So I thought I would change things up a bit and a post about my newest favorite musician (and actor): Mark Hildreth. You can find him at his website. I was first drawn to Mark because of his character, Joshua, on V. If you follow the blog at all, you know I am rather annoyed with the writers from wiping his personality. But, I’m a little less pissed at them since they gave it back last week. So I was Googling Mark when I found out he was also a musician. I’ve found several musicians that I like from their acting gigs (Christian Kane for example) so I thought I’d check Mark out. I got his album on iTunes and fell in love. His fan base from what I can tell is relatively small and I wanted to help spread the word. So I thought I’d take the time to discuss his album with you all.
Track 1: Magic Spell
Favorite Lyrics: “I’m gonna live my life like there’s no one to blame. Wasting time is a crying shame.”
This is song is upbeat and a lot of fun. It may be slightly auto-tuned but that’s okay. It has a decent drum beat and both the verse and chorus are well within Mark’s vocal range (always a plus). You don’t hear a lot of the piano on this track (his main instrument) except for little interludes between verse and chorus. The interludes are a nice hook from the vocals though. There are also some strings used for the accompaniment which I find interesting. You don’t often find strings in many pop songs these days, especially since Mark doesn’t play it. He says often that he’s a mix of Stevie Wonder and Elton John and I can see it. His sound is very laid back and you can tell he enjoys the music. As for lyrical content, I think the song is focused very squarely on love. About how the narrator would change the world for the person he loves but at the same time he’s going to live his life to the fullest and how he wants without regret.
Track 2: Siddhartha
Favorite Lyrics: “If we can see beyond that river. If we can see beyond that river. If we can see beyond that water in our way, we will see the blue skies of a brighter day.”
Where “Magic Spell” was just kind of a slightly upbeat number, “Siddhartha” is about five times more upbeat. It’s got a funkier beat and a great piano intro. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve seen the music video for the song and it is hilarious and goofy. But the song does a great job of balancing the fun tempo and chord progressions with the third verse about Siddhartha. It is nice to see that while it seems pretty clear that Mark is Christian of some sort, he believes enough in faith in general to acknowledge the best parts of other religions. In fact, in terms of where the album title (Complex State of Attachment) came from, this song ties in most. It finds wisdom in the philosophy of the Dali Llama about love.
Track 3: It’s My Life
Favorite Lyrics: “But if I’m not living my own life, who can? It’s my life that I’m living in. Though I’ve tried pretending it’s not. But my life I’ve found is the only thing I’ve got.”
Upon further reflection, this song is a little lower down on my favorites. I love the whole album for sure but this one is just not quite as good as the others. The gist of the song (as the lyrics above suggest) is accepting the life you have to live because if you don’t live it, no one else will. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of a slightly sad idea mixed with such an upbeat sound that bothers me but it is definitely something that isn’t there with a lot of the songs. Again, Mark knows his vocal range well enough to stay within it. Though there are times he gets perhaps a few notes too high. I tend to like him more when he’s in baritone range. We definitely get more piano in this track and it has an intriguing interplay during the chorus where Mark will sing a line, play a counter melody, sing a line, counter melody. He studied music a little bit when he was younger but for someone who didn’t spend years and years learning all the music theory stuff, he has a great ear.
Track 4: Ready to Fall
Favorite Lyrics: “There’s so many reasons for me to believe that I don’t deserve what I got. And what’s scaring me the most is wondering if you’re ready to fall in love or not.”
This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is much more laid back than the rest of the album, mainly because it is piano, vocals and some light percussion. Some violins come in later on but they are so understated that it just make sense and feels natural. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve seen him in a video performing this live with just keyboard and some drums. While I said that “Magic Spell” was about changing the world for the one you love, this song is about being ready to take the big step in a romantic relationship. When he’s saying he’s worried about whether the other person is ready to fall in love, he’s saying that he’ll be ready whenever. In a way, I think this could be a good song to do as a first dance at a wedding, perhaps.
Track 5: Love Will Make It Certain
Favorite Lyrics: “It’s far too far beyond me, how love decides to last. I try but it keeps slipping through my hands.”
I think this song could have been a little shorter and have done well if it was only acoustic (with vocals and piano). As it is, it has drums, guitar and some backing vocals during the chorus. I like the concept of the song, though. That love can make anything better is an admirable notion. As I listened to this song again, I found it kind of interesting that most of the piano is just chords instead of a moving bass line until near the very middle and towards the end of the song. Just using chords is not a bad thing at all. Just an interesting way to approach this particular song. I do feel that some of the reverb and background vocals take away from the song during the chorus (even though Mark is doing some of the additional backing).
Track 6: Here I Am
Favorite Lyrics: “Here I am, on my own. I can never go back home. Here I stand, here’s my heart and I’ve never gone this far. I want to see you for who you are.”
Right off the bat, I love the hook and riff to this song on the piano. The riff keeps moving throughout the whole song. Not only is the piano a nice progression, but the chorus and verses melody-wise are structured well. They feed off the instrumentation of the piano and to some extent the drum beat in a way that makes the song seamless. There’s less backing vocal in this song and it seems to blend better with Mark’s voice. Sometimes in other songs it stands out a little and distracts from his voice.
Track 7: Little Life
Favorite Lyrics: “If I die before we wake. If my earthly soul they take. I’ll show the mighty army what it’s meant to be.”
I think this is really the only song on the album that is really melancholy and haunting. The key of the song isn’t really minor (not entirely) but the lyrics combined with the chords Mark does use, make it very sad. The song talks about going to war and how one life isn’t any more valuable than any other. I think it’s fascinating that first part of the chorus (which comes before the verse this time which is something we haven’t seen much on the album) is taken and slightly altered from an 18th century children’s prayer. Even though this song too has background vocals it seems to fit the mood of the song more. It’s almost like soldiers marching off to war and finding strength in numbers. I think it shows that Mark can handle both happy and sad songs and has enough knowledge of music composition to set the right mood. Since there isn’t an even mix, I can’t say whether Mark’s voice is more suited to melancholy or upbeat.
