Apparently, I'm still lame at updating.
I have to be honest - I don't mind having hiatuses from television shows. It gives me a little breather just in case the show was starting to feel like a chore. And if that wasn't the case - well, it gives me something to look forward to, right?
Also, the extra time apparently convinces my friends that I need something else to watch. And that, my friends, is How I Met....well, Barney Stinson, really. I'd heard that How I Met Your Mother was hilarious, but I didn't have the time to fit it into my schedule. Besides that, I seem to be really bad at watching comedies every week. I get more drawn into the dramatic shows and are more inclined to watch those instead. So while there are comedic shows I've always enjoyed - Scrubs, The Office, and I'm pretty certain I would love 30 Rock - the desire to watch every week just isn't there.
Having said that, though.....when my friend handed me the first season DVDs of HIMYM and told me I absolutely HAD to watch, I went along with it. And I found that I truly enjoyed the show - or most notably, Neil Patrick Harris. While I find the other characters fun (Alyson Hannigan never ceases to be adorable), it's obvious the real star of it all is Barney. So yes, while I'm not going to add the show to my weekly line-up (I have three more seasons to catch up on! And too much Monday night TV as it is!), I will definitely be checking out the rest of the DVDs in the future.
My friend also lent me It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I'm a few episodes in, and I have to say, I'm amused, but I haven't been totally enchanted by it yet. I've had many people tell me that it gets better as it goes on, though, so I'm going to keep trudging through. I don't dislike it - I just don't feel the need to "have" to watch the next episode.
Moving on to some more slightly-recent television......
CSI - I had been sort of hit-or-miss on this one for a bit. It just seemed....weird....without Warrick and Grissom. (I don't count Sara, because....well, she was never really one of my favorites, whereas the others were). Don't get me wrong, Laurence Fishburne is doing a great job, and I actually like his character - but I wasn't sure how invested I was in the show anymore.
But I heard Taylor Swift was going to be on, and that for once, the episode would focus on Nick Stokes (yay! Poor underutlizied Nicky!), so I decided to check it out. Yes, I'll admit it - I'm a Taylor Swift fan. Because apparently I'm fifteen, but still. Either way, I wanted to see how her acting debut went.
Honestly, I thought she was really quite good. She didn't get to do a lot, granted, but I thought she did a nice job of showing the changes and deteroriation of Haley's character. More importantly, though, the show reminded me of something I had kind of forgotten: I have a ridiculous crush on Nick Stokes/George Eads. Now I know Nick cries at the drop of a hat, but I find that part of him pretty damn endearing. (I also wonder if Eads looks at the scripts and goes "Damn it, he's crying AGAIN?") So yeah, that ending where he broke down while talking to Langston kind of did me in. I'm not sure how long it will keep me around - because let's face it, now that we've gotten Our Annual Nick Stokes Special Episode, we'll only see him once per episode for the rest of the season.....but I'm going to give it another shot.
CSI: Miami - I have to say, I'm reaaaaallly disappointed in the Delko/Calleigh reveal. They pulled another Grissom/Sara, where the longing and seemingly unrequited love has been reduced to "Hey, guess what? They've been sleeping together all along! Fooled you!" Granted, I wasn't invested in Grissom/Sara (uhm, at all), so while I rolled my eyes at it, it didn't really bother me so much. With Delko and Calleigh, it did. I wanted to see that moment of the first kiss, that moment where Delko realizes that Calleigh feels the same way. And I feel kind of punked that we didn't get it. Sigh.
Other than that - I was about to shrug off this week's episode until I realized that Tara, the new medical examiner, was stealing pain pills. They had mentioned her shoulder injury earlier in the episode, but it was slipped in so quietly that I didn't think anything of it until the end. I thought that was awesome. I had the feeling that Tara was going to be relegated to an extra with no story of her own (uhm, like Natalia Boa Vista...), so I'm kind of excited at this turn of events.
NCIS - Still love me some Tony. Still love me some NCIS in general. I don't think I have too much else to say about that.
Other random television news....I hear that Without a Trace and Cold Case are in danger of being canceled. I'm disappointed about that rumor, simply because I used to be invested in both shows. Unfortunately, their current seasons have done nothing for me, and with everything else I was watching, something had to get cut.....and they were the ones that lost out. Still don't really want to see them canceled, though. There are some damn good actors on both shows.
And finally, because I clearly didn't prove that I'm a teenager in an adult's body by admitting my love for Taylor Swift.....let's talk about Twilight.
I wasn't going to do it. When something is so oversaturated, I tend to refuse to get involved out of spite. (See Harry Potter, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, etc.) But then all of my friends started reading the series, and damn it, it sounded intriguing. I was a bit pissed at myself when I bought the first book. I won't even lie about that.
