Howdy!! *breaks out the vuvuzelas* Final day of the World Cup! Are you Team Spain? or Team Netherlands? Before we get into full football mode, a few bits and bobs:

Giveaway Winners:

The two winners of a copy each of Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh are:

Pamk (comment#30)

Stephanie Martiin (comment#43)

Congratulations! Now, you know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible.

To Kill A Mockingbird – 50th Anniversary:

July 11th marks the 50th Anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird, Haper Lee’s classic tale which examins race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. To celebrate the date, many stories around the US are throwing parties for the book. You can find dates and participating stores here.

Plus, to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of the “Best Novel of the 20th Century” (Library Journal poll of American librarians), filmmaker Mary Murphy has interviewed prominent figures—including Oprah, Anna Quindlen, and Tom Brokaw—on how the book has impacted their lives, and compiled the interviews in Scout, Atticus, and Boo: the perfect companion to one of the most important American books of the 20th Century. Additionally, Scout, Atticus, and Boo features a foreword from acclaimed writer Wally Lamb:

TV Shows:

Nominations for the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards were announced last week and we were delighted to see some of our favorites – Lost got a nod for best outstanding drama as well as nominations for some of its awesome actors, Terry O’quinn, Matthew Fox, Michael Emerson and one for Elizabeth Mitchell. Also happy to see Dexter and Mad Men on the run for best Drama. The Comedy categories were the ones that presented the most surprising nods: newcomer Glee got shit loads of nominations. We love Glee, we really do, but the show is too uneven to be “best” at anything. Some of the noms are well deserved (Jane Lynch – who plays Sue Sylvester – for best OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY is one of them) but Matthew Morrison for best actor? Really? Other than that, we are super delighted to see Modern Family getting so much love. I am rooting for Ty Burrell to get an award for best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

And for some good news: The Guild is coming back! Season four starts on July 13th. Watch the trailler:

<br /><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/season-4-trailer/y08waqri?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Season 4 - Trailer">Video: Season 4 &#8211; Trailer</a>

Young Adult Appreciation Month……

IS COMING!

This Week on the Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Ana reviews City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton the second in the Legengs of the Red Sun series….

On Tuesday, Thea reviews Lord of the Changing Winds, the first in the Griffin Mage Trilogy by Rachel Neumeier…

On Wednesday, we post this month’s Guest Dare post, where Janice of Janicu reviews Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier….

Then, on Thursday Ana reviews two Graphic Novels by Mark Waid: Irredeemable, Vol. 3 and Incorruptible Vol. 1

Finally, on Friday, we will have a Johannes Cabal Special: Thea reviews the two books in the series followed by a guest post by Jonathan L. Howard on Inspirations and Influences and a giveaway.

And that is it from us today! Have a great week, folks!

Hogwarts! Burning! Noeeeees!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Courtesy of ABC Family, we have an awesome giveaway for two TV Shows that also happen to be books – The Secret Life of An American Teenager and Pretty Little Liars.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

About the Show: Just about every teenager at one time or another feels like an outsider, as if nobody in the world understands them, especially their parents. The Secret Life of the American Teenager focuses on the complex relationships between teenagers and their families, as well as dealing with the issue of teen pregnancy and the fallout among the teens and their friends.

About the Book: The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens is a new book inspired by Secret Life that goes on sale June 15, 2010.

I got called into Principal Miller’s office again. She handed me a notebook. This notebook. She told me keeping a journal is an excellent way to express oneself. So I have to write in this stupid thing and turn it in at the end of each month.

Little does she know what she’s in for. With everything that’s been going on—Amy’s band camp pregnancy, my parents’ divorce, a secret wedding—it’s practically one- stop shopping for all your Grant High gossip needs.

Property of Ashley Juergens. Read at your own risk (especially you, Amy).

All new episodes of The Secret Life Of The American Teenager air on ABC Family’s Mondays at 8/7c. You can read more about the show (and check out a ton of extras) online at the official website HERE.

Pretty Little Liars

About the Show: Pretty Little Liars is the newest original ABC Family series airing Tuesday nights at 8/7c, and stars Lucy Hale [Privileged], Troian Bellisario [NCIS], Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson [Eastwick, Days Of Our Lives], Laura Leighton [Melrose Place], and Chad Lowe [24].

Rosewood is a perfect little town. So quiet and pristine, you’d never guess it holds so many secrets. Some of the ugliest ones belong to the prettiest girls in town — Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily, four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel.

One year ago, Alison, the Queen Bee of their group, disappeared and the girls swore they’d never tell what really happened that night. They thought their secrets would bond them together, but just the opposite is true. Then again, who’s to say what the truth is in Rosewood. It seems everyone in town is lying about something.

Now, as the mystery surrounding Alison’s disappearance resurfaces, the girls begin getting messages from “A,” saying – and threatening – things only Alison would know. But it couldn’t be Alison. Could it? Whoever it is, they seem to know all the girls’ secrets, and seem to be watching their every move. The girls are friends again, but will they be there for each other if their dark secrets come to light?

About the Book: Pretty Little Liars is a young adult novel by Sara Shepard, and has been reissued with a new cover.

Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors spencer, aria, emily, and hanna.

Spencer covets her sister’s boyfriend. Aria’s fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily’s crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.

But they’ve all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they’ve kept. And guess what? I’m telling.

You can read more about the show at its official website HERE, and more about the series of books at the author’s official site HERE.

THE GIVEAWAY

Courtesy of ABC Family, we are giving away a ton of awesome Pretty Little Liars and The Secret Life of the American Teenager swag. We’ve got two prize packs up for grabs.

PRIZE 1: SECRET LIFE

• One copy of The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens, a brand new book available June 15 from Hyperion Books
• The Secret Life Of The American Teenager Volume 1 on DVD
• The Secret Life Of The American Teenager Volume 2 on DVD

PRIZE 2: PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

• Pretty Little Liars tote bag
• A newly re-released copy of Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard featuring the ABC Family show’s key art on the cover

The giveaway is open to residents of the United States, and will run until tonight at 11:59 PM (PST). Only ONE entry per person (that means I.P. address too), please! ALL Multiple entries (even if it is just for clarification) will be automatically disqualified. To enter, simply leave a comment here telling us which show you watch and why (or which show you’d like to watch and why). Good luck!

Lost will be back this Tuesday with a two-hour premiere starting its sixth and final season. There will be another 16 episodes and then ALL WILL BE OVER.

Excuse us while we have a moment.

Ok, we are back. After 5 seasons of mind blowing happenings, twists and turns, ghosts, psychics, physics, pseudo-physics, religious overtures, polar bears and boars and horses, time travel, deaths, births, The (ZOMBIE) Love Quadrangle of Doom (that nearly drove us insane), numbers, coincidences, fate, mumble jumble, whispers, hatches, Others, other others, villains, double crossings, WTfuckery and whatnots, we repeat: All Will Be Over.

Needless to say, we, as die-hard fans of the show since its inception, have high expectations for this last season. And there are a few things that we would like to see happening in our little screen in order to make us happy:

1) A Grand Unified Theory of Everything.

Physics geeks FTW! Darlton (that’s the ’ship name for writer/creators Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse) have promised us a Lost GUT since the beginning, and we are going to be so incredibly pissed if it turns out to be any of the following: Snowglobe, Purgatory, Paradise Lost, All just a dream or whatever.

We’ll be even MORE PISSED if there is no Grand Unified Theory of Everything answer for everything that has happened so far.

We will be so mad if they give us nothing, or if they cop out with a Twilight Zone ending. If the writers simply say any of the following:

1. LOST island is just a weird island that moves around the south pacific because of electromagnetism
2. Jacob, Ghosts of People That Have Died, Smokey, et. al. are mere figments of the imagination brought on by electromagnetism
3. The whispers are completely forgotten (or are simply The Others)…or are sounds created by electromagnetism
4. Richard Alpert is just a lucky dude that has had a long life because he is on the island and can jump around because of…electromagnetism
5. The island heals people because….electromagnetism
6. Desmond can flash through time because….electromagnetism

TELL US WHAT THE POINT IS. No more pseudo “well, duh, it’s electromagnetism” crap! Is Lost Island an alien experiment that spawned all life and religion on earth? Is it Hell? You promised us a Grand Unified Theory DAMMIT, and you WILL DELIVER.

