cordelianne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cordelianne) wrote2006-04-02 03:29 pm
cordelianne) wrote2006-04-02 03:29 pm
Entry tags:
"Madness a-and stabbing pain, and, a-and, uh... oh... oh... memory of, uh, i-ill deeds I have done."
I just saw this on Citytv's CablePulse news: A man was killed in an explosion in a Toronto Tim Hortons. It happened around 1pm at the Tim Hortons on Yonge Street just north of Bloor. For those who don't know, Tim Hortons is THE Canadian coffee shop. Most coffee drinkers love Tim Hortons more than Starbucks or any other brand. I was just in one yesterday with my aunt who was getting some coffee beans to bring to my cousin who's living in India (yes, he asked her to bring him some "Timmies" even though there's lots of coffee in India). ETA: Another Tim Hortons was evacuated because of a suspicious package! The Tim Hortons that was evacuated is right near my house!!!! I actually walked by the emergency task force unit which was speeding up to the Tim Hortons, which I'd JUST passed 10 minutes earlier. Ahh! Seriously though, I suspect the second incident happened because of fears from the first incident. It's just so weird, who would want to bomb a Tim Hortons? I thought everyone loves Tim Hortons?!
Moving on to happier news, I attended my friend's professional singing debut last night. She was marvelous! It was a production of the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach, and she was the soprano soloist. She looked gorgeous in a total diva dress, and sang beautifully. When she finished her first aria I realized that I was completely tense because I was so nervous for her. By her second aria I was much more relaxed because she was performing perfectly. I'm so very proud of her!!
It was a Cellar Singers production in Orilla (an hour north of Toronto), and I was able to attend because of my aunt. By total chance my aunt and I made the connection that the choir her best friend performs in, is the same one that my best friend has also performed in over the years and would be making her professional debut with. My aunt bought me the ticket for a Christmas gift and she drove us up. It was nice to see my aunt again (who I don't see that often). We did have a funny moment when she was telling me about some wallpaper she'd had in her house and she described it as "flocked". Immediately my brain thought "Her wallpaper was friend locked? Wait, that doesn't make sense!" It turns out "flocked" can also mean textured wallpaper. hee! I didn't tell her about my initial confusion.
We had some nice reminiscence about my grandma (my aunt is technically my grandma's daughter-in-law but they were very close). My aunt was observing how upset my grandma would be by Stephen Harper, particularly because of his anti-gay marriage stance. It was neat to discover that my aunt is also supportive of same-sex marriage and dislikes Stephen Harper (for many reasons). Her perspective is that all Canadians should be equal which means that everyone should be able to marry. Yay for my aunt! She was also reminding me of how she, my grandma and I marched together in the Metro Days of Action against the many troubling right wing policies of Mike Harris' Conservative government.
Besides my adventures north of the city, I've also been playing some television catch-up, so here's some brief thoughts on some shows:
Smallville 'Hypnotic' 5:16, aka Lots & lots of James Marsters!
My thoughts are mostly about James Marsters, and they're shallow. MultipleJames Professer Fines, how awesome is that?!! It reminded me of BtVS "Sleeper" in which my initial reaction was "Two Spikes!! There were two Spikes, on screen at the same time!!" So it was like that only x2. Also, he looks so very hot in khaki.
In terms of the rest of the episode: I was glad to see Lana and Clark officially break-up because that's been dragged out for way too long. However, Clark was VERY harsh, so much so that I felt very bad for Lana (who normally I try to ignore). His jerky approach to the break-up reminded me of this website my friend monstress directed me to: Superman is a dick. So very true, and the site chronicles Superman/Clark's long history of being a jerk, mostly to the women in his life.
Supernatural 'Hell House' 1:17 or What would Buffy do?
It made me so happy that Supernatural referenced Buffy because shows like SPN are heavily influenced by Buffy. The brotherly pranks were entertaining and it was nice to see the brothers acting silly. It was a fun and scary episode (um, that could be because I stupidly watched it LATE at night, and I'm huge wimp).
Conviction: Why it's failing as a show.