But - I bought it. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I'll put it out there right away that I'm a Team Edward girl. I'm not going to pretend the guy was perfect, but he grated on my nerves a little less than Jacob did. That's not to say I didn't like Jacob - I did. He was very loyal, steadfast, funny.....but if I had to choose between the two, Edward won.
However, a part of me is wildly disappointed that Jacob and Rosalie didn't somehow end up together, because HA!
My friends warned me that the series got weirder as it went out. One of them said she flat-out hated the fourth book. The other one said it definitely wasn't her favorite, but she didn't hate it. At that point, I was too invested not to keep going, so I did. And yeah......Breaking Dawn was exceptionally weird. I don't know how to explain it, but it seemed like a pretty big departure from the first book in the series. Maybe that was the point, but yeah.....it almost felt like I was reading an entirely different series for awhile there.
And seriously - Renesmee? Really? See, I liked her middle name, Carlie. Not only was it, you know, less insane (and this is coming from a girl named Chez, by the way), but I thought it carried more meaning. Yes, Bella obviously loved both Renee and Esme, but I think out of all the adults, Carlisle and Charlie carried more weight and played a more important role in both Bella's and Edward's lives. But, you know. That's just me.
I think what mostly got me about the final book is how....pat?....everything turned out. Granted, I probably would have been pissed if I didn't get a happy ending. But it was all wrapped up so neatly. Jacob's feelings for Bella - and Bella's grief at Jacob being the odd one out - were negated by Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. (And seriously, how did I not see that coming? I knew with everyone else imprinting, he would have to, but.....yeah). The worry that Renesmee was aging so rapidly that she would die early was washed away when Alice and Jasper showed up with whats-his-face from the jungle. And the showdown with the Volturi.....I mean, sure, it was intense and all of that, but it was literally all talk and no action. I suppose it makes sense - they all admitted that if it came down to a physical brawl, they'd lose - but it just seemed like another case of it all being built up, only to be swept under the carpet. Hell, even the angle of Bella losing her loved ones once she changed was dropped - Charlie was weirded out, sure, but overall he kind of went "Eh. So, this is odd, but whatever."
I don't know. I probably would have been annoyed if there had been any loose ends. I know that. But it almost felt TOO clean. Like Bella becoming a newborn.....all of that worry and paranoia for what? Apparently, she can out-vamp the actual vampires. (Having said that, I felt a little sorry for Jasper - he was the loose cannon in the family, and rather looking forward to somebody else taking over that role). I also found it kind of interesting that they never really explained WHY Bella was so adept at making the change. I mean, they posited that it could be because she had prepared herself for it mentally, but that didn't seem set in stone. Ah, well.
Oh, actually, there was one loose end......I really felt kind of sorry for Leah and wondered what her future was going to be like. Even though I knew, deep down, that Jacob would eventually imprint (I wasn't expecting Renesmee, but still...), I was hoping for a future with Jacob and Leah. They built up a grudging respect between the two of them, and let's face it - you have to feel bad for Leah. First she gets dumped by the love of her life - for her cousin! - then she finds out she's a werewolf (the only girl werewolf, no less), then she FINALLY finds a place to belong with Jacob and Seth.....and oh, wait, he's imprinted on the vampire baby, so there goes that.
Like I said, though.....it makes me wonder about her future. Eventually, the Cullens will have to move on, because that's what they do. I'm assuming Jacob will follow, because of Renessme. (On that note - do the werewolves ever have to move on? They don't age either, at least not until they can control themselves, right?) So what happens to the rest of Jacob's pack? They said something along the lines of Jacob and Sam kind of being "co-alpha males". But would the Clearwaters really stay behind? Seth seems just as devoted to the Cullens as Jacob is, and Leah obviously doesn't want to go back to the old pack. So what then?
See. I find a loose end and I'm STILL not happy. Go figure.
Anyway.....all complaints aside, I'm pretty invested in these damn books. I haven't seen the movie yet. I plan to - at the risk of sounding like a pervert, Robert Pattinson is kind of intriguing. Which makes absolutely no sense, since he looks rather greasy and unkempt. It seems like everyone who has read the books dislikes the movie, though, so we'll see what happens.
ETA: I almost forgot....Midnight Sun. Of course, I had to go check out the excerpt from that, as well. And naturally, now I'm kind of pissed that I won't get to read the whole thing. I guess I can see where Meyer is coming from.....but it does seem a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. And honestly, even in the little bit of the book that I got to read, I find Edward's story infinitely more intriguing than Bella's. I'm sure eight billion teenage girls would agree. She's pretty much got a for-sure blockbuster on her hands, so I'm hoping she'll eventually be swayed to finish it up.
