The manuscript is done and ready to mail out tomorrow. I'm so excited! Since it didn't take quite as much time this past week as expected, I did get to enjoy a little pop culture. Here are the week's picks.
Film: A Prairie Home Companion
I come and go with Robert Altman (loved MASH, found Gosford Park a bit dull), but I love Garrison Keillor so I rented Prairie this week. It was so much fun! As always, Altman chose the absolutely best cast. Watching the film makes me sadly remember Lindsay Lohan's potential but reminds how brilliant Meryl Streep and John C. Reilley are (yet I won't be seeing Walk Hard). If there is one thing Altman knows more than anything else, it's how to bring together a heavy-hitting cast into a fascinating study of humanity. I laughed throughout Prairie. Yet again I find myself wondering what it would like to go to the actual radio show.
Television: How Clean is Your House?
I discovered this BBC gem right before Christmas. Luckily I have a job which occasionally gets me home by 3pm so I can catch the BBC America reruns. "Queens of Clean" Kim and Aggie are hysterical! They go into some of the grossest homes - many of which are inhabited by single men, hmmm... - and start chipping off the goop. They have no qualms about touching the stuff and then smelling it to see what it is. Gross! In every episode there is a gross-out moment. (Usually in either the bathroom or the kitchen sink.) The show is kind of like a trainwreck in that you have to keep watching. But I also like the dynamics of Kim and Aggie, although Kim is my favorite. She will get right in there with the guys and flirt despite being their senior by a couple of decades at least. All I have to say is that the finished product is amazing! They always go back two weeks later to check in and the houses aren't always as clean as they could be. Watch if you have the stomach for it.
Books: The Thirteenth Tale
This book, which came out in paperback in 2007, is an amazing read. I read it for the January meeting of the book club I was just invited to join. If the year's remaining books are half as good as Diane Setterfield's, I'll be rejoicing. The Thirteenth Tale is the story of twins, and that is all you're going to get. It joins the stories of British fiction queen Vida Winter with quiet sometimes-biographer Margaret Lea. The two may seem worlds apart but their lives are much closer than they think. The book is a classic gothic text and continually references Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Woman in White (which I am currently reading). It harkens back to nineteenth-century gothic but has a definite twenty-first-century flare. Beware, however! Once you get to the final 100 pages or so you'll be unable to get up until you finish.
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20 comments:
Persepolis and Waitress are great.
Indeed, I too have a similar job and I get to see the 10 AM episodes of How Clean is Your House? before heading into work. Yes, it is a bit hard on the stomach, but the Kim and Aggie dynamic (especially the super duper closeups of grime) make it all worthwhile. I love it when they insult the "grime offenders." BTW, I seem to see more episodes with suburbie families than single guys!
I love it when Kim says, "You are such a dirty boy!" With her excellent accent, it comes out rather naughty. It always makes me laugh. I've only seen a couple of eps with suburbie families. One had a baby and was appalled at that child's living situation. Sheesh! "You Are What You Eat" shows back-to-back at 4. I really like that show, too.
First of all I think that How Clean is Your House is disgusting, I don't understand how you watch it. Second of all have you ever seen the movie Miss Evers' Boys? We talked about it in class today and I wanted to know if it was any good. Figured if I didn't ask you now I would forget about it later.
Human life is disgusting, at least the Brits are honest about it. Reality shows from the States are all about buying stuff to improve our lives, the Brits use the non-commercial power of shame to change people's lives. You Are What You Eat and How Clean... is the perfect party pack combo of shame horror and regret, and without BBC America I think our new obnoxiously large TV would have been a wasted purchase.
And yes I am a dirty boy who is going to go vaccuum! Or as Aggie would say hoover.
Oh, and another thing that is great about How Clean...the animated intro basically is the show. After all most reality shows are just as dull and formulaic as the scripted ones, this one is again just honest about it. It gives the viewer the choice of watching the show, or just watching the first two minutes. Either way one can see the whole plot outline before even beginning.
heather, I'm reading Laurie Natoro's "the idiot girls guide to adventure" (or something like that; I'm so tired right now the title escapes me). I started reading it Saturday night in Chicago and read some more on the plane. The man to my left must have thought I was an idiot. I was laughing out loud. Not just a chuckle or two but an actual guffaw. I actually had to put the book down and compose myself.
alison, you really need to get your own blog so Heather and I can leave comments for you. :-)
I agree, Matt. The Brits seem to be much more honest about their realities. Part of my love for "You Are What You Eat" is that Dr. Jillian just mercilessly tells the people they are idiots. Her visual aids are awesome! The shock value works and they don't tone it down on either show. And I love the thing coming out of the toilet in the animated opening!
Valerie, I'll have to get that book and put it on my list.
PS - I'm going to see "There Will Be Blood" tonight. I can't wait!
H,
You are in for a treat. There Will Be Blood is my Oscar pick for this year.
I think the BBC America shame fest satisfies the part of me that grew up listening to NYC sports talk radio.
Also, In the classroom I always have to be the bigger person, even when sometimes that totally sucks. But I have seen what happens when educators in a position of power exploit that and abuse their students. That said I think these shows satisfy that inner voice that just wants to deal on people.
As I was watching "You Are What You Eat" yesterday afternoon I realized that I would really like to eat nothing but french fries and cheeseburgers like the folks on the show do. And the curry take away always looks so good. Now I'm hungry. You know, I'd be frightened if she piled up all the food I eat on a weekly basis. Granted, there would be way more veggies and fruits than the people she yells out, but still it would be scary.
