Music Monday :: a play-by-play of SNL’s musical guests this decade

Self-explanatory, I guess?  Starting with the 2010-2011 season.

• In season 38 (the current season), there has been one female musical guest (Rihanna, who has appeared in all three of the seasons I’m reviewing).
• In season 38, the most popular genres for appearing artists have been some variety of R&B or hip-hop and some variety of well-known indie pop, with 3 artists each.
• In season 38, one artist has appeared who I actually own albums by (Muse).
• In season 37, there were eight female musical guests or bands with females in them (Lady Antebellum, Florence + the Machine, Robyn, Kelly Clarkson, Lana del Ray, Karmin, Sleigh Bells, and Rihanna).
• In season 37, the most popular genre for appearing artists was some variety of alternative rock, with seven artists falling under said umbrella.
• In season 37, three artists appeared who I actually own (an) album(s) by (Radiohead, Jack White, The Shins).
• In season 36, there were seven female musical guests (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Florence + the Machine, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, and Lady Gaga).
• In season 36, the most popular genre for appearing artists was some variety of pop, with six artists falling under said umbrella.
• In season 36, one artist appeared who I actually own albums by (Ellie Goulding, as if that’s a surprise).

–your fangirl heroine.

Superlative Sunday :: my thoughts on the 2012 Emmy Awards

So, the Emmys.

I don’t really know that I have a lot to say about the Emmys this year, honestly.  I watch a lot of television, you guys know that.  A lot of the television shows I watch were nominated for things, even.  (As often, the TV Series – Drama category was an even 50/50 split of shows that I watch and shows that I don’t, and being me, the ones that I watch are ones I am also ridiculously invested in; this is not to say that I begrudge the winner, Homeland, its win, but I do not watch it, and therefore cannot speak to its win.  Mad Men, you win a lot; Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, sigh.  Someday, maybe.)

Literally the only winners that I am actually, consciously aware of, meaning I watch(ed) the programs they appeared on, are Jessica Lange in American Horror Story for Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (it fascinates me how every awards show classes American Horror Story differently), Jimmy Fallon hosting Saturday Night Live for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (and the “I want my war horse” sketch is one that my people are still quoting, so props, I suppose), Jeremy Davies on Justified for Guest Actor in a Drama Series (and he was a fantastic sketch country lowlife, so while I would have been okay with many more Justified nominations and wins, okay, sure), Tim Van Patten for Directing for a Drama Series with Boardwalk Empire, and a few of the technical awards.  I suppose the guy who directed the Tonys too, and I can’t complain.  It sort of stunk this year, but mostly because the overall crop of shows wasn’t that great.

Mostly, I came away from the Emmys this year with two thoughts: I should probably watch Homeland some time (and dear lord, Morena Baccarin, you are unfair; Claire Danes, you are also reasonably unfair) and is Modern Family really so funny?  I find it hard to believe that, for example, there weren’t any supporting comedy actors worth nominating besides the cast of Modern Family and one other guy.

Sigh.

–your fangirl heroine.

Television Tuesday :: 6 of my favorite digital shorts

Because Andy Samberg is leaving, so there will be no more such things.  This is in no order whatsoever, because I couldn’t rank these, but here are five of them that I love in honor of the many good times over the last seven years (holy moly it’s been seven years).  Short blurbs because the videos speak for themselves.

6. Lazy Sunday / Chronicles of Narnia
It’s classic for a reason.  It epitomized the complete randomness and insanity of the digital shorts to follow it, and people I know still quote it after seven years, so that’s got to count for something.  Also, I am fully in favor of kids’ movies and cupcakes.

5. Lazy Sunday 2
And the wrap-up, the sequel… well, I almost got choked up when it was over, I admit this completely.  It is insane, but it’s true.

4. The Curse
Jon Hamm is such a good sport and I love that he is willing to be insane.

3. Laser Cats, the Musical
I love all of the laser cats shorts, yes.  They remind me of things I did with my friends in junior high, but they’re on television.  But the musical is the most perfect.

2. The Creep
Second-most quoted amongst my people, and just… priceless.

1. The Tizzle Wizzle Show
This would be the most quoted digital short amongst my people, because we are morbid and sick.  We dreamed for a short period of time of actually doing a flash mob of this for some reason.  It seemed like a great idea.

–your fangirl heroine.

Fictional Friday :: have you ever imagined what a live-action, twentysomething Peanuts movie would be like?

Well, I apparently have.  And my friends and I, we’re the kind of people that make our cocktails and cupcakes and sit around amidst piles of Christmas tree ornaments that we really should be using to decorate and discuss things like this.  And, of course, I thought you all would be interested to see how it would play out here!

