Bliss Part 13

Part 12, of course, was Jamie Cullum's concert. :)

Ahh, where should I start?

How about Jakob Karr, runner-up from So You Think You Can Dance season 6?

( I haven't figured out how to embed videos yet, so please bear with the links. )

Been watching the show faithfully for months now, and can't get over JK's brilliance as a dancer.

Examples:

A jazz routine with Ellenore - one of many great collaborations, showcasing JK's crazy skills. He specializes in mid-air splits, which I've heard judge Nigel Lythgoe call "jetés".

The choreographers have also taken notice, since they love to throw these in whenever Jakob's under their tutelage. There're even jetés in the foxtrot, for pete's sake! :D

Another favourite - the sexy cha-cha with Ashleigh Di Lello. JK mannerisms always come across as a little effeminate, especially when he talks. But when he's on-stage doing what he does best, he's just damn HOT!

This contemporary piece gave me goosebumps the first time I saw it. And what a surprise that it was a huge hit with the audience and judges as well. Choreographer Sonya Tayeh brings her signature quirkiness, aided by JK and eccentric partner, Ellenore.

The result? Pure magic. :)

And get a load of this wonderful contemporary routine with Kathyrn ( the best female dancer of S6 ).

This latest installment of SYTYCD is the best one yet. Other memorable performances include:

A luscious cha-cha ( Kathryn and hunky dude Ryan Di Lello ) - YOW!

A dreamy Broadway routine ( Kathryn and Nathan Trasoras ).

A breath-taking Viennese waltz that moved me to tears ( JK and Mollee Gray ).

Last but not least, an exquisite contemporary piece choreographed by season 2 alumnus Travis Wall. Danced by real-life ballroom couple Ashleigh and Ryan, this is best appreciated by fans who know their poignant background story.

I, for one, was rendered speechless by its sheer artistry.

A couple of days back, AXN screened a special episode of SYTYCD, featuring 15 of the best performances over the past 5 seasons. It is indeed remarkable how far the show has come. I started watching from S2 onwards ( S1 somehow never made it to our shores, and S5 has yet to hit our screens ), and suddenly remembered another major hottie from the past - i.e. Neil Haskell from S3.

Just look at this fabulous jazz piece!

And I still vividly remember this awesome disco routine!

Okay that's enough for now. :)

Have been enjoying my Megavideo subscription, watching and downloading a chunk of movies both recent and all the way back to the early 1990s.

An Education is extremely good, though I need to watch it again since I was a little distracted the first time round.

The main draw for me is none other than Peter Sarsgaard, whom I loved in Shattered Glass ( ignore Hayden Christensen ), and whose subsequent films ( Orphan, Jarhead ) I also enjoy.

This is his second best role to date ( the best being editor Charles Lane in Glass ).

As David, the smooth-talking charmer who sweeps 16-year-old Jenny off her feet, Sarsgaard is perfectly suave and convincing, but delivers a kicker of a twist in the last 15 minutes, guaranteed to shock you out of your skin, though some of you may have already seen it coming.

I didn't though, which made it pretty traumatic, argh!

Will definitely download for future enjoyment. Carey Mulligan is excellent in the lead role, and shares great chemistry with Sarsgaard, helping to buffer any creepiness the viewer may experience considering the age gap between the main characters.

And I just love his flawless British accent. :)

Another good movie I just watched - The Informant!, starring a long-time fave of mine, Matt Damon.

Not suitable for everybody - my mom dozed off but I was riveted. Very quirky but hilarious. The soundtrack had me in stitches for some strange reason, and Damon's comic timing is spot-on.

He's actually a terrific comedic actor - loved his turn as a Siamese twin in Stuck On You. Try to watch it if you can. I'm sure it's online somewhere.

And pay attention to the funny voice-overs in The Informant! Some of them come shooting out of nowhere and sound completely insane. Gives you insight into the inner workings of the lead character's strange mind heh!

Surprisingly, New Moon turned out to be quite enjoyable. Slow and lengthy, but far superior to Twilight in terms of production and acting. Taylor Lautner shows potential and IMHO outshines Robert Pattinson in their scenes together.

Bella Swan, wake up and smell the coffee already!

The fun part about watching the film is realizing that all that time spent reading the novels wasn't wasted. There're quite a few subtle plot points that get skimmed over in the movie adaptation, so I found myself explaining these to my mom as the show progressed.

I actually watched it online first but got the DVD from another source for my mom's benefit.

The soundtrack's reaaally good.

Next DVDs in line: The Hurt Locker - really looking forward to this one! - and The Boys Are Back starring Clive Owen.

Which reminds me, I'd like to watch Closer again sometime. Fully uncensored version. Online. :)

Current bedtime reading: Charlaine Harris' Living Dead In Dallas, aka book 2 in the Southern Vampire series, on which the TV show True Blood is based.

