Bucurie. Emotie. Ura.

[dailymotion id=k17tJS6LaOgLkc6KdV&related=1]
ROB THOMAS : Ever the same

eh i thought kings of leon like some concoction of hippie disaster but suddenly when i googled them, i saw this caleb followill looking like some bryan adams's long-lost sister. but WAH HIS VOICE SEXY ASSSSS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLL. like really like sex ON FIRE. okay so now my top 4 sexiest voices IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD is tom smith from the editors who sounds like a scary old grandfather, the guy from the kooks god-knows-what- his-name-is, like it's not meant to be remembered and whose voice, IS BEYOND SEXY.  it's like, i don't mind being married to THAT voice. and i always thought he was hot even with that sucky frodo baggins face. and plus lil wayne. I DONNO WHY LAH HE'S SEXY. im cursed with bad taste OKAY.

but the 4th spot, im torn between rob thomas and this caleb. rob thomas is such an old i dont wanna be lonely no more passe piece of man. but he's like the original sexy voice. this caleb pulak voice sexy, but MADE OUT WITH KIMBERLY STEWART. that's like locking lips with a chinchilla. eee yuck, okay i give it to rob thomas. i don't like people who don't  mind tepi jalan goods. like sure got some of tommy lee's dried up fluid somewhere there.

but yah ah. a man with a sexy voice will beat any handsome man, any day. that's why kooks guy beats ronso. ronso, beautiful everything, but too bad voice like some prepubescent girl.

a holar chirra.  indian words from ramayana. SAY HOORAY!

Garth Brooks - Friends in Low Places - 1990
M.C. Hammer - U Can't Touch This - 1990
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion - 1991
Bonnie Raitt - Something to Talk About  - 1991
BeBe& CeCe Winans - Addictive Love - 1991
Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart - 1992
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You - 1992
*Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit - 1992 (top song of the decade)
Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do - 1994
Boyz II Men/Mariah Carey - One Sweet Day - 1996
Eric Clapton  - Change the World - 1996
Elton John - Candle in the Wind - 1997
R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly - 1997
Will Smith - Men in Black - 1997
Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On - 1998
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces - 1998
Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing) - 1998
Shania Twain - You're Still the One - 1998
Destiny's Child - Bills, Bills, Bills - 1999
Faith Hill - This Kiss - 1999
Tim McGraw - Please Remember Me - 1999
Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca - 1999
Santana/Rob Thomas - Smooth - 1999
TLC - No Scrubs - 1999

Here's the top song of the decade:

Enjoy!

"Kalau syg dapat cw lain yang syg suka, lebih baik putusin aja aku, ku gak mau diduakan"

kalo gak salah sih dia bilang gitu, pokoknya intinya kayak gitu. sebenarnya aku suka A bilang gitu, agak ngancam-ngancam dikit gitu. Tu kan artinya dia sayang aku plus dia masih bisa berpikir jernih masalah hubungan kami. Kata-kata A kalau dalam lagu bisa seperti lirik dibawah ini nih, lagunya Rob Thomas - Smooth:

And it's just like the ocean under the moon
Well that's the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin' that could be so smooth yeah,
Give me your heart
Make it real
Or else forget about it

A, pegang ja kata-kataku aku cuma sayang kamu, mau percaya atau gak. cintaku bukan cinta main-main, setidaknya itu yang kurasakan sekarang. Sama seperti kamu, aku tidak akan melarang kamu jatuh cinta ma orang lain, tapi ketika kamu melakukannya... kurasa itu saatnya mengucapkan selamat tinggal.

So anyways, I'm going to do my best to tackle the craziness that is Heroes and analyze the beginning of Season 3 as best I can:

-If you're going to do a 2 hour premiere, just make it a two hour premiere.  Why show two episodes back to back?  Wouldn't they have been better served in making an epic and cohesive two-hour debut instead of two meandering, hard to follow, unconnected episodes?  

