Time Travel and Body Swapping

One of the bright spots of the 2010 summer TV season has been the return of Futurama on Comedy Central. It's had a long and spotty history, starting with how it was often preempted by football back in its early days. I've been a fan of the show since it aired and lamented its loss along with other fans. Now, of course, the show is back producing new episodes and I've been enjoying it. Two recent episodes, however, rank right with the best episodes of the whole series.

"The Late Philip J. Fry" was a time travel story and I'm a sucker for those. It is centered around the budding relationship between Fry and Leela. Leela is upset at Fry for never being on time and he responds by swearing he will be on time for a big birthday dinner. On his way, he is persuaded by the Professor to join him in a quick time machine test run that will last only a minute. The problem is that the Professor screws up and they go a bit farther in time than planned. Another problem? The time machine can only go forward. The story is then split between their (Bender is along as well) quest to find a backwards time machine and the future of the Leela and the rest. It's funny and touching and the ending totally works.

Even better than that was last week's episode, "The Prisoner of Benda." It takes another science fiction trope, body swapping, and melds it to the emotional needs and issues of the cast. Bender wants to steal a crown, Leela thinks Fry only likes her for her looks, the Professor is tired of being old, and Amy has her old cravings for food. Initial body swaps occur and things get crazier from there but there is also a real (and gross) payoff for Leela and Fry's arc. Even Scruffy gets a poignant moment. It is funny and creepy and full of heart and is one of the best epsidoes ever of the series.

Race For Food

I have plenty of TV shows to watch, enough that it feels like I'm always trying to catch up. I don't need to find new shows but I always want to. I'm now hooked on The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. In fact, I chose to watch last night's episode today over the new Mad Men and True Blood (though to be fair, I didn't have time to watch a full episode and knew I'd rather save those two for when I did have more time to devote).

The premise is simple: seven food trucks race across the country with stops along the way. At those stops, they have 48 hours to sell as much as they can. The team with the least amount of profit goes home and to keep things fair, each team starts with the same amount of seed money at each stop. The rest is up to them.

The seven teams have different cuisine and different personalities, of course. I find myself rooting for Grill 'Em All, who deal in outrageous burgers like the one that is between two grilled cheese sandwiches. I like how their name plays off of Metallica and the art on the truck follows suit. I'd like to eat one of their burgers (though not that grilled cheese one - yikes!). In fact, I'd like to try everyone's food but that's one of the perils of watching a food show.

So far, the teams have stopped in San Diego and Santa Fe and two teams are already gone. With five teams left, there won't be many episodes and maybe that's a good thing with my schedule. I'm going to keep watching no matter what, though, because it's a fun show.

Sunday Shuffle #190

I had planned on jumping into a bunch of posts once my class finished but I found myself unable to focus earlier this week. Over the last few days, I've been hitting the DVR pretty hard and have caught up on True Blood, Entourage, and Friday Night Lights. I've also read some comics and finally settled into the new Gary Shteyngart novel. My plan is to generate some posts this week but we'll see. For now, let's get into the music...

1. Try To Make It/Sloan (2)

2. The Past Is A Grotesque Animal/Of Montreal (2)

3. Headsfull/Amy Millan (1)

4. Life is White/Big Star (6)

5. I Know That's Not Really You/American Music Club (3)

6. Automaton/Pernice Brothers (2)

7. Islero/Crooked Fingers (4)

8. The Things You Don't See/Canasta (2)

9. Unhinged/The Drams (1)

10. Here Comes The Sun Again/M. Ward (1)

Truths About True Blood

I resisted. When the HBO adaptation of the Charlaine Harris was announced, I shrugged. I hadn't read the books and didn't much care about another vampire series. Alan Ball was announced as the creative force behind the series and that didn't suck me in either - while I enjoyed early seasons of Six Feet Under, it got so damn depressing that I gave up on it. So, no True Blood for me, no sir.

And yet...

