Hrm well after 6 days of beer and extreme escapism I am (to quote Arthur Dent) having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle. Or, to put it more plainly, normal life is pretty tawdry compared to being a fashion designer from the future, a Bene Gesserit witch, or Sam Beckett time-traveller extraordinaire. Note to self: remember not to play A Game Of Thrones boardgame until 4am when you have to get up at 8am the next day (doh).
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Despite normality being an unfair intrusion into my psyche I can find solace in the myriad of interesting TV shows that are bombarding my screen at the moment. I'm not one for sitting in front of any old thing, and TBH I'm surprised how good things are. I'm sure it won't last. For those few of you who read more than the first sentance of my entries, here's a rundown:
Battlestar Galactica continues to make for riveting, compelling viewing. If you have not seen it, then GO AND SEE IT NOW (the miniseries opener is on discount in Virgin at the moment). Nothing like the original show except in the broad concept, it's dark, nasty, gritty, doesn't pull its punches and is full of contemporary social commentary. Rumour has it that season 4 has already been commissioned, will be half-length and will the end of the show. I really hope the ending doesn't disappoint, it's been a helluva ride so far.
Heroes is the new show on the block and we're now 5 eipsodes in on Sci-Fi UK (no I'm not into torrenting, if you've downloaded it all then dare to spoil it and you die) and I've liked what I've seen so far. It's superheroes meets everyday life meets conspiracy. Kinda like the film Unbreakable but with an assortment of powers and characters. If has several nested mysteries which will take a long time to pan out (kinda like Lost) but the story moves much faster and keeps throwing you more interesting curveballs (more like Alias). If it keeps going on strong then it's going to be a rival for BSG and the best thing on the telly.
The Wire is another show by HBO over in the US. The channel is well-known and respected for making quality entertainment and The Wire is no exception. It's kind of a dark horse compared to the likes of Deadwood or Rome but it does a marvellous job of showing what contemporary grass-roots policing must be like in the ghettos of Baltimore. FX UK is showing season 4 at the moment and it's full of surprises and great character moments. Slow-burn drama but it keeps you coming back for more.
I actually wasn't sure about The Dresden Files. The trailers on Sky made it look pretty cheesy and the a lot of people have said that the pilot first episode was a bit lame. I'd agree that the premise is a little wacky and his ghostly friend is camper than Boy George in a pink rubber nappy with flowers on it. However a few episodes later, and it has some interesting dark elements and it's doing some unexpected things with the genre. And every episode seems to have a gorgeous femme fatale in some kind of trouble which, while cliched, suits me just fine...
Of course I must give Lost an obligatory mention as season 3 is still running on Sky at the moment. I can totally understand why people hate it or have given up on it. It does some great things, and then it does some dumb things. The writers are clearly making it up as they go along. However, my curiosity is too great and I am simply not a quitter. I. Must. See. How. It. Ends. Even. If. It. Turns. Out. To. Be. Shit.
Lastly I must also mention 24, which is currently about halfway through season 6 on SkyOne. Terribly formulaic, it now spends so little time on it's subsiduary characters that you simply don't care any more as to whether they live or die. The only reason to stay is just to see how stupidly far they can push Jask physically, mentally and emotionally. Suspension of disbelief? Pish! Kudos though to Alexander Siddig for getting a role he can get his teeth into (he was one of the best things about Star Trek DS9). My one bone of contention is that the girl playing Chloe is a whiney bitch and can't act for toffee - why the hell didn't they kill her off two seasons ago when they had the chance! Grr
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If you're still with me you may be impressed (or not) that I purchase myself one of these lovelies (the 60GB version). I've never been a fan of the Ipod and my old Zen Xtra did me pretty well (until the headphone jack died 3 years on) so this seemed like a logical choice. Reloading my old music is unfortunately a right pain in the ass, but ripping movies is fun. Not that I know much about it but using DivX to rip to .avi at 640x420 yields excellent quality on the Zen's ickle screen at 500-700MB per film. I've already baffled commuters on the Central Line by watching MI:3 under their noses (and yes, it is a f***ing amazing film, best actioner of 2006, see it NOW).