- This show needs to learn how to let characters die.  It's beyond ridiculous now.  Here is a list of characters who have been dead and come back to life: Claire, Peter, Sylar, Nathan, Linderman (sort of), Parkman, & Noah Bennett.  Did I miss anyone?  When 6 of your main characters can die and come back to life, how can there ever be any suspense?  The only main characters to have died and stayed dead are Papa Nakamura, Charlie, Isaac, Simone, Bob (who was just killed), Alejandro and D.L.  And we all really miss those super important characters, don't we?  (note: I really do miss Isaac.  No one has been as cool as that dude was, and the paintings were by far the coolest aspect of the series.  It's way more exciting to hint at a possible future than to constantly show a definite one to us.)

- Speaking of missing D.L., where the hell is Micah?  Where's his cousin with the ridiculous ability to copycat anything she sees?  So much for ethnic diversity on this show...

-Remember that Irish chick Peter fell in love with last season and left in the future?  Sucks for her.

- We finally learned Angela Petrelli's power!  The dreams!  A nice addition.  Her dream of the good guys (Noah, Claire, Peter, Hiro, Parkman) being slaughtered by the bad guys (Kensei, Papa Parkman, Knox, Sylar and Tracey/Nikki/Jessica) was mad creepy and I can only pray that all these characters get into the mix soon.  

- Hiro & Ando have the most tenuous friendship I've ever seen.  Ando has put Hiro in danger a dozen times; Hiro is Ando's boss at a large firm and, oh yeah, also has amazing super powers to Ando's nothing; and now Future Ando (or is it?) shoots a red death ray beam out of his hands to kill Future Hiro, who has become a villain, according to Future Ando.  Once again, the two untrustworthy friends are on an adventure, this time seeking a secret formula (for how to give powers to people? for a serum to take away powers?) stolen from them by Daphne, a self-proclaimed "speedster."  Did you notice her FBI mug shot?  A. How do you take a mug shot of someone who can't be caught and B. does she just wear the same outfit every single day like Doug Funnie or something?

- So Future Peter has the ability to shapeshift (I was wondering when we'd see him use that one.  Way to have a power and not use it for all of Season 2), to teleport others without teleporting himself (AWESOME), and to trap Present Peter in the skin of some bro named Jesse?  Dude is baaaadass.  Also, why does he only have that face scar in the future?  Am I wrong, or wasn't that the scar he got when he exploded at the end of season 1/beginning of season 2?

-Speaking of Jesse, we've got a Veronica Mars Alert!  VMars herself, Kristin Bell, and Neptune's favorite token hispanic biker criminal, Eli "Weevil" Navarro (Francis Capra) have been reunited!  Now if only we could get VMars creator Rob Thomas to join them over here and make some sense of this cockamamie program...

-Maya is HOT.  Like blazingly, smoking hot.  No wonder Mohinder went all True Blood crazy vampire sex on her.  

-Mohinder has a power!  Well, more like every generic superpower wrapped up in one: heightened senses, super strength, faster reflexes...oh, and of course, super libido and wall climbing/rafter hanging/skin peeling.  Plus, he has a cool thumb ring!  Don't you know taking a shot of Promicin is like playing God, Mohinder?  Oh wait, this isn't The 4400?  My b...

- Linderman, who is only visible to Nathan, brings Nathan back to life and is now his spirit guide.  Peter, who supposedly loves his brother, would rather kill him without explanation and then seek forgiveness later than momentarily incapacitate his brother by sending him to say, the African savannah or someone else's body.  Yeah, that makes sense.  All of it.

- I don't know if you knew this, but apparently, getting knocked to the ground by someone with telekinetic abilities causes mild coughing and an inability to perform any function other than slow crawling.  Also, either Elle needs to stop being an incompetent biatch, or Kristen Bell needs to leave this show.  K Bell is an intelligent ass kicker!  Let the girl strut her stuff!

-Why Claire's mom is the worst character on Heroes aside from Claire's brother, Lyle, who was only seen in silhouette: she doesn't need to know the details about Sylar scalping her daughter, sticking his finger in her brains to absorb her ability, and somehow removing her ability to feel pain.  As long as Sylar didn't sexually abuse her, it's all good with Mom.

