Sunday, January 08, 2012

2012 All Bright and Shiny

What it is reader! It's a new year and I still kvetch endlessly and watch a lot of TV. And kvetch about TV. Season 2 of Downton Abbey starts tonight and I am bananas excited about it. Have you seen Season 1 yet? You MUST! Lay in some supplies and power through all seven episodes in a row on Netflix. You'll be so glad you did. Who knew a PBS show about the aristocracy in England would become so damn popular? Read Salon's Irin Carmon's take on it here and former SF Chronicle TV critic Tim Goodman's (now writing for The Hollywood Reporter) review here. I'm in good company with my love for Downton.

On the literature front, I now own a Kindle, which is possibly the best $79 I have ever spent. Yes, the version with ads. Which are connected to my location but somehow not to my buying history on Amazon. Hence, the omnipresent ads for Mercedes of Oakland and various local body waxing emporiums. Talk about ad click-throughs that will never, ever happen.

I finally understand the difference between The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, which I had been confusing for months. So not the same thing, but both worth reading. Admittedly Game of Thrones is not so much up my alley due to my well-documented dislike of fantasy. I won't lie, I skipped a lot of it. There's only so much swordplay, wench this, m'lady that that Professional Critic can take. But since each volume is seventy million pages it seems like I'm still getting the main points. I look forward to seeing it and catching the movie version of The Hunger Games, even though the trailers don't look super promising. I'm not sure if I'm feeling Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss but we shall see.

The Golden Globes are pretty soon but I'm not sure I'll be able to bring myself to watch this increasingly irrelevant awards show. Yes, my beloved Downton got many well-deserved nods, but American Horror Story? Is ridiculous (though Jessica Lange's nod is well-deserved.) Glee is simply terrible. No Nick Offerman? PAH, I spit on you, Golden Globes. But who am I kidding, I'll probably watch. So much kvetching fodder!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So glad you are back melg

Professional Critic said...

Aw, thanks lynchb!

strongarone said...

also so glad you're back...and two posts in two days, be still my heart.

ok so you may know that i share your vehement loathing of all things fantasy, and i'd even extend that to Ren Faire biz....however, i LOVED Game of Thrones the tv show! LOVED it!! go watch it.

i'm about to get into Downton Abbey and I'm excited.

also, i need more Ben and Leslie.

and I don't know how I'm even alive and breathing without Liz.

Professional Critic said...

Thanks, Strongarone!I will go get me some GoT. If you could tolerate it, then I'm sure I can.

Tell me what you think of Downton.

I too need more Ben and Leslie and also more Jean-Ralphio. I see he has a new show as well, House of Lies with the ever-compelling Don Cheadle. So much TV!