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Sunday, February 20, 2011

don't need no stinkin' TV

I've confessed here before that I don't watch much TV, although I have tried. Really. I have.

I don't watch Oprah, I don't watch American Idol, I don't watch CSI:Anywhere - none of it. I just find it all so... so... so... BORING. And sometimes, it actually makes me angry, as in "The Bachelor" is SO not how to find a life partner! And who was voted off of "Dancing with the Stars" is SO not headline news!

But I can deal with it. That said, I do actually enjoy a good NOVA episode now and then. Geek much?

I typically have a book or two going, though. I can start one, and if it is a total yawner, I have no qualms about not finishing it. Right now, I'm reading "Water for Elephants". It was just recently made into a movie and an ad for it popped up on the computer one day. Wolfgang happened to be nearby and he suggested I read the book, then Magnum and I go see the movie. I think he's just trying to get rid of us for a while, but whatever, I decided to check the book out.

And, lo and behold, I actually like it! I can't remember the last novel I actually finished and I've just a few pages left. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. While I read, it was hard for me to see pretty Boy Robert Pattinson as the lead. I just think of him as Vampire Edward, but he may just pull it off.

So anyway, I highly recommend it. Turn off the TV and read this book instead.

In movie news, we recently watched Prince of Persia. It's not bad for family viewing - there's something for everyone: Magic and Battles, Muscles and Boobs... Although I was left wondering why it was that the people of ancient Persia all spoke with British accents, but I guess that's how it goes in Hollywood.

Magnum and I also recently watched Rory O'Shea Was Here and liked it too. It was funny and sad and touching and thought provoking, and I liked all of the main characters. It was rated R, I guess just for a few F-bombs, but really, that's a stretch. Good flick.

What's in your bookshelf and DVD player?
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5 comments:

agg79 said...

Ditto on the current round of TV shows. I really have no patience/tolerance for reality shows. Although, I have gotten hooked on American Pickers over on the History Channel.

Perfer a good book. Just finished the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but you know that already. I am working through an old mystery called One Shot before I start the 2nd in the series (Girl Who Played with Fire). I find it hard to watch a movie if I like the book. They never seem to live up to my imagination.

Currently in my DVD rotation? Red & Inception.

terri said...

Ooooh... that's one I've been considering, so I'll put that on my list to read! I just bought "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and am not far enough in to say whether or not I'm hooked, but I did just finish one called "Room" which was different and very captivating.

Nothing in the DVD player for me. I'm always behind on movies.

Scott said...

I don't watch enough TV--I spend too much time on the Internet! And the only current series I watch is "48 Hours Mystery" on CBS. I love mysteries anyway (except the ones in my real life, like "When is my car going to fall apart again?")--in books, on TV, and in film. "48 Hours Mystery" is real--no reenactments, every "story" uses real archive footage. But it's edited in such a way that you can never guess how it's going to turn out. This is editing at its best--even if this weren't real, it would still be one hell of a good mystery series!

As for movies, on DVD and VHS, I've got more than I know what to do with, including a three-feet stack of DVD's I haven't watched yet.

And books--same thing, I don't have enough shelf space for all the books I have. The last well-known book I completed reading was "Franny and Zooey"--but it was a disappointment compared to Salinger's better known, "The Catcher in the Rye" (which is one of the funniest books I've ever read in my life)! The book I last started, but haven't yet finished is "A History of Pagan Europe", by Prudence Jones & Nigel Pennick. It's a fascinating read, but I'm simply too caught up with reading blogs on the Internet, and writing (online and offline), that I don't finish the book--even though I'm halfway through it! Still, I must say blogs are good reading. There's alot of extremely good writing on blogs--so I don't consider reading those a waste of time. Nevertheless, I really need to read books as much as blogs--to be more balanced in my reading.

Anita said...

Strength in What Remains (non-fiction) is on my night table. A young man flees Burundi because of civil war, comes to the US with $200 and can not speak English, and...well, I'm not finished, but I think he becomes a doctor.

I hardly see movies - at the theater or on DVD. I really should watch the DVDs that I have, like Slum Dog. I'll get to it.

No nightly TV for me...actually, I might see the Wheel and Jeopardy sometimes while cleaning the kitchen, and a little CNN. Might catch some of the girly stuff (Regis & Kelly, the View) while doing morning clean up.

Book TV on C-Span (weekends) is good for the nerdy crowd. I like about a third of what I see on it.

I've seen Water For Elephants on the bestsellers list forever. Must be good!

Anna said...

I don't watch much TV either. At least you won't think I'm odd because of this. I've almost considered taking it up, just to make conversation with co-workers easier!

As for me, at the moment I'm reading lots of Kurt Vonnegut and 'The Scar' by China Mieville (so I can't laugh at you for being a geek).