I will begin by saying that this would be a film about the Peanuts characters as twentysomethings.  We didn’t discuss what would have taken place in their lives between their cartoon childhoods and now; we did discuss that the guy from Wilfred would maybe play Snoopy, for obvious dog reasons, but nothing was really finalized.  And Woodstock was even vaguer.  The adults would still woh-woh-woh-woh, but they’d be played by adult actors: Allison Janney, Seth MacFarlane, people with a sense of humor.

Now, the main cast:

As Charlie Brown himself, we have (of one of my friends’ suggestions, not my own) Patrick Fugit.  Because we figured real life Charlie Brown wouldn’t just have three strands of hair.  Patrick can do self-deprecating and not flashy and still a reasonable focus of a story.

As Linus van Pelt, we have Jim Parsons, of Big Bang Theory fame.  This was a suggestion of one of my friends, also, and it’s a wonderful one.

As Lucy van Pelt, we have Kat Dennings.  ‘Cause Zooey Deschanel just isn’t snarky enough, but it had to be one of the two of them.

As Sally Brown, we have Vanessa Bayer, late of Saturday Night Live.  (You know.  She’s the featured cast member who gets to be hilarious and adorable, or straight-manning and adorable.)  She’s just got that cute little round face and giant smile, and she’s not too cool to be Sally.  ‘Cause really, Sally’s a teensy bit of a dork.  Originally I was thinking Kristen Bell, but then I realized I was thinking Veronica Mars era Kristen Bell, who was adorable, but is not present tense, so.

As Peppermint Patty, whose last name is apparently Reichardt, we have Clea DuVall.  Or, as described by my friend, “you know.  That one girl, she was in The Faculty and she was invisible on that one episode of Buffy, and –” “OH YEAH,” I immediately interrupted.  Weirdly enough, I’d actually had that thought not three days prior to this discussion: I wasn’t casting in my head, but I was watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving like the sap I am (this happened Thanksgiving weekend) and I thought “Clea DuVall would be an epic Peppermint Patty.”

As Marcie, who doesn’t have a canonical last name, we have Ellen Page, here seen in Whip It just to remind you of what she’d look like with glasses on her face.  (Precious.)

As Schroeder, who is also sans last name, we have Jonathan B. Wright.  We wanted a blond who actually possessed musical talent, and while I don’t know about Jonathan B. Wright’s specific piano skills?  He’s got a musical background.  So that counts for something.  Schroeder was the hardest to cast.

As Pig-Pen, who doesn’t even have a proper name name, we have Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Because Pig-Pen grew up nice.  And he’s probably some scruffy hipster now, being all wise in the corner.

As Franklin, we have Damon Wayans Jr., aka “that one guy who was in the pilot of New Girl, then vanished, and is Damon Wayans’ son.”  Yep.

As the little redheaded girl, we have Emma Stone.  See, and this is where my generation is confused.  Because Freida is the only redheaded girl who appears in A Charlie Brown Christmas, but apparently there was a different redheaded girl?  I’m just going with it and saying she’s Freida, because Freida was actually there.

You’re welcome.

–your fangirl heroine.

Television Tuesday :: 10 actors and actresses with amazing facial reactions

Recently while watching Glee (well, Mercedes isn’t pregnant, so my ultimatum didn’t come to be; I’m thinking of making another one, because at this point continuing to watch just feels like I’m wasting my time and making myself way too cranky, but I haven’t been able to yet, because I am terrible at stopping watching things in the middle), I was liveblogging it (except not really, because I was just writing notes on paper so the people around me didn’t want to punch me), and I wrote this down: “I would watch 45 minutes of Jayma Mays’ facial reactions to things.”  It wouldn’t have to even be facial reactions to audible conversations.  I could just watch her face be ridiculous and adorable and expressive all over the place while other off-screen people presumably talked and instrumental music played or something. Then I realized that I could watch this for many, many people, and a list was born.  A list that is 60% Whedon actors, this go-round, but I think this is almost inevitable.

10. Jayma Mays (here pictured as Emma Pillsbury in Glee)

The approximately three minutes of onscreen Emma time per episode constitute one of the only reasons I don’t completely hate that I can’t look away from the train wreck that Glee has become yet.  Those three adorable minutes make up for so much painful.  I like to watch Jayma react to people and pretend she’s somewhere else making those adorable faces at someone more interesting.

9. Nelsan Ellis (here pictured as Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood)

Have I mentioned this before?  Well, not in the “45 minutes straight of Nelsan Ellis face” context exactly, but pretty much.