(Just so you know there are a grand total of 325 unanswered questions so far. You can read them all here)

That is really what we would like to see. Above all else. A measure of reasoning and sanity behind it all: the clear and unmistakable proof that there was a plan behind everything that we saw in this show. That we were not just jerked around for the sake of WTF!OMG!POLARBEAR moments. If we get ANSWERS, even if we don’t necessarily LIKE them, we will be happy campers indeed (ok maybe not happy campers per se, but you get our drift).

The rest will be icing on the cake, like:

2) A Measure of Happiness

These people have been through a lot. We mean, a lot. Yes, some of them do have reproachable pasts. Some of them did Really Bad Things. But the majority of the characters deserve at least, some measure of happiness. We are talking about Hurley, for example. If that dude, doesn’t get a happy ending, somehow, somewhere, we will be devastated.

Or Sun and Jin. Claire and Aaron. Locke. And Desmond. Speaking of which:

3 ) DESMOND

We would really like to know if Desmond is really as special as we think he is. All signs, in our opinion point to “Yes”. We have geeked out on a Grand Desmond Theory for years, ever since he first showed up in season 2. In season 5 he took a back seat (he hardly even showed up) that made us seriously doubt ourselves. And that cannot be. We are hoping he will come back with a bang in this last season and prove us right. Or the universe will collapse.

4) The End of the Quadrangle of DOOM once and for all.

The Love Quadrangle of Doom gave us stupid scenes like the one above. But we saw the end of it, when Sawyer found happiness with Juliet. They were cute together. They were in love. BUT at the end of season 5, Juliet fell to her death. That, coupled to the possible reset, prompted by the Hydrogen Bomb blowout may point out to a reset of the Quadrangle as well. We hope this is not the truth. (Although, deep in her heart of hearts, Ana still sort of hopes of a Sawyer-Kate ultimate hook-up) (And so does Thea. Even though she knows it’s not gonna happen).

5) Sawyer

He better have an heroic ending. No other character has had such an awesome arc as Sawyer. He went from a sleazy womaniser, self-absorbed con-man to a mature, responsible, leader that people could look up to. We would prefer he made it alive and well, but if he dies he better die a heroic death. No backtracking, please. We are just saying.

And one last thing: He Walks Amongst Us But Is Not One Of Us

(If you are sick and tired of us bitching and moaning about Jack, avert your eyes now!)

The ONE thing we are not prepared to see is for Jack to be the beginning and end of everything. If the Grand Unified Theory of Everything is …. Jack…..

…because he is the Incarnated Something from Somewhere (as his godforsaken tattoos from that scary Thai chick with the alien chest might signify) we actually think our collective brains will literally explode and our faith on TV shows will forever be tarnished by this blackness of profound lack of creativity. This can not happen. We don’t think we can ever recover after that.

And that is it! What about you, fellow Lost geeks? What do YOU want from the Final Season?

2009 is over, 2010 has begun, and Smugglivus is nearly complete! Which means that we must also undergo another very important ritual…

The Airing of Grievances
(in which we air out any dirty laundry from 2009)

In ascending order, these are the things that really pissed us off this year.

5. The Birth of “SyFy”

There’s no excuse for the name change. Really. It’s just embarrassing.

4. FlashForward (and other really disappointing TV shows)

We don’t know what’s more insulting – the fact that a turd like FlashForward is expected to take over for LOST after its final season, or the fact that ABC and The Powers That Be think that we LOST fans are so blind and pathetic that we’ll settle for their blatant pandering (ex.1: OMG a KANGAROO! It’s JUST like a WTF!POLARBEAR!) (ex.2: The casting of (dead) former Losties, like Penny and Charlie. Maybe even Libby and Eko will show up at some point.) Add to that how ridiculously cheesy and overly-dramatic the whole thing is, and, well, we LOST fans are so not impressed. This is NOT a worthy successor. Simply throwing together a shitty ensemble cast show with integration of “flashes” does NOT a good show make – especially if you couple that with bad acting and yawn-inducing/eyeroll-worthy plot.

And it’s not just FlashForward we’re looking at – there’s also disappointments from formerly good shows *coughSUPERNATURALcough* *coughHEROEScough*. There are also the really, really bad new shows – the continued celebration of idiot, vapid, privileged, asshole pseudo-celebrities on shows like I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (or anything on E!, MTV or VH1 for that matter); the trend of not being able to think of anything new so rebooting shows from the ’90s (Melrose Place, 90210)…the list goes on.

3. Poor Marketing Choices

This is one thing we feel we complained a lot this past year. We had two really bad experiences with books being marketed one way, which in turn created reader’s expectations, only to find something else entirely when we started reading. Example number 1, was Night’s Rose by Evangeline Evans which was marketed as “Historical Urban Fantasy” (and what the hell is that anyway?) and was supposed to be a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but turned out to be Erotic Romance with the heroine running around with “cream” pouring down her legs. We have nothing against Erotica or Erotic Romance but it just isn’t our cup of tea and to find it when we were not expecting it (nothing in the cover, the blurb or the marketing material suggests it) put us off reading the book.

Example number 2 was Soulless by Gail Carriger, a book both of us had been anxiously expecting. The marketing material and the spine clearly estates the book is Horror/Fantasy with Steampunk but really , the story was a Paranormal Romance with very little Steampunk elements. Our impression is that these choices are attempts to ride a “wave” but the mismarketing ends up backfiring because it simply doesn’t hit the right public.

And speaking of Poor Marketing Choices, what is up with the amount of the Sameness in Romance covers and Titles. The sheer amount of books with “duke”, and “wicked” in their titles last year was mind-blowing, or more like, mind-numbing. It just makes all books look the same, sound the same, when in fact they are not.

And then we have to mention YA and the current tendency of comparing all books to Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. We received quite a few ARCs and promotional materials last year, describing a book like “The New Book for Twilight Fans,” or “The Next Twilight,” or “Like Twilight, Only Better.” To be honest, this is a sure way to make us NOT want to read the book. We actually both enjoyed Twilight when we first read it, but that train needs to leave the station now.

And speaking of Twilight…..

2. The (Twilight) Curse of Stupid Heroines (especially in YA books)

We get that a large part of the appeal of Twilight is that Bella is such a bland, undefined character – allowing for readers (and moviegoers) the power of self-insertion. There’s nothing about Bella that stands out or makes her much of a heroine, or a character for that matter – she’s thoroughly ordinary, with no defining passions or hobbies, beyond of course omg loving Edward (for obvious reasons). She’s an “every-girl.” Actually, that’s a misnomer. She’s actually a “no-girl.” She doesn’t exist on her own – she only lives and is willed into reality by Edward’s love for her.

Sarah Rees Brennan wrote a blog post about this in 2009, about the “blank page heroine.” Justine Larbalestier also wrote her own post about the archetype she calls “The Girlfriend.” (Please note in both cases, no names are named for examples of these types of heroines – any opinions concerning heroines expressed here are ours and ours alone as Book Smugglers)

And this is something that drives us positively batty. This is a rant we know you’ve heard from us throughout the year (and over the two years since we’ve started this blog) – but this model of heroine, the Bella no-girl, is not only insulting and sends out something of a damaging message (Hey, I’ll give up EVERYTHING about myself – family, friends, my very soul – because that’s what I have to do to be with Edward. He doesn’t have to do anything. But it’s ok. Because that is what love and life is all about! I will be with Edward FOREVER! SPARKLE!!). But even more disturbing than this is how WIDELY ACCEPTED the Bella no-girl heroine has become. She’s all over the place. Most noticeably she’s in YA fiction (take, for example, Grace from Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver – a character that exists to be protected by her werewolf boyfriend) [**AN ASIDE: Also, creating one or two "character quirks" for these heroines does NOT a fleshed out character make. Bella being clumsy or Grace liking to cook is great. But the half-hearted creation of a single throwaway hobby does not constitute character definition or development. Sorry.]. But this type of character also rears her nondescript vanilla personality in other genres too – romance, fantasy, horror, heck, even in movies.

And frankly, we’re sick of it. We want characters, we want heroines, we want people with texture and color and dimension.

1. Jack. Jate. The Jacksus.

Ok, while we love LOST, we do take issue with certain aspects of the show (especially recently). The nuke (presumably) going off and “resetting” the timeline feels like a copout, and the actual motivation for setting the bomb off is the MOST IDIOTIC MOTIVATION WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN OUR LIVES.