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Alas I'm not going to Brighton this weekend as I promised my mum ages ago I'd take her out to dinner on Sunday for Mother's Day. Besides she fed my cats for three days while I was away last time so I really need to avoid invoking her wrath. Have a good time without me. You bastards.
---
Despite normality being an unfair intrusion into my psyche I can find solace in the myriad of interesting TV shows that are bombarding my screen at the moment. I'm not one for sitting in front of any old thing, and TBH I'm surprised how good things are. I'm sure it won't last. For those few of you who read more than the first sentance of my entries, here's a rundown:
Battlestar Galactica continues to make for riveting, compelling viewing. If you have not seen it, then GO AND SEE IT NOW (the miniseries opener is on discount in Virgin at the moment). Nothing like the original show except in the broad concept, it's dark, nasty, gritty, doesn't pull its punches and is full of contemporary social commentary. Rumour has it that season 4 has already been commissioned, will be half-length and will the end of the show. I really hope the ending doesn't disappoint, it's been a helluva ride so far.
Heroes is the new show on the block and we're now 5 eipsodes in on Sci-Fi UK (no I'm not into torrenting, if you've downloaded it all then dare to spoil it and you die) and I've liked what I've seen so far. It's superheroes meets everyday life meets conspiracy. Kinda like the film Unbreakable but with an assortment of powers and characters. If has several nested mysteries which will take a long time to pan out (kinda like Lost) but the story moves much faster and keeps throwing you more interesting curveballs (more like Alias). If it keeps going on strong then it's going to be a rival for BSG and the best thing on the telly.
The Wire is another show by HBO over in the US. The channel is well-known and respected for making quality entertainment and The Wire is no exception. It's kind of a dark horse compared to the likes of Deadwood or Rome but it does a marvellous job of showing what contemporary grass-roots policing must be like in the ghettos of Baltimore. FX UK is showing season 4 at the moment and it's full of surprises and great character moments. Slow-burn drama but it keeps you coming back for more.
I actually wasn't sure about The Dresden Files. The trailers on Sky made it look pretty cheesy and the a lot of people have said that the pilot first episode was a bit lame. I'd agree that the premise is a little wacky and his ghostly friend is camper than Boy George in a pink rubber nappy with flowers on it. However a few episodes later, and it has some interesting dark elements and it's doing some unexpected things with the genre. And every episode seems to have a gorgeous femme fatale in some kind of trouble which, while cliched, suits me just fine...
Of course I must give Lost an obligatory mention as season 3 is still running on Sky at the moment. I can totally understand why people hate it or have given up on it. It does some great things, and then it does some dumb things. The writers are clearly making it up as they go along. However, my curiosity is too great and I am simply not a quitter. I. Must. See. How. It. Ends. Even. If. It. Turns. Out. To. Be. Shit.
Lastly I must also mention 24, which is currently about halfway through season 6 on SkyOne. Terribly formulaic, it now spends so little time on it's subsiduary characters that you simply don't care any more as to whether they live or die. The only reason to stay is just to see how stupidly far they can push Jask physically, mentally and emotionally. Suspension of disbelief? Pish! Kudos though to Alexander Siddig for getting a role he can get his teeth into (he was one of the best things about Star Trek DS9). My one bone of contention is that the girl playing Chloe is a whiney bitch and can't act for toffee - why the hell didn't they kill her off two seasons ago when they had the chance! Grr
---
If you're still with me you may be impressed (or not) that I purchase myself one of these lovelies (the 60GB version). I've never been a fan of the Ipod and my old Zen Xtra did me pretty well (until the headphone jack died 3 years on) so this seemed like a logical choice. Reloading my old music is unfortunately a right pain in the ass, but ripping movies is fun. Not that I know much about it but using DivX to rip to .avi at 640x420 yields excellent quality on the Zen's ickle screen at 500-700MB per film. I've already baffled commuters on the Central Line by watching MI:3 under their noses (and yes, it is a f***ing amazing film, best actioner of 2006, see it NOW).
---
Alas I'm not going to Brighton this weekend as I promised my mum ages ago I'd take her out to dinner on Sunday for Mother's Day. Besides she fed my cats for three days while I was away last time so I really need to avoid invoking her wrath. Have a good time without me. You bastards.
vindice:
Uh huh. You got the new chapters? You read them?