Impressions so far: Harris is a good writer. Sookie's much less irritating on paper than she is on-screen, there's a lot more sex in the books ( waiting to see when Harris will run out of descriptions ), Eric the Viking vamp is more prominent in the novels ( I like him so this is a good thing ), and once again, like Dexter, the printed and televised versions are very different ( especially from season 2 onwards ).

Thank goodness Lafayette survives on the small screen. One of my fave characters, that one.

Till next time...

Review of Jamie Cullum's Concert

Esplanade Concert Hall

13 April 2010

To repeat my tweet from last night - it was AWESOME!

Everything that could've and should've gone right did exactly that.

The gig was sold out. The audience was enthusiastic but not rowdy. The people seated around me weren't annoying ( a rare occurrence ). I had 2nd row seats and happened to pick a spot that was right in front of the grand piano, so I had an excellent view of Jamie the whole time.

The sound system didn't act up ( except for one instance of microphone feedback which lasted a few seconds ). The acoustics were fantastic!

And Jamie wowed us all with his undeniable talent and effervescent stage presence. Yowzah!

To tell you the truth, I didn't expect to enjoy myself this much. Sure, I have 4 of his 5 albums ( the very first one being out of circulation for eons and thus, unavailable even to diehard fans ), and consider 2005's Catching Tales his best so far.

And to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by his latest release, The Pursuit. ( Perhaps my perspective was clouded by the deluge of new albums on the market at the time; I was rather distracted by John Mayer and Adam Lambert's offerings as well. )

But now that I've heard Jamie perform 6-7 tracks from The Pursuit in a 'live' setting, I am blown away yet again.

The show started very promptly at 7:35pm, and the first thing that struck me was the absence of Geoff Gascoyne and Sebastiaan de Krom - Jamie's stalwart sidekicks from his previous tours.

Instead, 4 young fellows walked on-stage to play the drums, guitars / bass, trumpet and keyboard.

And although I was initially quite disappointed by the absence of the 2 older men, I have to agree that revamping the band was a move in the right direction. The entire vibe was different - more kick-ass, and of course, testosterone-laden ( they're good-looking chaps, which I greatly appreciate :)).

Jamie appeared in a light blue jacket, blue long-sleeved shirt, black tie and greyish jeans, launching into a cover of Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music, which appears on The Pursuit.

Not my favourite track, but the acoustics did their magic, and I was instantly spellbound.

Jamie's vocals were, as always, pitch perfect. The band sounded amazing - every instrument clear as a bell and meshing very nicely. It would only get better as the night progressed!

Having made a list of his repertoire the minute I got home last night, I count 21-22 songs in an almost 2.5-hour period.

From The Pursuit: the Rihanna piece, plus I'm All Over It, Just One Of Those Things, Wheels, Mixtape and If I Ruled The World.

I keep thinking he also performed You And Me Are Gone, but can't be certain. L, if you read this, maybe you can enlighten me?

From Catching Tales: Photograph, Get Your Way, and Mind Trick.

From Twentysomething: These Are The Days, Twentysomething, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Wind Cries Mary, All At Sea, High And Dry, and Frontin'.

Covers: Hoagy Carmichael's I Get Along Without You Very Well, Ray Charles' I Got A Woman, Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River ( plus the original Ella Fitzgerald version ), and a short sampling of Rihanna's Umbrella just before High And Dry.

Short ditty: a hilarious impromptu jam about Jamie feeling good but not looking it, during which he made fun of his ridiculous hair and terrible attire way back when.

Aww, it wasn't THAT bad really. You were young, you got away with it. :D

Magical moments? Too many to count. Compared to his last show in Singapore in June 2006 ( review dated June 16, photos posted on June 18 ), this was soooo much better.

The venue definitely contributed to the overall enjoyment. Jamie has never sounded this good ( this is the 3rd time I'm seeing him - first show was in 2004 at a nightclub at Wisma Atria; sound system was terrible! ), and the entire evening was a wonderful revelation.

He's matured beautifully - his recent marriage has done him a lot of good! - but his trademark fun spirit hasn't dampened one bit. Those high leaps from his Yamaha grand still feature prominently, and his energy level rarely waned, though towards the last half hour, he slowed things down significantly and looked a bit piqued after a few songs.

The most memorable segments:

1) A poignant rendition of If I Ruled The World, a track that I never really liked until I heard him sing it 'live'. He remarked that it's his grandmother's favourite song, and for some reason, that statement really hit me, and I paid close attention to the lyrics ( he describes his version of utopia ) as he belted his heart out.

The result was nothing short of astounding.

2) A loong drawn out rendition of Frontin' - one of my favourite covers from Jamie!

