A sort-of kinda TV recommendation

I’m usually pretty vocal about what TV shows I watch. I haven’t been ashamed of any of my TV habits since some uber-religious friends in high school looked a little judgmental after I mentioned that I liked “Roswell.” (Or maybe I was just projecting my self-judgment onto them.) But I’ve never really gotten around to mentioning to anyone, ever, that I watch…

Farewell to a Loved Member of the Buffyverse

Andy Hallett, who played the karaoke bar owning other dimension demon Lorne on Angel for 70 episodes,  died last night at the age of 33 of heart failure.

I apologize for the morbidness of posting a rendition of “I Will Survive” as a tribute,  but the introduction to Andy Hallet’s character on Angel is too good of an example of his talent and presence on screen. And he did play a demon.

From EOnline:

Hallett, from the Cape Cod village of Osterville, Mass., appeared on more than 70 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel, between 2000 and 2004. The accomplished actor was also a musician and sang two songs (“Lady Marmalade” and “It’s Not Easy Being Green”) on the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never soundtrack, released in 2005.

Hallett has spent his post-Angel years working on his music career, playing shows around the country. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, according to Pat.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose

I am pleased as Texas Sweet Tea to announce that Friday Night Lights has been renewed for not one, but TWO more seasons! At 13 episodes each, they will air first on DirectTV, as they did with season 3, then again in weekly installments on NBC.

If you still haven’t taken my advice about this show, I urge you to give it a shot. It’s television at it’s finest, and possibly the most moving show currently on air. And, against all odds, it just keeps getting better and better.

More from EW’s Ausiello here

Well…

This happened:

And then this happened:

Nice.

This Actually Sounds Pretty Great

The NYTimes reveals today that Green Day’s album “American Idiot” is going to premiere as a musical in Berkeley, CA this September.

This is Why Britney Is The Way She Is

Several gossip roundups on various blogs are sharply reporting big news about Britney this morning- she’s back to her junk food binges! Some of them are linked to this article. To sum up, the first 3/4ths of the article are dedicated to the fact that Britney has been slacking on her diet and is eating twinkies!! Central quote? “She’s been following a strict diet plan but it’s gradually slid back into Britney’s old ways of junk food binges.”

Only as an afterthought is it mentioned that Britney has been receiving death threats and is so paranoid that her kids will be kidnapped that she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night.

Obviously, less important this:

“Britney has got it into her head that because she is performing every night she can let herself go during the day.”

And we wonder why she had a nervous breakdown or five.

A crowning achievement? A royal screw-up? A kingdom of monarchy-related puns?

Well, at least one of us has been posting pretty regularly on this blog. It hasn’t been me. But hey! A new show recently premiered! And I remembered to watch all of it!

My favorite TV comments from this weekend

“This is the internet establishment. You put me in front of a judge, he’ll take you down. He’ll throw the Kindle at you.”

-Patton Oswald guest starring on Dollhouse as an internet mogul

“It’s like everything is different now. Like I’m not Daddy’s Little Girl anymore.”

-Julie on Friday Night Lights, on the real reason she was upset her dad caught her in bed with Matt.

“Yes, Richard, I’m your grandfather.”

Zedd, Legend of the Seeker. TWIST (yes, I watch it. And it’s awesome)

Who’s not a sucker for genius little kids?

That’s Entertainment

Britney’s Circus Tour: Bittersweet

This past weekend, I was Lucky enough (song pun #1) to attend the Britney Spears concert at the Prudential Center in the ever classy Newark, NJ.

Now, my relationship with Britney is more complex than most other people’s, I’m sure. I started off hating her. In my youthful angst, I couldn’t stand the message she sent to young girls- that being pretty and having boyfriends are what you should strive for. I even tried to hide my sisters’ Britney CDs from them.

Then my fascination with Pop Culture began to grow.

Song of the Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Enjoy yourself with some Pogues.

Don’t See This Movie

I’m all for freedom of speech. I’m all for self-expression and artistic vision and I think it’s great that people can say whatever they want. This, however, makes me feel like all those privileges are being spat on. Don’t go see this movie. The Last House on the Left, a remake of a 1970s thriller (that I had the misfortune of sitting through half of before it made me feel physically ill and I had to turn it off), is about a trio of killers who brutally murder and rape two young girls then end up taking refugee in one of their parent’s homes.

And it features some incredibly graphic rape and murder scenes.

This brings up countless issues about the way the media portrays women and the depravity it encourages, and how it can add unnecessary danger and challenges to our lives (debate it all you want, it’s true). The article and ensuing discussion here on Jezebel can do this more justice than I can.  It’s unbelieveable that hundreds of people and millions of dollars went to something like this. Just don’t go see it. Don’t spend money on it. Don’t download it illegally. Tell people not to see it. For me, ok? Thanks.

Two Worlds Collide

Charles Isherwood, the NYtimes secondmost theater critic has a cameo on Gossip Girl coming up. He wrote about it today. Talk about a collision of high and low culture.

Does this mean the girls at Constance are going to be performing/writing/directing some sort of theatrical masterpiece? We can only hope..

Read about it here

Let The Sun Shine In… HAIR Moves to Broadway

Tracy and I were lucky enough to see The Public’s production of HAIR at Shakespeare in the Park this past summer. HAIR is one of those unique pieces that reminds you that theater isn’t a spectator sport, and the audience is just as important to the success of the show as the actors. Seeing it outside in Central Park, where most of the show actually takes place, when you can look at the moon when the characters cry “Look at the moon! Look at the moon!”, well, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

But that didn’t stop them from trying.