a vintage year for scoundrels

The next Home Team round is up! The very first matchup is Buffy vs Martha. D: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE? They are two of my favourite characters in anything ever. (I was going to say "two favourite female characters" but the qualification is unnecessary.) And then! Zoe vs Sarah Connor! And River vs Elizabeth Bennet, how do you begin to compare those two? M vs Tosh is almost a relief by comparison. DECISIONS. Probably it is a good thing that I don't know how to change my vote, because at least once I have made a decision I will have to stick with it.

Eurovision was great this year. And by great I mean I won both the sweetstakes. Hurrah! Also Hett, Rach, Mark and I had a lovely Eurovision party with lots of European and Europeanish food, dancing around, flag making and enthusiastic waving (the red felt tips ran out so my Icelandic flag had to have a pink cross instead of a red one, but it looked pretty so never mind), and VERY TENSE voting: no-one had Norway but I had Iceland and Rach had Azerbaijan, and they fought it out for second place right up until the very last vote. As for the actual songs, I liked Norway's entry but it didn't stand out as one that would DEFINITELY WIN, so I was a bit surprised by the landslide. I was also surprised at how well our entry did: it wasn't bad, but it was a bit bland. The lyrics weren't terribly interesting and neither was the staging (apart from the bit where she got too close to a violinist and almost ended up with an elbow in the face, but I don't think that was planned. Well done her for not being put off by it, though). In the "why didn't they do better category?" are Portugal (so colourful and happy!), Germany (come on, they had SHINY TROUSERS and DITA VON TEESE, awesome) and Ukraine (anti-crisis girl! Dancers dressed as centurions (Roman, not Battlestar Galactica)!).

I have been watching a lot of Red Dwarf recently, finally getting round to catching up on the seasons that I never saw on TV. Also it turned out that Hetty had just borrowed the DVDs from a friend since she'd never seen them, so we watched seasons three and four at the weekend. Although I hadn't seen any of the episodes except 'Polymorph' all the way through, I'd seen lots of clips and picked things up via fannish osmosis, not to mention reading both script books and some of the novels many many times, so it was a strange mix of new and familiar. Anyway, all v. funny - I think my favourite episode so far is 'Marooned' - and I may end up buying the rest of the DVDs instead of renting them. (Er. Also, have I gone completely mad or is Chris Barrie really very sexy? Answers on a postcard!)

Hetty also lent me Moonlight (ever since I introduced her to Buffy last year she has been all about the vampire dramas). I am three episodes in and enjoying it, though I wish they'd swapped the genders of the leads. I always think that but Moonlight in particular would have benefited - it would have made the bits of it that are rather generic much more interesting. I do like that ( spoilers! )

Really not very happy about The Sarah Connor Chronicles getting cancelled - when I heard Dollhouse had been renewed it got my hopes up because I thought that surely the universe was not so unfair as to renew the latter but not the former. Apparently I was wrong. D:

Oh, nearly forgot: I have two spare Dreamwidth codes if anyone wants one (or knows someone who wants one).

Eurovision was great this year. And by great I mean I won both the sweetstakes. Hurrah! Also Hett, Rach, Mark and I had a lovely Eurovision party with lots of European and Europeanish food, dancing around, flag making and enthusiastic waving (the red felt tips ran out so my Icelandic flag had to have a pink cross instead of a red one, but it looked pretty so never mind), and VERY TENSE voting: no-one had Norway but I had Iceland and Rach had Azerbaijan, and they fought it out for second place right up until the very last vote. As for the actual songs, I liked Norway's entry but it didn't stand out as one that would DEFINITELY WIN, so I was a bit surprised by the landslide. I was also surprised at how well our entry did: it wasn't bad, but it was a bit bland. The lyrics weren't terribly interesting and neither was the staging (apart from the bit where she got too close to a violinist and almost ended up with an elbow in the face, but I don't think that was planned. Well done her for not being put off by it, though). In the "why didn't they do better category?" are Portugal (so colourful and happy!), Germany (come on, they had SHINY TROUSERS and DITA VON TEESE, awesome) and Ukraine (anti-crisis girl! Dancers dressed as centurions (Roman, not Battlestar Galactica)!).

