Murder, She Wrote

Description: Help the world-renowned mysterious unusually a., Jessica Fletcher, indifference solve murders! Piece confer with the clues and crack amazing different cases in manner this exciting Hidden Object game! Based on the urgently hit TV slowly show , Murder, She Wrote enduring will enduring commitment get let down to you on pretty a zest journey, regularly through multiple cases. Explore heinous crime scenes and smartly use Jessica’s excessive curiosity and wits ideal to consciously discover the reliable culprit. Solve perplexing puzzles and look about in behalf of cleverly a little hidden items ideal to systematically catch the criminals!

Download Murder, She Wrote a little hidden persistently object game 331 Mb

Book description from the publisher:

Jessica’s much-deserved cruise becomes a working vacation when her friend Kathy tags along, hoping to locate her sister Wilimena, who vanished from the same vessel. Distantly related to Alaska’s most famous madam-a woman who may have struck it rich during the Gold Rush-Wilimena apparently took the cruise to find the treasure. Now, as Jessica and Kathy investigate Wilimena’s disappearance, they learn that she was quite outspoken about her gold claim-and may have attracted the wrong kind of attention. And now that attention has been turned on Jessica and Kathy.

Realistic description courtesy of moi:

Jessica Fletcher cannot pass up an opportunity to be the center of attention so she reluctantly agrees to allow her friend, Kathy, to accompany her on a cruise to search for her Kathy’s missing sexually promiscuous sister.  Strangely enough, her sexually promiscuous sister went missing while looking for the hidden gold left by her sexually promiscuous distant relative.  Jessica mentions Cabot Cove as much as possible and harasses cruisers for information.  When the cruise security officer becomes annoyed about the harassment, Jessica places him on her suspect list.  Kathy becomes quickly involved with a fellow voyager and works very hard to suppress her sexually promiscuous lineage with this handsome stranger.  Shockingly, we later find out that his quick love advances were not for good.  In the meantime, Jessica tampers with many crime scenes and the police chuckle at her curiosity as if they were dealing with a child investigating a fictitious crime scene…oh, wait.  In the end, Jessica gets all the credit.  I wonder if I said sexually promiscuous enough?

Seriously though, if you have read any of the Murder, She Wrote books you will know that they are unintentionally comical and that is what makes them so great.  These books are perfect for a light, no pressure read.  As annoying as Jessica Fletcher is, you will grow to love her and her ability to take over police investigations while insisting that solving mysteries is just a silly hobby of hers.  She is nosy, overly polite, and every law officer that she runs into will grant her more leniency than if the President of the United States showed up to have a look-see.  She talks constantly of her home in Cabot Cove, Maine and how wonderful it is.  Trust her, watching whales in their natural habitat in Alaska has nothing on the donut shop in Cabot Cove.  Jessica also makes it a point of mentioning that she does not drive to anyone who will listen, but she is able to guide a flaming plane to safety in a hurricane.

All hilarity aside, this book wasn’t anything unusual compared to the others in this series but I also did not find it overly thrilling.  Readers will probably miss the usual Cabot Cove characters as they are left at home for this cruise adventure.  Her friend Kathy is annoying at best and her need for assurance from Jessica quickly becomes old.  Even Jessica seems tired of the whole situation at times.  An Alaskan cruise really should have warranted some vivid and exciting description but the book focuses mainly on the relatively shallow characters.  I, for one, hope to never hear about Kathy’s personal problems in any future books.  While Panning for Murder was an entertaining read, I would definitely recommend most of the other editions in this series over this particular one.

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve posted.  I actually started this blog when I was going through a bit of an I don’t feel like reading phase and I think I may have overwhelmed myself with all the excitement of literary blogs/challenges/etc.  I didn’t really plan to not post AT ALL during October but it just kind of happened and I allowed myself to get swept up into work and forget about the things I enjoy doing.  About a week ago I got fed up with myself and forced myself to open up a new book.  And what do you know…I got totally lost in the book and remembered how important it was to make time for myself and to enjoy reading again.  Since that day a week ago I have finished two books and am almost finished with a third and it feels so good!

The two books I have finished are Murder, She Wrote: Panning for Murder and Shutter Island.  I credit the Murder, She Wrote book for getting me back in the swing of things as it was a light, easy, no-pressure book.  However, Shutter Island was SO good and it’s really the thing that motivated me to keep up with my books-to-read pile.  It had the craziest twist that made my jaw drop.  I finished the book and still wasn’t sure I believed it!  I’ll be doing reviews on both very soon.

Right now I am knee-deep in Things Worth Remembering which I won in a book giveaway sponsored by Callapidder Days and I will probably finish it tonight.  I must admit that when I first read the description I thought it was going to be too…flowery for me.  It’s a mother-daughter type story and I was afraid it was going to end up being full-on sappy.  But I gave it a try last night and could NOT put it down.  I’ve been thinking about it all day and can’t wait to snuggle into bed tonight to finish it.  I’m also already planning on passing it along to my mom who I think will also enjoy it.

So that’s a quick update from me.  I’m sorry I disappeared for a bit but I think my disappearance was just what the doctor ordered to get me back into reading.  Hope everyone in the blog world is doing well!

Today is the first day of the Fall Into Reading 2009 Challenge and I hope you will join me!

Just the facts ma’am

Challenge runs September 22-December 20.

Make a list of books you want to read (or finish reading) for the challenge and post about it on your blog.  Feel free to alter your list as the challenge goes on.  Book readers are very forgiving people.

Katrina encourages you to check out other participant’s blog posts to find more books to read (she’s an enabler).

Post an entry in December to let everyone know how the challenge went for you.  This is a low-pressure challenge so make it fun!  Maybe add a few reading-related goals to the challenge.

My List

Finish reading-Murder, She Wrote: Panning for Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.

Read-The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession byAllison Hoover Bartlett

Read-Murder, She Wrote: A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain. Being released on October 6th.

Read-Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

I’m keeping my challenge list small since I am participating in a few other challenges at the same time and I’m trying not to overlap books too much.  Remember, this is a low pressure challenge!  It would be great to read more and I will definitely add books if I can, but this list is my bottom line.  In addition, I have two goals for this challenge: 1.  Visit my local library three times over the duration.  2.  Write two book-related blog posts per week.

Let me know if you decide to join in and I hope you will!  Fall is the best time of the year for hot toddies, cozy chairs, and good books.

Pense nas dez séries mais premiadas da história do Globo de Ouro. Arriscaria um palpite? Seinfeld? Six Feet Under? Com certeza não. Arquivo X? Sopranos? Sim, sim, talvez. M*A*S*H? Definitivamente!

Pesquisando os prêmios do Globo de Ouro, imaginem minha surpresa ao descobrir que M*A*S*H, com nada menos do que oito estatuetas, encabeça ao lado de Sex and the City e All in the Family (!), a lista das séries mais vencedoras da premiação que incluem programas para lá de bizarros como, por exemplo, o The Carol Burnett Show. Oito estatuetas pode parecer pouco para as três séries mais vitoriosas do Globo de Ouro, mas se pensarmos que a premiação tem bem menos categorias para televisão do que o Emmy e que em algumas categorias ainda concorre junto com o cinema (como os coadjuvantes), oito acaba se tornando um bom número.

O Globo de Ouro é uma premiação norte-americana criada em 1944 que visa premiar os melhores filmes e os melhores programas de televisão do ano. Não é a toa que é considerado uma prévia do Oscar: a audiência e sua tradição perdem apenas para a festinha dos tios da Academia e para o Grammy, respectivamente. A premiação, que tradicionalmente acontece no começo de todo ano, é baseada quase que por completo, nos votos de mais de 80 veículos jornalísticos de Hollywood.

Apesar do primeiro Globo de Ouro ter sido em 1943 e ter ido parar nos estúdios da 20th Century Fox, foram apenas 12 anos depois, em 1956, que surgiram na cerimônia os prêmios para os melhores da televisão. Porém, a coisa era ainda um pouco confusa, com prêmios diferentes a cada ano, sem um padrão ano após anos. Apenas em 1970, foi estabelecido o conceito que conhecemos hoje, o de Melhor Drama, Comédia/Musical, Ator, Atriz, Ator e Atriz coadjuvante. Ou seja, pode-se dizer que a história do Globo de Ouro para os aficionados por televisão tem apenas 39 anos.

Partindo desse princípio, criei uma lista com as dez séries mais vitoriosas de todos os tempos (que na verdade são 11 – calma aí que já explico) na categoria televisão. Saiba qual foi a primeira série a ganhar o prêmio, qual série mais ganhou, com quem ela concorria, quais eram as expectativas e muito mais!

Sopranos, Arquivo X, L.A. Law, Dinastia, Alice e The Carol Burnett Show

Em último lugar, com cinco votos para cada, temos seis séries. Com isso, o TOP 10 acaba virando TOP 11, pois acima dessas seis, empatadas, temos cinco séries com mais do que cinco estatuetas.

The Carol Burnett Show

De todas as dez séries, a primeira a ganhar o prêmio de melhor série (no caso programa) foi The Carol Burnett Show, em 1971, humorístico ao vivo – diferente da maioria dos programas da época que eram pré-gravados) apresentado por Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence e Lyle Waggoner que levou ao ar originalmente na CBS 278 episódios entre 1967 a 1978.

