Bleak house

After a rather melodramatic rendition of Madame Bovary, the relatively new cable channel Velvet is broadcasting Charles Dickens BLEAK HOUSE, the 2006 Masterpiece Theater/PBS production. Written in the mold of a thriller, probably one of the first in its genre, the plot revolves around who inherits the fortune left behind rather problematically by one Jarndyce, unfortunately with two wills, and a legal system all a-ready to jump on the circumstances. As is now, the lawyers are the only ones to gain. The many strengths of the production lie in its well-adapted screenplay, the surplus of strong acting (Gillian Anderson of the X-Files alongside the British character actors, and enough of them to confuse a new viewer), and appropriately Victorian setting. If you like legal dramas, Law and Order and their ilk, catch Bleak House while it's being shown every Thursday evening. And no, there are no subtitles!

So you think you can dance... or at least dress

On Saturday early evenings, I find myself channel surfing over to Ch 53 to catch So You Think You Can Dance. This show reminds me Dance Fever!!! I remember watching the latter show as a child with my brother (who styled himself as his generations John Travolta in Grease - he's so going to kill me for saying that heehee), and sometimes my mom. We'd watch the dances, cringe when it was gawdawful, but enjoyed all the twisty dancing and the imagination of the stylings. SYTYCD is my older self's Dance Fever, with way better dancing for the most part. I've been watching for a few weeks now, and while I could easily find out online who won the competition (2nd season I believe), it's far more fun spending an hour or so watching the show, mentally critiquing the dances that fail to speak to me, while the dances that are full of vivo and life are a joy to watch.

Since catching up with who is who, I look forward to seeing a few of the dancers, and try to avoid watching a few of the others. From the first set, Daniella and Natalie are cute, bubbly, smoking, and sympatico; Benjie and Ivan don't turn me off with their weird hairdos or bad dressing and they're getting better each week like any kind of progressive development should prove. On the latter side, please get rid of Dimitri who is a ham actor and barely manages to keep his shirt on. Travis's hair continues to be freakier each time I see the show. He is looking more like the funny looking troll dolls with scary neon hair. The others (10 dancers are still in the show) all sort of blend into one.

Iconoclasts

In between the live Oscar show and repeating it later in the evening, the new cable channel, Velvet (ch53 for Skycable subscribers), presented a show called Iconoclasts. I hadn't seen this before and found it quite delightful. Yesterday's show, which I presume was a repeat, had two of Hollywood's icons in an entertaining dialogue - Paul Newman and Robert Redford. They had starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, both have won Oscar awards, both have weathered numerous difficulties over their careers, and both look darn good for their respective ages. Newman hosted Redford at his mansion, and toured him around a rebuilt Westport Playhouse which Newman's wife championed when it needed funds for reconstruction. At the beginning of the show, Redford is driven up to the house, and Newman and he play tag as they try to find one another on the expansive lot. "Redford! Where are you? I have laryngitis for god's sake!" "Newman! What's going on? Where are you?" heehee, even gods of the acting and directing world can get lost on their own property.

Next Monday, March 3, will be a new episode, unfortunately at 11 p.m. (I tend to droop around 10 pm these days). One of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali, will be paired with one of his idols, Michael Stipes of REM. There's a shot of Mario raving at a live REM concert. I sure hope they replay that show too! Otherwise if anyone knows where I can get copies of the series, I'd love to see the entire set. I'm sure they have lots of interesting pairings like the two above. Newman! Redford!!

When it's raining

... and your nose is stuffed with a cold, you stay home and avoid sharing the germs. You mentally berate yourself for putting the book you're reading, of which you only have two more chapters to go, in with the laundry (book saved from watery mess, but not available for reading for a day). So you turn to the "interweb" and read what is going on out there. And watch way too much tv.

Let's start with tv: who forgot to tell me that StarWorld is now showing old episodes of Northern Exposure? One of my all time favorite shows. Quirky, well written, romantic, lovable characters, and made me want to move to Alaska, like LA Law made law school applications jump through the roof. They've tried replicating it (Men in Trees), but nothing comes close to the intelligent writing and verbal sparring, plus imaginative scenarios all in 7 seasons of classic tv (the last two seasons were less brilliant). Unfortunately, I'd have to be home from 10 am to catch it.

Discovery Channel in Asia is finally showing Dirty Jobs, a great show highlighting the most unimaginably disgusting work in action. I'm guessing that Discovery Channel Asia is starting from the first season, so the most recent episode has him talking to noodlers, who stick their face in holes looking to get bitten by catfish, well to fish for these honking big catfish in Oklahoma. Then a few more jobs dealing with manure, worms, goo. Love it! Someone's got to do it indeed.

As for reading online, there's an interesting interview about female chefs, the trials and tribulations they deal with as women in the kitchen; Time Magazine has a short photo essay on what famous chefs would eat for their last meal (I didn't find any of it too illuminating, but go check it out for the photos! I love the pasta hat worn by Lidia Bastianich, and the gigantic pugs with Adria.).

And just when you feel like having a dab of perfume to make you feel a bit better, you read about the continued use of civet musk in the fragrance beez. Kat peez. I'll just drink the coffee.