I've heard this 'live' a couple of times before, but he took it to the next level!

Started off with a solo beatbox routine. He walked over to the Rhodes keyboard located centrestage and fiddled with some buttons before we realized he was actually doing an audio recording. Then he began to add layer after layer, returned to the piano, launched into the song proper, and continued jamming for maybe 10 full minutes? At the end, he did the same layering effect, this time with vocals. So it sounded like 3 Jamie Cullums singing with the real person. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. No kidding. :)

3) Wheels - again, a song I'd never taken notice of until last night.

It's a great pop-rock anthem, but so terribly diluted on the studio recording. So when the concert hall's acoustics gave it a huge boost, this piece soared like a rocket speeding into outer space. I swear I could hear bits of U2 and Coldplay in there. Major goosebumps!

4) Cry Me A River - this is when Jamie, in true form, hopped off-stage and took his band-mates to the back of the hall, to squeals of delight from the audience.

He spent about 10-15 minutes strolling around and climbing onto a wooden partition, singing both the Ella Fitzgerald and Justin Timberlake versions, in an ingenious mash-up medley.

I couldn't see him for most of the segment, but it's a small price to pay for the other 90% of the show, when he was sitting / standing right smack in front of me. :)

5) The one-two punch of Hoagy Carmichael's I Get Along Without You Very Well, followed by Jamie's own composition from The Pursuit, You And Me Are Gone.

Jamie sets this up by saying the next 2 pieces should strike a chord with "anyone who's ever dumped someone, or been dumped by someone, who hates the person they dumped, or hates the person they were dumped by". Hilarious!

Here's a Diana Krall version to give you an idea of what the first song sounds like.

Jamie's performance was exquisite! A stripped-down solo with just his trusty piano, but filled with so much heartfelt longing. I would've blinked back tears but the ecstatic bliss got in the way. :)

The second piece is what Jamie describes as the "nasty" follow-up to its nicer counterpart. He smoothly transitioned from slow ballad to hard jamming, making the floors shake and the walls reverberate. Priceless!

6) His cover of Ray Charles' I Got A Woman - it's become a favourite of mine since Jamie Foxx and John Mayer did their own updates in recent years. This is such a catchy tune but you need lots of attitude to pull it off, and Jamie's got loads of it!

He even added his own impersonation of Ray during the performance, which got the entire concert hall cheering. :D

7) I Get A Kick Out Of You - another one of my top favourites. The last time he was in Singapore, it was a full trio rendition. Yesterday, however, he opted for an acoustic vocals-and-bass version. Bassist Chris Hills stepped forward as the lights dimmed and the rest of the band went backstage, doing a fabulous solo that had us all whooping our approval. Then Jamie reappeared and stood next to Chris, and when he started singing the first verse, I screamed till I went hoarse. Yes indeed, I LOVE this song!

The overall mood from the get-go was just pure exuberance.

Jamie was clearly on a major high, and got only crazier ( in the best possible way ) as the minutes passed.

He swigged from a can of Guinness Stout. He said he could care less about our mobile phones and digital / handphone / video cameras. We were welcome to take as many photos and record whatever we wanted, with his full permission.

Pity I left my camera at home 'cos I had such a terrific view, but then, still pictures wouldn't have done him justice, so it's a good thing his fans have already uploaded videos on YouTube!

Here's the one of his Cry Me A River mash-up. Very fun!

And part of the Frontin' performance, with the beatbox included. Sexy. :)

A few songs into the show, Jamie started feeling hot, so he peeled off his jacket and folded up his sleeves. Not long after, he removed his tie, and apologized to an excited female audience member in the first row who stretched out her arm in an attempt to grab it, telling her, "But it's my favourite one!"

Although I don't think the tie was what she was actually trying to get her hands on, heh!

He shared his thoughts about Singapore - both from 2006 and his current trip. He loves our weather and our food. He thinks the Esplanade concert hall is just "beautiful".

He was so unbelievably upbeat throughout the 2.5 hours, I really lucked out in terms of my seating choice because I basically had "courtside" tickets, to use a basketball game analogy.

While hitting a high note on I'm All Over It, he belted into the mike a little too forcefully, then stopped short before the last word in the line, to everyone's immense amusement. Not sure if it was deliberate, but there were a few other instances later in the show where he made self-deprecating remarks about his vocals, like after one drawn-out falsetto: "Well, that turned out better than I expected ( laughs )"!

After his Cry Me A River mash-up got the audience on their feet and hungry for more, Jamie ended the set with a rousing performance of Mind Trick ( yet another masterpiece from Catching Tales, woohoo! ), inviting those from the back to come to the front and boogie.

As for the encores, he obliged with Wind Cries Mary and All At Sea, before bidding us goodnight in a soft whisper tinged with exhaustion.

