My title is a quote from my first exposure to the Holmes canon, the 1975 movie The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. No, it wasn't Mycroft, it was his other brother Sigerson Holmes, played by Gene Wilder, courting a delightful Madeline Kahn. Sigerson pronounced his brother's name "Sheerluck," but he was JUS JELLUS.


Anyway, I feel like the lucky one now that "Sherlock" is back (to the US)! So far, the new episodes don't disappoint. When I started to watch the first one, I was curious as to whether I would be reminded of The Hobbit, which was very much on my mind at the time. The answer is ... NOPE. Well, once. The only time was fairly late in the show (after Sherlock's parents left), when Cumberbatch crossed in front of the camera and I briefly saw a flash of Smaug. The second time I watched it, there was a moment (when John reacted to Mary saying "I agree, I am the best thing that ever happened to you") when Martin had a Bilbo expression.

Actually, watching Martin Freeman now after seeing him as Bilbo in two movies has turned me into a TOTAL Freeman fangirl (as opposed to the almost total one I was before). Even though the two characters have a fair amount in common, he plays them totally differently. And his acting when John saw Sherlock for the first time was phenomenal. The way his face kind of puffed up with emotion ... I was very impressed.

Not that Cumberbatch isn't awesome, too, of course - he's mesmerizing to watch. And lovely to listen to. But something about Freeman's acting really gets to me.


As does this series in general. I've seen a lot of people saying they prefer "Elementary," which is ... very far from my opinion. Not that I have anything against "Elementary"! I think it's a fine series and Lucy Liu is awesome and Jonny Lee Miller is also pretty awesome. It's just to me, I don't know, it's a standard dramatic series mystery series, not any better than "NCIS" or "Castle" or "Bones" -- all of which I like very much (or liked before I got bored with it, in the case of Bones). It doesn't have the sizzle that "Sherlock" has - the production values, the music, the editing, the fast, clever dialogue. I feel like I need to watch "Sherlock" with my full, alert attention or I'll miss jokes and references and clever bits. Or even the plot! I haven't felt like I needed to do that with a TV show since "The West Wing" and "Firefly." Well, maybe "House" in the first couple of seasons.


All of which goes to say I'm MUCH more excited about the finale of "Sherlock" tomorrow than any football-related event. Or Downton-related event, for that matter.

BOOKS

January:
1. The Unstrung Harp, Edward Gorey, N, F
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, N, N

February:
3. God is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens, N, N
4. Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart, R, F
5. This Rough Magic, Mary Stewart, R, F

March:
6. The Borrowers, Mary Norton, R, F
7. The Borrowers Afield, Mary Norton, R, F
8. The Borrowers Afloat, Mary Norton, R, F
9. The Borrowers Aloft, Mary Norton, R, F
10. The Borrowers Avenged, Mary Norton, R, F
11. The Misadventures of Bethany Price, Marian Cockrell, R, F

April:
12. The Revolt of Sarah Perkins, Marian Cockrell, R, F
13. Yesterday's Madness, Marian Cockrell, N, F
14. The Quiet Gentleman, Georgette Heyer, R, F
15. The Counterfeit Gentleman, Charlotte Louise Dolan, N, F

May:
16. Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer, R, F
17. 1493, Charles Mann, N, N
18. The Greatest Show on Earth, Richard Dawkins, N, N

June:
19. Something Between, Marian Cockrell, N, F
20. The Perfect Murder, Jack Hitt and others, N, F
21. Eric, Terry Pratchett, N, F
22. Dashing Through the Snow, Diane Farr, N, F
23. Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell, N, F

July:
24. Avatar the Lost Adventures, several writers, N, F
25. Georgette Heyer Biography of a Bestseller, N, N

August:
26. Bath Tangle, Georgette Heyer, R, F
27. Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer, R, F
28. The Famous Heroine, Mary Balogh, N, F
29. The Plumed Bonnet, Mary Balogh, N, F
30. The Summer of the Dragon, Elizabeth Peters, R, F