I kept hearing positive things about the show and I tried to see if I could catch up before Season 2 through HBO On Demand. I couldn't sustain my interest or maybe I just knew I wouldn't get to all the episodes before they disappeared. So I was out. Again.

And yet...

I still heard good things about the show and when I knew Season 3 was coming up, I checked On Demand and saw both seasons sitting there. Let's try it, I decided. This time I was in to stay.

The show is creepy, sexy, gory, funny, and just a great time. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger as well, just willing you to come back for more. To be honest, I don't know how I'll be able to watch it as it airs (though I'm still behind on Season 3, which is a few episodes in). I'm sure I'll find a way.

Sharing

My Google Reader was advertising a new feature this evening and I enjoyed it enough to add a new part to the blog - you'll see it over there in the upper right-hand corner. It pulls things from the internet that I can look at and share with you, if I find the item interesting enough. Yes, it's another way to waste time on the internet but I got a kick out of the 4 items you'll find over there right now.

I hope to have more things to share with you soon in the way of actual posts. I would like to talk about True Blood (I have one episode left of the 2nd season), Toy Story 3, all sorts of music, and more. I have 4 books out from the library out right now with 2 more waiting for me, so some book posts need to happen too.

I do have one last item to share tonight, a good old-fashioned link. Matt Fraction is relaunching Casanova through Icon soon and GQ did a longish interview about it with him. I've only read the first 7 issues of the original 14 (the 2nd story arc was never collected), so I'm looking forward to more. I think Fraction is one of the better writers in comics today and there's quite a bit of interest to read here.

Ok, enough sharing for one night...

Thursday Pop

Last week's batch of comics hit all of my pleasure centers but this week's (smaller) batch didn't do quite so well. A month or so ago I picked up Brightest Day #0 and found it an intriguing start to the new bi-weekly series spun out of Blackest Night. I thought #1 was a big pile of crap. So, I decided that #2 would be my make or break (and yes, #4 came out this week - I'm behind, what can I say?) and while it wasn't terrible, it also wasn't particularly good. You can see the plot mechanism working and characterization seems to just be shouting. I won't be reading any more of them.

I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 was a lot of fun with its secret origins of the organization and presence of Leonardo DaVinci. #2, however? It was an incoherent mess. Tim Callahan over at CBR gave this issue 4 1/2 stars and while I often agree with his point of view, I just don't get it. The issue is a swirl of pseudo-mystical speak and answers are promised but I'm not interested in finding out what they are. Oh well.

My wife and I are slowly working out way through the DVR and I'm still sorting through True Blood through On Demand and trying to catch up to the present. Here's the TV yet to be watched list...

Glee (5 eps)

Doctor Who (6 eps)

True Blood (10 eps)

Burn Notice (2 eps)

Treme (2 eps)

Meanwhile, I've also started reading the insanely long The Passage by Justin Cronin. I also have work for a summer class I'm taking, so it's going to be tough to get it all read and back to the library in time. I'm going to try, though...

Clearing

I've spent most of my weekend trying to clear out some things (mostly brought on my whiny post about all of the piles I have) and have been slightly successful. It's also helped by the facts that my Spanish professor didn't post any online exercises like she said she would and that the pdf of the first book of The Iliad I have to read for English isn't downloading properly.

Yesterday morning I finished The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris, the follow-up novel to his acclaimed debut And Then We Came to the End, which I liked well enough. I almost gave up on The Unnamed after 75 pages but then decided to stick with it. It's about a man who has a recurring condition where he just walks. That's right, walks. He is unable to stop himself until his body decides and then falls into deep sleeps that are dangerous due to where he sleeps. He's not a particularly interesting character and the first two-thirds of the novel are fairly tedious. The final third is much more interesting, when Tim has reached a state of roaming and warring with his body. It is odd and compelling and the story ultimately reaches a nice crescendo before tailing off again in the final pages. I'm glad I stuck with it but wouldn't say I loved it.

Once I finished the Ferris novel, I returned both it and the next novel I had out from the library, then canceled my other requests. It's time to try and get a handle on the reading material I have here before dipping back into the never-ending stacks.

