Greetings,
I seem to remember a time that, when you wanted to watch a TV show with music, you would have to watch Solid Gold, or Fame, or the cool cousin of Saved by the Bell, California Dreams. You would usually only get music on other shows with the theme music. But times have changed. Most shows no longer even have theme songs, which has seemed to prompt music loving producers to utter those infamous words, "Let's do a musical episode!". In my experience, this has the possibility to be a good thing, or a very not good thing.
I'm not certain where the idea of doing this started, but I think some of this can be credited to The Drew Carey Show, though I believe music had infiltrated the average show a few times before. The 1995 debut of The Drew Carey Show began a somewhat lackluster in the ratings first season. By season two, they had an idea to open some episodes with the cast singing and dancing in the tradition of a music video. It did not happen every time, and it seemed to be a crazy idea. Still, this is what caught people's attention and caused the ratings to go up. They never actually did a full on musical episode, save the season seven Back to School special which featured performances by different musical artists. But they never did one where the cast would sing and dance throughout to music that came out of nowhere. Still, this seemed to lead people to believe that, when in doubt, make your actors sing and a reaction will come from the audience.
A few years later, the season three finale of Ally McBeal came along, and it was an episode entitled "Ally McBeal: the Musical, Almost". I can understand why this show decided to delve into making a musical episode. Whether it was Vonda Shepard and the characters singing at the bar in a realistic sense, or fantasy scenes, like that with the infamous and a little creepy Dancing Baby, Ally McBeal was always a series that drenched itself in music. It mostly dealt with a singing version of whatever Ally may have been thinking or feeling, but with the musical episode, all the characters got a chance to perform. Now that was fine with actors like Jane Krakowski or Lisa Nicole Carson, who have fabulous voices, but, for the most part, the actors here should not give up their day jobs. Though listening to Peter McNichol warble out a tune with all the sincerity in the world was quite amusing.
In 2001, we were treated to Buffy the Musical. Of all the musical episodes I've ever seen, I think this one was the most well-done. First, since Buffy the Vampire Slayer is based in a world of fantasy anyway, having people burst into song out of nowhere would not seem particularly shocking. Ironically, the point of the episode was the characters trying to figure out why they were bursting into song, and, since that is never an issue in musicals, that made the whole concept really funny. Second, while this plot was episodic, they managed to keep within the thread of the story line that was going on at the time. And, most importantly, the music was genuinely very good. All the songs were written by creator Joss Whedon, and I have no idea why he's not a go to writer for every artist in the industry. Go figure, and thumbs way up.
Oh, and let me add one more thing about the Buffy musical. I seem to remember a section in the TV Guide called Close-Up where they would inform you of something that should definitely be seen. This episode was featured and whomever wrote this little preview felt the need to inform us that all the actors were using their own singing voices. None of us were very far into the viewing of this episode before we responded to this info with a resounding, "Yeah, no kidding!". Trust, not all of the actors could sing as well as Anthony Stewart Head. Much love, Giles.
Now the intrigue of a musical episode has, at times, prompted me to watch shows that I normally never would. This was the case, recently, with Grey's Anatomy. My curiosity was peaked here, because I just wanted to know how they were going to do it since the show is, I'm assuming, based in reality. A warped reality, in my opinion, but reality, nonetheless. So I checked it out. Turns out, the whole episode was centered on the character of Callie being in a life and death limbo after a car accident, so she was seemingly having some kind of out of body experience. I pray I am never in this position if it includes listening to my co-workers singing pop songs. Anyway, the character of Callie is portrayed by Sara Ramirez, the one actress on the show who is a professional singer and Broadway star. What a coincidence. I suppose they wanted to utilize her talents and milk her for all she's worth, perhaps, to compensate for a recent salary increase. Still, as much as I loathe what I've seen of this show and many of the people on it, Sara Ramirez does have a beautiful voice, so I guess I can let it go, this time.
Several other series have made an attempt at this gimmick. Some I have seen, like That 70's Show, a series so kitschy that we let them get away with it. Many I have not seen, but only heard about, such as Scrubs and Chicago Hope. Wow, there is a lot of singing going on in hospitals. No wonder I steer clear of them. And, of course, many shows that I wish would have done this never did, like Lost or House or Law and Order. Come on, we all know Jesse Martin was begging for it.
I don't know if this unpredictable tradition will continue into the future of television, but what with the recent, disturbing success of Glee, I fear that we may see more. Or perhaps the cast of that particular show will continue to annoy enough people that we will remain safe.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Gummer Vs. Keaton: Who Do We Love More?
Greetings,
I was a child of the eighties. so most things nostalgic for me fall into that era. When it comes to TV, I remember the cartoons, the commercials, and the family shows that inundated that time. One of my best memories was sitting down every Thursday night to watch a little show called Family Ties.
For those of you who don't know about this legendary sitcom, let me give you the lowdown. Family Ties was a comedy centered around the Keatons. They included the parents, Steven and Elyse, sons Alex and eventually, Andy, and daughters, Mallory and Jennifer. Though they were all part of the same family, each member had a very unique personality and set of values and interests. I think it was this show that did that best. Plus, all those differences caused a lot of good conflict. It was a source of humor throughout the whole seven year run, and it was done well.
But today, I am here to talk about only one of the fine characters on this show - Steven Keaton played by Michael Gross. Steven Keaton was your average father from Ohio, taking care of his family by way of his job at a local public broadcasting station. That spawned many jokes about the documentaries he worked on and the titles he gave them. Politically speaking, he was a liberal man, quite vocally and through his actions, who just refused to let any ounce of what was left of his hippie past go. During the run of the show, both he and his wife were involved in anti-war protests and even went through some soul searching debates about whether or not to buy a gun after they were robbed. Steven Keaton was a gentle man who had a lot of love for his family, and all of this led him to be considered one of the greatest TV dads of all time. He is truly one of the faces of that era, and it's hard to imagine anything else when you think of Michael Gross.
Hard, but not impossible.
Then came the nineties, and with the nineties came one of the greatest events in cinematic history, Tremors. I don't know who had the genius idea to cast Michael Gross in this part so soon after the end of Family Ties, but it was a good move. After seven years of us seeing him as that meek, family man, it was a bit of a shock to then see him as the gun hoarding, paranoid Burt Gummer. And yet, we learned to adapt. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
And now for those of you who don't know about Tremors, it is a classic monster movie that many people put into the "so bad it's good" category. It takes place in a town called Perfection that is invaded by giant, underground worm monsters that came to be known as the Graboids, and all the good people come together to try and defeat them. The movie has crazy moments, gross moments, silly moments, scary moments, but most of all it's just fun. It does not take itself too seriously, and that's fine. Some movies are meant to be that way, and people love this movie. As well as all three sequels and televisions series. I know I do.
But back to Burt. He was the only character to appear in all four movies and the series. Well, actually, in the fourth, which was a Wild West prequel, Michael Gross played Hiram Gummer, Burt's great-grandfather. Still a Gummer, though, so it counts. Anyway, in the first movie, Burt was secondary in the cast, but due to the popularity, his character's presence grew. Everyone just loved his paranoid attitude toward the government, and the massive arsenal of weapons in his basement, which proved to come in handy in this movie for Burt and his wife, Heather, played by Reba McEntire. Yes, THAT Reba McEntire. I know we're discussing Michael Gross, but I had to mention this. Anyway, while he was an extremist who, in real life, one may want to keep their distance from, here we just love everything about him and would be thrilled to fight the Graboids and all the subsequent monsters right by his side.
And so there is a burning question that arises in my mind and heart. Who do I love more? - Burt Gummer or Steven Keaton. Well, I do love the sweet, father figure persona of Steven Keaton. Many of my own family memories are tied to the show from whence he came, so he does hold a special place in my heart. But Burt had guns! Just like Dirty Harry! And I love Dirty Harry, so there you go. And it was this character that really showed the range that Michael Gross had and no doubt led to him getting cast as one of the bad guys du jour on all three Law and Order shows. ALL THREE! Yeah, and I can't believe Detective Goren called him a geek. What, is he nuts? Anyway, I'm torn.
I'm torn between the sentimental and the ammunition. I think I'm going to have to call this a tie. I love them equally but differently, and I can't get beyond that. They're like two parts of the same man, and if you kill one, they both die. So, like I have been doing for years, I am opting to continue to give them equal parts of my heart. As for you, watch the show, watch the movies, and make the choice for yourselves.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I was a child of the eighties. so most things nostalgic for me fall into that era. When it comes to TV, I remember the cartoons, the commercials, and the family shows that inundated that time. One of my best memories was sitting down every Thursday night to watch a little show called Family Ties.
For those of you who don't know about this legendary sitcom, let me give you the lowdown. Family Ties was a comedy centered around the Keatons. They included the parents, Steven and Elyse, sons Alex and eventually, Andy, and daughters, Mallory and Jennifer. Though they were all part of the same family, each member had a very unique personality and set of values and interests. I think it was this show that did that best. Plus, all those differences caused a lot of good conflict. It was a source of humor throughout the whole seven year run, and it was done well.
