Squeeee!

I quite like the fact that ESS is front and center in the ad. Good choice, promo department!

Heading out tonight to the airport hotel, for an early morning flight to L.A. I've scrounged up some hopefully-appropriate clothing (it's in the 40's-50's here, so finding clothes for 80-plus weather is a challenge) and triple-checked my ticket for the filming. Phones and cameras are a big no-no in the studio, so I won't be live-tweeting the experience, but rest assured that I'll be providing an epic trip report after the fact!

Don't know if I'll actually get to meet Eric, but just seeing him perform live will be fantastic. Have I mentioned I'm a fan? No? Wow, sorry about that. Don't know how it slipped my mind. :) Have a great rest of the week - I know I will!

Torchwood, Day Two: Observations

Have you been watching Torchwood this week? It's showing in the US (and I believe Canada) this week over five days. I've been waiting not-so-patiently for it to arrive, and finally it's here!

Two episodes down, three to go. My thoughts so far (and I'll try to keep them as non-spoilerish as possible):

1. Bigger, deeper, more complex. Loving the storytelling in this story arc.

2. The interactions between Jack and Ianto make me giggle and melt at the same time. Oh, boys, you're so cute together! I don't care what you say, couple fits.

3. I've watched the commercials I don't know how many times, and it doesn't matter. Those children creep me out.

4. Speaking of creeping me out, how Jack came back in episode two? Ewwww.

5. Oh, Ianto Jones, tea boy and heavy equipment operator, how I adore you. Mrowr.

6. Loving the backstory. Getting to see Jack and Ianto (separately so far) outside Torchwood proper is illuminating, to say the least. And Gwen and Rhys are adorable together, as always.

7. MORE SNOGGING, PLS. kthxbai.

8. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Coming up on the blog: Kate's great travel adventures, or, why I haven't posted in (gulp) almost two weeks. Sorry.

Kate's Current TV Crush

If you're following me on Twitter you already know about my newest TV crush. If not, let me introduce you to:


Captain Jack Harkness





Excuse me for a moment while I swoon...

;)

Okay. Better now.

I first discovered Captain Jack via Twitter, a month or so ago. Someone had posted that the scene between John Barrowman's Captain Jack and James Marsters' Captain John was fabulous. Curious, I searched for it on YouTube and thought, I have to see this show.

Now, confession time. I've never seen Doctor Who (sorry, Angie! It's in my Netflix queue, I promise!). My last experience with British sci-fi was Red Dwarf, back in college. (Which I also loved, but that's a story for another day.) So when I got a copy of season one of Torchwood and sat down to watch it, I had no background on the character, the setting, or the history of the show. (Captain Jack was originally a character on Doctor Who, and is now the lead character in the spinoff Torchwood.) Some of the in-jokes and reference fly right over my head.

I don't care. I love it anyway.

I love the stories, I love the characters, I love the fact that sexual orientation is a non-issue (characters fall for who they fall for, without lots of commentary and freaking out), I love the cheesy special effects (and, let's face it, BBC sci fi does have its share of cheesy special effects), and most of all, I love Captain Jack.

Know who else I adore? John Barrowman, the actor who portrays Captain Jack. He's amazingly talented, having gotten his start in musical theater before moving to television. He can sing, dance, act, and is a hilarious interviewee. Sadly, I can't embed this video, but here's the link to his newest single, What About Us. He's also openly gay, and in a long-term committed relationship with his partner, an architect.

So there you have it. My new TV crush, Captain Jack Harkness (and, by extension, John Barrowman). If you like sci fi, British TV, and cute guys kissing, you might want to check out Torchwood. Enjoy!

Book BIN Tuesday -- Dark of Night

I just have one question.

How long do I have to wait before I can read it again?

I mean, I already killed Saturday night and most of Sunday devouring it for the first time. (The scheduled basement cleanup from the Great Flood That Didn't Happen of 2009? Uh, yeah. That.)

And I'm just itching to dive into it again.

Loved it.

Loved.

It.

I'm not going to get into the spoilers (others have done so far better than I would), but for the record I was totally Switzerland regarding the whole Dave/Sophia/Decker thing. I just trusted that Suz would make it work, whatever direction she took the storyline. And boy, did she. DON is easily one of my favorites of the Troubleshooters series so far. And I had no expectation of that happening as I picked up the book Saturday night. Yee-haw.

