honeybunnylilb

Now I'm really mad at myself for not watching this show earlier. Then again, Monday nights for the past few years have been kind of busy (24, Prison Break and now Chuck, House and Gossip Girl - Are they trying to kill me?). Anyhoo, watching 5 episodes in a row beats waiting week after week. It's going to be agony when I finally catch up.

Overall, episodes 6 to 10 were more enjoyable than the previous 5. Maybe it's because these characters have become my friends now and I like hanging out with them. I'd like to imagine that I'd fit right in. Below are my thoughts on episodes 6 to 10 of the season 2. My thoughts are even less sophisticated than omoo's, with whom I'm having so much fun discussing the show.

( Aldrin Justice to Single Stamina )

Remember how I was lamenting the dearth of decent situation comedies? Yeah, well, I have to shut up now because I've fallen in love with HIMYM. I enjoyed the pilot somewhat but was still very cautious. I wondered if the quality would peak and then drop off, but I was delightfully surprise to find that the show just got more and more awesome with each episode. I was completely sold by the time I finished the "Slutty Pumpkin" episode.

Sitcoms are usually character-driven and often there's a main character that stands out above the rest and sort of "makes" the show. HIMYM doesn't really have a lead even though Future!Ted is the one doing the voice-overs. The biggest thing the show has going for it is the great ensemble cast and the amazing chemistry that they have with each other. Each player seems to get adequate time and character development and it's a good thing. I adore each of the characters but the fact that they deliver each in small enough doses and allow them to be more than one-dimensional ensures that you never get too much of Asshat Barney, Hopeless Romantic Ted, Commitment-phobe Robyn, or Cutest. Couple. Ever. Marshall and Lily. It's like a perfect pot of soup with the right amount of each ingredient.

I love that this show is grounded in realism when it comes to showing just how difficult it can be to connect with another person in a meaningful way and how hard it is to sustain that initial magic. I also love that they show the different ways that men and women communicate, without being too cliché about it.

( My top 5 moments from the first season )

If Farscape's Aeryn Sun (played by Claudia Black) were to go head to head with Firefly's Zoe Washburne (played by Gina Torres), who would come out on top?



Poll #1176521
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Zoe versus Aeryn

I think if you're going to let slutty enter your wardrobe at any point, the only place is in your shoe rack. I always notice on What Not To Wear, when they're trying to tame down some of their trashiest clients, they tell them that they can let their personality come out in their shoes. They don't need to wear leopard print all over their bodies, but leopard print pumps are awesome - Rrrrrrrowl!!!!! I believe the word is FIERCE! Pumps, not knee-high boots, mind you. Julia Roberts did a whole generation of women a serious disservice in Pretty Woman. I remember when all of my pre-teen friends started dressing hooker-chic and their mothers didn't seem to care. My mother cared and I cared, because if the reward for dressing like that is Richard Gere, I'd rather wear a large sack down to my toes and a hood over my head. Back away with the salt-n-pepper hair and squinty-eyes!

Ironically, Forgetting Sarah Marshall reminded me of something I had forgotten for some time. I had forgotten what it was like to enjoy a truly satisfying comedic experience. I didn't even realize what I had been missing until I found myself covering my mouth in sheer delight/shock/awe/recognition on multiple occasions. I don't watch sitcoms anymore. I haven't since Extras went off the air, and that show was more cringe-inducing than out-and-out funny. I can't really get into the US version of The Office, or 30 Rock or How I Met Your Mother - the sitcoms people point to as keeping the genre alive. I liked Knocked Up but I don't even remember how funny it was (not the way that I remember There's Something About Mary almost causing loss of bladder control a decade ago). I really didn't like Superbad. The romantic comedies with the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson are so ungrounded from reality that I can't believe in them enough to laugh at them. I'd seen the trailers for Sarah Marshall and wasn't really impressed, but then I read some reviews from my favourite critics and decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. When I was leaving the theatre, my friend ask me what I thought and I could only muster "I needed that." Truer words were never spoken.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall in four words: pitch-perfect, cathartic, endearing, fun

Dr. Barefoot says that wearing shoes is bad for our feet and we walk wrong as a result. Function and comfort comprise only 30% of the reason why I wear shoes. Yes, I said 30%. Can you guess the remaining 70%? Don't let the tag fool you.

