Episode 1551: We're Still Here

Unsurprisingly, the world didn't end today. I suppose it's not so bad, at least the loonies now have the whole weekend to get over their disappointment! Imagine if they all had to go back to work tomorrow. Speaking of which, I got an e-mail from HR this afternoon telling me to attend a two-day preparatory programme at the start of January, and it's effectively the crash course version of my PGDE. It's just a bit strange because it says in the e-mail attachment that the programme's meant for untrained officers that are being posted to schools, but I'm headed for NIE, not a school. Have sent a reply asking if I'm really supposed to attend, and it wouldn't surprise me if this turned out to be a mix-up on their end. At the same time, it wouldn't surprise me if I were told to attend the programme anyway. (It is, however, mildly disconcerting to learn that a two-day programme is considered enough preparation for people to be sent to teach. Right?) We shall see what reply I get from HR! You know what would be truly bizarre? If they sent me for the two-day programme, then posted me out to a school for a week, just for the heck of it.

Episode 1550: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Just got back from seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and I liked it well enough. I actually have yet to see all three films of The Lord Of The Rings, despite owning the extended editions on DVD for a couple of years now, but I did see enough of it here and there to note that this first film of the prequel trilogy (yes, I think three is pretty excessive for an adaptation of The Hobbit) is quite shameless about re-presenting moments from the earlier trilogy. Think perilous scene on a mountainside, the One Ring twirling in mid-air to land on a hobbit's finger, summoning of giant eagles, etc. Nothing wrong with that per se, but it means that visually speaking, there's a big sense of been-there-done-that. There's a good post up at Sidekick Books by Andrea, discussing what's fundamentally missing from Peter Jackson's film adaptations, although part of me also feels like expecting anything more than explosions and CGI from what was always going to end up as a blockbuster, source material notwithstanding, is perhaps being overly optimistic to begin with. I don't actually have an issue with the bloated running time of the film, since it was partly down to interpolating material from Tolkien's wider mythos. In a way, this new trilogy is going to share the same fate as that of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, since they both have to tell stories that already have larger narrative endgames in mind. It's just what happens when you decide to make prequels. What I kind of didn't like was the great pains An Unexpected Journey took to connect itself to the events that kicked off The Fellowship Of The Ring. I'm not sure if this could've been done more subtly, to be honest. Ah well. There's still two more films to go, and at least Martin Freeman is actually likeable as Bilbo. The dwarves, on the other hand, are largely interchangeable, if you ask me.

Episode 1549: Gossip Girl, You Won't Be Missed

Spent pretty much the whole day in church, first helping to set up my cell's CCIS room, then at practice for singers and the band. Didn't realise it was going to take all afternoon to set up, so I actually brought along a couple of the magazines I bought yesterday, thinking that I'd be able to spend some time reading before practice. Turns out that the only time I read anything was when I read half of Cereal on the MRT ride to church. Spent the ride back home watching Gossip Girl, sitting down. Didn't get up even when this middle-aged couple with several bags stood right in front of me, because if you're toting that many bags of shopping from Gap, I don't really feel like I need to stand up for you, if I'm being perfectly honest. Anyway, the Gossip Girl series finale wasn't as problematic for me as I'd been expecting, based on the AV Club's review of it. Sure, it's still pretty ridiculous that Dan is Gossip Girl, but factor in the suspension of disbelief most TV shows demand anyway, and it might just about work. What definitely didn't work was how everyone reacted to the revelation. I get that everything had to be compressed into the last 15 minutes of the show's existence (although maybe not, if the writers hadn't spent literally all the previous nine episodes of the season messing about with the pointlessness that was Bart's return from the dead), but really, nobody was bothered? Nobody thought there was just something a little bit psychotic about the whole thing? Was this because Dan's from Brooklyn and the UES crowd just assumed it was normal behaviour?