Also, one last Twilight-related note: Who is Heidi? I was hearing rumors that they had signed AnnaLynne McCord to play Heidi in New Moon - which apparently were untrue - but I can't remember for the life of me who Heidi is supposed to be.
Also, the extra time apparently convinces my friends that I need something else to watch. And that, my friends, is How I Met....well, Barney Stinson, really. I'd heard that How I Met Your Mother was hilarious, but I didn't have the time to fit it into my schedule. Besides that, I seem to be really bad at watching comedies every week. I get more drawn into the dramatic shows and are more inclined to watch those instead. So while there are comedic shows I've always enjoyed - Scrubs, The Office, and I'm pretty certain I would love 30 Rock - the desire to watch every week just isn't there.
Having said that, though.....when my friend handed me the first season DVDs of HIMYM and told me I absolutely HAD to watch, I went along with it. And I found that I truly enjoyed the show - or most notably, Neil Patrick Harris. While I find the other characters fun (Alyson Hannigan never ceases to be adorable), it's obvious the real star of it all is Barney. So yes, while I'm not going to add the show to my weekly line-up (I have three more seasons to catch up on! And too much Monday night TV as it is!), I will definitely be checking out the rest of the DVDs in the future.
My friend also lent me It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I'm a few episodes in, and I have to say, I'm amused, but I haven't been totally enchanted by it yet. I've had many people tell me that it gets better as it goes on, though, so I'm going to keep trudging through. I don't dislike it - I just don't feel the need to "have" to watch the next episode.
Moving on to some more slightly-recent television......
CSI - I had been sort of hit-or-miss on this one for a bit. It just seemed....weird....without Warrick and Grissom. (I don't count Sara, because....well, she was never really one of my favorites, whereas the others were). Don't get me wrong, Laurence Fishburne is doing a great job, and I actually like his character - but I wasn't sure how invested I was in the show anymore.
But I heard Taylor Swift was going to be on, and that for once, the episode would focus on Nick Stokes (yay! Poor underutlizied Nicky!), so I decided to check it out. Yes, I'll admit it - I'm a Taylor Swift fan. Because apparently I'm fifteen, but still. Either way, I wanted to see how her acting debut went.
Honestly, I thought she was really quite good. She didn't get to do a lot, granted, but I thought she did a nice job of showing the changes and deteroriation of Haley's character. More importantly, though, the show reminded me of something I had kind of forgotten: I have a ridiculous crush on Nick Stokes/George Eads. Now I know Nick cries at the drop of a hat, but I find that part of him pretty damn endearing. (I also wonder if Eads looks at the scripts and goes "Damn it, he's crying AGAIN?") So yeah, that ending where he broke down while talking to Langston kind of did me in. I'm not sure how long it will keep me around - because let's face it, now that we've gotten Our Annual Nick Stokes Special Episode, we'll only see him once per episode for the rest of the season.....but I'm going to give it another shot.
CSI: Miami - I have to say, I'm reaaaaallly disappointed in the Delko/Calleigh reveal. They pulled another Grissom/Sara, where the longing and seemingly unrequited love has been reduced to "Hey, guess what? They've been sleeping together all along! Fooled you!" Granted, I wasn't invested in Grissom/Sara (uhm, at all), so while I rolled my eyes at it, it didn't really bother me so much. With Delko and Calleigh, it did. I wanted to see that moment of the first kiss, that moment where Delko realizes that Calleigh feels the same way. And I feel kind of punked that we didn't get it. Sigh.
Other than that - I was about to shrug off this week's episode until I realized that Tara, the new medical examiner, was stealing pain pills. They had mentioned her shoulder injury earlier in the episode, but it was slipped in so quietly that I didn't think anything of it until the end. I thought that was awesome. I had the feeling that Tara was going to be relegated to an extra with no story of her own (uhm, like Natalia Boa Vista...), so I'm kind of excited at this turn of events.
NCIS - Still love me some Tony. Still love me some NCIS in general. I don't think I have too much else to say about that.
Other random television news....I hear that Without a Trace and Cold Case are in danger of being canceled. I'm disappointed about that rumor, simply because I used to be invested in both shows. Unfortunately, their current seasons have done nothing for me, and with everything else I was watching, something had to get cut.....and they were the ones that lost out. Still don't really want to see them canceled, though. There are some damn good actors on both shows.
And finally, because I clearly didn't prove that I'm a teenager in an adult's body by admitting my love for Taylor Swift.....let's talk about Twilight.
I wasn't going to do it. When something is so oversaturated, I tend to refuse to get involved out of spite. (See Harry Potter, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, etc.) But then all of my friends started reading the series, and damn it, it sounded intriguing. I was a bit pissed at myself when I bought the first book. I won't even lie about that.
