new shows

Castle was a rerun, so I watched Harry's Law. Seems like it might be fun. I absolutely love Kathy Bates. She was so much fun in Six Feet Under. I don't often get excited about law shows, but we'll see.

I want to watch The Cape, mostly because I looooooove Summer Glau. I saw the second episode this week, but I missed the 2-hour premiere, so I was pretty much lost.

As of late, I just wait until shows are on Netflix before I watch them. But I might make an exception if one of these continues to be interesting.

desperate housewives

Well, who knew? I'm in the middle of season 2, and it's pretty entertaining. I mean, it's not Buffy, obviously, but the characters are fun, everyone is pretty, and it's like an escape to another very foreign world. Mostly I think I just enjoy watching a show of any decent quality when I can watch lots and lots of episodes in a row. It's like one big loooooong movie.

tv update

Mad Men - finished season 2. Wow, this show is good. It's so different from anything else that's on. I love the colors, the clothes, the decor, all that stuff. I'm starting to feel a small amount of sympathy for a few of the characters, though they are all completely appalling. The character I like the most is Don, which I think just makes me a horrible person, so don't tell anyone.

Lost - finally watching season 6. It's starting to make a bit of sense, but I think I may be making things up between the lines. Still love love love Sawyer, Jack and Sayeed.

Angel - rewatch number, oh, you know, 103 or so. It's official - Connor is the only buffyverse character I still do not like. I even finally starting liking Dawn after watching 407 times.

birds

I looked out an upstairs window to see all these birds, and they were just so lovely, so I got my camera just in time to

 capture them flying away en masse, like they for sure had somewhere important to be,

 and then the trees were empty again.

create

Dear blog,
Sorry I've ignored you. I was painting the living room. I'm sure you understand.
me

Here is a talk by the author of Eat, Pray, Love, which I have not read, because I am assuming its popularity means it's trite and overly religious. I have no idea if that's true, of course, because of the aforementioned not having read it. Anyway, this talk is interesting. I find myself in the position of wanting to buy into this concept like crazy, but being too stubbornly non-spiritual to be able to. I do agree with the end idea of showing up and doing your thing fearlessly. Watch the video. It's worth 20 minutes of attention.

singoff 5

And here is what we have learned from the SingOff:

1. What's-her-name is definitely more tolerable singing than speaking. Same for the host of the show.

2. Ben Folds for sure used to be a muppet.

3. We should probably buy Sheryl Crow's new album.

4. I still really really want to do vocal percussion.

Though my personal favorite was Talk of the Town, I'm pleased that Committed won. I hope they tour and make records and have a blast with it. So much talent, and a fair amount of humility, too. Don't you love that?

singoff 4

Whoa, this show was awesome. The medleys were, well, medleys, sort of, but not really, since they were mostly just three chunks of songs in a row, not really much medleying going on. But whatever, still cool. I, of course, would have really liked the artist choices to be different - Madonna, Cyndi, Paul Simon... But yeah, I'm old. The judges and I are apparently starting to jive - well, just Ben Folds really - because I kept writing things down that they would then say. Funny.

So, the first half of the show - medleys.

On the Rocks - Elton John medley - The singing was totally solid, but I found the whole thing kind of boring. They're lacking soul. Then again they're so young! I give them a 7. They went home after the first half, and I agree with that, but they are adorable, and I give them props for getting 15 guys reined in enough to get anything done!

Committed - Usher medley - Flawless performance as usual. Not songs I cared for particularly, but they were brilliant. Plus, oh my, they are so adorable. A 9.

Street Corner Symphony - Beatles medley - I wanted more arranging and more passion. But all-around awesome anyway. 8.

The Backbeats - Lady Gaga medley - Good singing. They're definitely improving. The singing was less harsh than other performances they've given. They're robot outfits were... shiny. This group is all about the girls - odd that the guys rarely have any leads. I give them an 8.

Talk of the Town - Otis Redding medley - They just have so much soul. These guys are perfection. It's interesting that their less-is-more choreography just seems so much more dignified than all the kids' jumping around. It's a 9, just because it's still... a medley.

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Part two - judges song picks. I find this an odd challenge. I would have preferred the groups to choose their own style for the last one. But at least the picks were decent songs.

Committed - Let's Stay Together - Here marks the first tear I shed during the Singoff. This performance was amazing. They passed the melody down the line seamlessly, which is a trick I really enjoy. Just wow. 10.

Street Corner Symphony - Down on the Corner - I didn't care for the percussion, thought it was a bit much. This piece was great, but I feel like their performances on the first few shows were better than this one. Still love these guys, though. 8.

The Backbeats - Landslide - This is the first time I've really really liked these guys. The arpeggiated start they did was awesome - people have no idea how hard that is. So much emotion, so much good singing without the harsh edge they sometimes get. I loved it. 10.

