If only I could get paid for recruiting people to television fandoms, I would be rich!! In 2005 I successfully introduced lots of friends, family and co-workers to some of my favourite tv shows.

Veronica Mars

When I first watched VM none of my friends got UPN or had seen the show before, so I quickly set about changing that. This became my most successful mission because I succeeded in converting most of my friends who are Buffy fans as well as BtVS fandom co-workers into fans of VM.

One friend and I would watch an increasing amount of season one episodes each week until we'd caught him up for season two, and now we watch the new episodes together. Another friend and I had a mini-marathon when we were up at her parent's place in Muskoka, and she also watches the new episodes with me. There's actually about 4 of us that get together for new VM. Two co-workers are so hooked (but don't have UPN) that they borrow my tapes with the new episodes on them. Other co-workers have started downloading the season two episodes.

ha ha ha (imagine evil laughter) my plan is falling into place!!!

My Name is Earl

I've very proud of who I got hooked on My Name is Earl: my mom!! At the beginning of the season I recommended the show to her and she kept trying to watch it but would be interrupted. So, over the holidays we had a mini-marathon and watched EVERY SINGLE EPISODE THAT'S AIRED THIS SEASON!! My mom normally doesn't have the patience to watch things for long periods of time and we watched 9 episodes in one sitting - that's 8 more than she'll normally watch. We even re-watched episodes my mom had already seen, which also isn't usually her thing. As well, we got my dad interested in the show! I've started showing her The Office, perhaps I can make my mom into a tv addict fan!

I'd love to claim that I got some friends hooked on My Name is Earl but they'd already found the love. However there is one friend and co-worker who I believe I've converted (I like to think this is helped by me re-enacting various scenes such as Randy trying to eat poisoned cookies TWICE!!).

My Name is Earl is such a neat show because it appeals to everyone (ie. moms and friends love it!), so it's not surprising that it's the highest rated new comedy on tv.

Everwood

I have endlessly tried to get my friends into Everwood, and have finally succeeded with one of my friends!!! I lent her my tapes with Smallville episodes on them so she could see James Marsters, however there were Everwood episodes on them as well! I mentioned to her that she should check them out, and she did!! I've decided to take credit for the sneakiness of this technique even though it was not intentionally sneaky (I tape Smallville and Everwood on the same tape because they air back-to-back on Thursday nights). The important thing is that she's now a fan thanks to me (although I suspect that the cuteness of Hannah and Bright really helped)!!

Another friend is also now a big fan of the show, although I was less an active agent in this development. I am giving myself some credit since I have talked at length about the fabulousness of Everwood to her.

Prison Break

I recommended that my brother check out Prison Break even though he likes procedurals like CSI or watching hockey, and he's totally hooked! hee hee Maybe instead of a career recruiting people to television fandoms, I should start a business where I match people with their complimentary tv shows. It'd be like doing someone's colours but I'd "do their tv shows" instead.

Doctor Who

I think I've converted my dad!!! I invited him to watch the amazingly fabulous "Christmas Invasion" with me on Boxing Day (with the strict instructions that he wasn't to talk during the show, but he could ask questions during the commercials) and he really enjoyed it! He was asking me about the first season and when the second season will air. I'm now trying to figure out how to hook him up with episodes (he'd never figure out how to download).


I now have my fingers crossed that none of these shows get canceled because I don't want to disappoint friends again (like when Joan of Arcadia was canceled). I'm already dreading telling my new Everwood-fan-friend that it's going on hiatus for a few months. Here's hoping that 2006 is an even better year for tv fans than 2005!!


I've now seen Brokeback Mountain a second time and loved it just as much. For some - very silly - reason I didn't think I would cry again (I was a total wreck my first complete viewing), so of course I was proved wrong when the tears started streaming down my face again. I LOVE Ang Lee so much, he's such an amazing director!!! I'm still so overwhelmed by the impressiveness of the film that I'm finding it hard to be articulate about its brilliance.

Last night a friend and I watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, and it was another excellent re-watching experience. I love those movies so much!! When it finished I was dying to watch The Two Towers immediately but it was late and I needed to get home before the subway stopped. So, we talked about setting a day aside to get together with some friends and watch the whole trilogy in one sitting (something I've never done).


I hope that everyone has an fun and safe New Year's!!! All the best for 2006!!!

I’ve decided to do something completely original and inventive to recap 2005!! ... Okay, not really. Like Entertainment Weekly, TVGal, Watch with Kristin, etc I’m compiling lists of the best – and the worst – of 2005.


