Just Your Friendly, Neighborhood Fangirl Dealer

Even better than the real thing....

2009-12-22T20:12:40Z

I missed the Legend of the Seeker episode "Mirror" when the show aired and it was my loss. Bridget Regan's facial expressions in this episode are hands-down the funniest thing about season one. Please, writers of Legend hear my plea and write another body-swapping episode. I fully support thrace_'s Cara/Kahlan body swap episode idea. Yes, PLEASE.

I've decided to punish (hee) my f-list with a spam of this. This one goes out to the newest Legend fans out there. You know who you are.

You can tell Bridget Regan had a blast in this episode. It was nice to see Fake!Kahlan have a little fun. The real Kahlan should take note. This minispam is only a few of my favorite moments. This episode gives me the giggles.

And now for a serious inquiry!
Is Bridget Regan the only woman on Earth who looks hotter when she has dirt on her face?
* Lost's Juliet the exception...

Bonus! Bridget and Craig interview where he reveals his alligence to the Mord'Sith.

And now two things that have nothing to do with Seeker. First, watch my TV boyfriend be adorable at an EW shoot. Yes, it's Alexander Skarsgård. Take note.

Next, the ladies of Skins grace the cover of Diva. Read excerpt of interview here.

Best of 2009: The Albums

2009-12-22T17:22:05Z

This was harder to put together than I thought. Maybe I completely blew my wad talking about the albums of the decade that I didn't have the brain energy to think about this. I will say that this list feels like a total cheat and I am sure there are a couple of albums I will remember two days from now that I forgot to include here, but oh well. Since I am not sure I can talk that much more about music in any sort of intelligent way, I decided to make this entry, twitter style. In other words, the short version of why I loved each album.

10. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words

Release Date: 23 October 2009
Fave Tracks: Fight For This Love, Happy Hour, Parachute
The girl strikes out and her own and strikes gold. "Fight For This Love" became the fastest selling single of 2009 in the UK and with good reason, it is the most infectious single of the year. A solid debut.
» Fight For This Love

9. Twilight: New Moon OST

Release Date: October 16, 2009
Fave Tracks: Possibility, Hearing Damage
This is certainly a case of the music being more memorable than the movie. Did any plot actually happen in New Moon? Songs by Thom York, Lykke Li and others make this an album getting all emo over.
» Hearing Damage

8. The Boat That Rocked OST

Release Date: March 30, 2009
Fave Tracks: Hang On Sloopy, A Whiter Shade of Pale
I realize this is cheating. Albums released in 2009 should have songs that are, you know, actually new to 2009, but this soundtrack populated with some of the best music of the 60's a must have.
» Hang On Sloopy

7. Kylie Minogue - Live In NY

Release Date: December 12, 2009
Fave Tracks: Love At First Sight, White Diamond, Light Years
This is a purely selfish entry. I am not quite sure if this live album captures the explosion of energy I witnessed when I saw her live at the Hammerstein ballroom, but that doesn't stop me from listening to it over and over again.
» Boombox/Can't Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head

6. Whip It OST

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Fave Tracks: Dead Sound, Jolene
Every single human being on Earth should have Dolly Parton's "Jolene" in their collection. Download the thing just for that.
» Jolene

5. Kate M. Heidke - Curiouser

Release Date: October 18, 2008 (AUS)
Fave Tracks: The End Of School, Our Song
If there was an award for my favorite sentimental song of the year, "The End of School" would win. No contest.
» Caught in the Crowd

4. Glee OST Vol. 1 & 2

Release Date: Nov. 3, 2009 / Dec. 8, 2009
Fave Tracks: Don't Stop Believin', Endless Love
Glee was my weekly happy time so it should be little surprise that this pair of soundtracks would find a place on my list. This is pure, pop bliss.
» Don't Stop Believin'

3. Basement Jaxx - Scars

Release Date: September 21, 2009
Fave Tracks: Raindrops, Scars, My Turn
It took me a few listens to really get into this album, but once I just let the album's magic happen, I was totally lost. It is as if Basement Jaxx set out to make the happiest acid-house album ever.
» Feelings Gone

2. Annie - Don't Stop

Release Date: 17 November 2009
Fave Tracks: Songs Remind Me of You, Loco
FINALLY! After a 2 year legal battle with her record label, Annie's sophmore album sees the light of day and it was worth the wait. A welcome dose of happy, good-time, bubble gum, europop ... in the way only Annie can deliver it.
» I Don't Like Your Band

1. Lady Gaga - Fame Monster

Release Date: November 18, 2009
Fave Tracks: Bad Romance, Telephone, Alejandro
As if there was any other choice for the top spot. It was the year of Gaga. I held out as long as I could, but ultimately, I could not withstand the onslaught of Gaga's epic beats. This album has songs that I will play to death will into the middle of 2010.
» Bad Romance

Thanks for reading!
Discuss!

"Fuck Me, Legend of the Seeker"

2009-12-22T00:03:59Z

Yes, another pointless post, why do you ask? I think I've gotten into the nasty habit of making these massive post and then posts that have no merit whatsoever. There has to be happy medium. In happy news, both Washington D.C. and Mexico City (pending Mayor's signature) have both legalized gay marriage. So, if you want me to marry you, we have two new options.

Next up, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? The Glee cast is RIDICULOUS handsy. Seriously. I do not caress my long-time friends like that. Can't tell if that's Jenna or Lea. In any case, one of them smokes. Sad trombone.

I've been talking so much about music the past few days, I thought I'd pass along some information on FREE (legal) downloads that I think you should take advantage of. First, The Roots are giving away a free EP of stuff they put together for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Download it for "Werewolf Barmitzvah" and "Like This Anna Torv" which both delight me in way I can't really describe. Next up, a bunch of music blogs set out to Remix Daft Punk's Human After All and here is the result. For a free effort, it is REALLY good. I enjoyed a lot of it. This album has been available for a while, but I didn't realize it existed until a few days ago. And finally, Amazon.com has a bunch of free holiday music available for download, including Lady Gaga's "Christmas Tree," the dirtiest thing to happen to Christmas since ... well... maybe ever.

And finally, OH MY GOD I LOVE TABRETT BETHELL MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF. These photos gave me the giggles. Yay. This gets funnier every time I watch it.

By the way, if you didn't know this already Bridget Regan is on twitter and is as flipping awesome as you might imagine. Great. As if I needed to crush on her more. Kahlan picspam is coming soon. I hope.

A groovy beat and you can dance to it: Favorite 25 Albums of the Decade

2009-12-21T06:23:48Z

I don't know why, but music is probably the hardest art to reduce to a list like this. Give me any other popular art form, I can give you a list of favorites within minutes, but music ... is a bit more complex. Like almost every other person on planet Earth, I have a very personal relationship with music. It exists in the space between my headphones and is such a subjective, an almost indescribable art form. I just like a song or I don't. A song can have the most beautiful composition, but if I don't connect with it, its beauty is all but lost on me. Also, if I did this list three month ago or three months from now, I just know that my choices would be different. Since, I love a challenge, I decided to give a list like this the old college try.

The Killers - Hot Fuss (2005) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Mr. Brightside, Jenny Was A Friend of Mine, Somebody Told Me

For me, the best kind of music is something that sounds both from a specific time and somehow strangely timeless. The opening few chords of "Somebody Told Me", one of my favorite of the decade, sound like they belong on a record released sometime in 1985 during the height of the New Wave explosion. Wasn't "Mr. Brightside" featured in a John Hughes film? I can picture Molly Ringwald dancing up a storm to it. I fell in love with the sound immediately.

Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová - Once OST (2007) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Falling Slowly, The Hill, Say It to Me Now

One of the rules I made to myself before putting this list together was that I wasn't going to include any soundtracks on here. If I did this list would be populated with a lot of Taratino OSTs, but I digress. I couldn't ignore, however, that this soundtrack was too potent, too powerful to be denied a slot on this list. Perhaps, my emotional connection to the film makes it impossible to separate songs from their context within those frames, but the hushed muted melody of "Falling Slowly" sounds exactly like what falling in love would sound like .. if falling in love made a sound.

OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: The Way You Move, Ghetto Musick, Hey Ya!, Roses

Does this technically count as one album? Just barely, I believe. OutKast members Big Boi and Andre 3000 released their own solo albums as a two disk set and the result was outstanding, a masterpiece by any measure. Their sounds couldn't be more different, but listening to these albums, it all makes a weird sort of sense, a marriage of opposites, if you will. "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya!" couldn't be more different in composition, but listening to them back-to-back, you get why these two people would want to make music together. Their union is like bacon and chocolate... it makes no sense, but it works. And just to put it out there, the lyric, "Shake it like a polaroid picture" gets my vote as the line of the decade.

Annie - Anniemal (2004) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Chewing Gum, Me Plus One, No Easy Love, Greatest Hit

If there was an award for quirkiest album of the decade, Annie's debut album "Anniemal" would get my vote. A simply infectious electro-pop masterpiece. Anyone who manages to sample Madonna (the almost too epic for words "Greatest Hit")and make it completely their own gets my respect, admiration and love. Annie's voice, a sweet whisper that sounds effortless and light, but memorable all the same is more charming than it should be. Scandinavian pop is perfection.

Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Demon Days, "Feel Good Inc, Dirty Harry, DARE

I know what you are thinking, "wait, isn't that that cartoon band? Why the hell would this album be on a list like this? They aren't even three dimensional!" But that doesn't mean this group didn't deliver one of the best albums of the decade, and for my money, the best concept album of the decade. Sure, you can dismiss this group as a strange gimmick, the brain child of Blur front man Damon Albarn, but that doesn't mean this album isn't anything other than epic. Demon Days is like a fully realize journey into an abyss, possessing a cinematic scope. The album twists and turns, through peaks and valleys of dark emotion before, it ends on the title track, "Demon Days," a song that is the most uplifting tracks in recent memory.

Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? (2000) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Gettin' In The Way, A Long Walk, It's Love, The Way

First, I'd like to give a shout out to Questlove for discovering Jill Scott on the spoken word circuit. With her rousing debut, Jill made the transition from spoken word artist to neosoul diva. Her voice is like sweet honey, like something pure and wonderful from nature. Her songs are smooth and soothing vocals, but she isn't afraid to drop the gloves and hit you up with some spoken word punches. The emotional detail in her songs are like she is reading out of her personal journal which makes the album even more intimate. For my money, "A Long Walk" is soul perfection, with lyrics that are like a leisurely stroll to a place you want to visit, but a journey you hope never ends.

P!nk - Missundaztood (2001) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Don't Let Me Get Me, Just Like a Pill, Get the Party Started, Family Portrait

With her debut album, P!nk was largely dismissed by most critics and the music establishment as just another substance-less singer. Sure, her hooks and songs were fun, but she wasn't a serious artist. P!nk took up this dismissal as a challenge. She wasn't just another vapid dance-club act. With the help of singer-songwriter Linda Perry, P!nk's second album Missundaztood works on every single level, completely destroying any and all ideas you had about P!nk before and establishing her as an artist not afraid to take chances, musical and in every other way. Missundaztood is a collection of sounds that shouldn't work, but they do because all the styles are uniquely .. well... P!nk's. The record is full of hooky pop songs and deeply personal songs like "Family Portrait" and "Dear Diary." This is an album with no rules.

Rooney - Rooney (2003) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Stay Away, Sorry Sorry, Losing All Control, Daisy Duke

As a general rule of thumb, "actors turned musican" is phrase that ensures a band will suck, but Rooney is a band that defies this rule. Fronted by the dreamy Robert Carmine (from The Princess Diaries, brother of Jason Schartzman, son of Talia "Adrienne" Shire, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and cousin of Nicholas Cage), this band is pure, stripped down rock-pop with fiercely catchy hooks and equally infectous lyrics. Rooney's songs feel like old, comfortable shoes... easy to slip into, easy and relaxed. There is nothing too serious about them. Simplicity at its finest.

Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: 15 Step, Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

In Rainbows. The album that made record companies nervous. And they had ever right to be. Radiohead released the record themselves via the internet (a band sanctioned leak essentially) and asked the public to pay what they wanted for the product, even zero pence. What the WHAT! This crazy experiment worked and left many in the industry wondering if the record industry would even exist in a few years. I am not sure if we got the answer to this question or not, but I do know that In Rainbows is one of those rare albums that I can listen to front to back and always hear something a little different. It was an album that you'd feel guilty about paying nothing for because it was art. The album weaves together a tapestry of elemnets and the result is a mood piece that sticks with you like a cold rain.

Justin Timberlake - Justified (2002) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Senorita, Like I Love You, Cry Me a River, Last Night

We don't like to admit this, but I am fairly certain that most people had written Justin Timberlake off even before he released his debut album. Not many artist can make the transition from teeny-bop pop to more adult fare. The music industry is littered with sad tales of artists who never quite made it out. I'm sure most of us thought that by the end of this decade, we would be asking the question, "Justin Timberlake, remember him? I wonder what he's doing now?" Alas, such a question would never have to be asked. Following a musical template laid forth by the last boy band member to make it big on his own (oh hai, Michael Jackson), Timberlake released Justified, an album produced by The Neptunes, that threw down the dance-pop gauntlet and seemed to announce... "I dare you not to dance to this!"

Nelly Furtado - Loose (2006) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Afraid, Say It Right, Do It

For her third album, Nelly Furtado completely changed her sound and struck gold. Cries of sellout echoed through the world. Perhaps, I would be more willing to join the chorus if this album wasn't so damn good. I don't know what crazy genius though pairing Nelly's voice with Timbaland beats would be a match made in heaven, but it is. There are about three tracks on this album that are plain addictive, the kind of tunes that tend to take up residence in your head whether you want them there or not.

M.I.A. - Arular (2005) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Bucky Done Gun, Fire Fire, Amazon, Sunshowers, Galang

This is a delightful mix of bombastic club tracks with just a hint of neo-political anarchy from a Sri Lankan born, British bred rapper. The tracks are so slyly produced with thick, primal beats that one doesn't realized until the tenth listen that the impossibly catchy "Amazon" is really about being kidnapped by jungle rebels and held for ransom, a scary and real possibility in several countries all over the world. The music never gets muddled by the message and strangely .. vice versa.

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSound (2006) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: SexyBack, What Goes Around.../...Comes Around, My Love, LoveStoned/I Think She Knows

It would be hard to top "Justified" and I have a feeling that this did not escape Timberlake's attention. So rather than try to play another game and win with the same game plan, Timberlake threw out the rules and decided to play entirely new sport. With the help of super producer Timbaland (yes, him again), Timberlake's second album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" was born. Truth be told, this album sounds like a complete mess when I first listened to it. I didn't understand what ... sound ... he was aiming for. It just felt all over the place, but as I listened to it some more, the album revealed itself, its crazy layers peeling away and unveiling a new dimension of sound. Like an acid trip, but without the drugs.

Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters (2004) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Laura, Take Your Mama, Mary, Filthy/Gorgeous

In the tradition of The Ramones and Blondie, this New York band made it big in the U.K. before setting out to conquer the States, but these boys, girls and boys who look like girls who love boys have more in common with the glam rock icons The New York Dolls and Ziggy-era David Bowe than Joey Ramone and Deborah Harry. The sound on their debut album is like a modern version of 70s-era Elton John. Musical purest may scoff at their sound as being a total rip off of Elton's groove, but I happen to love 70s-era Elton so I don't mind someone trying to bring that sound back. It has been missed. This album is delicious. Can an album be delicious? Not sure, but this would probably qualify.

Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (2006) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Chasing Cars, Shut Your Eyes, You Could Be Happy, Set the Fire to the Third Bar

Yeah, I know ... Grey's Anatomy ruined "Chasing Cars" for you. It almost did for me too, but it's been a while so let's try to forget about it shall we? The song is too good not to listen to. Snow Patrol's fourth album is intimate and bittersweet, a specific flavor of heartache. With every passing year, I fall in love with "Set the Fire to the Third Bar," even more. Martha Wainwright's vocals give the track just the right amount of unsettled that evoke pure emotion just by listening even if you don't really know what emotion that is.

Sigur Rós - () (2003) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Untitled #4, Untitled #3, Untitled #1

I didn't think I could love an album in which all of the tracks are untitled, but that's the lovely mystery that is Sigur Ros. The relentlessly down-beat tempos sound like the soundtrack to a wake, but there is something strangely moving about that, as if this album has the answer's to life mysteries hidden between the empty space between notes. If you listen closely, you can hear god. This album just washes over you like a tide and you are swept away by it.

Coldplay - Parachutes (2000) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Shiver, Sparks, Yellow, Trouble

Remember when liking Coldplay was new and cool. I miss those days. It wasn't hard to love them when their debut album was a triumph on every level possible. Parachutes is a well-crafted masterpiece, the sort of pop record that stand up when you pull it apart song by song, but becomes something even better when put back together. This is gloriously beautiful Britpop at its absolute finest.

Kate Havnevik - Melankton (2006) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Unlike Me, Nowhere Warm, Someday

Kate Havnevik (I always spell that wrong) has one of those voices that immediately makes me think of something beyond the song. It wonderfully meditative as if the notes she hits hold the secret to life. The song "Unlike Me" certainly qualifies as a song that "might change your life" if you hear it at the right time. Her debut is a glowing, moving swiftly from strings that wail to harmonies that are the definition of lush.

Tegan & Sara - So Jealous (2004) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: You Wouldn't Like Me, I Bet It Stung, Where Does the Good Go, Fix You Up

So Jealous is record that is not easily described. Part punk, part folk with pop and new wave thrown in for good measure, it is a wonderfully alive record. The melodies jump out at your first, sticking in your head, playful melodies that never want to leave once they get there. This pop-punk-folk sensibility works well with the song's nervy emotionalism, even when it really shouldn't. This was Tegan and Sara at their most pop accessible, but they never surrendered completely to this sound, instead they made it their own and made it unlike anything else.

Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Hung Up, Get Together, I Love New York, Sorry

There is no denying that Confessions on a Dance Floor is Madonna's best album since Ray of Light. Not as layered or textured of Light, this album, however, delivered on something that was lacking on Madonna tracks of the 90s. This is a beat-driven, hip-shaking, bombastic dose of 100% pure fun. The album opens with the ABBA sampled "Hung Up," a song that had "club anthem" written all over it. This song sets the album's mood, an inspired mix of old school sounds and samples with beats straight out of the clubs of Europe. The album's second track, "Get Together" is my favorite on the disc. A beautiful, electronica masterpiece, the beat is so lush, so melodic, it slowly devours you, washing over like a trance. This album doesn't allow you to wallow in the meaning of lyrics. You are too swept up by the tide of the beats to care. Mixed as if it were one long track, this album is 53 minutes of poor dance magic.

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (2004) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Portland Oregon, Family Tree, High on a Mountain Top, Have Mercy, This Old House

This is, hands-down, my favorite country album of all time. There is no second place. This is a perfect country, honky-tonk album and if Earth is destroyed tomorrow, I hope a copy of this album survives so that country music can live on in its purest form. I never pegged The White Stripes' Jack White as a country music fan so when I heard he was collaborating on Mrs. Lynn her latest album, I thought to myself, this has to be a weird joke, right? Is she going to sing rock song now? But what I didn't understand was that Jack White "got it". He understood what made Loretta Lynn that mega-country star of the 70s and wanted to bring that potent sound, that distinct voice of hers, into the 21st Century. Because her voice, after all, is timeless. He created a bold, honest record that feels like a homecoming.

Incubus - Morning View (2001) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Nice to Know You, Warning, Are You In?, Wish You Were Here

This album is a collection of sounds and genres that have no Earthly right to coexist on the same album, but yet, they do and it all just works. For instance the song, "Aqueous Transmission" is like some strange song from another planet that may just get lost in the metaphor of its own lyrics, but it is trip worth taking. The arrangement is so lush, so potent that you find yourself hitting replay and just getting lost over and over again. The song ends with a chorus of crickets. Yep, that's how weird the song is. This track has no right existing right along side "Under My Umbrella", a song made for the modern rock charts, complete with thrashing opening guitar riffs. Not a cricket in sight. Yet, it all works. "Are You In?" recalls an invitation to the best party you ever been to and "Warning" is a wonderful song about not letting life pass you buy.

Basement Jaxx - Rooty (2001) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Romeo, Jus 1 Kiss, Get Me Off, Where's Your Head At?

This album sounds like a mix your friend put together for a basement party and I mean that in the best way possible. The tracks, full of swinging rhythms and thumping bass beats, sound so raw, barely produced, that you would never imagine they were laid down by two of Britain's famous super DJ/producers, but I get the feeling that is exactly what they were aiming for. This album isn't slick or arranged in a way that suggests it was anything except thrown together in the studio in about fifteen minutes, but the rawness of the tracks just make it all the more inviting to dance to. You don't get lost in the way music and lyrics fit together. Hell no. You just want to grab a partner and sweat things out on the dance floor, lost in the sensual sway and little else.

Kylie Minogue - Fever (2002) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: Love at First Sight, Can't Get You Out of My Head, Come Into My World, Burning Up

As far as I'm concerned, in the genre of pop-dance albums, there is Fever and then there is everything else. I don't know if Kylie and her merry band of writers/producers, which includes former nineties dance queen Cathy Dennis, set out to craft a perfect pop dance collection that does not let up from beginning to end, but that is exactly what they did. Like most folks in America, I only knew one song off this album, the quintessential dance floor anthem "Can’t Get You Out of My Head,". From start to finish, the album is one sugar pop confection after another. Aside from the utter masterpiece that is "Can't Get You Out of My Head", there was the sweet, pop ditty "Love at First Sight," the sexually laced, disco inspired "More, More, More," and desperately infectious "Burning Up."

Daft Punk - Discovery (2001) [Listen to Track]

Favorite Tracks: EVERY SINGLE TRACK!

Daft Punk's second album "Discovery" is like a wonky time travel machine that launches you into a place sometime in the future, yet that place sounds a lot like 1978. Strangely out of time, this record is everything you could ever love about house music in one, glorious record. Clocking in at just under an hour, it is a brilliant homage to the underground sounds that dominated New York's club scene circa the late 70's (check out Larry Levan's "Live at the Paradise Garage" and tell me you can't hear his fingerprints all over Daft's stuff). Daft, however, takes the blueprint of New York House and builds something quite unique on top of it ... actual songwriting. "Digital Love" is the cutest love song in the whole wide world, it is just masked by a sound straight out of the future. The true highpoint of the album is the inescapably wonderful "One More Time". To say this song is irresistible is understatement. I once witnessed a stadium full of thousands of people explode in complete and utter joy when this song started to play. It is the decade ultimate feel good, good time party song. What Daft does most effectively in this album is take on the persona of their influences (Larry Levan, Giorgio Moroder, hell even ELO) but make these mask their own, inverting them and warping them just enough so that it sounds purely Daft.

Thanks for reading!

Pointless Post Alert!

2009-12-18T07:32:14Z

It's two in the morning. I can't sleep. It's cold. I can't feel my toes. My apartment smells like a Christmas tree. I brought Christmas presents I can't technically pay for. And I'm watching The Vampire Diaries and loving it. God, I'm so ashamed.

Emily and Zooey Welcome You to The Party...

And my pretty crack...

I've been watching Legend of the Seeker season one and two at the same time. You know you have a problem when you are mainlining two seasons of a show at a time. My god, season one was so much better than it had any right to be. Bridget Regan is so pretty it hurts. Craig Horner needs to be shirtless ... always. And he's a Buffy fan ... I LOVE HIM. Cara, however, rocks my world in this and several parallel dimensions. In the words of Jack Donaghy, she's "the third heat".

GLEEEEE!

I love this photo so much. It's from the day when Lea found out she was nominated for a Golden Globe. Glee is my happy show and I shall miss it. Will dark depression follow? Not sure.

Pepa!

A new pic from Los Hombres De Paco. Love it for several reason, but the most being that Pepa looks appropriately pissed off. Yes, that's exactly the look I'm expecting her to wear when she goes out and hunts down every single person responsible for Silvia's death ... 'cause you know that will happen.

Watch this show...

I will most likely picpsam in the future, but do yourself a favor and watch Community. Definitely my second favorite comedy on TV after 30 Rock ... and well, Modern Family, but that show doesn't have Annie .. who is my geek girlcrush of the moment.

And yes, this entire post was one, big excuse to show off my new moodtheme. Pretty people kissing. Oh, I love my pretty crack shows.

And finally ... its that time of year again.

Holiday Love Meme, Secret Santa Style! // My thread

Send me love. Send me good wishes. Send me job offers! Believe me, it will make me really happy if you comment.

"But Do You Love Me?" - Top OTPs of 2009

2009-12-17T23:57:03Z

I ain't gonna lie, putting this list together was difficult, but not in my usual difficult way where I just don't know how to narrow the field down and rank them. No. This was difficult because I couldn't think many ships that didn't disappointment in one way or another (and there a few entries on this list that I only put on here because, for a time, I enjoyed them lots). As Elton John once said, its a sad, sad situation. Luckily, I snapped out of my "this year sucked for my ships" doldrums long enough to focus on the bright side of things, the glass is half full after all, to celebrate the things that went right this year for my ships. Hey, at least no one died. Well, if we don't count the characters on this list that are already dead. So, behold, a list of ships that moved me this year ... where one half of the couple didn't end up lifeless in a pool of her own blood on their wedding day. I apologize in advance for the word vomit that follows. I've got a headache and I'm crabby. Combination. Deadly.

Warning: Spoilers for True Blood Season Two, Battlestar Galactica, Skins Series Three

10 Things I Hate About You - Kat/Patrick

There are a few truths as old as time. The sun is in the center of our universe (sorry, Catholic Church), socks will always go missing in the laundry and there is nothing more exciting than seeing two people who loathe each other fall in love. Hell, this old gem was OLD back in Shakespeare's day when he penned The Taming of the Shrew, the source material that inspired the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You was based on. There is a thin line between love and hate or so the saying goes. If this is the case, Kat and Patrick are walking that line like a tiny Chinese gymnast trying to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics. What I loved about these characters back in 1999 and what I love about them now is they are both strong individuals, both unwilling to make compromise, move an inch, yet they like each other because of this and would never want to change each other's fighting spirit. Patrick likes Kat because she doesn't take any of his bullshit. Kat likes Patrick because he sees through her tough girl facade and likes what he sees. Plus, let's face it, Patrick's voice can melt even the coldest resolve. As I stated before, one of the reasons I love this couple more than I thought I would (because, really, nothing can really top Heath Ledger/Julia Stiles) is that the actors made these characters just different enough to make me think this wasn't just a movie retread and they have chemistry to make me think they would tear each other's clothes off at the first opportunity.

Ashes to Ashes - Alex/Gene

There is nothing better than Alex/Gene squabbling. Their brand of bickering almost a force of nature. Either prepare yourself or get out of the way. Alex spent the first series proving herself to Gene, a fact she didn't take too kindly to, but by the end of it she had earned Gene's respect and his love. As much as Gene would never admit it anyone, least of all himself, he can't imagine his life without Alex. As many walls as Gene puts up, she finds little cracks in his armor, not on purpose, but just by being herself. I love their clashes. It was like seeing two prize fighters go head to head, nose to nose. Who would win? Who would lose? It is almost beside the point when their squabbling leads to something more deeper. Shhh, don't tell them.

Star Trek - Uhura/Spock

The most shocking thing I saw all year in the movie theater was the revelation that Uhura and Spock were a couple. After they kissed, I turned to my friend and said, "what just happened? That was kind of hot." As a Trekker since before time began, I don't know what shocked me more the Uhura/Spock kissing or the fact that it made total sense. The Uhura of old was someone who was thoughtful, rational, focused and fiercely loyal. Wouldn't she see those same qualities in Spock? And wouldn't she kind of attracted to that. Of course she would. It made so much sense I am surprised no one ever thought to do this before. And lets discuss the hotness for a second because it was HOT. I really hope J.J. Abrams shows us a bit more of their relationship and dynamic in the next film because I need to know more.

Gossip Girl - Blair/Dan

I know what you are thinking. BLASPHEMY! Chuck and Blair .. FOREVER. And while I agree with that sentiment, I can't help but think there is something delightful about a pairing that makes absolutely no sense. Chuck and Blair have gotten a bit too vanilla this season, so why not have Blair run into the arms of someone whom she can epic hate!sex with and make Chuck incredibly jealous in the process. But wait, there is a part of me that thinks, given the chance, Dan and Blair (Dlair ... Blan??) could be fairly epic. Dan will never put up with Blair's rich girl shenanigans. Blair will never put up with Dan's intellectual douchebaggery. They could temper each other's worst qualities and make each other better people. If you think about it, the show has been laying little seeds of their budding friendship/relationship since season one. I love that Blair loathed Dan on sight and made it known, but still remembered the name of his Cabbage Patch doll ("Is that Cedric?). Now that they've been thrown together at NYU (apparently the smallest college campus ever .. hee), their relationship has been developing nicely. Like survivors thrown together after a natural disaster, Dan and Blair are, well, kind of friends. Maybe. Kind of. Just make out already.

Guiding Light - Natalia/Olivia

The most epic ship of the year that somehow managed to cockblock itself into absolute oblivion . Lesbians never kiss each other even after they admit they are soulmates, didn't you know. I've let go of my resentment long enough to remember the good times, before the crap, to give props to a storyline that was one of the best slow-burn love stories in soap history. If there is one thing web soap Venice proved to me, rabid making out is kind of pointless when you don't care about the characters or the story. It's about the characters, stupid. In the course of one long year, Natalia and Olivia went from romantic rivals to frienemies to best friends to soulmates and every improbable turn just made sense. Of course man-eating Olivia would find solace and a sense of completeness with a woman who admired her for just being herself and loved her just the way she was. Of course saintly Natalia would find comfort and strength in the woman who taught her to grow a backbone and believed in her abilities with a faith that rivaled her own in god. It all made sense. Not kissing the hell out of each other once they figured all this out ... well, that didn't make a lick of sense. Instead, we got baking. Lots of baking. And if baking counted as making with the passionate, hot sexy, sexy times, then Olivia and Natalia had the healthiest sex life of any couple in daytime. Go on, girls, go make some cookies.