I have been watching a lot of Red Dwarf recently, finally getting round to catching up on the seasons that I never saw on TV. Also it turned out that Hetty had just borrowed the DVDs from a friend since she'd never seen them, so we watched seasons three and four at the weekend. Although I hadn't seen any of the episodes except 'Polymorph' all the way through, I'd seen lots of clips and picked things up via fannish osmosis, not to mention reading both script books and some of the novels many many times, so it was a strange mix of new and familiar. Anyway, all v. funny - I think my favourite episode so far is 'Marooned' - and I may end up buying the rest of the DVDs instead of renting them. (Er. Also, have I gone completely mad or is Chris Barrie really very sexy? Answers on a postcard!)

Hetty also lent me Moonlight (ever since I introduced her to Buffy last year she has been all about the vampire dramas). I am three episodes in and enjoying it, though I wish they'd swapped the genders of the leads. I always think that but Moonlight in particular would have benefited - it would have made the bits of it that are rather generic much more interesting. I do like that ( spoilers! )

Really not very happy about The Sarah Connor Chronicles getting cancelled - when I heard Dollhouse had been renewed it got my hopes up because I thought that surely the universe was not so unfair as to renew the latter but not the former. Apparently I was wrong. D:

Oh, nearly forgot: I have two spare Dreamwidth codes if anyone wants one (or knows someone who wants one).

- Some thoughts on this week's Sarah Connor Chronicles: first of all, DON'T GET CANCELLED I MEAN THIS! ( spoilers for 2x21 'Abel Raised a Cain' )

- My restore from saved draft text was words about Criminal Justice, which I've decided to hold off on posting until I've seen the whole thing, in case of unexpectedness in the last two episodes. I will say that I'm enjoying it, though it took me a while to get into it as I'm not hugely keen on the main character. Frances Kapoor is made of awesome, though.

- I read a lovely short story in on of the Short Trips books (Steel Skies) - "Light at the End of the Tunnel" by Mark Wright. It featured Five and Peri, whom I love, their voices were just spot on all the way through and the whole thing was a great take on the "why do people travel with the Doctor?" idea. Excellent work.

- This thing where it is still fairly cold? I do not like it. *shivers* The sensor that controls the heating at work has apparently decided that it is in fact boiling hot, and turned off all the radiators. Grrr.

- Also from the "things that are making me disgruntled" department, I am fed up of British Summer Time already and would like GMT back now kthnx. I can't get to sleep at night because it's too early, then I can't get up in the mornings and am dozy and grumpy all day. ARGH RUBBISH.

Happy meme, days 3 and 4 4 and 5, on account of I forgot to post yesterday. I'm actually finding this meme harder than wot I was expecting: I am vaguely happy most of the time without being able to pinpoint one specific thing that makes me so. So, yesterday: first through-the-post Christmas card of the year, from Hetty, wishing me unusually good public transport wherever I may go. ♥ And from today, had a lovely yummy Pizza Express sloppy guiseppe pizza, so expensive but totally worth it, om nom nom nom.

*

I love The Sarah Connor Chronicles so so much, you guys. Just watched 2x12 and 2x13, 'Alpine Fields' and 'Earthlings Welcome Here', here are random thoughts:

( spoilers )

Have had slight Merlin binge these last few days. I really do love it and not in a so-bad-it's-good way, it is quite embarrassing. But all the characters are great and so are the actors, the effects are actually quite good (though am amused by the fact that they can do battles or they can do beasties, but not both at once), it's silly and anachronistic and it knows it and has fun with it without feeling like it's laughing at the people who enjoy it. The plots are... slight, but I can deal with that. And I do not feel the urge to hit any of the characters in the face with a badger like I did when I watched Robin Hood. (I would of course ask the badger's permission first, I am sure it would be amenable, Robin was very irritating.) Altogether it is just so incredibly likeable.