So if you've been on the fence about DON, or, like me, trapped in the "printing error meant we sent all our copies back and have no idea when the corrected version will be available" nightmare -- in FOUR DIFFERENT BOOKSTORES -- do yourself a favor and hunt a copy down. You won't be sorry. So go. Go Buy It Now!

Kate's Current Movie Crush - Van Johnson

Van Johnson as Andrew Larkin, In The Good Old Summertime.

It's a silly name for the movie, since it takes place almost entirely at Christmas. In fact, it's one of my favorite Christmas movies, one I always forget about until I run into it on TV during the holiday season.

If you haven't watched it before, you really should. It's a musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner, and it stars a sparkling Judy Garland and my current movie star crush, Van Johnson.

Now, Van Johnson isn't one of those heart-stopping sexy leading men from the film industry heyday, like Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power or Clark Gable. He's more the boy-next-door, with the quirky smile and floppy hair, who you always end up rooting for to get the girl. Think James Stewart (who played the same role in The Shop Around the Corner) or Tom Hanks (ditto, in You've Got Mail).

So if you've seen either of those movies, you know the basic plot of In The Good Old Summertime. Boy meets girl, they fight and fuss, all the while not knowing that the other is their secret pen-pal. I love watching Van Johnson's progression from sparring partner to hidden crush, as he realizes that the ideal woman of his post-office-box romance is really the spunky, frustrating Veronica Fisher. Van Johnson and Judy Garland were friends in real life, and their comfort and delight in working with each other is evident in the easy, enjoyable interplay between them.

But the reason I've got this huge, movie star crush on Van Johnson right now is the last scene of the movie. He's teasing her about her "fiance", making up increasingly horrible things about this fictional man of her dreams (he's bald! He's fat! He's unemployed!), all the while interspersing it with coded statements of how he really feels about her. The little glances, the way he holds back when what he really wants is to sweep her into his arms -- sigh!

And when he sits down next to her, he can't keep his hands to himself. He touches her hair, puts his arm around her, toys with her lacy collar, even presses kisses to her temple while she all but pants with repressed sexual tension. It's one of the hottest scenes I've watched for a long time, and the farthest they finally go is a fade-to-black chaste kiss.

I've tried to find the scene on YouTube, but all I can find is the musical numbers from the movie. So you really should go rent it now. You can find it on Netflix, or, if you're a Comcast customer, it's a free On Demand movie via TCM.

Here's the TCM trailer, for a quick taste...


So, who's your current movie star crush?

Book BIN Tuesday -- Into the Fire

Yeah, yeah, I know. Every July it's the same thing. "Suz Brockmann has a new book! Must buy now!"

Drives my DH 'round the bend, too.

But I can't help it. I love, love, love her books. And I can't wait to read this one. Here's the scoop:

Vinh Murphy -- ex-Marine and onetime operative for the elite security firm Troubleshooters Incorporated -- has been MIA ever since his wife, Angelina, was caught in a crossfire and killed during what should have been a routine bodyguard assignment. Overcome with grief, Murphy blames the neo-Nazi group known as the Freedom Network for her death. Now, years later, Freedom Network leader Tim Ebersole has been murdered -- and the FBI suspects Murphy may have pulled the trigger. To prevent further bloodshed, Murphy's friends at Troubleshooters scramble to find him and convince him to surrender peacefully.

Murphy himself can't be sure what he did or didn't do during the years he spent mourning and lost in an alcohol-induced fog. He does know he occasionally sought solace from Hannah Whitfield, a former police officer and the very friend who'd introduced him to his beloved late wife.

But Hannah, still grappling with the deafness that resulted from an injury sustained while on duty, was fighting her own battles. For years Hannah had feelings for Murphy, and one painful night their suffering brought them together in a way neither expected -- and both regretted.

But finally, Murphy is ready to rejoin the living. As always, he finds himself knocking on Hannah's door, and as always, his longtime friend welcomes him back into her home. Yet even as Murphy slowly rebuilds his splintered life, he continues to fight his growing feelings for Hannah. Then he learned of Ebersole's murder and comes to believe that the Freedom Network has targeted him -- and Hannah -- to avenge their leader's death.

