Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Queue It Up: Sherlock

August 31, 2011 By 36 Comments

As the summer seasons wind down, we bring you yet another week of Queue It Up here on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday.  This week I bring you yet another BBC offering.

Sherlock.

I know.  The stories of Sherlock Holmes have been done many times.  I’ll be honest, I’m really only a fan of the Basil Rathbone ones and the latest movie retelling (I mean, Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law…how can I not be a fan?).  But the latest in Sherlock recreations has something exciting going for it.

It’s a contemporary retelling.  Imagine, what would Sherlock be like if there were Smartphones and the internet?

Sherlock is played by the brilliant (and brilliantly named) Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking, Atonement).   He plays Sherlock as a genius as you would expect, but to the point of being a self described “high functioning sociopath”.  Watson, played by Martin Freeman (The Office, Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy) is a more everyday man, intelligent of course, but less cold and calculating.  He is also coping with PTSD.

The writers did a great job with keeping details true to form, yet making them modern. Some examples: Dr. Watson, who originally was injured and sent home form the Second Anglo-Afghan War, is now suffering a disability after his return from service in Afghanistan.  While Sherlock doesn’t smoke a pipe, he does use nicotine patches. Even the use of technology is consistent with the original Sherlock, who was known to use whatever devices were available to him in his deductions.

The dialogue is quick, there is action and intrigue, and the actors playing Holmes and Watson could not be better.  (Random fact: Dr. Who fans might be interested to note that Matt Smith originally tried out for the role of Watson – he obviously didn’t get it, but this led to his role as Doctor Who.)

Another reason you should queue this up?  It is only three episodes long.  If you are worried that we’ve given you too much to watch already, you can easily clear the series in one evening.  Should you find yourself wanting more, there will be another set of episodes released in 2012.

I give Sherlock another solid GTV.  Excellent acting, writing, action; this show has it all.

And now, a bonus!  As regular readers here may have noticed, I like exploring what the interwebs have to offer in the way of quality viewing.  So your bonus “what to watch” this week comes to you by way of Hulu.

Check out The Booth at the End, a sci-fi/psychological drama that poses the question “How far would you go to get what you want?”

The story follows several characters as they each approach a mysterious man in a diner who can fulfill a wish, so long as they complete the task he gives them and provide him with details.  You’ll likely recognize several of the actors, and Xander Berkeley (24, CSI), who plays the mysterious man in the booth, is excellent in his role.

I can’t tell you more than that.  You just have to watch.

Have you seen Sherlock?  Are you a fan of this version, or any of the other retellings of the classic team?  Are any of you checking out what the world of web series?

Now head over to Tiffany’s blog and see what is in her queue this week!

Come back next week when we review a few of our favorite FOX programs returning this fall – House & Bones.  Don’t forget to let us know what shows you are interested in hearing about by leaving a comment or using the #watchwed hastag.

 

The WatchWed Review System

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech

 

 

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Why Do You Blog?

August 30, 2011 By 73 Comments

When I sat down and decided to write something for more than just my own benefit, I started reading more blogs and articles for writers and aspiring authors.

There is a ton of information out there.  Posts on craft, character building, voice, and proper grammar.  Then there are the posts on querying, synopsis writing, getting an agent. And don’t forget the countless posts on marketing, social media, blogging, and building your brand.

Talk about information overload.  Like sipping from a waterfall.

One aspect that I find interesting is advice on blogging.  How to do it.  Why you do it.  As a writer, it would appear that it is all about creating your “brand” as an author.

I’m not knocking that idea.  Really.  I get it.  If you want to sell a product, you have to build up interest.  When you write, you are that product.  Blogging is one of the ways you build interest.

Because of this, there is all sorts of advice about how to blog.  Some of it is stuff I already do.  Some of it is stuff I have no plans to do.

Why?  Why buck against the advice out there?

Because I don’t blog to create a brand.  

So why blog?

It’s cathartic.

Sometimes there are things that I want to say.  But I don’t necessarily want to say them to any one person.  I just want to get things off my chest.  Maybe I want to complain about the barista that hands me a scalding hot coffee and the coffee cup sleeve separately. Maybe I want to discuss how a girl from Jersey Shore and a Kardashian can get a book deal while far more talented people struggle to get someone to look at their work.

It’s therapeutic.  And cheap.

Hand in hand with the relief catharsis brings, having other commiserate with me is sort of like therapy.  People listen and respond.  Some even offer words of encouragement. Doesn’t cost me a dime.

I love to write.

