jducoeur

[Contest TV blather ahead: move along. No, I'm not watching Obama's speech -- frankly, I already mostly agree with him, and don't especially need the pep talk. And Children of Earth is being recorded, to watch after we've seen episode 2.]

I have to admit, I was kinda worried after the first routine from Brandon and Jeanine, which I had to agree with the judges was blah. And that worried me, because, quite frankly, they're the two I'd really *like* to see win.

(I wouldn't at all mind Janette winning -- she's is without a doubt brilliant -- but I love Jeanine's style. I find her remarkably expressive when she's handed a choreography with some oomph. She made a huge impression on me the very first show, and has been a favorite ever since.)

So I was quite relieved to see their second routine, which just plain rocked. I can vote my preference with a clear conscience...

[ETA: although, with days like today, I have to say that Melissa is moving up in my estimation every week...]

[Yes, the two of us have a fondness for a few of the contest shows. For ages, ladysprite has been extolling the virtues of So You Think You Can Dance -- since she's someone we trust on the subject of dance, we actually paid attention and started recording it from the beginning this time around. I now understand what she's been talking about: the reality-TV aspects aside, this show features an astonishing variety and quality of dance. To get into the competition, you basically have to be as good as the professionals on Dancing With the Stars, and you have to get better in order to survive. By this point, halfway through, the dancing is pretty much as good as I see anywhere, and it's delightful to see such a willingness to try *every* dance form, not just the traditional or fashionable. So, with that said:]

Yes, yes -- it's unambiguous that Janette and Brandon are the best couple: they are rarely short of perfect, and were certainly excellent tonight. But damn: that "addiction" piece had me downright teary-eyed with its sheer power. So Kayla and Kupono get my call tonight: I want to see them get a chance to continue, and I'm not especially worried that we're going to lose either Brandon or Janette. (Indeed, at this point I think they have pole position to win...)

For those who are having fun speculating about who the Final Cylon is, I commend this entry in Peter David's blog -- I hadn't heard this particular guess before, and while I don't *think* it's likely correct, it's an intriguing left-field idea...

Having finished Star Trek: The Next Generation last week, today was the start of Babylon 5. First up was The Gathering, the introductory movie. As I remembered, it had lots of weak spots, but was still pretty intriguing. I'm looking forward to watching it side-by-side with Deep Space Nine for the next year. ("Year of the Space Stations", I suppose.)

Despite this being at least the third time I've watched the whole series, and probably the fifth time I've seen The Gathering, I'm still noticing details for the first time. My favorite this time around was when Ben is being attacked by the faux Lyta, and grabs a pipe off the wall to hit her with -- knowing the series (and his opponent) well enough by now, I practically cringed, going, "No, no, no -- worst combat mistake *ever*."

The hardest part of the morning run is keeping my mind off of how hard I'm working. Running is kind of like Douglas Adams' version of flying -- I can only really do it if I'm not paying attention. B5 is looking excellent for that: I set a new stamina record today, despite being pretty tired. 9.06 nominal miles in 99 minutes = 5.49 MPH at level 8 on the elliptical. Not bad -- I suspect that one will stand for a while...

[Happy birthday to eudociainboston!]

It really is fascinating, doing the VHS-to-DVD dubs of the obscure TV shows that never made it long enough to get commercially released. I am reminded of all these shows that were, if not exactly *good*, at least very interesting in retrospect.

For instance, today is VR-5. Only lasted half-a-season in 1995, but take a look at the high concept. We've got a 20-something girl named Sydney, whose father bequeathed upon her a mysterious legacy of skills that she is only beginning to understand as she probes her own memories, mentored by a character played by Tony Head who was a member of a mysterious organization whose motives are somewhat unclear and with whom he has fallen out.

Sound just a wee bit familiar? It's always fascinating to watch the genre thrashing around, trying to find the right way to make ideas click...

Bold if you've seen more than three episodes in your lifetime. Bold and italicize if you think you've seen every episode. You can add up to three shows, but keep it in alphabetical order.  (My additions: Blake's 7, VR-5 and Max Headroom)
( The whole long list )