & Order scene, the Doink-doink is that noise heard through out the show. (I'm sure that explanation provoked a collective "oh!")

And yes I do support the strike. As an aspiring TV & Film writer I absolutely support the strike. I think that by striking the writers have proven just how important they are to the entertainment industry. Often portrayed and referred to as the low man on the totem pole, or at least that's how it seems to be in my film classes at school, the writers are finally getting some attention. 

TV shows are running out of new episodes and some films have had to shut down production without access to a WGA approved writer. There are two new episodes left of Law & Order: CI. As of right now there is only one more new episode of Numb3rs being spoiled on Spoilerfix.com. So having establishing my support, I now would like to establish my, as well as many other TV addicts, incredible need for the strike to be resolved.

On Tuesday afternoon I'm sitting in an English class. It's one of those instances where you would rather be anywhere else in the world or maybe banging your head against a wall. Just because it would be something else to do. About twelve minutes in to class my mind has wandered off to the episode of House that will be awaiting me after an hour and a half spent in traffic. After House is the latest episode of Law & Order SVU. Granted I haven't been quite as excited lately because of the obvious and painful lack of Richard Belzer's character John Munch. However that is another rant for another time.

Thursday all I can think about is Law & Order Criminal Intent. The entire day has become dedicated to this show thanks to the USA Network and their all day marathon. I wake up, watch a few episodes, leave for school, get back from school and watch a few more reruns. The new episode beginning later that night. My fangirling of Vincent D'Onofrio is also part of this process.

And let us not forget the late night shows. How I miss my Conan O'Brien. Week nights just aren't the same. There's no new Jay Leno to mock, no Lettermen to annoy. No new Conan to giggle over. And by giggle I of course mean laugh insanely hard to the point that I wonder if I've woken some one up.

It has become a slightly sadder world for those of us addicted to Television. Although I have been catching up on DVDs I had been putting aside because, silly me, I had purchased them on a night of new episodes. Of course I'm also running out on DVDs to catch up on now.

So this is merely a blind plea. Give as much support as you can to the WGA. However, at the same time hope for a resolution soon. Cause I want to see House and Cuddy get it on.

--Moony

Emmy Night! Part 1

It's that time of the year again. The Primetime Emmys! It's very exciting... for me anyways. Even though I'm not crazy about this year's host. Especially in compairison with last year's host: Conan O'Brien. Some how we've ended up with Ryan Seacreast... yeah not excited about that one. However many of the shows I love are nominated and many of the actors and actresses I love are nominated. So here we go with what I hope will happen:

Comedy Series: Two and A Half Men. This show has just gotten funnier as it has gone along and really deserves some recognition. If it actually gets it... well who knows.

Drama Series: I'm torn. I love House like no other but at the same time The Sopranos is nominated for what will be the last time now that the show has wrapped up.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Really no preference here. If Tony Shalloub wins again for Monk that'll be great. Ricky Gervis is also nominated which would prompt an interesting acceptance speech I'm sure.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Torn once more. Hugh Laurie is nominated for House and James Gandolfini for The Sopranos. Both play incredible characters so I'm happy if either one wins. I also wouldn't be disappointed if James Spader walked away with the award... just because I thnk he's pretty.

Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie: So we meet again category that has scorned me before. If you have ever wondered why I hate Al Pachino this category is why (Meredith remembers that night well. I was very angry). I'm pulling for Matthew Perry who is nominated for The Ron Clark Story which was a great movie from TNT.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: No real preference here. I think it would be great is America Ferrera won again for Ugly Betty.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Mariska Hargitay is nominated once more for Law & Order Special Victims Unit, I'm always happy if someone from SVU wins. However Edie Falco is nominated for The Sopranos. Both are incredible actresses. But honestly gotta say that I'm hopeful for Mariska.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Jon Cryer no question. He's so funny and so underrated. The poor man's Matthew Broderick as he has been called. Please give him the Emmy.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: I'm really hoping for Michael Imperioli for The Sopranos. He's just great.

Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: It's been 14 years. Give the damn award to Late Night with Conan O'Brien already! For as long as I can remember Jon Stewart has won this award. Change this year! Give it to Conan for the love of God. This is the 12th nomination. Give it to him.


Those are my thoughts right now. I'll be back later on with Part 2.

Thank God You're Here, Dave Foley!

It was hilarious. Thank God You're Here! had an amazing two hour premire. Dave Foley is there as the judge... a wonderful... Sarcastic Canadian judge. Oh the children we would have. Ha. Ha. Moving on. If you didn't catch it this past Monday then tune in next Monday and watch it. I cannot remember the last time a TV show has made me laugh as hard as I did.

So I got the fifth and final season of News Radio this past week. As much as I love the show it really isn't the same without Phil Hartman. But Dave Foley is still there so I suffer through, haha.

Does anyone know if it is some kind of sign if you get hit with a clock? I know that's a random question but I'm trying to figure if God is trying to tell me something or if it was pure unlucky gravity. This morning I was getting dressed and I went to get something out of the chest of draws that my TV is on. Now on top of the TV is my retro Ikea clock. As I closed the bottom drawer it hit a little hard and the clock suddenly fell... and landed on my wrist... rather painfully. Gravity or God? Something about time or "damn! what the hell!?"

Alright, this is going to be it for tonight for two reasons. First Conan O'Brien is on and I love Conan. Second Carson is going to be on in a few minutes and while I hate Carson, one Mr. Quentin Tarantino is the guest tonight... I'm still trying to figure out both the crush and interest in his chin... Any thoughts my two readers?