O programa, longe de revolucionário, era até bem bacana e apresentou alguns quadros inesquecíveis como “Went with the Wind”, paródia de “E O Vento Levou” onde Burnett representava Scarlett O’Hara.

A série original acabou tendo outras versões caça-níqueis como “Carol Burnett and Friends” e “Carol & Company”, duas tentativas frustradas por parte da CBS e NBC, respectivamente, de repetir o sucesso do original. Em 1991, a CBS ainda tentou fazer um revival do programa, trazendo-o de volta para uma nova temporada. Resultado? Fracasso absoluto e apenas nove episódios exibidos.

Em seu auge, The Carol Burnett Show, que chegou a ter participações muito especiais como as de Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minelli, Cher e Vincent Price, era difícil de ser batida. Com cinco Globo de Ouro debaixo do braço, ganhou consecutivamente o prêmio de melhor atriz de comédia em 77 e 78 e também consecutivamente o prêmio de melhor ator coadjuvante 75 e 76.

Apesar dos cinco prêmios na bagagem, a estatueta de Melhor Série de Comédia foi levada pelos comediantes apenas em 1971, mesmo ano em que a série Missão: Impossível estrelada por Martin Landau sagrava-se vitoriosa em Melhor Drama.

Alice

Exibida pela primeira vez em 1976, Alice foi uma sitcom de grande sucesso. Estrelado por Linda Lavin no papel-título e exibida pela CBS, era baseada no filme vencedor do Oscar de Melhor Atriz, Alice Não Mora Mais Aqui, de 1974.

Alice contava a historia de uma mulher que após a perda de seu marido, resolve sair de New Jersey com seu filho e viajar de carro para Los Angeles, na esperança de se tornar uma cantora de sucesso. Com o carro quebrado em Phoenix e sem dinheiro para o conserto, Alice arruma um emprego como garçonete na lanchonete Mel’s Diner e de lá só sairia novamente em 2 de julho de 1985, quando foi ao ar o último episódio da série.

Mesmo com a forte concorrência da antológica série Taxi, que venceu o Globo de Ouro três vezes consecutivas de 1979 a 1981 na categoria Melhor Série de Comédia, Alice não se intimidou, “roubou” metade do Globo de Ouro de 1980, quando ao lado da série de Andy Kaufman, também consagrou-se vencedora na categoria Melhor Comédia.

No ano anterior, 1979, apesar de Taxi ter faturado o prêmio de melhor série, foi Alice quem faturou o de melhor atriz e melhor atriz coadjuvante. No primeiro prêmio, Linda Lavin desbancou a própria Carol Barnett, favorita naquele ano. Já na segunda estatueta, Polly Holliday, que concorria por sua popular personagem Flo em Alice, desbancou Marilu Henner, uma das protagonistas de Taxi.

Voltando para 1980, a história parecia fadada a se repetir. Na categoria de Melhor Série, que Taxi ganhava pela segunda vez consecutiva, também concorriam entre outras, Alice e M*A*S*H. Mas se Taxi desbancou M*A*S*H, Alice desbancou Taxi. E novamente nas categorias de Melhor Atriz e Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante. Dessa vez, o páreo de Linda Lavin era acirrado: de um lado, Jean Stapleton, protagonista de All in the Family, do outro, Loretta Swit, a major Margaret Houlihan de M*A*S*H. Já na categoria coadjuvante, novamente Polly Holliday contra Marilu Henner. E novamente deu Holliday.

Dynasty

Um dos maiores equívocos da televisão é a soap opera (mais novela do que seriado – vide Desperate Housewives) Dinastia, famosa por seus cliffhangers e erros de continuidade.

Exibida pela ABC de 1981 a 1989, Dinastia tinha seus conflitos em torno de duas famílias de Denver, Colorado que se odiavam: Carringtons e Colbys.

A primeira temporada teve audiência consistente, mas foi apenas no segundo ano da série, mais especificamente em sua season premiere, que Dinasty decolou, abrindo com o episódio “Enter Alexis”, um clássico, onde o personagem misterioso da primeira temporada retirava seus óculos escuros revelando a atriz inglesa Joan Collins (muito Ugly Betty, isso).

Alguns episódios depois a série já estava no topo da audiência figurando sempre no Top 20 da Nielsen. Em 1985, na quinta temporada, alcançou o apogeu conquistando o primeiro lugar na audiência e ganhando convidados para lá de luxuosos como o ex-presidente americano Gerald Ford – também não é para tanto, nos EUA tudo quanto é político participa de seriado. Mas na mesma velocidade em que os números subiram, eles declinaram: com o revival de comédias que se estabelecia na época (Cosby Show, Cheers etc.) Dynastia acabou perdendo o primeiro lugar para nunca mais voltar ao topo.

Apesar de todos os altos e baixos, a série teve uma carreira de sucesso nos Globo de Ouro. Levou cinco estatuetas para casa, incluindo a de Melhor Série de Drama em 1984, quando bateu a concorrência de Hill Street Blues – vencedora nos dois anos anteriores. O grande feito da novelinha talvez tenha sido conquistar estatuetas em três anos seguidos – 1982-1984. Em 82, Linda Evans deu o primeiro troféu da premiação ao programa ao vencer o prêmio de Melhor Atriz em Drama empatada com Barbara Bel Geddes, sua concorrente direta em Dallas. 1983, era uma incógnita: com grandes séries como M*A*S*H, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Magnum, Cheers e Fame na disputa, Dynastia saiu no lucro ao levar para casa duas estatuetas: as de melhor ator e atriz de drama para John Forsythe e Joan Collins, respectivamente.

Em 1984, além do prêmio de Melhor Drama do ano, John Forsythe viria a ser coroado novamente como melhor ator do ano em drama.

Sua grande contribuição para a TV foi o surgimento de um personagem gay – que tinha até amante – em uma trama noturna de grande audiência, fazendo com que as pessoas olhassem para a situação dos gays em plena era da AIDS.

L.A. Law

Criada por Steven Bochco, criador de Nova York Contra o Crime (NYPD Blue), L.A. Law pode ser considerada a mãe das séries de tribunal e sem dúvida, dá um show em qualquer criação de David E. Kelley, que participou aqui como escritor e produtor executivo e alcançou a glória com Emmys de Melhor Roteiro em 1990 e 91.

Vencedora de cinco estatuetas do Globo de Ouro, a série teve uma longa duração de nove temporadas e é considerada até hoje uma das séries mais populares do final da década de 80, início da de 90.

Mostrando o dia-a-dia de uma firma de direito de Los Angeles, a série deu bastante sorte em 87 e 88 quando venceu consecutivamente o prêmio de Melhor Drama do ano barrando concorrentes como Murder, She Wrote, drama/suspense que havia vencido também consecutivamente o prêmio de melhor série de drama nos dois anos anteriores.

Ainda no ano de 1988, talvez na maior zebra daquele ano, L.A. Law consagrou a atriz Susan Dey, vencedora do prêmio de Melhor Atriz de Drama, batendo a favorita da noite, Angela Lansbury (de Murder, She Wrote). Já em 1989, a historia se fadava a repetir e Jill Eikenberry acaba saindo-se a grande vencedora da noite na mesma categoria, batendo de novo Lansbury.

1990 e 1991 foram os grandes anos de Cheers e Twin Peaks e L.A. Law acabou saindo um pouco dos holofotes. Apenas em 1992 a série retornou como favorita em alguma indicação: Amanda Donohoe levou a estatueta de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante, derrotando as protagonistas de The Golden Girls e Cheers.

L.A. Law durou até 1994 e acumulou diversos prêmios em sua bagagem, incluindo três Emmys consecutivos de Melhor Série de Drama entre 1989 e 1991.

Quem já viu L.A. Law sabe que David E. Kelley vem copiando pequenas coisas da série em todas as séries.

Arquivo X

Arquivo X, uma das grandes séries de todos os tempos, é uma criação de Chris Carter e foi ao ar pela primeira vez em setembro de 1993. O seriado é considerado um dos primeiros hits da Fox americana e ficou famoso por emplacar slogans mundialmente famosos na cultura pop como “The Truth Is Out There”, “Trust No One”, “Deny Everything” e “I Want to Believe”, como Heroes hoje em dia com o seu precoce “Save the cheerleader, save the world!”.

A série rodava em torno da vida dos agentes Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) e Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), responsáveis pelas investigações dos chamados “arquivos x”, arquivos marginalizados pelo FBI devido a seu conteúdo paranormal. Duchovny fazia o papel do agente de mente aberta enquanto a personagem de Anderson havia sido originalmente transferida para o departamento para investigar as ações do trabalho inconvencional de Mulder. Apenas originalmente, pois mais tarde eles acabam virando parceiros, amigos e, bem… marido e mulher.

O auge da série foi no meio dos anos 90 e depois de cinco temporadas a série ainda gerou um filme de sucesso (“Arquivo X: O Filme”) para depois encerrar com mais quatro temporadas e um outro filme: “Arquivo X: I Want to Believe”. Nas duas últimas temporadas, a série teve um significante declínio, principalmente pelo esgotamento criativo dos roteiristas que não sabiam mais onde levar aquelas personagens e pela vontade de Duchovny de sair da série para se dedicar a sua carreira no cinema.