What was the reason the writers decided would make it OK to nuke the island, kill everyone and “reboot” the storyline (possibly)? What seasoned reasoning would make this all work? Would it be the logical reasoning – taking into account all the people who died on/because of the island (Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, Michael, Eko, Charlie, probably Claire, Naomi, Big Red, Danielle, Alex, Karl, almost Sayid, innumerable redshirts and Others and OTHER Others, so far as we know Locke…)?

No. NO. Of course not. NO, rather, the plot and character motivation that the writers come up with is….

Seriously. SERIOUSLY!?!?!?! Are you freaking kidding us!?!?!?!?!

Doc “I-wanna-fix-you-and-cry-and-count-to-five-because-my-daddy-drank-a-lot” wants to blow up the island with a freaking hydrogen bomb…

BECAUSE THEN HE MIGHT ‘WIN’ KATE BACK????

Never mind the fact that this is IMPOSSIBLE even if the nuke plan works in the first place since she’s heading straight to prison, seeing as she’s a fugitive and all? Never mind the fact that he already “had” Kate and blew it with his usual twitchy, yell-y, cry-y, baby behavior?

Seriously. Stupidest character motivation EVER.

And that’s it! Our 2009 grievances are aired, and our 2010 slates are clean. Are there any gripes y’all have had for the past year that you want to get off your chest?

And don’t forget, later today, we Air our Grievances with Supernatural….quite possibly the show that took the WORST turn in the history of TV, totally jumping the shark.

Seeing as Ana and I met through LOST boards (we are ridiculous geeks), it should come as no shocker that both of us are huge couch potatoes. Television, movies, sports, you name it. So, given our advance stage of couch potato-ness, we have decided to enumerate our favorites of 2009!

We invite you to sit back, pop open a cold one, and enjoy. Here are my picks for The Best of the Rest 2008 (check out Ana’s HERE).

The Best of the Rest: TELEVISION

**A warning–if you’re currently catching up or haven’t seen a show, be prepared to be spoiled. We’re only talking about episodes that have already aired, but if you don’t wanna know, you’d best look away!**

Well, as Ana has usurped the first post, this may seem a bit redundant. But whatever. Here we go! I’m counting back from 10 to my absolute favorite TV moments of 2009.

10. Castle (ABC) – The Delicious Sexual Tension

This show is a book nerd and scifi geek’s dream – first, you get the charming, delightful, hot Nathan Fillion in a primetime starring role (complete with witty quips, silly humor, and general adorableness). Add to that the fact that he plays a bestselling thriller author named Richard Castle that knows his mystery tropes, who currently works as a “consultant” with the NYPD in a completely implausible plot-twist, and you’ve got a party. His new source of inspiration, Detective Kate Beckett – beautiful, confident, damaged and deadly – makes for a wonderful leading lady. And the CHEMISTRY between these two! It’s hot stuff. This is a silly show, but it’s so much fun. If you’re not watching it yet – what the hell is stopping you!? It’s all about Castle.

9. V (ABC) – The Pilot

After the craptastic, LOST-wannabe disappointment that was FlashForward, I was pleasantly surprised by ABC’s V – a remake of the 1980s series about invading aliens, called Visitors, who charm and manipulate us poor earthlings for their own nefarious ends. Of course, as V stars Elizabeth Mitchell (aka Thea’s Biggest Girl Crush Since Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully), I was predisposed to like this show – but it genuinely is a strong new entry from ABC. The pilot had surprisingly GOOD special effects, expert plotting, and has so much potential for growth. Add to that Firefly alumni Morena “Inara” Baccarine and Alan “Wash” Tudyk as Vs, and I’m a happy camper. Also, Morris Chestnut branching out into mainstream TV is ALWAYS a welcome thing (I’m a huge fan of Morris Chestnut). Heck, even Scott Wolf (who is freaking me out with his resemblance to Michael J. Fox as he grows older) who usually annoys me is winsome in this new scifi-thriller. Even though the last two episodes faltered a bit, I still have very high hopes for this series, and cannot wait for its return in 2010.

8. Modern Family (ABC) – Dysfunctionally Wonderful

I got Ana to start watching this show, and OF COURSE she loved it. It’s certainly the best, funniest new show of 2009 about a real modern family – an older rich man and his hot, much younger, Colombian wife (and her son); a gay couple with their adopted Vietnamese baby; a yuppie couple and their three very different children. I mean, just check out the clip:

7. House (Fox) – The Looney Bin

I have to agree with Ana re:House – I started watching this show when it first came out and loved it. But, come season 4-ish, I stopped watching. The dissolution of the original team of Cameron, Foreman and Chase and the increasingly formulaic nature of the show (with House NEVER suffering really any consequences for his actions) bugged me. I’d still watch the show occasionally, but it was demoted from my Season Pass on my DVR. But…then came this season. House *finally* has to get clean – and he finally realizes that he is NOT ok. The pilot, with House in the Looney Bin, was one of the FINEST episodes I have ever seen. I loved it, and I love that House is still working through his issues, and that he is staying clean. (I’m so not happy about Cameron leaving and the return of Thirteen *gags* but nothing’s perfect)

6. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX) – “Oh my God, was that piss?!”/”Like, little Green Ghouls, man!”/”Kitten Mittons”/”Dear Chase Utley”/”Salt the snail!”

Oh God, Sunny. Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways…Almost EVERY episode this season was a winner. Every Thursday, I look forward to being simultaneously entertained and repulsed by these Philly assholes – and I mean that as an endearment. I love this show. I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW. And here are my favorite clips:

Kitten Mittens

Charlie and the Pear

Dear Chase Utley

Charlie’s Profile

Gail the Snail

5. Glee (Fox) – “Defying Gravity”

I am an official, proud Gleek. Glee is the best new show of 2009, combining sweet tunes, High School tropes, and breaking down barriers between “cool” and “loser” like nobody’s business. Smart, touching, hilarious, this show has it all. My personal favorite song has to be Kurt’s rendition of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, so I’ll leave you with that clip.

Defying Gravity

The fall finale, “Sectionals,” was all kinds of awesome – and I am scared of what Sue will do when she comes back after the mid-season break!

4. The Office (NBC) – Niagara

One of the things I love the most about The Office is how the show GROWS. The characters adapt, they change, they move on – and in this case, after five seasons of angst and pining for Jim and Pam, finally, FINALLY they tie the knot. This is one of the best pairings on TV. Jim and Pam rule the effing universe. The entire wedding episode, “Niagara,” was one of the finest hours of television this year.

3. Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) – The End

BSG, what am I ever going to do without you? On the one hand, I can appreciate and respect RDM’s decision to tell a definitive story with a beginning, middle and – most importantly, especially for TV shows – an END with BSG. But I am a selfish, selfish girl and I want more. I want more Kara and Lee and Adama and Roslin and Six and Baltar! But even selfish ol’ me has to admit, the sendoff for the show was brilliant, and I think perfect in every way (I know many fans were disgruntled with the series finale, but I loved it and wouldn’t change a thing). It makes my heart hurt to know that the show is done with…but god, what a ride it was. Farewell BSG. You will be missed.

2. LOST (ABC) – The Death (and resurrection) of John Locke

GASP! LOST doesn’t take the top spot on my list! It’s a close call, but even though Lost may have lost out to another show, it’s still my favorite currently running TV series (albeit only for one more season). I wasn’t pleased with the nuclear bomb/reset timeline thing that seems to be going on, but I loved the futility and pain of John Locke’s storyline, culminating in his murder by good ol’ Benry, and his resurrection as Not!Locke on the island. OMG HE KILLS JACOB! I cannot wait to see what the final season has in store for us. I mean, have you seen the trailers? The poster that has EVERYONE on it?! And how about this new official art – squint to find spoilers…

Please, please, please, Darlton, be good.

1. Dexter (Showtime) – The Finale

I discovered the joys of Dexter earlier this year (finally!), and I have never been happier. A twisted show with a vigilante-type serial killer as its protagonist, Dexter is dark and messed up and wonderful. And holy shit, season 4 was another awesome one. John Lithgow’s Trinity was terrifying, and Dexter is forced to come to grips with a LOT of tough decisions – what it means to be a husband, father, employee, friend, brother, and still keep his “Dark Passenger” in check with routine murder. Dex crosses some big lines in this season (his first murder of an innocent man – inadvertent, but it still happened), and that finale left me in shock. I saw it coming, but I didn’t, you know?? Holy hell. What will happen next season!?!?! What does this mean for Dexter in the future? I cannot wait. Absofreakinglutely BRILLIANT.