October:
31. The Casual Vacancy, J K Rowling, N, F
32. , , N, N
33. , N, N
34. Three Men and a Boat, Jerome K Jerome, R, F
35. Hamlet, William Shakespeare, R, F
36. Stones in his Pockets, Marie Jones, N, F
37. Essential Shakespeare, Ted Hughes, N, N
38. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen, R, F
39. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, R, F

November:
40. Our Husband, Stephanie Bond, N, F
41. All Night Long, Jayne Ann Krentz, N, F



MOVIES

January:
1. Le Divorce, N, okay
2. The Importance of Being Earnest 1952, N, good
3. Kissing a Fool, N, bad
5. A Cinderella Story, R, not very good
6. The 39 Steps 2008, N, not bad

February:
7. Just Go with It, N, okay
8. Oklahoma 1998 London, R, brilliant
9. The Bounty Hunter, N, entertaining
10. Gosford Park, R, delightful
11. The Goodbye Girl 1977, R, wonderful

March:
12. *Arriety's Secret World, N, charming

April:
13. Love Actually, R, very good
14. It's Always Fair Weather, N, okay
15. Casablanca, N, excellent
16. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, N, pretty good
17. Arizona Dream, N, interesting
18. It Happened to Jane, N, okay
19. The Mask of Zorro, R, very good

May:
20. *The Avengers, N, very good

June:
21. Hors de Prix, N, cute

July:
22. *Brave, N, good

December:
23. *The Hobbit, N, delicious




TV SEASONS WATCHED

February:
1. Slings and Arrows Season 1, N, fabulously wonderful
2. Slings and Arrows Season 2, N, brilliant
3. Slings and Arrows Season 3, N, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius
4. Downton Abbey Season 2, N, lovely
5. Sherlock Season 2, N, very good

March:
6. Due South Season 1, N, not bad




STAGE PRODUCTIONS WATCHED

March:
1. Hello, Hamlet, Wiess Tabletop, marvelous

October:
2. Les Miserables, Utah Shakespeare, very good
3. Stones in his Pockets, Utah Shakespeare, fantastic
4. Hamlet, Utah Shakespeare, very good

November:
5. The Drowsy Chaperone, Brown/Hanszen Theater, very good
6. Tartuffe, Rice Players, very entertaining

Okay, this is the fourth year I've kept this list. I reversed the recent downward trend in number of books read, but mostly by reading a lot of crap light, undemanding novels.



2011 totals

Books read: 75 (up from 31 in 2010 and 47 in 2009, but down from 106 in 2008)

Books read for the first time: 35
Rereads: 40

Fiction: 66
Nonfiction: 9

Best new book read: This wasn't really a good year for books ... Snuff by Terry Pratchett)


Movies watched: 66 (up from 57 in 2010 and 2009, but down from 122 in 2008)

In theaters: 6 (plus 3 repeats, for 9 - crazy high!)
For the first time: 40
Re-watches: 26

Best new (to me) movie watched: Sense & Sensibility (2008 BBC) (another weak year for movies)
Best new movie watched in the theater: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, I suppose


TV season DVDs watched: 3 seasons/ 3 shows (from 13/7 in 2010, 20/7 in 2009, and 12/3 in 2008)

For the first time: 1
Re-watches: 3

Best new (to me) show watched: Downton Abbey, since it was the only one! But it probably would have won no matter what the competition.


Plays seen in theaters: 12 (an exciting new high!)

Best production: The Music Man, Utah Shakespeare



I also attended two football game (Rice/Tulsa and Rice/Tulane). And I watched ridiculous, insane amounts of football, baseball, and basketball on TV

First, SQUEEEEEE!


Second, egads!


We're going to Big Bend in five days. Any advice for maximum enjoyment?

Whoa! Almost forgot to do this.