Best Moments of 2005 in TV (ahem, I’m using a very loose definition of “moments”)

1. Veronica Mars’ renewal and awesome season one finale. VM has been a bright spot for me this year.

2. The media’s response to Hurricane Katrina. The heartfelt, active and horrified response of the media to this situation was a nice counterpoint to the tragedy of the event.

3. What sophomore slump? It’s great that VM, House and Grey’s Anatomy are having impressively good second seasons.

4. Bright & Hannah kiss in the Everwood season three finale. This was particularly satisfying because of how their relationship developed organically throughout the season. It’s also damn cute.

5. Buffyverse actors return to TV. James Marsters on Smallville, Charisma Carpenter on VM, Alyson Hannigan on How I Met Your Mother, David Boreanaz on Bones, Christian Kane on Close to Home and Nicholas Brendon on the sadly canceled Kitchen Confidential.

6. The news that Scrubs is returning to TV in January. It’ll be on NBC Tuesdays at 9pm and 9:30pm.

7. Lorelei tells her mother We’re over in mid-season 5, then a few episodes ago reassures her You haven’t lost me. I love the complexities of the relationships on Gilmore Girls.

8. Veronica and Logan’s first kiss on VM. Best.Kiss.Ever.

9. The reunion of Jin & Sun and Bernard & Rose on Lost. Oh man, the tears were flowing for that moment.

10. Uchenna and Joyce win the Amazing Race - you could just tell that all the other contestants were happy also, it was such an air of celebration. It was great to watch really really nice people win.


Worst Moments of 2005 in TV

1. Joan of Arcadia not renewed. I still have much bitterness towards CBS for canceling such a thought-provoking and nuanced show about spirituality.

2. Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise and Scientology. Tom Cruise and his sudden expertise in post-partum depression (despite being neither a doctor nor a medical/drug expert). Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Tom Cruise and couches. The list could go on and on.

3. Sophomore slumps. It’s been disappointing to see Lost and Desperate Housewives, shows that were so original and compelling in their first seasons, struggle in their second seasons.

4. Watching the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Or should I say, lack of response.

5. Arrested Development and Kitchen Confidential canceled. There may be a silver lining for AD because it could be picked up by Showtime!

6. Paris Hilton. To quote from Joan of Arcadia: Now, who decided I need to care about Paris Hilton?

7. The return of Fear Factor to primetime. (Thanks to my brother for this providing this item on my list!)

8. The “War on Christmas” or should I say “the talking point created by the Christian Right who are freaked out by the fact that there’s other religions and faiths than Christianity.”

9. The brilliant Everwood being put on hiatus again by The WB so a reality show can be aired.

10. The Amazing Race: Family Edition and its incredible suckiness. I’m excited about the real Race returning in February: interesting looking contestants who will actually be traveling around the world!


Best Movies in 2005

1. Brokeback Mountain. A beautiful love story that’s well-acted, beautifully shot and continues to resonate days later. A brilliant and ground-breaking movie.

2. King Kong. This is what blockbusters the movie experience should be: good story, edge of your seat action, interesting characters, good acting, homage to old movies, good use of special effects and touching scenes.

3. Serenity. This movie is clearly made with passion which creates an amazing movie: it has love, hatred, and grief as well as action, humour, excitement and creepiness on a big screen scale. Firefly lives!

4. A History of Violence. It's a deceptively simple story that examines the violence that's underneath the surface of everyone. Definitely one of the best films of the year.

5. Batman Begins. This is pretty geeky, but I loved how coherent the story is - it's very tight storytelling (I really hate the sloppy storytelling and continuity that's in a lot of movies, particularly ones with significant CGI). It’s also a kick-ass superhero movie!

6. Walk the Line. This is more than just a biopic of another musician who started off poor, became famous for an innovative sound and struggled with drug addiction because of the love story at the heart of the film. This isn't cutsie romantic comedy love story material, this is a painful, intense and hard love story that's captivating to watch.

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is a great adaptation of the book, because it retains the significant aspects of the story while moving along at a fast and engaging pace. It was so good it got a friend to read all the novels.

8. Jarhead. A compelling war film that has no action scenes (unless you count the troops watching war movies). Excellent acting, beautifully shot, thought-provoking and relevant to today’s conflict.

9. Crash. An impressive yet flawed movie, the most notable flaw is how the multiple storylines are resolved. What's great about the movie - I optimistically hope - is that it encourages dialogue around racism and self-analysis of personal racism. Content aside, the acting is excellent, the shots beautifully done, and the scenes just blend together seemingly seamlessly.

