All Things HBO

I can remember the first time I saw the letters "HBO" together and it actually meant something to me. It was the fall of 1981 and my parents had cable. The concept of cable didn’t really make sense to me and I was blissfully unconcerned. The TV was one of those big console monstrosities that ::gasp:: we had to crawl over and flip channels with a knob. It was awesome. Somehow that year I got to piece together Jaws and Orca for the first time and it continued to fuel a lifelong monster obsession that HBO still continues to satisfy.


I have not concealed the fact that I have become ridiculously attached to True Blood. I know you have heard this before here, here, and even here so I will not take up the space and time to annoy you with continued details except to say that it is slated to premiere June 12, 2011. WOOT!

This is the part of the post where I admit, I just don’t seem to ever get enough HBO. This year is the end of one of my FAVORITE shows, Big Love. I have watched every single episode in all these years, in the beginning because I just could not fathom how I could find it interesting or become involved in the story. I do not mind saying, HBO knocked me upside the head with that one, whew! I have been on the edge of my seat, all these years, watching how things unfold. It is one of the few shows I can say without question is just as good in its final stages as it was in the beginning. I share equally the love for Barb and watching her discover her life as the hate for Nicki. Oh, how I wished Nicki had left the family for the prosecutor…such a GREAT story line for a character I really have disliked (in this respect, Chloe is brilliant!). I will be so sad to see the last episode and my life will never be the same. I can only hope one day there is a movie so that we can really see where the Henrickson’s end up.


My newest and possibly my worst obsession to date is Game of Thrones. When I saw the first teaser over a year ago, I had a meltdown. The sets, the costumes, the language were music to my ears. This led me to a dangerous obsession to the great George R.R. Martin’s series that has resulted in the inability for me to read anything until I finish this series. I am on book four and book five comes out in July. I am just screwed; I may never read anything else. I swear it’s more addictive than the Harry Potter books. So sophisticated and elegant, I mean HBO cast the glorious Sean Bean as one of the main characters. Are you kidding me? My head might explode.

Game of Thrones debuts on April 17. If you haven’t read the books, get started. If you haven’t been to the blog, go here. Bow at the feet of HBO and tell them how great it is…you are going to just freak out when you get into the first couple of episodes…I promise. Check out the trailer here.


OMG.



I need to sit down and rest now. The thought of it is overwhelming.



Winter is coming bitches.

Best of the Web

It's been a while since I have done one of these so I am thinking "here you go."  For those of you thinking "this isn't the best of the web" I say "suck it."

One of my favorite blogs for my daily dose of gratuitous violence, dish, all things vamp and more, I check in with True Blood Dallas on Twitter.  Check out the blog as well for a posting on the potential new CBS show based on the Harris novels.  True Blood continues to entertain so this should be interesting.

A long time fan and contributor to the big orange Daily Kos (I blog there as DFJtoo) I advocate their front page for a lively, daily conversation on all things political.  While working as a progressive format, I am constantly surprised what a BIG TENT that involves.  My favorites on the blog continue to be Bill in Portland Maine and DarkSyde.  Go check them out, expand your thinking or hell, just start thinking.

I am a foodie.  There, I said it.  I am not sure this was a secret but there you go.  It has gotten so bad, I volunteer at Central Market just to earn credits to turn around and take more classes.  GOOP is making this much more difficult for me as I am now completely unable to stop printing recipes, cooking and trying new things.  Check out Smitten Kitchen and Stay at Stove Dad that I found as a result of Ms. Paltrow.  UGH.  So much further down the rabbit hole now...

Now that gift giving season is upon us, I will reiterate my plan to purchase a large volume via Amazon.com with my gift cards earned with Opinion Outpost and Swagbucks.  In times of economic hardship, this has allowed me so much more flexibility than I thought possible before.  For more unique purchases, my top three sites (in no particular order) are Etsy, Think Geek, and Tanga.  Etsy is amazing, handmade unique items for such great prices! Think Geek is pretty self explanatory.  Whether you have a geek in your house or someone that just likes Family Guy, this is the site for you.  Tanga, a recent find, has great daily deals but I go to them for the amazing deals on funny t-shirts.  The one down side is if you want multiples, you have to place separate orders, but the ridiculously low price makes it completely worth it.