Track 8: Beauty Of It All
Favorite Lyrics: “I’ve known love. I’ve known pain. And I’m lucky that I’ll know them both again. I just believe I hear the call. And I know that there’s a beauty to it all.”
I think the thing that sets this song apart from the rest of the album is that you can tell fairly clearly that he was playing the piano part on a keyboard set to organ (or something similar). I think this is one of my favorite songs because of the lyrics. They’re beautiful (no pun intended) and really speak to just recognizing the inherent beauty surrounding us every day; in the people we know, in the things we say and do. I do have to say I feel Mark was a little out of his range in this song. He was a little too low and it sounded like he was bottoming out just a touch.
Track 9: You In Me
Favorite Lyrics: “You’re a hero. You’re everything I want to be. You’re a hero. You’re all that I said I need. I see a hero. But there’s one thing I could not see. How would I know you’re a hero if I couldn’t see you in me?”
This is just a feel good song. I think the vocals could have been a little more balanced with the instruments but overall, it is a great song. The chorus is so beautiful and romantic. The notion that this other person can bring out the best in you is just so heartwarming. We also get the piano going into the upper register which is something we don’t hear all that often. Mark tends to stay more in the middle of the keyboard. We also get a lot more movement in the piano part in this song. It also has an interesting cadence with the emphasis on the 2 and 4 instead of the 1 and 3. Not something you see a lot in pop music (it is usually more emphasis on the 1 and 3 beats). Plus, the major difference with this song is that we get a fade out. Not that important but I think it is something to note.
Track 10: I Just Wanna Love Someone
Favorite Lyrics: “Such hatred in this world that I never thought I would see. It’s our choice to love or hate, it’s up to you and me. For now, forever, for the world that we treasure. I just wanna love someone.”
This song reminds me of songs that are written for worldwide crisis events, like Live 8 (or Glee). The only issue I have with this track is that every now and then Mark’s pronunciation gets a little sketchy and you can’t understand the words. But I have to say, regardless of that fact, the entire song has such a great feel and the lyrics are so poignant that I had a hard time picking my favorite lyrics for this post. It’s really encompassing everyone out there in who the message is supposed to reach. It really is about everyone in the world loving each other. It reminds me actually of Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World”. Not in tone or anything, but the message is similar. I think of all the songs, this would be the song I would most like to see Mark perform live. Get the audience involved. I think it could be a really moving and powerful moment.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
In the Belly of the Mothership: Joshua and Lisa as subversive rebels or just pretty faces?
So I know I haven’t posted in a while and I apologize. It’s been crazy with school stuff the last few months. I will be posting more regularly once Body of Proof starts at the end of March. But, right now I’ve got a little post about one of ABC’s sophomore dramas, “V”. Warning: spoilers up through “Birth Pangs”.
***
I will preface this by saying that V isn’t the best thing since sliced bread. But it’s not horrible either. I think ABC made the right decision at the end of last season to renew this over FlashForward. Plus, I don’t mind seeing Morena on my screen on a weekly basis (though I prefer her a la Inara with the longer hair).
Anyway, at the end of season 1, Joshua, the Fifth Column’s (resistance movement) key asset aboard Anna’s ship was killed by fellow Fifth Column member Erica Evans (to keep her cover). We thought that was the last of Joshua until the very end and we see V doctors reviving him. Needless to say, I was excited to see Joshua’s fate come season 2. I was very disappointed in what we got. For some reason, when they brought Joshua back to life, he lost all memory of being Fifth Column including having any sort of personality. Now he is just a pretty face doing Anna’s bidding. And with only a few episodes left in the season (and possibly the series depending on whether ABC decides to give it a third chance), it appears we will never see the old Joshua again.
I found season 1 Joshua to be cool and daring. It took guts for him to betray Anna right under her nose. And he was a damn good actor (and no I don’t mean Mark Hildreth). He fooled pretty much everyone. I don’t think I’d be wrong in characterizing him as a bad ass subversive rebel. And now he’s a blank slate pretty face. And I’m sorry, but that’s just not enough for me. What Anna has planned, there needs to be someone to back the Fifth Column on the ship when shit hits the fan.
For those of you saying, what about Lisa, I’m getting to her. We saw her slowly being pulled into Fifth Column by the end of last season. She exhibited emotions and Joshua lied to Anna for her. So there was a little quid pro quo for her to help him later on. And in the end, Lisa helps Erica destroy Ann’s soldier eggs. Thus Lisa finds herself aligned with the resistance. I guess the writers decided to give her Joshua’s job. I have to say though; she’s not nearly as compelling as rebel spy. I think one major difference is she has sort of always been afraid of her mother. Anna is one scary lizard lady. Joshua had a better chance of standing up to her and I think maybe he even liked the danger of potentially getting caught. Lisa has far more at stake in her personal relationship with Anna. That is what is interesting about her this season. She’s preparing to be Queen eventually and she’s starting to challenge her mother. She’s found Diana (her grandmother) and they’re working to subvert Anna’s plans. Very well can’t interbreed without the Queen agreeing to it. She seems to be accepting and embracing human emotion which will ultimately help her I believe in beating Anna.
So in summation, Joshua is now a wasted character. He could have been so much more interesting. There are so many questions that will be left unanswered. Why did he specifically want to join the resistance? What was his back story? Mark Hildreth is a great actor and I think he could handle so much more than just looking cute and doing whatever Anna tells him. And Lisa needs to just give up the role of spy because she’s boring as Erica’s conduit of information. I mean, even Joshua had cool gadgets for communicating! Lisa needs to focus all of her energies on working with Diana to usurp Anna’s power.