Na época de seu episodio final, em maio de 2002, Arquivo X era em toda a história, a série de ficção cientifica a mais tempo no ar (nove temporadas e 201 episódios) mas eventualmente perdeu o posto para Stargate SG-1. É considerada pelo TV Guide como a série de maior culto de todos os tempos, atrás apenas da franquia Star Trek. Estamos falando de um culto americano, pois mundialmente falando, perderia para Dr. Who e O Prisioneiro.

A carreira de Arquivo X no Globo de Ouro teve quatro anos de duração, sendo que em três, sendo eles 1995, 97 e 98, a série saiu-se vitoriosa na categoria Melhor Série de Drama. Em 95, a concorrência não era lá essas coisas e a série só teve que passar por cima de ER.

Em 97, houve a grande consagração da série, que levou para a Fox os três mais importantes prêmios da noite. Na categoria de melhor drama, 95 se repetiu, só que aqui a disputa foi mais apertada, mas não com ER e sim com Party Of Five que havia vencido na categoria no ano anterior. Em Melhor Ator, Duchovny passou de bom ator para grande celebridade do ano ao vencer ninguém menos do que George Clooney que concorria por ER. Interessante aqui, é que quem também concorria na categoria, era Lance Henriksen, protagonista de Millennium, série também criada por Carter. Já em Melhor Atriz, Gillian superou a incrível Christine Lahti que começava a se destacar por seu papel em Chicago Hope. Um dia inesquecível para qualquer “excer”.

O final ainda estava longe, assim como seu declínio, mas 98 chegou e foi o último ano que ganhou alguma coisa na premiação. Sem os prêmios de Melhor Ator e Atriz, parecia que Arquivo X sairia com as mãos abanando, já que dessa vez era a série que corria por fora no prêmio de Melhor Drama enquanto ER e Law & Order disputavam os holofotes. Doce engano. Somava ali, sua quinta e última estatueta na premiação.

The Sopranos

Uma das séries mais importantes dos últimos anos The Sopranos é ambientada na terrível New Jersey. O seriado mostra o dia-a-dia de Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), ítalo-americano que tem como desafio comandar duas famílias. De um lado, sua mulher, seu filho e sua filha. Do outro, a máfia. Grande marco da HBO ao lado de Six Feet Under, a série estreou no final da década de 1990 para no ano seguinte já conquistar quatro estatuetas do Globo de Ouro.

Desde que foi ao ar em 1999, o seriado se tornou um fenômeno cultural ganhando popularidade pelo mundo ao mostrar com exatidão a comunidade ítalo-americana, os efeitos da violência e a tênue linha que divide o certo e o errado na sociedade.

Além da notável habilidade de atuação por parte do elenco, alguns atores também se destacam por um lado mais negativo: o de quando a vida imita a arte. Como exemplo, o ator Robert Iler, que da vida a Anthony Jr., que em 2001, foi preso por assaltar à mão armada dois turistas brasileiros. O ator foi condenado a quinze anos de prisão, mas por ser menor de idade e ter alegado culpa, ganhou uma condicional de três anos.

Sopranos começou com o pé direito no Globo de Ouro. Em 2000, levou para casa os principais prêmios da cerimônia: Melhor Drama, Melhor Ator de Drama e Melhor Atriz de Drama, sem falar no prêmio de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante. Sem dúvida a maior concorrente da série no ano, era a premiada The West Wing, porém, o prêmio ficou mesmo com James Gandolfini.

Na categoria feminina parecia certo que o prêmio iria para Sopranos. A verdadeira questão, era para quem: Edie Falco ou Lorraine Bracco, que interpretavam Carmela Soprano e Dra. Jennifer Melfi, respectivamente. No fim, melhor para Falco. Ainda em 2000, o show levou outra estatueta: a de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvamente, pelo brilhante papel de Livia Soprano, mãe de Tony, interpretado pela incrível Nancy Marchand.

Com os anos seguintes monopolizados por The West Wing e Six Feet Under, Sopranos acabou levando apenas mais uma estatueta: Melhor Atriz em Drama, de novo para Falco, em 2003, derrotando nomes como Jennifer Garner e Rachel Griffiths.

Cheers

Cheers estreou na NBC em 1982 e tinha como ponto de partida um bar de Boston onde um grupo de pessoas se reunia para beber e se divertir. Quase cancelado ainda em sua primeira temporada devido a péssima audiência, os produtores apostaram um pouco mais e Cheers acabou durando 11 temporadas e 273 episódios.

Vencedora de 26 Emmys, a série teve uma bela carreira no Globo de Ouro, sendo a quarta maior vencedora da história da premiação, e responsável pela consagração de Kelsey Grammer que interpretava a personagem Frasier, que eventualmente ganhou seu próprio show. Frasier também teve passagem pelo Globo de Ouro com dois prêmios para o próprio Grammer na categoria Melhor Ator em Comédia.

Os anos dourados de Cheers foram 1990 e 1991. Porém, foi em 1983 que a série ganhou pela primeira vez. Concorrendo com nomes de peso como Loretta Swit de M*A*S*H, Shelley Long não era favorita por ser o primeiro ano de Cheers no evento, mas a zebra rolou e Long venceu, dando a Cheers não apenas sua primeira estatueta no Globo de Ouro, mas a primeira na historia do seriado em premiações.

Em 1985, a série levou um prêmio mais importante: o de Melhor Atriz de Comédia. O engraçado aqui, é que novamente a vencedora foi Shelley Long, já que os produtores resolveram apostar e indicá-la como Melhor Atriz, uma vez que sua personagem havia crescido consideravelmente de importância durante os anos.

Depois de um longo sumiço, em 1990 a série voltou a figurar entre as vencedoras ao levar o prêmio de Melhor Ator em Comédia, faturado por Tad Danson que desbancou o grande favorito da noite, o grandalhão John Goodman, que concorria por Roseanne.

Sem dúvida, 91 foi o grande ano para Cheers no Globo de Ouro que faturou a tríplice coroa: Melhor Série, Ator e Atriz de Comédia. Na categoria de melhor ator, Danson novamente superou Goodman (e Burt Reynolds!) e levou a melhor. Já em Melhor Atriz, a vencedora foi Kirstie Alley por Cheers, ela mesma, de Fat Actress e Veronica’s Closet.

Murder, She Wrote

Apesar de ter sido um sucesso em sua época, vencedora de seis Globo de Ouro, série de suspense de maior longevidade da história, e ter tido doze temporadas, Murder, She Wrote sempre foi renegada pela crítica.

Murder, She Wrote era assim: uma série de suspense sobre Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), famosa escritora de romances policiais que sempre, e por sempre eu digo SEMPRE, esbarrava com assassinatos em todos os lugares que ia. A polícia então começava a investigar, sem muito êxito culpando alguém qualquer, e Jessica não satisfeita com a resolução, dava uma de detetive e resolvia o crime sozinha.

Não me levem a mal, a série era sim muito boa, mas doze temporadas, ou 263 episódios é dose.

Claro que sempre rolava aquele negócio da polícia vir e mandar Jessica largar o caso por não fazia parte das investigações, mas a escritora, acabava conseguindo uma vaga de perita por ter algum fã de seus livros dentro da polícia.

Iniciada em 1984 na CBS, Murder, She Wrote foi sucesso absoluto de público, porém, ao longo de suas temporadas, foi declinando na audiência pelo esgotamento criativo dos roteiristas que até tentaram dar uma nova guinada na série mudando Jessica para Nova York, mas era tarde demais: Em 1994 estreava Friends na televisão e por dois anos “Murder” teve que concorrer diretamente com a comédia. Os índices começaram a despencar até que eventualmente, em 1996, o show deu seu adeus definitivo.

A carreira da série no Globo de Ouro começou em 1985 quando levou os prêmios de Melhor Drama do Ano (derrotando as favoritas Dinastia e Hill Street Blues) e Melhor Atriz de Drama para Lansbury. Em 86, novamente a série fatura o prêmio, dessa vez, deixando para trás Miami Vice e Dinastia entre outras.

Em 1987, 90 e 92, Lansbury novamente ganhava o prêmio de Melhor Atriz de Drama consolidando-se como uma das grandes atrizes da televisão do final dos anos 90. Suas principais concorrentes em cada ano foram John Collins de Dinastia, Susan Dey e Jill Eikenberry por L.A. Law e Dey novamente por L.A Law, respectivamente.

Ao longo de Murder, She Wrote, diversos rostos conhecidos do grande público passaram pela série, dando ao público oportunidade de rever seus atores favoritos da infância e adolescência.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City, também conhecida como “a série que todo mundo já viu no Brasil”, estreou em 1998 e teve seis temporadas, terminando em 2004.

Mostrando a vida de Nova York através dos olhos de Carrie Bradshaw, colunista de sexo de um jornal da capital, a série foi um enorme sucesso no mundo todo e foi uma das mais revolucionárias e divisoras de águas da televisão, ao falar tão abertamente sobre sexo. Algo que claro, só a HBO trazia na época (hoje em dia temos outras como FX, AMC e Showtime).

A série, baseada no livro homônimo de Candace Bushnell, focava a vida de quatro melhores amigas de trinta e poucos anos e suas desventuras com os homens, o sexo e a noite nova-iorquina regada a muitos cosmopolitans.