When the lights came on and I sat waiting for the crowd to filter out, I almost couldn't believe how sensational Jamie has become. Compared to the 2006 concert, he has improved tremendously - not that he wasn't great to begin with, just that he's gotten THAT much greater.

And even though his stage antics sometimes distract people from the fact that he has a GORGEOUS voice, the fact that he's mellowed somewhat ( plus the wonderful acoustics ) showcased his vocal prowess in all its glory last night.

This guy can REALLY sing. And leaving the covers out of the equation, Jamie is also one helluva talented songwriter.

Last but not least, I so appreciate his decision to perform tracks from his earlier albums and not just The Pursuit alone, which is what many artistes usually do in order to promote sales of their latest releases.

In particular, the best of Twentysomething was thrown into the mix, and it became very obvious that the audience has followed his career for at least a few years, as they applauded and whistled during these classic hits, even singing along word for word when prompted.

It was a wonderful journey down memory lane. Ahhhhh. :)

Little wonder that Jamie's very good friends with my favourite musician, Jason Mraz. My cousin tells me they met at a jazz festival some time back and hit it off immediately. Jamie's listed as Jason's 2nd best friend on MySpace, if I'm not wrong.

Just a small tidbit for you to chew on as I end this lengthy blog entry.

It was a magnificent night that I will never forget, and thank you, Jamie, for blessing us with such a mind-blowing performance! Please come back soon - don't make us wait another 4 years!

:)

Bliss Part 11

Yes, the saga continues. :)

I have hit the mother lode, people.

Started subscribing to Megavideo with the main purpose of watching American TV shows online, but turns out there're tonnes of movies available as well!

Just type the title of the film you're looking for and add "megavideo" at the end. The only catch is, you need to be a paid subscriber in order to obtain uninterrupted and unlimited access, otherwise the feed will automatically stop after 72 minutes of viewing.

Have already sampled a few blockbusters, and am very happy with the excellent image and sound quality.

Also found A Walk On The Moon, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Diane Lane and Liev Schreiber.
Almost bought this from Amazon, but guess I can just download it instead heh!
Didn't realize this was directed by Tony Goldwyn, who also helmed my favourite romantic comedy of all time, Someone Like You ( Hugh Jackman, Ashley Judd and Greg Kinnear ). Goldwyn played the evil friend in Ghost, voiced Tarzan in the Disney cartoon, and was one half of a duo of serial killers in Kiss The Girls.
Yes, my head's filled with useless trivia I can't get rid of. It's a sickness, I can't help it. :)

Another fave rom-com: Keeping The Faith, directed by Edward Norton.
I'm not a fan of mushy stuff, so when shows like these make such huge impressions, they've got to be pretty special.

You know me, I'm more of a blood-and-guts type of person.


Something else I'm VERY happy about: finding So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 online! You don't need Megavideo for this link, and I urge anyone who hasn't seen the series before to please do so.

Best of all, everything's on-demand, with no annoying TV ad interruptions.

Thinking of buying that portable hard drive now that I'm contemplating extra storage, hmm.


Recently attempted to read Tom Holland's The Vampyre, a blend of fact and fiction that fills in the blanks about Lord Byron's secret past.
Can't imagine why it garnered all those rave reviews. I was bored out of my mind before the first 100 pages.
The problem? Byron narrating the ENTIRE story in the form of a dialogue. So he's actually having a conversation with someone, and the whole novel is filled with inverted commas.
But who the hell talks like this? Must've taken Byron at least a few days to get through the whole thing. Who's got the patience for that?!
Totally ridiculous.

Anyway, I need to take a break from the public library for a while. Too many assignments to complete, and really need to clear my People and Time magazines at home.

Farewell to The Bridge Project - I hope you enjoyed your time in Singapore!

Review of The Bridge Project's The Tempest

8 April 2010, Esplanade Theatre

First and foremost, I enjoyed it.

The Theatre looked quite full when I stole a quick glance at the end of the show, but sadly, the audience itself was rather sedate.

As the Life! review pointed out, there was a standing ovation on opening night.

Unfortunately, my bunch was not as generous yesterday. At least not the first few rows.

I was seated in the centre of row 4, an excellent vantage point that afforded detailed views of everything from the actors' perspiring foreheads to fountains of spittle during the more emotional scenes.

While The Tempest doesn't boast as many big stars as 2009's The Winter's Tale - no Ethan Hawke or Rebecca Hall - I was nevertheless very excited about seeing Christian Camargo, aka the Ice Truck Killer aka Dexter's long-lost older brother on the Showtime TV series' ground-breaking first season.

And he did not disappoint at all.