10. 40 Year Old Virgin and The Wedding Crashers. As much as I love teen movies, it’s been great to have actual adult comedies. Neither of these movies are the best movies I’ve ever seen, so I've combined them as one item because they’re both damn funny movies that don’t have to shy away from adult topics.


Best TV shows of 2005

1. Veronica Mars. This show really is "the New Buffy" - it's intelligent with excellent dialogue and a smart, independent and fun heroine who's the centre of an enthralling universe of mystery, suspense, humour, pain, drama and often a combination of more than one of the above. To quote Joss Whedon Best.Show.Ever.

2. Gilmore Girls. Although Gilmore Girls is no longer the cozy and reassuring dramedy it used to be, it has grown up and is now successfully exploring the painful issues of becoming an adult and how this changes family relationships.

3. Everwood. Whenever I watch an episode of Everwood I always declare it The Best Show on Television. It has consistently high quality episodes with complex characters and storylines.

4. Arrested Development. This is the type of show that makes me laugh so hard that milk sprays out of my nose (if – you know – I actually was silly enough to drink anything while watching AD). Definitely the edgiest and funniest show on TV.

5. Reba. This show draws from the tradition of old-fashioned family sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show but also has clear influences from the more cutting-edge Roseanne. Reba deals with lots of serious issues really well – weight gain and weight loss, adultery, alcoholism, depression – however it’s not a serious drama because it succeeds is finding the humour in these difficult and painful scenarios.

6. Grey’s Anatomy. I never would have guessed last year that this show would have made my list. It’s gone from being good soapy fun to a show with increasingly well-written episodes and smart/interesting story decisions (ie. Having Dr. McDreamy’s estranged wife stay and be a likeable character).

7. My Name is Earl. It's definitely one of my new favourite shows. It has a great premise (Earl discovering the concept of Karma and now trying to make amends for all the bad things he's done) that has resulted in interesting and funny episodes (eg. trying to make up for faking his own death to break-up with a girl, or kidnapping a woman to help her quit smoking).

8. Doctor Who. For some reason I didn't expect the show to have such a fabulous combination of fun, heart-wrenching drama, suspense, and interesting stories. It’s so hard waiting a whole year for the new season. I’m very excited about the special The Christmas Invasion airing on Boxing Day at 8pm to 9:30pm on CBC.

9. Entourage. Overall I love this show because it has heart - it really feels like these 4 guys are good friends. They may tease each other but they ultimately look out for each other. Also, how can I not love a show that has Jeremy Piven’s deliciously sleazy agent say Hug it out, bitch?

10. How I Met Your Mother. One of the reasons I’ve declared that there’s a “Sitcom Renaissance”. Definitely my favourite new sitcom this season (ie. half-hour comedy with a laugh track). It has sustained its funny from the pilot and it does over-the-top really well. It’s also has excellent writing and a very good cast.

11. Everybody Hates Chris. A very funny and smart new approach to the family sitcom (ie. no laugh track). Race issues and racism are explored in an intelligent and humourous way thanks to Chris Rock’s excellent narration.

I’m very impressed that I contained myself to ten items for each category, except for the Best TV shows and I’m very pleased that I only exceeded by one item! I’m now excited to compare my lists with Entertainment Weekly’s (I purposefully didn’t look at it before created my lists)!!


Right now I’m at my parent’s place in Kingston having a relaxing Christmas Eve! I slept in until 1pm!! We decorated the house and tree last night so it’s all festive, and there’s a tray of yummy treats to snack on. My mom sings in a United church choir so we’ll be attending a Family service and then the midnight service tonight. Right now I plan to do a little more livejournal reading and work more on my screenplay. I LOVE that I brought my laptop with me, and that my brother has set up the house for wireless internet!!! Yay to my younger and very technologically capable brother!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

I'm unwinding from my first day of vacation (I'm off until Tuesday January 3rd!) ... so I bring you some random stuff about movies and tv:

Brokeback Mountain

Damn you Toronto's Cumberland theatre and the faulty equipment(?)/film(?) that caused the film to start PLAYING UPSIDE DOWN AND BACKWARDS an hour into the movie!! WTF!!!

