Melting

Today and yesterday were some of the first tastes of the oppressive heat of summer here. Walking out from the air-conditioning is like walking into a wet, sticky wall. It makes me want to flounce around like a Tennessee Williams heroine, drawling about my repressed life while wearing a thin, though fabulous negligee with ice clinking in a tumbler. Though that sounds cool, and this is most definitely not.

Awesome Things from TV This Week

1. The Dynasty Reunion Special - Awesome. I mean, check two posts ago. I practically willed it to happen. I am absolutely shocked that this special didn't get good ratings, because seriously, what more could you want? Actors who used to be hot young things twenty years ago? Check! Montages of the best scenes from the whole run of the show? Check! I practically cried while I watched it, partly because I was burnt out from exam studying but also because it was so unbelievably joyous. True, it would have been better with appearances from John James (who I can't blame because who wants their currently bloated self compared with clips of their formerly svelte, tight-eighties-pants-wearing self? I know I wouldn't) and Heather Locklear (whose divorce is turning into such an amazing celebrity media circus with the concurrent Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards debacle, and also she's the only one from the show who's actually still a celebrity). Regardless, it was absolutely fabulous and I can't wait to watch it over and over again on tape.

2. Cleaning House Night at Bad Robot Productions - Very Awesome. I am currently reveling in the last few episodes of Alias, since the writers seem to have pulled out all the stops in the run-up to the finale, being no longer beholden to the Nielsens. I've also started watching Lost again, since Veronica Mars is no longer on Wednesdays and my patience for the bloated American Idol results shows ran out once the second season ended. Wednesday night on ABC is now packaging the two together in a night of J.J. Abrams' Freaky Brainchildren and this past Wednesday was Awesome. Both shows pulled spectacular, late-show killings-off of two fairly big female characters each - by massively bleeding neck-wounds on Alias and by gunshot on Lost. They were both so horrifying yet riveting and such good television, and I think I've finally reached the point that I kept waiting for through the dreary third and fourth seasons of Alias where I say "I am so glad that I'm still watching this show."

3. Wes Anderson's Amex Ad - So Awesome that Awesome seems insufficient to describe it. I used to think that I just loved Wes Anderson's movies. However, sometime around the time that I saw him talk here at school last year (awesome) I realized that I kind of love him too. This is why his American Express commercial is so excellent. It has just the right touch of meta-self parody with the visual style and tone of dialogue of his movies. I love him. I love his purposefully ill-fitting suits. I love yelling "Francois!" with Jason Schwartzman. I love that I didn't even realize that it was Jason Schwartzman until the second time that I watched the commercial. (I so dearly wish that they would make another movie together. That's halfway true - what I really wish is that Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola would somehow collaborate to create some amazing film vehicle for Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray that would be the most excellent movie ever made.) I literally squeal with glee every time that I see this ad on TV. Awesome.