As Ariel, the airy spirit who serves Prospero ( Stephen Dillane ), Camargo clearly has the most stage time. Even when he has no dialogue, he is almost always lurking nearby, observing each scene as it unfolds. Some of this is faithful to the play itself, as Ariel is known to manipulate characters as well as physical surroundings ( including the weather ) as he sees fit. However, there is one segment where Ariel should've been absent, but instead, Camargo climbs up to a seat atop a rather unstable-looking metal frame, where he perches serenely until the scene ends.

I just couldn't help thinking to myself: okay, IF he looses his footing, I will most definitely offer my medical services. :)

It's unfortunate that I haven't had many opportunities to see Shakespearean plays done by true experts. For this reason, I'm unable to compare The Bridge Project's version of The Tempest with any other production ( the RSC's, for example ).

But I'm starting to see a definite pattern here - director Sam Mendes has a penchant for dressing his actors in modern garb rather than costumes that are more befitting the actual era the plays are set in. No strong objection there, but I do find it a little odd seeing Prospero, Gonzalo and even Ariel in tailored suits. Perhaps more experienced theatre-goers would consider this quite normal?

Performances-wise, Camargo, in my humble opinion, is clearly the star of the show.

Yes, he does have an advantage in terms of material - Ariel is the most intriguing member of the cast of characters - but I also found his stage presence utterly mesmerizing.

Tall and lean with one of the most intense stares I have ever seen, his concentration never wavered as he paced the stage like a graceful but ravenous panther.

I was rather surprised by the pitch of his voice - higher than what I remember from Dexter - but this takes nothing away from Ariel's two outbursts: one where he lashes out at Prospero for not releasing him from servitude, another where he appears to the shipwrecked noblemen in the form of a frightening harpy. Rest assured that his tone alters accordingly ( and very significantly ), and that he is effectively temperamental and terrifying on both counts.

Another surprise: Camargo's singing ability. He has a few verses scattered throughout the play, with one prominent solo in the final act. A rich, pitch perfect vibrato. I got goosebumps! :)

Dillane's turn as Prospero is - and again, this is just my own opinion - a tad limp. Obviously, he chose to play his role in this manner ( and likely with Mendes' full support ), but the play itself seems to portray Prospero as a more fiery character, or at least that's my interpretation.

But then, I like my protagonists emotionally overwrought. Like Sir Ian McKellan's King Lear, and Simon Russell Beale's King Leontes. So why not Dillane's Prospero?

Another standout performance comes from Ron Cephas Jones, as the creepily sullen Caliban. Love the makeup and stick-on fingernails!

Another one of Prospero's servile creatures, but described as the physical opposite of Ariel, with a violent streak to boot ( he once tried to rape Prospero's young daughter, Miranda ). Jones first appears in the front left corner of the theatre, crouched near one of the box seats in the stalls section, with only his face illuminated by a spotlight. Although I'd already seen his press photos for the play, he looks very different in real life. Throw in the gravelly voice ( I do wonder if he normally sounds like that ), the nails/claws, the evil grin and the manner of speech ( a definite nod to the slavery era ), and the result is something quite remarkable indeed.

I found myself despising Caliban, but also pitying him at the same time. My feelings weren't quite as ambiguous when reading the play, so kudos to Jones for altering my perspective so effectively.

Juliet Rylance is appropriately sweet as Miranda, and I distinctly saw tears on her face when she pleaded with Dillane's Prospero to halt the storm and have mercy on the ship's passengers.

Miranda's age is estimated by Shakespearean experts to be around 15, and it is never easy for an adult to convey the fluctuating emotions and lovestruck fancy of a teenage girl. But Rylance delivers a sincere performance with just enough sprinkle of girlish rapture, without teetering into an annoying whiner.

And since I've seen Jennifer Garner's disastrous turn as Roxane on Broadway's Cyrano de Bergerac, I can safely say that Rylance is a hundred times better.

The comical Trinculo and Stephano ( Anthony O'Donnell and Thomas Sadoski ) have their moments in a couple of raucously funny scenes. I hope the audience picked up on the melody from Beyond The Sea, which Stephano drunkenly sang as he staggered on-stage. Thought that was hilarious. :D

The celebratory masque in Act 4, which features the goddesses Iris, Ceres and Juno, is a lovely vision indeed. There is beautiful music, followed by a joyous folk dance. Definitely more restrained than a party scene in last year's The Winter's Tale, which had a hillbilly flavour and degenerated into vulgar imagery involving strategically positioned balloons.

The more peripheral characters failed to make much of an impression on me. Most glaringly, Ferdinand ( Edward Bennett ) has zero chemistry with Miranda. In addition, Gonzalo ( Alvin Epstein ) is a little too frail for my taste, while Prospero's dastardly brother, Antonio ( Michael Thomas ) came across as really bland.