All My Children - Reese/Bianca

I will state right here, Pine Valley treats its lesbians like battered housewives and somehow the lesbians keep coming back. Seriously, Pine Valley should just put it on their "Welcome" sign once you entered the city limits. "Pine Valley. Population 30,000. Lesbians, Danger afoot." Being a lesbian in Pine Valley is a dangerous business. You could get raped, impregnated or blinded by shards of glass in the eye. And blinded by glass in the eye is the best possible outcome. That said, Reese and Bianca were a couple that should have been a flaming disaster. They came to Pine Valley as an already established couple and got engaged within their first week on the canvas. I shouldn't have cared for them as much as I did, but the sweet, adorable chemistry between the Eden Riegel and Tamara Braun made that next to impossible. It would be like hating a puppy ... sporting a sweet looking sweater... IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! Their chemistry almost worked its mojo on me so completely that I almost forgot all about Reese kind of, sort of being attracted to her brother-in-law and Bianca kind of, sort of losing her shit because she thought Reese was having an affair with her brother-in-law even though she wasn't. Technically. I don't know which was worse Crazy!Bianca or SuddenlyBisexual!Reese. I do know one thing, both items should have been included in their wedding invite. Sure, Bianca and Reese's marriage was impossibly marred by Reese kissing her brother-in-law before their wedding. Sure, the writers of AMC did forget that small, little detail of writing an actual happy ending for these two characters. Apparently, flying to Paris will cure all doubts to any relationship ... Tiger Woods should have tried that. But you know what, despite the bullshit so high and deep I needed boots to plow through, these two made me care and got to sex each other up (TV lesbian code for kissing) on screen ... so all is forgiven. In my head, Reese and Bianca are in Paris making each other happy ... while secretly harboring resentment they work through by being passive aggressive with each other. "I BUILT YOU A HOUSE!"

Community - Annie/Jeff

First, a public service announcement: Community, WATCH IT. You won't be sorry. A mondo picspam to come. I hope. There has never been an single episode of a TV show ever that has turned me so completely into a shipper after it was over, but this was the power of Community's ninth episode "Debate 109" (Watch it). Jeff, the show's resident snarky, arrogant anti-hero, has been angling at a possible romance with Britta, the show's resident snarky, quirky, no-bullshit taking heroine, and while that is all fine and good, it wouldn't be half as interesting if Jeff decides to give his chemistry with Annie, the show's resident geek, perfectionist, sweet, control freak a serious, college try. Before this episode, I was firmly on board the Jeff/Britta - Annie/Troy train and it was departing the station. All board. Suddenly, after this episode, where Annie and Jeff combine powers in a school debate to put a guy in a wheelchair in his place (trust me, it's funny), I couldn't stop thinking Annie and Jeff owed it themselves to just make out. Just a little. After all, Annie's sweetness and all around do-gooder personality could be good for Jeff. Annie needs someone in her life to give her confidence in herself and her SMOKING HOTNESS. I don't think that person will be Troy any time soon. Annie/Jeff. Yes. It could be magical. Well, if they ever get passed the "patting on the head" stage of their relationship.

Castle - Beckett/Castle

A novelist helps a law enforcement agency solve murders. Yes, the premise of this show is exactly like Bones, but with a gender twist. Oh and you must buy the premise that the NYPD would let a novelist tail a homicide detective indefinitely. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen, isn't it. But once you get passed this and just focus on what is great about Castle, and there is more than one, you'll see that Beckett and Castle's bickering, sexual tension dance is a schtick that never gets old, particularly when Nathan and Stana are selling it like there is no tomorrow. Eventually Castle's slightly sleazy, but kind of wholesome charm will wear Beckett's defenses down, but Beckett will put up a fight and it will be fun to watch. I know the writers can sometimes hit us over the head with how "perfect" these two are for each other, but I like them best when they are just sharing a comfortable moment of silence.

True Blood - Eric/Sookie

It's always the bad boys, but few bad boys look as good in a tank top as Eric (oh, SFP). Now that Sookie has ingested some of Eric's blood (all part of Eric's plans) and can't stop thinking about him in a vivid naughty way (and there is a problem?), this ship looks to be coming along nicely to challenge the Sookie/Bill romance that has gotten a little stale since they declared their ever-dying (uhm... technically vampire-dead already) love. Does Eric have real affection for Sookie? Or is he using her for his own selfish gain? Is Sookie noticing the tall, dark, handsome Eric on her own or is his blood mojo just making her give up all logical? Who knows. I do know that might not be able to resist Eric for much longer and I wouldn't mind one bit. Eric has had many lifetimes to practice his brand of manipulation, but with Sookie, I get the sense he is genuinely interested in how a creature like her, someone largely uncorrupted by life, exists. Sookie is attracted to Eric's dark, mysterious ferocity, like a lamb attracted to the lion (oh dear, Twilight has ruined the analogy forever hasn't it).

Legend of the Seeker - Kahlan/Richard

Has puppy love ever looked this damn good? Richard is a bit dopey. Hot, fit, sweet and heroic, but a bit dopey. Kahlan, however, seems to appreciate his sweetness, his eagerness and the way he looks without his shirt (get in line, honey). Richard wears the Seeker thing mighty well and it is his noble hero thing that I adore (and his body). Kahlan is kick-ass in a way that kick-ass doesn't even describe. Can we invent a new word for you? I hope against hope that they find some way to be together and by that I mean HOT!NAKED!SEX because two people this good looking should not be this sexually frustrated. Kahlan and Richard's collective hotness could power a small North American city. If we could harness their power our energy crisis would be solved. Someone get on that. In other words, there are no two people I love to watch kiss the hell out of each other than these two people.

True Blood - Jessica/Hoyt

If one could measure sweetness on the richter scale, their romance would be a colossal size ten quake that would destroy Los Angeles and render most of the California coast broken beyond repair. Yep, their love is that adorable and quite possibly that destructive. Jessica, the newly turned vampire who has issues with impulse control, meets lovable Hoyt, a sweet mommy's boy who is all heart, sparks fly. Jessica can't imagine she has found the one, sweet boy Bon Temps who doesn't mind so much that she is newly fanged. Hoyt is the kind of guy you would be proud to take home to your family. This couple literally broke my squee. From the way they met to the way they talked comic books over the phone, everything about them was so sweet and wonderful, I just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now, if Hoyt could just forgive Jessica for biting him mom (just a little... AND SHE TOTALLY DESERVED IT) and if Jessica could just stop her new found habit of, uhm, killing strangers, these two kids could have a long happy life together.

Leverage - Hardison/Parker

An uber geek and an uber crazy person. The match is made in heaven. Shipping this ship came out of left field. I didn't expect it, but sometime in the first season, I developed an affinity for the way these two played with each other. Hardison is more aware of his growing feelings for Parker and I have no doubt that if Parker asked him out on a date, he would say yes, but that isn't the way Parker rolls. Nope. She hasn't even registered that her own feelings for Hardison are growing by leaps and bounds and that if he decided to kiss her, she wouldn't resist. But alas, neither one of these adorable criminals will make a move unless the other one cries "uncle" first. Hardison is too scared to put himself out there and Parker doesn't even know how to put herself out there. If they did figure things out, however, I think they could be the most adorable couple ever. Their relationship would never be boring. Parker's crazy would make sure of that. Hardison's calm spirit might be just enough to stop Parker's crazy from getting completely out of control. They would be good for each other.

Grey's Anatomy - Arizona/Callie

Can we somehow clone Arizona and make her real so that I can tuck her in my pocket and carry her around with me always? She is TV's most perfect girlfriend. Calm, assertive, sexy, sweet, a doctor, dimples ... she is the complete package. I hope Callie is thanking her lucky stars daily. She should be. Any woman who is willing to stand up to a parent who just disowned their child for being gay is a woman who should be treasured always. Now if only they could make out more often. I swear, if I had just stumbled on to the show this season, I would think Callie and Arizona were just really good, supportive friends ... kind of gay friends, but friends none the less. I want more sweet make-out sessions in the bathroom, more naked pizza time, more dancing in the living room to cheesy music. I want more of that. So much more. But, you know, the way Arizona and Callie admitted their love for each other was just about perfect. But, seriously, I would like more than seven minutes of sweetness and awesome of them to happen next year. Please.

Battlestar Galactica - Roslin/Adama

I desperately wish these people were my parents. SpaceMommy and SpaceDaddy for the win. I don't quite know when I became so emotionally invested them or why, but I am. They are the perfect ying-yang couple. They provide this crazy balance in a world that was thrown into imbalance by, well, the end of the world. They are both headstrong and stubborn as all hell, but there has always been mutual respect and after a while admiration. Then, friendship and ultimately love. These two have a deep affection for each other. I don't think any person from their past has made them feel quite so complete, so satisfied and so at peace. Too bad it took the destruction of the human race to bring them together. When Roslin's role as leader of the human race was done, she allowed herself to be happy for the first time in her, at peace, complete and that was all because Adama, this stubborn old man with tough old skin, was able to melt her heart. These two people were soulmates, in the best way, possible. They brought each other joy, happiness and fulfillment. When Roslin died, you felt pain for her loss, but happiness that before she went she found the one thing in her life that was missing... the love of her life.

Smallville - Lois/Clark

Shut up. I still watch Smallville. Finally, after years of build up, my rabid obsession with seeing Lois and Clark take things to the next level has paid off. I don't know why I love these characters, but I do, in almost any incarnation. What I think Smallville has done very well is inverted and subvert the Lois/Clark/Superman myth. In the comic, it is Superman that Lois loves at first, only learning of his dual identity after the fact. On the show, all the qualities that Lois will love and admire about the man of steel are the ones she has fallen for, head over heels, completely and desperately, are the ones that make him Clark Kent. And what's not to love? Cynical, big city Lois Lane believes in good, in truth and in justice because people like Clark Kent exist. It was wonderful to see her fall in love with the man rather than pine over the myth. In Lois, Clark found his perfect opposite, a feisty, hard driven, tough talking, nonsense dame that could chew Clark alive. They don't make girls like Lois in Smallville. She will never be content to step aside and let him handle all the action. She wants to be right there with him. His equal. His opposite. Despite all their differences, Clark and Lois make each other better people, more alive, more decent, more passionate, more honest. What could be more super than that?

Glee - Finn/Rachel/Quinn/Puck

Welcome to the teen love square. I haven't watched a teen show in quite sometime where I wanted half the cast to hook up with each other, in any number of combination. I see sparks in almost every combination of these four singing kids. Finn and Rachel are the couple the show wants us to root for. These two lovable kids would be a cute, puppy love kind of love. Quinn and Puck are the high school couple who would get into all sorts of trouble together and have lots of fun stories to tell when they are older (well, you know if they didn't have a baby on the way). Then there is Rachel and Puck, a combination I didn't even think of until the show paired them off for their one episode. This is a pairing I could get behind. Rachel wouldn't let Puck get away with any of his games and Puck would shake up Rachel's world view. Let's not forget the pairing that could make this show completely progressive, Quinn and Rachel. Nothing like the bitchy (former) head cheerleader and the goody twoshoes falling in love and turning the status quo upside down in the process. And, really, wouldn't you be curious, just a bit, about how Finn/Puck would look. Hee.

Legend of the Seeker - Kahlan/Cara

If you'd like a full and complete analysis of why I think this couple could be the best thing to happen to femslash since the invention of the genre, read this post. The cliffnotes version ... Kahlan and Cara are two strong women, both with special abilities, the least of which is ass-kickery to the 12th degree. These two can be perfect to each other, complimenting each other and generally being the perfect ying-yang. We all know Kahlan has some darkness in her and it is itching to get out. Cara has seen her fair share of dark and probably knows more about controlling those urges than anyone Kahlan has ever met. Then we have Cara, a broken little girl, who is trying to get back all the humanity she lost when she was taken from her family to be trained in the dark art of PAIN. If there is anyone who can offer comfort, Kahlan knows all about his sort of thing. Together, they could grow and make each other better people. But even if that fails, even if they remain the world's most reluctant traveling buddies, their hate!sex (because .. really ... the sexual tension needs to stop being so strong) will be off the charts. Now, if we could only get passed the whole "Whoops, Kahlan, I killed your sister" thing happening we would be golden.

Skins - Naomi/Emily

There could be only one. After all the disapointment with gay couples this year (the death, the blindings, the self-imposed COCKBLOCK), my favorite ship of the year had to be one where our gay couple was let loose to be themselves, make with happy sexy!times, and no one ended up killed or hurt. Behold, Naomi and Emily, the ship that ruled them all this year. In all honesty, it is impossible to resist a ship like this. Emily has carried a torch for Naomi since the time they shared an "innocent" kiss. Naomi tried to resist Emily's earnest charms, but she couldn't. Emily is the one person who listens, who understands. Sometimes it is the people who not only look at us, but actually see us that capture our hearts. Naomi is passionate in bold in the causes she believes in, but she was not willing to take that leap when it came to her personal life. Whether it was an internalized type of homophobia or that she did really care what other people thought of her if she "liked" girls in that way, I am not quite sure, but it took quiet, shy Emily to be the brave one, to declare for the whole world to hear, she was in love with a girl, one girl, actually. Who wouldn't fall in love with such a bold declaration?

Thanks for reading.
Discuss.

"I am Tickled Pink And a Few Other Colours."

2009-12-14T23:17:23Z

End of year lists... are you bored by them yet? If you are you best just skip over this post and do something more productive with your time like stare at drying paint or, you know, read. I've decided to mix things up a bit this year. Sure, I'll do my standard best music of the year, best ships of the year, best things that didn't disappoint me or make me cry girlie tears this year lists (obligatory), but I've also decided to do a list of moments, people and shows that I loved or that simply surprised me ... in the fangirl way, of course. There is no faster way into my heart than to surprise me. After all these years, it does take a lot to surprise me ... in a good way, of course. Here are my picks of my top twenty fangirl thingies (errrr... English!) that I really loved.... of course. Of course.