-So oh yeah, we finally saw what Sylar does with people's brains!  He...pokes them?  Wow, that makes a ton of sense.  

-I'm just as confused as all of you are about Niki/Tracy.  Usually, when something makes this little sense, its due to information being withheld for narrative purposes.  So I'd guess this, along with some other pressing questions (what's the deal with Linderman?  Who is this African Isaac who paints the future?  Why does Hiro consistently take Ando on mission even though he makes them more difficult and more dangerous every single time?), will be answered soon.

- Sylar is a Petrelli brother!  A nice twist.  As long as Sylar, Peter and Claire are the center of this show, we'll be ok.  The more interaction between these three, the better.  Originally, I had written Hiro into that list, but that dude really hasn't been a factor in the main narrative since mid-season 1.  

-The moment from this episode that will have the greatest impact down the line: Future Peter's abandonment of Claire.  Poor Claire.  The girl is the third most powerful character on the show (I'm putting her after Peter and Sylar, tied with Hiro, in that order), her personal mutant ability was physically removed from her brain, she doesn't even think she's human, she has no companions, and then uncle Peter leaves her alone when she needs him most?!  If that isn't cause for Future Brown Haired Claire to become a bad guy, I don't know what is.

-There was a lot in the episode that I couldn't follow and didn't make sense.  But the moment that made the absolute least sense of all was this: Parkman is lying face down in the African desert.  The African Issac Rip-Off tells him to take some water from some dying plant.  Parkman tears said plant from the ground and squeezes maybe half a drop of water from it whilst thanking his lucky stars for having his life saved by this half drop of water.  Then, African Isaac offers Parkman an enormous jug filled with water, that for some reason had previously been withheld from the dying, thirsty stranger.  WHAT?! HUH??  Who wrote this?  Seriously, I want names.  Was it you, Tim Kring?  Did you write this exchange?  Because if so, I want you to pay me for the time I spent becoming dumber while watching this.

-The funniest moment of the show: Noah Bennett - "You're in good hands."  Claire's birth mom steps forward...and shoots fire from her hands!  I laughed out loud.  That's unintentional comedy gold, people.  Gold!

I'm sure you've seen the ubiquitous Heroes ads everywhere: this season is all about good vs. evil, lines being drawn, and alliances being forged.  Who will end up on which side?  I really like where this is going, and as Those Scenes hinted, people are going to start picking sides pretty damn soon.  We've got a whole slew of new baddies to chase (one of them is called The German?  I hate Nazis too, but I wouldn't necessarily call someone The German simply because he was a bad guy), a secret formula to rescue, a future of destruction and evil Andos and Claires to prevent, and a whole lot more.  

I think these first two episodes were a bit all over the place and hard to follow, but I like where things are heading.  Right now, I feel like all the pieces of jigsaw puzzle have been thrown onto the table, and hopefully, next week we'll start seeing how they fit together.  If you couldn't guess from this post or any of my posts on last season, my patience for this show is perilously thin.  I need to see some concrete narrative flow, with understandable elements to which I can anchor, and a clear narrative arc if I'm going to be able to stick with the show for another season.

Episodes: B

Prognosis for Rest of Season: B+

“Little Wonders“
Disco DVD/CD: A Família do Futuro (Brasil | World)
Rob Thomas

Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end
We will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

All of my regret
Will wash away some how
But I can not forget
The way I feel right now

In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours, still remain,
Still remain
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These little wonders still remain

-----
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You don't know me and chances are this letter will never make it to you, but after hours upon hours of watching Veronica Mars, I feel it would be an injustice to not voice my sincere gratitude to you for creating a television show, nay a hero, that I identify with and immensely respect.

Perhaps it is Veronica's snarkiness or inherent lack of girlish behavior that makes me want to cheer every time she speaks. In a world where toothpick models "grace" our magazine covers and high school gossips rule even the workplace, Veronica's no-nonsense attitude is remarkably refreshing.