This is the third year I've kept this list, and my totals are steadily dropping. Does this mean I'm getting a life or does it mean I'm now too lazy even to watch movies on TV?

Anyway, here are the 2010 totals:


Books read: 31 (down from 47 in 2009 and 106 in 2008)

Books read for the first time: 13
Rereads: 18

Fiction: 22
Nonfiction: 9

Best new book read: Cryoburn by Lois Bujold (a pretty good year for books, even though I read so few)


Movies watched: 57 (from 57 in 2009 and 122 in 2008)

In theaters: 7 (a lot for me!)
For the first time: 35
Re-watches: 22

Best new (to me) movie watched: Emma, 2009 BBC (contrariwise, a weak year for movies - I guess I used up the good ones last year)
Best new movie watched in the theater: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1


TV season DVDs watched: 13 seasons/ 7 shows (from 20/7 in 2009 and 12/3 in 2008)

For the first time: 9
Re-watches: 4

Best new (to me) show watched: The Big Bang Theory (very tough choice between this, Sports Night, and Sherlock)


Plays seen in theaters: 6

Best production: Macbeth, Utah Shakespeare



I also attended one football game (Rice/Texas) and two basketball games (Rockets/Bulls & Rockets/Lakers) and, umm, I think that's about it. Oh, and I watched TONS of football and basketball (and baseball, and soccer) on TV.

BOOKS

January:
1. Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, N, F
2. The Shepherd's Tale, Joss and Zack Whedon and Chris Samnee, N, F
3. A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett, R, F
4. The Cinderella Deal, Jennifer Crusie, N, F
5. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson, N, N
6. Joyday for Jodi, Lucy Walker, R, F
7. Kingdom of the Heart, Lucy Walker, R, F
8. Reaching for the Stars, Lucy Walker, R, F
9. The Other Girl, Lucy Walker, R, F
10. The Moonshiner, Lucy Walker, R, F
11. Master of Ransome, Lucy Walker, R, F
12. The Mountain that Went to the Sea, Lucy Walker, N, F
13. Wife to Order, Lucy Walker, N, F
14. The Man from Outback, Lucy Walker, N, F
15. The Call of the Pines, Lucy Walker, N, F
16. I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Bill Bryson, R, N

February:
17. The Stranger from the North, Lucy Walker, R, F
18. Made in America, Bill Bryson, N, N
19. Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson, N, N
20. Airhead, Meg Cabot, N, F
21. Being Nikki, Meg Cabot, N, F
22. Runaway, Meg Cabot, N, F

March:
23. The Adventures of Sally, P G Wodehouse, N, F

April:
24. Possession, A S Byatt, R, F
25. Shards of Honor, Lois Bujold, R, F
26. Barrayar, Lois Bujold, R, F
27. The Warrior's Apprentice, Lois Bujold, R, F
28. The Vor Game, Lois Bujold, R, F
29. Cetaganda, Lois Bujold, R, F
30. Ethan of Athos, Lois Bujold, R, F
31. Borders of Infinity, Lois Bujold, R, F
32. Brothers in Arms, Lois Bujold, R, F

May:
33. Mirror Dance, Lois Bujold, R, F
34. Memory, Lois Bujold, R, F
35. Komarr, Lois Bujold, R, F
36. A Civil Campaign, Lois Bujold, R, F
37. Diplomatic Immunity, Lois Bujold, R, F
38. Cryoburn, Lois Bujold, R, F
39. Maybe This Time, Jennifer Crusie, N, F

June:
40. Pygmalion, G B Shaw, R, F
41. Arms and the Man, G B Shaw, R, F
42. Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare, R, F
43. The Hobbit, J R R Tolkien, R, F