Now Murphy must face the terrifying prospect of losing to violence another woman he loves.
As the Troubleshooters desperately search for him, Murphy races toward a deadly confrontation with the Freedom Network and the ultimate choice: surrender his life in the hopes that Hannah will be spared, or risk everything to salvage whatever future they may have together.

*bouncing up and down* I can't wait!

I just hope I can track down a copy soon so I can Buy It Now!

Richard Armitage -- Sigh!

So I mentioned a while back that I'd glommed onto North and South, finally succumbing to the Great North And South Crusade (thanks, KristieJ!). After watching it via Netflix, I ran out and bought my own copy.

(Haven't seen the movie yet? Skip the rental step and just go buy it. You won't regret it.)

Yes, I own it. Yes, I've watched it more than once. Yes, my oldest child has actually learned to play the violin piece by ear because it's been in the DVD player, on main menu, so often that all three can hum the theme song.

ANYway, one of the many, many reasons I love North and South is Richard Armitage. Oh, my heavens, Richard Armitage. Those striking good looks! Those brooding stares! That gorgeous voice!

Le sigh. Le swoon.

Needless to say, N & S was my first introduction to Mr. Armitage. Now, of course, I'm checking out everything else I can get my hands on that he's been in. I hear he's fabulous in Robin Hood, which starts its new season on BBC America on the 26th. If I'm quick, I can get the previous season on Netflix and catch up before the new show.

That, of course, means I have to finish my current Netflix rental, The Vicar of Dibley: Holy Wholly Happy Ending. I've never actually watched The Vicar of Dibley before, so some of the character relationships and in-jokes are going right over my head. But I don't care. RICHARD ARMITAGE is in it! As Harry, Gerry's love interest! And he's SMILING all the time! It's brilliant, I tell you. The most we got out of Mr. Thornton was a twitch at the corner of his mouth a couple of times. A full-on grin is like a gift from the heavens.

So, Richard Armitage. Amazing in North and South, and so far, impressive in other stuff as well. Go see for yourself!

My Newest Musical Crush....

Damn you, Lynne Connolly, for mentioning Seth Lakeman on the Samhain Cafe the other night. She said, and I quote: "Now go watch Seth Lakeman before I take him away from you. And don't watch him doing Kitty Jay. That way lies obsession."

Never one to back down from a challenge like that, I looked him up on YouTube.

She's right, dammit. He's amazing.

See for yourself:


Enjoy!

Blogging On Glomming...

Hey all!

I'm over at the Samhain blog today with a post about the joys and pains of glomming. Hope you can drop by and put in your two cents worth!

Kate

I've Been Tagged! -- Five Things I Obsess About

Thanks to the lovely and talented Selena Kitt, I've been tagged with a new meme -- five things I obsess about.

Oh-kaaay... I'll give it a shot!

1. Reading series books in order. I used to be able to read a book even if it was in the middle of a series. No more. If I'm going to read Sue Grafton's mysteries, I've got to start at A, baby! It just drives me crazy to find myself in the middle of ongoing storylines and wondering who the heck that person is who just dropped in. And, of course, I adore series, so I have to spend that extra bit of time searching out the books in order.

2. Like Selena posted, I'm obsessed with Netflix. Is my queue up to date? Am I balancing choices for me, my husband, and my kids? Am I forgetting some new release?

3. Cooking Light magazine. I rarely actually try a recipe from it, but I've got stacks of 'em with gorgeous pictures and intriguing menu ideas. Then I go make chicken tacos like every other Tuesday of the year.

4. Entertainment Weekly. With three kids, I hardly ever get control of the remote, let alone enough time to watch a show on a regular basis. (Although I do make exceptions for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which I listen to in the background most nights while finishing up work for the day job.) And forget about movies in the theater! But with my subscription to EW, I can keep up on pop culture, and even talk half-knowledgeably about what's going on with the latest reality show! (Plus, it helps me fill out my Netflix queue -- see #2.)

5. Technorati. What can I say, I'm insanely curious about what other people are blogging about! (And yes, I have been known to ego-surf from time to time. )

So there you go -- my obsessions. In return, I'm tagging Diane Craver, monkeybard, and Stacy. Have fun, ladies!