I've watched the first five episodes of Conviction and think I've figured out why it doesn't work for me. It's trying to be a charactercedural (a procedural which explores the characters), which Dick Wolf is pretending he invented. Hello? Numb3rs, Supernatural and Bones are popular shows which are charactercedurals AND do a much better job at it than Conviction. Here's why Conviction isn't working:
1. Too many characters. Numb3rs has an equally large cast but the focus is on Don and Charlie Epps, and their dad. The family connection results in interesting interactions (eg. sometimes a case will bring up old tensions between the brothers) and a reason for the characters to be interacting without having to force romantic entanglements. Also note that Supernatural's strength lies in the focus on the brothers, who are the only stars on the show. Conviction has too many starring characters who all seem to have their own storyline, which leads into:
2. Too many storylines. Each episode explores at least 3 court cases, which makes it hard to remember the details and follow the intricacies of each case when you're jumping between different stories. My understanding of why Law and Order works is because it follows one case through the entire process. It would be a better show if it was a just a couple of Assistant DAs, their aides and supervisors who were all focusing on one case each week. One case per episode is what makes Numb3rs (and all those straight up procedurals) work, because you're not jumping all over the place. Having just one case on Numb3rs allows time for character exploration as well as learning about neat math or physics stuff.
3. For it to be a charactercedural, there should actually be engaging characters who have more than one characteristic. The lack of personality issue is a direct result of #1 & #2, and means that I don't care about the characters I'm supposed to. Numb3rs does a good job of revealing layers of the characters each episode, such as recent revelation of the dad's activism past. The fact that the characters have sex on Conviction does NOT make them three-dimensional.
Why does J.August Richards have to be on this show? He's good, but all we know about his character is that he's never lost a case and he grew up poor and in a rough neighbourhood. Wow, what an amazing chractercedural you've got going on Dick Wolf! Try not to get carried and create too many morecliched complex characters.
I hope everyone is having an excellent Sunday, and that the loss of an hour wasn't too disruptive.
Moving on to happier news, I attended my friend's professional singing debut last night. She was marvelous! It was a production of the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach, and she was the soprano soloist. She looked gorgeous in a total diva dress, and sang beautifully. When she finished her first aria I realized that I was completely tense because I was so nervous for her. By her second aria I was much more relaxed because she was performing perfectly. I'm so very proud of her!!
It was a Cellar Singers production in Orilla (an hour north of Toronto), and I was able to attend because of my aunt. By total chance my aunt and I made the connection that the choir her best friend performs in, is the same one that my best friend has also performed in over the years and would be making her professional debut with. My aunt bought me the ticket for a Christmas gift and she drove us up. It was nice to see my aunt again (who I don't see that often). We did have a funny moment when she was telling me about some wallpaper she'd had in her house and she described it as "flocked". Immediately my brain thought "Her wallpaper was friend locked? Wait, that doesn't make sense!" It turns out "flocked" can also mean textured wallpaper. hee! I didn't tell her about my initial confusion.
We had some nice reminiscence about my grandma (my aunt is technically my grandma's daughter-in-law but they were very close). My aunt was observing how upset my grandma would be by Stephen Harper, particularly because of his anti-gay marriage stance. It was neat to discover that my aunt is also supportive of same-sex marriage and dislikes Stephen Harper (for many reasons). Her perspective is that all Canadians should be equal which means that everyone should be able to marry. Yay for my aunt! She was also reminding me of how she, my grandma and I marched together in the Metro Days of Action against the many troubling right wing policies of Mike Harris' Conservative government.
Besides my adventures north of the city, I've also been playing some television catch-up, so here's some brief thoughts on some shows:
Smallville 'Hypnotic' 5:16, aka Lots & lots of James Marsters!
My thoughts are mostly about James Marsters, and they're shallow. Multiple
In terms of the rest of the episode: I was glad to see Lana and Clark officially break-up because that's been dragged out for way too long. However, Clark was VERY harsh, so much so that I felt very bad for Lana (who normally I try to ignore). His jerky approach to the break-up reminded me of this website my friend monstress directed me to: Superman is a dick. So very true, and the site chronicles Superman/Clark's long history of being a jerk, mostly to the women in his life.
Supernatural 'Hell House' 1:17 or What would Buffy do?
It made me so happy that Supernatural referenced Buffy because shows like SPN are heavily influenced by Buffy. The brotherly pranks were entertaining and it was nice to see the brothers acting silly. It was a fun and scary episode (um, that could be because I stupidly watched it LATE at night, and I'm huge wimp).
Conviction: Why it's failing as a show.
