Angels and Demons
1. scream4noreason broke the news to me. Charlie's Angels season 4 is at last making its way to DVD.
The release date is July 21. You cannot conceive how ecstatic this has made me. I hope (probably against hope) that they've cleaned up the prints and added subtitles. It's so hard to believe that at this late date in the 21st century, there are DVDs being released without subtitles. I also hope that the season premiere is packaged as a single, 2-hour episode as it originally aired and not as two 1-hour episodes. This has not been the case for seasons 2 and 3, but I've got my fingers crossed. But of course, even without these enhancements, there is Shelley Hack. Ah, Miss Hack! I may take July 21 off from work just so I can spend the day with her. (The DVD cover above make Miss Hack -- the tallest of the Angels -- look shorter than she actually was.)
2. Someone at the office asked me who my favorite Angel was, and of course I answered "Shelley Hack." "It's funny," she said, "all the men I ask that question to say 'Shelley Hack'." Funny indeed! Maybe it was the women who were generating all the hate back in 1979.
3. I was disturbed yesterday by two fantasies I had, one each driving to and from work, involving Jake McDorman.
My crush on him bothers me. He's so young, and we would have nothing in common. One thing I like about him is that he is holding onto his baby fat -- which is not going to serve him in the long run in Hollywood but which Uncle Cliffy admires. And the poor lad is not a good actor -- well, not the best actor. He's got a lot of work and training to do before he can pull himself out and distinguish himself the pack of similar, better chiseled younglings populating the television and the cinema in such numbers. And it looks as if his character on Greek is becoming a bit ... unnecessary. The conflicts he was involved in have moved elsewhere. I hope the writers come up with something new for him. But it's okay. He can come stay with me until he gets back on his feet.
4. Speaking of "chiseled younglings," I took this morning off and saw the new Star Trek. There are those who find the leads attractive, but I am not one of them -- though the kid playing Chekov is adorable. And of course, there's Karl Urban. And Simon Pegg is funny. And a cutie too.
The movie itself is a good one. But if you're a fan of the original series, I suggest you jettison what you know or think you know or remember, because the franchise has been jumpstarted and rebooted. Nonexistent relationships are, well, existent, and there is the obligatory time travel conundrums that will make what you know obsolete. Oh, and I have to tell you that I long for the return to the days when cameras are once again held still and steady and the action moves across the screen, instead of everything moving all the time and nary a still frame is on view for the entire 120 minutes of a film. The movie is exhausting ... on the retinas.
5. I'm almost finished reading Thackeray's Vanity Fair. This is at least my fifth read. I read it once in college and once in grad school, once after grad school for fun when I was working graveyard at the answering service in 1991-2, and once taking the Metro to and from the World Future Society. And there might be another time as well. Funny, there are huge hunks of it I have no recollection of having ever read. Things that are reading as fresh as a first read. Plot points that ring absolutely no bells. Which strikes me as odd. Whether I remember any of it or not, it's one of my favorite books of all time, and I have enjoyed this visit with it immensely.
6. I'll be working this weekend, most likely all day Sunday. There's a big proposal going out next week, and I will have at least 8 full hours with the document. Alone. With any luck, everyone in the office who is involved with this project will stay at home and celebrate Mother's Day. That is the plan -- the President of the company has given everyone Sunday off, and I hope they all stick to it. All I need is to have the standard flock of office harpies flapping around while I need to concentrate. I'm looking forward to the silence.
7. 19,000 miles today. It seems like this last 1,000 miles went by quickly, though I'm sure it didn't any faster than usual.
The release date is July 21. You cannot conceive how ecstatic this has made me. I hope (probably against hope) that they've cleaned up the prints and added subtitles. It's so hard to believe that at this late date in the 21st century, there are DVDs being released without subtitles. I also hope that the season premiere is packaged as a single, 2-hour episode as it originally aired and not as two 1-hour episodes. This has not been the case for seasons 2 and 3, but I've got my fingers crossed. But of course, even without these enhancements, there is Shelley Hack. Ah, Miss Hack! I may take July 21 off from work just so I can spend the day with her. (The DVD cover above make Miss Hack -- the tallest of the Angels -- look shorter than she actually was.)
2. Someone at the office asked me who my favorite Angel was, and of course I answered "Shelley Hack." "It's funny," she said, "all the men I ask that question to say 'Shelley Hack'." Funny indeed! Maybe it was the women who were generating all the hate back in 1979.
3. I was disturbed yesterday by two fantasies I had, one each driving to and from work, involving Jake McDorman.
My crush on him bothers me. He's so young, and we would have nothing in common. One thing I like about him is that he is holding onto his baby fat -- which is not going to serve him in the long run in Hollywood but which Uncle Cliffy admires. And the poor lad is not a good actor -- well, not the best actor. He's got a lot of work and training to do before he can pull himself out and distinguish himself the pack of similar, better chiseled younglings populating the television and the cinema in such numbers. And it looks as if his character on Greek is becoming a bit ... unnecessary. The conflicts he was involved in have moved elsewhere. I hope the writers come up with something new for him. But it's okay. He can come stay with me until he gets back on his feet.
4. Speaking of "chiseled younglings," I took this morning off and saw the new Star Trek. There are those who find the leads attractive, but I am not one of them -- though the kid playing Chekov is adorable. And of course, there's Karl Urban. And Simon Pegg is funny. And a cutie too.
The movie itself is a good one. But if you're a fan of the original series, I suggest you jettison what you know or think you know or remember, because the franchise has been jumpstarted and rebooted. Nonexistent relationships are, well, existent, and there is the obligatory time travel conundrums that will make what you know obsolete. Oh, and I have to tell you that I long for the return to the days when cameras are once again held still and steady and the action moves across the screen, instead of everything moving all the time and nary a still frame is on view for the entire 120 minutes of a film. The movie is exhausting ... on the retinas.
5. I'm almost finished reading Thackeray's Vanity Fair. This is at least my fifth read. I read it once in college and once in grad school, once after grad school for fun when I was working graveyard at the answering service in 1991-2, and once taking the Metro to and from the World Future Society. And there might be another time as well. Funny, there are huge hunks of it I have no recollection of having ever read. Things that are reading as fresh as a first read. Plot points that ring absolutely no bells. Which strikes me as odd. Whether I remember any of it or not, it's one of my favorite books of all time, and I have enjoyed this visit with it immensely.
6. I'll be working this weekend, most likely all day Sunday. There's a big proposal going out next week, and I will have at least 8 full hours with the document. Alone. With any luck, everyone in the office who is involved with this project will stay at home and celebrate Mother's Day. That is the plan -- the President of the company has given everyone Sunday off, and I hope they all stick to it. All I need is to have the standard flock of office harpies flapping around while I need to concentrate. I'm looking forward to the silence.
7. 19,000 miles today. It seems like this last 1,000 miles went by quickly, though I'm sure it didn't any faster than usual.