8. Amy Acker (here seen as Claire Saunders in Dollhouse)

Remember the confusing Claire feelings?  Yep.  I’ve seen some pictures of Amy in Angel, and she was adorable, but since I haven’t seen Angel (well, any of her episodes) I can’t feel qualified to comment.  Instead?  Some pictures of Claire!Amy being expressive and stuff.  (In case you haven’t picked up on it or don’t, I have a thing for elaborate eye rolling faces.)

7. Nathan Fillion (here seen as Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly, Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible, and Richard Castle in Castle)

This man has some of the most amazing facial reactions on the planet.  And a lot of the funny ones were in the background of a conversation, and therefore the caps weren’t as high-quality, but here’s a nice range of amiable and cocky and know-it-all.

6. Alyson Hannigan (here seen as Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Ditto the comments re: Amy and Angel as to why I didn’t pull some Lily Aldrin of How I Met Your Mother in here.  I’ve seen a few episodes, but not enough.  And Willow face is my favorite face.  She is my original could-watch-this-forever face.  At least of recent years.

5. Timothy Olyphant (here seen as Seth Bullock in Deadwood and Raylan Givens in Justified)

Timothy’s face is often intense and glowery, as per the first picture, but he can smirk and pout with the best of them, too.

4. Summer Glau (here seen as River Tam in Firefly, Cameron Phillips in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Bennett Halverson in Dollhouse)

Yes, this is the most predictable list of all time, but really?  I feel like I just want animated gifs of every facial expression reaction series this woman ever makes.  She can say so much with individual looks.  Shocked, emotive, passive, happy, sad, dangerous, knowing, vulnerable, badass, shy, silly, all of it.

3. Bill Hader (here seen in various Saturday Night Live sketches)

This man is one of the best parts of SNL.  No matter what he’s doing, he’s making the greatest faces of all time.  Even if — especially if — he’s just in the background.  Sometimes the entire point of a sketch seems to be to let him make progressively more absurd faces, and I’m good with it.

2. Morena Baccarin (here seen as Inara Serra in Firefly)

She has every facial expression, and her vulnerable ones are rarer but beautiful and poignant and all that, but she can just make the greatest snark faces of all time, too.  Pure eye rolling vitriolic doom faces, smirky know-it-all faces.

1. Fran Kranz (here seen as Topher Brink in Dollhouse)

The predictable continues, but I am unashamed.  I always love him, but he’s earned the number one spot this week with the release of the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods – I didn’t have caps of it, and anyway it’s a film so not relevant to Television Tuesday, but he was making brilliant faces the entire time.  The trailer is like 1/4 his brilliant faces.  And really.  I can never get tired of his expressions.

–your fangirl heroine.

Television Tuesday :: the 2011 Emmy nominations

It’s been a while since I’ve kept up with enough television shows to actually have much to say about the Emmys.   But right now I’m finding myself very invested in some things and very torn about others.

This is me casting my votes.  Or discussing theoretical votes.  We’ll see how it plays out.

Drama Series: this is one of the “I’m torn” categories.  Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Mad Men  — I bow at all of their altars for different reasons.  I think Boardwalk just might do it, but I’d be okay with either of the other two.

Comedy Series: I only watch Glee of the nominees, but I… wasn’t super-impressed with last season (coincidentally, when I posted the reasons Glee doesn’t suck it was before the Super Bowl episode; that’s when I started to get tetchy, but this is not the time or place).  I dunno, really.

Actor, Drama Series: Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk.  Timothy Olyphant for Justified.  Jon Hamm for Mad Men.  And some other guys.  (If the guy from Friday Night Lights wins, or Hugh Laurie, I will stab a bitch.  I’ve heard Dexter is good, though he has won a bunch of stuff before, so-o-o.)  Again with the torn-being.  Three brilliant actors in three brilliant roles (two of whom I am in love with).

Actress, Drama Series: I only watch one of the mentioned series.  But I’m pretty sure that no matter who she was against Elisabeth Moss would be getting my vote.  Peggy is one of my favorite things about Mad Men and she’s brilliant.  We just started rewatching, and I’m just so damn proud of how she’s grown.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Oh, my God, give it to Walton Goggins.  Boyd Crowder is the most awesome sociopath on television, hands down, and though I so do not have sexy feelings for him like I do for Olyphant’s Raylan, he’s still one of the best things about Justified.  John Slattery for Mad Men and Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones also have some affection, but seriously.  Goggins for the major-ass win.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Is it obvious that I am outrageously biased towards Mad Men yet?  Or maybe it’s just the massive crush I have on Christina Hendricks, or again being so damn proud of Joan, or… any other number of fangirlisms.  (Seriously.  I want her and Elisabeth Moss to win, because they are my heroines of life.  If I can grow up to be Joan and Peggy combined, I will feel as if I have achieved something great.)  But Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk and Margo Martindale for Justified would also be all right in different (less girlcrushy) ways.