So there you go.  Head out into your respective worlds and do great things.  Peace out!

Monster of the Week- The Werewolf

I do not hide my fascination with all things supernatural. Certainly here, I have explained time and time again how great True Blood is, if for no other reason that the beautiful warrior named Eric. While I have spent many years reading tales of vampires, lamenting Anne Rice’s on again off again decision to discontinue writing about them, and making sure I see every movie about them that gets made, I will admit, they may not actually be my favorite monster. Of course, I am the person with an alarm set to buy tickets for the new Predators in advance so maybe all monsters are my favorite.




It’s my dad’s fault really.



When I was in the third grade, we lived in a house where the den was at the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms. Logically I know I never awoke in the middle of the night because I heard something, but more because it became habit. My dad, you see, had insomnia and lucky for me, a willingness to override common sense and my mom’s rules any time he saw fit. I don’t remember my first episode of Dead Eanest and Shock Theater (rumored to have been Ted Turner), but only that a regular rotation of B-movies educated me on the finer points of Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi’s monsters. I would watch through the fingers of my tiny hands, subduing any shrieks that would rise in my throat just to maintain the privilege of sitting on the daybed in the den. Soon I learned to love the Twilight Zone, The Night Stalker and any form of creature or intense psychological terror. No wonder I am warped. For whatever reason, despite my love of vampires today, my favorite was Lon Chaney Jr.’s werewolf.

It would be years before I would understand where the legend arose. I didn’t know lycanthropy was even a word, much less a disorder that is rumored to have existed at a time. My first modern werewolf would appear gloriously in An American Werewolf in London. The pain of the change terrified me and I remember being in utter disbelief. When Michael Jackson then recreated the change for Thriller, arguablely better by the soliloquy of the incomparable Vincent Price, it just went to solidify how fabulous a monster this was. Stephen King took a turn and as always, I love his books so much more than the celluloid reproduction. Driven by rage and moon shine, a man beast with super human strength is set loose on populations to exact his revenge. How can you get better than that? One of my favorite series of movies now is undoubtedly Underworld, which deftly combines vamps and weres in a more modern take on the tale. Regardless of glorious special effects and black leather wielded by Kate Beckinsale, I will not lie when I admit I was smitten with the newest creation by Benicio Del Toro in The Wolfman. Here was a return to the Chaney wolf I loved, a deep and moving portrait in the traditional werewolf saga. I could just eat that movie up!



Recently, I stumbled on a fantastic series. I have read all of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels (though I dislike her werewolf depictions—that is for a later post) and when I saw her endorsement on the cover of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series, I thought would give them a try. I am so excited that fate seemed to steer me in her direction. Patricia crafts a heroine that is strong and assertive, with a keen eye to detail and the true folklore behind all her creatures. I am hooked! Imagine for a history minor how great to find when challenged by gun enthusiasts about the validity of making your own silver bullets, she not only documents the historical accuracy of such, SHE SET OUT TO CAST HER OWN. That’s my kind of research! I think these books have the perfect balance between fun and terror, interesting characters and amazing monster/supernaturals/creatures/villains. I will be first in line for a ticket when Moon Called makes it to the big screen. If you are looking for something fun and fast to read this summer, I highly recommend her novels. I just might have follow her lead and cast my own bullets just to see if I can. :)

My True Blood Party, Soundtrack courtesy of Better Than Ezra

So have you started planning your party yet? While I may have to wait until summer, I am already planning the beverages, the dinner and now I am working on the soundtrack. While it is not a secret that Better than Ezra is the worlds greatest band (if by now you haven't seen them live you really really should), I am currently engaged in requesting/harassing HBO in regards to adding them to the list of musical wonder that is a great big part of the True Blood experience. I mean, just ask Jace Everett. While phone calls and letters are both ways to effectively stalk/annoy, I have enlisted the fabulous social media cocktail that is Twitter to beat them into submission. My most recent tweet fodder is as follows:

@HBO how about Lafayette's new beau takes him salsa dancing and they dance to Like It Like That by @betterthanezra?