Warning: Contains Spoilers for True Blood Season Two, Mad Men Season Three, Torchwood Children of Earth

Los Hombres de Paco, Parking Garage [Watch It]

I'll admit it. I am still just tad bit (irrationally) sore over the way this wonderful, passionate, soulmate relationship ended. Of all the ways to kill my love of a romance faster, tops on this list would be killing half way of the pairing on her wedding day, slowly, over the course of a long episode and imploding the entire show in the process. Couldn't we have done this another way, powers that be? But lets not dwell too much one all the ways it went wrong (that's my new mantra for fictional lesbian relationships in 2009 apparently) and lets focus on all the ways it was right. And there was never a more "right" moment in the Silvia/Pepa romance then this one. For every person who screams at the top of their lungs (usually to no one in particular) that gay couples on American network television never get to kiss or cuddle the way heterosexual couples do (LOOKING AT YOUR Grey's Anatomy), this scene will make you feel overjoyed at the prospect that somewhere in this world gay people on television are allowed to shove hands down each other's pants and then depressed that we will never see a scene like this in America... ever. Bummer. Well, thank goodness for YouTube. In this scene Pepa and Silvia take their passion to a new level somewhere between burning and on flaming fucking fire by getting some sexy!times into their busy detective schedule in the police station garage. Once my resentment over this pairing has faded, I'll remember the couple like this.

Skins, Locker Kiss

Speaking of countries other than America getting gay relationships right, let's give a tip of the hat to U.K. drama Skins, a show I like to call Gossip Girl ... with balls. For all the ways we harp on teen shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 being illicit and subversive, neither of them could tell a gay love story as genuine, as moving, as real as this one. American television writers don't have the balls for that. Sure, we'll toss in a story twist that involves a threesome for a ratings boost, but telling an actual gay teen love story is entirely too Earth shattering for anyone to tackle. Oh, Emily and Naomi, how cute are you two. I won't get into all the ways I love these two here (they ARE on my top OTPs of the year list after all), but this scene pretty much made my year. I love the way Naomi was trying to act all coy and "adult" by telling love-sick Emily that they should just be friends, but all that steely resolve to walk away melts the minute Emily meeps out "I'll miss you."

Roller Derby [Watch It]

Watching a derby game in L.A. and then Whip It the next day made me realize there has been a big hole in my life that roller derby has filled. I didn't even know I had a hole! I could never be someone out there skating. My lack of coordination and balance make my dream of becoming a premiere blocker only a pipe dream, but watching a derby game is the next best thing. The rules are simple. Roller derby takes place on a circuit track. Offense and defense are played simultaneously. The two teams playing send five players each onto the track — three blockers (defense), one pivot (last line of defense) and one jammer (scorer). Helmet covers are used to display the players' positions: a striped cover is used for pivots, a cover with two stars is used for jammers, and no cover is used for blockers. And let the FUN begin.

Star Trek

I didn't think it was possible. There was no way J.J. Abrams could make a version of Star Trek that would make me wonder aloud "Shatner Who?", but this was the impossible. Abrams took every thing I loved about Star Trek, put it into a blender, added a bit of crazy, a time paradox and then whipped it together in a delightful sci-fi popcorn flick that exceeded all my expectations. Was this a monumental achievement in moviemaking? No, but it was entertaining as hell and that's all I really want from a Star Trek movie. One brilliant move that I think really set this film apart was that he started this tale off in a place never seen before. If you are a Star Trek fan, you had to have wondered at least one in your life how cocky Kirk was a cadet and how did he act when he was cheating on the Kobayashi Maru test? Eating an apple of course! It all made sense. The true test, however, is if Abrams can achieve this level of popcorn awesome in their next flick, a film that has to stand on its own. I have the faith. Live long and ... you know.

Bear McCreary Concert [Watch It]

It has taken me a while to be at peace with the way Battlestar Galactica ended, but I think this was more about my refusal to accept that it was over. My mind turned the finale over and over again, trying to mine new details and new facts about the characters I just didn't want to let go of, as if I could keep them alive somehow. I did not quite when and where it dawned on me that I had fallen in love with Bear McCeary's music for the show, perhaps it was around the time Kara sat down at the piano to play the first few notes of "All Along the Watchtower." But I do know that Bear's music made this already fantastic show even more amazing. I do not think I can express my love for "Storming New Caprica" into words. In June, I had the privilege to witness Bear McCreary's music in a concert experience I won't soon forget. Of course, Katee Sackhoff walking out on stage to play the first part of "Kara Remembers" made the experience even more memorable.

Being Human [Watch It]

A ghost, a werewolf and a vampire move into a flat together ... I know this sounds more like the set-up to a joke than a premise to a really engaging television show, but then British television always has a knack for turning insane premises into riveting material. Being Human could have easily been a laughable disaster, but the show is genuine in its examination of what makes us, well, human. These three "freaks" of nature are part of this world and desperately detached from it. These once normal, ordinary people now carry the burden of knowing what it is to, well, die and now they yearn to just be normal again. Of course, it isn't all doom and gloom. This show was moving, scary, thought-provoking and kind of goofy. I cannot wait for series two. Bring it on NOW.

Ashes to Ashes, Series One Finale [Watch It]

As if I needed another example of why British television is awesome and why moving back to London just for the BBC isn't such an insane idea, I give to you the series one finale of Ashes to Ashes. DI Alex Drake is tossed back into time by a gunshot wound to the head (or is she just in a coma...hmmmm) and back to a time when her parents were still alive. They were killed in a car bombing when Alex as a child. With a mission to stop her parents dying this time around, Alex unwilling sets into motion all the events that lead up to her parent's death. The twist comes when she realizes her father, who has been haunting her the entire time as a creepy clown, was the one who planted the car bomb. He couldn't deal with his wife cheating on him with a close family friend and instead decides to off himself and his family in one sick boom. It is devastating and horrible to see Alex witness her parent's death again as a child and as an adult ... at the same time! Sometimes things are destined to happen and you can't fight fate.

10 Things I Hate About You, Kat and Patrick 2.0 [Watch It]

When I first heard they were turning one of my favorite teen films 10 Things I Hate About You into a tween comedy on ABC Family, I thought it was just about the worst idea anyone with brain had ever come up with. Yes, worse than Cop Rock (if you are laughing at this joke, you are old). Could anyone make me forget Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger in those roles? NO ONE. Can I tell you that Lindsey Shaw and Ethan Peck have made me forget completely about their film counterparts. In a word, no, but they have managed to do what I thought was impossible. They managed to put just enough of a different spin on these characters to make them their own and make me still 'ship them ... hard. Maybe I am just a sucker for these types of romances (I think we can just leave the "maybe" out of it), but Kat and Patrick 2.0 have a certain spark that the other pairing just didn't have. I could see these two grabbing each other for a hot and heavy make-out session in a supply closet, Kat and Patrick 1.0 .. not so much.

The Redemption of Gaius Baltar

If I had my one BSG wish granted, I would have killed Baltar painfully and slowly around the end of season one. So imagine my surprise when at the end of the show's run, the man Baltar had become left me the most satisfied, the most moved and, I am not going to lie, with a bit of a tear in my eye. Batlar's journey from the man who doomed humanity because of his inability to keep it in his pant to a man living the simple farm life with Caprica by his side left me, well, tickled. No matter how much Baltar's slippy serpent act left me calling for his head, it never was boring. Over the past few seasons, I loved his relationship with Roslin, the way they played off each other like squirrelly little brother and big, disappointed sister, made his revelation to her, that he gave he Cylon the nuclear access codes, all the more thrilling. In the end, he was, I feel, genuinely sorry for all the pain he caused. When he decided to go with the Galactica crew on one final suicide mission to get Hera back, he chooses selflessness ... for once and is there to save Hera. I don't think this one act erases all his selfish acts that caused other so much pain, but it's was a start.

Pamela Ribon and Cat Davis [Watch It]

You may know Cat Davis from her AfterEllen Vlog series Cat On the Prowl. You may know Pamela Ribon from her stint on TWoP as recapper extra awesome or from her blog or from her books and writing gigs (she has her WGA card!). But even if you don't know who the hell these people are, you should know two things: 1. these two gals are good friends 2. they make hilarious videos together as evidenced by Pamie's Cat on the Prowl episode, but even better is this video chronicling a typical night on the town. These two funny apart, but together its like peanut butter and jelly .. even better. There videos were the best web videos I watched all year and taught me several important lessons, the best one that I will get stitched on a pillow one day, never use sexual products in a car with your best friend. Follow Pamie and Cat on twitter and just sit back and giggle when they have a tweet conversation.

The Obama Years

*Sigh of relief* After eight years of having someone in charge of the country whom you are pretty sure you could beat in any intellectual game ever invented, including pictionary, Clue and maybe even CandyLand, it was nice to have someone in the Oval Office you respect, admire and trust. I am not saying that I agree with every single policy decision Obama has made in his past 365 days in office, but I sure as hell know that he has reached this decision after careful consideration and thought and if he does make a mistake, I will expect him to own up to it. Seriously, did we EVER get a "whoops, my bad" from Bush about getting us into the war in Iraq after faulty intelligence information? Has Obama made missteps? Sure. But with the economy imploding, two wars raging, health care debates and assaults from all sides of the GOP front, I think he has done a solid job. I knew it was a new day in America when Obama granted his first sit down television interview to Saudi TV station al-Arabiya, a move that angered many in the U.S. (BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE STUPID), but a brilliant move to get those in the Muslim world to engage in dialogue again, a signal that his administration was different from "with us or against us" tone of that other guy. For his efforts in changing the tone and making the U.S. respectable again in the eyes of those in the international community who have a brain, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, an award he received for, let's face it, NOT BEING GEORGE BUSH. But like I said, I trust this man and trust in your leader is key at getting a nation to enact change. And let's not forget his HRC speech with an opening line that killed. Proud to have you as my president, Mr. Obama and all the haters can suck it.

Life, "One"

As much as it pained me (and literally the scars have yet to really heal) when NBC canceled this show in favor of an hour of Jay Leno (Grrrr!), I can't really complain about how the show ended. The last twenty minutes of the series finale of Life were some of the most brilliantly moving of any show I've ever seen. Crews finally gets answers to the lingering questions, who set him up to take the fall for murder and why did they do it. But more importantly, Crews finally allows himself to care about life again. I'd argue that Crews had cut himself off to the world as a defensive mechanism while in prison and those walls never really went away once he was out. Sure, he cared for the lawyer who got him out, but she was already married and never fully available to him. But he allowed himself to care about his partner Dani Reese, probably more so then he realized. Whether he cared about her romantically or just as a good friend, well, an argument can be made for either side there, but in the closing minutes, it was clear that he loved her. When he trades himself willing to evil psycho Roman for Dani's safe return, this was the moment he was truly free. When Dani asks "What was Crews's plan getting into the van?" and Agent Bodner responds, "To get you out of the van," it was a clear his actions were a pure expression of love.

Torchwood Children of Earth [Watch It]

I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but Torchwood went darker than any show has ever gone. I hope Ron Moore watched it this series and went, "oh man that was dark!" Torchwood has always had an edge. Sure, it was an escapist sci-fi show, but I knew it was above killing off characters, as it proved with last series's heartbreaking finale. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the last two installments of Children of Earth. I think Sci-Fi is at its absolute best when it holds up a mirror to ourselves and our society and asks you, what would you do in this situation. Because Sci-Fi can ask this question under a guise of an "alien invasion" we feel safer, somehow, asking the question. But any student of history knows that, just like the British government did in this series, there are too many times in which people in charge can treat the death of human, even children, as acceptable losses in a greater scheme. Personally, I think the ugliest phrase ever invented in the English language is "collateral damage" which another, emotional-less of saying "we just killed a whole bunch of innocent people." What I think this series did brilliant was focus our attention on the death of a few versus the death of many. While sacrificing lives in a cause like war or in this case alien invasion may seem like an acceptable price, the death of Captain Jack's grandson made the point that NO DEATH is acceptable in war. It is all senseless. You are killing someone's child, mother, sister, brother, father, etc. No matter how much you want to gloss that over and NOT think about that pain, it is there and it never leaves so long as those alive still feel that loss. The series, while hard to watch, was absolutely stunning at driving this point home. Months later, some of the images still haunt me and still make me think. Now that's good television.

The Beatles [Watch It]

I have never been more excited for a video game. NEVER. The prospect of living out my childhood fantasy of being George Harrison. Yeah, I was a weird kid. This year, the Beatles released not only the most hyped video game in all of recorded history, but they re-released their entire catalog in a re-masted edition. But lets go back to the video game. Why am I still so jazzed about a game I have yet to play (and those two minutes I played drums at my local Best Buy do NOT count)? As corny as this may sound, I love that this video game will expose a whole new generation to the music of the Beatles. With oldies radio stations dying and other venues like MTV deciding to feature every other type of programing other than music, a game video is a very direct way people like my seventeen year old gamer cousin will learn all the words to "I am the Walrus" and love every second of it. My cousin has already asked for a real guitar for Christmas because he wants to learn to play and not just "fake" play on a video game. Any way someone not alive in the time of vinyl can be exposed to this music earns my support. One of the joys of my life was walking into a Best Buy not too long ago and seeing a mom and her two sons playing this game. It was almost enough to renew my faith in all that is good.

Glee, Don't Stop Believin' [Watch It]

Once the pilot to Glee was over, a friend sent me a text, "THAT WAS JOY!" I don't think there could be any more apt description for this show than that and I don't think I could ever agree with anything more. While the show hasn't fully lived up the promise of the pilot (but don't get my wrong, I still adore it), I can't blame it for not coming up with something as wonderful sweet as this sequence. It is as if the stars aligned, the muses came together and a perfect musical sequence was born. The arrangement of the song just worked. Of course, it is hard to go wrong when working with one of the best songs in pop-rock history (YES, I said and don't deny that it is). I adored the sequence for its sheer audacity, its spectacle and how it managed to be bigger than life, but somehow intimate, the way those big numbers from old musical used to do. This lead me to one realization ... real life needs more song and dance sequences.

Leverage, Parker [Watch It]

One big bag of crazy. If this were Jeopardy, the answer in the form of a question would be "Who is Parker?" I can just imagine how fun this character looked on paper, a pretty social inept master thief who knows more about security system than how to carry on a polite conversation, but making this character come to life and have a dimension, a soul is one tough order. A character like this could easily slip into the realm of the absurd and just become a novelty, but luckily actress Beth Riesgraf seems to get it and she always gives the crazy a little bit of soul. Don't get me wrong, Parker is ridiculous and hilariously absurd at times, but she is also just so wonderfully endearing. When she stabs a guy with a fork while he is innocently trying to flirt, it comes off as lovable. Broken, but lovable. Riesgraf's line delivery just makes it all work. When she says, "I once saw a horse kill a clown," it is both goofy and sad. I am not sure how she does it, but there was no greater joy this television season than watching Parker let her crazy just hang all over the place.