***
I will preface this by saying that V isn’t the best thing since sliced bread. But it’s not horrible either. I think ABC made the right decision at the end of last season to renew this over FlashForward. Plus, I don’t mind seeing Morena on my screen on a weekly basis (though I prefer her a la Inara with the longer hair).
Anyway, at the end of season 1, Joshua, the Fifth Column’s (resistance movement) key asset aboard Anna’s ship was killed by fellow Fifth Column member Erica Evans (to keep her cover). We thought that was the last of Joshua until the very end and we see V doctors reviving him. Needless to say, I was excited to see Joshua’s fate come season 2. I was very disappointed in what we got. For some reason, when they brought Joshua back to life, he lost all memory of being Fifth Column including having any sort of personality. Now he is just a pretty face doing Anna’s bidding. And with only a few episodes left in the season (and possibly the series depending on whether ABC decides to give it a third chance), it appears we will never see the old Joshua again.
I found season 1 Joshua to be cool and daring. It took guts for him to betray Anna right under her nose. And he was a damn good actor (and no I don’t mean Mark Hildreth). He fooled pretty much everyone. I don’t think I’d be wrong in characterizing him as a bad ass subversive rebel. And now he’s a blank slate pretty face. And I’m sorry, but that’s just not enough for me. What Anna has planned, there needs to be someone to back the Fifth Column on the ship when shit hits the fan.
For those of you saying, what about Lisa, I’m getting to her. We saw her slowly being pulled into Fifth Column by the end of last season. She exhibited emotions and Joshua lied to Anna for her. So there was a little quid pro quo for her to help him later on. And in the end, Lisa helps Erica destroy Ann’s soldier eggs. Thus Lisa finds herself aligned with the resistance. I guess the writers decided to give her Joshua’s job. I have to say though; she’s not nearly as compelling as rebel spy. I think one major difference is she has sort of always been afraid of her mother. Anna is one scary lizard lady. Joshua had a better chance of standing up to her and I think maybe he even liked the danger of potentially getting caught. Lisa has far more at stake in her personal relationship with Anna. That is what is interesting about her this season. She’s preparing to be Queen eventually and she’s starting to challenge her mother. She’s found Diana (her grandmother) and they’re working to subvert Anna’s plans. Very well can’t interbreed without the Queen agreeing to it. She seems to be accepting and embracing human emotion which will ultimately help her I believe in beating Anna.
So in summation, Joshua is now a wasted character. He could have been so much more interesting. There are so many questions that will be left unanswered. Why did he specifically want to join the resistance? What was his back story? Mark Hildreth is a great actor and I think he could handle so much more than just looking cute and doing whatever Anna tells him. And Lisa needs to just give up the role of spy because she’s boring as Erica’s conduit of information. I mean, even Joshua had cool gadgets for communicating! Lisa needs to focus all of her energies on working with Diana to usurp Anna’s power.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Through the Back Door: The Success (and Failure) of Back Door Pilots
If you’ve watched TV long enough, you’ve likely realized that one of the ways to introduce new shows is by spinning them off from established franchises. Think CSI or Law & Order. The technical term (okay so I don’t actually know that it’s the real technical term) for it is “back door pilot”. You’re introduced to the new cast of characters and sometimes it is successful in garnering interest in the new series and sometimes it falls flat on its face. So I’ve chosen to examine what I think makes 3 back door pilots successful (or not).
JAG=>NCIS
So, I will admit that I tried to watch the pilot of JAG a while back and though it was so bad that I couldn’t even watch the whole episode. I suppose in a sense that saved me from having to get through 10 seasons of the show. I was originally interested in the show because I knew it was the show that preceded NCIS. So, I hunted on IMDB to find out which episodes of JAG Mark Harmon was in. And therefore, decided to watch just those episodes to see how well JAG could do a back door pilot. This section of the post may be a little skewed seeing as I did not avidly watch the parent show but I’ll do my best.
A brief case review: The body of a JAG lieutenant is found and Harm (the lead of JAG) is the prime suspect in the death. NCIS, led by Agent Jethro Gibbs and accompanied by Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, one forensic guru, Abby Sciuto and one witty medical examiner, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard investigate the case. It appears that Harm is the killer but as the trial progresses; NCIS discovers irregularities that lead them to the real killer. Back at the Navy yard, the Navy is trying to break a terrorist to stop an attack on a navy asset.
What makes it good: So I will admit that I wasn’t all that invested in the JAG characters. I still don’t 100% understand the function of JAG officers. I know they’re lawyers but I guess I’m just not sure whether they act as lawyers or in a judge type role. Anyway, much like how the NCIS->NCIS: LA episodes began with the new guys, this episode opened with NCIS arriving at a crime scene. I do have to say I think the acting on JAG improved from the pilot. Anyway, one thing that surprised me was how many of the original NCIS cast was in this episode. Everyone except for McGee and Kate were in this episode. I have to say, I was very surprised by how young Mark Harmon looked. How young everyone looked actually. I also liked that they had continuity with the Director o NCIS from these 2 episodes to the first season of NCIS. Knowing what I do now about these characters, it was fascinating to see how they were first imagined. Gibbs was a lot more light-hearted than in the series and Abby wasn’t quite as wacky and hyper. Tony wasn’t quite as snobby nor did he quote movies/TV shows. I am kind of glad we don’t see a lot of the team testifying in NCIS. I mean, sure Abby does on occasion but usually the rest of the investigators don’t. She was pretty adorable on JAG though. So was Ducky. He rambled off on one of his many stories. Gibbs was just generally badass and wasn’t afraid to change his opinion when new information surfaced. We got a little of Gibbs’ sniper training when they finally took down the terrorists. Overall, I found this back door pilot to be a good precursor to NCIS.