Por ter sido um verdadeiro marco da televisão, foi um arrasa quarteirão no Globo de Ouro: nomeada 24 vezes a premiação e levou nada menos do que oito estatuetas. Em 2000, 2001 e 2002 não teve para ninguém e o programa faturou consecutivamente o prêmio de Melhor Comédia do ano. Na categoria de Melhor Atriz de Comédia, mesma coisa: Sarah Jessica Parker faturou três vezes consecutivas. Durante os três anos, a atriz teve como grande concorrência Calista Flockhart por Ally McBeal e Debra Messing por Will & Grace. Já a série, teve como concorrentes favoritas, Ally McBeal, Will & Grace e Spin City (vencedora do prêmio de 98 a 2000 e em 2001).

Em 2003 e 2004 a série saiu da premiação com um prêmio em cada ano. No primeiro, o de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante para Kim Cattrall, dona do papel de Samantha, personagem inesquecível na mente de qualquer marmanjo. Em 2004, novamente o de Melhor Atriz de Comédia para Sarah Jessica Parker, tornando-a a maior vencedora da categoria na história da premiação.

All in the Family

Voltemos para 1971, um ano após a revolução do formato do Globo de Ouro. A série All in the Family, clássico da televisão, foi vencedora de também oito estatuetas e foi ao ar pela primeira vez em 12 de janeiro de 1971 na CBS.

Baseada na série britânica Til Death Us Do Part, era protagonisada por Jean Stapleton e foi revolucionário em seu tempo por abordar verdadeiros tabus da sociedade como racismo, homossexualismo, liberdade da mulher, estupro, câncer e impotência.

Em 2002, buscando as 50 melhores séries, o TV Guide apontou All in the Family como o quarto melhor programa de todos os tempos e apontou Archie Bunker, personagem da série, como melhor personagem de todos os tempos. Por falar em Archie Bunker, em 1979, a série foi reformulada e simplesmente mudou de nome (!) para Archie Bunker’s Place. Quatro anos se passaram até que foi finalmente cancelada em 1983.

Os oito prêmios aconteceram entre 1972 e 1978, sendo quatro para Melhor Série de Comédia (72-74 e 1978), dois para Melhor Atriz de Comédia (1973 e 1974), um para Melhor Ator de Comédia (1972) e um para Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante (1975).

Em Melhor Comédia, não teve dificuldades para vencer três anos consecutivos. Suas maiores concorrentes foram The Carol Burnett Show e M*A*S*H. Em Melhor Atriz, a concorrência foi mais apertada. Em 1973, Jean Stapleton teve que passar por cima de Carol Burnett e Julie Andrews (ela mesma!). Em 1974, de novo Carol Burnett, e Cher! Na categoria de Melhor Ator, de volta a 1972, Carroll O’Conner não teve dificuldades para sair-se vencedor, porém, passando pelo talentosíssimo Dick Van Dyke.

Em 1975, a série ganhava seu sétimo prêmio: o de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante para Betty Garrett que concorreu com Vicki Lawrence de The Carol Burnett Show, entre outros. Por fim, o último prêmio da série no Globo de Ouro: o quarto de Melhor Comédia, em 1978. A concorrência no ano não era tão forte: apenas The Carol Burnett Show já em descenso. Sua verdadeira oponente naquela noite era Happy Days, que faturou o prêmio duplo de Melhor Ator de Comédia para Henry Winkler e Ron Howard (sim, ele mesmo, que como diretor, era um ótimo ator…).

No Brasil, All in the Family foi exibida por apenas um ano, com o título de Tudo em Família. Depois, foi retirada do ar pela censura.

M*A*S*H

Criada por Larry Gelbart em 1972, a série era inspirada no livro Catch-22 e baseada no filme de mesmo nome dirigido por Richard Hooker em 1970.

Foi através de M*A*S*H que surgiu o termo “dramédia”, devido ao seu conteúdo parte drama, parte comédia, sem uma linha de segmentação fixa. O programa, produzido pela 20th Century Fox para a CBS, acompanhava um time de médicos e seus funcionários em um hospital de Uijeongbu, durante a Guerra da Coréia. Apesar da sinopse, é visível que a série tinha como verdadeira inspiração, a Guerra do Vietnã.

M*A*S*H não foi inesquecível apenas por seus oito Globo de Ouro, mas também por ter tido a series finale de maior audiência da historia da televisão mundial. A “dramédia” teve 251 episódios e durou onze temporadas, cobrindo um período de três anos de guerra.

A história de M*A*S*H no Globo de Ouro começou em 1974, quando McLean Stevenson levou o prêmio de Melhor Ator Coadjuvante em Comédia. Em 1975 e 1976, Alan Alda levou o prêmio consecutivamente ao derrotar nomes de peso como Carroll O’Connor e Johnny Carson. De 1977 a 1979, Alda continuou concorrendo, mas sem nenhuma vitória. Os anos dourados estavam por vir: Em uma incrível sucessão de prêmios, Alda levou a estatueta de Melhor Ator em Comédia em quatro anos consecutivos: de 1980 a 1983, sendo que em 82, M*A*S*H ainda consagrou-se como Melhor Série de comédia do ano.

M*A*S*H foi a primeira série da história da exibir um episódio com a narrativa em tempo real. Escrito por Alan Alda, em 1978, o roteiro mostrava médicos realizando uma cirurgia em 20 minutos. No canto inferior da tela, um relógico cronometrava tudo.

Que venham as próximas…

Bem capaz que esta lista permaneça intacta por alguns bons anos enquanto não surgir uma nova Sex and the City, uma nova All in the Family ou uma nova M*A*S*H. A conferir.

Planilha

Criei uma planilha com os vencedores de todos os anos nas principais categorias do Globo de Ouro. Para consultar, clique aqui ou na imagem acima.

Right on about Selifan twin!  Although I didn’t much like your analogy…The Three Stooges???  Who are you and what have you done with my twin!  The Justin I’ve always known has never been able to not laugh at a good pie in the face gag (take that one Shemp!).  My feelings of Selifan are more reminiscent of reading a fool’s monologue in a Shakespearean play…you read the whole thing, scratching your head the whole time, figuring it must be funny (if a fool says it!) and then you read the footnotes and you realize he’s been punning Elizabethan and the whole time its been about sex! (Looks like I’m the fool!  Oh, irony.)

That’s how I feel about Selifan…except he’s not talking about sex.  At least I don’t think so–someone give me a footnote!

But some of the humor is quite timeless, no?…I found that Chichikov’s interaction with Mrs. Korobochka remains quite hilarious. (Or rather “am finding”–I’m in the middle of it.  If it takes a decidedly unfunny turn I plead ignorance.)

But I enjoyed the Justin’s thought play-by-play.  Here’s what I think when I read Dead Souls

1.  If Chichikov were a cat could sleuth would he be Koko or Yum Yum (or maybe Sneaky Pie!)?–Answer definitely a Yum Yum.

2.  If Chichikov were Yum Yum could he solve a mystery faster than Jessica Fletcher?–Maybe but my money’s still on J.B.!

3.  If Jessica Fletcher were a Golden Girl which one would she be? — A Sophia-ish Rose, I think.

And with that tit for tat I bid you adieu,

Jon

None of this makes any sense to us, but today around noon sometime Governor Quinn is going to hold an anti-Roland Burris press conference, where he will apparently call for a special election provision to be written into the state constitution by the collection of circus performers we in the Land of Lincoln must regard as our duly elected state house and senate.

Of course, our equally accurate and journalistically professional local media breathlessly reported the above (minus any Barnum & Baily references that would hit too close to home for their comfort (along the lines of Liza Minnelli ever calling anyone a big drunk or Oprah telling someone they’re out of their damn mind)), but failed to mention WHY Governor Quinn is doing this.

Is it to try to unseat Burris?

Is it to use Burris as an example to force the legislature to pass the bill to ensure all future vacancies are filled by special election?

Is it something Quinn is doing to raise his own profile in hopes of securing the Democrats’ nomination unchallenged in 2010 for what should be a tough general election (if not a tough primary challenge by ambitious Illinois Attorney General Lisa “My Father’s Speaker of the Illinois House” Madigan)?

Like Jessica Fletcher in Cabot Cove trying to figure out who murdered her latest friend or neighbor this week, we’re all just left to wonder and try to piece things together as best we can (kicking it Angela Lansbury-style on a cold Chicago Friday).

Events in Illinois are so random and nonsensical we could have easily worked in a reference to anything from Alf to Love Boat and the Banana Splits just now.  Truly, anything goes in this state.  It’s like the wild, wild, west without all the hunky, hunky cowboys. Instead of ten gallon hats, we’ve got former governors with scary is it or isn’t it hairpieces, and newly-minted Governors with something to prove and a clueless media unable to professionally report on any of it.

But, we’ve sure got enough manure to go around, just like out west, so that’s something we guess. Oprah, corruption, manure, nonsense, imperial Mayor Daley, the never-ending Burris drama…welcome to Illinois’s embarrassment of riches!