The only truly enjoyable part of this whole series finale was the flashback to Dan's first UES party, which managed in the space of a couple of minutes to capture everything that was so fascinating about Gossip Girl when it first aired, i.e. pretty faces dressed in various shades of preppy, being casually bitchy to each other. The show was selling a fantasy, but then the writers decided they wanted to their characters to actually grow, which is always a risky thing for teen dramas. I mean, sure, develop the characters so they're more than just 'the blonde/brunette one' or 'the jock/jerk' or 'the outsiders', but don't lose sight of why your show's entertaining! I mean, wasn't the whole appeal of Gossip Girl that it was just full of people behaving slightly wickedly, but Gossip Girl was always there to make some sarcastic comment about it? Instead, the show increasingly bogged itself down by trying to ascribe deeply meaningful motivations to its characters' pathological behaviour. Now let's just cancel 90210, wait for The Carrie Diaries to flop, and The CW can transform itself into a network populated by genre/action shows and wholeheartedly fluffy fare.

Episode 1548: It's Tough...

Angela's in town this month visiting relatives, so we caught up over coffee at Forty Hands. Went to BooksActually before that, where I promptly broke my own resolution not to buy any more books this year. Just finished Troy Chin's Bricks In The Wall, which pokes fun at the music industry. (What I really want to see though, is another volume of The Resident Tourist!) Also bought a small stack of magazines, but only because they were debut issues, so I can start collecting them from the very beginning. Picked up Cereal, Galavant (a local publication!), The Alarmist and The Alpine Review. Yet even as new literary ventures are springing up, others are being shuttered. Heard the sad news yesterday that The Knives Forks and Spoons Press is ceasing operations, although thanks to POD technology, KFS aims to keep its backlist available for purchase. It's really a shame to see the press go. I've reviewed some of their output in the past, and through that, I've been introduced to poets whose work I wouldn't otherwise have encountered. (Coincidentally, a couple of the press's poets also happen to be contributors to Eunoia Review.)

Episode 1547: Always The Accumulation...

So I had to wait around while my parents went to the bank after lunch, so I ended up in the library again. Having finished reading Chris Ware's heartbreaking but wonderful graphic novel, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth, I picked up another three books, including the surprising find of Dzanc Books' Best Of The Web 2010 anthology. Someone in the acquisitions side of things for the National Library is getting things right! Have now finished reading one of those three books, Lishan Chan's A Philosopher's Madness, published by local press Ethos Books. It's a personal account of the author's experience of a psychotic break a couple of years ago. Quick read, though I must confess that I found it less interesting than I'd expected. On the reviewing side of things, the three books I requested from Zer0 Books have landed in my inbox. It's growing increasingly unlikely that I can finish the review of Jerrold's new collection to coincide with the launch this Friday, but that's okay, I guess. Now the next pressing review (aside from Shark) is of Scott Dominic Carpenter's This Jealous Earth, as I have to interview him as well, and this review has always been intended to coincide with the book's launch. Time to pick up the reading pace...

Episode 1546: I Admit It, Merlin Actually Bores Me Now...

It's just as well the BBC is axing Merlin after this fifth series, as I'm honestly getting a bit bored of it. Blame it on watching whiplash-inducing dramas like The Vampire Diaries, but I expect a show to actually advance its storylines, instead of mostly marching in place and occasionally advancing the plot by a fraction. As of this week's episode, the antepenultimate of the whole series, Arthur still doesn't know Merlin has magic. At this rate, it wouldn't surprise me if the show ended with Mordred killing Arthur (as per the Arthurian legend), with Merlin not saving Arthur because that would reveal he has magic. (Now that I think about it, that would actually be amazing. The show should totally go there. Entertainment news headlines for the next day in the UK? Sorted.) Frustrating as the show is though, I generally like the cast and would like to see them back on TV soon. No idea how good their American accents are (relevant issue because major British exports to American TV don't seem to be allowed to retain their native accents, e.g. Hugh Laurie, Damian Lewis, Andrew Lincoln), but I wouldn't complain if they ended up on something across the Atlantic.

Episode 1545: Look What The Postman Brought!

