mysticonnie's blog

Can't. Frakkin'. Wait.

2008-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

BSG season 4 in 24 hours!

what i'm up to...

2008-04-01T23:13:00.000-07:00

watching... as you wish!

listening to...

TiVoing... It's not the best thing ever, but I like to support the Buffy alums. Besides, just wait till the Sparkles mall tour comes to town! I'm so there.

surfing... Does anyone else remember the Babysitters' Club books? I think I liked Stacy or Dawn the most but damn, Claudia's ensembles would fit right in with Dolores Park nowadays. I was way into them in like, 5th grade, along with Sweet Valley High. It was disillusioning to learn firsthand that high school was not like that (or Grease, for that matter) and more like Buffy.

wanting... friday to be here already, so I can FINALLY watch BSG season 4.

what i'm up to...

2008-03-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

reading... a painfully accurate account of academia and family

listening to... still as fresh today as it was 20 years ago. Bono looks so young!

watching ... the book, especially its ending, was better, but I still enjoyed it. It's a frothy little fairy tale, much in the vein of The Princess Bride, and I have to say, I enjoyed the addition of Robert De Niro's character. Much better than the BBC adaptation of Neverwhere.

tivoing... Go Sun! You smack that Juliet bitch around some more!

wanting... my preordered Battlestar Galactica Season 3 DVDs to arrive already! And for April 4 to come so I can watch season 4. I'm on a bit of a BSG kick here. Then again, when am I not?

fangirl dreams quashed

2008-03-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

so my fantasy of Joss Whedon directing a BSG episode will never probably nevercome to fruition. :( Studios, you'd better give Dollhouse a much better chance than you did Firefly, or I swear, you'll have a riot on you hands! Well, it's nice to know that they at least tried. But in other (better) news, Caprica's been greenlit and Fray will pop up in the Buffy Season 8 comic.

Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup

2008-02-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

Zack and I just watched Across the Universe, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Zack did too, though maybe not as much as me. It's a musical love story set to Beatles songs during the Vietnam war movement. Lots of Beatles songs, and not much actual dialogue. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it actually works. I would say that I would have liked to see this in the theater, as the visuals are stunning, but Zack and I kept singing along to the movie... it's pretty hard to resist doing so, and while our fellow movie patrons might appreciate the sentiment, they might not appreciate it being actualized. Purists may object to the films adulteration of the songs, but I found myself developing a new appreciation (if that's at all possible) for the construction of the songs. Paul's songs dominate, which is fitting since it's a love story and mostly balads are used, but the title and the ending belong to John. They threw George a couple bones, and well, there were a few more songs I can think of that could be used before they got to Ringo. I challenge anyone who ever liked a Beatles song to watch this without at least humming along.

Backlash is inevitable

2008-01-30T21:56:00.000-08:00

I caved into the hype, and the bloggers are right: the new Vampire Weekend is pretty boss.

iPhone test

2008-01-16T00:17:00.001-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

in da club

2007-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

I gotta say, sometimes a highly touted status product lives up to its hype. Creme de la Mer, white truffles, Manolo Blahniks, Wolford tights... Some products surpass the hype and actually change your life. The iPod, TiVO, and now, the iPhone. Yep, that's right! It is soooo ginourmously awesome. Matter of fact, this post is being punched on MY iPhone. That's right bitches, MY iPhone.

Okay, sorry about the obnoxiousness. Just had to gloat.

I HATE COMCAST

2007-12-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

those motherfrakking JACKHOLES!!! ARRRRGGGGHHH.

Hmmm, I know what'll make me feel better.

What is it about wickedly impractical footwear that makes 'em so goddamn HAWT? These babies are seriously threatening my scheme to obtain an iphone! I swear, shoes must be my kryptonite. Zac Posen, you do not disappoint.

New guilty pleasure.