The Best of the Rest: MOVIES:

Aaaaaaand, here are my top 10 movie picks of 2009…

10. Inglourious Basterds

Ok, as a film I think it wasn’t exactly the best. A draggy plot and the ridiculous casting choice of Eli Roth as a main character really bothered me. BUT, then there was Hans. Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa is THE reason to watch this movie – comical and terrifying, Hans steals the show.

Quentin Tarantino is still an over-exuberant director with camera ADD and a tendency to rely on way too much dialogue, but I cannot find anything wrong with his period setting and his direction of Waltz. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

9. Watchmen

Yes, this wasn’t a perfect film, and yes, I had major issue with the movie adaptation’s ending and its significant deviation from the book. BUT, I think Zach Snyder did a freaking fantastic job adapting such a dense, iconic graphic novel into film form – probably the best job anyone could have done with Watchmen. And oh sweet jesus, were the casting choices for Rorschach, The Comedian, Silk Spectre I, and Nite Owl fabulous!

Especially Eddie Dean and Rorscach – the sociopaths rule in this film. Definitely worth purchasing the bluray directors cut, without a doubt.

8. Zombieland

Ah, the virtues of the Double Tap. The importance of checking the bathroom before pulling your pants down. The essential need for A G.D. TWINKIE! This, and so much more, were lessons I learned from the hilarious Zombieland. Emma Stone is gorgeous and awesome, as usual, as is Abigail Breslin, and Woody Harrelson is made of win. The Bill Murray cameo had me in tears. Even the shitty Michael Cera kid, Jesse Elsenberg, was solidly hilarious!

7. Drag Me to Hell

Hey, good Raimi is back! Yeah, Drag Me to Hell is a bit familiar, taking Raimi’s tried and true hit techniques and plot points from the Evil Dead films, but it was so much fun. And I’m happy to see that he actually IS capable of making a good movie (I had my doubts since Spiderman 2). Drag Me To Hell is horror-comedy at its finest, and Alison Lohman is again fantastic – an excellent successor to Bruce Campbell’s Ash. Love that ending, too!

6. Up

I don’t think Pixar is capable of making anything less than a spectacular film – and Up is another winner. I cried, I laughed, I fell in love with Carl and Russell. The animation is breathtaking, per Pixar’s usual. It’s not Wall-E, but Up definitely wins a spot in my heart.

5. The Cove

One of the most important films I have ever seen, The Cove made me physically ill in the theater. I cried my eyes out with the final footage, and with Ric O’Barry’s triumphant, defiant stand against the systematic slaughter of thousands of dolphins each year in the small village of Taiji. This is a film EVERYONE should watch, and should take to heart.

4. The Hurt Locker

Kathryn Bigelow is a director with an eye for action and male characterizations – her iconic action flick, Point Break has been a staple in my family since it first came out (seriously, know most of the film by heart). So, when I heard she had a new film coming out this year with The Hurt Locker, I was stoked. Then, all the rave reviews began to flow in – and I immediately ran out to see the movie. And…wow. Jeremy Renner’s performance as a special unit bomb diffuser in Iraq is frakking beautiful. This is an adrenaline rush of a film, but it’s also just a damn fine movie. Kudos, Ms. Bigelow.

3. District 9

Neil Blomkamp’s film debut, presented by Peter Jackson, is even better than I hoped. It’s a science fiction film with heart – a parable for apartheid, using alien “Prawns.” Beautifully executed in its sort of docu-drama style, with special effects that are jaw-dropping cool, this is a film worth buying and watching again and again.

2. Star Trek

For a very long time, I thought Star Trek would take top billing as my favorite film of 2009. JJ Abrams finally proved to me that he is actually capable of making a Good Movie with this reinvented Star Trek. I loved this film. The casting, with Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, is spot on, the character nuances are perfect. Even more impressive, however, is how the film appeals to both oldskool Trekkies (like myself), and newbies alike (such as the boyfriend, who hated Star Trek by his own admission, and ended up loving the movie). Smart plotting, humor, excellent special effects…Star Trek is amazing.

1. Avatar

And here’s the film that unseated Star Trek as my favorite film of 2009. Watching Avatar in the theater made me feel the way I did when I was a wide-eyed kid watching Star Wars and Lord of the Rings for the first time. Avatar is a film that redefines the genre – it is Epic with a capital “E.” The technology, first off, is mind blowing. James Cameron wins big with this Science Fantasy film that plays on genre tropes and blends familiar story elements with a technology unlike any we’ve seen before on the screen. This is a beautiful film visually, and also it is impeccably acted. Zoe Saldana goes balls out with her role as the Na’vi warrior woman, and Sam Worthington is brilliant as Jake Sully, the marine who comes to Pandora to fill his scientist brother’s shoes.

Avatar makes you remember why you fell in love with movies in the first place, and for a scifi/fantasy geek like myself, it’s pure heaven. If this doesn’t get nominated for a zillion awards, I’ll eat my hat. Avatar deserves it.

Notable Mentions: I watched a lot of good films this year, and here are a few more that deserve special mention! The terrifying Paranormal Activity is the real deal, and will have you waking up at 2am, scared for your soul. I also loved Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (yeah it was flawed and missing the OOMF that my favorite HP book deserved, but whatever, screw you, I still liked it!). Disaster porn 2012 was spectacular in terms of special effects and pure movie FUN. Animated feature Coraline deviates from Gaiman’s book, but still is a wonderful film. And finally, comedies I Love You Man and The Hangover were good fun.

I should also mention a few films that I totally am behind on – I really want to see Nine, Up In the Air, The Road, Moon, and Precious – and it’s entirely possible any of these films may have made my top 10 list had I seen them before writing this. But I haven’t so…oh well!

And that’s it for me, folks! How about you? Any favorite TV Moments and/or Films for 2009? I’m all ears!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best books of the year picked and listed and now we turn to Movies and TV shows. Thea and I are both major couch potatoes (and we even came up with a new feature last year, On The Book Tube with the Book Smugglers) so it should come as no surprise that I loved more TV Shows than I loved Movies (just like last year!) . I shall start with the latter:

Best of the Rest – Movies

Looking back at the year in movies, I only really went to the theatre to watch a handful and then stuck to DVDs. And preparing this list made me realise that at the moment I am either watching Super-heroes/Scifi or Bromance/Rom com. I can’t remember watching a drama I really enjoyed last year (I thought Julie and Julia was meh) and I am fully aware that I should watch Up in the Air ASAP. Alas, I just can’t find the will to be super excited about movies anymore. Anyways, out of the ones I watched, I LOVED the following:

Zombieland

One year ago, it would have been unthinkable that I would not only watch a zombie flick but actually love it. I owe it all to Thea who taught me that the best Zombie movies are the ones not about zombies at all. In Zombieland, the story is about a lot more, about the guy who lost the family and went nuts, the boy who was unlucky with girls; I loved Woody Harrelson here (as usual) and totally have Jesse Eisenberg in my radar. The List was awesome and the surprising cameo by one of my favorite actors was hi-la-rious!

District 9

The worst of the Apartheid only, with aliens. District 9 was brilliantly realised and acted. Sharlto Copley as Wikus van de Merwe owns my soul.

Funny People

I am a huge fan of Jude Apatow so it was a given that I would be watching this one and I loved it! Adam Sandler took me by surprise and I loved how the movie is about comedians and yet it was rather sad with a lot of loneliness, doubt, old friends and new friends and lost love.

The Hangover

Funniest.Movie.Of.The.Year. The trailer alone is made of win and the movie proved to be quite clever as these guys wake up in Vegas without a clue about what happened the night before and went around town trying to find the pieces of the puzzle. Awesome.

Star Trek

Ah. Guys, I loved this movie. It took me some time to figure out that they were re-setting the whole thing but when I did have the revelation, I actually went “whoa, GENIUS”. I am hoping that this new series will go on forever and ever.