I've watched the first five episodes of Conviction and think I've figured out why it doesn't work for me. It's trying to be a charactercedural (a procedural which explores the characters), which Dick Wolf is pretending he invented. Hello? Numb3rs, Supernatural and Bones are popular shows which are charactercedurals AND do a much better job at it than Conviction. Here's why Conviction isn't working:
1. Too many characters. Numb3rs has an equally large cast but the focus is on Don and Charlie Epps, and their dad. The family connection results in interesting interactions (eg. sometimes a case will bring up old tensions between the brothers) and a reason for the characters to be interacting without having to force romantic entanglements. Also note that Supernatural's strength lies in the focus on the brothers, who are the only stars on the show. Conviction has too many starring characters who all seem to have their own storyline, which leads into:
2. Too many storylines. Each episode explores at least 3 court cases, which makes it hard to remember the details and follow the intricacies of each case when you're jumping between different stories. My understanding of why Law and Order works is because it follows one case through the entire process. It would be a better show if it was a just a couple of Assistant DAs, their aides and supervisors who were all focusing on one case each week. One case per episode is what makes Numb3rs (and all those straight up procedurals) work, because you're not jumping all over the place. Having just one case on Numb3rs allows time for character exploration as well as learning about neat math or physics stuff.
3. For it to be a charactercedural, there should actually be engaging characters who have more than one characteristic. The lack of personality issue is a direct result of #1 & #2, and means that I don't care about the characters I'm supposed to. Numb3rs does a good job of revealing layers of the characters each episode, such as recent revelation of the dad's activism past. The fact that the characters have sex on Conviction does NOT make them three-dimensional.
Why does J.August Richards have to be on this show? He's good, but all we know about his character is that he's never lost a case and he grew up poor and in a rough neighbourhood. Wow, what an amazing chractercedural you've got going on Dick Wolf! Try not to get carried and create too many more
I hope everyone is having an excellent Sunday, and that the loss of an hour wasn't too disruptive.
no subject
I've never heard of Tim Hortons. Huh. You learn something new every day. I can totally understand the request for coffee to be sent, though. You get used to something and it reminds you of home and you want it - even if you are in India. (Is there a book Horton Has a Cup of Coffee? Just asking...*g*)
Yeah, James and then Jared pretty much switched on my hormones and they've been in overdrive ever since. *drools* Sorry. And yes, Clark is an ass. He's been moaning all season about how Lana will die if she finds out his secret. She, his folks, Chloe - hell, the entire town - have constantly been in danger since the meteor shower. It's either mutants or aliens or effects from meteorites. How about getting a reality check, farm boy?! It's not all about you. *rolls eyes* Yeah, as soon as JM is done on this, I'm done too.
Dick Wolf can be an idiot. He got the Law & Order idea from a show that originally ran in the 60's (I believe) and has been cloning ever since. He does give credit to the original, but it's not his creation. The first version is good and because it's a procedural he can take chances and change cast members and it survives. Of course, they have to be likable characters... I also enjoy Law & Order: SVU. I've long been a fan of Mariska. And I enjoyed Bebe Neuwirth in the one that failed. I refused to watch this latest incarnation, though. Not only was I not adding another show to my roster, especially on a crowded Friday, but I just felt that it had been done to death and done better. You're on the mark about that. Yes, I like J. August Richards, but unfortunately for him, not enough to sit through Dickie's latest clone. Oh well, if this fails maybe he'll get something that's better.
no subject
Is there a book Horton Has a Cup of Coffee? Just asking...*g* hee! That would be awesome! Tim Hortons is mostly only located in Canada, but there are a few locations in Michigan near the border. It's such a Canadian franchise (although it's owned by an American company now), and it was started by Tim Horton who was a pretty famous Canadian hockey player back in the day (1950s I think).
The combo of Smallville and Supernatural definitely causes the hormones to surge. It would be funny if they did warnings before the shows aired. "Warning: the extreme hotness of the casts of these shows may cause drooling and hormone spikes."
Despite knowing that Smallville is bad, I am strangely loyal to the show (I've been watching it since the 1st season), and will probably continue to watch. I always enjoy Lex.
Dick Wolf can be an idiot. He got the Law & Order idea from a show that originally ran in the 60's (I believe) and has been cloning ever since. Oh, interesting. I didn't know about the origin of Law & Order but that makes sense. At least he credits his inspiration. I think that Conviction is actually doing okay in the ratings which is weird because I find the episodes can be incomprehensible so I don't understand it being popular.
no subject
I don't know much about hockey. A little about the Chicago Blackhawks is it - because of my uncle - and the name Wayne Gretzky. *g* Other than that...