Blogging doesn’t get in the way of my writing.  It’s just another part of it.  My WIP (work in progress) is one outlet for my writing.  The little bit of freelance work I’ve done is another. They are all different expressions of something I enjoy doing.

This post isn’t meant to say that people shouldn’t blog to build a brand. I won’t deny that one day, if/when I am a published author, it will be great if the readers of my blog convert into readers of my book(s).  And I don’t deny that the larger the blog audience, the larger the potential audience for anything else I write.  But I like to think that those readers will be reading because they enjoyed what I wrote here, and not because of any formula I followed for blogging.

Maybe that means I won’t sell as many copies as someone who “properly” built their platform.  Maybe that means I won’t be a New York Times Best Seller.

I’ll tell you a secret.  I don’t really care.  No, really.  I don’t.

I just want to write.  And know that someone is reading. 

So, thank you to those of you who read this blog.  The subscription numbers keep climbing, and last week the blog hit 10,000 hits during the 3 month period I’ve been blogging on WordPress.  Thanks for reading what I write.

Thanks for being part of the reason I blog.

Why do you blog? Do you enjoy it?  Or is it a necessary evil in your life?

Currently Listening to: The Salteens

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Philly Photos

August 29, 2011 By 43 Comments

I love photos.

When I was a kid, I would flip through my dad’s Rangefinder magazines, and some days I’d sneak in my parents closet and look at his camera equipment.  When I was old enough to make a little money, I would buy throwaway cameras and walk down to the lake and take photos of the water, the trees, dead leaves; it didn’t matter much what the subject was.

Now, having a toddler makes it a little difficult to carry the real camera everywhere, but pre-kid, I would take my camera everywhere and snap shots of everything.

Really.

Fortunately, most friends and family I travel anywhere of note with love photography enough to understand the need to take a photo of the ground I’m walking on or the food I am eating.

A trip to Philadelphia to visit my brother and his family was the first time I wandered about with something more than a point and shoot (thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law) and realized that I loved taking pictures even more than I thought.  Here are a handful of the many, many photos I took.

Adorable boy in the market.

I have an embarrassing number of produce photos.

Still in the market.

Cute butcher pretending not to notice I was taking his picture.

I always end up with a lot of photos of what I ate. It isn't always pretty.

Blossoms.

A figure from Rodin's Gates of Hell

More from the gates.

Part of the George Washington Statue outside the Museum of Art

I know this is the part where you are expecting me to make some connection between photography and story telling, or something inspirational about the things in life you are passionate about.

But I’m not.  Sometimes, it’s just about the pictures.

 

 

 

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Friday Inspiration – Better than You

August 26, 2011 By 32 Comments

I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others.

I’ll take a photo and think, “Wow, that turned out great!”  Then I’ll stare at a million other photos on the internet and think, “Wow, I’m awful.”

I’ll cook a meal and think, “This is the most delicious meal in the history of eating!”  Then I’ll go to my brother’s house for dinner and think, “I’ll never make something this good.”

I’ll write something and think, “Hey, this sounds really good!”  Then I’ll read a novel or an article and think, “Hey, why am I trying to write again?”

I’ll look at my kid and think, “I’m a pretty awesome mom.”  Then I’ll look at someone else and think, “What am I doing wrong?”

Yup.  I’m pretty neurotic like that.  I basically walk around seeing variations of this guy in my head.

It’s not a healthy way to go about life.  Since I know that I am not the only crazy person beating myself up on a daily basis, I’m taking today to let you know something.

I’m better than you.

No, wait, come back.  There’s more.

You’re better than me, too.

Every one in this world has strengths.  There is something in life that you do incredibly well.  It may not be the thing you love the most.  It may not even be something that you think of as a skill.  Chances are, there is someone out there that envies your ability to do that thing.  They are sitting in a corner rocking back and forth wishing they were as good as you.

Maybe you keep a pristine home.  Or you know how to get every stain imaginable out of a shirt.  It could be your business savvy, your ability to throw together an outfit, the way you can change the oil of your car without getting dirty; whatever it is, you make it look effortless.

Maybe for you, it is effortless.  Maybe that is why you don’t recognize your strength in that area, because for you, it seems easy or of little consequence.

You are better than someone at something.  And someone is better than you at something else.  There is no point in keeping a balance sheet of what falls in each column.  Instead, spend that time doing something more constructive, like learning to be better at what you love, and appreciating what you do well.

I’m not there yet.  I’m a long way from being satisfied with who I am and what I can do.  But I’m determined to try.

Maybe when I get there, I’ll find better things to think about when I am lying in bed trying to sleep.

Or maybe not.

 

 

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