Watchmen

I think this is my favorite movie of the year. I love the Graphic Novel and I think the movie was quite faithful. I loved the art and photography and I fell in love with the Comedian and Rorschach all over again.

I Love You, Man

Another bromance. Gods help me, but I thought this movie was awesome with the story of the guy trying to find a guyfriend. Dear Partner totally loved it as well. What can I say, we are silly people, at Casa de Ana.

I also need to give shout outs to 500 Days of Summer which I thought was really clever and cute and Inglorious Basterds with my favorite character of the year: Christoph Waltz’s Landa, the “Jew Hunter”.

Best of the Rest – Television

**A warning–if you’re currently catching up or haven’t seen a show, be prepared to be spoiled. We’re only talking about episodes that have already aired, but if you don’t wanna know, you’d best look away!**

These are my favorite TV moments of last year:

1 – Lost

I need to say that I actually think last season was the best season since Season 1,especially the first say, 10 episodes even though I am prone to complain a LOT about character development. They don’t make any sense. But I only complain because I love it.

Because Lost is my favorite show (well, one of them) , I have loads of favorite moments: like when they started jumping through time and then end up being part of the Dharma Initiative! Or when Jin was alive and the he met Rousseau! Or when we found out that Sawyer was Lafleur, and that he was with Juliet! Or when Faraday came back to the island in the sub! Or that awesome scene when the O6 came back and they met with Sawyer and Sawyer looked at Kate and I was like awwww, YES! and NO! at the same time? And the revelation that OMG Jonh Locke is dead! DEAD! Gasp!

2 – Mad Men

I only started watching this show last year and after watching all seasons in a row I can safely say, it is one of the best TV Shows ever. The thing is, no other show make me simultaneously love and hate its characters in a very bipolar way. Season 3 was my favorite and my favorite scene of the year was the one where Betty confronts Don and he is forced to come clean. That was SUPER acting people.

3 – Dexter

I think I love Dexter as much as I love Lost and this season was the best one to date. Every time a new season starts I wonder where they can possibly go next and they never fail to surprise me. Last season had an amazing John Lithgow playing another serial killer and the scene where they were facing each other without any masks was AWESOME. But nothing was more amazing than the last 5 minutes of the finale. I was left staring at my tv, sobbing, completely heartbroken and surprised.

4 – The Office

There were many many awesome episodes last year but two take the cake. First there was the moment when Michael QUIT Dunder Mifflin and I stared at the TV for about 5 minutes basking in the sheer awesomeness of that scene. And the entire episode of Jim and Pam’s wedding: with all those scenes when Jim was a dear, and then all the funny moments and then the wedding itself playing with that famous youtube video, ending with Jim’s three wedding plans that made me cry like a baby.

5 – House

Another show that always surprises me – when I think they are becoming too formulaic, they turn around and show me something brilliant. My favorite episode was the season’s premiere when House said for the first time: I Need Help.

6 – Castle

Listen, I DO think that the premise of the show is SUPER far-fetched but do I care? No. It has Nathan Fillion in it and he has crazy chemistry with his co-star. Enough said.

And then there are the new shows, I started watching several but am only sticking with three:

7 – V

The Pilot of this show was so.very.cool. I loved everything about it, the special effects, the acting, the premise of the show. And the other episodes since have been pretty solid too.

8 – Glee

A musical- comedy-drama? It was a given I would watch this one and I adore it. I love the songs and I love the characters and one of my favorite scenes of the year was that one where Kurt came out to his father. The scene did not go the way I was expecting it go and ended up being one of the best father-son scenes ever. But nothing, nothing tops Jane Lynch’s Sue Silvester, I drink her every single word like a mental woman.

9 – Modern Family

It took me a while to start watching this one but once I did, I was lost. I actually think this one is as funny as The Office and has the potential for a long TV life. Phil Dunphy, the “cool dad” is the new Michael Scott. The Christmas episode made me cry. The fact that the funniest new show can ALSO make me cry, makes this the best new show on tv.

And that is it from me. You might notice that I did not include Supernatural on this list. That is because Supernatural sucked huge donkey balls and it is making my Airing of Grievances post later.

One final word: I love TV.

That is all.

And don’t forget to check back later, for Thea’s Best of the Rest.

This Saturday, and every Saturday for the duration of the TV season, we bring you On The Boob Tube with The Book Smugglers:

in which we talk about all those water cooler moments of the past week’s episodes, raving about the good, ranting about the bad.

Ana’s Favorites:

Dexter

Meh, this week didn’t do much for me. I was expecting a lot more after Dexter killed an innocent man last week. Even though the episode did deal with it, a la Dexter (by examining and comparing) , I still felt underwhelmed. I was surprised that Trinity tried to kill himself and the whole euphony he went through was WEIRD. And what about Deb’s find that Lundy’s killer can not be Trinity? WTF? Who was it then? Do we have a suspect? I have to admit, the first person I thought was the skanky journalist but I have no motive. And Rita. Rita, Rita, Rita do NOT DARE cheat on Dexter.

Castle

Another great, amusing episode. I liked this week’s case even though I guessed the killer from the start, but it was great seeing Castle being led by his nose in this one. I still can’t suspend my disbelief though with the NYPD walking around and including him in all of their interrogations and investigations. And can I ask a question? When does exactly he actually you know…WRITE?

Modern Family

OMG , I finally watched the first episode of Modern Family and I can’t believe how hilarious it was! How come I did not know that Al Bundy was in it. And Phil! – could that be? No, it can not be! But maybe? Surely not? The new Michael Scott? Cause all of his scenes were definitely cringe worthy. loved it and am adding it to the must-watch list!

Supernatural

Dudes. I am watching it but I am saving the snark-fest for this year’s Smugglivus’ Airing of Grievances.

V

LOVED the episode. Especially because there is now a Most Hawt Mysterious character for me to crush on! The infiltrated doctor, I am betting he is this John May! The twist with him killing the FBI guy and then blondie being Anna’s daughther was cool too. I am really digging this show.

House

I thought the whole episode was STUPID. House is back to manipulating people in the worst of ways. the whole thing with Thirteen (GOD I hate that woman) and Taub was ridiculous. I can’t believe Cameron left so easily and I can’t believe Chase didn’t leave with her! Come on! He was never THAT into the team anyways, now he wants to stay and the woman he loved for ages is finally THERE for him? COME ON. Gaah. Yeah, Cameron’s final speech was touching but too little too late in my opinion.

The Office:

One word: Re-Cyclops.

Thea’s Favorites:

Dexter

It’s really coming down to the wire now – you can feel the end of the season RAPIDLY approaching. Sob. I am going to miss you Dexter.

Well, this week was solid once again, although I’m more than a little annoyed with the implication that Rita’s going to sleep around on Dexter (next door neighbor douche – to quote Dex, “Do I see sheets of plastic in your future?”), and that someone other than Trinity shot Lundy and Deb. My money right now is on Quinn’s reporter girlfriend (aka Ms. No Top). Although I’m more than a little pissed that yet again, there’s another Batshit!Crazy! girlfriend on the show. Can we get some originality here? A non-clingy/bitchy/insane female character please? No? (on the flip side, someone about Deb’s height with motive for murder – it COULD be Dexter himself. He could be snapping – his murder of an innocent man last week proves this. Wouldn’t that be a helluva twist!?)

Quinn is also starting to remind me of Doakes in more than one way…I don’t really like the guy that much. I don’t know how much longer he may be with us…

House

GAAAAAAAAAAH. Thirteen is back. Whoopdeefuckingdoo. I think Jennifer Morrison leaving the show wasn’t really handled that well – they could have milked it a bit longer. As is, Cameron’s reasons for leaving the hospital (and the show) seem a little thin. I would have loved it if she had to grapple with Chase’s decision to kill the dictator, which didn’t affect her nearly so much as Chase being manipulated by House. Her final speech to House, admitting why she loved both him and Chase was touching, I’ll admit. I’ll really miss Cameron. She was a great character, a great moral center for the show. Sigh.

Castle

Not much to say, except, hee! I love Castle. His relationship with Alexis is so wonderful. I loved how worried he was that she was hiding something from him, and when it turns out she decides not to go overseas (at least for now), it’s sweet. Awwwww. That is all.

