Monday
Aug302010

Why I'm Glad Lost Didn't Win Best Drama

Congrats to Mad Men for yet another win for Best Drama Series.

Others on the interwebs however are not as... congratulatory.

I read an article on Wired last night entitled "Emmy Night Marks Last Hurrah for Lost." As you can guess from the title of the article, you can figure out who they wanted to win Best Drama. But the argument for Lost to win Best Drama is one that is interesting to me. It goes: Lost should win Best Drama not just because it was great, but also because it would be a hallmark for the sci-fi genre as a whole. 

Let's be honest. This is a silly argument. It's like brining affirmative action to the Emmy's. A show shouldn't win just because it is a token show; a show should win because it is truly the best show. Take a look at this list of nominees and tell me that Lost truly deserves it:

 

  • Lost
  • Mad Men
  • Breaking Bad
  • Dexter
  • True Blood
  • The Good Wife

 

I can't say anything about True Blood or The Good Wife, but Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Dexter are just more engaging dramas. Let's think about season 6 of Lost. What happened? What was the drama? Half the season was spent describing a heaven like afterlife where everyone gets to live happily ever after. Most of the conflict that arose on season 6 was forced.

But take a look at these other shows. The narrative is compelling and driven by interesting characters. Lost has interesting characters, but they were never really utilized to tell a good story this season (except for "Ab Eterno"). Wired goes as far as calling Mad Men glacier-paced. Really? Just because the show doesn't involve time travel or smoke monsters doesn't mean it isn't exciting. Try watching the season finale from season 3 and tell me the show is glacier-paced. More drama happens in that episode then all of season 6 of Lost combined.

I'm happy about the outcome and would have honestly been disappointed if Lost won for best drama as a goodbye consolation prize. And it's not like it's all terrible. Lost already won Best Drama once when they truly deserved it: season one.

Friday
Aug272010

The Best Kept Secret on the Web

Psssst. Come here. I've got a secret for you.

Ready?

I don't know if you've heard about this latest trend on the internet, but it's sweeping the net by storm. It's these invite only clothing retailers that sell quality clothes for cheap. If you haven't checked them out yet, you really need to. What makes these retailers cool isn't the fact that they are "exclusive." It's the fact that you can get high end clothes for up to 80% off! No joke.

If you're familar with sites like Woot! then you already know how these sites work. But as opposed to Woot!, there is more than one deal a day, organized into different sale groups. For example, one specific designer might decide to put all of their clothes up and the sale lasts as long as inventory holds. It's first come first serve and the deals change daily.

The first great option is Gilt. Not only do they offer sweet deals on clothes for men and women, but also deals on home furnishing and gifts. Gilt swings more towards the designer high end side of things.

Another site to check out is JackThreads. Sorry ladies, but this site is strictly for men only. Whereas Gilt focuses on designer clothes, JackThreads centers on clothes the cool indie kids would wear.

But if clothing just isn't for you, the last option for discounted fun is Jetsetter. What's great about Jetsetter is that they offer crazy deals on luxurious hotels across the world. All you have to do is pay for airfare! Someday when (if) I ever have a lot of money, I think it would be sweet to sign up for random Jetsetter trips. They look freakin' sweet.

I'll admit that I visit these sites everyday just to see what new stuff is added. If you do want an invite, drop me a line so that you can be included in the bargin hunting fun. I'm going to go daydream about what cool vacations I can take.

Thursday
Aug192010

It's Allliiiiiiive!

No, I'm not dead. I promise. Well, maybe.

I know that there's been a lack of updating on the blog as of late and that the podcast has seen a couple weeks without some updating love. You may be wondering, what gives? That's what the emails ask anyway.

Let's just say these last couple months have been pretty crazy. I recently got a new job and moved to LA. If this wasn't enough I've also been working 14-16 hour days almost everyday. Not to mention flying back to Minnesota to be in a friend's wedding and taking my cousin to Disneyland and yeah... there's not much time left for blogging.

Add to the fact that this blog has become a wasteland for spam commenters (I just deleted 150 spam comments this morning) and it makes it hard to keep up. Damn you spammers.

shotgunBut have no fear. Instead of posting three times a week, I'm going to try the "cool internet personality" approach where I blog when I have the time. This means posts will be less frequent, but it also means they will be approximately 100 times better.

As far as the podcast goes, there are plans to revive that too. Just give us some time.

If it helps, just think of it like we've entered the Zombie stage of life. We were once dead, but now we're back to life. 

Hey. Don't point that shotgun at my head.

Friday
Aug062010

First World Malaise

Third World Problems.

When someone says this to you, a clear picture enters your head immediately. People that are hungry and need to eat. People that are without shelter and clothing that need something as simple as shoes. Things that kill people that really shouldn't, like diarrhea. 

First World Malaise.

Girl Scout CookiesThis idea is a bit more abstract to connect with. First world malaise is a term I use for things that people in first world countries could ever really face. Let me tell you, as someone that lives and works in Los Angeles, I see people who only know the "stress" of first world malaise.

You don't have to be wealthy to be someone that deals with first world malaise all the time. Here's an example of first world malaise that I deal with that really should be a non-issue. What should I have for lunch?

When I'm sitting in my office, I always end up spending a couple of hours before lunch thinking about where I want to get food. I weigh through my different options to figure out what will fill my craving. Sometimes, I don't know where I want to go so I just give up and choose randomly.

Step back for a second and read that last paragraph. While this sounds like a huge ordeal, it's really not. I'm "struggling" with figuring out where I need to eat. This is really a true embarrassment of riches. The problem is really ridiculous if you really think about it because while I can't decide at which place to eat, there are people that struggle just to find something to eat. It's the issue with first world malaise.

One of the biggest dangers of first world malaise is that it makes us forget the real problems that many people in the world have to deal with. It makes us numb to the rest of the world.

Deciding what to have for lunch is just one example. There's plenty of others: What kind of coffee should I drink? How should I wear my hair? Which pair of shoes do I put on.

But you're smart. You get the idea. Do you have any examples of first world malaise?

My favorite example that I heard someone actually say yesterday: Which assistant do I tell to get my mail?

Wednesday
Aug042010

People Get Ugly Over Time

If there's one thing I'm an expert at, it's being bad at romantic relationships. I've had way too many "serious" girlfriends than someone my age should. It's always because I fall for the same mistakes every time. The biggest mistake of those is ignoring one of the major rules of life: People Get Ugly Over Time.

True love dictates that when you meet the perfect person, you'll fall more and more in love with them everyday. For awhile, this happens in every relationship. Things could never get better because you are learning all of the great things about them everyday. But there comes a time when you stop learning about those great things and the only things left are bad things. And thus enters the ugly.

Ugly DollThis rule is true not just of romantic relationships but of people in general. For example, I've met plenty of people that I thought were gorgeous bombshells. However, as I got to know them more, they grew more and more unattractive. 

My theory is that you begin to acclimate to a person's physical attractiveness. I'm not saying that physical attraction isn't important in a relationship. What I am saying is that overtime, it becomes a non-issue. 

The good news about this is that the flip slide of this is true. People who are unattractive begin to grow more attractive over time. You may not notice someone right away because they are "average" or "unattractive," but the more you get to know them, the more attractive they become.

But even then, that growing attraction will eventually die as you finish learning all of the good things about them. Sorry, it's the cynicism inside of me. 

While this may sound cynical, I actually do believe in true and romantic love. As in, eventually, I will find someone out there that will not grow ugly over time. I believe that someday I'll be able to be with someone that makes me want them more every day.

But ironically, that may be my biggest problem. Maybe I should stop believing in true love.