But today, I am here to talk about only one of the fine characters on this show - Steven Keaton played by Michael Gross. Steven Keaton was your average father from Ohio, taking care of his family by way of his job at a local public broadcasting station. That spawned many jokes about the documentaries he worked on and the titles he gave them. Politically speaking, he was a liberal man, quite vocally and through his actions, who just refused to let any ounce of what was left of his hippie past go. During the run of the show, both he and his wife were involved in anti-war protests and even went through some soul searching debates about whether or not to buy a gun after they were robbed. Steven Keaton was a gentle man who had a lot of love for his family, and all of this led him to be considered one of the greatest TV dads of all time. He is truly one of the faces of that era, and it's hard to imagine anything else when you think of Michael Gross.
Hard, but not impossible.
Then came the nineties, and with the nineties came one of the greatest events in cinematic history, Tremors. I don't know who had the genius idea to cast Michael Gross in this part so soon after the end of Family Ties, but it was a good move. After seven years of us seeing him as that meek, family man, it was a bit of a shock to then see him as the gun hoarding, paranoid Burt Gummer. And yet, we learned to adapt. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
And now for those of you who don't know about Tremors, it is a classic monster movie that many people put into the "so bad it's good" category. It takes place in a town called Perfection that is invaded by giant, underground worm monsters that came to be known as the Graboids, and all the good people come together to try and defeat them. The movie has crazy moments, gross moments, silly moments, scary moments, but most of all it's just fun. It does not take itself too seriously, and that's fine. Some movies are meant to be that way, and people love this movie. As well as all three sequels and televisions series. I know I do.
But back to Burt. He was the only character to appear in all four movies and the series. Well, actually, in the fourth, which was a Wild West prequel, Michael Gross played Hiram Gummer, Burt's great-grandfather. Still a Gummer, though, so it counts. Anyway, in the first movie, Burt was secondary in the cast, but due to the popularity, his character's presence grew. Everyone just loved his paranoid attitude toward the government, and the massive arsenal of weapons in his basement, which proved to come in handy in this movie for Burt and his wife, Heather, played by Reba McEntire. Yes, THAT Reba McEntire. I know we're discussing Michael Gross, but I had to mention this. Anyway, while he was an extremist who, in real life, one may want to keep their distance from, here we just love everything about him and would be thrilled to fight the Graboids and all the subsequent monsters right by his side.
And so there is a burning question that arises in my mind and heart. Who do I love more? - Burt Gummer or Steven Keaton. Well, I do love the sweet, father figure persona of Steven Keaton. Many of my own family memories are tied to the show from whence he came, so he does hold a special place in my heart. But Burt had guns! Just like Dirty Harry! And I love Dirty Harry, so there you go. And it was this character that really showed the range that Michael Gross had and no doubt led to him getting cast as one of the bad guys du jour on all three Law and Order shows. ALL THREE! Yeah, and I can't believe Detective Goren called him a geek. What, is he nuts? Anyway, I'm torn.
I'm torn between the sentimental and the ammunition. I think I'm going to have to call this a tie. I love them equally but differently, and I can't get beyond that. They're like two parts of the same man, and if you kill one, they both die. So, like I have been doing for years, I am opting to continue to give them equal parts of my heart. As for you, watch the show, watch the movies, and make the choice for yourselves.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Top Ten Singing Offspring
Greetings,
I know I've said this in the past, but I'm not a big fan of kids. Really, I'm just not a fan of undisciplined kids, and that's the majority of what you get today. I usually say that if you have no desire to even attempt to be a good parent, don't even do it. There are some people, though, who are something of a good parent simply by the genes they pass on. I must say that the offspring of very talented people, especially artists, are some of my favorites. Even more especially, singers. So after some thought, I came up with a list of my most very favorite of these musical legacies. And here they are.
#10. Alexa Ray Joel (daughter of Billy Joel) - A lot of people could say they watched this little girl grow up. And a lot of people wondered which of her parents she would end up resembling, since there was constant talk of how different they looked from one another, but I was curious which of their professions she would follow. Turns out, she is a musician, though she has grown into quite a beautiful young woman and could have been a model. I haven't heard much from her, but what I have heard is very good. She is a talented pianist, songwriter and singer. One that will no doubt lead to great things of which both parents would be proud.
#9. Jakob Dylan (son of Bob Dylan) - A lot of artists are forced to stay in the time where we are most reminiscent of them. It makes us sometimes forget how great they were. This happened to Jakob Dylan and his band The Wallflowers. Technically, they are considered a nineties band, which I think might make people believe that they were only good in the nineties. Not true. Talent does not abandon someone so easily, and it did not do so to Jakob Dylan. Everyone was just so into calling him Bob Dylan's son that we may have overlooked just how good he was and still is.
#8. Bonnie Raitt (daughter of John Raitt) - Though Bonnie did not follow in her father's direct footsteps by becoming a Broadway star, she did most likely get her musical chops from him. It didn't hurt much that her mother was also a pianist. I respect her so much because, after being something of an under the radar artist for twenty years, she gained much commercial and critical acclaim with her Nick of Time album. It proves that one should never give up on their dreams no matter what.
#7. Natalie Cole (daughter of Nat King Cole) - I know that over the last twenty years, many have begun to think of the "Unforgettable" duet as possibly the most sappy thing they've ever heard, not to mention the most predictable song used for the Daddy/Daughter dance at weddings. But if we go back to when it happened, we can see that it is not sappy but sentimental. After not wanting to sing her father's songs, Natalie Cole learned to embrace her legacy and let it become her own.
#6. Teddy Thompson (son of Richard and Linda Thompson) - Yes, I mentioned both parents here because they are both well-known musicians. Maybe not in this country, but there is a big world out there. I talked about Teddy Thompson when I reviewed the Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man documentary, saying that his performance was my favorite. Still feel that way. And he has some of the best music to which I've ever been privileged to listen. His voice is unlike anything I've heard, having a gentle power that fits his songs so well. His music is definitely worth checking out.
#5. Adam Cohen (son of Leonard Cohen) - Speaking of which. I sort of knew about Adam Cohen and his music, which had never been overwhelmingly successful. But with the release of his recent album, Like a Man, I easily fell in love with him. He has managed to carry on a legacy while maintaining his own identity. It's tough to do those things and accept them. With this album, he does so beautifully.
#4. All the Gibb children (daughters and sons of Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb) - Yeah, I couldn't pick just one, so I picked them all. Honestly, with a family so full of musical brilliance, how could I not? Of course, I know more about some of them than others, which usually how it goes, but I just love this family so much. And a lot of the kids are carrying on the legacy of their fathers by way of their own music and they're doing a great job at it. Although, while I do love them all, I must admit I have a special place in my heart for Robin's son, Spencer. Don't ask me why. That's just how it is.
#3. Lucy Walsh (daughter of Joe Walsh) - And she was born to rock! Sorry. I had to give a little shout out to where I first saw her. It was an MTV show called Rock the Cradle where the offspring of legendary musicians competed with each other. Sadly, Lucy did not win . . . to them. To me, she was the best, not only through her musical gifts, but also with a personality that could draw anyone in. Since then, I have become such a huge fan of her music. As a lyric snob, I have definitely taken notice of her great talent in that area. She has developed a pretty good following, but she gets nowhere near the amount of recognition she deserves. If people would just look into her music, they would all love it, too. And love her.
#2. Jeff Buckley (son of Tim Buckley) - I hope I don't cry as I write this, since Jeff Buckley is one of my favorite yet most bittersweet artists. We have seen the greatness that was and mourn for the greatness we knew would have been. It is so sad that sometimes someone has to die to become a legend when they deserved to be one living and breathing.
#1. Julian Lennon (son of John Lennon) - No kidding, he's number one. Isn't it obvious? And, at this point, I think it's okay. I mean, he's nearly fifty years old, EVERYONE knows what a superb musician he is, and I think most people are over comparing him to his father. I know I am. Of course, we are probably always going to think of John Lennon when we think of Julian. They are father and son after all. But when I think of the beautiful music he has made in his life, I can so easily put thoughts of any other person aside and just listen to what he has created. He may have been denied the length of "top of the charts" success that he deserved, but I doubt anyone who cares to really take a listen will ever deny him the respect as a musician he has earned. And though certain people have tried to destroy the tradition of great music that he was first with which to continue on, Julian has always carried himself with such grace and dignity that would make anyone proud.
And may the legacies live on. Remember, if you would like to be a good parent, and you have some serious music skills, by all means, reproduce. Because if that can lead to us getting more people like those on my list, I welcome it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I know I've said this in the past, but I'm not a big fan of kids. Really, I'm just not a fan of undisciplined kids, and that's the majority of what you get today. I usually say that if you have no desire to even attempt to be a good parent, don't even do it. There are some people, though, who are something of a good parent simply by the genes they pass on. I must say that the offspring of very talented people, especially artists, are some of my favorites. Even more especially, singers. So after some thought, I came up with a list of my most very favorite of these musical legacies. And here they are.