V

The plot thickens!!!! I *loved* the end, where Lisa (the cute blonde V) is Anna’s daughter! I am so looking forward to an Anna versus Erica showdown. I love how feisty Elizabeth Mitchell is, and I am definitely developing a soft spot for her and the priest. Now what exactly is “The Fifth Column” and who the hell is John May as their leader? I’m definitely getting LOST vibes from the show (hello, Jacob), but in a good way. I’m loving this.

Modern Family

How much do I love this show? It’s easily the funniest new show of the season, and it’s got so much potential. This week, the lovely, HILARIOUS Elizabeth Banks makes a cameo, as does Edward Freaking Norton! Talk about some solid actors! Elizabeth Banks as drunky McFun girl (who resents Lily for stealing her two gay best party buds) and Ed Norton as british bass player from the ’80s absolutely rock.

Glee

This episode was SO CRINGEWORTHY. Every other scene I would be ducking my head, embarrassed for each of the characters. Hilarious yes, but cringeworthy. Kurt and his plan to get Finn to quit girls entirely and sob into his shoulderpads – brilliant. Rachel’s inappropriate school girl crush on Will – awkwardly wonderful. SUSIE PEPPER! Effing awesome – she’s all Molly Shannon circa Superstar. With peppers. Also, mixed in with the cringeworthy hilarity, there’s a lot of heart too – Quinn being kicked out by her family was really sad stuff. I hate what she’s doing to both Puck and Finn (come on, Finn deserves to know the truth even though he’ll most likely still stay with her), but I feel sorry for her too. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag though – I’m pretty sure the baby daddy news will get back to Finn soon enough.

Community

Another really solid episode! Loved Jeff sucking up to Senor Chang (aka El Tigre), especially LOVED the An American Tail drops throughout. Somewhere, out there…beneath the *pale* moonlight….

The Office

HAHAHAHAHA! The shareholder meeting didn’t go so well. I love the timely message, and how Oscar chickens out when it comes time to speak to the executive board. Also, Recyclops? WIN.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The D.E.N.N.I.S. system. *facepalm* It seems like a lot of work just to get a good bang in, but whatever works I suppose! It’s such an evil, exploitative system….and it’s hilarious in how well the whole thing works. Also, Sweet Dee and her marine were pretty damn funny here too. Man, I love these assholes.

And that’s it from us! What about you? Any TV moments you care to share?

This Saturday, and every Saturday for the duration of the TV season, we bring you On The Boob Tube with The Book Smugglers:

in which we talk about all those water cooler moments of the past week’s episodes, raving about the good, ranting about the bad.

For the Week of November 7 to November 13

Ana’s Favourites

Mad Men

This season final was very good and wrapped up the season beautifully. Starting with what I expected would happen: that Don WOULD leave Sterling Cooper to start a new agency. What I did not see coming was Sterling and Cooper themselves joining him. It was great fun though to see their antics, their attempts to co-opt other people and to steal stationary stuff from the office! And I loved that they brought Peggy, Peter and Joan along too!

Now, on the Private Life of Din and Betty Draper: OMG can that woman be any more stupid??? I was ultra happy that she decided to go be happy with the dude and ask Don for divorce BUY BETTY HOW DO YOU LEAVE A HUSBAND ANT TAKE YOUR KIDS INTO A NEW MARRIAGE AND DOESN’T EVEN ASK FOR MONEY FOR YOUR OWN SECURITY? Because WOMAN! What if things don’t work out with the new guy? You barely know him! What will you do, moneyless? Will you go back to Don and ask for help? And you know what? I am pretty sure the guy will turn out to be a bully!

Now, we wait and see.

Dexter

What is up with Trinity??? He freaked me out this episode. The whole scene at the woods, was just….I don’t know. Does he suspect Dexter or is he going into another cycle….but so soon? Is he “broken”??? why? So many questions!

And Dexter! OMG he killed an innocent man, thus breaking his code. What will happen next? Will he realise that he is a true sociopath and perhaps not feel anything about it? Or is this “external” code stronger than his internal wiring? How will he deal with that – I think that this killing will mean a lot to the show, perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of the end : it is easier to forget and forgive him when he is killing other serial killers. But an innocent man? Not so much.

And poor Batista and Laguerta!!!

Castle

How do I adore this show? Not only the weekly mysteries are interesting/keep me guessing, I SO adore Castle. And Castle and his mom. And Castle and his cute daughter . oh and Castle and Beckett – oh the chemistry. It slays me. I am loving it!

House

Yay, House is back after a break! Once again, the relationship between House and Wilson proves to be the best one on this show – loved their interaction but there is no surprise here. THERE IS a surprise in finding out that Cuddy is all. …cuddly with the PI dude! wtf????????? And the ending when Chase tells Cameron about the dude he killed? I am worried. Can’t wait to see her reaction.

V

Didn’t think this one lived up to the pilot but thought it was pretty cool. From the opening sequence I just KNEW that the V!FBI dude would so come back. And I love the telltale sign of a V – the blinking eyes. I am pretty sure this will come into play bit time. I am not sure I like Erica’s son though – he is annoying me. A LOT. But I am still surprised that Scott Wolf doesn’t.

And who is already shipping Erica and the priest? *raises hand* (and yes. I know it’s wrong)

Glee

This episode was amazing. I cried I laughed, I CARED. Starting with the Artie storyline and the whole thing with the wheels. His solo of Dancing With Myself (my favourite Billy Idol song!) was awesome. Then Quinn being a complete bitch with poor Finn and Puck – so unfair – why does she think she can get away with it? Then, there is Sue and the most surprising info about her life and finally, Kurt and his dad. I LOVE his father, he is awesome. Their scenes were incredible. Loved this episode.

The Office

There is a reason why The Office is one of the best sitcoms ever and this episode was a brilliant example: the complete crazyness that this office is coupled with Michael being LAME yet LOVEABLE. I mean, how wrong is it in the face of possible ruin, he decides the answer is to play Murder? And yet, it turned out to be the right thing to do! Them everybody getting to play southern accents? Oscar’s was so funny! and OMG Creed thinking that it was for reals and then leaving the office and then finally, the stand -off of “double agents” Michael, Dwight, Andy and…..Pam! LOLOLOL. I was in stitches.

Thea’s Favorites

Dexter

Another crazy week on Dexter – I’m with Ana. I think Trinity is on Dexter’s game. Clearly, his ritual isn’t quite done yet, I think there’s one final murder that Lundy never was wise to…hence the crazy coffin. (On a funny note, last week in the comments Kristen said that Trinity’s a nice guy as long as you leave his ashes alone – and this week we can add “and as long as you don’t interrupt him while he’s sanding down his COFFIN” to the list)

And holy smokes, Dexter killed an innocent man. This is HUGE. This could be bad. That’s a line that Dexter cannot EVER afford to cross…I wonder how this will play out. Nail biting will ensue.

House

Yay, it’s back! Except…things are looking increasingly grim for the gang. Someone leaked that Jennifer Morrison will be leaving the show this season (I saw it on the TV Guide cover while waiting in line at the supermarket)…so, methinks Chase’s news is NOT going to go over well. (GODDAMMIT this means fucking Thirteen is back dammitDammitDAMMIT). Also, how adorable are House and Cuddy?

Castle

What Ana said – Castle is so much fun. This week’s episode was more of the same awesomeness – I love Castle’s quippy asides. And how does Beckett NOT know about the movie Quicksilver with Kevin Bacon and Paul Rodriguez?

V

Hell fucking yes, show 2 was pretty solid. V has promise, and I’m jumping on this train. Alan Tudyk is ALIVE! Aaaaa! I agree that Tyler is annoying, but I can understand why he’s such a lying jerk to his mom (I mean, he is a rebellious teenager). Once again, Elizabeth Mitchell is made of awesome, and holy crap Tori from BSG was in this episode! I automatically assume she’s a V too – Cylon, V, she’s never EVER to be trusted.

Glee

Yay, Glee’s back too! And this was a surprisingly touching episode – not only because of Wheels and how his teammates finally understand what he’s going through, but because of Sue’s hidden past, and because of Tina’s stutter story. AND ohmygod, Kurt and Rachel’s duet of Defying Gravity was….goosebump inducing.

AND while we’re on Glee – did you know that the kid that plays Wheels actually was in a bonafide boy band before the show? I looked him up and couldn’t stop laughing. Just watch the video HERE. He’s the first one singing. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Community

Another solid episode! I loved Abed’s future prediction powers – is a werewolf REALLY coming to campus? Oh god I hope so.