Couple of days ago, the latest issue of The Believer arrived for me. (Still no sign of the other three issues I'm owed from my original massive order though. Will wait another week before dropping the McSweeney's team an e-mail.) Today, I received Dad Says He Saw You At The Mall by Ken Sparling and The Alligators Of Abraham by Robert Kloss from Mud Luscious Press, as well as Gregory Sherl's Monogamy Songs (Future Tense Books) from the man himself. (If you see this, Gregory, I'm afraid I can't take a picture with the book on all 63 islands because some are restricted access, but the next time I'm somewhere other than the main island, I'm starting an album on Facebook.) Can't wait to start reading all these books! Also have to remember to take out an MLP subscription next month, among others, to continue growing my personal library. Could do it right away, but I feel like I've spent too much this month as it is, but if I still have some cash left after Christmas, I'll go ahead and start taking out those subscriptions, especially for literary magazines like Popshot Magazine and The White Review that I've allowed to lapse.

Episode 1544: What Is Post-Experimentalism?

To find out, check out my review of Post-Experimentalism by Bartleby Snopes, and then buy a copy of the issue. I'm pretty confident there's something in there to please almost all readers and/or writers! Next one to write is of Shark, although I might still try to squeeze in one of Jerrold Yam's new poetry collection by next week, in order to coincide with the launch. (Gutted that I can't actually be at the launch, since I'll be singing for CCIS in church that evening.) Have also asked Zer0 Books to send me all three titles that they've sent me e-mails about so far, since Craig at Rum & Reviews Magazine is game for reviews of non-fiction titles. Completely defeats the purpose of my trying to cut down my reviewing workload, of course, but those Zer0 Books titles sounded really interesting. Like 'I would buy this book' kind of interesting. Sadly, still waiting for The Book Depository to do another 20% discount promotion! Cheque from Parcelforce also arrived a couple of days ago, which was a surprise. I'd been expecting it to get lost in the intercontinental transit. Am going to lose about 40% of the value though, since I have to pay a charge in order to deposit it into my POSB account. Same applies for the USD cheque that's coming from The Misfit Quarterly.

Episode 1543: Would You Apply To Intern At Dalkey Archive Press?

Anyone reading this based in London? If so, you might want to check out Dalkey Archive Press's post about job openings at the press. Oh wait. I mean unpaid internships that might result in an actual paying low-paying job at some point. Hey, at least the advertisement is being transparent. So it all sounds pretty draconian, and the obligatory parody Twitter account already exists. Guess the literary sphere needs something to go nuts about, now that the controversy surrounding Duotrope has pretty much faded, in the face of the company's continued stonewalling. On a happier note, I got a stellar poetry submission this afternoon. Usually, when I get a batch of half a dozen poems or more, it's rare that I take the whole lot. Every so often though, a poet sends in stuff that I love and I jump to accept it all. So welcome, Sean L Corbin, to the growing ranks of Eunoia Review contributors! The journal now has posts queued for the next five months, so I think I'll temporarily close it to submissions, should that stretch to half a year.

Episode 1542: Yes, I'm Still Hate-Watching The Mindy Project...

Given that New Girl and The Mindy Project share a network, you'd think the writers would be sharing tips with each other. Except they clearly don't, since the former delivered a Christmas episode that was just the right amounts of sweet and goofy, whereas the latter still tried way too hard. Never watched The Office, so I'm completely indifferent to Mindy Kaling, but The Mindy Project suggests that she's not ready to anchor her own show yet. (On the other hand, Zooey Deschanel has totally won me over, but it's also because New Girl has shifted her character away from, maybe even somewhat deconstructed, the MPDG persona.) Chris Messina remains the most entertaining character on Kaling's comedy. Maybe they should just spin him off? Together with the recurring Tommy Dewey, who played Mindy's douchey (now ex-)boyfriend. If the show's still so muddled come 2013 when it returns for the second half of its season, after it's undergone retooling, I might just drop it from my viewing list. You know what's the saddest thing? I can think of several other comedies (Community, Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23, Happy Endings, New Girl, maybe even Suburgatory) that could've pulled off the sort of episode that The Mindy Project was gunning for this week because their writers have proved they know the characters they're writing for.