2007-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Gossip Girl. Not a particularly huge surprise, given all the comparisons to the OC. I'll admit that although this show is right down my alley, I resisted the OC, after all, is loosely based on my old 'hood, and I presumed that a show about Manhattan teen bluebloods wouldn't be all that. However, the pilot was free on iTunes, so I downloaded it and enjoyed it. I still was undecided whether the show was TiVO queue worthy, so I missed the subsequent episodes until last week, when the writers' strike started. Now I'm catching up, and I'm Team Blair all the way! Nate, the douchiest teen soap character to grace the tube since Marissa Cooper, doesn't deserve her. Serena's got the best closet, but beneath that golden girl exterior is a skank with a superiority complex who'll bang her best friend's boyfriend. Dan is a more manly and less geeky Seth Cohen, but Vanessa is the Oliver of the show. And Chuck well, he was pretty vile in the pilot, but with last week's episode, the writers have managed to make the sometime date rapist appear somewhat redeemable. What a mindfuck. What is it about those bad boys? Spike on Buffy, Logan on Veronica Mars, Sawyer on Lost, hell, Volchok (until he got wussy) on the OC.

happyhappyjoyjoy!

2007-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

aaaaaah!

sometimes, insomnia pays off

2007-10-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine the schwag possiblities?

2007-10-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Zack and I just saw The Darjeeling Limited, and even he admits that that the plot central luggage set specially designed by Marc Jacobs/Louis Vuitton for the film is an object of desire.

I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, but I felt underwhelmed by his last endeavor, The Life Aquatic, especially as a follow up to one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums. Style without substance, we said, as we left the theater. The Darjeeling Limited is a return to form, a study on fractured familial relationships, especially between siblings (brothers), with an undercurrent of grief (their father died one year earlier). Like Rushmore, it's a boys' movie, but it's also a quest (like the Life Aquatic). The latest addition to Anderson's cast of characters, Adrien Brody, injects a certain melancholy vulnerability that was missing from The Life Aquatic. I hope he pops up in Anderson's movies again. And one can't help be feel a weirdly prescient (imagined or not) vibe in Owen Wilson's performance as the oldest brother who has recently survived a motorcycle accident that may have been on purpose. As usual, the mise en scene (including that luggage) and the soundtrack is impeccable.

So....

2007-09-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

we received the DVD for season 1 of Heroes last week. Zack and I had been religiously avoiding watching or reading anything about the show, since it appeared to be the kind of serialized show that ought to be watched from episode 1 on, so we decided early on to pre order the DVD whenever it became available. All I really knew was that the premise was about ordinary people discovering that they had extraodinary powers and that there was a cuddly looking time traveling Japanese dude that all the fans were going bananas over. Oh, and of course, "save the cheerleader, save the world." Over Labor Day weekend, I managed to log in serious time mowing through the show (I'm up to episode 20); the new season starts in three weeks. So yes, it's very addictive. And worth watching.

Now, let me just say that I had a few reservations before I started watching. It's a show I should like - I've read comic books since I was a teenager, I go for the sci-fi/fantasy genre stuff and I'm anti-reality TV (okay, maybe except for Project Runway). But with few exceptions (Lost, Sex and the City) I'm pretty wary of a highly popular show; shows I like are usually not (Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars). Then they're cancelled (Arrested Development, Carnivale, Freaks and Geeks). And I dunno, the show seemed like a blatant X-Men ripoff. Plus, petite blond indestructible cheerleader? Blatant Buffy ripoff. But actually, it's done pretty well. By emphasizing the relationships between the characters, the show fleshes out the humanity of the characters - Matt the cop, and his wife, Mohinder and his departed father, Hiro and his friend Ando, Claire and her father, and (I think) most compellingly, the Petrelli brothers Nathan and Peter. Don't get me wrong - someone once tried to throw down and tried to say that Battlestar Galactica had nothing on Heroes (this person had never seen BSG before). I realize that they're two different shows... but BSG is more relevant to current events. More real, believe it or not. The storylines are a bit more Shakespearean, (though Mrs. Petrelli could give Gertrude a run for her money. Then again, the fans don't call Ellen Tigh Lady MacTigh for nothing. And Edward James Olmos and Mary MacDonnell carry just a little bit more gravitas on the acting front. Heroes is fantasy, a fairy tale. But I think I can find a place for both in my fangirl world.