Lady Gaga [Watch It]

How does one join the House of GaGa? Is there a membership fee? In a year, Lady GaGa has become an artist that only the pop-loving gays know about into a worldwide pop culture movement. Even my mom knows a Lady GaGa song which frightens me. Whether you want to be a member of the her house or not, you have to admit her brand of pop-dance-goodness is almost irresistible even if you try to resist. I know. I tried. When I first heard of GaGa in the gay press in the Summer of 2008, I didn't know quite what to make of her. Why was she dressing like Grace Jones? And why was she wearing those glasses? A few pop singles later, I dropped my resistance and just went with it. "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" were the soundtrack to many a desk dance party this year. Why is GaGa suddenly so hot? I couldn't really tell you, but I do know her entire persona just screams "fuck you, fuck what people think, just do your own shit," a sentiment I can't help but fully support. But funky outfits outside, GaGa has proved with the release of "The Fame Monster" that she was no one-hit wonder. The album, in my opinion one of the best of 2009, was a different brand of pop, dark-pop, but something unlike anything else in music right now. The first time I heard "Bad Romance," I thought to myself, "what the FUCK is this and WHY can't I stop listening to it?" I don't think I'm alone.

Mad Men, "Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce"

Mad Men has this way of creating tension that just slow burns and before you know it the entire place is on fire and you had no idea. I should have come to expect this by now since creator/writer Matthew Weiner has pulled the rug out from under us the last two season finales (Peggy had Pete's baby .. WHAT? Betty find out about Don's affairs and is pregnant ... WHAT?), but nothing could have prepared me for the giant reset button that was pushed in Mad Men's season three finale. Don, Roger, old blood Bertram Cooper and new blood Lane Pryce set fire to their old ad haunts, drag Pete, Harry and Peggy with them. But not before stealing all of the accounts, hiring Joan as the HBIC, now with even more power, and leaving the audience to wonder .. where the fuck does this show go from here? Oh and just to shake thing up even further, Don and Betty are getting a divorce. Matthew Weiner has never been accused of taking the easy road. Seeing Pete, Peggy, Harry, Bertram, Joan and Lane huddled over sandwiches Trudy brought by may be my favorite image from Mad Men ever. It will be interesting to see how this new company takes shape and how the changing social upheaval will effect everyone. With 1963 coming to a close and the promise of a happy Camelot for all dead with a fallen President, there is nothing but an uncertain future.

True Blood, "I Am Full of Joy" [Watch It]

I will state here right off the bat that this scene is, by far, my favorite scene of any show to air in 2009. It is my favorite for a few reasons, but the foremost is that it was so moving, so unexpected. In a show that has its fair share of absolutely ridiculous (a Maenad? Really?), this scene felt like it belonged on another show, but somehow it felt right in place. Writer and creator Alan Ball has done this kind of scene before and just for a moment, this scene recalled his work on Six Feet Under, a show that struggled with life's biggest questions, the question of death and the afterlife being, perhaps, the most pressing. In a show about vampires, death is always a subtext. Two thousand year old Godric is ready to cease with his existence. In the show, Godric's misdeeds are only hinted at, but let's just say he was no Mr. Nice Vampire. In the book series, Godric was a child killer, possibly a pedophile. After two thousand years, he has seen enough life, enough living. Perhaps his grief and guilt have finally gotten to him or perhaps there is no meaning in a long life with no death. Whatever the reason, Godric wants to die. Eric thinks it is madness for his maker to let himself burn, but he knows there is nothing he can do to make him change his mind. Sookie promises to be with him until the end.

Sookie: Are you very afraid?
Godric: No. No! I'm full of joy!
Sookie: But the pain?
Godric: I want to burn!
Sookie: Well, I'm afraid for you.
Godric: A human with me at the end ... and human tears. Two thousand years and I can still be surprised. In this I see God.

After all his years, one of Godric's few selfless acts, rescuing Sookie from a rapist, is rewarded with a feeling of loss at his passing. It all comes together beautiful in this sequence. It all brings up some deep questions, what defines your life? Is it all your past deeds? Or the person you are at the end? Is forgiveness possible even for the most wicked among us?

Michael Jackson [Watch It]

I know what you are thinking. Are you happy he died? Of course not. If I had my way, the King of Pop would have killed his entire run at the O2 arena in London and would, perhaps, be in the studio recording a comeback album. I am convinced the man had at least one or two more classic albums in him. But, alas, none of this would come to pass. Now, I am not one of those people who either forgives or forgets Jackson's possible criminal actions against children. He was, however, acquitted in a court of law and I will go by that even if I am of the opinion that he definitely exercised some poor judgment. I am also a person who can separate the man from his art. Anyway you slice it, "Rock With You" is a pop dance masterpiece. I cannot deny that. Michael Jackson was the last of a dying breed of artist with a career so long it spanned decades. In an age where most pop music careers have an expiration date shorter than most milk shelf life, his career was impressive by any measure. For a time, Jackson reigned the music charts in a way few artists achieve. Across generational, socio-cultural, economic boundaries, there was one thing that is probably true, if you were alive any time within the last 35 years, chances are good you know the words to a Michael Jackson song.

When Michael Jackson died and almost took the internet, cell phones and the entire mainstream media with him, it was a shock. It was not something I was expecting to hear on a summer afternoon. Somewhere within those next 48 hours or so, a funny thing began to happen, the shock started to morph into something I have never seen before and will likely never see again. We, the royal version, decided to stop thinking of Jackson as that weirdo with weird habits and decided to just remember the good times, the good music, the good dancing, the all-around good entertainer who had more talent in his one gloved hand than most performers have in their entire bodies. And how did all this collective shock, grief and energy decide to manifest itself? Well, in spontaneous, wonderful dance parties, that's how.

For weeks after his death, the world remembered how fun it was to dance to Michael Jackson songs. In the age of Facebook and twitter, a MJ dance party was even easier to organize. Jackson's death was the first in the age of social networking. Every major city in the world had at least one Michael Jackson flashmob/dance event: London, Seattle, San Francisco, Stockholm, Paris, Montreal, Bucharest, Hollywood and, my favorite, the best subway ride in New York City ever. And for one brief moment, the world was united in song. Something tells me Jackson would be pleased.

Happy Non-Denominational Holiday Season/Solstice

2009-12-14T00:32:26Z

If you hang around these parts long enough, you know I send out Christmas cards, my own creations that show I have a) too much time on my hands and b) love to put Santa hats on people who have no business wearing them. Alas, this year I will have to break with tradition. My poor, overworked printer is out of ink (colour and black .. CURSES) and at the moment I'd rather spend the $70 I'd spend on replacement ink on presents for family members who have supported me during this last year of underemployment. I promise to make it up to those who usually get a little something from me this year, next year (even if it means kidnapping Paget Brewster and sending her your way!).

To make up for my lack of ink, I designed four cards. If so moved, print them out and hang your favorite on your wall. Just pretend my creepy, serial killer handwriting is on the other side. Click on photos to get a higher resolution version.

And for more holiday joy! A few fandom collisions for y'all.. straight from Santa.

Jim Parson and Lea Michele

Emily Blunt, Robin Wright Penn, Patricia Clarkson and Mo'Nique

"OHMIGOD, You Guys... Kissing!"

2009-12-07T21:30:11Z

Venice, the most hyped webseries since the invention of the web, possibly the invention of filmmaking, premiered a few days ago. After a year where the pop culture gods have been cruel to lesbian characters on television, the high (errr, low) of which was Los Hombres De Paco killing off the beloved Silvia on her wedding day (ouch!), this show drops into a vacuum, into a population so pathetically starved for positive representation that it will gobble up crumbs any show tosses us (looking AT YOU Grey's Anatomy). Crumbs seem as fulfilling as three-course meal. My hats off to Crystal Chappell and her team for, at the very least, trying to fill a blackhole-like void. I salute you, but (oh, you were waiting for that), I am a critic first, fangirl second. Even people I worship as pop culture demi-gods (all hail Jodie Foster), I would never say their shit don't stink (uhm, Nim's Island, Jodie. Really?). Wait, what's that smell and why does it also smell like the ocean? Perhaps, I would be more of forgiving critic (thus making my fangirl happy) if Venice wasn't charging $10 for the rest of season one. Making money off this venture, a prospect I fully support by the way, does make me all the more critical. Paying hard-earned cash for something means you expect a certain level of quality, right? Well, the first episode of Venice is a good first crack at what could maybe, in the future be something good. Right now ... not so much. That's right, y'all, even cleavage can't save this one.

Let's first begin with two BIG disclaimers. Number one: Pilots/first episodes of any show are usually very awkward as they weigh more towards being exposition heavy to set up conflicts. Hell, even some of television's most brilliant shows (Seinfield, The Office) had some fairly craptastic pilots. Number two: I've made the argument even before Venice began that making a six minute soap is about as counter-productive as an umbrella in a monsoon. By their very natures, soaps require TIME to make an audience really care about the relationships of a character. Hell, it took me five years to warm up to Olivia. Trying to accomplish this sort of attachment to a character in under six minutes in a show that airs once a week is almost fucking impossible. But really does any of this really matter when about 99.8% of us were tuning into the pilot to watch Crystal and Jessica make out.

The Good
— Well, it LOOKED fantastic. I'm hoping Ellen Wheeler was watching this and going "wait, GL could have looked that good and still come in on budget. Oh crap!" I loved the lighting choices and the way the entire piece had a nice, warm glow to it. It reminded me of the warmness of the The L Word pilot. Venice/Los Angeles County just looks like a lovely place I want to buy overpriced property in.

— Jessica Leccia impressed the FRAK out of me. She just seemed so natural and at home in this world. She managed to make Ani someone I wanted to get to know more and someone I carried for within seconds. The woman just exudes a warmth when given the right sort of material. In all honesty, I wish the webseries was centering around her character instead of Gina. Sorry, Crystal.

The Bad
— After it was over, first thing I thought of was, "they just 'Two of a Kind'-ed us, didn't they." If you get the reference, a) you need to get out more and b) let's be best friends forever. Let me explain. After Grease, studio executives wanted to pair Olivia Newton John and John Travolta in other movie. Their explosive chemistry, almost everyone agreed, was too explosive not a capitalize on. Truth be told, I also think they wanted these two to make out more (and more explicitly) on-screen. Five years after Grease, these two actors with AMAZING chemistry were re-teamed for Two of a Kind, a movie so insanely bad it was pretty much a career killer for all involved. No one seemed concerned that they put these two megastars in a film where, I shit you not, God was hellbent on destroying the planet but these two were deemed the only ones who could stop him. It was as if they were like, "who fucking cares about story/plot ... everyone will just be so happy to see these two back together." Uhm ... so ... yeah, in a nutshell, that was my initial gut-reaction to this.

— The first episode set out to accomplish a few things. It was supposed to set-up the push and pull of the Gina/Ani relationship and make you invested enough to root for them. Sadly, I didn't feel it accomplished either. Again, this probably has more to do with the time limitations (see if you can make a stranger care about your life in six minutes, GO!), but then again clever writing should be able to do that. As I said earlier, I care about Ani, but I am, for the life of me, wondering what the hell Ani sees in Gina, besides a sexy!times partner. The only motivation I have for wanting them together is that in a parallel universe, they were Natalia and Olivia. I know, I know ... Gina is all broken/afraid of relationships and we will go on this journey with her through the first season to find out the source of her broken, why she can commit, why Ani is perfect for her and why they belong together, ultimately ending up with Gina being a better person and Ani giving her another chance .. or something. Tale as old as time! But before I agree to go on this journey with Gina, I'd like to know she is fun to travel with. So far, she's not.

— Unfortunately, the biggest issue I had with show was Crystal's acting choices. As a Crystal fangirl since 1990, it kind of irks me to even admit this, but her acting choices in the first two minutes of the episode almost ruined the kissing for me. It was as if she was trying to hard to be comfortable that it made everything else seem forced and false. You could almost hear the monologue in her head "My fans have been waiting for this for too long so I am going to kiss the HELL out of YOU. There. Kissing. Feel my passion. FEEL IT." I do wonder if they just didn't do enough takes and maybe Crystal would have gotten in to a better groove in more takes.

The Snarky
— Can we all just agree that the slow-mo shot, except in action scenes and used ironically, should die a slow, slow death? Please! Use only if you want to make your shot look cutting edge ... in 1984. Exception will be made for Quentin Tarantino, but only if he uses it occasionally and with profanity. Also, the shot that needs to die a slow death ... the trail of discarded clothes that leads to our lovers bed. Again, edgy ... in 1975.

— If the sex was so good with all those clothes on, imagine how good it would have been if they were naked under those sheets. Tank tops and panties are the way lesbians have sex, didn't you know.

— The sound mixing needs to IMPROVE .. a lot. I don't think anyone who pays for this show wants to hear the music drown out the dialogue. I forgive the sound problems they had at the coffee place because it looked like a windy day.

— I know the opening scene had to accomplish A LOT of exposition, but there were just too many things coming out of their mouths that either cliched ("YOU'RE AMAZING!" // "We've been down this road so many times.") or stuff that you think they would have talked about before making sexy!times. You mean they didn't discuss how much time Ani has been back? At all. That didn't come up until NOW? I know this kind of scene is NEVER smooth, particularly in a show so strapped for time, but I think the opening scene in Anyone But Me, done with a single shot and a voice-over, was oodles more effective at capturing a tone and making you care about the relationship. Like Venice, Anyone But Me is a gay webseries where our teen couple is trying to find a way to be together. The writing needs to see a remarkable improvement to become something at all compelling.

Conclusion
This show is promising. There is nothing so wrong that I'd warn people against plopping down their $10 bucks to enjoy it. I'm hoping Crystal and company iron out all the problems and develop this series into something huge. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MOVE TO A SERVER THAT DOESN'T CRASH ALL THE DAMN TIME.

That said, I think Crystal is making a mistake by charging this early in the game. Perhaps, this was an absolute necessity given the cost of materials and things like, well, servers, but would anyone who is not a die-hard Crystal and/or Otalia fan pay money for this show based on the strength of this first episode. No. By making everyone pay a subscription fee, she has already limited her audience and if this show doesn't garner some huge word of mouth beyond those who pay, she will see little growth beyond this rabid fanbase. If shows like The Guild, Imaginary Bitches, Children's Hospital and Dr. Horrible were subscription based from the start would they have grown to be as big as they are? Probably not.

Final Thought
Will I be paying $10 for it? No. But at least they made out in the first episode ... YAY.

I've read that people who aren't giving this series GLOWING reviews are getting attacked by Crystal's crazy fans. It's completely okay to disagree with me on any/all of the opinions I've stated here, but wasting time and energy to leave an anonymous comment calling me a "bitch" really says more about you than it does about me. Seriously.

I would like a COOKIE, but don't poison me.

Life Is Good

2009-12-04T17:37:38Z

First, I've become just a bit addicted to Google Wave. I've heard geek talk about this thing forever. You know, the way geeks do in their little, secret geek caves, talking about usability and user-end applications. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. But playing with it, I can see what all the fuss is about. I can see how this could be the next step for email/chatting. I could see this becoming an useful platform to spring a whole host of other applications. For instance, adding video/audio chat functionality to it would be killer. I have no idea when Google will roll it out to the general public, but I would probably start to use it in place of email almost immediately once everyone I know has access to it.

Next, I must reveal my crush of the week and after you look at this pics, he might just be yours too. Any man who can work Christmas antlers is just a man I'd like a share a root beer float with.