@HBO how about playing Breathless by @betterthanezra when Sookie and Eric consumate their relationship? :) 9:32 AM Jan 21st from web

@hbo how about @betterthanezra sing "Juicy" live at Fangtasia with vamp gogo dancers?

@hbo what about playing One More Murder by @betterthanezra in the background next time Sookie finds a dead body? Excellent idea. :)

@HBO so when will we see @betterthanezra on True Blood? It's a perfect fit. :)

I am actually surprised this hasn't occurred to anyone else, but two seasons have flown by and still the greatest Louisiana ambassadors have not been represented. For all I know, this could already be in the works, but I will continue my effort. I took Middle Monkey to a show at the end of the year and getting a text from her, front row, center stage when they started "Allison Foley" that said "!!!!!!!!" was about the greatest thing ever. (And my fav song no less). You Probably know Better Than Ezra from Extraordinary or Juicy but they are also great humanitarians, advocates for rebuilding New Orleans and just about some of the funniest guys around. Even Taylor Swift thinks so! Check them out or meet me at a show, mkay?

Not on the True Blood bandwagon yet? Let me help. I submit for your perusal, Mr. Eric Northman.


Wait ladies, there is more, (as there should be)...turns out (known by his real name) Alexander Skarsgard has been voted sexiest man in Sweden a ridiculous amount of times and has provided so many options to view his intellect, his humor, and um, his man parts, that we should all bow down to the visionary Swedes. Oh yeah, thank the god of your choice for bringing him to our shores! Woot!

If you haven't been infected by the True Blood virus, check out the first season on DVD, second season is following soon, and don't forget to try some of the tasty beverage yourself.

Mmmmm mmmmm mmmm. (insert additional gratuitous picture for effect)






Right, I thought so. And read the books! Can't wait for that shower scene. Woot!

59 Degrees

WOOT!


Sorry, just slightly excited at the dip in temperature considering that we have had oppressive, too close to the equator type hotness going on for so long (which of course was followed by 40 days and 40 nights of rain). I am happy to grab a sweatshirt and cook something yummy.

Speaking of which, this is the perfect time for a new recipe! I just finished Julie & Julia which was marvelous, made me laugh outloud and definitely inspired me to try a Julia Child recipe of my own. I picked the Potage Parmentier which I have decided is AH-MAZING since monkeys of all varieties went back for seconds. Super easy is also big in my book.

Also, if you are one of those that likes to snuggle inside during this time of year, can I beg you to get on the True Blood bandwagon? Well, for this reason, and this reason and I suggest this reason. Is that enough?

I am off to clean something. Probably a closet if it doesn't try to suffocate me first.

Happy Fall!

FYI Bitches: Ryan Reynolds does NOT belong to you!

Summer is finally winding down and I am dusting off the cobwebs. Monkeys are returning from parts near and far so I have to get back to some regular patterns. I will inform you in advance; I won’t be waxing poetic today or giving some long monologue on a well thought out subject. No, the Queen’s glorious return post-summer break is about one thing and one thing only:

Screaming little girls that think Ryan Reynolds is hot piss me off.






::insert evil laugter here::

Far be it from me to argue that point but this is what it’s about...(sample conversation inserted for illustrative effects).

Random Idiot: OMG, Ryan Reynolds is so freakin hot, I just can’t BELIEVE it.

QOTU: Yeah, he’s funny too. Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place is one of my favorite shows ever. I am thinking I need to buy it on DVD.

Random Idiot: WTF? Ryan Reynolds was never on TV, he’s a MOOOOOVVVIEEEE star, what are you talking about? Stupid old lady, ha ha ha.

QOTU: ::shoots IMDB lightning bolts all over said idiot faster than she can say ‘what’s IMDB?’::

Come on, he is NOT the new thing. He even kicked vampire butt before it was cool…now everyone is doing it. (Side note here, I am also RIDICULOUSLY addicted to True Blood but that’s another blog).

You can spend money going to see him and drool over his pictures, but I am sorry, you don’t get to carry the official Ryan Reynolds card. Those are reserved for us that know he is more than a pretty face but happily embrace his right to take his clothes off any time he pleases.

On a Comic Con side note, I could care less if he and Scarlet are fighting, I don’t really care for her anyway (sorry Scott), but dude, check this out…I am stoked!

Peace out!