Yay!!!!

2007-09-04T19:49:00.004-07:00

We have just acquired our first Apple computer (since the Macintosh Color Classic from my college days, that is). It rules!

Synchronicity

2007-08-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

I love it when my iPod suddenly plays a song that is
perfect for the moment. Like the time I was driving
through the grapevine, and suddenly, "Wake Up" by
Arcade Fire came on just as the fireworks started to
explode over Magic Mountain. And this weekend,
"Somebody Told Me" started to play as I looked out the
airplane window and saw that beam of light shooting
out the Luxor over the Strip. (What? It's the
Killers' hometown.)

Speaking of which, there are definite advantages
clubbing in Vegas with a pack of eight girls. No
problems getting in, no lines, no cover charges and
free drink tickets.

How can I resist?

2007-08-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Cribbed from Jen, ten songs from the early 90's. I had to expand the allowance... this is pretty hard for me, because I consider this period of time to be my "formative years" in terms of musical tastes. I spent an awful lot of time driving around in Orange County and L.A., listening to KROQ and scouring record shops for rare vinyl singles, imports and bootlegs. I swear, I almost killed my parents when they dumped my vinyl collection while I was in college. To tighten the category, I'm just going to exclude grunge and the Seattle sound, and everything has to have been released between 1990 and mid 1993. And I'm not exactly going to call them "top" 'cause I'm sure this list will change completely next week, they're just ten that I loved and listened to a lot, and ten that I still love. So, in no particular order (to quote Jane's Addiction) "here we go!"

1. Kool Thing, Sonic Youth. I found the cassette tape for Goo on a really hot day (they were handing out Fruitopias - remember those?) at the Fairfax and Melrose flea market for 99 cents. Score! I think I still have it.

2. World in My Eyes. Depeche Mode. Remember when albums had like, at least 5 or 6 good songs?

3. P.J. Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig. Peej could totally kick the ass of any Lilith Fair performer.

4. Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones. This song, along with Unbelievable (EMF) dominated the summer of 1990.

5. Rush - Big Audio Dynamite. Is it just me, or do PB&J sample the drum loop from this song for Young Folks?

6. Getting Away With It - Electronic. Like a Britpop wet dream. All that's needed is Damon Albarn.

7. Pixies - Head On. For a long time, I thought Jesus and Mary Chain were covering them. And I've actually seen Jesus and Mary Chain live.

8. Trapped in a Box - No Doubt. Back when they were still ska. Hey, I gotta give props - they're from the County of Orange. I actually owned this album at one time. On vinyl.

9. Stop Whispering - Radiohead. I actually saw these guys play at a downtown LA club while they were promoting Pablo Honey, and they were the opening act! For Belly. Yeesh. I'm old.

10. Even Better Than the Real Thing - U2. Saving the best for last. You've had to have seen these guys coming. I picked this song cause I don't hear it on the radio as much, but the guitar hook is such a radical departure from the Joshua Tree. Plus the video's cool. It's amazing that Achtung Baby was released over 15 years ago, and it still sounds fresh. Remember when albums had like, 12 great songs?

can I just say...

2007-08-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

that I REALLY HATE that "Hey There Delilah" song that always seems to be playing whenever I flip the dial past Alice on the radio? It's right up there with that James Blunt "Beautiful" or Hoobastink "The Reason" song. Not only is it a lameass acoustic emo wannabe, but who the hell names their child "Delilah" anyways? It's like naming her Jezebel or Salome. Not that I'm all into the Bible beating, but really. Especially the stupid D.J. who's all "hey, I'd like to be Delilah!" What a tool.