Barefoot Good. Shoes Bad.

Stolen from so many other LJs.

1. Who is your favorite SG-1 character? Tie: Daniel Jackson and Teal'c

2. Who is your favorite Atlantis character? Hmmmm ... Teyla and Ronon.

3. What is your favorite SG-1 episode? Um ... Prometheus Unbound/Meridian

4. Who is your favorite SG-1 villain? Ba'al

5. Who is your favorite SGA villain? No stand outs for me here. I'm new to SGA. Give me time.

6. P-90 or Zat? Zat

7. You'll be…Jaffa or Tok’ra? Jaffa - I like the forehead tattoos.

8. Goa’uld mother ship or X-303? X-303

9. Ori or Ancient? Ancient, obviously.

10. Who is the best O’Neill.. Kurt Russell or Richard Dean Anderson? Russell's O'Neill had no sense of humour, so I go with McGyver.

11. The best Daniel Jackson…James Spader or Michael Shanks? Hmmm ... I think given the chance to play Jackson for 10 seasons, Spader (who is awesome on Boston Legal) would have been awesome, but I have to give it to Michael Shanks. What kind of Archeologist carries a gun?

12. Asgard or Replicator? Thor ...er, The Asgard ALL THE WAY. Also will never forgive them for RepliCarter.

13. Who is the best leader of Atlantis, Weir or Carter? Weir, because it seems the Carter on Atlantis is completely different from the one on SG-1. It's like going through to the Pegasus galaxy has killed a few brain cells.

14. Who is best leader of the SGC...Hammond, O’Neill, Weir or Landry? Hammond of Texas!!!

15. Jonas Quinn or Vala Mal Doran? Do you mean who was the most annoying? Jonas. Who I wouldn't mind hanging out with? Vala.

16. Col. Mitchell or Dr. Fraiser? Fraiser because she was so awesome and because Ben Browder will always be John Crichton to me and Cam Mitchell has always been a watered down Crichton to me.

17. Who would you kill first...Apophis, Baal, Cronos, Hathor, Yu or Anubis? Apophis, then Anubis, then Hathor and Cronos. I don't hate Yu. Hehehe. I'd keep Ba'al around a bit just to stave off boredom.

18. Keller or Beckett? Keller, because I (heart) Jewel Staite.

19. In a 1 on 1 fight, who would win...Teal’c or Ronon? Um ... woah. Er, ... Jeebus. I think they'd kill each other.

20. What is your favorite Atlantis episode? Haven't watched all of them yet. Have to get back to you on this one.

21. Carter or Mckay? SG-1 Carter is preferable to SGA Rodney, who is preferable to SGA Carter, who is preferable to SG-1 Mckay. Does that make sense?

22. Dr. Bill Lee or Radek Zelenka? Zelenka. I have a thing for Eastern European accents.

23. Stargate the movie (1994) or The Ark Of Truth? Stargate Movie was one of the last movies I saw at the drive-in before it was closed. I'm sentimental about it. So I'll go with that. Ark of Truthiness was like a 2 hour episode of SG-1.

24. Major Lorne or Major Davis? Major Lorne

25. Teyla Emmagan vs. Col Samantha Carter? Carter

26. Favorite SG-1 ship? Daniel and Vala.

27. Favorite SGA ship? Sheppard and that girl that he flirted with from that episode. You know the one.

28. Siler or Harriman? Siler. He ought to win at something.

29. Bra'tac or Selmak? Bra'tac

30. and finally, SG-1 or Atlantis? SG-1, no contest. SG-1 has done some stupid things but they're usually few and far between. SGA on the other hand seems to relish in stupid plots, not that I don't enjoy them.

Stole this from fanabana:

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

stolen from chezzy_1


Put "I've seen ____ of these 168 movies" in the subject line and repost. If you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 168 movies on this list.

( Click for list )

So, I'm more than half-way through the first season of Ashes to Ashes, the follow up to Life on Mars. For me it started off with a bang, no pun intended, but it feels like in the last two episodes, the show has sort of plateaued.