Talk of the Town - House of the Rising Sun - There are no words. 11.


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And, if all this fabulous isn't enough, I'm going to see Rockapella tomorrow. Yay!

singoff 3

Thoughts:

• I so want to do vocal percussion. I have a good instructional DVD, but I can't do it. Maybe I could if I really really worked at it. I feel like I can do pretty many of the sounds, but I don't have the stamina to do them over and over again, which of course you have to do.
• Everyone goes on and on about the soloist, the bass and the percussion, but people, I am here to tell you that the hardest parts to sing are the inner parts. You've gotta learn hard parts that often jump around and don't feel logical. You never get to lead - you always have to follow the top and/or the bottom, and that takes big concentration. You've gotta be so careful about intonation and volume. Inner parts are hard work that never get any credit!
• Everyone I've talked to so far agrees with me that a certain one of the judges comes across as dumb as a post. Ugh.
• I'm starting to think the judges are hearing different groups from what I'm hearing. And I mean, really, who are you going to listen to? Me or the judges? Yeah, OK, never mind ;)

The Backbeats - First: This is the first performance of theirs I've liked. Bon Jovi = good choice. Nice arrangement. I give them a 7. Second: Love Shack? I really could barely get past my hatred of that song to even pay attention. I did like the stacking of the chord at the very end - cool. But overall? Meh, whatever. I give them a 6, for (behold my math skills) an average score of 6.5.

Street Corner Symphony - First: I didn't think this song was a good choice. Not very rock-ish. I didn't like the arrangement or the solo very much, and I thought the balance was off. But maybe I just didn't get it. I give it a 5. Second: This one was brilliant. The arrangement was just so wonderful - lots of changes without being cheesy. The singing was gorgeous. I loved the intro. I give it a 9, which means average of 7.

Talk of the Town - First: These guys have such amazing soul and depth. There's no comparison. They are in a league of their own. Satisfaction is a 10. Second: This one was a little less intense than their others so far, but still brilliant. Their voices are just so rich. Gorgeous! I give Easy a 9, for a grand average of 9.5.

On the Rocks - First: I thought Pour Some Sugar was adorable and that the solo was good. The rougher sound the judges were asking for would not have agreed with me, I guarantee it. I think this is the best they've been so far. It was solid. I give it an 8. Second: No! This was a disaster (and this is where the judges and I were apparently watching two different shows...) Kyrie is a song I love, and I thought this was hideous. The entrance was painful, the whole solo felt uncomfortable. No no no. I give it a grudging 3 for an average of 5.5. This is the group that should have been eliminated. And I am unanimous in that.

Groove for Thought - First: Changes? Odd choice, but I liked the arrangement. This wasn't their best - it felt shaky and nervous. The soloist has a great voice, but she smiles her words all out of whack. The thing about vocal jazz, in my opinion, is that it's just not as accessible to the average listener as simple pop arranging. It needs a second listen! I give this one a 6. Second: This arrangement of You Make My Dreams Come True was so very jazz, so very NY Voices, and so very fabulous. They took a dumbish song and made it brilliant. I'm glad they kept their jazz - it's what their good at. This one was a ten, for an average score from me of 8. I'm very disappointed that they went home. Their actual singing is so much better than On the Rocks - different league, really.

Committed - Every Breath You Take was not my favorite of theirs, but it was still brilliant. I love their choral sound. I disagree with Ben - I thought it did totally rock. The judges were really hard on them, and I think it's because they're so amazing. They didn't really have anywhere to go after being so excellent so far. I give this one a 9. I loved it. Second: Holy crap. They took one of the dumbest songs ever written and made it absolutely brilliant. They cheesed up the choreography, made the whole thing hilarious, and then proceeded to sing every note perfectly. Not a flaw. This was parody at its best, and I'm not sure a lot of people even realized it. It's a 10, and I hope these guys come here when they start touring. Average score, 9.5.

I hope Committed and Talk of the Town are the final two. I just don't see any comparison. They're in a different singing universe from the other groups. Wow.

roswell

OK, I gotta say that I really love Katherine Heigl. I just think she's adorable. I'm not finished watching the 3rd season of Roswell yet, but it does get increasingly weird, as shows that start in high school tend to do as the kids get older. And oh yeah, alien shows have the get-weird-as-they-go tendency as well, I suppose. Anyway, I love some of the characters in this show a lot, and one of them is Isabel. She's the one who wants to live her own life, the one who loves Christmas, the one who doesn't want to be all alien and weird. Odd that I would like the conformist of the group, but she's good-hearted and you gotta respect that.

The other character I love love love is Maria. And I love that they let her sing. What a voice. Don't you just love altos?! This scene of her singing at a friend's funeral is so gorgeous.