I will openly admit that I am an obsessive person who is incapable of merely "liking" something. I fall hard and swiftly in love with television shows or I completely despise them. Typically I love those few fabulous shows that I only newly discover long after they have already been cancelled. I found Veronica almost by accident. My friend had suggested the show to me because Veronica reminded her of me. A compliment, for sure. Now I find myself recommending the show to everyone I know. I have yet to come across a person who didn't immediately identify with its concepts, themes and characters.

I read a post once that said "Fox is where smiles go to die." It was concerning the cancellation of the television series "Arrested Development" and it couldn't have been more true. I feel Veronica Mars has suffered this same fate. With networks proudly pushing reality television and the crime drama, it seems there is no longer space for shows of merit. As this is a sad truth, it makes Veronica Mars an even greater success story. Three seasons and a handful of life-long fans is more than most shows could ever ask for.

So I tip my hat to you, Rob Thomas, for creating my favourite television show and a cast of characters who I often think about (and debate about with friends). While I may never walk down the streets in Neptune, it will never be too far away from me. You did that, and for that I am eternally grateful. As a writer, you've given me something to aspire to.

I look forward with grand anticipation to the day when Veronica Mars meets the big screen. I hope that the rumors become a proud reality.

Thank you. Thank you so very much.

A grateful fan

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

Would it be Whatever You Like by T. I.? (nope, but it is #1 today - September 16, 2008).

How about Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson? (no, but it was the first #1 - on the inaugural list on August 4, 1958).

Then it must be a Beatles song, right?  No.  Stones? Nope.  U2? Naw.  Bobby Darin? Nyet.  Dean Martin? Nee.

The top song... The Twist by Chubby Checker.

Billboard utilized a complex formula (you can read about it at their site) to weigh songs from different eras to ensure all would get a fair shake.  Although The Twist only spent three weeks at the top of the charts, it did so twice "in two separate runs more than a year apart" - the only song to be number one on two different chart runs.

Although the historic Billboard Hot 100 has (obviously) 100 songs listed, I'll only list the top ten (click on top ten to see videos of the songs):

1. The Twist by Chubby Checker
2. Smooth by Santana, featuring Rob Thomas
3. Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
4. How Do I Live? by LeAnn Rimes
5. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los Del Rio (They've got to be kidding...)
6. Physical by Olivia Newton-John (um... it was the early 80's)
7. You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone (...ok, now it's getting ridiculous)
8. Hey Jude by The Beatles (...much better)
9. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey (the only song from this millenia on the top ten)
10. Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton

Enjoy!

LYRICS:

It's morning
I wake up
The taste of summer sweetness on my breath
It's a clear day
In this city
Let's go dance under the street lights
All the people in this world
Let's come together
More than ever
I can feel it
Can you feel it

Come on over
Down to the corner
My sisters and my brothers of every different color
Don't you feel that sunshine telling you to hold tight
Things will be alright
Try to find a better life
Come on over
Down to the corner
My sisters and my brothers there for one another
Come on over
Man I know you wanna let yourself go

Some people
It's a pity
They go all their lives and never know
How to love or to let love go
But it's alright now
We'll make it through this somehow
And we'll paint the perfect picture
All the colors of this world will run together more than ever
I can feel it
Can you feel it

Come on over
Down to the corner
My sisters and my brothers of every different color
Don't you feel that sunshine telling you to hold tight
Things will be alright
Try to find a better life
Come on over
Down to the corner
My sisters and my brothers there for one another
Come on over
Man I know you wanna let yourself go

We may never find our reason to shine
But here and now this is our time
And I may never find the meaning of life
But for this moment I am fine
So

Come on over
Down to the corner
My sisters and my brothers of every different color
Don't you feel that sunshine telling you to hold tight
Things will be alright
Try to find a better life
Come on over
Down to the corner we can leave it all behind
Never been a better time
Come on over
Man I know you wanna let yourself go on and on and on

~Aussie229~

So it is that time again to prepare the music and get itunes synced up for some traveling tunes.  I always have to start out with my two staple albums that stood with my walking the streets of Manhattan all last year.  These two albums alone just bring back all the memories of New York.  Probably because like I said these were always on play and I also had the amazing experience of seeing Matt at the legendary Roseland Ballroom and Matchbox at Madison Square Gardens.