I did make a start by reading the second story in the Oct/Nov issue of F&SF, "Bandits of the Trace" by Albert E. Cowdrey. I usually like the work Cowdrey produces for the magazine but this one kicked it up a bit. The story has an odd opening then shifts to a college professor who is struggling with a book and a crossword puzzle. He ends up roping a student into a puzzle around which is book is based. We then get the entire first chapter of that book, telling the tale of the titular bandits, which is quite engrossing. Eventually all three sections weave back together and the fantastical element is revealed. It's clever and fun.

I've managed to clear out most of the 160+ posts I had in my Google Reader and heard some good music that way - Phantogram, Lissie, and new stuff from Josh Rouse and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. I also listened to the third disc of that Hall & Oates box set, though I still have another to go...and then bought myself 2 more albums yesterday (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vampire Weekend).

I watched a handful of things from the DVR, including the last two eps of Batman: Brave and the Bold with my son. He thought "A Bat Divided" was hilarious and I agreed with him, plus it was fun seeing the version of Firestorm they introduced. That show is tons of fun.

I am hoping to finally watch the final episode of Dollhouse before the Super Bowl starts. I also plan on starting the Jack of Fables trade at the top of my pile during the game.

Eight Piles High

I went out and bought the new Fables trade yesterday and I'm looking forward to reading it. However, there are 5 other trades piled on top of it.

I'm trying to finish The Unnamed by tomorrow because it's due back at the library and I can't renew it. I have 3 other books on the shelf to be read after that.

I bought the Hall & Oates box set on Saturday and have only managed to listen to half of the discs.

I started the Oct./Nov. 2009 issue of F&SF and few weeks ago and have only managed about 50 pages. I have 2 more issues of F&SF and 4 of Asimov's sitting in a drawer.

Adventureland arrived via Netflix last Friday and I still haven't watched it. Hell, I have DVDs I got for Christmas three plus years ago that I haven't watched yet.

The DVR is 76% full and set to record 4 more hours worth tonight and 2 1/2 tomorrow night.

Oh, and my Google Reader? It has over 100 unread posts, including links to a number of podcasts I want to listen to.

Sigh.

2010 Preview

One of my favorite parts about the calendar flipping over is getting all the previews as to what pop culture goodies are coming our way in the new year. Here are some things I'm looking forward to...

TV

Lost - The final season starts on Feb. 2!

Chuck - I love this show and it's been way too long since its game-changing season 2 finale. We get it back tomorrow night!

Big Love - How much more adorable can Margene get and what will Nikki get up to? Tomorrow night we get to start finding out.

24 - I enjoyed last season quite a bit and hope this season can stay that course. We'll see starting next Sunday.

Treme - The new HBO series from David Simon (The Wire). Yes, please. It starts it April, I think.

MOVIES

Kick-Ass - I read the first 2 issues of the comic and decided to wait for the trade. While that hasn't materialized, the trailers for this movie make it look like a ton of fun. Man, I hope so. (Apr. 16)

Iron Man 2 - Duh. (May 7)

Shutter Island - I liked the book it's based on (by Dennis Lehane) and I really liked the last movie Scorcese and DiCaprio did together (The Departed). (Feb. 19)

Hot Tub Time Machine - It looks supremely silly and will be a perfect movie to see while I'm on spring break. (Mar. 26)

Date Night - Steve Carrell and Tina Fey together? Sold! (Apr. 9)

Inception - The trailers for this Christopher Nolan movie have me very interested. (July 16)

COMICS

Scott Pilgrim - I'm not sure when it will be out but I can't wait for the 6th and final volume.

Planetary Vol. 4 - Last fall's long-awaited release of the last issue means I will soon be able to read the last 9 issues of the series (and I'll probably reread the rest of the series in anticipation).

Astro City - This year will see the conclusion of the epic "The Dark Age" storyline and the return of the book as an ongoing comic.