#10. Alexa Ray Joel (daughter of Billy Joel) - A lot of people could say they watched this little girl grow up. And a lot of people wondered which of her parents she would end up resembling, since there was constant talk of how different they looked from one another, but I was curious which of their professions she would follow. Turns out, she is a musician, though she has grown into quite a beautiful young woman and could have been a model. I haven't heard much from her, but what I have heard is very good. She is a talented pianist, songwriter and singer. One that will no doubt lead to great things of which both parents would be proud.
#9. Jakob Dylan (son of Bob Dylan) - A lot of artists are forced to stay in the time where we are most reminiscent of them. It makes us sometimes forget how great they were. This happened to Jakob Dylan and his band The Wallflowers. Technically, they are considered a nineties band, which I think might make people believe that they were only good in the nineties. Not true. Talent does not abandon someone so easily, and it did not do so to Jakob Dylan. Everyone was just so into calling him Bob Dylan's son that we may have overlooked just how good he was and still is.
#8. Bonnie Raitt (daughter of John Raitt) - Though Bonnie did not follow in her father's direct footsteps by becoming a Broadway star, she did most likely get her musical chops from him. It didn't hurt much that her mother was also a pianist. I respect her so much because, after being something of an under the radar artist for twenty years, she gained much commercial and critical acclaim with her Nick of Time album. It proves that one should never give up on their dreams no matter what.
#7. Natalie Cole (daughter of Nat King Cole) - I know that over the last twenty years, many have begun to think of the "Unforgettable" duet as possibly the most sappy thing they've ever heard, not to mention the most predictable song used for the Daddy/Daughter dance at weddings. But if we go back to when it happened, we can see that it is not sappy but sentimental. After not wanting to sing her father's songs, Natalie Cole learned to embrace her legacy and let it become her own.
#6. Teddy Thompson (son of Richard and Linda Thompson) - Yes, I mentioned both parents here because they are both well-known musicians. Maybe not in this country, but there is a big world out there. I talked about Teddy Thompson when I reviewed the Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man documentary, saying that his performance was my favorite. Still feel that way. And he has some of the best music to which I've ever been privileged to listen. His voice is unlike anything I've heard, having a gentle power that fits his songs so well. His music is definitely worth checking out.
#5. Adam Cohen (son of Leonard Cohen) - Speaking of which. I sort of knew about Adam Cohen and his music, which had never been overwhelmingly successful. But with the release of his recent album, Like a Man, I easily fell in love with him. He has managed to carry on a legacy while maintaining his own identity. It's tough to do those things and accept them. With this album, he does so beautifully.
#4. All the Gibb children (daughters and sons of Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb) - Yeah, I couldn't pick just one, so I picked them all. Honestly, with a family so full of musical brilliance, how could I not? Of course, I know more about some of them than others, which usually how it goes, but I just love this family so much. And a lot of the kids are carrying on the legacy of their fathers by way of their own music and they're doing a great job at it. Although, while I do love them all, I must admit I have a special place in my heart for Robin's son, Spencer. Don't ask me why. That's just how it is.
#3. Lucy Walsh (daughter of Joe Walsh) - And she was born to rock! Sorry. I had to give a little shout out to where I first saw her. It was an MTV show called Rock the Cradle where the offspring of legendary musicians competed with each other. Sadly, Lucy did not win . . . to them. To me, she was the best, not only through her musical gifts, but also with a personality that could draw anyone in. Since then, I have become such a huge fan of her music. As a lyric snob, I have definitely taken notice of her great talent in that area. She has developed a pretty good following, but she gets nowhere near the amount of recognition she deserves. If people would just look into her music, they would all love it, too. And love her.
#2. Jeff Buckley (son of Tim Buckley) - I hope I don't cry as I write this, since Jeff Buckley is one of my favorite yet most bittersweet artists. We have seen the greatness that was and mourn for the greatness we knew would have been. It is so sad that sometimes someone has to die to become a legend when they deserved to be one living and breathing.
#1. Julian Lennon (son of John Lennon) - No kidding, he's number one. Isn't it obvious? And, at this point, I think it's okay. I mean, he's nearly fifty years old, EVERYONE knows what a superb musician he is, and I think most people are over comparing him to his father. I know I am. Of course, we are probably always going to think of John Lennon when we think of Julian. They are father and son after all. But when I think of the beautiful music he has made in his life, I can so easily put thoughts of any other person aside and just listen to what he has created. He may have been denied the length of "top of the charts" success that he deserved, but I doubt anyone who cares to really take a listen will ever deny him the respect as a musician he has earned. And though certain people have tried to destroy the tradition of great music that he was first with which to continue on, Julian has always carried himself with such grace and dignity that would make anyone proud.
And may the legacies live on. Remember, if you would like to be a good parent, and you have some serious music skills, by all means, reproduce. Because if that can lead to us getting more people like those on my list, I welcome it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Why Did the Swan Cross the Road?
Greetings,
I have an uncanny ability to spot a star on the rise. Sometimes they only remain a star in my own eyes, but every so often, the rest of the world catches on to this as well. I believe I revealed this special power in my Gerard Butler retrospective, but there have been others. My favorite actor, Gary Sinise, for example. Yep, I saw him in The Stand and thought, "Oh, yeah. THAT guy. That guy right there. Keep your eyes on that one." And then there was Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. I was twelve when I figured out she was going to hit it big. And how did I discover her? Well, I'll tell you right now. But first, a hint. It's the twentieth anniversary of this momentous occasion.
In the summer of 1992, a little show crept up on the horizon called Swan's Crossing. It was a daily, half-hour, soap-opera about a group of rich teenagers going about their drama ridden lives in a fictional town called - what! - Swan's Crossing. Before you ask, yes, everything in the town was swan themed. And I do mean everything. You couldn't cough in that place without your germs hitting something swan-shaped. It was like a ritzy version of Raytown on Mama's Family. As I said, it aired in the summer, and it took place during the summer. Just one summer. Yes, it only lasted three months, but it was three of the best months of my life. Let's delve into the drama, shall we?
Now I won't take you through all the goings on of the whole three months, because, especially in the soap world, a lot can happen in a short time. And a lot did. Still, I cannot help but share some of the fabulousness of what went on in this place, so I'll just give you the highlights of the first week or so, which will be plenty of excitement all on its own.
Whether it was supposed to be this way or not, Sarah Michelle Gellar was the star of the show portraying Sydney Rutledge, the glamorous, spoiled, only daughter of the mayor. Oh, and she's like fourteen. Yeah, everybody is basically fourteen, which is why every little event of their lives is dramatized to an overwhelming degree. Sydney was pretty much a mini Erica Kane. I guess someone else noticed this, since she eventually got cast as Erica's daughter on All My Children.
Of course, the gorgeous, rich girl needs a boyfriend. Not to worry. Enter Garrett Booth, played by Shane McDermott. Some of you may remember him as the star of the 1993 film, Airborne a.k.a. the movie that both Jack Black and Seth Green have most likely paid IMDB to take off their resumes. But I doubt it. Anyway, Garrett was a cute, but hilariously arrogant young man, cut from the same cloth from which we would later get Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass. His catch phrase, if you will, was, "Oooh, I love myself!". No lie. And it was said in the most over the top way imaginable. Somehow, though, it worked.
So where's the drama in this relationship? Uh-oh! Their parents hate each other! You could cut the originality with a knife on that one. It turns out that through some past feud on which we are never really filled in, Sydney's mother despises Garret's father and vice versa. So the young couple are forced to keep their secret . . . from their parents. Because pretty much everyone else in town knows they're together. You know what, let me amend that statement. Literally, every single person in town knows about their relationship, except for their parents. May I remind you that Sydney's mother was the mayor, presumably with her "people" going to and fro throughout the entire town, and she still didn't know what was going on. Wow. Just wow.
Our first episode centers around Garrett's return to Swan's Crossing after his father had sent him to Europe for some time in order to keep him away from Sydney. Because that is what rich people do with their kids when they disobey. That episode was amazing, full of crying and yelling and even an explosion! Okay, it's just a big, toy rocket type thing that blows up. No harm, no foul, but Sydney is convinced that the explosion killed Garrett. What? And how? It's okay, though. He was just hiding to screw with her. Yes, it's that kind of a relationship. There's a thin line between love and rich kids so bored with their lives that they occasionally fake their own deaths to torture each other. My word, you mix youth and the one percent, and this is what you get.
During the first week, the kids - who am I kidding? - the tiny, tiny adults find out that there's a new girl moving to town. Not just any new girl, a former child star named Mila Rosnovsky played by future Sweet Valley and Doublemint twin Brittany Daniel. Everyone is pretty excited, except for Sydney. She is very worried. You may be thinking why. So what if another beautiful, rich girl moves to town. Well, what if she's nice (spoiler: she is)? But Sydney is beautiful, rich and kind of . . . a "B". Sorry, I don't say that word. But she was also a "B" that you could tell was, underneath it all, very insecure. Yes, I, too, was shocked that a show aimed at teens had a character that wasn't so one dimensional.