I never watched Smallville because I think it was up against some other stuff that I watched. Then, when I heard JM would be on it I wanted to catch up. I found it on a cable network and watched so I wouldn't be saying - what caves, what metal piece, huh? Maybe it was because it was concentrated Clark/Lana 5 nights a week, but I just wanted to smack both their heads together. Honestly, I always thought he had better chemistry with Chloe. And yes, Lex is fun.
Yes, the WB should put a warning on these Thursday shows. Women and men that find these folks attractive definitely behave in bizarre ways. Hee! I love that idea. It could be surrounded by little flashing panting tongues with lines through them.
Yes, I forget the name of the show that Wolf copied, but it was 90 minutes long and ran either in the 50s or 60s. Recycling is acceptable, as long as credit is given, but maybe Dick should branch out a little. As Cordy said to Xander after meeting Faith: Get a new theme.
no subject
Maybe it was because it was concentrated Clark/Lana 5 nights a week, but I just wanted to smack both their heads together. hee! I think that almost every Smallville fan - including me - feels the same way. I also would enjoy him more with Chloe (who I think is a better actress).
It could be surrounded by little flashing panting tongues with lines through them. *dies* The more I think about it, this would be a good way for them to market their Thursday night lineup!
As Cordy said to Xander after meeting Faith: Get a new theme. So very true!!
no subject
Yikes. That's really disturbing. I'm a Second Cup coffee fiend myself, but eeeee.
Immediately my brain thought "Her wallpaper was friend locked? Wait, that doesn't make sense!" It turns out "flocked" can also mean textured wallpaper. hee!
Hee. I always read it as "eff-locked" in my head, so that's not a problem for me. *g*
It reminded me of BtVS "Sleeper" in which my initial reaction was "Two Spikes!! There were two Spikes, on screen at the same time!!" So it was like that only x2.
Heh. That didn't occur to me while watching Smallville, but I just finished watching "Sleeper," and I realized it then. There's a good chance that it'll come up in my "re-visitation" post for "Sleeper." :D
no subject
Hee. I always read it as "eff-locked" in my head, so that's not a problem for me. *g* Much better approach. When I was first on LJ and trying to figure out the terms, I read them as one word (eg. flocked and flist) and it's stuck. It was only recently I discovered how to pronounced meme properly. If I come across a word or name I'm not familiar with, I always seem to mispronounce it in my head. I probably could have benefited from studying Linguistics!!
There's a good chance that it'll come up in my "re-visitation" post for "Sleeper." :D Yay!! I'm looking forward to your post about "Sleeper". More conversations with
no subject
Yeeps! to the Timmie's scares--gah, that's horrible!!! I'm with you, though, and thought everyone loved it; I learned much in the way of Timmie's love when I was back and forth to Canada with the Canadian ex-fiance.
I'm glad that you had such a lovely visit with your aunt, and got to remember your grandmother together. And it's wonderful that your friend's concert went so well! :)
As for TV musings, I'm going the way of the gratuitous icon usage and just saying I agree MUCHLY.
no subject
I'm so pleased the concert went well. I have high hopes for her career!
Oooh, pretty icon. *drools* (I don't have a Fine or Fines icon yet, but will get one soon!)
no subject
In terms of Fine icons, the one I'm using is snaggable, and was made by
no subject
Oooh! I'm totally snagging the icon and love the link that you gave me. (And no, I'm not an icon ho at all. Heh. *blush*) hee!! I totally am as well. I was trying to be all restrained and not get too many icons, but I'm now at my limit so am making the hard choice of which to switch out.
no subject
It turns out "flocked" can also mean textured wallpaper.
Hee! LJ has created a whole new language.
Clark was VERY harsh, so much so that I felt very bad for Lana
I think this is what I missed. I heard Mama Kent saying to Clark that he had given Lana a reason to hate him now, but I didn't hear what it was that Clark said to Lana that was so terrible. Strangely, I kind of like Clark/Lana. They're equally simple and sweet. Although I'm starting to think Lana might actually deserve better.
no subject
Hee! LJ has created a whole new language. Indeed, and clearly it's taken over my brain!!
Clark basically didn't break up with Lana very well. Not that there's a good way to break up with someone, but when he did it for real it was as bad or worse as when he was under the spell. It came across as really mean-spirited and that he didn't care about her at all. I think the writers just did it that way so Lana would be really mad at him, because it's not how Clark would normally approach that situation. One of my big issues with Smallville, even though I'm completely addicted to the show, is how inconsistent they are with characterization and they'll just change stuff on a whim to suit story ideas.