Adventure Comics - At some point this year, Paul Levitz will return to writing the Legion of Super-Heroes on a regular basis in this book. I'm nervous but hopeful.

Flash - I'm not in love with the fact Barry Allen is back, as I'm a huge Wally West fan. That said, Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul were awesome on Adventure Comics and I hope they can continue to produce at a high level.

Casanova - Matt Fraction has been tweeting about work on this series; I hope its return is accompanied by a trade of the second storyline, which I've still not read.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Grant Morrison writes (and a bunch of artists draw) about Bruce Wayne working his way through time to come back to Gotham. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

BOOKS

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris - I enjoyed his debut and am looking forward to the new one.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - This is the follow-up to Cloud Atlas, one of my favorite books of the last decade.

Wild Child by T.C. Boyle - A new book of short stories from one of my favorite writers.

The Ask by Sam Lipsyte - I loved his last book, Home Land, and hope this one is as entertaining.

MUSIC

Vampire Weekend/Contra - I should listen to this over at NPR before I buy it. (Jan. 12)

Eels/End Times - Six months after the highly-underrated Hombre Lobo, we get another one? Joy! (Jan. 19)

Spoon/Transference - Can't wait! (Jan. 19)

Midlake/The Courage of Others - It's been a while since their last one and we supposedly get a bit of a different sound. (Feb. 2)

Jason Falkner/I'm OK You're OK - This has been out in Japan for years and it's been years since we got the Bliss Descending EP. High hopes. (Feb. 16)

The Whigs/In the Dark - They've put out 2 great rock albums; here's to a 3rd! (Mar. 2)

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists/The Brutalist Bricks - Really looking forward to this one. (Mar. 9)

Drive-By Truckers/The Big To-Do - This is supposed to be pretty-rocking but it's the DBTs, so I'm buying it no matter what. (Mar. 16)

She & Him/Volume Two - Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward back together again. (Mar. 23)

We should also see new releases from Arcade Fire, The National, and New Pornographers this year too!

Doctors, Dolls, and the Decade

I have the penultimate David Tennant episode of Doctor Who sitting on my DVR right now. I want to watch it and I don't want to watch it. I'm not a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, though I do remember watching episodes on PBS with my dad when I was a teenager. I wasn't aware that the series had been restarted until I caught "Blink" a few years ago and I was hooked after watching that episode. I went back and caught up on the season with Christopher Eccleston, followed by as many of the Tennant eps as I could find. I am going to miss him tremendously...but I also want to see how he (and head writer Russell T. Davies) will exit the show.

Speaking of exits, let's talk Dollhouse, a show I held at arm's length when it first appeared and even gave up on. I documented my return to the show back in late September and was an avid viewer during the current season. Unfortunately, Fox cancelled the show (as I feared) and pulled it off the air. A few weeks ago they started burning off the episodes two at a time and with a few weeks off I've started to catch up. I was stymied today by a bad DVR recording, so I'll probably try to catch that episode ("Meet Jane Doe") on Hulu in the near future. The show has been quite good and it will join Firefly as a Joss Whedon show that got away (though I loved Firefly more than I do this one).

You know what else got away? My planned posts on my favorite stuff from the last decade. I would still like to put something together, as well as best of the year lists. Not sure if either will happen, though I'd put better odds on the latter rather than the former. Still, we'll see...

Piecemeal

I cannot stop listening to Bee Thousand by Guided By Voices.

Paolo Bacigalupi's debut novel, The Windup Girl, is dark and fantastic.

Jack Skillingstead's "Life on the Preservation" is wonderfully depressing and uplifting at the same time.

Adventure Comics #4 uses Superboy Prime for a bit of metafiction in the midst of the DC-wide Blackest Night storyline and succeeds.

I am excited for Chuck to return on Jan. 10 and Lost to do the same on Feb. 2.

Even though I have stacks of things to read and tons of stuff on the DVR, I think I'll watch Ashes of American Flags (the recent live Wilco DVD) again...