Okay, new girl in town, seems easy enough, but - another uh-oh! - Mila's not the only one coming to town. We also have Callie Walker played by an actress named Stacey Moseley. I'll discuss her more in a bit, because she has earned that honor. There's no hoopla over Callie because no one knows she's coming, and she's not a star. She's kind of a tomboy, and her dad's a bit of a recluse. Oh, yeah, and she lives in a submarine. I am NOT making this up. She and her dad, who is some kind of captain, I'll guess Navy, lived in a for-real submarine. They arrive in Swan's Crossing, and still no one knows. No one but Garrett that is, because he is slick, and he uses the info to his advantage. By the way, if you're wondering how no one noticed a docked submarine, there is a logical explanation. Their periscope is shaped like (dramatic pause) a swan. And those fluffy, moving, noise making swans look exactly like one made out of metal with a lens sticking out of its mouth. Indeed.
And so the week ends with all the residents of Swan's Crossing, old and new, finally meeting face to face. Then, this tower thing falls down, and this deck or whatever collapses into the lake. Chaos ensues and one of the new girls needs to be rescued. That about sums it up.
Now besides the ones I mentioned, we also have just about every cliche of a character you would hope to find on a teen show. We have the sweet girl, Glory Booth, who is also Garrett's little sister. There's her computer geek boyfriend, J.T. Adams, who along with his friend, Neil Atwater, is developing some kind of . . . computer thing that appears to put them in danger. As those things tend to do. There's Nancy Robbins, who can be kind of a lower case "b" but seems eager to go upper case, and also Bobby DeCastro, who changes his name to Saja, because he's all into some kind of Eastern philosophy stuff. We have Jimmy Clayton. He works at a garage, along with Callie. They serve as each other's sometimes nemesis, sometimes object of affection. What's the difference? We even have a token poor girl, Sandy Swan. Now that "swan" reference is because her ancestors founded the place, not because they changed their name so they would fit in. She's also a singer/songwriter with her nerdy friend, Owen Fowler. Joke, if we must, but the girl had a great voice.
Of course, we had random adults, parents and whatnot, like Jazz (hopefully, not her real name), a waitress at Swan's (surprise!)Soda Shop, and Jimmy and Callie's boss, Barek, whom she finds a bit suspicious. Shady or not, I thought the guy was kind of hot. And we can't have a show about rich people without a butler in there, so we had the one that worked for Sydney named Ralph. He provided some good comedy for us. Oh, and Mira Sorvino was also on this show for about two weeks, playing Sophia, Saja's seventeen year old (right!) sister. Yes, THAT Mira Sorvino. And I believe this show was occurring as her father, Paul, was starring on Law and Order. This is an acting family with some serious range, people.
Some of the people on this show did have some acting chops, but, as I said, I'd like to single another one out. I did figure that Sarah Michelle would break out and be a star, but she wasn't the only one about whom I thought that. It was the aforementioned Stacey Moseley. This girl was a really good actress. She could be subtle, but also dramatic while never overdoing it. Now before this, she actually had a small role in Born on the Fourth of July. So clearly, others saw the talent. Since her days in the land of the Swans, I've seen her on an episode of Law and Order and, more recently, on an episode of Leverage. I truly cannot believe that she is not in the same stratosphere as some of her co-stars. Well, as long she's happy, and I hope she is.
And so that is how I spent the summer of my twelfth year. I would love relive this some time, but, as of yet, no one has had the good sense to officially put this show on DVD. The best I can do is a search on YouTube for some really bad quality episodes. Seriously, though, would it really be that hard to get this thing on DVD? Come on, Sarah Michelle. Help out your fans who knew you when.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I have an uncanny ability to spot a star on the rise. Sometimes they only remain a star in my own eyes, but every so often, the rest of the world catches on to this as well. I believe I revealed this special power in my Gerard Butler retrospective, but there have been others. My favorite actor, Gary Sinise, for example. Yep, I saw him in The Stand and thought, "Oh, yeah. THAT guy. That guy right there. Keep your eyes on that one." And then there was Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. I was twelve when I figured out she was going to hit it big. And how did I discover her? Well, I'll tell you right now. But first, a hint. It's the twentieth anniversary of this momentous occasion.
In the summer of 1992, a little show crept up on the horizon called Swan's Crossing. It was a daily, half-hour, soap-opera about a group of rich teenagers going about their drama ridden lives in a fictional town called - what! - Swan's Crossing. Before you ask, yes, everything in the town was swan themed. And I do mean everything. You couldn't cough in that place without your germs hitting something swan-shaped. It was like a ritzy version of Raytown on Mama's Family. As I said, it aired in the summer, and it took place during the summer. Just one summer. Yes, it only lasted three months, but it was three of the best months of my life. Let's delve into the drama, shall we?
Now I won't take you through all the goings on of the whole three months, because, especially in the soap world, a lot can happen in a short time. And a lot did. Still, I cannot help but share some of the fabulousness of what went on in this place, so I'll just give you the highlights of the first week or so, which will be plenty of excitement all on its own.
Whether it was supposed to be this way or not, Sarah Michelle Gellar was the star of the show portraying Sydney Rutledge, the glamorous, spoiled, only daughter of the mayor. Oh, and she's like fourteen. Yeah, everybody is basically fourteen, which is why every little event of their lives is dramatized to an overwhelming degree. Sydney was pretty much a mini Erica Kane. I guess someone else noticed this, since she eventually got cast as Erica's daughter on All My Children.
Of course, the gorgeous, rich girl needs a boyfriend. Not to worry. Enter Garrett Booth, played by Shane McDermott. Some of you may remember him as the star of the 1993 film, Airborne a.k.a. the movie that both Jack Black and Seth Green have most likely paid IMDB to take off their resumes. But I doubt it. Anyway, Garrett was a cute, but hilariously arrogant young man, cut from the same cloth from which we would later get Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass. His catch phrase, if you will, was, "Oooh, I love myself!". No lie. And it was said in the most over the top way imaginable. Somehow, though, it worked.
So where's the drama in this relationship? Uh-oh! Their parents hate each other! You could cut the originality with a knife on that one. It turns out that through some past feud on which we are never really filled in, Sydney's mother despises Garret's father and vice versa. So the young couple are forced to keep their secret . . . from their parents. Because pretty much everyone else in town knows they're together. You know what, let me amend that statement. Literally, every single person in town knows about their relationship, except for their parents. May I remind you that Sydney's mother was the mayor, presumably with her "people" going to and fro throughout the entire town, and she still didn't know what was going on. Wow. Just wow.
Our first episode centers around Garrett's return to Swan's Crossing after his father had sent him to Europe for some time in order to keep him away from Sydney. Because that is what rich people do with their kids when they disobey. That episode was amazing, full of crying and yelling and even an explosion! Okay, it's just a big, toy rocket type thing that blows up. No harm, no foul, but Sydney is convinced that the explosion killed Garrett. What? And how? It's okay, though. He was just hiding to screw with her. Yes, it's that kind of a relationship. There's a thin line between love and rich kids so bored with their lives that they occasionally fake their own deaths to torture each other. My word, you mix youth and the one percent, and this is what you get.
During the first week, the kids - who am I kidding? - the tiny, tiny adults find out that there's a new girl moving to town. Not just any new girl, a former child star named Mila Rosnovsky played by future Sweet Valley and Doublemint twin Brittany Daniel. Everyone is pretty excited, except for Sydney. She is very worried. You may be thinking why. So what if another beautiful, rich girl moves to town. Well, what if she's nice (spoiler: she is)? But Sydney is beautiful, rich and kind of . . . a "B". Sorry, I don't say that word. But she was also a "B" that you could tell was, underneath it all, very insecure. Yes, I, too, was shocked that a show aimed at teens had a character that wasn't so one dimensional.
Okay, new girl in town, seems easy enough, but - another uh-oh! - Mila's not the only one coming to town. We also have Callie Walker played by an actress named Stacey Moseley. I'll discuss her more in a bit, because she has earned that honor. There's no hoopla over Callie because no one knows she's coming, and she's not a star. She's kind of a tomboy, and her dad's a bit of a recluse. Oh, yeah, and she lives in a submarine. I am NOT making this up. She and her dad, who is some kind of captain, I'll guess Navy, lived in a for-real submarine. They arrive in Swan's Crossing, and still no one knows. No one but Garrett that is, because he is slick, and he uses the info to his advantage. By the way, if you're wondering how no one noticed a docked submarine, there is a logical explanation. Their periscope is shaped like (dramatic pause) a swan. And those fluffy, moving, noise making swans look exactly like one made out of metal with a lens sticking out of its mouth. Indeed.
And so the week ends with all the residents of Swan's Crossing, old and new, finally meeting face to face. Then, this tower thing falls down, and this deck or whatever collapses into the lake. Chaos ensues and one of the new girls needs to be rescued. That about sums it up.