But - I bought it. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I'll put it out there right away that I'm a Team Edward girl. I'm not going to pretend the guy was perfect, but he grated on my nerves a little less than Jacob did. That's not to say I didn't like Jacob - I did. He was very loyal, steadfast, funny.....but if I had to choose between the two, Edward won.
However, a part of me is wildly disappointed that Jacob and Rosalie didn't somehow end up together, because HA!
My friends warned me that the series got weirder as it went out. One of them said she flat-out hated the fourth book. The other one said it definitely wasn't her favorite, but she didn't hate it. At that point, I was too invested not to keep going, so I did. And yeah......Breaking Dawn was exceptionally weird. I don't know how to explain it, but it seemed like a pretty big departure from the first book in the series. Maybe that was the point, but yeah.....it almost felt like I was reading an entirely different series for awhile there.
And seriously - Renesmee? Really? See, I liked her middle name, Carlie. Not only was it, you know, less insane (and this is coming from a girl named Chez, by the way), but I thought it carried more meaning. Yes, Bella obviously loved both Renee and Esme, but I think out of all the adults, Carlisle and Charlie carried more weight and played a more important role in both Bella's and Edward's lives. But, you know. That's just me.
I think what mostly got me about the final book is how....pat?....everything turned out. Granted, I probably would have been pissed if I didn't get a happy ending. But it was all wrapped up so neatly. Jacob's feelings for Bella - and Bella's grief at Jacob being the odd one out - were negated by Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. (And seriously, how did I not see that coming? I knew with everyone else imprinting, he would have to, but.....yeah). The worry that Renesmee was aging so rapidly that she would die early was washed away when Alice and Jasper showed up with whats-his-face from the jungle. And the showdown with the Volturi.....I mean, sure, it was intense and all of that, but it was literally all talk and no action. I suppose it makes sense - they all admitted that if it came down to a physical brawl, they'd lose - but it just seemed like another case of it all being built up, only to be swept under the carpet. Hell, even the angle of Bella losing her loved ones once she changed was dropped - Charlie was weirded out, sure, but overall he kind of went "Eh. So, this is odd, but whatever."
I don't know. I probably would have been annoyed if there had been any loose ends. I know that. But it almost felt TOO clean. Like Bella becoming a newborn.....all of that worry and paranoia for what? Apparently, she can out-vamp the actual vampires. (Having said that, I felt a little sorry for Jasper - he was the loose cannon in the family, and rather looking forward to somebody else taking over that role). I also found it kind of interesting that they never really explained WHY Bella was so adept at making the change. I mean, they posited that it could be because she had prepared herself for it mentally, but that didn't seem set in stone. Ah, well.
Oh, actually, there was one loose end......I really felt kind of sorry for Leah and wondered what her future was going to be like. Even though I knew, deep down, that Jacob would eventually imprint (I wasn't expecting Renesmee, but still...), I was hoping for a future with Jacob and Leah. They built up a grudging respect between the two of them, and let's face it - you have to feel bad for Leah. First she gets dumped by the love of her life - for her cousin! - then she finds out she's a werewolf (the only girl werewolf, no less), then she FINALLY finds a place to belong with Jacob and Seth.....and oh, wait, he's imprinted on the vampire baby, so there goes that.
Like I said, though.....it makes me wonder about her future. Eventually, the Cullens will have to move on, because that's what they do. I'm assuming Jacob will follow, because of Renessme. (On that note - do the werewolves ever have to move on? They don't age either, at least not until they can control themselves, right?) So what happens to the rest of Jacob's pack? They said something along the lines of Jacob and Sam kind of being "co-alpha males". But would the Clearwaters really stay behind? Seth seems just as devoted to the Cullens as Jacob is, and Leah obviously doesn't want to go back to the old pack. So what then?
See. I find a loose end and I'm STILL not happy. Go figure.
Anyway.....all complaints aside, I'm pretty invested in these damn books. I haven't seen the movie yet. I plan to - at the risk of sounding like a pervert, Robert Pattinson is kind of intriguing. Which makes absolutely no sense, since he looks rather greasy and unkempt. It seems like everyone who has read the books dislikes the movie, though, so we'll see what happens.
ETA: I almost forgot....Midnight Sun. Of course, I had to go check out the excerpt from that, as well. And naturally, now I'm kind of pissed that I won't get to read the whole thing. I guess I can see where Meyer is coming from.....but it does seem a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. And honestly, even in the little bit of the book that I got to read, I find Edward's story infinitely more intriguing than Bella's. I'm sure eight billion teenage girls would agree. She's pretty much got a for-sure blockbuster on her hands, so I'm hoping she'll eventually be swayed to finish it up.
Also, one last Twilight-related note: Who is Heidi? I was hearing rumors that they had signed AnnaLynne McCord to play Heidi in New Moon - which apparently were untrue - but I can't remember for the life of me who Heidi is supposed to be.