Cory Monteith, why are you this adorable?

For more Glee cast love, Chris Colfer on Chelsea Lately last night.

"Desperate Women .. Marrying a Dwarf!"

2009-12-03T20:19:16Z

Yesterday, New York State relinquished its title as most forward thinking State in the union to Iowa. Yes, Iowa. The New York State Senate shot down the Gay Marriage Bill, where it was defeated quite soundly. But all hope is not lost however as many new champions of gay marriage arose with voices loud and proud of their decision, like Senator Diane Savino who made the best speech of the debate yesterday but completely obliterating every single argument against gay marriage with stone cold logic. It was a thing of beauty.

If you love this speech as much as I do, I'd advise you to email/message Senator Savino with some love. Contact her here. She represents District 23 which includes parts of Brooklyn and the Staten Island, the most conservative borough in New York City (the ONLY part of New York City that went to McCain last election.) I say this because I am sure there are many people from her district that are NOT happy with her vote. So, tell her you love her!

Other speeches that you should check out if you have some time. Senator Eric Adams who made the best soundbyte of the day by saying, "when I walk through those (Senate) doors, I leave my bible outside." Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson who made a very personal stand on the floor, talking about her gay brother and her preacher mother. Although she personally seemed very conflicted about whether being gay was a sin or not, she strongly believed that her beliefs had no right to dictate her vote. She voted YES.

"Confessions of a Confessor"

2009-12-02T22:45:01Z

Oh gay, happy day. First off, if you haven't heard already Meredith Baxter came out today which means we got another one on our team. All I could think was, "Take that, Alex P. Keaton!" Sha-La-La. Second, the New York State Senate is debating their same-sex marriage bill. UPDATE: Oh and in the time I was putting together this post, the Senate voted on it. The bill failed to pass. According to NY Mag's Daily Intel, however, this was not a total wash as "Ruth Hassell-Thompson, a Democrat from Westchester who had been counted in the "No" camp, gave a stirring speech about her family, including her gay brother and minister sister, and declared that she'd be voting "Yes" on the bill." The vote was 24–38 in favor of killing the bill.

But let's get the reason why I am here, shall we and that's some good, old-fashioned femslash. Since my boycrush posts were a little more hetero than y'all are used to from me (sorry, xraex21), I thought I'd make up for it by doing an epic (oh yes) two pretty women .. who should be making with the sweet, sexy times.

If you haven't been paying attention to my ramblings of late, you might of missed I have a small, but growing obsession with Legend of the Seeker, a show I resisted for quite a while until I realized, there were too many pretty people the show doing awesome things like sword fighting and putting people under spells. I live for that shit. Seeker had to go and add another kick-ass female character to its roster of pretty and I am all but helpless now. And now my growing love for all things Cara/Kahlan has reduced pretty, simple Richard to afterthought. Even though I still ship Richard/Kahlan, I can't help but see the ever growing possibility of Cara/Kahlan, two people who are pretty damn perfect for each other if you think about it. Without further ado...

Kahlan Amnell is a Confessor. She has the power to magnify the love a person has within them for her, allowing her to control the person with a single touch. This power allows her to serve the people of the Midlands, who respect and fear her. In Kahlan's quest to defeat Rahl, her role is to protect the Seeker with her life. But who cares about all this when Kahlan is so fucking pretty. Confess me. Just do it.

Reasons Why Kahlan is Awesome:

— The Confessor Thing - Let's think about this one for a minute. She touches you, confesses you and you become a hopelessly devoted slave to her and your every waking thought is to please her. And ... what's the down side in this? You lose your soul and free will to a pretty lady. Uhm, okay, where do I sign up? I think I'd do most of those things even if she didn't confess me. I mean, have you seen her confessor outfit? If those boobs don't leave you mesmerized then you might want to check your pulse 'cause you might be dead. Although, if you stare too long you might end up dead anyway.

— When She's Wearing Other Outfits - I think Kahlan would be hella into role playing. She takes on her role as a Mord-Sith with a little bit too much zeal. You just know she like "wow, I look good in this. I wanna slap a bitch." She seems to only unleash her angry and fury when she's in a fight. Something tells me in she needs another outlet .. which leads me to ...

— She's a passionate woman - Correct me if I'm wrong but from what we know, Kahlan's never known the *cough* carnal touch of another human being. If she ... succumbs to that moment of ... passion (don't you love my dainty, girlie euphemisms for orgasm.), she will unwilling confess her partner and he loses his soul. Ohh, it's like the Angel thing, but in reverse. At any rate, this makes for one sexually frustrated existence, particularly when surrounded by hotness. This is TERRIBLE because Kahlan's "O" face is priceless and the bodice she has underneath her confessor outfit is just a waste!

— Her Hair - There is nothing better than seeing Kahlan's hair whip about during the heat of battle. It's her second most poweful weapon in the face of dark evil.

—Her Smile - It is rare to see Kahlan give a geninue, happy, content smile. She is so focused on her mission and her destiny, carrying the weight of that burden, that she just get let loose, but when she does smile its heaven.

— Her "Bitch, Please" Face - And she seems to be in no short supply of this face now that Cara is around. Her contempt is masking attraction, y'all. Trust me on this one.

— You wouldn't like her when she's angry - Kahlan will fuck your shit up if she get angry enough. Like, for instance, if she finds out you killed her nephew and sister ... looking at you, Cara... she was about to bust out a Dark Willow and reduce you to a stain on the floor. One of the more refreshing aspects to Kahlan is that there is a layer of VERY DARK to her character that hasn't fully been explored. I think she can be rather ruthless and methodical at times which makes me wonder how evil she could be if she lets evil take her over.

— Have I mentioned her confessor outfit - Yeah, I think I did, but let's examine again shall we? Oh yes. I love when she put on her white hood. You know she means business!

Cara is one of the feared order of women known as Mord-Sith. After her order beat her and left her for dead, she has sworn to protect Richard, the heir to the title Lord Rahl. Richard trusts Cara, and believes her unique abilities could prove invaluable in finding the Stone of Tears and defeating the Keeper of the Underworld. And by "unique abilities" ... we mean her ability to fill out her outfit. I have a rabid weakness for this kind of character, a dark soul looking for redemption. Someone who has to fight against her nature to do the right thing. I adore that kind of struggle within a character.

Reasons Why Cara is Awesome:

— Her lips - I know I should first and foremost be talking about her kick-ass Sith-ness and I will get to that in a minute, but let's just talk about her lips for a second. OH MY GOD. Her lips. Her lips. HER LIPS. I don't know why I'm so fascinated with them other than they are so ... present and there and kissable. Epic poetry should be written about them, painting commissioned to honor them, parades thrown, statues made, etc.

— Her "Command" Stare - Hell, even when the woman is crying, she still has the ability to command with just a stare. She would win in any staring contest. Her projects her power with her eyes and there is no way to fight it. It's like a tractor beam and once you are reeled in ... you are in trouble.

— Her gayness - Let's just put it out there, anyone who takes a bath with a woman is a just a little bit gay, but anyone who takes a bath with two women is just uber gay. Cara likes to wield power through her sexuality. She can beat your shit up while stark naked. She kisses you just to let you know who is boss. She possesses you. She dominates you. While you are looking at her boobs, she has you in every other way and you kind of hate to admit to yourself you kind of like it. *cough* Kahlan!

— Her dominance - Not that this point needs a separate entry, but let's just mention again how she can make you shit in your pants by whispering into your ear. She is about to fuck you up and she has time to toy with you like she opened you up Christmas morning. WIN.

— Her kick-ass Sith-ness - She has a pain stick which I lovingly call the "pain penis". Or just plain old dildo (happy, xraex21?!?) She can toss you around like a rag doll. And, for the most part, has none of those morals and codes of ethics that stop others from getting shit done.

— Her new, less Sith outfit - Now that she is more "human" she suddenly lets her cleavage run FREE. I approve.

— Her dominance, Part Deux - Dominate me, Cara. Fucking dominate me! Wait, what was I saying? She might be the top to end all tops. She is certainly more of a man than Richard will ever be. Hee.

— Her beautiful brokeness - She is someone who had her humanity ripped away from her and now is in search for the pieces of herself buried deep within herself. The little girl she once was in there .. some place. I think there is a part of her that hopes to become something human again, to reconnect, to be able to touch another person again without flinching, but I think she almost scared by that part of herself. That would mean she would have to own up to all the bad shit she has done in her life and she can't do that. She can't handle that.

Why you should ship them:

Kahlan and Cara are the flip side of the same coin. They have this perfect yang-ying thing happening that if they allow themselves to grow closer could blossom into something wonderful. Kahlan was from an abusive household with a father who sought to use her gifts for his own gain. She found a home and a family among a group of strangers who nurtured her gift for good.. By contrast, Cara was from a loving home with a loving father. She was essentially snatched from this loving environment by a group who fostered her abilities for evil. It is their time among these stranger-families that shaped their destinies, each burdened by their "gifts". Ultimately, these gifts drove a wedge between them and the rest of the world. They aren't "normal" girls and will never be able to really love another the way most girls would. Like, if Kahlan and Cara ever had some girl-time coffee talk, it would be bordering on epic. They have a lot of the same issues, but can't seem to see passed their difference to realize they are cut from the same cloth ... just different ends of it.

So... what does this mean? Oh, you know what this means. HELLO, SOULMATES. While I adore Kahlan and Richard and their lovely, puppy love-infatuation, Kahlan and Cara could have something much deeper because their obstacles are so much greater. Richard will never have an edge. Ever. No matter how much facial hair he grows. Sure, Kahlan loves Richard's sweet, generous soul, but with Cara she could have that exciting, dangerous element that she probably craves.

As for obstacles, there is none greater than Kahlan having to overcome that small, little, tiny, wee issue of Cara killing her sister. Whoops! She didn't mean it, Kahlan .. HONEST! I think Kahlan will enjoy hating Cara for a while and we will enjoy watching it. Kahlan can see the good in Cara and she hates herself for it, but its there. There is always a chance for hate!sex if they keep it up.

I know the show will probably head towards a Kahlan-Richard-Cara triangle of some kind where these two will be pining for Richard, but at this point, I'm all .."Ricard Who?"

Hate!Eye!Sex:

After Kahlan finds out Cara offed her sister, she can barely stand to look at her. She keeps giving her a look that just screams "god, I want to confess this bitch so much right now," but Kahlan fights it off. The rage looks Kahlan always waffle between "I wanna fuck you up" and "I want to make out with you."

Kahlan realizes that Cara would be a traveling asset. If something were to happen to her, Cara would be a formidable protector of Richard. Blah-blah-blah. What I appreciate in this scene is the way Cara sizes Kahlan up with one glance up and down. She is probably wondering what kind of angle Kahlan is playing. You could almost hear the wheels turning, "But I killed her sister .. why would she want my help? She is going to kill me in my sleep ... why do her boobs look so good in that outfit." I know the show is angling that Richard and his good heart will teach Cara to be human again or whatever, but my argument is that Cara is more touched by this moment. If a woman can put aside the whole "murder my sister" thing, then maybe there is hope for me in this world. If I were writing this storyline, it would be Kahlan's friendship and love that allows Cara to feel again.

I would just like to note that:

1. Both Kahlan and Cara rarely cry but when they do, they look like lost, sad bunnies.
2. They both look like children when they stare at something in wonder.

It warms my heart that Kahlan trusts Cara just enough to do "missions" with her now. In last week's episode, we have the classic, "take me as your fake prisoner, but rough me up a bit to make it look real." Cara uses her pain stick of doom to knock Kahlan out. Two things to note here. One, I love that Cara warns Kahlan that it will hurt. The way she says it is almost bordering on tender (well, as tender as Cara can achieve at this point). Plus, this speaks to how much Kahlan's safety now matters to Cara. She wonders Kahlan is SURE about doing this. I don't think Cara ever had a problem with whipping it out prior to this. Two, since in Cara's life up to this point, pain equals pleasure, Cara gets this look on her face like she likes .. uhmm .. giving it to Kahlan. Ride the pain into the pleasure, Cara. I don't think this scene was supposed to be this erotic, but it played that way. In a few years time, when Cara and Kahlan are all snug in bed, I would like them to remember this escapade like so, "Remember that time I knocked you out with my pain penis? Good times."

I know it is probably not supposed to be hot, but there is something about Cara's ability to carry Kahlan "fireman style" and then dumping her like a sack of potatoes. Hee. Imagine her carrying Kahlan like that into a bed some place. SIGH. At any rate, the plan proves successful as Cara and her glorious bosom fool bad guy into thinking she is about to hand over a confessor. Oh but wait.... what's that. Oh, dude, you just got confessed! Nothing like hot girl team work.

In Conclusion:
I think you should ship them because, let's face it, these two will have to hate!fuck each other eventually. Probably after a battle. Probably in a deserted forest. Probably ripping each other's clothes off in the process. Someone WRITE THAT.

As always .. thanks for reading.

"Kahlan Will Fuck Your Shit Up!"

2009-11-30T03:02:29Z

I don't know which is more crazy, the fact that I spent more than half a day colour correcting and iconing only two shows or the fact that I frakkin' loved it. Hmmm, I think both items point to some mental health issues which should be addressed.

Teasers - Glee, Legend of the Seeker, Skins

Glee

[01-27]

Legend of the Seeker

[28-44]

Multi-Fandom

[45-48]

- PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THESE. THEY ARE NOT BASES
- No hotlinking. It's evil
- Comment if you take.
- Credit if you use
- Enjoy!
Questions? Requests? Ask away!

"This is a Sausage-fest!"

2009-11-28T02:37:32Z

Why do Thanksgiving leftovers always taste better than any other leftovers? There must be a science to this. Someone needs to investigate this. I think getting out of my pajamas has been my biggest accomplishment of the day. Go me. On to the second part of this list, shall we? I am sure you cannot wait!

Previously: Part I

25. Benjamin McKenzie

Luckily TNT had the good sense to pick up Southland, a show too good for network TV and too damn good for NBC. I have a feeling we are about a season away from MILF Island, but I digress. I wasn't terribly into Southland for the first few episodes, particularly when it came to Mr. McKenize. He would always be Ryan Atwood, always. But somewhere between episode two and the end of the season, I became hooked on the show and all its characters, including Ben Sherman, a kid from the right side of the tracks just trying to do some good in the world.

24. James Marsden

In the last two years, it seems James Marsden was in every single movie I watched and most of the time he was the best damn part. Yes, even 27 Dresses. Would I have even rented that film if he wasn't in it? Nope. Did his hotness grow by leaps and bounds when I first heard him sing. Uhm, yes!.

23. David Duchovny

Mulder! Really, do I need another reason to still heart him this hard? No, I didn't think so. More than a decade later, season one Mulder still makes me giggle like a school girl and my love only grows stronger with each passing season.