July:
44. Texas, Carl Ferdinand von Roemer, N, N
45. Sanditon, Jane Austen and another lady, R, F
46. 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Maureen Johnson, N, F
47. The Mediator Shadowland, Meg Cabot, N, F
48. The Mediator Ninth Key, Meg Cabot, N, F
49. The Mediator Reunion, Meg Cabot, N, F
50. The Mediator Darkest Hour, Meg Cabot, N, F
51. The Mediator Haunted, Meg Cabot, N, F
52. The Mediator Twilight, Meg Cabot, N, F
53. The Last Little Blue Envelope, Maureen Johnson, N, F

August:
54. Devil May Care, Elizabeth Peters, R, F
55. First Lady, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, R, F
56. Gaudy Night, Dorothy Sayers, R, F
57. Knock Me Off My Feet, Susan Donovan, N, F
58. A Walking Tour of Rice University, James Morehead, N, N
59. Busman's Honeymoon, Dorothy Sayers, R, F

September:
60. Richard III, William Shakespeare, N, F
61. Lady of Quality, Georgette Heyer, R, F
62. The Seventh Sinner, Elizabeth Peters, R, F

October:
63. Long Time No See, Susan Isaacs, R, F
64. A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare, R, F
65. Noises Off, Michael Frayn, N, F
66. "But He Doesn't Know the Territory", Meredith Willson, N, N
67. Wicked Appetite, Janet Evanovich, N, F
68. The Girl in Blue, PG Wodehouse, N, F

November:
69. Snuff, Terry Pratchett, N, F
70. Equal Rites, Terry Pratchett, R, F
71. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett, R, F
72. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett, R, F

December:
73. Plum Sauce: A PG Wodehouse Companion, Richard Usborne, N, N
74. The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare, N, F
75. On A Wave, Thad Ziolkowski, N, N


MOVIES

January:
1. Wishful Thinking, N, fine
2. Prince of Persia, N, enjoyable
3. Two Mules for Sister Sara, R, so charming
4. Easy A, N, pleasant
5. Revenge of the Nerds, R, eh
6. The Sweetest Thing, N, not so much
7. Only You, R, wonderful
8. Mamma Mia, N, okay I guess
9. Nine Months, R, whatever
10. Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day, N, very enjoyable
11. National Treasure Book of Secrets, N, okayish

February:
12. Break-Up Artist, N, forgettable
13. Must Love Dogs, R, whatever
14. The Wedding Date, R, charming
15. Sense and Sensibility (2008 BBC), N, wonderful
16. The Pickup Artist, R, not bad
17. Pride and Prejudice, R, pretty good
18. The Holiday, R, pretty good
19. Possession, N, pretty good
20. The Ugly Truth, N, not very good
21. The Wedding Planner, N, not very good
22. Going the Distance, N, good
23. He's Just Not That Into You, N, pretty good
24. Love Actually, R, excellent

March:
25. Twice Upon a Yesterday, N, okay
26. A Cinderella Story, R, pretty bad
27. All That Jazz, R, brilliant

April:
28. Stardust, R, wonderful
29. The Object of My Affection, N, okay I guess
30. Tangled, N, enjoyable

May:
31. *Thor, N, okay I guess
32. *Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides, N, entertaining
33. *Summer Wars, N, cute
34. *Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides, R, pretty good

June:
35. The King's Speech, N, very good
36. Heartbreaker, N, adorable
37. My Fair Lady, R, very good
38. *Company (2011 NY Philharmonic), N, wonderful

July:
39. Arms and the Man 1987 BBC, N, wonderful
40. Man of Destiny 1991 BBC, N, good
41. *Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides, R, quite good
42. *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, N, moving
43. Song of the South, R, charming
44. No Strings Attached, N, kind of cute
45. The Proposal, R, entertaining
46. My Life In Ruins, N, pleasant
47. Post Grad, N, not very good
48. The Shawshank Redemption, N, very good

August:
49. Ramona and Beezus, R, not bad
50. Flipped, N, cute
51. *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, R, very good
52. *Cowboys and Aliens, N, entertaining
53. Bigger Than the Sky, N, okay
54. Apollo 13, R, wonderful
55. The Proposal, R, very good