What could be worse than a section of the movie being unwatchable (people were laughing it was so ridiculous)? The Cumberland (the only threatre currently playing Brokeback Mountain in Toronto) couldn't get it fixed, so we had to leave and I haven't seen the remaining hour and a half. Sure they gave us 2 free passes but it still means that I've only seen the 1st hour of the movie, and I didn't have time to catch the next show because I had plans with another friend later (for more movies). Fyi: because it was a matinee they gave us free matinee passes. Personally I thought that was stingy - they should have given us full priced passes - since it ruined our viewing experience, and means we have to find time another day. Of course, I'm pretty grouchy about the whole thing because I was LOVING the movie, and I had just gotten fully into the characters and the story.

To feel better I went shopping at Winners and bought a pair of warm and waterproof winter boots, and 2 warm yet cute sweaters. I'm all about trying to be as warm as possible this winter.

Part One of my evening double bill: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

My annoyance at the Brokeback Mountain situation was soothed by an enjoyable repeat viewing of Harry Potter. I went with a friend who laughs at all the same stuff I do so it was really fun.

Part Two of my evening double bill: King Kong

This is what blockbusters the movie experience should be: good story, edge of your seat action, interesting characters, good acting, homage to old movies, good use of special effects and touching scenes. I love Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

I LOVED King Kong!!! I cried multiple times during the movie. Kong is definitely my favourite character!!

Post-modernism and meta-storytelling is prevalent in this movie ... but in a good way, not in a self-indulgent, I'm just lazy so am relying on other sources kind of way. Peter Jackson succeeds in making this remake an original film.

House

I just saw the Emmy winning episode "Three Stories" and was blown away by the brilliance of the episode. I must congratulate the Emmy voters for actually making a good call. "Three Stories" made me immediately include House Season One on my Christmas Gift List.

I love the way the episode deconstructs linear episode structure by melding at least 4 different time periods together. It's awesome the way this is made clear to the viewer:

House: Oh, right, you guys [House's team] don’t know about him. He doesn’t get bitten until three months after we treat the volleyball player. Luckily, it’s been well established that time is not a fixed construct.

Also, the use of Carmen Electra to stand in for a patient actually made the revelation that one of the patients is/was (I'm going with the whole "time is not a fixed construct" thing) House a surprise for me!

The Daily Show and its coverage of "The War on Christmas"

I'm actually in the Christmas spirit this year: I've decorated my apartment with lights and a small Christmas tree. However, my happiness about the holiday is being ruined by this Christian right dramatics about the so-called "War on Christmas". The whole thing is so annoying and offensive to the many people who aren't Christian that it's hard for me to be articulate about the situation. Thank god Comedy Central for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and its good response to the whole situation. This is why I have a crush on Jon Stewart.

I think that the shortened hours of daylight are getting to me because I have my usual November blahs. I just don't feel like my usual chipper self. So to remind myself of the good things in life, I've made a list of everything that is making me happy right now:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I saw the movie on opening night with some friends and had a super fun time!! It's a great adaptation of the book because it retains the significant aspects of the story while moving along at a fast and engaging pace. As well as exciting and scary sequences, there's also some really funny awkward puberty and dating stuff which made me laugh and laugh. Lots and lots of fun! I'm hoping to see it again very soon!

( Spoilery comment )

2. Veronica Mars

I'm still loving Veronica Mars!! Although last week's episode was disturbing, it was still an excellent hour of television. The great thing about that show is that I'm excited for each new episode regardless of who's guest starring - excellent guest stars are a bonus.

( Spoilers for VM 2:6 & 2:7, casting spoilers for 2:9 )


3. Buffy night with friends

A few friends and I are going to get together to watch our favourite fun Buffy episodes. This is definitely something that's making me very happy right now. We're all suggesting 5 episodes and we'll pick the most popular ones, here's my choices:

"Something Blue" (4:9) - This is just wacky fun. It's entertaining to watch Buffy and Spike be so mushy, especially because when they actually do get together they're never like this.

"The Replacement" (5:3) - I love Xander so much in this episode, its so awesome to watch him realize that he's growing up. There's also lots of fun and silliness: the Snoopy dance, "It's a robot. It's an evil robot constructed from evil parts", "She entirely wants to have sex with us together. Which is ... *wrong*, and, and it would be very confusing," "Kill us both Spock", and "Yes, he's clearly a bad influence on himself."

"Life Serial" (6:5) - This is a geektastic episode in which the Geek Trio are very very funny ("To Final Jeopardy. ...Where Buffy's the one in jeopardy." and "Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with it!"). I also enjoy Buffy in this one - she's very funny in the time loop sequence and when she's drunk. As well, this episode has Kitten Poker!!!

"Selfless" (7:5) - Sure there's some sad stuff in this episode but the fabulousness of the Anya flashbacks balance that out. This also has one of my all-time favourite Buffy quotes: "Oh, breathtaking. It's like somebody slaughtered an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog."