And of course I just want Maria and Michael to live happily ever after. What are the chances? Don't tell me, I'm not done watching.

Singoff 2

It's so fluffy!

Questions I have after the second episode are:

• Why does a cappella singing have to have so much choreography? Sure, it can be cool, but can't the singing ever stand on its own?
• Who is doing all this arranging? Are these groups really doing all their own? And if so, wow!
• Who is dressing these people? I love the outfits. The orange jackets were a little over the top...
• Could there be a duller host?

And on to the groups:

On the Rocks - Rap? Why? I think their choreography is too big and out of control. The performance was better than I thought it would be and what singing there was in between the rapping was decent. I give them a 6.

Street Corner Symphony - I still am hoping to hear some southern gospel from them, but of course I realize they had no choice in the matter. They were awesome - great soloists, awesome high notes, great blend. Woot! I give them a 9.

Eleventh Hour - I just find them generic. Their song was lame, not much to work with in the way of arranging. They had some pitch issues. Then again they're high school kids, and considering that fact, they're pretty amazing. I give them a 5. They went home, which was the right choice, in my humble opinion.

BANANA!

Talk of the Town - Holy crap. These guys are astonishingly good. Mercy - what a great song choice! All around class, all around brilliant sound. Awesome. Beautiful. I give them a 9.

Nota - last year's winner. They were the only good group last year, and they are fab. So why on earth would they sing the world's dumbest song? Meh. It's OK, the Blackeyed Peas have plenty of fans. They won't miss me.

The Backbeats - I still don't like the soloist much, though I realize that is a minority opinion. I loved their "breathing" chords - neat idea. I think their overall sound is too loud and too dense. I give them a 6.

Committed - These guys have made my day. They are perfection. The arranging is simple and brilliant, the song Apologize was perfect for them, and I am floored. Just wow. I give them a 10, and I hope they win and start touring.

Groove for Thought - Yay for jazz. They are the only group using jazz harmonies, and it's gorgeous. Their intonation and balance are both great. Their dancing is a little like you might expect from a bunch of schoolteachers, but who cares! They're singing is phenomenal. This is the kind of group I would want to be in. I give them a 9.

The Whiffenpoofs - I'm heartbroken that they went home. I love their choral sound. They remind me of the Kings Singers, especially the Kings Singers doing pop music, which is goofy, but charming. And in tune :) I give them a 9.

-------------------

Now, about the commercials during the singoff:

A. I think the "open heart" design from Kay jewelers is just downright ugly.

2. Why did no one veto the phrase "give the gift of asphalt"?? Seriously, that is not going to inspire anyone to get me a car for xmas.

! I want to see the new show The Cape. It has Summer Glau.

tv update

Finished the first season of Northern Exposure.

Started the first season of Mad Men.

Halfway through Roswell. I love the cast of Roswell. More on this later.

Started a rewatch of Pushing Daisies.

Rewatched season oen of Dollhouse.

Am looking forward to the netflix arrival of Charmed season 3.

Cannot believe two people up and quit Survivor!

In between, watching the occasional episode of Bones.

I think that's it...

singoff 1

Holy crap, this year's singoff is already far and away better than the first season, which was pretty much hideous. It's interesting to note that there are mixed and men's groups this time, but no all female groups. Sigh. As I recall, last time around, the really really bad groups were the women's groups. Again I say, sigh. The fact is that a women's group, with the crazy exception of a group like Sweet Honey in the Rock, simply cannot produce the range that SATB or men's can. It's the nature of the beast.

Here's what I wish about this show in general:

• I want a different host. Think of the absolute class of Cat Deeley or the dedication of Jeff Probst.
• I want them to get a guest group who really does the a cappella thing, like Swingle Singers, Rockapella, Sweet Honey in the Rock or Take 6.

Here's my take on the groups (I know, you've been dying to know...)

Eleventh Hour - Yay for having a high school group on the show. I could live very happily forever without hearing another Justin Bieber song, a cappella or not. Good sound, though. I give them an 8.

On the Rocks - I'm pretty much done with them already. I thought all their antics and general noise covered up the melody too much. And again, that wasn't a song I wanted to hear. (Yes, I realize my taste in songs is coloring my scoring here...) I give them a 5.

Groove for Thought - Cool to have a bunch of music teachers singing. Cool to have a dad and daughter in the group. Cool to have jazz!! Great sound. They reminded me a lot of New York Voices. The judges said they didn't have enough bass. I disagree - I get tired of these groups being overwhelmed with boom. I give them a 9.

Pitch Slapped - My least favorite song of the night. Ugh. Decent quality sound, but pretty generic college a cappella. The judges were hard on them. They went home. I more or less agree with that decision. I give them a 6.

Talk of the Town - Gah! Jerry Lawson of the Persuasions is their lead, and they are just absolutely the best. Gorgeous, traditional sound. Old-time a cappella at its best. I nearly cried - beautiful! I give them a 10.