The Office

“Well I do decla-ah!” Bwahahahaha! Another solid episode, and I want this murder mystery game. It looks fun. And holy crapoly, Erin and Andy! *facepalm* They are adorable. And oh my god, Oscar’s accent was the WORST I have ever heard. EVER. Amazing.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Mac and Dennis really are a codependent couple, and their breakup was pretty funny stuff. But one of my favorite pairings is when Dee and Charlie hook up, and the cat-in-the-walls thing was again, hilarious.

AND that’s it from us this week! What have you been watching?

This Saturday, and every Saturday for the duration of the TV season, we bring you On The Boob Tube with The Book Smugglers:

in which we talk about all those water cooler moments of the past week’s episodes, raving about the good, ranting about the bad.

For the Week of November 1 to November 6

Ana’s Favourites

Mad Men

The last two episodes were everything I have been hoping for with regards to Don facing both his past and his present mistakes. Betty finally confronts him about what she found and he breaks down and tells her everything. It was a very good scene where I realised, not for the first time how good an actor he is. I was kinda sad for him at the same time that I was totally and completely HAPPY that he was getting what he deserves and that came in this week’s episode – when Betty tells him that she does not love him anymore. Awesome.

When this season first started and I learnt it was 1963, I knew that the JFK’s assassination would have to come into play at some point, and I was not disappointed. It was well expected to see how it touched all the characters and there was one scene in particular that left me really surprised only because I was not aware of the fact that Lee Oswald was shot , live on TV! Betty screaming at the TV was…whoa, man.

Next week, is the final episode of the season and I really want to see how all storylines will come together. Here is hoping that part of the team will leave Sterling Cooper for their own agency – that would be all kinds of awesome.

Dexter

Oh my word! Hhow freaky and yet totally cool is John Lithgow playing serial killer Trinity? One moment I think he is totally scary , the next he is as cuddly as a teddy bear. The moment that Dexter and us , viewers realise that Trinity leads a regular life with family, kids and he is a deacon at church was quite possibly one of the most memorable scenes in Dexter, ever. Then, of course, there is the hope that Dex feels that he too, can have it all, which is the theme of this season. And this is proven by how over and over again he gets away with things. Rita on the other hand is annoying me so.freaking.much.

But seriously, how awesome is Deb this season? I don’t think I ever liked her this much. The scene at the parking lot where she breaks down after Lundy’s murder was so raw and so sad. I honestly cried a lot in that scene. I am also really, really enjoying how Quinn is helping her and I yes, I am rooting for a future hook-up. What can I say? It is the shipper in me!

Castle

One word for you: Browncoat. The Halloween episode was all kinds of cool with Nathan Fillion donning his Firefly costume again and I was totally geeking out at it. Other than that, the show is so very pleasant – yes each week’s case is your usual police procedural but they manage to make it interesting; and of course the
chemistry between Castle and Becket is another one that pleases the shipper in me!

V

DUDES! THE PILOT WAS AWESOME! I loved every second of it, the acting, the special effects, the tension, the divided loyalties. I even liked Scott Wolf! V has so much potential. I won’t say anything else as we plan to write a post about it after the second episode (just in case this one was a fluke) because that’s how much we both loved it. After FlashforwardFail, this has restored my faith in this new season!

Thea’s Favorites – I’ve got two weeks to catch up on, so here goes…

Dexter

Deb’s heartbreaking loss and her scene was just…wow. I agree with Ana – Jennifer Carpenter is really awesome this season, and I think she deserves an award nod. That parking lot scene…just WOW. That said, I’m fed up with Quinn and I love how his journalist girlfriend is TOPLESS IN EVERY SCENE. How do you cast that? “Looking for hot chick who will be topless in every scene – prudes need not apply!” Heh. To be fair, she has some nice knockers.

John Lithgow and the revelation that he’s JUST.LIKE.DEXTER is awesome. He’s terrifying, and I’m enjoying learning more about what makes Trinity tick – why he kills. The scene with his wife in the bathtub….eeeeew! Creepy! I like that Dexter is trying to pick up tips from him, as wrong as it is. And is it wrong that I hate Darla – I mean Rita – so much? She’s getting annoying…but then I stop and think about it, and she’s just (finally) picking up on the fact that Dexter is not the standup guy he pretends to be. I wonder if she’ll ever learn about Dex’s “Dark Passenger”? Will she accept him? Interesting…

V

Holy smokes, I LOVED THIS PILOT! It had everything I could have wanted – great acting, solid plot setup, awesome special effects, promise for a season full of goodness. Why didn’t ABC pick this as their “LOST replacement” show? It’s certainly lightyears better than that gawdawful mess that is Flashforward! Also I should note that I haven’t seen the ’80s show, so I have no frame of reference for the pilot. But what I’ve seen, I’ve really, really liked. A list of the coolness that is the new V:

• Morena Baccarine (aka Inara) as “Anna” – she’s terrifying and so fitting. I’m not a huge fan of the hair, but it suits the character perfectly. She looks alien. And I love how she does that weird blinking thing that makes her look like a reptile in human skin.
• The fact that V pokes fun at its own recycled source material – “It’s like Independence Day –” “Which was a ripoff of any number of science fiction predecessors!” Yeeaaaaaah SF geeks, FTW!
• Seeing Morena Baccarine and Alan Tudyk in the same show again! Awwww. Even though they are completely different characters.



• My sweet, sweet Elizabeth “Juliet” Mitchell. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I have the HUGEST girl-crush on the lovely Elizabeth Mitchell – probably the biggest girl crush I’ve had since I fell in love with Dana Scully back in fifth grade. Her role here as Erica is smart, beautiful and – naturally – badass as a mom and an FBI agent. Me likey.
• The special effects – the CG was amazingly solid. Color me impressed!



• Scott Wolf doesn’t even bother me – and is it just me, or does he look more and more like Michael J. Fox as he gets older? Also, I love that his name is “Chad Decker.” That’s almost as cool as “Cole Trickle.”
• The awesome plotseed of Erica and her teenage son, the tension that is building as he’s falling under the V’s spell



• The underlying theme that the Vs are responsible for our world turmoil; the idea that there are V sleeper cells; the reptile skin under the human flesh



• Morris Chestnut – I love him as an actor, and I love that he’s going more mainstream in this tv show. AND I love the twist that he’s a V with a conscience! Oooo, how exciting!

Modern Family

This is probably the funniest show to premiere this season. I LOVED the race between the Happy Gilmore chick and Steve from Dawn of the Dead last week, and this week’s fencing match was hilarious. Manny really tore that little asian girl apart *facepalm*

Community

The Halloween episode was HILARIOUS. I think it’s the first time I’ve really laughed my ass off while watching this show! Pierce’s tripping out, his desk fort…and Abed’s ridiculously spot on Bale-Batman voice. I loved it. LOVED IT. This week’s episode isn’t nearly as winning, but still fun.

The Office

Three words: Male Prima Donna.

The music video rules (as does the Subtle Sexuality website). I love Erin sooooo much. Also, this week’s episode with Michael dumping Pam’s mom on her b-day, and then Pam’s slap….just, wow. Awesome.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

KITTEN MITTENS! FINALLY! I have been laughing my ass off at these Charlie promos since they first aired, and finally, the Kitten Mittens episode is in the flesh. I mean, just look:

And I love any time that Charlie gets to use his Lawyerman Persona. He says the most random, ridiculous shit, and it’s amazing.

Also, last week’s episode with “Desert Rose,” the poking fun at Mickey Rourke’s The Wrestler, and OF COURSE, The Birds of War song…I have no words. Just watch.

AND that’s it from us this week! What have you been watching?

Disclaimer: Halloween is totally a Thea thing when she hijacks the blog and makes me watch and read all sorts of stuff that are way outside my comfort zone (I am SO NOT a horror/Halloween fan). Last year, it was The Evil Dead movies, which, wouldn’t you know, I ended up loving. This year, I was given another list of movies that I had to watch, one of each day of the week. Ana’s Halloween Marathon is now an official part of our annual Halloween celebration. Let the torture fun begins! Also: there will be spoilers!