Yup, life is horrible.
I wonder if something is changing in the mainstream though, if people are finally starting to understand that there is a cost to living and real material concerns connected with personal consumption. I dunno, is it some kind of eco-awareness?
Also, I think any discussion of You Are What You Eat should include at least a mention of Dr. Jillian's shame-filled obsession/discussion about poo. Not only is it amazing that she talks so much about a person's poo, but also that she calls it poo.
The poo segment does gross me out. But now I go around saying "poo" all the time. It's funny how those Britishisms find their way into my vocabulary.
My BBC America obsession is becoming a problem in the classroom. I don't know how to pronounce anything anymore. After all there are many CON-trev-OCYIES about ALOU-min-EUM production.
OK, I finally have to chime in.
I am a long-time BBCA watcher (well, at least as long as I've had DirecTv!). I'm not as into the reality/improvement shows as you guys are. But does anyone watch any of the dramas?
Over the years, I have loved Monarch of the Glen, Ballyk, Cold Feet, Life on Mars, Footballers Wives, At Home with the Braithwaites, Robin Hood, Sea of Souls, and Hex. (And if anyone wants to critique Hex, I have strong opinions about how that show was handled. Wow, what a fantastically botched job of a decent concept!) Unfortunately I've missed the Doctor Who/Torchwood boat though.
BBCA's dramatic programming goes up and down, but those are some of my favorites. (Also Coupling and the original Office for comedies.)
The one BBC reality show I used to love was the British What Not to Wear. Love it! I tried to watch the American one but I think I just favor Susannah and Trinny.
I was also going to comment on The Thirteenth Tale. But I read it about a year ago and honestly, I can't remember too many details so I can't say much. I remember liking some parts of it but being disappointed overall. I think I stretched out reading it over too long a period; I should have read it straight through more or less. Although it does have an ingenious twist that will have you paging backwards to see all the details fall into place. When I finished it, I remember thinking that the book must have been optioned by Hollywood because it was a bestseller, and that somewhere, some poor screenwriter is trying to figure out how to make it into a movie! (In other words, it will be tough because of the twist aspect. If you've read it, you'll know what I mean.)
Finally, Heather, you don't HAVE to watch American Idol. Ack. Trust me, you are not missing anything!
Moxiecat. The Caddillac of BBC A comedies is Spaced. It was on a few months ago as part of their late Saturday night lineup. Its how Simpon Pegg and Nick Frost got their start. If you love the Office and Coupling you should keep a lookout for Spaced. We have the advantage of an anglophile roommate who has a region free DVD player and both seasons.
Its hard for me to get into a drama or even a comedy (what can I say, I have commitment issues), but some of the stuff on BBC A that you mentioned looks so super good, I may just have to take the plunge.
And I just found out the new season of Top Gear begins in February!
Rev,
Unfortunately, most of the shows I mentioned aren't airing on BBCA anymore. They used to run a lot of BBC dramas in reruns, but don't seem to anymore. Monarch of the Glen and Ballyk air on PBS stations sometimes. But most of the shows I mentioned are on DVD, at least some of their seasons. Robin Hood is ongoing (I think the second season will be on this summer) so BBCA should air the first season again sometime. Life on Mars and Hex just finished this past year.
I've heard Spaced mentioned before--I'll have to check that out!
I loved Jekyll. It was only six episodes last summer, though. I rented it on DVD and then added it to my manuscript. James Nesbitt and Gina Bellman are fantastic! I'm really hoping there is a second season in the works - the ending was certainly open enough. I keep seeing Torchwood commercials and may rent it one of these days to catch up. I watch Dr. Who sporadically but loved Christopher Eccelston so much that it's hard to watch with the new Dr. I also wanted to watch the time-traveling detective show that got some good reviews here and there. Again, maybe on DVD.
Ah, that is the rub of being a BBC fan. Both seasons of spaced were 8 40 minute episodes. So stuff is on BBC A and then its gone. Our housemate tells us that this seems to be the norm for BBC series. This approach keeps things fresh, plotlines and character development tends to not get exhausted, but it also makes for a lot of re-runs and/or brilliant shows that disappear quickly.
My Top Gear devotion means that I have seen some of those episodes multiple times.
There have long been rumors of Spaced coming to DVD in the US but there is some concern about paying for the music that was used in the show, and if the sales of the DVD's here could make up for all of those licensing fees.
Yep, the "time-traveling detective show" was Life on Mars. Only 2 seasons of 8 episodes each. The first series was on way back in summer 2006 and BBCA didn't start showing the second series until a month ago! (It aired on the BBC in the beginning of 2007--go figure--I guess they had to squeeze in just ONE more episode of Cash in the Attic!)
Life on Mars was good. The accents/slang and the early '70s UK references made it tough at times, but it was a good show. There is going to be a BBC spinoff called Ashes to Ashes. Also, David E. Kelley is developing a US version of Life on Mars which is supposedly pretty far along.
Yeah, I was going to watch Jekyll and then I never did. You want to see good James Nesbitt stuff, check out Cold Feet. The first few seasons are on DVD, which are the best ones anyway. (I've never seen the end of the show, it's never been on TV or DVD here.) And Gina Bellman is a real hoot in Coupling, where she was one of the regulars.
I wonder what Christopher Eccleston is doing these days? I thought he was very underused on Heroes.
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