NCIS=>NCIS: LOS ANGELES
Having come into NCIS later in the game (around season 4 or 5) I had to go back and watch the early seasons. This of course was aided by me ordering the first 5 seasons on DVD. I realized very fast that it was a great show and had a strong ensemble cast. So I wasn’t all that surprised when the writers decided to spin-off a new series. I will admit I was a little skeptical of what it would be like but I gave it a try and I’m very glad I did.
A brief case review: A case based in Los Angeles focused on international weapons dealing is linked to the death of a naval officer in DC and it brings together our Virginia-based NCIS team, led by Gibbs and the LA based Office of Special Programs (OSP) led by Agent Macey. OSP deals with undercover operations and surveillance. It turns out that the naval officer was being forced to provide money for the weapons dealer who is tied to a terrorist group. One of Macey’s agents, Callen, goes undercover as the weapons dealer after a shoot-out ends in the real dealer’s death. It turns out Ziva’s Mossad boyfriend, Michael (who we see much more of in the final two episodes of season 6 of NCIS) shows up to meet with Callen. Both NCIS and Mossad want to take down the terrorists but Michael’s interfering with the investigation.
What makes it good: The first of the two-part introduction to OPS began with the LA team on an op. It transitioned straight to Gibbs’ team in Virginia and it just felt seamless. The cases tied together in an interesting way and we got to see a new side of NCIS. McGee gets to make the trip to LA with Gibbs and he’s thrilled with all the high-tech gadgets OSP has at their disposal. It also not only continues the overall season arc of NCIS but it sets up the final two episodes of the season remarkably well. I will say I kind of wonder why they god rid of Macey and Agent Renko. They were replaced by Operations Manager Henrietta “Hettie” Lang (Linda Hunt) and green Agent Dominic Vail when NCIS: LA premiered. The chemistry between the LA team was so smooth and easy to watch and they also fit in well with Gibbs and McGee. I like that the back story they developed for Macey and Gibbs was consistent with information we’d learned in previous seasons about his first wife and daughter and their murder. We also got to see how the rest of Gibbs’ team (Tony, Ziva and Abby) fit into the storyline as well as ramping up the tension between Tony and Ziva. This had all the things that make a back door pilot good. Great casting, great acting and great storytelling.
CRIMINAL MINDS=>CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR
I’m a big fan of Criminal Minds. I’ve liked all the characters we’ve had. In fact, it has spawned some interesting fanfiction back in the day. But unlike NCIS, I wasn’t 100% sure a spin-off would work. For one thing, up until now, the show gave the impression that our team based out of Quantico was it. It was the only BAU. So that was a strike against the newbies before they even started. But, I figured I’d at least give it a shot when the episode aired.
A brief case review: The BAU is called in when a father and daughter go missing. They partner with a new BAU team, led by Forest Whitaker’s character, Special Agent Sam Cooper. Between the two of them, they manage to find the Unsub (unknown subject) and rescue the father and daughter, though not after the father had to kill several people just to stay alive.
What makes it bad: In general, the gruesome factor of Criminal Minds doesn’t tend to bother me. But something about this case just freaked me out. It was brutal and just too dark. With that in mind, we got the new BAU team in play. They’re nothing like our regular team. They’re much grittier and kind of do what they want. I also didn’t feel any real connection to the team, like I did with the OSP crew on NCIS. They tried to show that Cooper and Hotch had a background together but I just didn’t feel it. Plus, the other team members had kind of shady back stories. Prophet had been in prison for something like 6 years, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t allow you to join any federal agency. So that was a huge stretch of logic. Another big stretch, was Mick. He used to be MI6, so I don’t know how he could then join the FBI, since he’s not an American citizen. It was these kinds of leaps in logic that made me really dislike this episode as well as the new characters they were trying to introduce. Plus, and I know it sounds mean, but Forest Whitaker’s eye that droops just bothers me. It’s gotten worse over the years. I know he probably doesn’t have any control over it but it just is very distracting. I think another reason that this team didn’t work for me was because we didn’t’ really have time to get to know them. With JAG and NCIS we were given two episodes to bond with the new characters. Here we had one and it felt very rushed. So, even though Garcia is supposed to also be in the spin-off, I won’t be watching.
JAG=>NCIS
So, I will admit that I tried to watch the pilot of JAG a while back and though it was so bad that I couldn’t even watch the whole episode. I suppose in a sense that saved me from having to get through 10 seasons of the show. I was originally interested in the show because I knew it was the show that preceded NCIS. So, I hunted on IMDB to find out which episodes of JAG Mark Harmon was in. And therefore, decided to watch just those episodes to see how well JAG could do a back door pilot. This section of the post may be a little skewed seeing as I did not avidly watch the parent show but I’ll do my best.
A brief case review: The body of a JAG lieutenant is found and Harm (the lead of JAG) is the prime suspect in the death. NCIS, led by Agent Jethro Gibbs and accompanied by Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, one forensic guru, Abby Sciuto and one witty medical examiner, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard investigate the case. It appears that Harm is the killer but as the trial progresses; NCIS discovers irregularities that lead them to the real killer. Back at the Navy yard, the Navy is trying to break a terrorist to stop an attack on a navy asset.