September:
56. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, N, okay

October:
57. Barry Lyndon, N, goodish
58. Moliere 2007, N, lovely
59. The Music Man, R, great

November:
60. Remember the Titans, N, good
61. L'Auberge Espagnole, N, okay
62. Russian Dolls, N, pretty good
63. Valentine's Day, N, not very good

December:
64. My Life in Ruins, R, fairly enjoyable
65. Sense and Sensibility (2008 BBC), R, very nice
66. Persuasion (2007 BBC), R, enjoyable


TV SEASONS WATCHED

February:
1. Downton Abbey season 1, N, awesomesauce

June:
2. Avatar the Last Airbender season 1, R, fantastic

September:
3. The Big Bang Theory season 3, R, very good





STAGE PRODUCTIONS WATCHED

June:
1. Pygmalion, Alley Theater, good

September:
2. The Music Man, Utah Shakespeare, fabulous
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Utah Shakespeare, wonderful
4. Noises Off, Utah Shakespeare, delightful
5. The Music Man, Utah Shakespeare, pure joy
6. The Glass Menagerie, Utah Shakespeare, exquisite
7. Richard III, Utah Shakespeare, highly satisfactory

October:
8. Indigo/Giselle, Houston Ballet, delightful
9. Dial M for Murder, Utah Shakespeare, very good
10. Noises Off, Utah Shakespeare, wonderful
11. A Winter's Tale, Utah Shakespeare, great

December:
12. The Santaland Diaries, Alley Theater, good

SFX Magazine is doing an interesting poll for people's all-time favorite science fiction hero. I'm such a fangirl for some of their candidates that I'm reproducing it here. And, yes, I'm going to be as cruel as they were and make radio buttons. Choosing was HARD.



To fit the LJ poll limit, I had to leave four choices off the list. Here they are and the reason I chose not to include them:

• Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Star Trek) - secondary character to Captain Kirk
  
• Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel) - secondary character to Buffy/Angel
  
• Ianto Jones (Torchwood) - secondary character to Jack Harkness. Also, dead.
  
• Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones) - not really sci-fi, might unfairly dilute Han Solo vote.

If you really, really want to vote for one of these guys, you can vote in the real poll. Also they have pictures, so it's way sexier than my post. Or you can boycott my radio buttons and vote for them in the comments.

Also also, what's with having Han but not Luke? Apparently Falcon was right!!!


And, no, despite my icon I didn't vote for Mal. But it broke my heart not to!

I have never in my life felt the urge to "recap" an episode of TV (or a movie or a book) before. Write meta, sure. Write fanfic, sure. But somehow my all-consuming love for the show The Good Wife is demanding that I write a blow-by-blow, scene-by-scene commentary on the latest episode.

So, um, here goes ...

( 1x22 HYBRISTOPHILIACollapse )


And for all of you who inexplicably don't watch The Good Wife, here are some articles to tell you why you totally should:

- Reveling in the Past and Future of the Addictive 'Good Wife'
- Plotting Doesn't Have to be Plodding
- The Feminist Spectator
- On TV, a New Refuge for Stage Actors
- Eight Reasons 'The Good Wife' and 'Modern Family' are Practically Perfect

The pilot is being re-aired Tuesday, June 1st. Just sayin'.

I'm watching Sports Night for the first time (amazingly good - great, really) and a thought occurred to me:

Aaron Sorkin can't be happy unless he's bathed in the sweat of his own self-righteousness.

Title: Lunch Meetings
Characters: Will Gardner, Diane Lockhart, Alicia Florrick, Cary Agos
Category: Het (hints at Will/Alicia)
Rating: I dunno, maybe PG-13
Word Count: 1767
Disclaimer: All belongs to King & King and CBS, not me.
Summary: After "Fleas" the higher-ups and the lower-downs discuss the latest rumors.

( Is it true?Collapse )