Amazon.com: Some Mad Hope: Matt Nathanson: Music

Amazon.com: Exile on Mainstream: Matchbox Twenty: Music

I heard recently that Rob Thomas was wrapping up his next solo album with a slated release date of Jan '09...and that during the touring for the solo album they will start working on the next matchbox album....music to my ears i tell ya...

a few new albums to the lineup include chris tomlins latest, charlie halls latest, ten shekel shirt, jonezetta, weezer, lyrycyst(gotta have a little rap in there), jars of clay new ep, hillsongs latest,

Amazon.com: Jubilee: Ten Shekel Shirt: Music

the new decemberadio which i finally heard for the first time today and it rocks.

Amazon.com: Satisfied: Decemberadio: Music

chasen, candlefus, brandon heath and tenth avenue north bringing it all together....with those tunes and a handful of apps...should keep my ears busy for the next few days.

in related news....i did finally get the new 8.0.0.35 and iphone 2.1 release to work in spite of the problems i had a few days ago...just in time.

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Unusual as it was to have a Monday Men's final at the US Open, things at Flushing Meadows were up and running smoothly well before yesterday's 5pm match between defending champion Roger Federer and challenger Andy Murray. Crooner Harrick Connick Jr. helped get things underway by singing the national anthem, and onlookers included everyone from actress Natalie Portman....

...to Ralph and Ricki Lauren, who are seated behind singer Tony Bennett....

A rather fierce-looking Oscar de la Renta (during Fashion Week no less!) as well as Tom Brokaw & Star Jones.

As well as Melania and Donald Trump. It would appear the Donald would like young Baron Trump to observe the basic rules of good conduct whilst watching the match... or something. Perhaps a bit much to ask of someone that age, hmmm?

Honestly. Then we have actress Anne Hathaway and Ms. Jones again....

Along with Tobey Maguire, Jennifer Meyer, Marisol Thomas, and Rob Thomas (above), and Regis Philbin with his wife Joy, seen below.

Once again Mr. Federer prevailed. In rather short order we might add.

Season saved.

We don't believe we have ever (neverever) seen Mr. Federer look happier.

Just plain out pleased, able to enjoy the moment.

And then it is time to make the rounds.

More than one online publication or commentator used the word 'preppy' in referring to Mr. Federer today, and we would concur, his look certainly supports that descriptor, and not for the first time. BTW, for any fans wanting a red hat very similar to the one he wears, they are still available at his online shop, with a few other items, tee-shirts, calendars and the like.

We move on to other stars on another stage altogether now, and of course we're talking about Fashion Week, Day Six.

Remember the post when we mentioned that ace Maria Sharapova had invited Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin to the Peter Som show? Well, here they are last night, in front row seats, as promised. You see actresses Kate Mara and Elizabeth Banks on their left, and all are quite intent upon seeing the show. How tiny does young Nastia look in comparison to the others?!

It seemed utterly appropriate for Ms. Liukin to be in a gold dress; she looked radiant.

Nastia wasn't the only Olympian at the shows. In fact Olympic swimmer Dara Torres actually walked for designer Charles Nolan. The 41-year-old Olympic swimmer modeled two different looks, the first a vintage-inspired swimsuit and the second a black wrap dress.

The four-time Olympian carried her daughter Tessa for her first turn around the room during the show at the designer's studio in Chelsea. What an outstanding idea, and not the first time non-professional models have been used by the designer. As a blog post from the style writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer put it:

"Nolan's show is always enjoyable, thanks in part to his commitment to the inclusion of "real" people along with models on the runway. This season's batch included a holistic healer, a grandmother, a ferry boat captain, and oh yeah, a 12-time Olympic medalist."

