There are only six weeks before Christmas! That means, it's time to prepare my wish list.
Now that I have my preciousssss BlackBerry Torch, I don't need a digital camera, any of the other BlackBerry models, or the iPhone. So what would I like to receive on Christmas?
DVR - Yes, I still need a DVR. I can't bear to miss The Big Bang Theory too much because of The Vampire Diaries. I need my Big Bang fix! Also, I don't wanna wait until summer to see the current season of Castle. I also miss new episodes ofCriminal Minds. Lastly, I don't wanna have to choose between The Good Wife and V when the latter comes back from hiatus. The Shaw on Demand that we have only works for House and Hawaii Five-0, and I can't watch either when someone's recording something. So I need my own DVR.
LOST: The Complete Collection (Blu-Ray) - I know I have the box sets for all six seasons, but I want to see the additional bonus features. That's at least two more hours of LOST goodies. (I really can't let go, can I?) I'll just sell the box sets that I already have.
Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man - I have a lot of books in my reading list. But I really want this graphic novel series. Really want this one.
I had seen the sneak peek for the show at this year's Scream Awards. I thought it was interesting, but it didn't exactly set my insides on fire. And, then I watched it on Halloween night.
The pilot episode was amazingly well-written and well-executed. It did remind me of Stephen King's The Stand. (But then, when I see anything that's post-apocalyptic with a group of characters uniting to stand against the bad guys, I think of The Stand anyway.) And, just like LOST, it really is all about the characters.
So I'm not really surprised that, two episodes in, AMC already renewed it for a second season. Woot woot!
Congratulations to the cast and crew! I look forward to being awesomely grossed out for a while.
I think it was fitting that Jorge spoke on behalf of the cast and crew. I loved when he referred to the black dagger-like trophy as the proverbial nail on the coffin for LOST. I only wish the entire cast were there.
Check out the following video for the men's entrance and Jorge's speech. Thanks to user THELOSTAFTERLIFE for making the video embeddable.
You may not have long hair or a closet full of tie-dye, but you definitely dance to the beat of your own drum. (And you may even play the drum as well.)
You are a true free spirit. You don't let yourself be weighed down by rules and expectations.
You are creative, philosophical, and caring. You want everyone to have a better life.
For you, the worst thing in the world is being stuck in some rat race. You rather be broke than have to wear a suit every day.
Six years ago today, LOST's "Pilot, Part 1" aired. I took one look at Jack Shephard's eye and then I was hooked. Of course, the amazing writing and magnificent acting, among all the other awesomeness, kept me hooked until "The End".
I wish I could time travel to September 22, 2004, and get lost in LOST all over again.
Because of the excellent new shows (e.g. Glee, The Vampire Diaries, Modern Family, Cougar Town, et cetera) and creatively rocking returning shows (e.g. LOST, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, et cetera), I had a full TV viewing schedule last year. Will it be the same this season?
This year, Mondays through Thursdays will continue to be crowded. For example, I still won't be able to watch original broadcasts of new House episodes because of HIMYM. Also, V may come back at the same timeslot as last year's, which means it will be up against The Good Wife. The Emmy-winning Modern Family will still be on the same timeslot as Criminal Minds, which means I have to wait for new episodes to air on A&E, unless Modern Family is a repeat or something. Lastly, I was relieved that FlashForward's cancellation meant that I could watch original broadcasts of new The Vampire Diaries episodes - that is, until CBS moved The Big Bang Theory to 8 PM on Thursdays.
I hope either CTV will air either series at 7 PM PDT or PST so I can watch the other at 8 PM or MuchMusic will air TVD on Fridays at 5 PM PDT or PST. Paging CTV or MuchMusic!
Because LOST has ended, Fringe is now my "main" show. That means I may actually write more decent blog posts about Fringe. Hehe. I can also study the glyph codes so I can guess the word or phrase by the end of the episodes. Maybe take notes too. Whaddya think?
Apart from last week's Creative Emmys win for the LOST editing team, the show was shut out of the major categories. Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad took the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award, instead of either Michael Emerson or Terry O'Quinn (who deserved another Emmy for his dual role in Season 6, as Flocke/The Man in Black and Sideways John Locke). Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad achieved a three-peat on the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series race, beating Matthew Fox, who was phenomenal as Jack Shephard during the final season. Taking the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series award, Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy's writing for Mad Men beat Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse's excellent crafting of the LOST series finale. Steve Shill's directing of an episode of Dexter earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, beating Jack Bender's incredible direction of the series finale. The most painful loss is in the Outstanding Drama Series category, which Mad Men won.