22. Anderson Cooper

I remember the first time I saw Anderson was packing guns underneath that suit. Hello there, Silver Fox. Anderson has come a long way since hosting The Mole. Anderson could have just sat back and lived his life as a party-playboy if he really wanted to. He is a Vanderbilt heir after all, but I admired him for wanting to seek out a world outside of his privileged upbringing.

21. David Beckham

There is something wonderful about watching someone completely mastering a medium whether that be music, art, writing, acting, sports. It almost becomes art. Watching David Beckham play football (soccer to you Yanks!) is a fucking joy. I hope he makes it onto the British national team for the World Cup next year. Oh, did I mention he is nice to look at? Well, there is also that.

20. Cary Grant

In thousand years, when we are slaves to alien race who has invade Earth for our high carbon atmosphere (could happen, y'all), there are only a few things that will be certain and one of those things will be that Cary Grant is the original GQ mutherfucker. I am not sure anyone could work a suit the way he can.

19. Jake Gyllenhaal

It took me a while to come around to the opinion that Jake was a looker and bit longer to acknowledge Jake was down right HOT. Not quite sure why I was fighting that feeling, but I think there was a small part of me that still thought of him as the kid from Bubble Boy. Jake has grown up and grown up good. Not even his fake accent in this trailer can make me think otherwise.

18. Tahmoh Penikett

Helo, the unwavering moral compass of Battlestar Galactica. I was unnaturally protective of Helo during the entire run of BSG. If he died then somehow it meant bad things for our crew and humanity in general. I think the powers that be got a sense of that too since SPOILER ALERT he ended up being father to us all. Earth is an okay place because there is a little bit of Helo in all of us. Penikett managed to make Helo a good soul without making him sappy.

17. Neil Patrick Harris

Neil can do no wrong. Ever. His tweets have revealed that he is, in fact, as awesome as we suspected. The universe is flawed. We are both gay. How did this happen? I have few regrets in life, but one of my big ones was not catching up on Broadway in one of the many productions he appeared in before he joined How I Met Your Mother.

16. George Clooney

George Fucking Clooney. If I were to be real honest with myself, I would admit that I've been in love with him since his stint on The Facts of Life where he played, wait for it, a handyman named George. Yeah, Jo Polniaczek would love a guy like that because even a big lesbian like me can appreciate a man who looks like that. George has only grown more attractive with age. Like a fucking fine wine, he has just grown more tasty and filled with complex flavor.

15. Michael Trucco

Samuel Anders, the perfect man if he wasn't SPOILER ALERT a frakkin' robot. Hottest robot ever. Trucco (a last name I love to say for some reason) survived a car crash that almost left him paralyzed, but he managed to walk away. Anders could have been a fairly forgettable character if played by a different actor, but there was something about him that made you believe that Kara would carry a torch for him while back on Galactica.

14. Justin Timberlake

Timberlake has always been a pretty boy. I openly acknowledge that while wasn't too into his stint in the Nsync I did realize he was the "cute one" of the group. Once he launched his solo career, his music upped his attractive factor. Now, I could see why people thought he was swoon-worthy even if I didn't swoon myself. It wasn't until he started to appear on SNL and I realized just how funny the boy was that my crush blossomed into hardcore want. Is there anything better than Motherlover? Okay, I guess Dick in a Box.

13. Jamie Bamber

I will be the first to admit that Lee Adama was about as exciting as dull dishwater, but I can't help but love all the dorky, boring things Lee Adama did in order to SAVE THE FLEET. Sure he was as boring as hell, but I would want him on my ship if the end of the world was happening. Thankfully, Adama was so damn good looking, I could just picture him in a towel and suddenly, what do you know, not so boring anymore.

12. John Barrowman

I haven't mentioned this in about five minutes, so I will say again Torchwood: Children of Earth broke me and broke me in places I didn't even know I could be broken. I had to remind myself that while Jack was breaking apart at the seams, Barrowman was probably having a blast playing something that heavy. I wish had the cash to see him in the West End this year. Alas, I will have to go another year without seeing him live on stage. I will just have to appease myself with watching interviews and specials with him where he slips into a Scottish accent at the drop of a hat.

11. Josh Duhamel

He will always be Leo from All My Children. Always. He is the only reason why that watching something like this is even remotely appealing. He is one of a few reasons I didn't walk out of Transformers even when I wanted to. I needed to see him again in his army gear.

10. Brad Pitt

I've never been one to fetishize body parts of a person. I am generally into how the whole package is put together, but just bits and pieces, but if I were to pick one body part that I would like to stare at for the rest of time, it would be Brad Pitt's shoulders from Fight Club. Epic verses of poetry should be written about them. And the rest of him ain't too shabby either.

9. Joshua Jackson

PACEY! I still think of Fringe as "Pacey does science". And it will probably be quiet a long time until I think of it as otherwise. I will be the first to admit Jackson is basically playing Pacey again on Fringe but with a touch more parental problems. But if you are going to be a one trick acting pony, you better make your trick a good one and he does .. in spades. I think he could do aloof, sarcastic wonder boy in his sleep at this point. He gets bonus points for being the only boy I can think of who looks better with a five o'clock shadow.

8. Chris Pine

Filling the shoes of one William Shatner is almost impossible, but somehow Chris Pine worked his magic over an iconic role and made it his own without actually negating Shatner's take on it. How did he do that? He seemed to channel of Shatner's spirit, but made it something completely original, like looking at a piece of art from a different angle. And it does help things that Pine is so incredibly good looking it is almost distracting.

7. Tom Welling

Smallville (yes, it is still on) has been apart of my life for almost a decade and he is one of the only reasons I still stick around. At this point, I don't think I can watch another perform as Clark Kent and not think of his face first. He has the such a wonderfully honest aura about him that you can't help but see the man first and the superhero second.

6. Cheyenne Jackson

It warmed my heart when watching the Thanksgiving parade yesterday, he was introduced as "a star from 30 Rock". Yes, his stint on my favorite show of this decade is pretty much the best thing to happen to me since ... since .... well ... maybe ever. Cheyenne won my heart forever when he danced across the stage in the Broadway musical Xanadu. Short-shorts never looked so good and my mind goes to that happy place often.

5. Nathan Fillion

Joey Buchanan! Captain Hammer! Captain Tightpants! Over the years, Nathan has won my heart a hundred times over. He has done it again by making me a fan of Castle, a show I thought I wouldn't give a second thought. Damn you, Nathan. But when you are this awesome: Exhibit A: His tweets / Exhibit B: THIS! .. I am helpless against the charms.

4. Hugh Jackman

It broke my heart to learn that Hugh Jackman would not be back to host the Oscars next year. He made last year's ceremony so damn entertaining. He sings. He dances. He cracks my shit up. No one on Earth has any right to be that talented and don't even get me started on his body which should be registered as weapons since it has the ability to render me DEAD. Totally dead. Hugh Jackman is motherfucking perfection. And then, there is this. Hee.

3. Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm is one of those weird abnormalities. By all accounts, he is a great big DORK trapped in the body of a really hot guy. He wasn't a hot guy who was once a geek. Nope. He was THIS GOOD LOOKING IN HIGH SCHOOL. Yet, somehow he managed to be geeky, dorky and hot all at once. If you've heard his commentary on 30 Rock season three DVD then you know what I'm talking about. And then he went and did SNL and it was like "ACKS, you are dorky, hot and REALLY FUNNY." I don't even know what to do with the knowledge that men like him exist.

2. Alexander Skarsgård

I don't even bother calling him by his name anymore. To me, he is Swedish Fucking Perfection. Yes, that's exactly what he is. As True Blood resident anti-hero, he is so wonderfully bad-ass it is almost criminal. Actually, it is criminal. You don't quite know what Eric is after, but you just know he is after something. There is a stillness about him that makes him even more frightening like a tiger about ready to pounce and tear your head off. There is something sinister about him, but something loyal and steady about him as well. There is nothing better than hearing Swedish Fucking Perfection actually speaking Swedish. Swoon!

1. Ryan Reynolds

I didn't think there was anyone who could top Swedish Fucking Perfection, but then I had to go and rent all the Ryan Reynolds movies that came out this year, all three of them, and I suddenly realized he is always the BEST part of any film. He always brings such joy to his roles that you can't help but be entertained. Yes, even in something as completely uneven as Blade: Trinity and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. To add to his hotness, he is really funny. He just ran the New York City marathon for charity. And ... wait, what was the last thing... oh, right ... HE HAS ABS YOU CAN WASH YOUR CLOTHES ON. FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST... IS HE FUCKING SERIOUS WITH THAT BODY!?!?!?!? *Breathe* Yeah, I'd like to have coffee with him.

Thanks for reading.
Discuss!

Your reward ... a little bit of Skins...

"Boys. Boys. All Types of Boys!"

2009-11-27T22:01:51Z

*Groans* Why does eating a pound of turkey always knock me out faster than any sleep aids? If you are like me (American and lazy), you are probably just waking up after another year of eating a massive me. If you are not like me, you've probably been awake since 3 a.m. waiting on line at a local Best Buy to purchase a flat-screen TV for $50. At any rate, its a day to sit back, take a nap and raid the fridge for leftovers. The only day where eating apple pie right off the baking tin, possibly while taking shots of Reddi Whip right from the can, is anything but shameful.

I've wanted to do this for ages (like over 2 years), but I've always been too lazy or too involved with other fandoms to actually do it. Yes, ladies and ladies (do any men read this journal .. if so ... HI), this is my list of my HOT BOYS for 2009. I know what you are saying ... "what kind of lesbian are you?" I'm the type who can appreciate a nicely put together male body and I see nothing wrong in ogling them shameless. It's the gay man in me. What can I say? He also forced me to buy Kylie Minogue tickets for an obscene amount of money. He forces me to do these things sometimes. Partial inspiration also came from People's Sexiest Men Alive issue and GQ's Men of the Year.

So, without further ado, my list of top 50 boycrushes for 2009. The lesbian in me is crying right now. IMAGE HEAVY, Y'ALL!!!!

50. Robert Pattinson

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pasty British boys with fabulous hair. I have been ever seen George Michael came into my radar in 1984. I am a rather reluctant fan of all things Twilight (at least tweens are reading, right? Ack!), the world's crappiest film franchise, but I can appreciate the little things Pattinson has done with the role of Edward to make him a little more interesting. It doesn't help that Robert seems like a big goof who would be a great person to hang out with. Oy. But who am I kidding? It's all about the hair.

49. Jason Behr

Perhaps, the shallowest pick on my list. I will always have a soft spot for Max Evans, but has he done anything since Roswell to merit a mention on this list. Nope, not really. But he is just so pretty. He is. See pics above. Hello there, Jason. I would really love if he and his wife, Private Practice's KaDee Strickland stare popping out some ridiculously good looking children.

48. Ian Somerhalder

BOONE! His role on The Vampire Diaries is making me forget all about his character on Lost. Damon Salvator is another in a long line of vampire anti-heroes that make me squee and I am so ashamed. So ashamed.

47. Stephen Colbert

Any man who gets his hair shaved on his TV show solidarity for our fighting forces earns my love. But really do we need any other reason to love Colbert, a man who turns the right-wing talking points, reflects them, refracts them and makes me sound as ridiculous as they actually are. Love!

46. John Krasinski

I should hate him for taking Emily Blunt off the market, but their union has made for a fandom collision so fabulous I forgot all my resentment. Jim is my TV boyfriend. If Jim was a really person, my homosexuality would be in serious jeopardy.

45. Zac Efron

Don't hate. My creepy perv moment of the year was exclaiming at the end of 17 Again, "Not enough shirtless Efron!" I stand by that statement unless I am taken to court, in which case, I deny everything. The boy is easy on the eyes and has enough onscreen charm to make him worth watching, but only for about an hour and twenty five minutes.

44. Cory Monteith

The most adorable goofy-doofy jock ever to grace my television screen. Finn is such a lovable dope, I can't help but care for him even when he is doing something incredibly stupid. Cory is all big boy limbs and dorkiness and I can't help but attribute all of Finn's unexplainable charm to him.

43. Patrick Dempsey

McDreamy needs to die, but I am adult enough to separate the man from the character, so I can look at Patrick and still get a happy sigh feeling even though I eventually think of McDreamy and I get miffed. But Patrick will always have my heart for two reasons: Can't Buy Me Love and Loveboy.

42. Gael Garcia Bernal

He looks like he would be wonderful to cuddle with. Yes, I think of this whenever I look at him. I want a cuddle. He has the most adorable puppy-dog face and I want just hug him. It doesn't hurt that he is a really talented actor and usually have fun watching him in almost any film.

41. T.R. Knight

Is it any wonder that the moment Grey's sidelined George O'Malley a few seasons ago, the show completely lost its heart? I think there is a connection. I am lucky T.R. got off the Anatomy ship before they could completely destroy his character. I love that he left Grey's for purely selfish reasons. I am hoping he comes back to Broadway soon so I can see him live on stage.

40. Bradley Cooper

I feel like the rest of America is behind the times since they only started loving Bradley Cooper this year with his breakout starring role in The Hangover. I've loved him since 2001 when he co-starred in the superspy drama Alias. Will Tippin was dreamy. For a true bit of awesome, check him out in the short-lived but hilarious Kitchen Confidential and watch your Cooper love explode.

39. Mark Ruffalo

I love this man for surviving a brain tumor. Yes, people, a BRAIN TUMOR. And he still looks this good. He also holds the distinction for being in two of my favorite guilty pleasures of all time. Thanks Mark for both 13 Going on 30 and Just Like Heaven.

38. Matthew Goode

First, a confession. I think he was completely miscast in Watchmen. I guess it speaks volumes to my love for him that I could get past that and still think he is so dreamy. He has such a kind face which makes me automatically root for his characters even when, like in Imagine Me & You, I don't want him to actually end up with the girl.

37. Jesse L. Martin

I think Law and Order: Original Recipe died for me the moment he left. I have loved Jesse for what seems like an eternity. Remember him on Ally McBeal. I would watch him just about anything and I have, like The Philanthropist, for instance. I hope Hollywood is not just toying with my emotions and that Marvin Gaye biopic that he is set to stare in actually happens. There is no one more suited for the role.

36. Paul Newman

Hold on, ladies. I'm about to throw some old-school hotness on you. Have you ever seen Paul Newman's eyes? They can cut through your soul and just pierce you through the heart. Sexy. He was married to his wife Joanne Woodward for fifty years. Double sexy! Over the years, his non-profit organization has generated over $280 millions for charity since 1982. Triple sexy! The man just oozed charisma and charm. There is nothing better than Newman at the top of his game.

35. Gale Harold

I cannot even begin to explain why some like Brian Kinney makes my heart skip a beat. He is such a fucking asshole. He treats people like crap. He is arrogant, entitled, selfish, and a whole host of other negative adjectives, yet there is something about the way he holds himself that makes me go all "Ohhhh!" Perhaps, it has a lot to do with Gale being so goddamn handsome.

