So I'm of course watching The Vampire Diaries. Why? Because I've read the books, it took over the Smallville time slot, and I can. A few episodes in and I'm loving it. So I skim the internet boards and I see people comparing Elena to Lana Lang and Bella.

Right. Let's take on Lana first. Yup teenage girls with the same hair and a boyfriend who keeps disappearing for no friggin reason and who seems to have no answers to her questions. Gotcha. Ends there. Personality wise Elena is going all Chloe on Stephan's ass already. No answers for me buddy, something doesn't seem right. Am I going to sit back for 5 years saying oh that's cute maybe next time you'll do better? Nope, I'm going to get straight to researching NOW (that small town had some good video back in the 50s). I'll question everything right up front because I'm no stupid ass girl.

Bella. Same thing. Okay, got the looks of her instead of the Elena from the book. Gotcha. Fell for the vamp, lust at first sight. Bingo. In this case it's more similar, Bella did kind of catch on semi quick. But Bella lives for Edward from the second she sees him, she doesn't care about much from the moment she meets him, except for him. She doesn't really question anything. It's all about her and her feelings first. Edward second. And oh yeah, what there's a world out there too? Elena at least does remember her brother and friends exist in the midst of everything else.

And so far, it's even better than the books.

Watched two movies tonight -

Brian and I watched Body of Lies on PPV. We did this because we never did get around to watching it even though Brian had worked on it. He'd never heard if his shots made it or if he was credited. He knew that it was likely neither happened but we figured we should find out. They did and he wasn't but neither was his boss and judging by the length of the credits for visual effects probably many weren't, so he didn't take it too personal. Man was that an anti-climatic movie. I'd have to give it 2 1/2 of 5 stars. Half good and half just seemed slow and repetitive or oh please. I'm even a fan of Leo's. Just um... I dunno I think most movies are just not meant for me. They're all too action action blow stuff up / looks like some other movie I've seen or toooo chick flick or too cheesy and not in an amusing fun sort of way that I can appreciate. Not my kind of things with a few exceptions.

So, after Brian went upstairs I decided to watch How to Be on PPV. Had never heard of it until yesterday, but they're pimping it out massively on the OnDemand channel (I assume because Robert Pattinson is in it -- I imagine 12 year old girls ordering it daily and jacking up their parents cable bills by $180 in a month). The trailer screamed this is a Ramie movie (more empahsis on characters and they should be quirky and less on fx and blowing stuff up). It was a good concept. Of the movies we've watched recently, it's the only one I'd want to see again. It does feel like they could have done something more with it, I'm just not sure what. Still it was the best movie I've seen in awhile, or the most me movie anyway -- it'd not be for everyone. Basically depressed 20something feeling like a loser with horrible parents decides he shall fix himself by hiring a self help author to come live with them. I think the only way to see it in the US is on PPV though so I shall not be seeing it again unless it's ever released on dvd. This one's more like 4/5 stars for me -1 because it did feel like they could do more. And maybe +1 because other movies I've seen recently have been so blah. I'm not sure though. It might truly be a 4 for me or it might be a 3 and I just needed something so different that it got a boost in comparison to all of the stuff that's been disappointing lately. 3 1/2 out of 5? hmm.

Well I think we can assume Smallville is on it's last season now. They're moving its night come the Fall lineup. Kiss of death for an established tv show, duh. Then again, does CW care about ratings as much as other networks? I actually don't mind, it's going to Friday night at 8, there's nothing on tv then.

The Thursday 8 pm slot is going to The Vampire Diaries. I learned this on accident. I realized that when I finished this 3rd Dresden book, I need some books to read. So I cracked into my PayPal and ordered two sets of teen vamp books. Yes yes, back to the teen books. Had a few sets of adult ones I could add to but wasn't feeling like going THAT cheesy. Adult ones are just too boring or cheesy (ok Twilight was cheesy but teen books can be cheesy when adult books are it's just sad). Needless to say since Vampire Diaries will be taking over Smallville's timeslot I ordered: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, and The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall. Then I decided I'd plan ahead and get or start a second series. It was between a few. I went with Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) since it was between that and Marked (House of Night, Book 1). I debated and debated and it went back and forth and almost went with Marked, I may still get it later.

Thank you American Idol for having Adam Lambert. I actually watch performance nights (well nothing else is really on). But I WANT to watch. And I haven't watched that friggin show in years. What season are the on now? I think I last watched it in season 2? Maybe.

Then I stick around for Fringe, because I thought nothing cool was on Tuesday nights except for L&O at 10. But Fringe isn't too bad. Not brilliant tv, but good enough. Kind of like X-files but a bit with a more police'y feel.