We do love many of Nolan's styles, but it's possible we love his sketches even more:

PHOTO CREDITS: Matthew Stockman/Getty, Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for IMG, Nick Laham/Getty, Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images, REUTERS/Shaun Best, Chris McGrath/AFP/Getty Images

Septembrie... Septembrie e luna in care de acum 3 ani incep lucruri care la prima vedere nu par a fi cine stie ce, dar pe parcurs se dovedesc a fi foarte misto si pline. Asa ca momentan sunt in stadiu de proiecte multe si astept sa se intample ceva concret.

M-am intors la birou si am ajuns a treia oara la asociatie intr-o zi de 9 septembrie care e o poveste unica si complexa in sine. Wake me up when when september comes...

Soundtrack: Rob Thomas - Little wonders

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[dailymotion id=k3MJrpiIOEsfI2gnbh]

All of my regret
Will wash away somehow...
But I cannot forget
The way I feel right now.

It's funny when grown-ups sometimes need short stories and fairy tales more than kids do.

I realized how difficult it could be to let go of the things which not so long ago are just common simplicities of everyday.  I now know that those small things, in those small hours, are actually the things that make up what we call LIFE.

We can't turn back the time and it's useless to keep looking back to the has-beens in our lives.  We just need to accept that those things are in the past now, whether or not we gave a damn, and we need to just let it go...so we can move forward.

And in those little moments lost, we grew, and we learned.  But we can't keep gaining.  Sometimes we also need to LOSE.

Our lives is a long journey. We may feel like giving up sometimes, but the paradox of quitting is that when we stop, we begin to think, and then we realize that we really should get back on the road and finish what we started.

Then we keep moving forward. :)

"Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas, from the movie Meet The Robinsons

our lives are made
in these small hours

these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,

these small hours still remain.

I don't think either of the two shows discussed here will ascend to the classic level, even if one of them is a remake of a show that does kind of fit that moniker. But neither will, I think, suffer a premature death.

True Blood, of course, is lucky that it's on HBO, and doesn't have to worry about getting a full season order. I have to say, it doesn't particularly feel like an HBO show: there's nudity and plenty of kinky sex, sure, but the show - like its heroine - is chaste and even a little prudish at heart. But HBO is hospitable to things that are just slightly off-key, and they might be the perfect home for it.

The premise? Vampires exist, and because of the invention of synthetic blood ("Tru Blood") they no longer need to feed on humans. They've "come out of the coffin" about two years before the show begins, and have been fighting for equal rights ever since. Meanwhile, the humans use their blood ("V-juice") as a drug, and some of them have rather fetishistic sex with them (they're called, yes, "fangbangers").

The location isn't some big city or exotic European locale but a small town in Louisiana. Our main character is Sookie Stackhouse, who, despite the name and the short shorts she wears at work, is a true Southern lady. She's also a telepath. Then one day a mysterious stranger comes into the bar (tall, dark, and handsome, of course), whose thoughts she cannot hear. A vampire, of course, the first the town has ever seen. And naturally, sparks fly.

What the show has speaking for it is a firm grasp of the sweaty, sultry atmosphere, something Moonlight, last year's now-deceased vampire show, never achieved. I have no doubt Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) is to thank for that. It also has Anna Paquin as Sookie, and while I'm not yet convinced of her co-star, they do have sizzling chemistry. And well, I just have to love a show in which the main vampire is called... Bill.

It's a delightfully sleazy show with a sense of humor about itself, with plenty of vampire metaphors present but none of them intruding on storytelling. Still, I'm not really interested in the side characters yet, and they get quite a lot of screen time. And while I thought it was extremely refreshing to see Sookie (Vampire Bill pronounces it "sucky") rescue Bill in a very kick-ass, fearless fashion, she ends the episode as a stereotypical damsel in distress. I'll keep watching True Blood, absolutely, if only because I have a soft spot for vampires. But it'll have to prove itself, or it will go the way of Moonlight.