"Storyteller" (7:16) - "Join me on a new voyage of the mind. A little tale I like to call: Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyrs." sigh, I find Andrew so entertaining! I love all of Andrew's different versions on events and of course, another favourite quote: "In my plan, we are beltless."

I also wanted to include "Fool for Love" and "Intervention" on the list but wanted to actually keep my list to 5. I didn't include "Once More with Feeling," "Hush," "Halloween" and "Dopplegangland" because I've watched those episodes multiple times with friends already, I was trying for some episodes we don't always watch.

4. Doctor Who

I'm very excited about the Christmas special ("The Christmas Invasion")! I just checked online and it looks like CBC will be airing it on Boxing Day (December 26th). Also there's a special mini adventure online (written by Russell T. Davies and starring David Tennant and Billie Piper) which picks up exactly where the season finale ended. It reminded me of how much I love the new Doctor Who!!!

5. My Name is Earl

I'm just adoring this show! It's definitely one of my new favourite shows. It has a great premise (Earl discovering the concept of Karma and now trying to make amends for all the bad things he's done) that has resulted in interesting and funny episodes (eg. trying to make up for faking his own death to break-up with a girl, or kidnapping a woman to help her quit smoking).

I love all the characters (especially Randy!) and their relationships which aren't the types of relationships normally portrayed on tv (ie. Earl and his ex-wife's husband get along really well). It's definitely my #1 pick for viewing on Tuesdays at 9pm (it even beats the enjoyable and excellent House).

6. James Marsters on Smallville

I'm really enjoying getting to see James Marsters on tv again. Even though Smallville isn't the best written show, James Marsters always makes the most of his scenes. I'm looking forward to seeing him on more episodes in the new year.

7. How I Met Your Mother

Definitely my favourite new sitcom. It has sustained its funny from the pilot and it does over-the-top really well. I love the episode in which Lilly and Marshall discover a "cockamouse" (a cross between a cockroach and a mouse) in their apartment. Last week's episode was really awesome because it had a duel - with swords - between Ted and Marshall over who would get their apartment! The best part? That the guys kept stopping their arguing to comment on how cool it was that they were dueling.

8. The WB

So my favourite network right now. They have some of the best shows on tv: Gilmore Girls, Everwood and Reba. I also get to enjoy mindless fun viewing with Charmed, Related and Smallville. Also, there is still the possibility that the WB will air the Spike tv movie (it's sounding promising that it'll be made but there's been no official announcements yet).

9. Brokeback Mountain

I'm counting down the days till this movie premieres - 18 days (December 9th)!!! This is definitely my personal most anticipated movie of the year. It has so many things I love: Ang Lee (one of my favourite directors), cowboys, gay cowboys, angst and more angst, longing and repression, and pretty scenery.


Considering how blah I'm feeling, I'm impressed that I have such a comprehensive list of things that make me happy! I'm glad I have so much fun stuff to look forward to because it certainly helps on days like today when it's dark all day (because it's cloudy). Do you think it's too early to start counting down till Spring?

I'm completely exhausted from working, volunteering at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) and trying to actually see some movies.

So far my highlight of TIFF has been James Mangold's Walk the Line, the film about Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as Johnny Cash: he not only embodies the role, he also does all his own singing (which adds to his excellent performance). Reese Witherspoon also does her own singing, as well as giving an Oscar worthy performance (Phoenix also deserves an Oscar).

What makes Walk the Line more than just a biopic of another musician who started off poor, became famous for an innovative sound and struggled with drug addiction is that the film is a love story. However this isn't cutsie romantic comedy love story material, this is a painful, intense and hard love story that's captivating to watch.

As my friend observed, you also leave Walk the Line really impressed by June Carter Cash's strength. I'm now inspired to read autobiographies about both of them ... and watch the movie again when it's out in wide release!

I also saw the Guy Ritchie film Revolver which was interesting and certainly kept me engaged. I'd describe it as an Art Cinema action movie. I must admit that my favourite part of the movie is Andre 3000's fabulously suave style.

I tried to see Brokeback Mountain, the new Ang Lee movie, but couldn't get in. The same for These Girls which had David Boreanaz in it. Fortunately, it's normally fun to wait in the rush lines as there's normally interesting people to talk to.

I'm still hoping to see a couple of more films at the festival. It's a difficult time for me because the new tv season has starting during TIFF. I'm all torn between two of my biggest loves: tv and movies. As a result I'm already putting my PVR to good use!