What makes it good: So I will admit that I wasn’t all that invested in the JAG characters. I still don’t 100% understand the function of JAG officers. I know they’re lawyers but I guess I’m just not sure whether they act as lawyers or in a judge type role. Anyway, much like how the NCIS->NCIS: LA episodes began with the new guys, this episode opened with NCIS arriving at a crime scene. I do have to say I think the acting on JAG improved from the pilot. Anyway, one thing that surprised me was how many of the original NCIS cast was in this episode. Everyone except for McGee and Kate were in this episode. I have to say, I was very surprised by how young Mark Harmon looked. How young everyone looked actually. I also liked that they had continuity with the Director o NCIS from these 2 episodes to the first season of NCIS. Knowing what I do now about these characters, it was fascinating to see how they were first imagined. Gibbs was a lot more light-hearted than in the series and Abby wasn’t quite as wacky and hyper. Tony wasn’t quite as snobby nor did he quote movies/TV shows. I am kind of glad we don’t see a lot of the team testifying in NCIS. I mean, sure Abby does on occasion but usually the rest of the investigators don’t. She was pretty adorable on JAG though. So was Ducky. He rambled off on one of his many stories. Gibbs was just generally badass and wasn’t afraid to change his opinion when new information surfaced. We got a little of Gibbs’ sniper training when they finally took down the terrorists. Overall, I found this back door pilot to be a good precursor to NCIS.
NCIS=>NCIS: LOS ANGELES
Having come into NCIS later in the game (around season 4 or 5) I had to go back and watch the early seasons. This of course was aided by me ordering the first 5 seasons on DVD. I realized very fast that it was a great show and had a strong ensemble cast. So I wasn’t all that surprised when the writers decided to spin-off a new series. I will admit I was a little skeptical of what it would be like but I gave it a try and I’m very glad I did.
A brief case review: A case based in Los Angeles focused on international weapons dealing is linked to the death of a naval officer in DC and it brings together our Virginia-based NCIS team, led by Gibbs and the LA based Office of Special Programs (OSP) led by Agent Macey. OSP deals with undercover operations and surveillance. It turns out that the naval officer was being forced to provide money for the weapons dealer who is tied to a terrorist group. One of Macey’s agents, Callen, goes undercover as the weapons dealer after a shoot-out ends in the real dealer’s death. It turns out Ziva’s Mossad boyfriend, Michael (who we see much more of in the final two episodes of season 6 of NCIS) shows up to meet with Callen. Both NCIS and Mossad want to take down the terrorists but Michael’s interfering with the investigation.
What makes it good: The first of the two-part introduction to OPS began with the LA team on an op. It transitioned straight to Gibbs’ team in Virginia and it just felt seamless. The cases tied together in an interesting way and we got to see a new side of NCIS. McGee gets to make the trip to LA with Gibbs and he’s thrilled with all the high-tech gadgets OSP has at their disposal. It also not only continues the overall season arc of NCIS but it sets up the final two episodes of the season remarkably well. I will say I kind of wonder why they god rid of Macey and Agent Renko. They were replaced by Operations Manager Henrietta “Hettie” Lang (Linda Hunt) and green Agent Dominic Vail when NCIS: LA premiered. The chemistry between the LA team was so smooth and easy to watch and they also fit in well with Gibbs and McGee. I like that the back story they developed for Macey and Gibbs was consistent with information we’d learned in previous seasons about his first wife and daughter and their murder. We also got to see how the rest of Gibbs’ team (Tony, Ziva and Abby) fit into the storyline as well as ramping up the tension between Tony and Ziva. This had all the things that make a back door pilot good. Great casting, great acting and great storytelling.
CRIMINAL MINDS=>CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR
I’m a big fan of Criminal Minds. I’ve liked all the characters we’ve had. In fact, it has spawned some interesting fanfiction back in the day. But unlike NCIS, I wasn’t 100% sure a spin-off would work. For one thing, up until now, the show gave the impression that our team based out of Quantico was it. It was the only BAU. So that was a strike against the newbies before they even started. But, I figured I’d at least give it a shot when the episode aired.
A brief case review: The BAU is called in when a father and daughter go missing. They partner with a new BAU team, led by Forest Whitaker’s character, Special Agent Sam Cooper. Between the two of them, they manage to find the Unsub (unknown subject) and rescue the father and daughter, though not after the father had to kill several people just to stay alive.
What makes it bad: In general, the gruesome factor of Criminal Minds doesn’t tend to bother me. But something about this case just freaked me out. It was brutal and just too dark. With that in mind, we got the new BAU team in play. They’re nothing like our regular team. They’re much grittier and kind of do what they want. I also didn’t feel any real connection to the team, like I did with the OSP crew on NCIS. They tried to show that Cooper and Hotch had a background together but I just didn’t feel it. Plus, the other team members had kind of shady back stories. Prophet had been in prison for something like 6 years, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t allow you to join any federal agency. So that was a huge stretch of logic. Another big stretch, was Mick. He used to be MI6, so I don’t know how he could then join the FBI, since he’s not an American citizen. It was these kinds of leaps in logic that made me really dislike this episode as well as the new characters they were trying to introduce. Plus, and I know it sounds mean, but Forest Whitaker’s eye that droops just bothers me. It’s gotten worse over the years. I know he probably doesn’t have any control over it but it just is very distracting. I think another reason that this team didn’t work for me was because we didn’t’ really have time to get to know them. With JAG and NCIS we were given two episodes to bond with the new characters. Here we had one and it felt very rushed. So, even though Garcia is supposed to also be in the spin-off, I won’t be watching.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A Status on Writing
So, I'm still working on the back door pilot blog post. It's about 2/3 of the way complete at the moment. So it should be up sometime next week. But I wanted to drop by and share the latest on the writing and querying extravaganza.
On the writing front I started a new novel (Young Adult historical) last week. I'm about 10,000 words in so far (hoping to be at about 11,800 by the end of the day). It's an interesting story about the son of a slave owner who escapes with a young slave boy and their journey to freedom in the North but also their journey to finding happiness in each other. At least for a little while. This is not going to ultimately be a happy story for the main characters. But being an interracial couple in 1850s America wasn't likely to be very happy to begin with.
This leads me to the query front. As you know, beginning in November, I sent out 23 queries. I've gotten 14 rejections and I closed out the remaining 9 because I didn't hear anything and took that as to mean "no response means no". I know it seems premature that I'm stopping the query process with Pharaoh, but my heart just isn't in it right now. I believe, in order to be successful, you have to be really committed to the project and I just don't feel that is the case right now.