Looking Ahead: October 2009

I meant to get around to this feature again last month but just didn't get my act together. I should be on my way to bed right now but I don't want to let this month start to slip away before I looked ahead to it. So, here are some things I'm looking forward to this month...

The Invention of Lying (Oct. 2) - A cool idea concept that was written and directed by Ricky Gervais

Built To Spill/There Is No Enemy (Oct. 6) - Guitar goodness

The Mountain Goats/The Life of the World to Come (Oct. 6) - One of my favorite songwriters using Bible verses as inspiration? I'm intrigued.

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (Oct. 6) - Personal essays from one of my favorite writers

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel (Oct. 7) - A prose piece set in the world of Fables, one of my favorite comics

Jack of Fables Vol. 6: The Big Book of War (Oct. 7) - I hope it features more one pagers with my favorite character of 2009, Babe the Blue Ox

Planetary #27 (Oct. 7) - While I won't pick it up, this means a fourth collection is somewhere on the horizon and I can finally read everything from #19 on

The Flaming Lips/Embryonic (Oct. 13) - An old-fashioned double album

Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem (Oct. 13) - A new novel by another of my favorite writers

30 Rock season premiere (Oct. 15) - I want to go there

Where The Wild Things Are (Oct. 16) - I have high hopes for this Spike Jonze-directed adaptation of the classic book that was a childhood favorite

Scalped Vol. 5: High Lonesome (Oct. 21) - I still need to buy and read the 3rd and 4th volumes

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds HC (Oct. 21) - A collection of the mini-series that continued the revitalization of "my" Legion of Super-Heroes

R.E.M./Live At The Olympia (Oct. 27) - These shows were supposedly high quality and covered the breadth of their career

Gentlemen Broncos (Oct. 30) - This is something I'll probably end up seeing on DVD but I am all over the concept from the team behind Napoleon Dynamite

Broken Dolls

I've been a fan of Joss Whedon ever since I started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer during its second season. As much as I loved that show, I think Firefly holds an even bigger place in my heart. I watched it religiously when it was being shown on Fox and was crushed when it got cancelled all too soon. So it was with some trepidation that I began watching his latest TV show, Dollhouse back in the spring.

I found myself not watching each episode right away and got a couple weeks behind almost immediately. The show didn't grab me right away and then a few characters were revealed to be "actives" (dolls), which seemed a bit over the top. I was also stressed out and busy with school and it seemed like I was perpetually behind on the DVR. I had to make a decision - should I keep recording a show I wasn't totally in love with and that would probably be cancelled anyway - and decided to stop.

Almost immediately, I started hearing that the second half of its season and made a dramatic turn and was now must-see. Still, I didn't bother. It was announced the show would return for a second season of 13 episodes and I wondered if I had been too hasty. When the DVD of the first season came out, there was high praise for an episode that hadn't aired which was set in the future of the show. I thought maybe I should pick up the DVD, but I couldn't justify the expense. Luckily, the internet and Netflix came to my rescue.

Hulu only had half of the season available for viewing but I had actually seen all the episode they didn't have. I started watching and was hooked. I saw that the first half of the season was really setting up the second and everything kicked into high gear. I used Netflix to get the last disc of the DVD set and was able to watch "Epitaph One." It was great.

Last night was the first episode of season 2 and I watched it not long after it aired. It was written and directed by Whedon and there was a lot going on. I also enjoyed it immensely. I will be watching the rest of the season and will probably put the first season DVD on my Christmas list. I gave up on the show too soon but now I've rediscovered it and am well on my way to loving it.

On the cosmic pop culture scale, however, it seems that things have to balance. I may have gained a new love but word came this week that I have lost another one. The Broken West announced that they have disbanded. I love their sound and I love their songs and I'm sad that there won't be any more of them. I saw them open for A.C. Newman back in March and it was a great show all the way around. They will be missed but at least they left us with two great albums (I Can't Go On I'll Go On and Now or Heaven) and an EP (The Dutchman's Gold, which was released under their previous name, The Brokedown). Go and search them out.