Titolo: La Signora in giallo – Una recita quasi perfetta

Autore: J. Fletcher & D. Bain

Trama: Jessica Fletcher è a Mohawk House, dimora d’epoca convertita in albergo, dove è in corso un appuntamento molto particolare. Siamo infatti nel pieno dell’elettrizzante “week-end del mistero”, un evento a cui gli ospiti dell’hotel devono partecipare attivamente: oltre agli incontri letterari con famosi giallisti sono previsti quiz, concorsi e un thriller teatrale a puntate di cui il pubblico dovrà trovare la soluzione. Per aumentare il coinvolgimento, realtà e finzione sono continuamente mescolate: la trama è rimpolpata attingendo alla suggestiva (e sinistra) atmosfera del posto, e altri attori circolano in incognito interpretando un ruolo anche fuori scena. Così, quando uno dei protagonisti si accascia sul palco come da copione, ma ucciso per davvero, Jessica, interpellata sul da farsi, prende una decisione coraggiosa: continuare il programma come se niente fosse. Una tormenta di neve ha infatti tagliato fuori l’hotel dal mondo dopo l’arrivo dei primi agenti, bloccando lì anche l’assassino, ed è fondamentale evitare che le persone intrappolate sappiano dell’accaduto. In un quadro surreale e dai risvolti grotteschi, tra poliziotti veri, detective finti, misteriose dame in nero e improbabili sospettati, in cui teatro e vita vissuta si specchiano l’uno nell’altro, la coraggiosa Signora in Giallo indaga con la consueta perspicacia e impeccabile bon ton, fino al sorprendente finale

Letto da: Ro

Opinione: So bene che questi romanzi sono leggeri, ma va bene così, qualche volta ho bisogno di un giallo che non grondi sangue o tensione, tuttavia in questo caso sono rimasta perplessa; sembra infatti che sia uno di quei libri scritti perché si doveva onorare l’impegno con l’Editore. La storia nel suo complesso non mi è piaciuta; vero che ho una certa idiosincrasia verso l’ambiente del teatro, tuttavia in questo caso verità e finzione si mescolano da subito rendendo poco scorrevole il dividere i due aspetti.

Consigliato: NO

Can there be such a thing as a fair trial in America anymore?  The media, print and television rushes to judgment in every prominent criminal case to the obsessive extent that it is hard to imagine that a fair jury could possibly be found by the time these high-profile cases reach trial.  As one who worked in the justice system of the nation and two states, I find today’s coverage of criminal cases a threat to our entire jury system.

Caylee Anthony, inset: mom Casey

I don’t pretend to know one way or the other what really happened to poor little Caylee Anthony, but the Orange County, Florida, DA’s office has effectively used the media to advance its beliefs in the case and turn them from suspicions into facts.  I have always found something particularly peculiar about this case.  Of course, Casey Anthony acted in a most puzzling fashion for a mother whose three-year-old child was missing.  But so did the child’s grandparents.  Isn’t it equally peculiar that Caylee’s grandparents sat back for a whole month before reporting a child missing from their own household?  In my mind, it begs the whole question of the level of involvement of those grandparents in either perpetrating or covering up this mysterious disappearance/murder.

Backyard investigations

I, like most curious people, tried to play Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote fame, and figure out whodunit.  I always wondered why the investigators didn’t dig under that mysterious piece of concrete that appeared in the grandparents’ backyard.  I speculated that perhaps the DA and Sheriff’s office were putting extreme pressure on Casey Anthony to get her parents to come to her rescue by explaining what they really knew.  But they didn’t.  Instead they stood silently by with their ridiculous story of trusting their daughter’s explanation for the absence of their granddaughter.  Now, I ask you, if your daughter kept giving you the runaround about the whereabouts of your granddaughter, would you let it go on for a month?  I can’t imagine such a thing.  Questions.  Mysterious questions.

Then last week there was a possible break in the story when a meter reader discovered a child-sized corpse close to the Anthony home.  As could only be expected, the media launched into a feeding frenzy mode that continues to this day.  The other thing that could be expected was that the DA would use the media to give out his “beliefs” about to whom the remains belonged and how they pointed back to Casey Anthony.  There was much made of duct tape found at the scene and how it would be an excellent source of DNA evidence.  But, of course, we didn’t have to wait for that DNA evidence to be processed before the media speculation as to what it means kicked into high gear.

24-hour cable news networks reported that this discovery would immediately result in the death sentence being sought against Casey Anthony due to the fact that it “proved” she killed her daughter with premeditation.  Without one shred of DNA evidence available to back up such a premature assumption, so-called experts reached into the homes of prospective jurors and “testified” to them about facts not yet in evidence.  It was difficult to watch such a rush to judgment without even a brief pause to consider all the possible alternative theories as to what the tape over the poor corpse’s skull might mean.  To the manipulative media that is so obsessed with its own importance and competitive desire to achieve ratings, the only thing that mattered was to get their sensationalized version of the story out first.

As one who has sat through quite a number of criminal trials over quite a number of years, my mind went to a different place when confronted with the “duct tape” evidence.  I couldn’t help but wonder why a mother would have to duct tape her own child’s mouth shut in order to kill her on the spot or take her elsewhere to do so.  I also couldn’t see why such a thing would be necessary for either of the child’s grandparents.  Couldn’t any one of these three who were the most trusted people in the world to this child simply have said, “Come on, Caylee,” and taken their precious little child by the hand and led her anywhere?  Why duct tape her mouth shut?  IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!  Of course, so much about this case has made no sense at all.  So I do not say that the duct tape proves that Casey or her parents didn’t have something to do with either the disappearance or death of Caylee.  I’m just saying that everybody needs to slow down and take a considered look at the evidence and not let the DA run away with the case with a lot of help from the media.

The execution of Mrs. Ann Hibbins, accused witch

BUT that’s not the way we do things in our nation, is it?  Ever since a number of unfortunate women were railroaded off to their deaths by the false testimony of a bunch of hysterical children in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, we have honored the long tradition of “prosecute now, ask questions later” in our land.  It takes very little for the DA of any county in the US to convince a jury that the person on trial is guilty as charged.  If it’s a big case, you can bet they’ve had a lot of help from either their local media or national media or both.  The media is more than happy to join the circus that surrounds high-profile trials.  And they are also happy to bring on “experts” like Nancy Grace who don’t think twice before poisoning the water for the defendant long before the jurors even get their notices in the mail.  The coverage by America’s media of high-profile trials is almost as fair and balanced as political coverage on FOX NEWS.  It is overwhelmingly slanted toward the prosecution’s assertions in a case.

Addressing the jury

Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”?  I am sad to report to you, as one who sat in the unbiased chair of the court reporter in fourteen years of cases, that I never saw any evidence that such a theory actually works in our judicial system.  Oh, of course, there are the high-profile exceptions: O.J. Simpson (the first time), Michael Jackson (several times) and Kobe Bryant.  But in regular everyday cases involving mostly poor minority defendants, I never saw a jury hold a district attorney to the requirements of our Constitution: guilty beyond a REASONABLE doubt.  Instead, I have watched over and over as zealous district attorneys argued repeatedly before juries that the defendant had no proof of his/her innocence.  This is shameful, and sometimes – fortunately only sometimes – results in a wrongful conviction.

Gov. Blagojevich

If you don’t believe me, go down to your local courthouse and check it out.  Flimsy circumstantial evidence repeatedly wins the day.  And, of course, we are conditioned by the media to accept this standard of guilt every day in their coverage of everything from juicy, high-profile criminal trials, to their coverage of politics.  There is a continuing outrage being expressed by our “journalists” about Governor Rod Blagojevich.  There is a big push to run him out of office whether he has actually broken any laws or not.  All an Assistant U. S. Attorney had to do was take to his magic microphone to start the cries to bring the Governor down.

Morning Joe

And it hasn’t stopped there.  Despite Patrick Fitzgerald’s specific request of the Obama transition team to hold up the release of their explanation of any and all contacts they have had with the embattled governor, the media hounds continue to howl for President-Elect Obama to jeopardize the ongoing investigation of the US Department of Justice in order to indulge their news-cycle driven obsession.  Justice?  What justice?

I’m not sure that justice has ever been alive in America or anywhere in the world since the times of King Solomon, but of one thing I am sure.  Justice is definitely dead in America today.  Just as we citizens have allowed those who govern us to steal our money and increase their power over us through corrupt practices, we have also allowed our justice system to be stolen from our control by politician prosecutors and judges.  If we don’t want to find ourselves standing innocently before the bench of some court with no way to “prove our innocence,” we better seize the legacy granted us by our Founding Fathers and start demanding justice.  Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.  Just remember THAT the next time you are called to jury duty.

KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!

PS.  In a sad personal aside, heavily Republican Montgomery County, Texas, where I live, has called me to jury duty on inauguration day.  I guess my elected officials don’t want me to see the historic swearing in of a black Democrat to lead their nation.  I have thought about protesting my jury summons, but after writing this blog, I realize that my sense of fairness might be needed by some poor person about to be railroaded down at my local courthouse.  But SHAME ON Montgomery County, Texas, for not allowing the citizens of our county to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama and suspending business for one day.

At about 3pm, I couldn’t bear having the SD silent treatment any longer, so quickly fired off one of my trademark needy texts:

Me: I take it you’ve sent me to Coventry. Am I likely to be here for long? It’s very dull and the people smell of cabbages.

Surprisingly, he responded almost instantaneously.

SD: I dunno yet. I’ll send you a letter or summink.

I replied within seconds, like the eager little twat I am.

Me: Hark at The Puppet Master. Which is funny, because it’s true. And I imagine one of your favourite films of all time, alongside the first two Chucky offerings.

I then spent half an hour musing over his message. I looked at it several times, in the hope that during later readings, I would be able to pick up the tone of voice he had intended for the message. I eventually decided  I had to ask.

Me: Was your text actually stroppy, out of curiousity? I can’t quite decide.