Whiffenpoofs - Brilliant. Though they seem like uppity little twerps when they speak, they have amazing sound. Their choral sound is to die for, and this is actual a cappella, in the "with no accompaniment" sense. I have never heard the song they sang; I still don't know what it was. But I loved it. I give them a 10.

Men of Note - These guys are adorable. For the Longest Time was a poor choice in my opinion - it's overdone and would have needed to be perfect. These kids have pitch and ensemble issues, but they have huge potential. The judges sent them home, which I agree with, but I hope they keep singing, because even at the bottom of the heap they were still pretty wonderful. I give them a 5.

Street Corner Symphony - Oh! So lovely. 6 guys with bright, sweet, sweet voices. I hope we get to hear them sing in their actual style, some bluegrass and gospel, because I bet it's brilliant. Still, their pop piece was great. They have amazing ensemble, and the brave choice to end with a whole phrase of unison paid off - nice! Also, the quote, "not only do we not practice, but we drink beer" - LOL. I really like these guys and hope they don't get cut any time soon. I give them a 9.

The Backbeats - Well, here's where the judges and I part opinions. I did not like the soloist, thought the sound was brash and almost unpleasant. This group had serious big-time passion for what they were doing, which I respect. But I thought they were too frantic and didn't really settle into good ensemble until the end of the song. I give them a 7.

Committed - Of course, being me, my first reaction was, oh great a religious group, ugh. BUT as it turns out, their sound is phenomenal. Besides overall brilliance, the specific things that struck me were one, the seamless transitions back and forth from choral to a cappella pop, and two, the perfect ensemble. They reminded me a lot of Take 6. I hope they get a chance to sing all-out gospel. Amazing. I give them a 10.

If I had to pick winners now, I'd want the Talk of the Town and Committed. And the Whiffenpoofs. Yep.

If I were choosing who to go next on just the one performance, it would be On the Rocks and the Backbeats.

I'm very excited to have good a cappella groups on TV. Yay!

12:05

Went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter, and it was fun. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I love that this one focuses on Buffy, Willow and Xander Harry, Ron and Hermione. Then again, I couldn't help but miss my favorites, Snape and Ginny, who didn't get as much screen time. The bummer of it all is that I fell asleep for the last 15 minutes. How sad is that? But I'm sure to go see it again, so it's all good.

Can these three get any more adorable?

douglas wambaugh, appearing for the defendant

I watched this - season one of Picket Fences. Adorable and fabulous! This was a 90's show about a family in the small town of Rome, Wisconsin. First of all, there should be more shows set in Wisconsin, right? Are there any others besides this one and That 70s Show?

Picket Fences isn't overly realistic, plot-wise. For instance, one of the main characters, the doctor who has her own practice and is a surgeon, seems to treat everyone and everything, from surgery to meds to psychology. Then again, she's a very cool character. And then there's the elementary-school-aged kid who plays the trombone a little too well.

This show explores issues wonderfully and intelligently, though, and the characters have some depth. I find the character of Douglas Wambaugh, played by Fyvush Finkel, absolutely delightful. He marches into the courtroom regularly to defend the downtrodden, misunderstand and disciminated-against. I also love the grouchy judge, played by Ray Walston. And now I'm wondering, though I don't remember it happening, if this show might have helped me become the liberal thinker that I am. I mean, something had to affect me that way, right? Hmmm.

I'm looking forward to watching the next 3 seasons, but at the moment the netflix queue has Northern Exposure, Mad Men and Charmed next. We'll see.

She's not Buffy, but...

I watched this. A lot.

I have now watched all three seasons of Veronica Mars 4 times - and the first time was only about a month ago, I think. I have a Veronica Mars problem! It was the first non-supernatural show I'd watched and liked in a while. I love love love Logan as a character. He's just so damaged and fragile and full of potential. This show has neat lighting, great characters and great story arcs. I wish there were more than 3 seasons.

Other happy things about this show:
Allyson Hannigan shows up as Logan's sister.
Token, er I mean, Wallace, is adorable.
The dad/daughter relationship just makes me happy.

remember kate and allie?

I watched this.

Kate and Allie! Remember them? I so love Netflix.

1984 to 1989. I was in middle and high school. Blast from the past. Look how cute those kids are! Look at their haircuts! This show is just sweet, and I'm looking forward to watching the rest. Currently, I'm in season 2. Seeing Jane Curtin makes me want to watch 3rd Rock from the Sun, too.

what's the point without lex?

I watched this.

The first 8 seasons of Smallville. I loved the first 3 seasons to pieces. But then it just got weirder and weirder. And then season 8 happened. No. More. Lex. What, I ask you, is the point of Superman with no Lex Luthor? I'm very sad.