selenak

Random observation, apropos watching Mad Men, season 2: my Don Draper dislike has grown even stronger and may actually reach Bill Adama proportions. Though with Don I'm half way sure this was not unintentional on the writers' part (until, that is, I come across another quote raving about the "old fashioned masculinity" of Jon Hamm). BTW, this does not mean I think Don and Adama resemble each other. They're quite different characters, united only in transforming me into a bristling, hissing and spitting cat whenever they are on screen. And in being the lead of their respective shows, of course.

Multifandom recs:

Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures:

Wedding Night: you know, I usually don't ship Any Doctor/Companions romantically. (Loving the respective relationships as friendships is another matter.) Former companions are another matter, partly because I just feel more comfortable when they're on their own turf, so to speak, setting out the conditions, as opposed to being in the TARDIS and by definition dependent on him for transport and destination... and partly because in one particular case, I just can't resist the chemistry. By which I mean Sarah Jane Smith and the Tenth Doctor. (Sarah Jane and Three or Four are another matter. Enjoy watching them together, enjoy reading them together as friends, do not want romance.) This particular vignette is an epilogue to The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, and at the same time affectionate, angry, sad and funny, much like Sarah Jane feels.

Torchwood/Doctor Who:

Aliens of London: another exception to a general rule, in this case that I usually don't rec WIPs. (Mostly because some are never finished, and I know I find this frustrating as a reader, so I tend to wait with the recs until the WIP is completed by its author.) But I just found a work in progress that was irresistable to me on several counts: 1.) It's post-Children of Earth and stars Alice Carter, who's working with Johnson, 2.) it co-stars the Doctor (pre-End of Time in his personal timeline, but after it in Alice's, and as you can imagine, a certain question asked by Gwen in CoE is a central issue), and 3) Gwen Cooper has a great supporting role. All like catnip to me, and I can't wait for it to continue. Meanwhile, read the three chapters already posted.

Merlin:

Gwen meta! I was hoping there would be some during Halfamoon time, and lo and behold, there is.

Current Mood: impressed
Current Location: Munich

Somewhat belatedly, because I'm behind these days (and keep those links coming): so, the Emmy nominations are there. They make me conclude that I might be watching too much tv; as opposed to previous years there are actually categories in which I'm familiar with almost or all candidates. This makes the rooting tricky at times - take the "outstanding lead actor in a drama series". Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan or Hugh Laurie as Gregory House? Despite the fact I have some mixed feels re: season 2 - not loss of quality feelings, I hasten to add, the show remained on top of its game, feelings as to the content - and despite enjoying Hugh L. I must say my vote would go to Michael C. Hall, who is awesome and never over the top in a role that practically invites it. I'm afraid neither of them will win, though, since Mad Men is such a critics' darling and Jon Hamm is also nominated. (He's good as Don Draper, but easily trumped by either Hall or Laurie; imo, of course.)

I'm glad

londonkds recced Damages for me so I can root for Glenn Close as outstanding actress for better reasons than general admiration. Patty is the kind of morally ambiguous (and middle-aged!) role still sadly mostly given to men on tv, and she rocks in it.

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series is torment, because there are two Damages and one Lost guys nominated, all of whom I would be happy to see winning. Still, despite some wavering in the direction of Zeljko Ivanek as Ray Fiske, I can't resist favouring Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus. He was great from the moment he first showed up in later s2, and s4 in many ways has been the season of Ben. He really deserves that Emmy. Again, I'm afraid the fact Damages has two nominations splitting loyalties (Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher is also nominated) and they'll go for the Mad Men guy instead, John Slattery as Roger Sterling. Which will make me cross. If Emerson doesn't get it, either Ivanek or Danson really should.

Outstanding Drama series has Dexter versus Damages versus Lost versus Mad Men versus House. (Oh, and Boston Legal, but I still haven't watched that.) See my dilemma? I shall surpress my inner fan and my unresolved issues and go with Dexter because all being said and done, it does what Mad Men, Damages and House do and does it better. (Which is to say: the characters are as flawed and a product of their background, the writing as good, but as opposed to Mad Men or Damages I care for the entire ensemble, not just some of them, and as opposed to House those characters do have lives that don't center around the lead.) While Lost has had a wonderful fourth season, it isn't quite on that level.

Lastly: biggest surprise? That Battlestar Galactica made it into one of the not-technical categories. Sadly not in one of the acting ones (or happily, because if Mary McDonnell were nominated I couldn't root for Glen Close, and James Callis would make me waver in my Ben/Emerson loyalities, but it did get nominated in "Outstanding writing for a drama series", where the episode in question runs against two from Mad Men, one from Damages and one from the Wire, so I don't expect BSG to win. (Genre prejudice and all, pluse there are formidable opponents.) Still, one episode got nominated... and it was written by fannish bete noir, Michael Angeli. Six of One, to be precise. Which I recall was very good (as Cylon-centric episodes tend to be, but then I'm biased), but I'm surprised the show's creators didn't supply The Hub.

Current Mood: surprised
Current Location: Jimbaran, Bali

Another hotel, another expensive internet connection. (Ah, Los Angeles, where they gave me one for free...) Today I'm in Osnabrück, which is always somewhat odd to me. It's my father's and paternal grandfather's hometown, and yet I hardly know it. My grandfather who moved to Bamberg after the war because he couldn't bear the sight of bombed cities anymore and Bamberg hadn't been bombed as opposed to Osnabrück always planned to come back after his retirement, because he did love his old hometown. But in the end, he didn't; he had grown too much rooted in his new hometown. When I was a child, we used to visit since we still had family there then, but today everyone has either moved elsewhere or died. Still, when I listen to the local accents I remember my grandfather and his transplanted northerness in the south, his stories and passions for long walks during which he told those stories, and I miss him.

Considering my online time is limited, some thoughts on shows I watch but don't review nor do intend to.

Mad Men: has the rare distinction of being watchable to me despite my disliking every single male character in the cast, especially the leading man. (The women, by contrast, grew on me, and I do like them all in varying degrees.) The thing is, my appreciation for it is almost purely intellectual, and I don't connect with it on an emotional basis. You'd think with my penchant for screwed up characters (which every single one, male or female, on this show is), I would, but no. I also can't shake off my suspicion that while with the rest of the guys we're meant to see them as flawed as they are, we're not in the case of the lead, or rather regard his flaws as completely understandable and endearing. Mind you, he has one advantage over that other leading man I ~~loathe~~ do not much like, Jack Shephard on Lost: he's not boring. (Jack only became interesting in the last two episodes of s3 to me, though now I actually want to know how his storyline continues, very much so.) Still. I loathe Don Draper the way everyone else loathes the show's closest thing to his antagonist. Which might be why I have such trouble connecting with Mad Men on an emotional level, considering Don really is the central lead, much more than Jack Shephard is on Lost.

Pushing Daisies: is very cute.

rozk recommended the pilot ages ago, and

honorh reminded me the show now started, so I watched the second episode. However, it's like candy - I get the sense that one can easily overdose on the sweetness and quirkyness. In a way, it and Mad Men balance each other. All acid versus all adorability. But Mad Men ends soon and then I shall see whether I can keep up with the twee-ness without feeling the overdose.

Lastly, a link:

Heroes:

Via

katemonkey, some incredibly cute icons.

Current Mood: confused
Current Location: Osnabrück

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