34. Hugh Dancy

He is my secret British Masterpiece Theater boyfriend. What does that mean? If I could run away to a 19th century Victorian manor house, I hope he would be there to court me ... hardcore and I would play hard to get. I will overlook the fact that he was in Basic Instinct 2.

33. Daniel Craig

A Bond with blond hair. It could never work! Except it did and it still does. I think most people would agree that he is the best Bond since Sean Connery. Why is that? Because Craig has the ability to project bad-ass and pathos with pretty much the same steely gaze and you buy each hook, line and sinker.

32. Robert Redford

I will go to my grave with the belief that no man looks as good as Redford does in jeans. No one. Redford has the ability to project a certain schoolboy charm and even though he is old enough to be my grandfather he still possesses that certain charm that could disarm anyone with just one smile.

31. Jon Stewart

There is only one way I survived the Bush administration. Two words. Jon. Stewart. For eight years, he was the town crier that pointed out the massive amount of bullshit tossed the American people's way and did so with a smile on his face and a cutting observational remark. He was as comforting as a FDR fireside chat.

30. Ryan Gosling

Hey, it's Young Hercules! That's the way I thought of him until I saw The Notebook and it was like seeing him again for the first time. There I said. But, ladies, this was just too hot to ignore. Of course, Gosling has continued to make me swoon for being so gosh-darn talented. Damn you, Gosling. Damn you. And yes, there is a small part of me that hopes he and Rachel McAdams eventually get married.

29. James Dean

He is, for my money, the prettiest man ever to grace the Silver Screen. If you add that aura of bad-ass/rebel that he had going for him and his natural acting ability, the combination is irresistible. He would have ranked higher on this list if it wasn't for the fake that he died so young. Dean only made three (yes, only three) big budget Hollywood films before his untimely death in 1955. Like a comet, he cut a path through our universe for only a short time, but, man, what a sight!

28. Taye Diggs

If this interview with Taye Diggs doesn't make you love him, then I just can't help you. There is something about the way the man talks that reduces me to a big mess. It's like he is speaking in velvety chocolate goodness. I would like him to read me a bedtime story .. right after he sings to me.

27. James Franco

I will now associate his pretty face with the song "Mad World". Thanks General Hospital. I am not quite sure what to make of Franco. He is a talented actor who seems to live by the credo "No fucking rules." He drops out of sight for a couple of years to go finish college and enroll in English graduate programs in a few universities across the country. Then, he remerges to take a roll on General Hospital just because he wants to. Mad genius? Crazy? Not sure. But whatever it is, I think his attitude towards his career and his life is part of the reason I love him.

26. Ed Westwick

I think he is the only actor I've come across that loses sexy points when he speaks in his real English accent. Chuck Bass doesn't have an accent! It remains to be seen if I will find Ed sexy in any other role (I'm waiting anxiously for his turn as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights), but Mr. Chuck Bass is so damn sexy, it almost overwhelms me.

Part II ... Coming Soon

And now for some femslash to make you forget about these boys...

"Everytime I dance God kills a kitten."

2009-11-23T02:01:30Z

So good, I was actually crying. If you ever wanted to know how much fun the boys from MST3K would have with Twilight. The answer is LOTS OF FUN. Good to know they had ALL the same problems with it that I had.

Countdown for my date with New Moon ... five days!

Gone Til November

2009-11-13T18:17:59Z

Going on hiatus for a bit. Out of town jaunts and real-life problems (job.... where art thou?). Oy vey. This calls for a Friday the 13th GIF PARTY.

Skins Makes My Life

2009-11-12T15:24:02Z

New Skins season 4 footage. The new Annie album (THAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE 2007) just leaked. It is a good day.

Don't you love that this show has cute lesbians who are actually allowed to sex each other? Awesomesauce!!!!!

Deep Thoughts

2009-11-10T05:28:04Z

I broke away from my Mad Men marathon (hell YES) to watch Castle tonight. Is it wrong that whenever Nathan walks up to a door, I expect him to do this?

I love Nathan! There, I said it.

Is this an excuse to start a .gif party? Uhm, maybe.

Craziness That Makes Me Happy

2009-11-09T18:38:31Z

First up, the exciting news that hottest cylon ever Michael Trucco has been cast in Sarah Shahi's USA pilot as her ex-husband. I've been in a Life rewatch the past few weeks so the thought of seeing Sarah Shahi in anything is making me very excited, but her and Trucco ... colour me SUPER EXCITED. I hope this pilot gets picked up.

Next, my thoughts, both conscious and unconscious, are now consumed by Legend of the Seeker. I'm sure anyone who is a fan of the show has seen these by now, but just in case you haven't. Season two promo character posters. Here is hoping these two have some epic HATE!SEX ... in fan fiction. Oh, come on, Legend producers, wouldn't it be funny if Cara makes moves on Kahlan just to fuck with her head?

Speaking of Bridget Regan ... and really ... at this point in time when I am NOT speaking of her. Her interview from Attack of the Show. Nice legs. Here's hoping she ends up in Legs 4. Hee.

And because this clip is just an all-around GEM. Katee talks about Eddie directing The Plan. Her Olmos imitation is terrible, but that doesn't make it any less hilarious. WATCH IT.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm doing a mega Mad Men marathon. Life is good.

"Bow Down Before Me...."

2009-11-09T01:48:33Z

First, to the two people who care ... what the hell happened on Smallville on Friday? I missed a few episodes this season and I have no idea what the fuck is going except I fangasmed during Jor-El's trial on Kryton because I'm a big Superman nerd. Where's Lois? Hee.

Second, marathoning Mad Men and I'm in love again. I don't know what it is but seeing all the episodes in a row always relieves any problems I may have had with it on first viewing. Joan. Joan. Joan. I want me a girl like that.

Third, I miss True Blood and THIS ISN'T HELPING!. I want to do real bad things to you. Wait, what?

Unfortunately, I didn't finish my Legend of the Seeker season one marathon before the season two premiere this weekend. Did this stop me from watching the premiere? Hell to the no. Am I as confused as hell? Hell to the yeah. Fortunately, there was enough pretty to distract me from things like, you know, PLOT.

Last season on Legend of the Seeker, there was a prophecy and shit. A pretty lady with magic powers comes to the rescue of the chosen one blah, blah, EPIC bitchcakes. Aging wizard and two of the hottest people to ever walk the ancient world embark on the journey to save their world from evil dude and stuff. Pretty lady and hot dude kind of, sort of fall in love but their love can never be 'cause pretty lady with magic powers will suck his soul out when she loses control of her emotions, which, really, isn't that different from regular women (ohhh, funny from me but not funny if a dude ever says it. Boo!). Pretty lady fights with swords. EPIC. Hot dude takes off his shirt. HOLY SHIT EPIC. Oh and the Mord'Sith are badass. NOT ENOUGH EPIC IN THE WORLD. Blah, blah, blah bitchcakes. And now you are all caught up.

This whole thing is a plot-free analysis of the premiere so if you are looking for any deep understanding of what happened, look somewhere else. Since I haven't watched last season's finale, I had to consult Wikipedia and other resources to fill in the gap. This is why I've chosen to concentrate on the pretty. Oh hai, Cordelia.

— I am not sure I'm loving Richard's new look. I know they want to make him appear older and a bit tougher, but they've only succeeded in making him look like a hipster from Williamsburg. It's the facial hair. He looks like he should be shopping at Whole Foods. That said, I still want Richard and Kahlan to do it and do it well.

— Oh hey, Cara. I like any character who gets introduced with a homoerotic lady bath and promptly tosses another lady in the water (CORDELIA) in the water and chokes her. Yep, that's how I role. Cara lets it be known that Cordelia may be a bad-ass in another universe, but in this one, she is PWNED. Wonder if Illyria is jealous Cordelia is wearing her outfit.

— Did I mention my hardcore Richard/Kahlan shipping? Ack. I get a little thrill every time they are in a scene together. Don't ask. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. Two people who can't be together but are near each other all the time (Oh hello, Pushing Daisies). Yep, a sucker.

— Just to re-assert just how much control Cara has over Cordelia, we get a scene of Cordelia dressing Cara, a woman who just kicked the snot out of her and then grabbing her into a kiss. I don't know about you, but if you want to assert your dominance and possession over me, I don't mind kissing the crap out of me. Don't know if this flags Cara as a big gaymo or if she just enjoys "fucking with people's heads" but I don't care enough to think about it that much because Cordy is kissing a girl. Wheeew!

— MOAR KAHLAN FIGHTING PLEASE! I don't understand how Bridget keeps herself in her outfit. Heavy duty tape. I wonder whose job it is to put the tape there. I will never get tired of seeing Kahlan fight because of all the pretty hair!porn. I love the movement of her hair. I'm weird like that.

— So plot blah blah blah. Cara gets her ass kicked, but oddly enough looks HOTTER with blood all over her then she has any right to look. She tries to recruit Richard to help her out. And of course Kahlan is all "you aren't falling for this shit, you foolio!" But Richard is all "maybe she isn't that bad, right?" Oh Richard. So pretty. So simple.

— More plot happens. Kahlan does her standard "protector of Seeker" speech that involves choking Cara and letting her know, "if you betray him I BREAK YOUR PRETTY FACE AND THEN BREAK YOU." Now, this would be more of a threat if, you know, Kahlan doesn't hold Cara in such a way that looks like she is holding her and is about to kiss her. Ha. Like any moment, Kahlan could have moved her hand, grabbed the back of Cara's head and planted one on her. I'm sure Cara is all "yep, assert your dominance the way I do.. KISS ME."

— More plot. Yada, yada, yada. Cordelia ends up "dead" although these girls can be brought back to life, so who knows if she is really REALLY dead. And all is right with the world. Except not really. Richard now apparently wears the mark of evil which is DEPRESSING because it messes up his shirtless, perfect body which SERIOUSLY .. if we have to deal with Scuffy!Richard couldn't we have left his perfect body alone. Meh.

My reaction to this episode... I'll let Cheryl do my speaking for me....

Pretty People Doing Goofy Things

2009-11-07T05:19:11Z

Why yes I have been re-watching Legend of the Seeker hoping that I will be all caught up on the first season before the second season premiere this weekend, but I probably won't. I did catch a large block of the show on SyFy (WHY WAS THIS NAME CHANGE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN) and I can safely say that my crush on these two people is back on in an epic magical sword/fantastic lands kind of way.

I heart these two so hard.

Julie Bowen

Speaking of dormant crushes that are now back on. Oh, hi Julie Bowen. My TV girlfriend of the a few year back is .... well.... back.

Jon Hamm

This man can even make a ridiculous hat seem sexy.

Cast of True Blood

Jesus. Godric. Holy Ghost, I miss this show. Seriously. I miss my hit of fucking ridiculous CRACK. The cast of True Blood was in France yesterday. I'm just here for Swedish Fucking Perfection (yes, that is my nickname for Alexander Skarsgård. Haters to the left.)

Wanda Sykes Being Awesome

FUCKING AMAZING.

This pointless post brought to you by "waht-waht" Cheryl.

This post was 100% burrito free. Sad, I know.

Oh, Lady Friendships are the Best

2009-11-06T05:23:28Z

I think these two are giving Bleighton a run for their money. Are heterosexual women always this intensely close when it comes to friendship? Did I miss the class where I learned to hug my platonic best bud like this? Cradle her face, y'all.

Yep, the ladies look like they just caught doing something. Hands in the cookie jar? Cuteness. Teasing cuteness. Discuss.

How Can A Cover Contain This Much Awesome?

2009-11-05T18:39:20Z

Shouldn't the world be imploding? How can it possibly contain the awesome of these two people at once? Discuss.

"These are my confessions."

2009-11-04T23:25:10Z

Oh, hai, y'all. Thing have been rather barren at this journal due to the simple fact that I am not fangirling anything particularly hard at the moment. Sure, a few shows are holding my interest (Modern Family, 30 Rock, Glee), but nothing that I feel the need to squee about at loud, deafening levels. I've lost my mojo, haven't I?

I did finally catch up on all things Fringe and I can say two things for certain 1. Olivia Dunham is fiercest FBI agent to ever cross into parallel dimensions. Although Dana Scully will live forever so she holds the title of fiercest FBI agent ever. Full stop. 2. Pacey (yeah, he will never NOT be Pacey to me) is my current boycrush to end all BOYCRUSHES. Seriously, if it was a choice between Olivia and Pacey, I'd throw Olivia out of the room. I am aware this makes me the worst lesbian ever, but that's how things roll with me.

On the depressing news front, Maine shot down the same-sex marriage law which means if you had plans to marry in Portland, Maine next summer, you best start looking for marriage venues in Iowa. I would say that I am surprised and saddened by this, but I am not which I guess is even sadder. I do know that gay folks are on the right side of history, like women's rights and civil right's movements were in the past. Tradition does not stand up when faced with what is right. I hope I live to see the day when all this is just a sad chapter in our history. On a similar note (except not really) ... have Callie and Arizona made out yet on Grey's?

One of the only bright spots in my fangirl world is Glee. Although, admittedly, I have my problems with the show. Like, why is everyone who isn't Quinn so one-dimensional? Would it kill the writers to make "Sassy African American Girl" more than, well, sassy? But all these issues with the show disappear every time they burst into song or when Sue Sylvester opens her mouth ... and out flows offensive, wonderful WIN. This show does have the BEST.TEEN.CAST.EVER. which makes me happy.

At the moment, I'm shipping Rachel/Quinn, Quinn/Puck, Puck/Rachel .. which means if Puck/Rachel/Quinn got in a room together and made a sex tape, I'd be happy. I do think Finn is adorable, but he is a little bit too "lunkhead" for me. I do hope they flesh out his character a little more. Give him more of an edge. I don't mind Rachel/Finn, but its a little too vanilla. Also, Will's wife ... GO DIE IN A FIRE.

» Glee cast @ NYC CD signing
» Tracklisting for Glee Volume 2 (Spoilerish!)

And in case you missed it ...

Rankings: 100-76 || 75-51 || 50-26 || 25-1

And here is where I squee for a moment about last week's Smallville. Yes, I said Smallville. Yes, I still watch. SHUT UP!

The moment I've been waiting for season four FINALLY happened. First, let me reiterate. I am A HUGE LOIS/CLARK/SUPERMAN shipper. In every incarnation of their love story, I have been a sucker. There is a reason they were NUMBER 2 on my list of all-time ships. I've been a sucker for Smallville's version since this moment when I saw they had potential. Once I got used to Durance's take on Lois, I've been waiting. And waiting. AND WAITING. After almost kisses, fake!out kisses, drug-induced kisses, we finally got a FIRST real kiss between these two and I loved it.

After nine seasons of playing Clark, Tom Welling can do the "puppy-dog Clark SO IN LOVE" eye stare in his sleep. He can do it so well. I'm a sucker for these two, despite all the reasons this show should have died about three seasons ago.

» Watch It

Yep, this was my initial reaction....

And yes, I am really into Cheryl Cole's music and just, well, her right now ... why do you ask?