Now besides the ones I mentioned, we also have just about every cliche of a character you would hope to find on a teen show. We have the sweet girl, Glory Booth, who is also Garrett's little sister. There's her computer geek boyfriend, J.T. Adams, who along with his friend, Neil Atwater, is developing some kind of . . . computer thing that appears to put them in danger. As those things tend to do. There's Nancy Robbins, who can be kind of a lower case "b" but seems eager to go upper case, and also Bobby DeCastro, who changes his name to Saja, because he's all into some kind of Eastern philosophy stuff. We have Jimmy Clayton. He works at a garage, along with Callie. They serve as each other's sometimes nemesis, sometimes object of affection. What's the difference? We even have a token poor girl, Sandy Swan. Now that "swan" reference is because her ancestors founded the place, not because they changed their name so they would fit in. She's also a singer/songwriter with her nerdy friend, Owen Fowler. Joke, if we must, but the girl had a great voice.
Of course, we had random adults, parents and whatnot, like Jazz (hopefully, not her real name), a waitress at Swan's (surprise!)Soda Shop, and Jimmy and Callie's boss, Barek, whom she finds a bit suspicious. Shady or not, I thought the guy was kind of hot. And we can't have a show about rich people without a butler in there, so we had the one that worked for Sydney named Ralph. He provided some good comedy for us. Oh, and Mira Sorvino was also on this show for about two weeks, playing Sophia, Saja's seventeen year old (right!) sister. Yes, THAT Mira Sorvino. And I believe this show was occurring as her father, Paul, was starring on Law and Order. This is an acting family with some serious range, people.
Some of the people on this show did have some acting chops, but, as I said, I'd like to single another one out. I did figure that Sarah Michelle would break out and be a star, but she wasn't the only one about whom I thought that. It was the aforementioned Stacey Moseley. This girl was a really good actress. She could be subtle, but also dramatic while never overdoing it. Now before this, she actually had a small role in Born on the Fourth of July. So clearly, others saw the talent. Since her days in the land of the Swans, I've seen her on an episode of Law and Order and, more recently, on an episode of Leverage. I truly cannot believe that she is not in the same stratosphere as some of her co-stars. Well, as long she's happy, and I hope she is.
And so that is how I spent the summer of my twelfth year. I would love relive this some time, but, as of yet, no one has had the good sense to officially put this show on DVD. The best I can do is a search on YouTube for some really bad quality episodes. Seriously, though, would it really be that hard to get this thing on DVD? Come on, Sarah Michelle. Help out your fans who knew you when.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Top Ten Sawyer Moments
Greetings,
While I enjoy a good challenge in my life, I try to avoid things that I know will cause me frustration and put me on the road to a massive headache. So that raises the question of why I spent six years watching a little show called Lost. Something tells me I am not alone in this.
For those of you who don't know, Lost was a show about a group of people whose plane crashes into an island. And that's about where the simplicity comes to a screeching halt. Within the first episode, we realize that maybe this island is not your average place, and as time goes on, it just gets more complicated. The questions about what was happening continued to stack themselves on each other, while the answers became practically non-existent. We kept telling ourselves that, when the show was completely over, it would all make sense. Well, the show ended and most people would say that is not what happened. I have a theory about what it was all about that made it make sense (a little) to me, but I'm not going to get into that today. And you may be wondering why DID I spend so much time watching something that caused me so much cerebral agony. I can explain that, metaphorically.
I see the entire series of Lost as a very messy closet filled with designer clothes. If you back yourself up and try to take in the whole picture, you will be very overwhelmed by it all. You may even cry. But if you take out one article of clothing, you can look at it and say, "This is a really amazing dress, and I want to wear it". See, if every time you watch Lost you thought about that big picture, it would ruin it. That's why I stopped doing that. I just watched the episode that was in front of me in the moment, and, you know what, I could really enjoy it that way. Each week, I was entertained with good writing and good actors, so they actually did their job quite well. Therefore, I don't think that watching Lost was a waste of time.
Okay, enough exposition.
Now, in my opinion, Lost is not a show of which you can choose favorite episodes. The show was too "serial" for that. What you can do is pick favorite moments. So I sat down intending to make a list of such. Turns out, though, that every moment on my list was centered around Sawyer. Of course. He was my favorite character. Why? Well, there's the obvious reasons first off. I am a woman, and he looks how he looks. That's the foundation. But he was funny, and also damaged and wounded, and, like a lot of women, I fall into the trap of wanting a guy I can fix. Yep, we love a project. Of course, the bad boy with a good heart is a total cliche at this point, but I think this character, like a lot of them on the show, was very complex. So he wins the prize of getting this list done in his honor.
I must admit, though, had this been a Top FIVE list, it probably would have been a Sawyer AND Hurley dedication. Yeah, a lot of things had to do with the two of them together. Funny how people would always ask you, "Kate and Jack, or Kate and Sawyer?" Forget that. My favorite couple on the show was Sawyer and Hurley. So you'll see a lot of Hurley here, too. Hope you don't mind. Oh, and by the way, I will be giving spoilers, so enter at your own risk. Here we go.
#10. Teaching Jin English - This incident took place in an episode centered around Hurley finding an old hippie van and recruiting Sawyer, Jin and Charlie to fix it. There's a scene where Sawyer sits with Jin, drinks decades old beer and teaches him "the only three things a woman needs to hear". What do we need to hear? 1. "I'm sorry." 2. "You were right." and 3. "Those pants don't make you look fat". He says something so jerkish and yet women still want him . . . because he's hot. Yeah, tell me again about how difficult life is for the pretty people.
#9. The Boar - There have been many epic battles between man and beast throughout history. This is no exception. Sawyer is convinced that a boar is out to get him, so he goes on a hunting expedition to get justice for his stolen tarp (aka. his makeshift tent). Ya know, he would have looked far less insane if he would have just told everyone he was going to kill it to provide food for them, instead of this lopsided Jaws: The Revenge motive.
#8. Digging Out the Bullet - At the end of season one, Sawyer, Jin, Michael and Walt set out on their homemade . . . sorry, island made raft to try to get everyone rescued. Surprise! It didn't work, and they were ambushed by the pirate-y Others to kidnap Walt. Somewhere in there, Sawyer gets shot. Afterwards, with Jin MIA somewhere in the ocean and Walt gone, he and Michael are left adrift on the remnants of their raft. So does Sawyer do what you're supposed to do and leave the bullet where it is in case an artery was hit? Of course not. He's a man! He takes one of his dirty, saltwater soaked hands and digs out the bullet!! Well, at least he screamed and didn't pretend like it didn't hurt. Take it where you can get it.
#7. Ready, Aim, Fire! Yeah, Try Not to Forget That Middle Part - So when the plane crashed, a Federal Marshall was mortally wounded by being impaled with a piece of metal. Only the audience knows this at the time, but he was transporting Kate. The guy wants someone to shoot him and put him out of his misery. Jack won't do it, because he's Jack, but guess who will? Yes, so Jack thinks Kate is going to do it, once he finds out she has a gun, but it's Sawyer who walks out, having done the deed . . . maybe. Next thing we hear is the guy coughing. He's not dead! How does that happen? Well, instead of shooting him in the head like any normal person would do, Sawyer thought it prudent to shoot the guy in the chest because he was "aiming for his heart". Perhaps, that was meant to be a little symbolism, but he got the lung, which would cause someone to die very, very slowly. If he's trying to disprove the idea that Southern people are stupid, he failed miserably. Speaking of which . . . Okay, Sawyer is a proud redneck, and you'd think that would mean he could shoot a gun and not miss the target, especially when the target is about a foot in front of him! Maybe they should have put the guy on a tree stump between two cans of beer and given Sawyer a gun with a scope on it. It would have made him feel more natural and able to get the job done.
#6. Reading to Aaron - So there's a baby on the island named Aaron, and babies cry, loudly. Sawyer does not like this, obviously. But in a totally unpredictable twist of fate, little Aaron develops a liking to Sawyer's voice. Wow! Did not see that one coming. So the only way to keep the baby quiet is for Sawyer to read to him. Yeah, because he couldn't have just gone somewhere that the baby wasn't and let everyone else deal with it. Oh, no.
#5. The Banishment Vote - Sawyer is a con man, but every now and then, even the best con man can get hoodwinked. That is what happened here. Hurley manages to convince Sawyer that the group was going to have a vote on whether or not to "banish" him from their community. So in order to not have this happen, Hurley makes Sawyer think that if he magically becomes nice, people won't vote against him. What happens? He magically becomes nice. Well, pretends to be nice. Eventually, he learns that Hurley pulled a con, and angrily confronts him. Hurley's defense? "Wasn't it nice being nice?" Mm-hmm. Hi, I'm Hurley, and it is impossible to stay mad at me.
#4. Learning the Back Story - One thing I really liked about Lost in the beginning was the flashbacks. So basically, we knew more about the characters than they knew about each other. We knew the reason as to why they were the way that they were. We spent seven episodes trying to figure out just why Sawyer was such a jerk, and then in episode eight, we got an answer. Sawyer (not his real name), as it turns out, had a difficult childhood to say the least. The very least. Long story short: Mom cheated on Dad, lost all their money, Dad killed Mom then himself in the presence of the little boy. Rough. I normally hate the Bad Mommy or Bad Daddy excuse, but it was so tragic here that I let things slide. Plus, we're talking about Sawyer, so . . . you know.