Then: 90210. Apparently, adding "Beverly Hills" was thought to be superfluous. Everybody's supposed to know "the zip", after all. I watched reruns of the original when I was in high school. Not religiously, but it was entertaining enough when you were zoning out in front of the TV after school. So I know who Brendon and Brenda are, Kelly, Dylan...after those, my memory gets a bit fuzzy.

Anyway, what about this new installment? Clearly spurred by the success of Gossip Girl, it tries to be more salacious, but it's actually fairly tame. I mean, the richest guy in school takes the new girl on a date BY JET TO SAN FRANCISCO, and... they don't even kiss. One guy gets a blow-job in his car, but that's pretty much how far it goes. I don't think Gossip Girl needs to fear anything in the OMFG! department.

Again, the premise is a family moving from hick-country (i.e. not L.A.) to Beverly Hills. Dad used to go to school there and will now be the principal, mom's from Kansas, frighteningly skinny daughter Annie likes to sing and act, (adopted) son Dixon is struggling with being the principal's son and black in an almost exclusively white school. The other characters are spoiled brat Naomi, ex BFF "Silver", who makes crude animations for her blog, and Ethan, boyfriend to Naomi, the cheater mentioned before.

So far the show is... okish, I guess. Nothing to get very exited about, but no worse than the original - then again, if it's not better or at least slightly different, what's the point? Plot points revolve around such high school tropes as passing someone else's paper off as your own, pranks on rival Lacrosse teams, people walking in on other people kissing etc. Rob Thomas, of the great Veronica Mars, had a hand in this, but aside from the very Mac-like character of Silver, I'm not seeing it.

The most fun part, in fact, was grandma, played by none other than Jessica Walter aka. Lucille Bluth, her "ice-tea" firmly in hand, her tongue firmly in cheek, and with a colorful past she's not shy about. She is, despite some meta quotes in the rest, the only indication that there's any campy fun to be had here. The rest - including the tedious drama with the adults, among them a returning Kelly - seems like it's only fit for lazy afternoons after school. And unfortunately, I don't have those any more.

On Tuesday night, I was scuttling around packing canned meat and candles into a backpack and racing for a fenced wilderness fortress. Not because yet more hurricanes are headed for the coast, but because the seventh sign of the apocalypse had appeared.

I was enjoying the new 90210.

And this is coming from someone who absoultely could not stomach the original (and has trouble in general with soap operas about the traumas of the rich and pampered--I could only make it as far as the mint green suit in this week's Gossip Girl before I gave up in despair). But the dialogue was bouncy and the situations kitschy (drugs in a hollowed-out book! Dum dum duuuuuuum!) and the nods to the original hilariously cheesy. And watching Tristan Wilds, I could squint and almost believe that the saddest kids on The Wire made it out of the slums. It extended past my bedtime, leading me to put off watching the second half until the next day, but I was happily interested in finishing and therefore pretty surprised that the show was almost universally panned the next day.

When I saw the second half--which is really a second episode tacked to the first to create a super-sized premiere--I understood the critical roast. The zest brought by Rob Thomas and Mark Piznarski (the team behind the brilliant Veronica Mars pilot) left the zip code with them, leaving both characters and plot lines thinner than the actresses.

Curiously, the same thing happened during Wednesday's season premiere of Bones. Setting a lot of the action in the UK livened up a pedestrian mystery (with Torchwood's much-killed Suzie, Indira Varma, and Doctor Who's lesser medical student, Oliver Morgenstern, in the person of Ben Righton to entertain the BBC junkies among us), and the long-awaited arrival of Angela's husband provided some intrigue back at the Jeffersonian. The novelty wore off across two hours, however, with the shift to a new mystery feeling very much like a...second episode tacked to the first to create a super-sized premiere.

In both cases, we thought we were getting a treat--extra ice cream for being good kids. But in both cases, slowing down the pacing quickly deflated the excitement. If we'd seen only the first episode of 90210, would the CW have gotten a week of cheese-filled buzz instead of bad reviews? Would Bones fans be talking about whether Brennan's new flirtation would come between her and Booth rather than the fast and inexplicable breakup between Hodgins and Angela if we'd seen only the first half? On the other hand, we fondly remember the one-two punch of seeing both parts of The West Wing's "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" on the same night. Maybe all that means is that neither 90210 nor Bones (as much as we like it) is as good as The West Wing. But is there anything more to be gleaned here as to when to go for the two-hour premiere and when not to? Because we'd like to think we deserve extra ice cream sometimes.

Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas

A nova ova investida de Rob Thomas no universo adolescente rico americano nos leva, ou melhor, leva a minha geração de volta ao West Beverly High e agora tendo Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) como guidance counselor.

Tenho que admitir que o que mais me divertiu nessa primeira olhada foram as referências ao original. Ver Kelly e Brenda juntas, o Peach Pit com o Ned lá, a Erin - irmã da Kelly e do David - toda crescida são só as ligações mais óbvias com “Barrados no Baile”, mas foi quado ouvi a âncora do jornal do colégio se identificar como Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez que me bateu : eu sou uma adolescente da década de 90 e relamente acompanhei “Barrados”. Não entendeu ? Hannah é a filha da Andrea Zuckerman que trabalhava com o Brendon no jornal do colégio.

Mesmo tendo estreado com um especial de duas horas não dá para saber se vai ser um hit para competir com “Gossip Girl”, mas como tem a grife Rob Thomas estou disposta a acompanhar com uma certa atenção.

Esse é só o primeiro seriado a estrear na nova temporada, domingo tem True Blood e mais alguns dias as demais histórias que acompanho voltam com novos capítulos. Quer saber quando sua série favorita volta nos EUA? O site da TV Guide fez um calendário ótimo. Clique Aqui.

I started out adding all the apps I was sent.  Holy cow, there's some crap on there.  It makes you wonder who's sitting around designing those things.  I have since deleted most and stuck with the good stuff.  Mousehunt is definitely one of my favorites.  (I am not prejudiced, even though it was created by one of Gil's artists.)  iLike is also a gold standard, got to have my daily dose of Rob Thomas.  In the addicting catagory, I would definitely miss my never-ending movie quiz.  People have been telling me for years that I know too much useless trivia, and I have to agree when I can answer the questions about the movies I haven't even seen!

Blogging and facebook...

Welcome to the 21st century, Jen.

“Veronica Mars” é um daqueles seriados que eu via os anúncios e achava que deveria ser muito caído. Vamos combinar que ter como plot “estudante trabalha como detetive particular e investiga a morte de melhor amiga”não é dos mais atrativos. Relutei muito em assistir mas qual não foi a minha surpresa quando me apaixonei pelo seriado logo no piloto.

Todas as três temporadas foram trazidas pelo meu colega Paul Torrent de uma só vez. Com todos os episódios na mão tive a oportunidade de devora-los em tempo recorde, algo como dez dias. Esse é uma das grandes maravilhas e um dos maiores problemas de ser ter na mão vários episódios, é impossível parar de assistir, vê-se um depois do outro compulsivamente.

Degustando a primeira temporada de Veronica me dei conta de como ela é complexa e brilhantemente desenvolvida e isso gerou em mim todo um novo respeito em relação a Rob Thomas.

Já nas primeiras cenas de Veronica no colégio se descobre que esse não é um seriado adolescente qualquer. Veronica diz logo a que veio, conta que sua melhor amiga foi assassinada e que ela virou uma pária no colégio depois que foi drogada e violentada em uma festa. Os temas desenvolvidos ao longo dos episódios são todos nesse nível.

O que faz a diferença aqui é que tudo é embalado em diálogos inteligentes e com uma roupagem leve que faz o espectador nem perceber o peso do que está sendo discutido. Para mim isso é televisão de melhor qualidade, mas como tudo que é muito bom, ou muito inteligente, dura pouco foram só três temporadas.

O colunista da EW Michael Ausiello publicou que Thomas e a estrela da série Kristen Bell andaram conversando sobre a possível realização de um filme. Segundo o colunista a idéia de Veronica virar uma agente do FBI foi deixada de lado e toda uma nova idéia estaria sendo desenvolvida.