I would be very happy if I woke up from this horrible nightmare or if I found out that LOST won all the awards for which it is nominated in an alternate timeline.
*Sigh*
The night started well, actually. Glee's Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Amber Reilly, Chris Colfer, 30 Rock's Tina Fey, LOST's Jorge Garcia, and The Vampire Diaries's Nina Dobrev were included in Jimmy Fallon's opening number. That was fun. Then Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Then Glee's Jane Lynch won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy. Then Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory - so deservedly - won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy. Archie Panjabi of The Good Wife surprisingly won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award.
Thankfully, the rest of the LOST fandom on Twitter complained about the Emmy snubs as much as I did. And after the Outstanding Drama Series upset, we comforted ourselves with the fact that LOST will remain the best drama series for us in 2010 and for the six years it was on air.
I know I said that I'll be happy with the 13 nominations even if LOST didn't win anything. Of course, one win out of 13 is better than nothing. But this is the last time the Emmy voters could honour LOST for its greatness. There'll be no more chance for them to honour the series with another Outstanding Drama Series award, because the show is done. The Emmys even staged a funny musical tribute for shows that just ended, including LOST. That is not enough to recognize a show like LOST.
You have no idea how much I cried after the Emmy telecast. I am incredibly sad that the Emmy voters failed to recognize LOST for the outstanding show that it was. Even Modern Family's Outstanding Comedy Series win didn't ease the pain of LOST being snubbed tonight.
LOST was robbed tonight.
Oh, well.
To make us all laugh after tonight's depressive Emmy Awards, I leave you with the Season 6 bloopers from the Season 6 DVD/Blu-ray set. Thanks to user glennDfor making the video embeddable.
Congratulations to Stephen Semel, Mark J. Goldman, Christopher Nelson, and Henk Van Eeghan for winning the Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series award!!!
It sucks, though, that Elizabeth Mitchell lost in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series category. Also that Michael Giacchino lost in the Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) category. And that LOST, well, lost in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series, and Outstanding Special Class Programs categories.
FlashForward's stunt specialist Danny Weselis also won the Outstanding Stunt Coordination award for his work on the pilot. Take that, ABC! Also, Neil Patrick Harris won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series award. Betty White won the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series award. Heck, even the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony won two awards: Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) For a Variety, Music, or Comedy Programming and Outstanding Musical Direction.
Congratulations to all the winners at the Creative Arts Emmy! I hope LOST wins more at the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on August 29th.
In his monologue, Jimmy was talking about Jacob and the Man in Black after the episode "Across the Sea" was aired. He even likened the polarizing episode to the Soup Nazi appearing on an entire episode of Seinfeld before its series finale. Very funny.
*Sigh* I really, really miss LOST. Thank God I'm thisclose from getting my hands on the Season 6 DVD/Blu-Ray set. I haven't gotten the shipping confirmation from Amazon.ca, though. Maybe on Monday? Also, thank God I can bid online. Hope I get one of them!
LOST was tied with Breaking Bad for the award, while Modern Family took the Outstanding Achievement in Comedy honour. The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies, who could win the Emmy Best Actress - Drama in a month, won the Individual Achievement in Drama award, while Glee's Jane Lynch, a shoo-in for the Best Supporting Actress - Comedy Emmy, won the Individual Achievement in Comedy honour. The Pacific also won the Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials award.
So happy for Julianna Margulies and Jane Lynch! Modern Family too!
The big winner, though, is Glee, which won both the Program of the Year (the award show's highest honour) and the Outstanding New Program awards. I'm surprised that it didn't win the Outstanding Achievement in Comedy award. Hehehe...
Anyway, LOST was nominated for two other awards, Program of the Year and Heritage Award. The latter was given to M*A*S*H for its cultural and social impact on society.
Not too shabby for a recently departed show, though.
Congrats to all the winners, the full list of which can be found here.