#3. Frog Gigging with Hurley - You know how there are some people who are bugged by every little thing. I know them. Sometimes I am one of them. As is Sawyer. There is menacing, trilling tree frog that is keeping Sawyer from getting sleep . . . in the middle of the day. He wants to get rid of it but needs help. No one wants to do so. He seems to be on his own, until he catches Hurley hoarding food and threatens to tell everyone. Painted into a corner, Hurley goes with Sawyer on his frog gigging expedition. Oh, and by the way, I feel the need to mention that Sawyer does this with a pistol in his pants. I am not speaking metaphorically here. He takes a shotgun with him and has it in his belt. To paraphrase Lewis Black on his own tale of guys going gigging, I guess the gun is so if you can't catch the frog, you can just blow its head off. Luckily, Sawyer does catch the frog in his hands and it's tiny. Hurley tries to get Sawyer to give it to him so he can take it to a beach far away and out of ear shot. Good idea. Better idea? Crushing the frog in your hand, which is exactly what Sawyer does. Oh, and Lost sound editor? Thanks a pant load for the squishing and crunching noises as he did so. It just made it all the more real.
#2. Getting Revenge - I feel the need to warn once again on this one - MAJOR spoiler alert! Okay, when we discover Sawyer's back story, we find out that he holds one man responsible for ruining his life, a man he intends to kill one day. But how can he even find this man, let alone kill him if he's stuck on a deserted island? Well, not to worry. Thanks to the magic of the Others. Okay, Locke finds Sawyer and takes him to this shack where a man is waiting, and Locke locks both of them inside. This man is Locke's horrible father that the Others brought to the island. Locke will get to be their new leader if he proves he can kill his own father. Okay? He can't, so he wants Sawyer to it. Why? Well, as the episode progresses, we learn that Locke's father is the man who Sawyer has been searching for all his life. What a coincidence! Sawyer ends up going totally Rambo on the unapologetic man, strangling him with a chain. That is awesome! Afterward, Locke takes back the body to the Others convincing them that he, himself, had killed his father, but not before convincing Sawyer that he had done the right thing. Sure, why not? I kid, but, in amongst all the unanswered questions, this reveal was superb for the fans.
#1. The Hurley Fight - Yes, I said fight, not argument. There is a difference in my world. I think I can sum this one up quickly. Sawyer picks on everyone. He calls everyone by amusing if not completely offensive, and sometimes racist, nicknames. Hurley got the brunt of the abuse and one day, he could take no more. Hurley literally attacks Sawyer, pushing him into the ground, knocking down a tent and pummeling him, uttering every cruel nickname Sawyer ever bestowed upon him. Fantastic. It is literally the funniest thing I ever saw on this show. So it gets the number one position here.
Now that I have finished this list, I feel it necessary to give some credit to the actor who portrayed this character - Josh Holloway. Josh Holloway, in real life, is a gentleman, a family man, an all around good guy. Basically, he is nothing like the character he portrayed. So my attraction was never toward him; it was all about the Sawyer, a man with whom I could have a really good argument, a man whom I could "fix", a man who would then be eternally grateful to me. Seriously, though, Josh Holloway did a fabulous job with this character. He made Sawyer what he was, which was my favorite. I may not miss the headaches, but when it comes to Lost, there will always be a part of me that misses things like this.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
While I enjoy a good challenge in my life, I try to avoid things that I know will cause me frustration and put me on the road to a massive headache. So that raises the question of why I spent six years watching a little show called Lost. Something tells me I am not alone in this.
For those of you who don't know, Lost was a show about a group of people whose plane crashes into an island. And that's about where the simplicity comes to a screeching halt. Within the first episode, we realize that maybe this island is not your average place, and as time goes on, it just gets more complicated. The questions about what was happening continued to stack themselves on each other, while the answers became practically non-existent. We kept telling ourselves that, when the show was completely over, it would all make sense. Well, the show ended and most people would say that is not what happened. I have a theory about what it was all about that made it make sense (a little) to me, but I'm not going to get into that today. And you may be wondering why DID I spend so much time watching something that caused me so much cerebral agony. I can explain that, metaphorically.
I see the entire series of Lost as a very messy closet filled with designer clothes. If you back yourself up and try to take in the whole picture, you will be very overwhelmed by it all. You may even cry. But if you take out one article of clothing, you can look at it and say, "This is a really amazing dress, and I want to wear it". See, if every time you watch Lost you thought about that big picture, it would ruin it. That's why I stopped doing that. I just watched the episode that was in front of me in the moment, and, you know what, I could really enjoy it that way. Each week, I was entertained with good writing and good actors, so they actually did their job quite well. Therefore, I don't think that watching Lost was a waste of time.
Okay, enough exposition.
Now, in my opinion, Lost is not a show of which you can choose favorite episodes. The show was too "serial" for that. What you can do is pick favorite moments. So I sat down intending to make a list of such. Turns out, though, that every moment on my list was centered around Sawyer. Of course. He was my favorite character. Why? Well, there's the obvious reasons first off. I am a woman, and he looks how he looks. That's the foundation. But he was funny, and also damaged and wounded, and, like a lot of women, I fall into the trap of wanting a guy I can fix. Yep, we love a project. Of course, the bad boy with a good heart is a total cliche at this point, but I think this character, like a lot of them on the show, was very complex. So he wins the prize of getting this list done in his honor.
I must admit, though, had this been a Top FIVE list, it probably would have been a Sawyer AND Hurley dedication. Yeah, a lot of things had to do with the two of them together. Funny how people would always ask you, "Kate and Jack, or Kate and Sawyer?" Forget that. My favorite couple on the show was Sawyer and Hurley. So you'll see a lot of Hurley here, too. Hope you don't mind. Oh, and by the way, I will be giving spoilers, so enter at your own risk. Here we go.
#10. Teaching Jin English - This incident took place in an episode centered around Hurley finding an old hippie van and recruiting Sawyer, Jin and Charlie to fix it. There's a scene where Sawyer sits with Jin, drinks decades old beer and teaches him "the only three things a woman needs to hear". What do we need to hear? 1. "I'm sorry." 2. "You were right." and 3. "Those pants don't make you look fat". He says something so jerkish and yet women still want him . . . because he's hot. Yeah, tell me again about how difficult life is for the pretty people.
#9. The Boar - There have been many epic battles between man and beast throughout history. This is no exception. Sawyer is convinced that a boar is out to get him, so he goes on a hunting expedition to get justice for his stolen tarp (aka. his makeshift tent). Ya know, he would have looked far less insane if he would have just told everyone he was going to kill it to provide food for them, instead of this lopsided Jaws: The Revenge motive.
#8. Digging Out the Bullet - At the end of season one, Sawyer, Jin, Michael and Walt set out on their homemade . . . sorry, island made raft to try to get everyone rescued. Surprise! It didn't work, and they were ambushed by the pirate-y Others to kidnap Walt. Somewhere in there, Sawyer gets shot. Afterwards, with Jin MIA somewhere in the ocean and Walt gone, he and Michael are left adrift on the remnants of their raft. So does Sawyer do what you're supposed to do and leave the bullet where it is in case an artery was hit? Of course not. He's a man! He takes one of his dirty, saltwater soaked hands and digs out the bullet!! Well, at least he screamed and didn't pretend like it didn't hurt. Take it where you can get it.
#7. Ready, Aim, Fire! Yeah, Try Not to Forget That Middle Part - So when the plane crashed, a Federal Marshall was mortally wounded by being impaled with a piece of metal. Only the audience knows this at the time, but he was transporting Kate. The guy wants someone to shoot him and put him out of his misery. Jack won't do it, because he's Jack, but guess who will? Yes, so Jack thinks Kate is going to do it, once he finds out she has a gun, but it's Sawyer who walks out, having done the deed . . . maybe. Next thing we hear is the guy coughing. He's not dead! How does that happen? Well, instead of shooting him in the head like any normal person would do, Sawyer thought it prudent to shoot the guy in the chest because he was "aiming for his heart". Perhaps, that was meant to be a little symbolism, but he got the lung, which would cause someone to die very, very slowly. If he's trying to disprove the idea that Southern people are stupid, he failed miserably. Speaking of which . . . Okay, Sawyer is a proud redneck, and you'd think that would mean he could shoot a gun and not miss the target, especially when the target is about a foot in front of him! Maybe they should have put the guy on a tree stump between two cans of beer and given Sawyer a gun with a scope on it. It would have made him feel more natural and able to get the job done.
#6. Reading to Aaron - So there's a baby on the island named Aaron, and babies cry, loudly. Sawyer does not like this, obviously. But in a totally unpredictable twist of fate, little Aaron develops a liking to Sawyer's voice. Wow! Did not see that one coming. So the only way to keep the baby quiet is for Sawyer to read to him. Yeah, because he couldn't have just gone somewhere that the baby wasn't and let everyone else deal with it. Oh, no.