I plan to finish the current YA novel by mid-February, revise in March and hopefully find some good betas for it. I think I wiill likely try to query this project over the summer and see what happens.
On the writing front I started a new novel (Young Adult historical) last week. I'm about 10,000 words in so far (hoping to be at about 11,800 by the end of the day). It's an interesting story about the son of a slave owner who escapes with a young slave boy and their journey to freedom in the North but also their journey to finding happiness in each other. At least for a little while. This is not going to ultimately be a happy story for the main characters. But being an interracial couple in 1850s America wasn't likely to be very happy to begin with.
This leads me to the query front. As you know, beginning in November, I sent out 23 queries. I've gotten 14 rejections and I closed out the remaining 9 because I didn't hear anything and took that as to mean "no response means no". I know it seems premature that I'm stopping the query process with Pharaoh, but my heart just isn't in it right now. I believe, in order to be successful, you have to be really committed to the project and I just don't feel that is the case right now.
I plan to finish the current YA novel by mid-February, revise in March and hopefully find some good betas for it. I think I wiill likely try to query this project over the summer and see what happens.
Monday, January 3, 2011
2011 and the TV Shows it Brings
So I felt inspired by Jen's blog post about the TV shows she's excited for but won't have time to blog so I thought I would throw together my own list of shows I'm excited about for 2011. This list will include both new and returning shows.
V
Returns: 1/4/11 @ 9pm (ABC)
While V wasn't super strong last season, it was better at plot arcs and character development than FlashForward. And season 1 ended with a huge cliffhanger; an extremely emotional Anna unleashing something that turned the entire sky red. It can't be good and I'm guessing whatever the Visitors plans are will be jumping into gear from the get go of this season. I'm interested to see how the resistance, led by Erica handles having Ryan turning on them. Plus there is the intriguing Anna/Lisa dynamic now that Lisa is helping Fifth Column. And if that all wasn't enough to keep me wanting to see the new season, they resurrected Joshua at the end of last season, too. I liked his character so I'm happy he'll be around, even if he's getting tortured by Anna and her minions.
Merlin
Returns: 1/7/11 @ 10pm (SyFy)
If you’ve followed my rants about my computer at all, you’ll know it’s had some mishaps thanks to trying to watch Merlin series 3 online. So I stopped and am excited that it is coming to SyFy so soon. I can get my fix every week now! I know I’ve seen the first 10 episodes already but I want to rewatch them. This season has been really strong, even if they have moved Morgana’s storyline faster than I would have liked. I am enjoying how they are slowly laying more pieces to the Arthurian puzzle into place. I hope this will tide me over until we get series 4.
The Cape
Premieres: 1/9/11 @ 9pm (NBC)
So back when NBC was originally promoting this show, I wasn't sure it would be any good. The premise seemed a little hokey. But then I heard Summer Glau was involved and I realized I had to at least check it out. It turns out that her role is going to be very big in this show as she's the main character's side-kick of sorts. Plus she gets to be badass and beat people up. River Tam anyone? Then NBC started putting out the promos for the show and it looks really good. Not your typical superhero with no actual superpowers show. It looks dark and gritty and awesome. I may end up blogging it for More TV Please!. If that happens, I will cross-post all the recaps I do for anyone interested in reading.
White Collar
Returns: 1/18/11 @ 10pm (USA)
Okay, so technically right now White Collar isn't a returning show. It's just finishing up its summer 2010 season with 4 final episodes. But they are going to be great episodes. We find out who shot Mozzie (and why) plus who killed Kate. And the damn music box fiasco supposedly gets resolved. I just love Matt Bomer and his chemistry with Tim DeKay is just fantastic. It's a fun twist on the con show that I don't necessarily get with Leverage. So, it will be a welcome addition for a short while to my Tuesday line-up.
Fairly Legal
Premieres: 1/20/11 @ 10pm (USA)
I wasn't originally going to check this new USA legal dramedy out but then Is aw the promos and realized the lead was played by the lovely Sarah Shahi. I first discovered her on the NBC series "Life" where she played a recovering alcoholic detective partnered with a cop who had spent time in prison for being falsely convicted of murder. Then I saw her on "The L Word" which was a completely different role for her. A fun role but different. Now she's playing a lawyer who leaves the legal field in one sense and joins up in another. Fed up with the system she becomes a mediator. Having taken ADR this past semester, I want to see if they actually employ any of the mediation techniques we learned about in class. USA shows are usually pretty good at keeping things real to life but you never know. I did see a clip where a judge sent two parties to mediation and said something along the lines of "this is alternative dispute resolution, also known as mediation". It kind of irked me because generally the "aka" of alternative dispute resolution is ADR. But that could be me just getting nitpicky. We'll see how it fairs.
Body of Proof
Premieres: 3/29/11 @ 10pm (ABC)
I have been talking about this show for ages. And ABC has finally given a release date. So come the end of March, I will be blogging it each week. I will of course post the recaps when I send them over to More TV Please! for Jen to post. I can’t wait to have Jeri Ryan back on my screen every week. I’m rather indifferent to Dana Delaney, though I find her character’s back story interesting (at least what I’ve read of it). I hope the show works out. It’s a different twist on the forensic/crime drama shows out there. Plus, there’s Jeri Ryan. Did I already mention that? I can’t help it!
Doctor Who
Returns: March 2011 (BBC America)
If anyone remembers the blog post I did ages ago for More TV Please comparing the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors, you know I’m not much of a fan of Matt Smith’s Doctor. Even after series 5, I’m still not thrilled with him. I find his portrayal to be immature and childish. I like my Doctor dark and angsty. But considering Stephen Moffat is now at the helm, I doubt if we’ll see the Doctor go dark any time soon. But there are good things to come in series 6. We get more River Song and some new bad guys. I even enjoyed the Christmas special this year (not as much as The Christmas Invasion but yeah…nothing beats David Tennant’s entrance). I will give series 6 a go and hope for the best.