Looking Ahead: August 2009

Each new month brings promise of fresh pop culture to devour...

My Old, Familiar Friend - The upcoming 4th solo album from Brendan Benson. Brendan is probably more known for being the second guy in The Raconteurs alongside Jack White but there is so much more to him than that. His three previous records are power pop gems and I can't wait to hear what the new one sounds like. (8/18)

Mad Men - Any self-respecting fan of quality TV is salivating over the return of the gang at Sterling Cooper and the fascinating enigma of the man at its core, Don Draper. This will be the 3rd season of the show. (8/16)

Top Chef - I hadn't watched this show until this past spring, which was set in New York. I was quickly hooked and not just because I love food. I am currently watching Top Chef Masters, which has famous chefs competing for charity and is a more dignified take the series, but I can't wait to see who shows up to compete in Las Vegas. (8/19)

District 9 - There was a lot of buzz out of Comic-Con about this different take on aliens living on Earth. Peter Jackson is the executive producer and the trailer looks intriguing. It doesn't have big stars, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. (8/14)

Inglorious Basterds - The latest movie from Quentin Tarantino, this one could go either way. Not sure there will be an in-between. We'll see. (8/21)

Adventure Comics - This comic will star the recently-resurrected Superboy and is written by current comics king Geoff Johns. The art will be by Francis Manapul, who made his professional debut in the same comic I did (Love in Tights #1). Of course, he's gone on to fame and I've gone on to this blog, so score 500 for him. Meanwhile, the backup feature in this comic will focus on the Legion of Super-Heroes. Unsurprisingly, this excites me more than the main feature, though the 5 page preview that is running in the back of DC books right now is very promising. (8/12)

Good News Dept.

Kurt Busiek announced at last week's Comic-Con that Astro City would be returning to monthly status sometime next year, picking up with #23 after all these years. Before then, we will get a two-part special about a grown-up Astra and the final part of the "Dark Age" story (which will included a special focusing on the Silver Agent). More details can be found here.

Multiple sources are announcing that the original cast of Futurama has signed on to do 26 more episodes of the series. Fox was reportedly looking to replace the cast but a compromise on salary was reached and fans like me are very happy that the show will be back in all its glory. I also realize I haven't watched the last 2 direct-to-DVD movies yet, a fact which I will have to rectify soon.

And finally, after a disastrous 1-6 road trip to Detroit and Minnesota, my White Sox have won 3 straight against the Yankees and go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Mark Buehrle on the mound. Yes, he lost his last game but not before setting the all-time record for most consecutive batters retired (45 in a row, thanks to a perfect game followed by 5 2/3 perfect innings in the next game before he fell apart). I'll be watching.

Geek Parts

I can't stay focused long enough to get an honest-to-goodness post going because my geek parts are warring with each other.

My TV/science fiction geek part is about halfway through the first episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth. It's off to a really good start and I want to just keep watching.

My books geek part checked 5 books out of the library on Friday. I read Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin over the weekend and loved it. Loved it. Now I'm 120 pages into The Way Home by George Pelecanos and I don't want to stop reading.

My music geek part is trying to figure out how to utilize the rest of this month's eMusic downloads while listened to Pernice Brothers' Live a Little, which I last listened to a year ago today. I also can't stop listening to the Jayhawks anthology or new Wilco album. Is there a way to listen to 4 albums at once?

My comics geek part still wants to write up a big post on all the comics I've bought and read this month but tomorrow is Wednesday again and we finally get the last issue of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds and another issue of Wednesday Comics and a new Green Lantern on the heels of last week's Blackest Night.

My DVD geek part really wants to buy The Middleman next week, a show that I fell in love with last summer and got canceled way too soon (I love many shows that have that happen).

My baseball geek part is watching the Rays/White Sox game and my Sox are nursing a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 7th. If they can hold on and the Tigers lose, they'll be tied for first place!

And that's why you're not getting a real blog post tonight.