The not yet Friday Five

2007-08-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

Current obsessions:

1. Street fashion
2. Flight of the Conchords. It's business time!
3. Kimchi
4. Vegas, baby!
5. The June 16 podcast of This American Life, "Big Wide World" (No. 335) aka "I was a teenage Saddam propogandist." It just combines so many elements of prototypical TAL shows really well - teenage coming of age, the realization of family ties and parental love and duty, and of course, gritty accounts of the war in Iraq.

Confession!

2007-07-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

I generally eschew reality television, but last night,
out of morbid curiousity, I broke down and watched
Victoria Beckham's (aka "Posh Spice") "Coming to
America" special. And you know what? I must admit, it
was moderately entertaining. She obtains a driver's
license, lunches with the ladies, sees an earthquake
specialist, finds a house, tracks down and confronts
Perez Hilton, buys an expensive watch and throws the
opening pitch for the Dodgers. Zack tried to avoid it
as much as possible, but in the bits he managed to
catch, he admitted, "she's funny". Now, this is not
the kind of stuff that makes an entire series, but for
a two hour fluff special, it's not bad.

Geek rant

2007-07-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Ugh. I hate that I have to wait til NEXT YEAR for the new season of Battlestar Galactica.

And I hate that I have to wait till November for the "Razor" movie.

And I really hate that NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHEN THE SEASON DVDs come out!!!

Call it the Joss effect

2007-06-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

Watched Children of Men, a tight, gritty view of the not too distant future. Zack and I liked it quite a bit; hoever, I have to admit that the Orson Wells purist in me was a little disappointed to learn that some of those single takes were actual cobbled together with CGI. But given all the stunts and effects involved, I'm willing to give Cuaron some leeway. The tracking shots are exquistely choreographed (not exactly "beautifully" - people's heads are getting blown off) and the mise en scene is visually stunning. The plot was provocative and Clive Owen, as usual, was mesmerizing to watch. But call me jaded... sometimes I can just smell what's going to happen to each character. Like if a major actor is cast in a movie, yet the trailers don't really feature said actor. Yep, that character's dead. Sometimes, the way a character is fleshed out telegraphs his or her fate. Oh yeah, he's going to make it, she's not, she is, he's not, etc., etc. Maybe I've been spoiled with too much Joss Whedon over the years, but I like a movie to surprise me with the the fate that's dealt to the characters. I totally did not see the deaths of (spoiler alert!): Doyle (Angel), Joyce (Buffy), Wash (Serenity), Fred (Angel) and the one that broke my heart the most, Tara (Buffy). Or maybe it was Joyce. Or Angel's... but he came back. Or Oz's (non dying) departure. Um, I digress. Anyways. Pan's Labyrinth surprised me. Not exactly in a good way, though. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but definitely not a kid's movie.

I'm not crying. It's been raining... on my face!

2007-06-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Right now, Zack and I are totally enamored of Flight of the Conchords. It's like the Kiwi answer to Mr. Show and Tenacious D meets Wes Anderson. Their goofy antics, dry banter and most especially, their quirky songs have us laughing our asses off.

Sigh. It's totally doomed to cancellation.

Le rat qui cuit!

2007-06-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

Folks, if you've got TiVO, fire up the 9 minute Ratatouille preview. I have decided that I totally can't wait for this one! How you you resist a haute cuisine restaurant in Paris getting the Pixar/Brad Bird treatment? And I love how the shot of the one of the kitchen staff's legs displays those ubiquitous checkered black and white pants and Dansko clogs.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2007-06-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

Went to Charles Chocolates on Thursday to preview their new cafe, and gorged myself on as many chocolates I could stuff in my mouth. I had to stop at some point, but as soon as I drove out of the parking lot, I regretted not sampling more! But I blogged about it on Muffin Top.