I decided to add another story to the mix, because submitting three stories is a little bit cheaper than submitting just one. Well, USD $2 is still two bucks. So, in addition to Before I Let You Go and Frogs & Princes, I quickly edited Under The Autumn Rain, a story I wrote seven years ago. Then I went on the Flatmancrooked website and paid USD $40 for the three stories via PayPal. Then I copied and pasted the three stories on the submission form under my pen name. I was so relieved to see the "Success!" message after I hit send.
Again, thank You, Lord!
If you've read Before I Let You Go on my Writing.com profile - coughgotomyprofilecough - you'd know what it's about. Frogs & Princes is about a Christian girl torn between a Christian guy with whom she's in love and a non-Christian guy who's into her. It's semi-autobiographical. 'Nuff said. Anyway, Under The Autumn Rain is about a new Canadian immigrant who's had a bad day and who wants to give up.
Phew!
Even if I don't win anything, at least I got to write a new story. And I was able to write and edit with a deadline. See? It's a win-win situation.
But I do hope I win something. It'd be cool to win even a runner-up prize or consolation prize on the first fiction-writing contest I entered. That'd be really cool.
Of its thirteen nominations, the most important is the Outstanding Drama Series nomination. Four are in the acting categories. Elizabeth Mitchell is nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series category for her work in "LA X" and "The End". Previous winners Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson are both nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Best of all, Matthew Fox is nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category. It's about freaking time!
Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof's writing in the series finale is also recognized in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category. The Emmy voters also saw the error in their ways, because Jack Bender, snubbed last year, is nominated for the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series award! Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino's score for the series finale got him a nomination for the Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) award. Stephen Semel, Mark J. Goldman, Christopher Nelson, and Henk Van Eeghan's excellent work in editing the series finale is also recognized as they are nominated for the Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series award. Thomas E. deGorter and his team of sound editors, music editor, and foley artists are also nominated for the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series award. Bobby Anderson, Ken King, Frank Morrone, and Scott Weber are nominated for the Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) award. Zack Grobler, Matthew Jacobs, and Carol Bayne Kelley are also recognized for their awesome work in "Ab Aeterno" as they are nominated for the Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series award.
Lastly, ABC's web series Mysteries of the Universe - The Dharma Initiative is also nominated for the Outstanding Special Class Programs award.
In other Emmy news, Fringe's team of sound editors, music editor, and foley artists are also nominated in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series category as recognition for their work in the "White Tulip" episode. It's a shame John Noble still isn't nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. He'd better be nominated next year! V's visual effects team is nominated in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series category as recognition for their work in the pilot episode. Surprisingly, FlashForward - the show that ABC dumped in favour of V (not that I hate that show) - has three nominations: Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score), and Outstanding Stunt Direction.
The Good Wife has nine nominations: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Julianna Margulies), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Christina Baranski and Archie Panjabi), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Alan Cumming and Dylan Baker), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Costumes for a Series, and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. I hope it wins a maximum of five awards (not the drama series and the writing, of course, because they belong to LOST).
Glee has a gazillion nominations - 20, including the Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Fiction! I'm glad that other than the Golden Globe-nominated Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, and Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer is nominated because he so deserves it. My other favourite new sitcom Modern Family has 14 nominations, including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ty Burell, Eric Stonestreet, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara. Awesome!
The super-awesome Jim Parsons is nominated again in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. I hope that he'd say "Bazinga!" when he wins. And I seriously hope he wins!!! The Big Bang Theory is also nominated for four other awards, including a nod for Christine Baranski's guest spot as Leonard's mother. My other favourite old sitcom How I Met Your Mother is nominated for four awards, including an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nod for Neil Patrick Harris (who's also nominated for his guest spot on Glee) and an Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics nod for the song "Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit" that the characters performed in the 100th episode.
Even the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony is nominated! Despite the giant hydraulics malfunction, it has four nominations: Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special, Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) for a Variety, Music or Comedy Programming, Outstanding Music Direction, and Outstanding Special Class Programs.
Just as I expected, LOST rocked the Saturn Awards with another Best Network Television Series win. Not only that, Josh Holloway won the Best Actor on Television award, even beating Matthew Fox! LOST's Season 5 DVD set also won the Best DVD Television Release. Congrats!!!