I've enjoyed some of the Clark/Lana stuff, but overall find them boring together. Even though I don't like Lana, I think she deserves better because there's no really good reason for him not to tell her. I liked when Mama Kent said that maybe Clark hadn't told Lana because wasn't the one. It addressed my issue with their relationship: if Clark really loves her, he should just tell her the truth. /really long rambling about Smallville
no subject
On the subject of "Supernatural", I think I actually saw two connections to Buffy. First, of course, is the "WWBD" reference, which was great. Second ... do those two ghostbusters remind you of anyone? The Three Nerds, maybe? I'll bet good money that we'll be seeing them again ...
no subject
You're so correct that the guys are like the Troika. Hopefully one of them doesn't kill Sam's girlfriend and cause him to use his powers for evil!!!
no subject
I don't think those two guys are dumb enough to make the same mistakes they see on Buffy, which they've no doubt studied in detail. Then again, they weren't the smartest, were they?
no subject
Definitely not the smartest guys, but - if they've really watched Buffy - they shouldn't make the same mistakes. They're also not trying to be evil, so stuff should go better for them!
not so very evil
no subject
Now I think Dick Wolf is a dick - and his word "charactercedural" might be the most pretentious marketing word ever to come out of Hollywood! He's never been that good at the character stuff. Not for a long time, anyway.
no subject
Definitely! Good point that it's a marketing term. I'm annoying at Wolf's implication that he's invented the charactercedural, considering that most good tv shows that don't deal with story arcs every week are essentially charactercedurals.
no subject
no subject
I suspect that's what he means, but Conviction certainly doesn't accomplish that. And there's so many good shows, like Homicide Life on the Street (which I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to see) which existed before Wolf coined the term, that actually are charactercedurals. I suspect the term is just trying to make Conviction sound like an interesting new show but one that's still rooted in the safety of the procedural.
no subject
Meeeeeeeep! At least you're still safe ::hugs::
Sometimes I think it's all about what it's saying rather than where it is. Anyway we will speak no more of these scary thing
::hugs::
I'm glad to hear that your friend's performance was a success.
And Her perspective is that all Canadians should be equal which means that everyone should be able to marry. Yay for my aunt!
Yay for your aunt indeed :)
Hope all your writing is going well too!
no subject
I'm very pleased about my friend's performance, I'm hoping this is just the beginning for her!
My writing is going very well! I just posted my fic for
no subject
I'm glad you're safe.
As for not knowing what flocked wallpaper is *shakes head at you sadly*
*g*
no subject
As for not knowing what flocked wallpaper is *shakes head at you sadly*
*g* hee! Clearly I am severely lacking in knowledge!!!
no subject
Wow, it sounds like you had an amazing evening last night! Congrats to your friend on her debut performance.
Bwahaha! That Superman is a dick site cracked me up. He really is though. It was so nice to JM back on my television screen. ::clings to my TV set:: I hope he has a lot more screen time in the upcoming episodes.
I think that was my favorite episode of Supernatural so far. Although, it was awful nice to see Julie Benz and Amy Acker too. But yeah, that show always creeps me out. I am easily riled up, and I always find myself pulling the blankies up to my chin at some point each episode. I'm really starting to love the show more and more. *hugs*
no subject
I'm so proud of my friend and excited for her. Thanks for your congrats! I'm going to make sure she reads this post!
The Superman is a dick site is very entertaining, it makes me laugh and laugh.
It was so nice to JM back on my television screen. ::clings to my TV set:: I hope he has a lot more screen time in the upcoming episodes.
I join in clinging to the TV. It would be lovely for him to be starring on a show so he could have lots of screentime AND be on TV regularly. But I am happy to have JM on Smallville, and I've heard he'll be involved in the season finale.
It was a good Supernatural! The pranks were so adorable, and the
Troikatwo nerdy guys were entertaining. I also do the hiding behind a blanket thing! Lst night I was pulling my shirt up over my face. It's better when I watch it during the day and not at night. The show has definitely been getting better and better!*hugs*
no subject
Your friend's performance sounds lovely! I haven't been watching your shows, so I will leave you with a quick, "hi!"
no subject
I'm very entertained by how LJ and the internet is changing the definitions we associate with words!
I'm happy that my friend's performance was a success!
Congratulations on your anniversary with Caza!!