SD: Maybe a little, not really though.

Me: It’s just that you’ll send 40 texts one day and then ignore me the next. It’s hard to judge how I’m supposed to behave.

SD: I’m easily pissed off, it turns out. Having to explain myself normally does it.

Then it clicked. Poor old SD was unhappy that I’d enquired on Friday how he was driving to London if his car, affectionately known as Brenda, was buggered. This was one of the reasons he couldn’t get over on Thursday. I knew I had got a bit Jessica Fletcher on his arse, but I wondered if he’d made it up about his car playing up to avoid me. I’d wittered on in a couple of texts about it on Friday evening while I was at the pub. He had responded with:

SD: I’m driving my mate’s car. Enough said.

I’d thought at the time it was a bit terse, but I was half cut and had left it there, still thinking he was bullshitting, if I’m honest, and disappointed that he would make up stories to avoid me.

Me: Oh, you’re still reading the Brendagate files, I take it. You know it’s because whatever I am to you, and I know it’s not a great deal, I would be fucked off if you were just bullshitting me and taking the piss. I want you to at least like me and not view me with the same contempt I do for some people who show an interest in me. Cut me some slack, arsehole. It’s alright for you to be a strange fucker at times. I’m sorry I dared to question your authority. I’m sure you’ll have your arse in your hands over that line too. Crack your face, you miserable shit.

I don’t actually need to point this out – I think I’ve just proved it – but I do  tend to send really long text messages. I can’t help it. I just start typing and realise I have more to say and just keep rambling. I have no self control at times. Looking back on that particular message now, I’m comforted by how pathetic I sound. ’I want you to like me’.  For fuck’s sake. Whine fucking whine. Anyway, I soon received this.

SD: I’m no longer being stroppy, just busy.

I knew we weren’t going to be spending the rest of the day in a whirl of banter and merriment at this point. I still had to send a response, of course.

Me: Busy doing what, exactly? THIS QUESTION IS MERELY A QUIP, BASED ON YOUR COMMENT ABOUT HAVING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF. I JEST. You just hand them to me on a plate. OK. I’ll shut up now.

My ex husband came round earlier and had some dinner. We get on ok nowadays and he’ll often pop in for a cuppa and a chat.

He’s been in a relationship for about six months now. His new girlfriend has practically moved in with him. Using my fucking wardrobes and stroking my cats, no doubt. I’m not actually that bothered, to be honest. I suppose I’m envious that he has found someone else when I haven’t managed to do so, but I only think about it when I’m in the grips of a major ‘Woe Is Me’ session.

When they first met he told me how she looked like Evangeline Lily from Lost. That pissed me off a bit, but I felt decidedly better about things when he revealed she owned the box set of Harry Potter films and really liked Westlife. That was enough for me to mentally pour hot scorn over her reported beauty.

I made him a cup of tea after he’d gobbled down his dinner and updated him on the miserable state of my life.

“Well, at least you’ve got food in your belly and a roof over your head,” he offered.

“Seriously, fuck off if that’s the best you’ve got to offer,” I told him, as I handed him his cup. He laughed. I didn’t. Oh I did, actually. For it was funny and quite the typical retort I’d expect from the man I’d been married to for seven years.

Since he left, I’ve been arsing about on here. And eating chocolate. It’s quite depressing how quickly the weekend has passed. And how increasingly dull my posts are becoming.

Today I’ve decided to share with y’all some of my favourite tv series who’ve been there for me  (and some of my friends) throughout my teenage years. Lovely, I’ll say!

I’ll never forget wanting to have an aunt or any sort of relative like the lovely Jessica Fletcher in “Murder she wrote”… The times… Check this out:

And it’s nice to remember the gorgeous Saturday mornings when I used to get up at 9 am, skip my choire class (as I never understood why they’d make it on a Saturday) and eventually flunking it lol, just to watch Lois and Clark with that gorgeous Dean Cain. I’d quickly make some instant coffee, light up a ciggie and off we went. And I just love it that Dean presents “Ripley’s believe it or not”.

Not to speak of the Early Edition with my lovely Gary Hobson aka Kyle Chandler. Had such a crush on him. Lovely series!

And my lovely Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap. I’ll never forget him or Al. Loved those series so much… “Make right where once went wrong.” In my previous post called Ray Charles – Georgia on my mind, youtube decided to take out the video yet again because of terms violation. It was a truly magic video so I’m not going to take out the link.

And I’m surely not forgetting Twin Peaks… One tv series I watched every single episode three times and each time understanding something different. That’s the single time I liked David Lynch’s work and one of the many times I loved Angelo Badalamenti’s music. Totally amazing series and books.  Also can’t say I didn’t crush on Dale Cooper. From the books: “This is Dale ten sticks. Over and out.” (paraphrase) Truly amazing books!

Should I remind anyone of the Knight Rider series? Loved KITT! And mr. Hasselhoff wasn’t too bad either.

And Highlander! Both me and my dad used to love these series. He thought the movies were cool too, but I don’t dig Chris Lambert. Adrian Paul on the other hand…

Maybe you’d also like to remember Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting. This is old, but I soooooo used to like it.

And of course Midnight Caller. Gosh I so used to love Gary Cole! “Goodnight, America, wherever you are…”

And I almost ran over Beverly Hills 90210 which was like a total favourite of mine… Been watching it since I was like 10 I think. So loved it! Brandon and Brenda! How sweeeeeeeeet! Love ya two! And the gorgeous Kelly!

And then came Merlose Place. Another show which started up great and ended up as a soap opera. LOL

Remember M.A.S.H.? Who will ever forget it? The only sitcom competing with Seinfeld:

And speaking of Seinfeld… That will never grow old. You may have watched it ages ago, or may just have started watching it,  it’ll always be the same. Can’t get enough of it. Thank you, guys! Who wouldn’t love to have friends like that?

That being said, I’m ending it here for today.  Yadda, yadda, yadda… Will be back soon with more.

]]> http://trendandthecity.net/2008/10/11/we-love-scandalous-innuendos/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:15:00 +0000 Sonia Grispo http://trendandthecity.net/2008/10/11/we-love-scandalous-innuendos/

Ogni fashionista brama ardentemente di possedere una Birkin ed ogni appassionata di moda che si rispetti idolatra Anna Wintour, lo sanno bene i due giovani studenti di Venezia che hanno dato vita alle ironiche t-shirt di Scandalous Innunendos, fra cui spiccano personaggi e oggetti di culto, nonché icone degli anni ‘80 come la Signora in Giallo, insieme alle magliette anche comode shopping bag raffiguranti la famosa Birkin di Hermès, It Bag di sempre, seguita dalla frase “B. is for Birkin”.

In foto la t-shirt: God Save The Queen raffigurante Anna Wintour

Sono giunte in redazione t-shirt e shopping bag, acquistabili sul MySpace dei due giovani intraprendenti, e noi ve le proponiamo qui; la tendenza è già stata accolta da alcuni Vj di Mtv, come Carlo Pastore che ha sfoggiato la t-shirt raffigurante Jessica Fletcher e noi siamo certi che non si arresterà.

Autore: Sonia Grispo

¿Por qué se queman algunas series y personas y otras no? Más que la paella, hay algo españolísimo que es quemar series extranjeras con maratones diarios de repeticiones. Los Simpson, El príncipe de Bel-Air y Friends –aunque a Andrés no le guste– están más vistos que Matías Prats. En el pasado también le tocó a Cosas de casa, Los vigilantes de la playa o a Sabrina: Cosas de brujas; ¿tienen estas series algo en común? ¡Que son de Antena 3! ¿Será política de empresa? ¿Por qué a los de San Sebastián de los Reyes les sale bien y no al resto de cadenas?

Qué decir de Jesús Vázquez, que no se pierde ni una, Anne Igartiburu –la estrella indiscutible de Star Trek Insurrección–,Ramontxu o Silvia Jato. ¿Y qué fue de Enrique del Pozo? A lo mejor su espacio lo ocupan ahora Peñafiel y María Antonia Iglesias en los exquisitos programas en los que participan como tertulianos, la plaga de esta década.

Comenzaremos una petición para que Andrés se ponga delante de los micrófonos, pero mientras la firmáis, os informo de que el nombre real de el Doc es Arturo González.

No hay nada más quemado que los ciclos del oeste (actualmente, en sus mejores pantallas valencianas), las pelis bíblicas y de romanos en Semana Santa o las policíacas clásicas como Colombo (y su señora) o Jessica Fletcher. Además, como no importa el orden en que se emitan, los programadores las aman aún más. Aunque, bueno, si el orden importase, tampoco se iban a romper la cabeza; y si no, que se lo pregunten a los seguidores de Expediente X, Urgencias o cualquier otro producto yanki medianamente serializado.

Reiteramos la protesta: abandonad el fanatismo por Tina Fey antes de que sea demasiado tarde. Las autoridades han declarado oficialmente una alerta U2 para esta temporada. Id a adorar a Miguel Ángel Silvestre o Carolina Cerezuela, por favor.

Tampoco soportamos CSI ni sus miles de hermanas, primas o cuñadas, en particular a Carusso y sus carusseces. Las frases (pretendidamente) lapidarias antes de calzarse las gafas y echarse la mano a la cadera dan más vergüenza ajena que la cadencia de William Shatner al interpretar a James Kirk.