#5. The Banishment Vote - Sawyer is a con man, but every now and then, even the best con man can get hoodwinked. That is what happened here. Hurley manages to convince Sawyer that the group was going to have a vote on whether or not to "banish" him from their community. So in order to not have this happen, Hurley makes Sawyer think that if he magically becomes nice, people won't vote against him. What happens? He magically becomes nice. Well, pretends to be nice. Eventually, he learns that Hurley pulled a con, and angrily confronts him. Hurley's defense? "Wasn't it nice being nice?" Mm-hmm. Hi, I'm Hurley, and it is impossible to stay mad at me.
#4. Learning the Back Story - One thing I really liked about Lost in the beginning was the flashbacks. So basically, we knew more about the characters than they knew about each other. We knew the reason as to why they were the way that they were. We spent seven episodes trying to figure out just why Sawyer was such a jerk, and then in episode eight, we got an answer. Sawyer (not his real name), as it turns out, had a difficult childhood to say the least. The very least. Long story short: Mom cheated on Dad, lost all their money, Dad killed Mom then himself in the presence of the little boy. Rough. I normally hate the Bad Mommy or Bad Daddy excuse, but it was so tragic here that I let things slide. Plus, we're talking about Sawyer, so . . . you know.
#3. Frog Gigging with Hurley - You know how there are some people who are bugged by every little thing. I know them. Sometimes I am one of them. As is Sawyer. There is menacing, trilling tree frog that is keeping Sawyer from getting sleep . . . in the middle of the day. He wants to get rid of it but needs help. No one wants to do so. He seems to be on his own, until he catches Hurley hoarding food and threatens to tell everyone. Painted into a corner, Hurley goes with Sawyer on his frog gigging expedition. Oh, and by the way, I feel the need to mention that Sawyer does this with a pistol in his pants. I am not speaking metaphorically here. He takes a shotgun with him and has it in his belt. To paraphrase Lewis Black on his own tale of guys going gigging, I guess the gun is so if you can't catch the frog, you can just blow its head off. Luckily, Sawyer does catch the frog in his hands and it's tiny. Hurley tries to get Sawyer to give it to him so he can take it to a beach far away and out of ear shot. Good idea. Better idea? Crushing the frog in your hand, which is exactly what Sawyer does. Oh, and Lost sound editor? Thanks a pant load for the squishing and crunching noises as he did so. It just made it all the more real.
#2. Getting Revenge - I feel the need to warn once again on this one - MAJOR spoiler alert! Okay, when we discover Sawyer's back story, we find out that he holds one man responsible for ruining his life, a man he intends to kill one day. But how can he even find this man, let alone kill him if he's stuck on a deserted island? Well, not to worry. Thanks to the magic of the Others. Okay, Locke finds Sawyer and takes him to this shack where a man is waiting, and Locke locks both of them inside. This man is Locke's horrible father that the Others brought to the island. Locke will get to be their new leader if he proves he can kill his own father. Okay? He can't, so he wants Sawyer to it. Why? Well, as the episode progresses, we learn that Locke's father is the man who Sawyer has been searching for all his life. What a coincidence! Sawyer ends up going totally Rambo on the unapologetic man, strangling him with a chain. That is awesome! Afterward, Locke takes back the body to the Others convincing them that he, himself, had killed his father, but not before convincing Sawyer that he had done the right thing. Sure, why not? I kid, but, in amongst all the unanswered questions, this reveal was superb for the fans.
#1. The Hurley Fight - Yes, I said fight, not argument. There is a difference in my world. I think I can sum this one up quickly. Sawyer picks on everyone. He calls everyone by amusing if not completely offensive, and sometimes racist, nicknames. Hurley got the brunt of the abuse and one day, he could take no more. Hurley literally attacks Sawyer, pushing him into the ground, knocking down a tent and pummeling him, uttering every cruel nickname Sawyer ever bestowed upon him. Fantastic. It is literally the funniest thing I ever saw on this show. So it gets the number one position here.
Now that I have finished this list, I feel it necessary to give some credit to the actor who portrayed this character - Josh Holloway. Josh Holloway, in real life, is a gentleman, a family man, an all around good guy. Basically, he is nothing like the character he portrayed. So my attraction was never toward him; it was all about the Sawyer, a man with whom I could have a really good argument, a man whom I could "fix", a man who would then be eternally grateful to me. Seriously, though, Josh Holloway did a fabulous job with this character. He made Sawyer what he was, which was my favorite. I may not miss the headaches, but when it comes to Lost, there will always be a part of me that misses things like this.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Anomaly / Adrienne Frantz - Album Review
Greetings,
I recently did a post about the wonderful cast of The Bold and the Beautiful and how grossly underrated they are. Within that, I spoke of a woman named Adrienne Frantz and her album, Anomaly. I mentioned that I was going to review it, and I will do so now.
A little back story. As I had said, when I first saw Adrienne on The Bold and the Beautiful, I wasn't all that crazy about her. Well, I suppose that feeling was directed more toward her character, and when you know nothing about the real person, the two tend to meld. Eventually, I had some exposure to her in the real world, and I began to like her. So much so, that, when I heard she had made an album, I went out and got it. Now I had heard her sing on the show and liked her voice. It was quite different from anything I had ever heard, so I was intrigued. Of course, a good voice does not mean one will record a good album, but once I had a listen, I see I need not have worried.
Anomaly was released in 2007, and it is (I have to use this word again) brilliant. I suppose it would be put into the pop category, but if we must do that, I would have to say it's more like high end pop. It has some sophisticated melodies and well-crafted, personal lyrics, but still with some moments of pure fun sprinkled in there. And Adrienne's unique voice is perfectly suited for each song. Speaking of which - the songs. Let me tell you about some of them.
We start with "Halfway", a song that has a bit of a mellow mood but is actually about empowering oneself in their relationship and asking for unwavering support from their partner. That leads into "Giving Me Names", the oldest living song on the album and my favorite. It's another slow song, but as it progresses, the chorus is infused with just a dash of epicness without overdoing it. Now we really hit that pop area with the third song, "Taken", due to the catchy melody and the subject of - let's just say it!- boyfriend thievery fantasies. Yeah, that's right. And if you hear the story behind it, there is also a touch of humor. According to Adrienne, drunk dialing is involved.
Those three songs are a strong start to this very well-balanced album. Adrienne takes us through a lot of emotions here, both personal and universal. There is a touching song called "Seren", which spawned from a letter she wrote to her baby goddaughter during a difficult time. Then we have "Wide Awake". Adrienne has actually referred to this as the meanest song she ever wrote. Oh, and she got one of the melodies when her cat walked across the piano keys, so we have to give a little credit to one Miss Cuddles Patricia. For real, she middle names her cats. She is a young, gorgeous, married woman who middle names her cats. Way to take the cat lady stereotype and toss it from a tenth story window. Look, I may poke fun at her for the naming thing, but I'm certainly not judging her for getting her song ideas from unexpected places. I mean, the Bee Gees got the sound of "Jive Talkin'" by driving over a bridge, so she's in legendary company. I also should mention the song "Getaway". Not only because it is a fantastic song and another of my favorites, but because there's a video of it on YouTube. So if you want to get a taste of this album, you can get it there.
So while Adrienne Frantz is underrated as an actress along with her fellow B&B-ers, she is also underrated as a musician. This wonderful woman should be a Grammy-winning, interviewed by Rolling Stone, fixture on Entertainment Tonight superstar. But of course, she is too talented for that. She does get props from those of us who have taken the time to get to know her and her music, and I'm sure she is appreciative. Still, if there is justice in this world, she will eventually be recognized for her great talent. With this review, I, for one, am trying to do my part. I hope it works.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I recently did a post about the wonderful cast of The Bold and the Beautiful and how grossly underrated they are. Within that, I spoke of a woman named Adrienne Frantz and her album, Anomaly. I mentioned that I was going to review it, and I will do so now.
A little back story. As I had said, when I first saw Adrienne on The Bold and the Beautiful, I wasn't all that crazy about her. Well, I suppose that feeling was directed more toward her character, and when you know nothing about the real person, the two tend to meld. Eventually, I had some exposure to her in the real world, and I began to like her. So much so, that, when I heard she had made an album, I went out and got it. Now I had heard her sing on the show and liked her voice. It was quite different from anything I had ever heard, so I was intrigued. Of course, a good voice does not mean one will record a good album, but once I had a listen, I see I need not have worried.
Anomaly was released in 2007, and it is (I have to use this word again) brilliant. I suppose it would be put into the pop category, but if we must do that, I would have to say it's more like high end pop. It has some sophisticated melodies and well-crafted, personal lyrics, but still with some moments of pure fun sprinkled in there. And Adrienne's unique voice is perfectly suited for each song. Speaking of which - the songs. Let me tell you about some of them.
We start with "Halfway", a song that has a bit of a mellow mood but is actually about empowering oneself in their relationship and asking for unwavering support from their partner. That leads into "Giving Me Names", the oldest living song on the album and my favorite. It's another slow song, but as it progresses, the chorus is infused with just a dash of epicness without overdoing it. Now we really hit that pop area with the third song, "Taken", due to the catchy melody and the subject of - let's just say it!- boyfriend thievery fantasies. Yeah, that's right. And if you hear the story behind it, there is also a touch of humor. According to Adrienne, drunk dialing is involved.
