Odds And Ends

Just some things that have been on my mind lately:

There aren't many TV shows that I like well enough to watch on commercial TV,  but one of them is The Fosters on ABC Family.  There are lots of reasons to like this show, not the least of which is that Jake T. Austin takes his shirt off a lot.  Like, a lot. 

Jake: Don't worry he's legal.

The other show I never want to miss is So You Think You Can Dance, because a) I love dancing, and b) I love dancers. Live shows start this week, and I haven't yet settled on a favorite, but if Ricky Ubeda doesn't make the finals I will be very surprised.  If you ask me, So You Think You Can Dance would be even better if they eliminated the competition aspect of the show and just let these amazing dancers dance for two hours, but no one asked me.

Ricky Ubeda, age 18

Because I am twelve years old at heart,  I have been reading a series of  books by Jennifer A. Nielsen called The Ascendance Trilogy (The False Prince, The Runaway King, and The Shadow Throne). This is a "boy's own adventure" with everything you could hope for: love, death, court intrigue, hidden identities, lots of fighting, and a very likable and relatable lead character. And yes, it is intended for children.  So sue me, I loved it. Incidentally, a film version of The False Prince is currently in the works, and I can hardly wait to see how Hollywood screws it up.

If you liked The Ascendance Trilogy,  there's an similar, but even better series by Megan Whalen Turner, known as The Queens Thief.  Four books so far, starting with The Thief.  Mrs. Turner takes her sweet time between books, so even though it has been four years since the last in the series, A Conspiracy of Kings, was published, we shouldn't expect book number four for a few more years. Totally worth the wait, though. 

Two of my very favorite Korean actors currently have dramas airing. They are Lee Seun Gi in You Are All Surrounded, and Lee Jong Suk in Doctor Stranger. Thank you Drama Fever. 

 

Lee Jong Suk: Here's where I make a joke about "beside manner."

Lee Seun Gi: Need I say more?

Summertime, and all I want to eat is corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, and just about any kind of meat, grilled. 

This will do, but that's not nearly enough watermelon.

What's your all time favorite summer jam?  I'd like to make a case for Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation, which topped the Billboard chart 40 years ago this week.

Speaking of Disco, I've noticed that You Can't Stop The Music, the classic bad movie starring The Village People, is on Netflix.  It really is craptastic.  


I have to make a plea for my personal favorite super-bad disco move, and that's Roller Boogie starring Linda Blair and Jim Bray in (strangely) his one and only film role.

What's next for Jim Bray?  I don't know, but it isn't more movies.

Jim Bray may have been the male lead of Roller Boogie, but it was a shirtless scene involving Stoney Jackson that really seared itself into my brain. In the parlance of the time, he was foxy. 

Roller Boogie, the entire movie, is on YouTube (for now) if you are interested,  but don't say I didn't warn you. 


I saw the trailer for The Maze Runner,  and was surprised by how much I really want to see it, and not just because it's full of hot guys, including Dylan O'Brien, whose bath water I would gladly drink.

Postponed from February, but don't let that bother you.

On the other hand, the trailer for The Giver kind of pissed me off, Even though Brenton Thwaites is quite a honey. 

Brenton Thwaites, a 24-year-old teenager, but foxy!

Finally, I haven't been to a movie since The Fault In Our Stars came out a few weeks ago.  What's out there right now that won't make me want to pluck my eyeballs out?  Anything? And don't say The Transformers, because I've been burned before.