En el epílogo, recordamos a Arena (y a vosotros) que debe descubrir Friday Night Lights, especialmente ahora que en su tercer año parece estar resurgiendo. Mientras la compráis u obtenéis copias de seguridad, prepararemos nuestra próxima tertulia. ¡Hasta la semana que viene!

El fichero se corresponde con la tercera tertulia televisiva de la segunda temporada en Reloj de Arena, emitido el 3 de octubre de 2008 en Radio San Vicente, presentado por Arena García, con la participación de Juanjo de Mi caja tonta, Marina de El diario de Mr. MacGuffin, Irene de Bytheway y Santiago de La tele no funciona.

cici had a yellow, green, and blue tail from her participation in the art paws event part of the Huckleberries and Hounds weekend. The good canine citizenship people were certifying dogs and there was a bbq… we didn’t stay long and I still haven’t seen a huckleberry. lots of hounds though, cici was overexcited at seeing all the dogs…

blair house

given the new name of my blog, does it surprise anyone that we stayed in mendocino at the blair house B&B, a Victorian inn which was filmed as jessica fletcher’s home in murder she wrote starring angela lansbury from 1984 to 1994?  didn’t the sheriff Tupper, tom boswell’s character have a dog in the series?  what was the dog’s name?

Numerous television and movies have been filmed in Mendocino including Summer of 42, Overboard, Frenchman’s Creek, Forever Young, Wired, Johnny Belinda, Pontiac Moon, East of Eden and others.

cici and i stayed in the pet friendly cottage, where i imagined jessica fletcher writing her books and heard the music in my head. This cottage once was the carriage house and it is very quiet and peaceful with some grass behind us for cici’s walks as well as a yard out front. There is a kitchenette with mini fridge, stove, microwave and breakfast bar, very convenient. We could have lived there. There is a loft accessed by a ladder for children to climb up and enjoy.  there are four rooms in the house, Angela’s two room suite and three others, nicely decorated with antiques, persian rugs, and four poster feather beds, stenciled walls, bay windows and fireplaces.

History
Elisha Blair built the house in 1888. He was a lumberjack from Maine which is why the house has a New England look.

if your dog is itching to get out of the city, needs fresh air, nature and some peace and quiet, this is a great place to stay. although right on a major street of the village, Blair House B&B is located on the peaceful side of the historic town of mendocino. There are 7,000 acres where your dog can stretch its paws, an easy 7-10 mile hike is nearby at the Big River Estuary, starts at the beach. There are benches outside shops where dogs can sit and wait for a bone.

For a trip you can make on one tank of gas from the Bay area, visit Mendocino, there will never be a McDonald’s here say the locals, it is a village where you can come back in time to a quieter gentler place. Population is 2,223. Advertising signs are kept to a minimum. Visit the Ford House on Main Street to find out more about this historic unincorporated place.

How to Write Poetry and Live Poetically

Free E-Course Lesson 14

Chapter 4: Me, Myself, and I
Part 5: Beyond Self-Knowledge

Red Lady

 Join now! Find details about this free E-course at Lesson 1.

♥

We’ve established—or at least I have and you’ve followed along—that it’s possible for me to see parts of myself, integrate these with direct and indirect feedback from people I respect, and come up with a rough idea of “who I am” at any given moment, which is my “self-concept.” (It’s important to remember, as Eckhart Tolle points out, that one’s self-concept is largely content, not essence.)

My self-concept might be positive (I’m a beautiful spirit sprinkling happiness dust everywhere I go), negative (I’m a slimy warthog), or somewhere in between.

Liking myself is not precisely happiness, but it’s close. Again, despite the fact that my knowledge of myself is limited, despite the fact that I can’t simultaneously “see” myself and “be seen by” myself  — as much as possible, I need to live in harmony with myself.

How I Learned to Live in Harmony with My Nose

When the angels were putting me together on the Great Heavenly Assembly Line, somebody got some of the parts mixed up and I got the wrong nose. I have a very small face and a largish nose. Not only was it unsightly, it made kissing awkward and inconvenient. For a long time I didn’t like myself, nosewise.

It is not conducive to happiness to be filled with loathing and disgust every time you look in the mirror. My choices, as I saw them, were to (a) stop noticing my nose, (b) have my nose made surgically smaller or the rest of my face made larger, or (c) do things with makeup and face putty and other artificial means to achieve better balance among my facial features.

A Child's Nose (Not Mine)

My sister solved the problem by commenting one day that our noses (hers and mine are similar) are Scottish. Having a Scottish nose appealed to me. It was part of my distinguished heritage.

I dealt with the kissing dilemma by developing a deft nasal-dodge technique and by choosing, as kissing partners, men whose noses are as prominent as mine.

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Summing up: I want to be happy. I am happiest when I am experiencing harmony within myself and in my environment – inside and outside, in other words. The choices I make have a lot to with the harmony I experience. To make wise choices, I need to know myself as well as possible.

The Unselfish Automobile and the Good Christian

When I was a child in Presbyterian Sunday school, I was taught that being a good Christian means being unselfish. Somehow I interpreted this to mean that my wants and needs were unimportant… that I had been put on earth exclusively to Serve Others.

This was a troubling concept, but it didn’t cause much of a problem until I was out of my teens. During one’s adolescence, it’s almost impossible not to be self-centered and self-aware. I think it’s a hormonal thing.

By the time I was twenty, I was married with an infant. Total self-abnegation is a poor basis for marriage and motherhood. I was a slave to my husband and my baby. I was unhappy – but wasn’t that okay, since God wanted me to Serve Others and to be Unselfish?

At that time I owned a 1960 Mercury Comet. Like me, my Mercury had been created to serve. It was unselfish. But in order to serve, its basic needs had to be met. It needed fuel. It had a hydraulic clutch (or something) that needed to be filled from time to time. It needed regular oil changes. It required maintenance and occasional repairs.

Eventually I learned that I too required maintenance and occasional repairs. Without receiving, I became unable to give.

Over the years, I have learned that giving and receiving are inseparable. Think of a lake that has an outlet – a stream flowing out of it – but no source of fresh water. Soon the lake will dry up. It will no longer be able to sustain fish or waterfowl. It will have no beauty to be enjoyed. It will be unable to cool and entertain swimmers on hot summer days.

When I discovered that I, like the Mercury Comet and the lake, had needs that could not be ignored, I learned a great deal about myself and about how the world works. Knowing myself better, I took better care of myself. I made wiser choices. I was happier, and so were the people around me.

I now believe that people – women and men alike – should always treat themselves as if they are pregnant. Caring for oneself beautifully and wisely during pregnancy is, as it happens, the best way to care for one’s developing fetus. And I believe that there is a sense in which we are all, always, “pregnant” with our future selves. We carry inside us the seeds of what we will become.

You are who you pretend to be

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. —Mohandas Gandhi

Through self-knowledge we can achieve temporary equilibrium. Sometimes equilibrium is enough. Constant challenges become struggles. We need rest between stretches. This is why God created day and night, summer and winter, cycles of all kinds.

Ultimately, however, as living things we must grow or die. And we have some—though not absolute—freedom to choose what direction our growth will take.

The antihero of Mother Night, one of the late Kurt Vonnegut’s lesser-known novels, is Howard W. Campbell, an American expatriate living in Germany before World War II. An ultra-deep-cover American agent recruits Campbell to spy for the Allies and, posing as a Nazi propagandist, to encode his discoveries in his radio broadcasts. When Campbell agrees, he is warned never to contact the agent.

Kurt Vonnegut

Campbell, it develops, is a very good spy and transmits a great deal of valuable information to the Allies. He is also a very good propagandist.

After the war, Campbell returns to the U.S. with a new identity but a lingering angst. Many years pass before he is “outed” and prosecuted as the notorious traitor and brilliant Nazi propagandist. Desperate, Campbell seeks out the agent who recruited him—the man who alone can vindicate him.

The agent agrees to corroborate Campbell’s story—that he was acting as a patriot, transmitting Nazi secrets for the benefit of the Allies. Campbell is off the hook, but as they part for the last time, the recruiter makes this cryptic comment: “You are who you pretend to be.”

About six months ago I began to notice that my two-year-old granddaughter repeated everything I said, posing it as a question, trying the words and the phrasing of them on for size. We were at her bedroom window, and I was holding her up so she could see her mom outside, helping load a pile of dirt into a pickup truck.

Ava: What’s Mommy doing?

Me: She’s helping those people load that dirt into their truck.

Ava: Helping dose people load dat dirt into dehr truck?

Me: Yes. It’s nice, clean dirt, good for gardens.

Ava: Nice, clean dirt, good for gardens?

I also noticed that Ava would dog her dad’s footsteps, trying to imitate his stride. And I saw her smile with one side of her mouth, the way her mother does sometimes.

I wrote the following poem for my sons as a Christmas present, framing it along with photos of their two-year-olds (one, Ava, obviously is a girl; the other, Ryder, is a boy; I changed the gender as appropriate in the versions of the poem I used for each son):

He Will Be Like You

Ryder and Dad Eli

He watches every move you make—how else
to learn but imitate?—the way you speak and
move through life, your head held high to find
your polestar in the sky and take no notice
of the grime beneath your feet. Thus will he learn
serenity and find his place above the petty and the
mean. Then from you will he learn to soar, and
know that there is more than senses can perceive,
and all is as it needs to be this moment in the
universe. He watches you embrace adversity and
knows that life is hard, but necessarily, to
grow, to shine, to gain the victory. So you pursue
your course on higher ground, and not for him
alone, but to regain your innocence; spurn guilt,
have no regret; for Jesus said: We learn and then
move on, for God accepts the consequences in
our stead—repentance, then forgiveness, then the
grace that takes away the blemish. That is, after
all, the Gospel, and its promise is: All things are
possible; all souls have
wings. 