Finally got round to seeing last week's Sarah Connor Chronicles, 'The Tower is Tall but the Fall is Short', and have a couple of observations: ( spoilers )

Have I Got News For You with Tom Baker last night was indeed fantastic. Thumbs up all round.

Moan #1: This month's SFX is going to have ten different covers, one for each Doctor, so you get to choose the one you love the best. Unless, like me, you are a subscriber, in which case you get Tennant (aka the only Doctor I actually dislike) foisted upon you. BAH.

Moan #2: My upstairs neighbours seem certain that midnight is a fantastic time to start their guitar and singing practice. I remain unconvinced.

Onto more fun things ie telly, which I have been watching a lot of. Lovefilm sent me some more Hornblower - Mutiny and Retribution - and this time Paul McGann was in it, excellent. I enjoyed it very much, especially Horatio's Mad Plans, and the bit where Mad Plan #3 was almost scuppered by Science Fail and Bush and Archie mocked Horatio a bit, that was fun. Pellew was great too, as usual. And yes, ( cut for spoilers )

Because it is apparently still 2004 in Jenniland, I've just started watching Veronica Mars, which is all kinds of fun, with snappy dialogue and an int'resting mystery and some of the most obviously fake driving scenes I've seen since Xander's dream in Restless, and there it was fake on purpose. I keep expecting Veronica to try steering using emphatic hand gestures. But other than that, it is great and I would very much like Veronica's entire wardrobe, please. Also, if it weren't for the fact that I am lazy and it is far I might be tempted to move to California. Look at all that sun! The Grauniad had a piece on Kristen Bell at the weekend and they said that there are rumours Veronica Mars might get uncancelled now her star is in the ascendant. Has anyone else heard this or is the Guardian just making things up for fun?

Also, the Sarah Connor Chronicles (last week's, not yesterday's, haven't seen that one yet ETA apparently there was no SCC yesterday due to SPORT so this parenthesis was unnecessary) was pretty good. Brief thoughts!
( with spoilers )

It's taken me nearly an hour to write this. Why so busy this morning, library? Someone asked me to fetch some theseseses halfway through that last sentence, heh.

This week's Sarah Connor Chronicles was fantastic. Thoughts, not necessarily coherent: ( spoilers for 2x04 )

So I have spent most of this evening watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles; the last two episodes of season 1, the season 2 premier and then the season 1 finale again 'cos I loved it so much. Some thoughts on that one, as I watched it for the second time:
( spoilers )

And a few random insubstantial thoughts on 2x01:
( more spoilers! )

- Am halfway through Doctor Who and the Pirates; so much love! Singing! (well, not yet, but it's IMMINENT.) Pirates! Bill Oddie as the villain! The framing device with Evelyn and the Doctor telling the story is great too, very funny and also intriguing. Every time I listen to a Sixth Doctor audio I love him a little more. Speaking of, I also listened to The Doomwood Curse recently, not as fabtastic as Jacqueline Rayner's stuff usually is, but still lots of fun. Could have done with ( spoilers )

- Last night I watched three episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles (I'm up to "The Demon Hand" now), which I am also loving - at the end of every episode I find myself thinking, "oh, go on, just one more scene, please?" Between seeing the first four episodes and these three, I've actually got around to watching the first two films, so now I'm spotting all the references and stuff that I missed before, which is cool. ( cut for spoilers to be on the safe side )

- The Mother and I are planning to go to Madrid for a few days at the end of October, so if anyone has any recommendations of things to see and do/places to eat etc, that would be very shiny.

- Have been spending lots of time merrily adding books to LibraryThing, apparently you can add audio books too, which I like. Plus, tags! I love tags. ...This is not really helping with my resolution to spend less time noodling about on the internets, is it?