…jaysus I am not even going to try to commentate on the comedy nominees.  What I said before about having much to say about the Emmys apparently only applies to drama categories.

Outstanding Variety, Comedy Or Musical Series: Give it to SNL.  That’s the only one I watch, but it’s the only one with Andy Samberg’s digital shorts.  So it’s clearly superior.

Outstanding Reality Show: You mean the one where all reality shows are blown off the face of the earth wasn’t nominated?  I guess Project Runway then.  Pretty clothes are at least fun to see created.

Outstanding TV Miniseries or Movie: I’ve only seen two of them, but I preferred The Pillars of the Earth over Mildred Pierce.  Not really saying a whole lot, because I had serious issues with Mildred Pierce, but hey.

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy: By the same token as above, give it to Justin Timberlake.  Way to be freaking hilarious and way better than you were in a boy band.

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy: …hm.  Dot-Marie Jones for Glee, I guess?  Tina Fey on SNL?  Elizabeth Banks on That Show I Don’t Watch But I Like Her?  I don’t care.

Same token as comedies, not commentating on TV miniseries’ or movies any further, except to wonder why Pillars didn’t get a single acting nomination.  I mean, the characters were pretty flat, but come on.  I’m sure Ian McShane could still act the pants off any of the nominees in any of the categories, and Alison Pill was every bit as deserving as Evan Rachel Wood in Mildred Pierce.

–your fangirl heroine.

Music Monday :: some statistics for you

Based on iTunes’ top 100 songs downoaded.

• 42% of the songs are performed by female artists.
• 15% of those female artists are Katy Perry (4%), Britney Spears (2%), Lady Gaga (2%), Ke$ha (1%), Rihanna (2%), Beyonce (2%) or Taylor Swift (2%).
• Thankfully 4% of that is Adele.
• 5% of those female artists are from the Disney channel.
• 5% of those female artists are a part of a band that is at least partially male.
• 29% are by artists that I have never heard of in my life.
• 23% (or 25%) of the artists featured are country musicians.  (I put that extra 2% based on whether or not you want to count Taylor Swift, who definitely has roots, but.)
• 11% are songs that I never want to hear again ever.
• 9% are songs that I have not (at least consciously) heard, but refuse to listen to based on title alone.
• 1% of those actually makes me feel sort of sick to my stomach reading the title.  (“Booty Wurk” by T-Pain.)
• 4% of the songs are on my list of Music Videos I Have Watched At Least Somewhat Against My Will.
• 4% of the songs are actually the same song mixed differently (two instances).
• 28% of the artists represented have appeared on Saturday Night Live.
• 4% are songs that I actually own.  (Why, yes, that would be the 4% of Adele songs.)

–your fangirl heroine.

Social Life Sunday :: a case for costume parties

I am firmly convinced that everyone whose lives are not otherwise troubled by significant world issues would honestly be happier people if they attended costume parties at least every three months (six weeks would be even better).  There’s just something magical about social gatherings where everyone’s dolled up one way or another.  Bonus points if there’s a theme.

Now, I’m not saying everyone should go out and spend exorbitant amounts of money on bunny suits or some such.  There are plenty of costumes that can be thrown together out of one’s regular wardrobe and some creative minor alterations or accessorizing.  For example, do you own a business suit?  Well, create some fake legal briefs with names of some fictional on-trial person on them, and you’re that person’s fictional lawyer.  Do you own a striped shirt, beret, giant rose, or other kicky clothing?  You’re now a cast member in SNL‘s current season’s “Les Jeunes De Paris” skits.  Do you own underwear?  You’re now in Rocky Horror. Do you own anything from American Apparel?  You’re now a Doll. If you do want to go all out, that’s neat, too, though I’d save that for really big costume parties or Halloween if you don’t have eons of spare time to kill.

A costume party also doesn’t have to be themed, though it’s often more fun if it is.  There’s the proverbial 80s party (though I’m really jonesing to give some other decades some love.  I once had a 70s party [well, it was Almost Famous-themed, strictly speaking] and that was useful.  Though it’s a bit harder to properly pull off, 50s/early 60s is another I’m dying to try out).  There are ridiculous movie/television/play/whatever parties.  (Mark my words, within a year I will have a party where everyone is required to dress in their best 90s Buffy outfits.)  And though not everyone will dress, you can provide them with a box of accessories at the door and force them to come up with something.  Put a little effort in.

Even if you’re just sitting around watching movies, it’s somehow more fun when everyone’s dressed to the nines.  I know there are people who say “I don’t like to pretend to be someone else, I like to be myself” but you’re yourself all the time.  Bo-ring.  Mix it up!  You’ll be glad you did.

 

–your fangirl heroine.