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We’re two weeks into August. TWO WEEKS! Someone slow the train down, 2010 is going way too freaking fast. Didn’t summer just start yesterday? Yikes. Although I’m totally OK if this day wants to speed by… Somehow I always manage to forget just how exhausting it is to fly back and forth across the country. I got home from Vancouver on Wednesday night and I have been dragging ever since. I can’t wait to sleep forever this weekend. Before that, I do have some bits and pieces to share.
- Psych Set Visit: Did I promise I’d have my initial write up of this up mid-week? HA. I blame my jetlag for that not happening. However, I’ve got my notes and I’ve started pulling them together so hopefully I’ll get it written this weekend and posted as soon as possible! (Can’t tell you about the Facing Kate set visit until they settle on a premiere date so don’t look for info on that any time soon.)
- Congratulations Squeemonster! She’s the lucky winner of our White Collar Gift Bag giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered. I wish I had a gift bag for each of you! (Look for a new USA themed giveaway soon. I’ve collected a decent amount of swag that needs a new home!)
- New Titan Digs: Titan Books has redone their website! I love it. Their old site wasn’t bad, per se, but this new one is so slick and easy to navigate. Plus they keep posting things like Exclusive Firefly Photos, Christina Hendricks’ Firefly Legacy, and Thoughts on Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, making it easy to fall for all their new content. (Actually, my favorite post this month has been the first in their new Anatomy of a Cover series. As a book lover, I enjoy reading about what goes into cover design.) Anyway, Titan is responsible for a lot of the TV-centric books I enjoy and the new site makes it easy to keep up-to-date on what they’re publishing. Check it out if you get the chance.
- Going to the Movies? Despite my travels, I’ve recently seen multiple movies and I say you should definitely get yourself to the theater to check out Dinner for Schmucks, Salt, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The latter was my favorite of the three but the first two are definitely the more mainstream. I’m not a huge fan of uncomfortable humor and I still loved Dinner for Schmucks. As I said on Twitter, Paul Rudd + Steve Carell = Comedy Gold! Meanwhile Salt pushes all the right buttons for me. You know how I love me some kick-ass female centric spy stories! As for Scott Pilgrim, do I even need to explain why I loved it? I’ll be curious how people who have not seen the comic react to it but, as a fan of the books, I thought it was a great adaptation. I can’t wait to own the DVD.
- Buy Some Tunes: Specifically Jed Whedon’s new album, History of Forgotten Things. I checked out his song previews on SoundCloud right after Comic-Con and I loved them. The album was released this week and I haven’t stopped listening since I bought it. (It’s only available on iTunes right now but he says it’ll be out elsewhere in a few weeks.)
- Flashback Friday: Every once in awhile I stumble upon this video on my computer and I have to stop and watch it a few times. Aww, The WB, how I miss you!
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Written by: Rae • August 5th, 2010 • Filed Under: Commentary & Reviews
You guys. You have no idea how much I love Steve Franks. I’m headed to the Psych set next week* and I’m kinda secretly hoping he’ll be there. That’s probably not going to happen. Luckily his first Food Vlog has gone live so I can console myself by watching it for the hundredth time and trying to think of a few Orlando restaurants to recommend that he might not have tried yet. If you watch the vlog below, you’ll see what an impossible task that may be…
Love that he goes with Stallone’s as his pick of a pizza joint. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Stallone’s. I may have to make an effort to get to that side of town to pick up a pizza.
* If you have any questions for the cast and crew of Psych, pass them along and I’ll do my best to get them answered while I’m there.
Written by: Rae • August 4th, 2010 • Filed Under: Commentary & Reviews
Others have been anxiously awaiting The Big C forever (and ever). I could almost say the opposite. Well, it’s not like I didn’t want it made; I’ve just had zero interest in seeing it. It doesn’t help that I got rid of Showtime when I moved in March and therefore cannot be tempted by their clever promos.
But here’s the thing. I popped the screener into my DVD player this weekend and… I was wrong. This show is fan-freaking-tastic and everyone needs to watch it when it premieres August 16th at 10:30pm ET/PT. I don’t care if you don’t have Showtime, get it. I’m serious. If you can watch one episode of the show and you aren’t dying to see the next, I’ll be shocked.
No joke, it’s that good.
Laura Linney is Cathy Jamison, a Minneapolis schoolteacher whose only source of excitement in life comes from the practical jokes her son likes to play on her. Not to mention her child-at-heart husband who is a little too childlike for her. After all, she has enough trouble parenting her son to be parenting her husband as well. To say her life isn’t what she imagined it would be is the worst kind of understatement. And then we’re there with her as she gets news that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly Cathy is taking a long hard look at her life. She doesn’t like what she sees and she decides to make drastic changes. A lot of people have asked me if this is a comedy or a drama. It’s… both? I mean, it’s a comedy about a heavy subject. It’s not sitcom-y at all. There’s a realistic touch to the humor in this show. We laugh because the alternative is too depressing. So there’s an underlying drama to the comedy. Any wackiness feels truly earned by what’s happening to Cathy. If there’s any complaint I have about that side of things, it’s that it feels like almost all of the characters around Cathy are a bit over the top. But then I suspect that’s what’s forced her to be the person she is today. More importantly, it’s pretty clear she realizes that and that really works to ground that aspect of the show. Like I said, give the show one episode to win you over. One episode. (Which you can actually watch below for free… Although it’s been edited down to give it a TV14 rating for whoever might run into it online so I recommend re-watching the actual version when it airs.) If you don’t want more, I’ll eat my words…