Some good stuff that's unrelated to acting:

- 2 wonderful musicians who provided an almost constant soundtrack and sounded like an entire orchestra at times;

- that, coupled with the lack of an intermission, gave the production a flowing, film-like quality ( though my mother panicked somewhere in Act 4 when it became quite obvious she wasn't getting a toilet break :));

- Christian Camargo dressed in an evening gown ( want to know what I'm talking about? go see the play, heh! )

So is it better than The Winter's Tale? I would say yes. Despite the lack of Hollywood A-listers, I'm glad that Mendes chose a more well-known Shakespearean work for his second Bridge Project tour, and cast Camargo and Jones in the play's most compelling roles.

2011 will certainly be the year to watch, when Kevin Spacey joins the cast - as one of the leads, I hope!

I am most eager to see a comedy next time round, but considering Spacey's dramatic skills, something tense and powerful would showcase his thespian talents perfectly.

But most importantly, 2011 will also be the year I will see at least two Bridge Project performances at the Esplanade, because I've waited so long to see the great Mr. Spacey on-stage, and one evening with him is just not enough!

For those who're interested, you can also read my reviews of the RSC's King Lear ( 21 July 2007 ) and The Bridge Project's The Winter's Tale ( 26 March 2009 ), listed in the archives on the right.

Reconnecting

The recent discovery of a treasure trove of online TV shows has finally propelled me to start subscribing to Megavideo. Unlimited access - no pesky 72-minute time limits - for what I consider a very reasonable fee.

First on the list: Nip/Tuck.

Am starting with season 2, though in all likelihood, I'll go through season 1 again at some point after I'm done with the rest.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this excellent series, its creator, the delightfully twisted Ryan Murphy, is also responsible for the big hit, Glee, which has been sweeping awards these past few months.

But in my opinion, Nip/Tuck is - and always will be - his crowning glory.

I began following the exploits of Drs. Sean McNamara and Christian Troy years ago, but stopped after season 2 or 3 when the time slots kept getting switched and I got distracted by other programmes.

Now, thanks to video-on-demand ( and more importantly, uncensored versions! ), I can tune in whenever I want, woohoo! :)

If you're a newbie, but share my love for dark humour, politically incorrect situations, gore and hot men ( medical jargon optional ), this is a must.

While Christian ( Julian McMahon, seated on the right ) is understandably portrayed as the obvious Lothario ( being single and shamelessly promiscuous, doctor-patient relationship be damned ), I'm much more drawn to Sean ( Dylan Walsh, left ), whose personal life is tonnes more tumultuous, and whose decisions are frequently unpredictable. Despite being viewed by many as a pillar of unwavering morality, he grapples with many hidden demons and occasionally makes Christian look like a saint.

The script is sharp and intelligent, poking fun at our aesthetic insecurities and serving up all sorts of uncomfortable scenarios ( Vanessa Redgrave makes her mark as a ravenous cougar ). The operating scenes are realistic enough to make even me squirm ( plastic surgery is barbaric! ). And yet, you'll also find yourself laughing hard at some of the more outrageous lines, before the realization that they're not really that outrageous after all smacks you sober.

There's also the enduring bro-mance between the 2 guys, transcending everything from professional rivalry to adultery and who knows what else ( I haven't seen every single episode, you know ). The complexity of their relationship is sinfully enjoyable.

Which actor do I prefer? McMahon may look like the clear winner, but nope, I much prefer Walsh. Sure, he may be the boyish one, often with a pained expression on his face and exuding an overwhelming sense of propriety, but I still recall one episode where a close-up suddenly made me sit up and notice his gorgeous blue eyes, and the emotions that lay behind them. It wasn't acting anymore. It was pretty freaking real.

Can't believe they're already at season 7. I can't wait to catch up! :D

Random Musings

Thought I'd put a lid on the Bliss theme, at least for the time being. :)

Completed Dexter By Design last week. Started off fabulously, but once Dex's sister Deborah became incapacitated - won't post spoilers here - and was left out of the picture for at least half the novel, it became clear how important a character she is.

Guess a lot of the humour and fun comes from her quick-fire verbal battles with Dexter. Once that disappeared, things started to get really draggy.

I can only hope that Book 5 - which will finally catch up with the TV series where Dexter's biological offspring is concerned ( though I wonder if author Jeff Lindsay will adopt the name the scriptwriters have chosen ) - will be tonnes better.

Something to look forward to - Dexter season 5 has been confirmed. YES!


My current tome: a copy of Shakespeare's The Tempest. It's more like a super-advanced reference text, featuring a lengthy introduction which discusses the characters, historical background, various stage versions, and a number of other topics that I can't digest.

Had to filter out the less useful trivia before starting on the play itself. Appreciate the generous amount of footnotes though - helps me understand all the fancy language which would otherwise induce a migraine.

Can't wait to see The Bridge Project's version in a week's time!