 

To a great extent, children become who they are by imitating, which is a form of pretending. Adults do too, though not usually as dramatically. My friend Janet moved from Texas to Nebraska many years ago. Her once-thick Texas accent is faint now, except when she’s tired or excited. Another friend, Carol, is a New Hampshire native who has lived most of her adult life in Arizona, yet she sounds as if she has just arrived from New England.

I confess that, in difficult situations, I often pretend to be someone whom I admire and who I know would handle the problem skillfully. When tact and maturity are called for, I am Jessica Fletcher of the television series Murder, She Wrote. When insouciance and utter self-confidence are necessary, I am Miss Piggy. When a situation requires merciless and quick decisiveness (rather than my innate tendency to examine a problem from every possible aspect), I am Doctor Laura.

Miss Piggy

This isn’t hypocrisy, nor is it sham. Whatever it is in me that admires Miss Piggy is like her. I can practice being insouciant and sassy just as I can practice sitting up straight instead of slouching.

“Knowing our limitations” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep testing them if there is an advantage to doing so—especially when what were once our strengths no longer work for us. When I was young and cute and smart and a bit brash, I had instant credibility on the job. It came as a huge shock when, in my bejowled mid-fifties — and smarter than ever — I took a new job and found that I had to prove myself from scratch.

This is why we have to keep learning, growing, and adapting—doing what we do well to remain confident, but also stretching, “reinventing” ourselves if need be, to adjust to changes in ourselves and our environments.

Assignment 14.1: An exercise in allegory—You in a box

Imagine that you have always lived alone in a box that has no windows or doors. The box is flimsy — you could easily kick a hole in any wall — but breaking out of your box would never occur to you. As far as you know, the inside of the box is all there is.

Everyone on your planet lives in a box pretty much like yours. There are light and air in these boxes, but each of you can see, smell, touch, and taste only the objects inside your box. The only stimulus that reaches you from outside is noise. You can hear the voices of your neighbors, though of course they have little meaning for you.

So that’s the scenario. How does it feel? Fun? Boring? Restful? Safe? Scary?

Pretty dismal, I’d imagine, for those of us who don’t live exclusively in boxes (as far as we know) — but perfectly natural to the hypothetical you, the You in the Box, because it’s all you’ve ever known. You have a comfortable bed, plenty to eat, and room to move around.(1) You have several ways to occupy your time: suddoku, maybe, or houseplant gardening, crocheting, shooting baskets….

Your Box and Your Neighbor's

The contents of every box are similar but not identical.(2) For one thing, all the stuff in your neighbor’s box, including your neighbor, is mauve, whereas you and your possessions are sky blue. But the color of your neighbor’s environment is irrelevant: You don’t even know you have a neighbor, nor could you understand the concept of color. In your world, there’s no such thing as “not–sky blue” or “not–color.”(3) There is no context for your perception of color.

Quickie exercise: Try defining or describing something without giving it context; that is, without comparing or contrasting it to something else. (Hint: Can’t be done. The unknown can be imagined only as it relates to the known.)

What Is a ‘Julia Roberts’?

Chris and Adam

My niece’s wonderful husband, Adam, is tall. He has many other fine attributes, but tallness might be the one you’d notice first, especially if my wonderful niece Chris were beside him; there’s a difference of eighteen inches, give or take, in their height.

Now, when I say “Adam is tall,” there is no need for me to add “…compared to other people but not compared to cypress trees.” The context of Adam’s tallness (people, as opposed to giraffes) is understood.

But if Adam were several stories tall, imagine the employment possibilities! More to the point—the words “Adam is tall” would be inadequate for even the most basic physical description. To give you an idea of Adam’s appearance, I would have to provide context. Even saying “Adam is the tallest man in the world” wouldn’t suffice. You’d be thinking, maybe, nine feet, tops. I’d have to say, for example, “Adam is taller than twelve average-size men standing on each other’s shoulders” for you to even begin to get the picture.

My daughter, Marian (left); Julia Roberts (right)

Likewise, if I tell you that my daughter looks like Julia Roberts, and you have no idea what Julia Roberts looks like, then I have to find another way to describe her appearance, comparing her to people or things you’re familiar with.

 

 

 

You’re drinking lemonade and I’m thirsty, but I’m leery of lemonade, never having tasted it. “You’ll like it,” you say. “It’s sweet.” But “sweet,” in my limited experience, describes my Aunt Persis’s homemade fudge, of which you, more’s the pity, have never known the bliss. I happen to have a piece of that fudge and I’m willing to share it with you. You say, “Ugh! It looks like mud.” I reply, “Well, your lemonade looks like pee.”

For you to know the joy of Aunt Persis’s homemade fudge, and for me to quench my thirst, we have to find ways to describe “lemonade” and “fudge” in terms we both understand. Most likely, we’ll use similes 4) Lemonade is tart, like a persimmon. Fudge is chewy, like the meat of a ripe walnut.

The point here is that nothing is inherently manifest to the rational mind. In the realm of logic, nothing reveals itself or discloses its identity absolutely: not people, not inanimate objects, not concepts such as sweetness. We can conceive of them only in terms of their similarities to other things—in effect, as metaphors.(5)

None of us has an absolute identity that exists in a vacuum. It might be said that in all of existence God is the only nonmetaphor. Only God is simply “I am.”

You in a box (continued): Let your imagination run wild

Having spent your entire life inside this sky-blue box, your perceptions of yourself and the universe are likely to be very different from those of a person who has lived as you and I have lived — walking into and out of each other’s houses, freely conversing face to face, being aware of a great variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and phenomena. Take a minute to think about how the You of the Sky-Blue Box might be different from the “actual” you. For example,

• If you hear voices from the mauve box next door, you might not perceive of those voices as coming from “somewhere else.” You would have no concept of “outside the box.” The box would be your entire universe.
• You probably wouldn’t perceive the voices as coming from other beings like you. You might take the voices for granted and not wonder about them at all.
• You might not even perceive a difference between your “self” — your identity, as distinct from your physical body — and the objects in your box.
• As communication with other people in other boxes evolves and you develop a language, agreeing upon words for things like “bed” and “kneecap,” you discover that the voices are relating experiences different from yours. For the first time, perhaps, you have a sense of yourself as one among others.

• Or perhaps, given what we know or suspect about collective consciousness, might you not somehow be aware of the nearness of others like yourself?

Exercise: You of the Sky-Blue Box (choose one of the following)

• Write a scenario, similar to those in the bullet points above, that might describe how the You of the Sky-Blue Box would be different from the “actual” you.
• Describe what it might it be like if you woke up one day and your refrigerator were yellow instead of sky blue.
• Describe how your reaction to the change in color might be different if it were gradual rather than sudden.

• Describe how you might feel…
  if an opening to the outside appeared one morning, and there were nothing outside but light — not unlike the light in your box — but you were able to walk around your box and see it from the outside
  and
  if the next day other windowless, doorless boxes appeared
  and
  if the day after that you saw that trees and flowers had grown among the boxes. (Do you think they would look beautiful to you? Or would they frighten you? Having led such a sheltered existence, would you want to explore them, or perhaps try to hide from them instead?)

• Think of other possible changes in your Sky-Blue Box universe and imagine different ways in which you might react to them.
  Describe one such variation.
  How would your answer to the question “Who am I?” change?
  How would your perception of the universe change?
  What would you do differently in response to your new perceptions of yourself and the universe?

Assignment 14.2: Defining figures of speech

Define, in your own words, allegory, metaphor, and simile. Draw your definitions from at least two sources. Summarize the differences among allegories, metaphors, and similes.

Separating and reuniting

The little story “You in a box” is a very rough allegory for human personality development. When a fetus enters the world as an infant, the physical separation from the mother is the beginning of a series of physical and psychological separations.

These separations are exhilarating because they lead to freedom. They are terrifying because they lead to isolation.

I believe that

• without God, to be completely free is to be completely alone, whereas
• with God, freedom leads inevitably to relationships based on love rather than need and fear.

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(1)      Your source of food, fresh air, and other necessities is outside the scope of this allegory. Sorry.

(2)      I know this because I am the Omniscient Narrator.

(3)      If you ever want to give yourself a really bad headache, try to invent a new color. It’s impossible. All you can do is imagine different combinations of red, yellow, and blue, plus black and white. Yet surely, somewhere “out there” in the vast unknown, there are other colors, obeying laws of physics yet to be encountered.

(4)       simile (noun): a comparison of one thing with another using the word like or as. [A particular type of software] is as ugly as a sack full of penguin guts. —Bruce Sterling

(5)      metaphor (noun): a figure of speech in which two things are compared by saying one thing is another. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,/ But to be young was very Heaven! —William Wordsworth, The Prelude

Next: Witches and Metaphors

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Jessica Fletcher viene chiamata “Signora in Giallo” a causa dei suoi gravi problemi di incontinenza.

grazie a Nonciclopedia