Even though there have been a few episodes in this season of Smallville that were just eh, so so, I must say I'm glad that it appears that CW has picked it up for season 9. I didn't think it could even survive this season but I actually want to watch it every week, more so than the last season or two. Even without Lex and I loved Lex. Even with a Doomsday plot and I laughed out loud, for real, when I heard Smallville is going to try a Doomsday plot of some sort. Doing their own thing with all of this stuff is totally working for me. I'd probably even watch a Justice league / Green Arrow spinoff at this point since the current writers seem like they could be setting it up for that, and are doing it well. Or at least well enough to keep me happy, without going toooooo cheesy though a little cheesy now and then. Sorry you can't avoid some cheesiness when doing a comic book story line. Why do they always make me feel sorry for and/or like the bad guys though, damn them.

ER went bye bye tonight, I got what they did with the finale but Brian's disappointed as he felt it one of their weaker episodes though he was impressed with their finale season overall. They had an MS patient in their last two episodes. I must say they had MS on that show quite a bit -- both people doing really well with it and people who were really sick.

This leaves tv lacking for me now. Without HBO (aka I have to wait for True Blood on dvd) I'm down to Smallville, Earl, The Office, Desperate Housewives, L&O (which I suspect must be going bye bye to since they're giving Leno the 10 pm slot every night of the week and L&O covers topics that I don't see being aired at 9), Ghosthunters, and news shows. Several hundred channels, 7 days a week, and almost nothing worth watching. I occasionally catch Top Chef and Project Runway too but I don't cook or care about fashion so I've no clue why I ever watch those, guilty pleasures those, shh don't tell anyone. Oh Mythbusters though I need to remember to set a new recording since they had been airing repeats for ages so we replaced its recording with GH, but a new season starts soon and the nights it airs I believe they air it two or three times, so I should be able to record both it and GH.

So I had ordered the Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition) dvd from Amazon, and they send out an email code to let everyone who pre-ordered to watch it free online for 24 hours. Seems they didn't want the die hard Twilighters showing up at their corporate offices with pitchforks in hand if the dvds don't show up in the mail today. I'm not fond of watching even video clips on my laptop because they tend to lag, even with pre-load and right now for some reason some won't load at all (MySpace and Comedy Central videos don't work since I upgraded Flash), but I figured I'd give it a shot since I could download it and watch it for 24 hours still that way instead of watching it "online".

Ok, so when I saw the Twilight trailers I was really rather WTF? I did, in fact, order the dvd because I liked the books but had little hope for the movie because the trailers looked HORRIBLE. It was not a masterpiece but it was far better than the trailers made it seem. Something about the way the trailers framed that movie had me thinking they just totally ruined the story. I was envisioning some cheesy vampire showdown at the prom, and just I dunno... Judging by trailers alone, I'd been sure they'd done some bad horror movie -- let's make sure the guys come running to this series, cheese it up in all new ways (yes I admit the reason I loved the books is they're a cheesy teenage vamp romance) thing to it. They did do some WTF? things in the movie, but eh, whatever.

The effects in the movie? Not that impressed I gotta say and usually I don't really comment on them, that's the bf's thing. I should make the bf watch after all, he'll LOVE it ;) And the sun effects? Yeah I've lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, they indeed would find that freaky, but in bigger towns, say Portland, pffft, he'd fit right in!


I think I shall reserve judgment about whether the series works as movies or not until movie #2. It felt like at times the actors were naturally suited for the roles maybe and at others just not comfortable at all. Like all of them major and minor went back and forth between I AM this character and I. AM. READING. A. SCRIPT. I. DO. NOT. CARE. I. GET. PAID. EITHER. WAY. TELL. ME. WHAT. TO. DO. Only the James Character really seemed right at all times I think, maybe Victoria too. The key was being evil maybe? I think, that's what's wrong? I'm not sure but something was just not quite right in this movie. Even though it was better than I expected I still just can't figure out what is off. The acting or direction. The next movie will have a different director so if it still feels off then, I'll blame the actors :P If they seem more natural, I'll know it was the director. Either way, I'll wait and watch it at home too when they get around to releasing it, I'm not impressed enough to run out and see these in theaters.

Welp that was fast. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 1) arrived Saturday and I finished it Sunday morning. It's official, when it comes to reading my guilty pleasure is now trashy vamp romance novels. As long as they sound a bit humorous and like they don't take themselves totally serious I'll read them and do so quickly. This one? A dentist witnesses something she should not have so she's in the witness protection program. A vampire loses his fang and needs it replaces STAT or he's gonna heal in his sleep and have one fang for eternity. He gets to the all night dentist office just in time to save said dentist's life and then has to convince her to implant the tooth which she thinks is an animal tooth (you can't just go around announcing you're a vampire, now can you?). Of course they fall for each other, and then the twists begin.

I've decided to add the rest of the series to my wish list, since I'm just starting to read and get addicted to these trashy vampy romances and have only found a few authors, so far, who write this stuff. I'm doomed. When I find my box of books I'll find something deeper to make up for it. Or not, I kind of like these easy, fast mindless, trashy reads. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone. I watch a lot of news and politics, I deserve it! *nods*