Ana’s Halloween TV/Movie Marathon: Day 1 – The Twilight Zone

Why The Twilight Zone: It is one of Thea’s fave shows of all time and one that I NEVER watched. And given how the show is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year, we thought it would only be fitting that I watched it now. Thea came up with a list of Must See episodes and here we are.

Trivia: I told Thea that one of the reasons why I never watched the show is because I grew up in Brazil and it was never on TV. Turns out, I was wrong. As soon as I watched the first episode for this marathon, I recognised the opening song and realised that the show was on in Brazil. But it was called “Além da Imaginação” which literally translates as “Beyond the Imagination”.

Yeah, seriously. I can reveal now that the REAL reason why I never watched it is : the intro scared the bejesus out of me and I recall that I always left the room whenever the show was on.

The viewing Party: it was with a bit of trepidation that I started my viewing party. I was expecting to be scared to death or worse, bored to death. Bored to death because well, in my mind, a TV show from the 50’s? Really? How good could it possibly be?
So, I got a bag of chocolate covered raisins and with those expectations and very half-heartedly I lined up the episodes on Youtube/ Veoh and started watching them. And OMG, the intro, which once scared me, now is actually proves to be so cool! I love it!!!

“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”

1. Nightmare at 20,000ft

This episode is the one with William Shatner and The Freaking Face in the Window. You know, the one where William Shatner plays a guy who had a nervous breakdown six years ago. Now, he is flying home with his wife, sitting comfortably on the plane when all of a sudden he looks outside the window and there is something out there in the wing! Oh, my freaking god! Every time he looks outside the weird ape-like creature is crawling towards the engine thingy but every time he tells someone about it , the creature is out of sight and everybody starts thinking that he is mucho loco and then he closes the curtains and I know, I KNOW , something is going to happen and I sort of cover my eyes and then he opens the curtain and the CREATURE IS RIGHT THERE and I scream like there is no tomorrow and Dear Partner comes running into the room and tells me he thinks he is having a heart attack. Oopsie daisies.

Anyways, the story escalates to a point where Shatner wants to open the freaking window to go after the creature himself and he steals a weapon (wow, no one can say that he is not spry) ! Holy guacamoles, he OPENS THE WINDOW. How is the pressure not sucking everybody out of the plane? Huuum….. anyways. He stops the creature but he is taken out of the plane in a straightjacket. But wait! There is evidence that the creature DID exist.

And I loved Rod Serling’s opening words: “

Tonight, he’s traveling all the way to his appointed destination, which, contrary to Mr. Wilson’s plan, happens to be in the darkest corner of the Twilight Zone.”

DUM DUM DUM.

This is so quirky, I mean, does he always interrupt the story to narrate it? (I think he does, right? This is the Twilight Zone “thing” isn’t it? I know, I am like 50 years late to this party) but yeah I so loved it! And, oh, William Shatner how much you amuse me.

Next!

2 – Eye of the Beholder

This episode is the one with the woman at the hospital (but not just any hospital, it is a hospital in the Twilight Zone muwahahahaha) with her face covered in bandages. Apparently she is disfigured or something and just had a procedure.

The doctors are all over her, they have been trying to fix what is wrong with her for ages. This is the 11th procedure and if it doesn’t work…well, she might need to live outside this society. The camera work is pretty cool on this one and I love that we only get to hear their voices . The female protagonist’s is quite soothing as she goes on and on about her face and what will happen next, full of hope that she will lead a normal life now. I am growing increasingly agitated though because I realise that I have not seen the doctor’s or the nurses’ faces. She is described as not being “normal” and I am pretty sure the “normal” here does not mean what I think it means. And I was right, they remove the bandages to reveal a VERY beautiful woman but the doctors and nurses are HORRIFIED because IT DIDN’T WORK and right there, I close my eyes because I know something is gonna happen and holy moses, the people , they are all disfigured! EW. And they need to take her away to a ghetto for freaks like her, because in this society (with a Hitler-like leader, it seems) , everybody must look the same. Poor girl. awwww

I also loved the closing narration:

” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out amongst the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A lesson to be learned— in The Twilight Zone.”

Woot!

3 – Time Enough at Last

This the one with the bloke who works at the bank and he is constantly talking about books and reading (oh, I can SO relate) ; He has a hard time at home because his wife does not like him to read (the biotch) and then his boss calls him to his office and tells him that he is a READER (OMG I am one too!) and that his wife is so right to be like that because he is wasting time. The poor guy goes home and his wife (the biotch) has written all over his poetry book and and and SHE RIPS IT APART. Oh the nerve. Then one day he hides in the bank’s vault to read and whilst he is there a bomb destroys the entire world and he walks away and he is the only one alive. I am all like mumbling to myself “yeah, right, so there is no sign of radiation or anything”. Dear Partner who happens to be standing right behind me says “It’s The Twilight Zone, luv” . I give him The Look. WhatEVER.

Anyways, the guy is now aaaaaaaall alone and he despairs. Solitude! Boredom! Hunger! All looms in the horizon and he finds a gun and is about to shot himself and then he sees the sign for the public library! And OMG he has all the books in the world now at his disposal. He makes piles for every month for the rest of his years and oh noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooes. His glasses! He broke his glasses!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, this is so twisted! Bad Twilight Zone! BAD!
I loved this episode!

Closing Narration:

“The best laid plans of mice and men and Henry Bemis, the small man in the glasses who wanted nothing but time. Henry Bemis, now just a part of a smashed landscape, just a piece of the rubble, just a fragment of what man has deeded to himself. Mr. Henry Bemis…in the Twilight Zone.”

4. The Hitchhiker

This is the one with the young woman driving cross-country and as she drives she keeps seeing the same hitch-hiker, a strange man, who appears at Every.Single.Stop along the way.

I am completely TERRIFIED of this episode. This is the one that is scaring me the most so far. The tension increases as the woman drives away, running from him…talking to herself inside the car. It is rather claustrophobic and then she stops to call home and is told that OMG SHE IS DEAD. SHE IS DEEEEEEEEEEEEEAD. How did I not see this coming? She is dead and the guy is Death! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *thud*

Closing Narration:

“Nan Adams, age twenty-seven. She was driving to California, to Los Angeles. She didn’t make it. There was a detour, through the Twilight Zone. “

5 – Five Characters in Search of an Exit

This is one of Thea’s top favourites and the last one I watched. Five people inside what seems to be a cylinder-like place? A major of the army, a ballerina, a homeless guy, a bagpiper and a clown.

They don’t know who they are or where they are. The major is quite determined to find out.

The Ballerina is telling him ““we are in the darkness, nameless things with no memory – no knowledge of what went before, no understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be” and I am thinking: are they characters from a book? I am sure they are not alive, this is going to be the twist right? Each of them believes they are in a different place: a spaceship or hell. They are quite desperate: we must have names! I am all like, OMG the angst! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THESE POOR PEOPLE. I have to say, the acting is quite good and the directing conveys such a sense of entrapment….they come up with a plan , by forming a tower of people and the major manages to go up but once he gets there he falls to the outside. The Ballerina is all like: come back for us! And I am like awwww and then the story is all like ZOMFG, they are DOLLS! They are dolls! Inside a box to be sold! Aaaaaaaaaa, nooooooooooo awwww. Someone returns the major and then and then the Ballerina doll holds his hands and cries.

The Closing Narration made me cry:

“Just a barrel, a dark depository where are kept the counterfeit, make-believe pieces of plaster and cloth, wrought in the distorted image of human life. But this added, hopeful note: perhaps they are unloved only for the moment. In the arms of children, there can be nothing but love. A clown, a tramp, a bagpipe player, a ballet dancer, and a major. Tonight’s cast of players on the odd stage known as the Twilight Zone.”

This was definitely my favourite! Love the twist! And how sad it was.

Verdict: I loved all the episodes I watched. I was VERY surprised about the quality of the episodes, how some of them were even rather arty. Of course, the black and white photography really helps. I was also taken by surprise at how (at least the episodes I watched)they were not really THAT scary and were much more about psychological horror by showing the way these weird happenings affected the people involved in them more than anything else. I think Thea chose a good mixture of episodes for me to watch varying from sci-fi to horror and to Fantasy. And how I love Rod Serling’s narration!

I will definitely go back for seconds and I can totally understand how this is still in syndication after all these years.

So, this is my experience watching The Twilight Zone. Are you a fan of the show? What are your favourite episodes? Do share!