Torchwood
Returns: Summer 2011 (Starz)
I am a diehard Jack/Ianto fan and am still slightly pissed with Russell T. Davies for killing Ianto. I still can’t watch Children of Earth. Thinking about it makes me sad and cry. I refuse to believe Jack’s encounter with Midshipman Frame (End of Time Part 2) was anything more than a one-night stand. And given that Jack’s rebound relationship once he returns to planet Earth is supposed to be a one-night stand, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I’m disappointed that Jack has to have flings to get over Ianto. But I do want Jack and Gwen back on my TV screens o I will tolerate it. I want to know what gets Jack to come back to Earth and what kinds of mischief they get up to now.
Being Human
Returns sometime in 2011 (BBC America)
If you’ve been watching SyFy the last few weeks you’ve likely seen their ads for the US remake of Being Human. I urge you to purge those from your memory. Why mess with the original when its coming back to the US airwaves? Plus the SyFy version looks horribly stupid and lame. Though, funny point that they renamed the vampire from Mitchell to Aidan. Funny because Mitchell is played by an actor named Aidan Turner. Anyway, I’m excited for series 3 of Being Human because series 2 ended in a crazy place. Even if series 3 is the final for the series, it should be intense while George and Mitchell attempt to save Annie. Plus, they’re in Cardiff now. Who knows, maybe they’ll run into a rift in space and time? A girl can hope!
V
Returns: 1/4/11 @ 9pm (ABC)
While V wasn't super strong last season, it was better at plot arcs and character development than FlashForward. And season 1 ended with a huge cliffhanger; an extremely emotional Anna unleashing something that turned the entire sky red. It can't be good and I'm guessing whatever the Visitors plans are will be jumping into gear from the get go of this season. I'm interested to see how the resistance, led by Erica handles having Ryan turning on them. Plus there is the intriguing Anna/Lisa dynamic now that Lisa is helping Fifth Column. And if that all wasn't enough to keep me wanting to see the new season, they resurrected Joshua at the end of last season, too. I liked his character so I'm happy he'll be around, even if he's getting tortured by Anna and her minions.
Merlin
Returns: 1/7/11 @ 10pm (SyFy)
If you’ve followed my rants about my computer at all, you’ll know it’s had some mishaps thanks to trying to watch Merlin series 3 online. So I stopped and am excited that it is coming to SyFy so soon. I can get my fix every week now! I know I’ve seen the first 10 episodes already but I want to rewatch them. This season has been really strong, even if they have moved Morgana’s storyline faster than I would have liked. I am enjoying how they are slowly laying more pieces to the Arthurian puzzle into place. I hope this will tide me over until we get series 4.
The Cape
Premieres: 1/9/11 @ 9pm (NBC)
So back when NBC was originally promoting this show, I wasn't sure it would be any good. The premise seemed a little hokey. But then I heard Summer Glau was involved and I realized I had to at least check it out. It turns out that her role is going to be very big in this show as she's the main character's side-kick of sorts. Plus she gets to be badass and beat people up. River Tam anyone? Then NBC started putting out the promos for the show and it looks really good. Not your typical superhero with no actual superpowers show. It looks dark and gritty and awesome. I may end up blogging it for More TV Please!. If that happens, I will cross-post all the recaps I do for anyone interested in reading.
White Collar
Returns: 1/18/11 @ 10pm (USA)
Okay, so technically right now White Collar isn't a returning show. It's just finishing up its summer 2010 season with 4 final episodes. But they are going to be great episodes. We find out who shot Mozzie (and why) plus who killed Kate. And the damn music box fiasco supposedly gets resolved. I just love Matt Bomer and his chemistry with Tim DeKay is just fantastic. It's a fun twist on the con show that I don't necessarily get with Leverage. So, it will be a welcome addition for a short while to my Tuesday line-up.
Fairly Legal
Premieres: 1/20/11 @ 10pm (USA)
I wasn't originally going to check this new USA legal dramedy out but then Is aw the promos and realized the lead was played by the lovely Sarah Shahi. I first discovered her on the NBC series "Life" where she played a recovering alcoholic detective partnered with a cop who had spent time in prison for being falsely convicted of murder. Then I saw her on "The L Word" which was a completely different role for her. A fun role but different. Now she's playing a lawyer who leaves the legal field in one sense and joins up in another. Fed up with the system she becomes a mediator. Having taken ADR this past semester, I want to see if they actually employ any of the mediation techniques we learned about in class. USA shows are usually pretty good at keeping things real to life but you never know. I did see a clip where a judge sent two parties to mediation and said something along the lines of "this is alternative dispute resolution, also known as mediation". It kind of irked me because generally the "aka" of alternative dispute resolution is ADR. But that could be me just getting nitpicky. We'll see how it fairs.
Body of Proof
Premieres: 3/29/11 @ 10pm (ABC)
I have been talking about this show for ages. And ABC has finally given a release date. So come the end of March, I will be blogging it each week. I will of course post the recaps when I send them over to More TV Please! for Jen to post. I can’t wait to have Jeri Ryan back on my screen every week. I’m rather indifferent to Dana Delaney, though I find her character’s back story interesting (at least what I’ve read of it). I hope the show works out. It’s a different twist on the forensic/crime drama shows out there. Plus, there’s Jeri Ryan. Did I already mention that? I can’t help it!
