Stand Still, Look Pretty

Back in 2002 lilbunny introduced me to Michelle Branch and we rocked out to her and her band at the Paradise. It was a great concert, as I recall, and Michelle was in great form-- she didn't feel the need to put the budding pop princess thing in your face all the time. She showed us the best of the "not a girl, not yet a woman" category. And then she disappeared.

A few months ago I started hearing about her revival as a country singer. She and Jessica Harp are now known as "The Wreckers" and are promoting their first album. My local offensively patriotic country station is playing the single "Leave the Pieces" but I am not too impressed. It sounds alright-- it has the twang that I look for in country music but I thought they would put a younger spin on it. Maybe they feel they need to establish themselves as knowing the genre (and their core audience), before they get too creative with the lyrics or melodies. They are not really trying to do the alt-country thing, there will be two concerts in Tennessee and none in Boston. Given the fact that they have ties to the WB/CW people, perhaps a well-placed TV background song will help them break through. I wish them all the best but hearing them sort of makes me want to go back to the woman who inspired my moniker--- Emmylou Harris.

frilly farewells

So, I was watching some GG last night, 'cause I am hooked, even though the characters, the story, the everything became oh so blah-un-believable last season... and then this commercial came on... Why were they showing Sarah Michelle Geller, aka Buffy? And Dawson? And Felicity? AND Angel? Well, it appears the very tv shows that helped to define my college years (and some time afterwards) are being resurrected as part of the WB's grand farewell this Sunday night. I have to admit, fellow frill-seekers, that the images brought tears to my eyes. Those were good times in Wharton, Danawell, and elsewhere. And those were good people, great friends, who shared (or at least humored) my obsession with BTVS and helped me to enjoy the Creek (did Pacey and Joey end up together? 'Cause, well, they should have.) and Felicity (I liked the haircut!!!) and Angel (DB really is a brillant actor, no?). With all these warm and fuzzy thoughts going on in my head, I thought I'd just take the opportunity to say, so long WB, thanks for the memories! And to all you fellow frilly-WB-viewers, thanks for taking the ride with me. Mwah!

Cranky.

Yes, I saw "Crank". And I didn't expect it to be "good". But I didn't expect it to be embarrassing.
There was much "good", in that Jason Statham gets to do stunts, get to be half-naked, and gets to do stunts while being half-naked. I mean, he even wore Pumas, had sex... and had sex while wearing Pumas.

You'd think it would be my recipe for awesome.

Except he kept saying "baby". Blech, it makes me a little nauseous to write that. British guys should not be calling their girls "baby". It just doesn't sound right.

Seriously? it would have been better as a silent film. Without Amy Smart trying to do her best blow-up doll impersonation. Statham's expressions are priceless, when he doesn't have stupid dialogue to deal with. E.g. he does really well with the lines in Snatch. Or when, like in The Italian Job, Seth Green does his dialogue for him.

The movie began like it could have been comparable to Guy Ritchie's films, or Go, or Run Lola Run, or Kill Bill or Sin City .... but it just ended up as the worst copy of a copy of those. Sad. But I should have known.

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And for those who didn't hear my ginormous yelps of glee, the fourth season of The Wire started yesterday. I think it'll be an amazing season (this year, the show takes on the theme of "education", and fittingly, takes us to the Baltimore public schools).... but with far less screen time for my favorite characters, played by Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, and Michael K. Williams, sadly. All good things do come to an end, but at least this great thing gets to go on for a little longer (if HBO is nice to us).

I recommend this show to pretty much everyone I end up talking TV with (OK, everyone I talk with!), so if I haven't already said it to you .... SEE IT!!!

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So I make lists of DVDs all the time, but it might be time to actually buy some, considering that the new stuff isn't exactly all that satisfying ;)

Also? Shut up, PR3 Jeffrey. Just shut up.