( Not really spoilery but just to be safe ... )

... about the shutting down of Stage6.com and the possible death of the DivX format?

I thought I should share my Oscar Picks. Everywhere I've read seems to have two lists - "who should win" and "who will win", because Oscar voters can be very very silly or naughty or both. I've decided to add an "Oh no they didn't" list. See Gwyneth Paltrow and Shakespeare in Love for evidence.

I'm only doing the big ones. Sorry technical fields.

( My Picks under the cut )

So, I was planning to watch the X-Men Wolverine spin-off with Hugh Jackman anyway, when I read the most heavenly casting news EVER. FNL's Taylor Kitsch will play Gambit

I literally screamed at my computer screen. I had to re-read the story to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or fantasizing or whatever happens to me whenever I get "Riggins Syndrome" (rapid heart-beat followed by hyperventilation, heavy perspiration and the inability to type without making an error every second character).

First off, I am just happy that they are finally introducing Gambit, one of my favourite characters. Second, they cast the yummiest man-boy Canada has ever produced (apologies to fans of Ryan Reynolds, Hayden Christenson, Ryan Gosling and Nathan Fillion). I am going to take a hot shower now and burn some aroma therapy candles to deal with my Riggins Syndrome. It's the only thing that seems to work.

I don't care anymore about the characters on Lost or how the show will end. I'm still watching though. One of the good things about the writer's strike is that it gave me time to catch up on some shows that I missed or normally wouldn't have time to watch. I caught up on Life on Mars, State of Play, Torchwood, Lexx, Friday Night Lights, Farscape, Robin Hood and Stargate SG-1. Yes, I've really been watching Stargate. Shameful, I know.

I discovered Life on Mars last year and was eagerly anticipating its spin-off Ashes to Ashes. I've seen the first two episodes of ATA and I'm happy to say that I love the show. If it keeps the level of the first two episodes or builds off of it, I am in for a treat. I hadn't realized how much I missed Gene Hunt until he stepped out of that candy-apple red Audi with his swagger in tact. They don't make men like that anymore. Thank goodness! But he's sure fun to watch. Keeley Hawes' Alex Drake is a fun character and I like the fact that she's not some whiny, infallible, domineering, man-hating female with a chip on her shoulder. She's smart and strong, yet vulnerable. She makes mistakes but redeems herself and remains likable throughout, even when she's babbling on about her cerebral cortex. Plus, she's got a great set of gams, which goes perfectly with 80's apparel.

I'm half-way through the second season of Torchwood and I have to say that aside from the premiere and a strong second episode, I'm a little underwhelmed. Then again, the first season was pretty spotty, so I should have lowered my expectations. I guess I just expected the show to hit its stride in the second season. I hope things pick up in the second half of the season.

I've added a really soapy ITV show to my list of guilty pleasures and discovered a new boyfriend of the moment (BotM). The Palace gives an account of the lives of a fictional royal family of England, as well as the lives of their staff and closest confidants. It's absolutely ridiculous and the plot-lines have clearly been ripped from the tabloid headlines. Still, I am addicted. Rupert Evans might have something to do with it.

I've also been able to watch the new and older versions of Jane Austen novels on Masterpiece Theater. While everyone else was watching the Super Bowl, I was watching the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. It's probably the most popular Jane Austen adaptation but I have to say, as far as the books go, Persuasion is my new favourite after Emma, perhaps because I'm getting older. As far as the men of Jane Austen goes, I'll take Mr. Knightley over Mr. Darcy or Col. Brandon, any day!!!

So, who is your favourite Jane Austen leading man?



Poll #1140165 The Men of Jane Austen
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Your Favourite Jane Austen Leading Man

almsthvn posted quotes from 15 of her fave films for her f-list to guess. I added my own and I'm reposting it here. Some of them are pretty obvious. Comments are screened.