Speaking of The Bridge Project, the Singapore Repertory Theatre - I'm on its mailing list and correspond with its executive director via email - recently sent me an ad featuring a very dapper Kevin Spacey posing with a banner of The Tempest.

You know I'm a huge KS fan, and I've seen A LOT of his photos, but this is one of his best.
Unfortunately, I can't copy and paste the thing here because the software doesn't allow it. But KS looks fantastic! Dressed in a simple yet beautifully tailored black suit, standing casually with left hand in a pocket, beaming from ear to ear. I swear I stopped breathing for a few seconds. :)

Another long 12 months to get through before I'll actually see him on the local stage - and possibly even closer than that if the SRT is able to arrange something - but it's a small price to pay.


Other good stuff worth mentioning: cable screenings of Law & Order season 4 and L&O: Criminal Intent season 1. ( Channel 99 daily, check the schedule. )

The former is especially good because it stars Chris Noth ( Big from Sex And The City ), Jerry Orbach ( best known as the voice of Lumiere from Disney's Beauty & The Beast ), Jill Hennessy ( later the lead in TV's Crossing Jordan ) and Michael Moriarty ( whose work I don't know that well, but whom I really enjoy watching on this particular show ).

I've already seen the latter programme once before - I think it may have been in the U.S. when they had a chunk of L&O marathons - but Vincent D'Onofrio is outstanding as Robert Goren, a detective on the major case squad, investigating crimes that are never what they seem.

He cuts an intimidating figure with his massive frame - 6'4''? 6'5''? - and laser stare. His instincts are razor sharp, and if you try to outsmart him, he'll come down on you like a sledgehammer.
I especially enjoy the chase scenes, which invariably end with Goren effortlessly grabbing a suspect as the latter puts up a pathetic struggle.
And the last 10-15 minutes are always the best. Goren usually sits the suspect down in the interrogation room, engaging him/her in an elaborate mind game before s/he finally confesses or gets caught in an obvious lie. Even senators, celebrities and powerful tycoons squirm in his presence.
How cool is that? :)


More thoughts on American Idol: aside from Alex Lambert, those who've been booted off so far pretty much deserved it.
Andrew Garcia has been disappointing, but I suppose he has a strong Latino fanbase voting for him.
Aaron Kelly greatly impressed with his Aerosmith cover last week, managing to belt out glory notes despite suffering from laryngitis, wow!
Casey James gets mixed reviews from me. He's a good-looking fellow and an excellent blues guitarist, but there's just something off about his stage performance. Stiff? Corny? His voice definitely isn't anything special, and AI markets itself as a singing competition after all. What's going to happen to this guy?

Girls-wise, I'm rooting for Siobhan and Crystal. They're both vocal powerhouses with interesting personalities, though I do wish Siobhan would stop screeching every time she reaches the end of a song. If you can't hit the high note, then opt for a key change.


My next foray into the cineplex - hopefully later this week, to catch the remake of Clash Of The Titans. Could turn out to be really cheesy, but crossing my fingers that I'll enjoy this.


Am also eyeing the complete set of Nip/Tuck DVDs on Amazon. It's probably the only TV series I'd consider purchasing, because it's absolutely sinful yet also supremely intelligent. Plus, I love the 2 leads - Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon. Have been watching clips on YouTube - delicious!


Almost forgot to mention Jersey Shore, an MTV reality show that's become a huge hit in the U.S.
It now airs on MTV Asia on Friday nights, and I almost missed the pilot episode when I got the date wrong, whew!
I must warn you: this is a super-trashy series. It features 8 Italian-American 20-somethings with fake tans and loose morals, shacking up together in a beach house for the summer.
The men - also known as "guidos" - are fitness freaks with too much gel in their hair, and the women have fake boobs, wear too much makeup, and spew obscenities like pros.
There was a segment that had so many bleeped-out syllables I didn't even know what the heck they were saying.

The first episode alone was scandalous enough - the guys invited complete strangers ( young women, of course ) off the street to lounge in their hot tub. Everybody got drunk, then one of the girls stripped naked, right in front of the camera crew.

I'm watching this because I know about the major hype in America. A later episode will have the JS gals at a nightclub, wearing short dresses and dirty dancing sans underwear.

Call it morbid curiosity. My mom's eyes were glued to the screen, though all she could say for most of the hour was, "Tsk Tsk!" and "What the...?!"

But we were wide awake the whole time, which says something about the entertainment value, heh!

Signing off...

Bliss Part 10

... comes in the form of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter By Design, aka Book 4 in the Dexter novel series, which I'm now roughly halfway through.

Was hoping to lift a few quotes for this entry, but will leave that for another time since I don't have the books with me at the moment.

As always, there's much to gush about, but I need to hold back a little so I don't end up revealing spoilers.