Those three songs are a strong start to this very well-balanced album. Adrienne takes us through a lot of emotions here, both personal and universal. There is a touching song called "Seren", which spawned from a letter she wrote to her baby goddaughter during a difficult time. Then we have "Wide Awake". Adrienne has actually referred to this as the meanest song she ever wrote. Oh, and she got one of the melodies when her cat walked across the piano keys, so we have to give a little credit to one Miss Cuddles Patricia. For real, she middle names her cats. She is a young, gorgeous, married woman who middle names her cats. Way to take the cat lady stereotype and toss it from a tenth story window. Look, I may poke fun at her for the naming thing, but I'm certainly not judging her for getting her song ideas from unexpected places. I mean, the Bee Gees got the sound of "Jive Talkin'" by driving over a bridge, so she's in legendary company. I also should mention the song "Getaway". Not only because it is a fantastic song and another of my favorites, but because there's a video of it on YouTube. So if you want to get a taste of this album, you can get it there.
So while Adrienne Frantz is underrated as an actress along with her fellow B&B-ers, she is also underrated as a musician. This wonderful woman should be a Grammy-winning, interviewed by Rolling Stone, fixture on Entertainment Tonight superstar. But of course, she is too talented for that. She does get props from those of us who have taken the time to get to know her and her music, and I'm sure she is appreciative. Still, if there is justice in this world, she will eventually be recognized for her great talent. With this review, I, for one, am trying to do my part. I hope it works.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, July 30, 2012
Top Ten Dr. House Quotes
Greetings,
I am still going through withdrawals. That's right. It has been two months since the final episode of House, and the sarcasm thirsty corner of my heart still sheds a tear. I know I have the DVDs and the episodes are shown on TV constantly, but it's tough to know that there will be no more adventures with our favorite doctor, nor will their be anymore of what I will be counting down today. We'll get to that in a minute.
First, let me address that final episode. I won't give anything away for those who may not have seen it, but I'd like to give my opinion. While, due to the overwhelming sadness we have, it is hard to put the word good anywhere near the episode, I must say I liked how it ended. It was creative but also typical. By typical, I mean, you are not at all surprised that Dr. Gregory House could not only come up with the idea of what happened, but he also managed to pull it off. I was actually pretty impressed with this ending.
So, like I said, there are a lot of things I will miss about House, but something I will miss mostly are the things he said. His genius, hilarious, offensive quotes. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, but I always felt like this was the best part of the show. So now that it's over, I thought I could run down through some of my favorite "isms" belonging to Dr. House.
#10. "I solved the case. My work is done." - This pretty much sums the doctor up quite well, and how he feels about his profession. He's a diagnostician, not a therapist. He's there to figure out what's wrong with your physical self. Once he does that, it's on to the next mystery. And House loves a mystery.
#9. "The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." - Take that, Occam. Now judging by the way that Dr. House is constantly taking shots at his inferior team members, I doubt that he will ever think of the "somebody" here as being himself.
#8. "I like you better now that you're dying." - Yep, this is about as sympathetic as he gets. But not to worry. I'm sure he'll start hating them again once they are dead.
#7. "Like I always say, 'There's no 'I' in team'. There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up." - I love when people take old sayings and turn them on their butt. I guess whoever thought of that 'I in team' thing should have thought about it a little harder.
#6. "Read less. More TV." - As a writer, this one should offend me. But if Dr. House didn't watch a lot of TV, we never would have gotten all those scenes of him enjoying his soaps in that tiny little TV. And may I say, I love when a grown man is not ashamed of the fact that he loves his "stories".
#5. "We all make mistakes and we pay a price." - Okay, this one isn't that funny. It's not even always true. Well, the second part anyway. But when it is, this actually turns into quite a poignant statement. And the fact that he said "we", therefore, including himself, shows that, every so often, a little humility can sneak its way into him.
#4. "Weird works for me." - I am weird. This quote makes me feel very, very special. Thank you, Dr. House.
#3. "I've found that when you want to know the truth about someone that someone is probably the last person you should ask." - That was a bit of a long trip. But if the truth is our destination, it's worth it. This quote, though, is a bit ironic to be spoken by Dr. House considering what most people say about him. Although, if you ask me, the truth about him would be that he is fabulous.
#2. "Never trust doctors." - I know this may seem like an odd thing for a doctor to say, but when you think of how many times that were wrong, per episode!, it's probably a really good piece of advice.
#1. "Everybody lies." - This is probably the most famous of all the House quotes, and it is the most true. I believe he is mostly talking about his patients, and they did do a lot of lying. That never made sense to me. I mean, he's a doctor, not a recruiter for the Ivy League. If he asks you if you do drugs, don't say no when the answer is yes. He is trying to save your life, not trying to slip you up so the best you can hope for is to get wait-listed for freshmen year. The saddest thing is that I'm sure this carries over to real life. People are so considered with how they are perceived by others that they are willing to risk their own lives. For real, the truth will set you free, and sometimes lead to a cure.
And so that is the last we will hear from the finest doctor on the planet. I will miss him. I will miss his sarcasm. I will miss the cane that I am disappointed he never used to hit anyone. At least, I don't think he ever did that. Certainly, I would have remembered if he had.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I am still going through withdrawals. That's right. It has been two months since the final episode of House, and the sarcasm thirsty corner of my heart still sheds a tear. I know I have the DVDs and the episodes are shown on TV constantly, but it's tough to know that there will be no more adventures with our favorite doctor, nor will their be anymore of what I will be counting down today. We'll get to that in a minute.
First, let me address that final episode. I won't give anything away for those who may not have seen it, but I'd like to give my opinion. While, due to the overwhelming sadness we have, it is hard to put the word good anywhere near the episode, I must say I liked how it ended. It was creative but also typical. By typical, I mean, you are not at all surprised that Dr. Gregory House could not only come up with the idea of what happened, but he also managed to pull it off. I was actually pretty impressed with this ending.
So, like I said, there are a lot of things I will miss about House, but something I will miss mostly are the things he said. His genius, hilarious, offensive quotes. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, but I always felt like this was the best part of the show. So now that it's over, I thought I could run down through some of my favorite "isms" belonging to Dr. House.
#10. "I solved the case. My work is done." - This pretty much sums the doctor up quite well, and how he feels about his profession. He's a diagnostician, not a therapist. He's there to figure out what's wrong with your physical self. Once he does that, it's on to the next mystery. And House loves a mystery.
#9. "The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." - Take that, Occam. Now judging by the way that Dr. House is constantly taking shots at his inferior team members, I doubt that he will ever think of the "somebody" here as being himself.
#8. "I like you better now that you're dying." - Yep, this is about as sympathetic as he gets. But not to worry. I'm sure he'll start hating them again once they are dead.
#7. "Like I always say, 'There's no 'I' in team'. There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up." - I love when people take old sayings and turn them on their butt. I guess whoever thought of that 'I in team' thing should have thought about it a little harder.
#6. "Read less. More TV." - As a writer, this one should offend me. But if Dr. House didn't watch a lot of TV, we never would have gotten all those scenes of him enjoying his soaps in that tiny little TV. And may I say, I love when a grown man is not ashamed of the fact that he loves his "stories".
#5. "We all make mistakes and we pay a price." - Okay, this one isn't that funny. It's not even always true. Well, the second part anyway. But when it is, this actually turns into quite a poignant statement. And the fact that he said "we", therefore, including himself, shows that, every so often, a little humility can sneak its way into him.
#4. "Weird works for me." - I am weird. This quote makes me feel very, very special. Thank you, Dr. House.
#3. "I've found that when you want to know the truth about someone that someone is probably the last person you should ask." - That was a bit of a long trip. But if the truth is our destination, it's worth it. This quote, though, is a bit ironic to be spoken by Dr. House considering what most people say about him. Although, if you ask me, the truth about him would be that he is fabulous.
#2. "Never trust doctors." - I know this may seem like an odd thing for a doctor to say, but when you think of how many times that were wrong, per episode!, it's probably a really good piece of advice.
#1. "Everybody lies." - This is probably the most famous of all the House quotes, and it is the most true. I believe he is mostly talking about his patients, and they did do a lot of lying. That never made sense to me. I mean, he's a doctor, not a recruiter for the Ivy League. If he asks you if you do drugs, don't say no when the answer is yes. He is trying to save your life, not trying to slip you up so the best you can hope for is to get wait-listed for freshmen year. The saddest thing is that I'm sure this carries over to real life. People are so considered with how they are perceived by others that they are willing to risk their own lives. For real, the truth will set you free, and sometimes lead to a cure.
And so that is the last we will hear from the finest doctor on the planet. I will miss him. I will miss his sarcasm. I will miss the cane that I am disappointed he never used to hit anyone. At least, I don't think he ever did that. Certainly, I would have remembered if he had.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)