1. "Keaton always said, "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze." Solved by gymble: The Usual Suspects
2. "Leeloo Dallas mul-ti-pass." Solved by valhalla_loki: The Fifth Element
3. "Immortals... we put their name to the test." Solved by ankai: 300
4. "That's the spirit. Thank you. Thank you for your honesty. Now f*** off and die, you f***ed up slag."Solved by latropita: Closer
5. "There's no money, there's no weed. It's all been replaced by a pile of corpses."Solved by ankai: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
6. "Hurry up big boy, I'm naked and I want you at least twice before Jamie gets home." Solved by apriljoiex: Love Actually
7. "Ah! Yeah. It's just we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now. So if you could go ahead and try to remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!" Solved by maxymama: Office Space
8. "Do you know what this is? Its the world's smallest violin playing just for the waitresses." Solved by ankai: Reservoir Dogs
9. "This list... is an absolute good. The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf." Solved by apriljoiex: Schindler's List
10. "Lizzy, how can you put your faith in a man you spectacularly binned for being unreliable? A man whose idea of a romantic nightspot and an impenetrable fortress are the same thing? It's... This is a pub! We are in a pub!"Solved by gymble: Shaun of the Dead
11. "Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible c**t... me." Solved by ankai: Snatch
12. "I'm so Ronery / So ronery / So ronery and sadry arone." Solved by latropita: Team America: World Police
13. "In a thousand years, there will be no men and women, just wankers, and that's fine by me." Solved by ankai: Trainspotting
14. "Mr. President, it is not only possible, it is essential." Solved by ankai: Dr. Strangleove
15. "Wait... No! I mean, can't we just, like, kick this old school? Like, I have the baby, put it in a basket and send it your way, like, Moses and the reeds?" Solved by maxymama: Juno

The vender on ebay finally replied to my emails. They reversed the charges on Paypal and all is well. Next time I bid on anything on ebay, I'm going to give it a day before paying. My problem is that I'm worried that I'll forget to pay and then incur the wrath of the seller. I just bid on another Arsenal Jersey so let's hope this one takes.

In other news, my cat, Baxter is leaving me sleep deprived. It's not fair that he gets to sleep all day while I'm at work and when I get home and want to sleep he wants to play. When I have work to do on my laptop, Baxter wants to play Minesweeper (He's ever so good!). Seems his favourite spot to clean and scratch himself is on top of my chest. He has this habit of coming right up to my eyeball just to see if I'm still awake. Thanks, kitty!

"Don't think you'll be getting this back for the next 4 hours."

Decent movie. Bad movie-going experience.

( Mildly spoilerish. Very mild )

Since they've pulled the infamous Scientology promotional video from Youtube.com, here's a direct quote from the King of Douchebag Hill:

"Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it's not like anyone else; as you drive past, you know you have to do something about it, because you know you're the only one that can really help."

Really? The only one that can help? Not a doctor, nurse, paramedic, fireman, police officer, chiropractor, insurance adjuster, tow truck driver? Really, Tom Cruise? Can your ferret-teeth replace the jaws of life?


It's the utter smugness, his condescending tone, his unearned self-importance and his ass-crack-crazy perception that anyone anywhere would ever want his fucked up brand of help and how simple and obvious it is that he is right that makes me hate Tom Cruise.

Have I mentioned that I hate Tom Cruise?

I was sitting comfortably inside, snuggling with my new cat, Baxter, when I heard my downstairs neighbour shoveling snow outside. He was alone, however it's not a lot of work. I noticed that he only cleared his meager part of the driveway. He left the driveway in front of my car unshoveled and I pondered to myself the sense in that since it's only about a few square feet. So I got off my ass and went outside while he was still shoveling other parts of the drive and cleared my side. When I was done, I helped him with the rest of his section, just to make a point. When I clear the driveway, I do the whole thing, not just the piece behind my car. It's just the neighbourly thing to do and it's pretty convenient. Anyway, I was feeling really pleased with myself when the road plow came bustling down the road and FILLED IN MY DRIVEWAY!!! I raised my hands in protest at the plow operator and he just gave me this evil dead grin. I want to know where he lives, just so I can plow snow into his freshly-cleared driveway. Honestly, I give up. I'm getting a flying car, and to Heck with this snow.

When I saw my Mom in Jamaica for the first time in months, I started to choke up and cry because of all longing that had built up inside me was finally being released. That is how I felt when I saw Jon Stewart on The A Daily Show last night.



Oh, Jon, how I have missed you. I think I might just survive this writer's strike.