Doctor Who
Returns: March 2011 (BBC America)
If anyone remembers the blog post I did ages ago for More TV Please comparing the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors, you know I’m not much of a fan of Matt Smith’s Doctor. Even after series 5, I’m still not thrilled with him. I find his portrayal to be immature and childish. I like my Doctor dark and angsty. But considering Stephen Moffat is now at the helm, I doubt if we’ll see the Doctor go dark any time soon. But there are good things to come in series 6. We get more River Song and some new bad guys. I even enjoyed the Christmas special this year (not as much as The Christmas Invasion but yeah…nothing beats David Tennant’s entrance). I will give series 6 a go and hope for the best.
Torchwood
Returns: Summer 2011 (Starz)
I am a diehard Jack/Ianto fan and am still slightly pissed with Russell T. Davies for killing Ianto. I still can’t watch Children of Earth. Thinking about it makes me sad and cry. I refuse to believe Jack’s encounter with Midshipman Frame (End of Time Part 2) was anything more than a one-night stand. And given that Jack’s rebound relationship once he returns to planet Earth is supposed to be a one-night stand, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I’m disappointed that Jack has to have flings to get over Ianto. But I do want Jack and Gwen back on my TV screens o I will tolerate it. I want to know what gets Jack to come back to Earth and what kinds of mischief they get up to now.
Being Human
Returns sometime in 2011 (BBC America)
If you’ve been watching SyFy the last few weeks you’ve likely seen their ads for the US remake of Being Human. I urge you to purge those from your memory. Why mess with the original when its coming back to the US airwaves? Plus the SyFy version looks horribly stupid and lame. Though, funny point that they renamed the vampire from Mitchell to Aidan. Funny because Mitchell is played by an actor named Aidan Turner. Anyway, I’m excited for series 3 of Being Human because series 2 ended in a crazy place. Even if series 3 is the final for the series, it should be intense while George and Mitchell attempt to save Annie. Plus, they’re in Cardiff now. Who knows, maybe they’ll run into a rift in space and time? A girl can hope!
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010 Round Up
Hey everyone. I know I've been kind of flakey on posting regularly the last few months but hopefully I'll be back in full force in 2011. I wanted to just run through some big points of 2010 and give a little of what to expect come January (aka tomorrow).
On the book front, 2010 saw EUTERPE'S SONG going on submission to publishers. It was seen by 9 houses. It also saw me and my agent part ways. 2010 was also the year I wrote 4 novels, approimately 250,000 words total. Very impressive. In the coming year, I will be revising PHARAOH'S LINK as well as writing at least 2 other young adult novels.
I officially finished 1/2 of law school. I'm still waiting on fall semester grades but I'm confident I did well. I also got to spend the summer interning for the EEOC which I found very fulfilling. I will be back with the EEOC this semester a few days a week. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.
I know in my last post I promised a blog about back door pilots. Don't worry, I'll be posting it in the coming weeks. Hopefully even somtime next week.
Also on the blog front, I blogged the first season of BBC's Merlin as well as various episodes of Glee and No Ordinary Family for More TV, Please! this past year. Coming in March, I'll be a semi-permanent fixture there while I'm blogging the freshman season of ABC's Body of Proof, starring Jeri Ryan (of Star Trek: Voyager fame) and Dana Delaney.
What does 2011 have in store for me? The new seasons of Doctor Who, Torchwood, Being Human and Merlin. Yes I've upped my British TV intake of late. I recently finished Robin Hood (I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys BBC shows).
As I look forward to beginning 2011 in a few short hours, I have to wonder what my resolution will be. I could say I'll blog more but I'm not sure whether that is really productive. So I think, my 2011 blog resolution will be to post more things that are interesting and different.
On the book front, 2010 saw EUTERPE'S SONG going on submission to publishers. It was seen by 9 houses. It also saw me and my agent part ways. 2010 was also the year I wrote 4 novels, approimately 250,000 words total. Very impressive. In the coming year, I will be revising PHARAOH'S LINK as well as writing at least 2 other young adult novels.
I officially finished 1/2 of law school. I'm still waiting on fall semester grades but I'm confident I did well. I also got to spend the summer interning for the EEOC which I found very fulfilling. I will be back with the EEOC this semester a few days a week. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.
I know in my last post I promised a blog about back door pilots. Don't worry, I'll be posting it in the coming weeks. Hopefully even somtime next week.
Also on the blog front, I blogged the first season of BBC's Merlin as well as various episodes of Glee and No Ordinary Family for More TV, Please! this past year. Coming in March, I'll be a semi-permanent fixture there while I'm blogging the freshman season of ABC's Body of Proof, starring Jeri Ryan (of Star Trek: Voyager fame) and Dana Delaney.
What does 2011 have in store for me? The new seasons of Doctor Who, Torchwood, Being Human and Merlin. Yes I've upped my British TV intake of late. I recently finished Robin Hood (I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys BBC shows).
As I look forward to beginning 2011 in a few short hours, I have to wonder what my resolution will be. I could say I'll blog more but I'm not sure whether that is really productive. So I think, my 2011 blog resolution will be to post more things that are interesting and different.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A short update and things to come
Hi everyone. I just wanted to stop by the blog during finals to give a quick query report and what's coming up next on the blog. I've just got my Evidence exam left until I'm officially 1/2 done with law school. Kind of can't believe it. It feels good to be closing in though.
I have sent out 23 queries so far and received 12 rejections. Yes, for those of you doing the math, that's a 50% rejection rate. I'm not overly pleased myself. But I've got 11 queries still out there floating around and I'm going to let them do their thing until January. I'll pick up the process anew then.
I'm also gearing up, once finals are done, to do a blog post about the success of back door pilots. So look for that in the near future.
I have sent out 23 queries so far and received 12 rejections. Yes, for those of you doing the math, that's a 50% rejection rate. I'm not overly pleased myself. But I've got 11 queries still out there floating around and I'm going to let them do their thing until January. I'll pick up the process anew then.
I'm also gearing up, once finals are done, to do a blog post about the success of back door pilots. So look for that in the near future.
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