Fringe also grabbed two awards: Anna Torv won the Best Actress on Television award (beating, among others, Evangeline Lilly) and Leonard Nimoy won the Best Guest Starring Role on Television award (beating, among others, Mark Pellegrino). Fringe's co-creators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman also received the George Pal Memorial Award for their "unending imagination and dedication to creating amazing genre-bending blockbusters at the movies and on television".
Julie Benz (Dexter) beat Elizabeth Mitchell (LOST) and Morena Baccarin (V) for the Best Supporting Actress on Television award. Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul also beat LOST's Jeremy Davies and Michael Emerson and Fringe's John Noble for the Best Supporting Actor on Television award.
Avatar swept the film awards, including the acting honours. I think Inglourious Basterds' Melanie Laurent (Best Actress) and Christoph Waltz (Best Supporting Actor) should have won their respective categories, though. Or is it just because I'm nuts about Inglourious Basterds? Hehe... And, oh, Inglourious Basterds won the Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film award! Woot woot!!!
So if the Emmys ignore LOST, its awesome actors, or both, I won't feel so bad. I have more respect for the Saturn Awards now than for the Emmys because the former gives LOST the recognition it deserves.
Um, no, I don't want to die early. I don't mind dying, just dying early.
So, I decided to take action. I downloaded a free app named iRelax Melodies from the iTunes Store. So far, it has helped me sleep faster with the relaxing music it plays (hence, the app name). The sound of ocean waves - as if I were on a deserted Island as one of Jacob's candidates - unsurprisingly puts me to sleep faster than watching The Weather Network or reading books in bed. On early morning Wednesday (1:30ish), I quickly fell asleep and I felt way more rested when I woke up at 5:45 AM than on any other work day. Of course, it's only been two days, so I can't say it has cured my insomnia. But it's one step towards it.
After four weeks without watching Glee, I finally caught a new episode on its original broadcast. Last night's new episode gave me two new favourite songs.
"Give Up The Funk":
Such a fun song! I wanted to get up and dance the whole time. Loved it!
I had a great B'Day on my Work Share Day. I woke up at around 2 PM (I slept at around 3 AM, so don't judge me! Hehe...) and saw a B'Day card from my mom. Then when my sister came home from work and from picking up her kids, she handed me a red envelope containing a gift card from Spa Utopia!!! Hehehe... I've been giving my family hints like, "I need a freaking spa day," or the like. Well, after all the crap I've gone through - and probably will go through in the next few months - I do need a spa day. Heck, I need a spa year! I haven't looked at the service directory, but I will definitely schedule a spa appointment soon.
Then we had an Italian dinner - i.e. spaghetti that my mom cooked and meat lover's and Hawaiian pizzas from Pizza Hut - at home at 4 PM, because the Cs needed to leave at 5 PM for Miss KC's awards assembly. My nephew/godson prayed before we ate and we all had a great chat over dinner. Then we took out a small chocolate cake with small Oreos on top (that my mom bought) and a medium-sized cheese cake from Costco. Everyone under 30 years old loved the chocolate cake and everyone above 21 years old loved the cheese cake.
After dinner, I settled in front of the living room TV to watch three of the four Glee episodes I had missed. My niece convinced me to open the pink gift-wrapped box that the Cs gave me during the "Laryngitis" episode. The Cs gave me the Pretty as a Picture Fragrance Value set from Elizabeth Arden!!! The box contains a Pretty Eau de Parfum Spray, a Pretty Body Lotion, and a Limited Edition Elizabeth Arden Charm Bracelet. It's sooooooooo pretty! There was also a letter from Miss KC. Very sweet and sincere.
I ate some more pizza and went back to my room after the "Dream On" episode to watch the FlashForwardseries finale. It was amazing, explosive, and mind-blowing. It's a shame that ABC cancelled the show. And that the finale had to air on my B'Day.
Thanks to everyone who sent B'Day greetings on Facebook and Twitter. I felt the love because a lot of people I haven't talked to actually greeted me.
The other best thing about my 27th B'Day? I wasn't sick! I got sick two weeks ago and I did my best to get better before the LOST series finale. I got better, but all the crying I did during "The End" made me cough again. But I wasn't coughing yesterday so it's all good.
Thank You, Lord, for the past 27 years. I raise a glass of Canada Dry ginger ale for the next 27 or 54 years (at least).