Rest assured that Dexter's - or should I say Lindsay's - signature brand of super-dark humour is still present in ample doses, and early chapters set the tone fabulously as the corpses pile up in quick succession.

There's a short lull in the breakneck pace when Dexter gets side-tracked by a family crisis, but at least there're no protracted Dark Passenger monologues like those from Book 3 ( Dexter In The Dark ).

Thus far, however, Book 2 ( Dearly Devoted Dexter ) is the best of the 3 novels I've read, although I've decided to pick up Book 1 ( Darkly Dreaming Dexter ) once I get the chance, as it's become clear that something really major happened in the 1st installment, which I consider quite a shocker.

Again, I'm endlessly fascinated by Dexter's many private musings, as well as the numerous peripheral characters who flit in and out of the main picture.
I've probably said this before, but will say it again anyway - the novels are satisfying primarily as hilarious commentaries on human behaviour, with the crimes taking on a more secondary role.
But it is a testament to Lindsay's amazing writing that I'm willing to forgive the less-than-challenging crime-solving techniques just because I enjoy his witty sarcasm so much.

Still, you can have your fix of nail-biting suspense and much more fulfilling detective work by watching the equally terrific TV version.

Don't think I've ever latched onto a TV show and its novels before. This is so addictive it's positively terrifying. All my People and Time magazines haven't been touched in months! :)


I guess my great appreciation for a character like Dexter Morgan also stems from the fact that I share a few of his traits. There's the overwhelming cynicism, the morbid sense of humour, the lack of interest in physical intimacy and social interaction, and maintaining a constant balance between one's public and private personas.

A memorable quote comes from TV's season 4, where a stressed out Dexter asks, "Who are any of us really? We all have our public life, our private life...", to which his deceased foster father's ever-present spirit replies, "And your secret life -- the one that defines you."

I may not lead a secret "life" in the literal sense, but there's definitely a part of me that I share with no-one, not even my best friends or my own parents. And obviously not anywhere on this blog.

And you can bet I have a reaaally dark side. :)

Bliss Part 9

There is, of course, a Part 8. It's titled "Kevin Spacey's In Singapore!" :)

So the latest upper in my otherwise monotonous life is none other than Dexter Season 4, which I'd been watching sporadically online these past few weeks. Am happy to report that I finished the last 3 episodes on Sunday evening. What a rush!

I've raved about a number of TV shows over the years - CSI, House, Monk - but even the best of the lot tend to lose momentum after a few seasons, either due to writer fatigue, cast changes, or the biggest mistake of them all: taking the viewers for granted.

CSI is a prime example of the last sin. The Las Vegas version - which I've always enjoyed the most - began to annoy the hell out of me somewhere in its 4th or 5th run, when the writers tried to come up with more creative ways for people to die, and invented dumber methods of spiffy crime-solving.

Not so for Dexter. It has succeeded in outdoing itself with each new season, in terms of characters and storylines. The villains are diabolical yet ambiguous. Season 1 featured a serial killer who turned out to be Dexter's long lost older brother. Season 2, a psychotic girlfriend. Season 3, a District Attorney turned crazed vigilante. Season 4, a church deacon whose dark history fuels his massive bloodlust.

The cast is outstanding. Michael C. Hall is only getting better with age, and in S4, he looks damn bloody gorgeous at times ( no pun intended ), with the ruffled hair, buff bod and occasional mischievous smirk as he zooms in on yet another target. He's also letting his flair for comedy take flight. There're moments in S4 where I found myself laughing out loud at Dexter's antics, many of which revolve around his desperate attempts to balance a new family with his nocturnal adventures. Lots of nail-biting moments!

Jennifer Carpenter also finds her mojo as Dexter's foul-mouthed detective foster sis, Deborah. Some real-life couples can't play siblings convincingly, but no problem here. Even though they're married now, they stay perfectly in character, without any of that sexual tension interfering with the flow of the story. Amazing!

Season 3 had Jimmy Smits. Season 4, on the other hand, features John Lithgow, of all people, playing the Trinity Killer - a fellow so twisted he gives even me the heebie-jeebies. And I already have a pretty high threshold for gore.
This was a stroke of genius in terms of casting. Who would've thought the funny guy from 3rd Rock From The Sun could play creepy so well?

The best thing about watching Dexter online is being able to bypass the irritating local censors, who love to erase all the nudity, violence and foul language. Unfortunately, these are vital ingredients where this particular show is concerned, so trashing them just spoils the entire flow, and important plot points end up being lost.
E.g. The Trinity Killer displays a pattern which includes slaughtering women in bathtubs. So both he and the victim are naked. I found it insightful rather than exploitative.

I do wonder if my recent appreciation of the Dexter novels, on which the TV show is based, could have something to do with the sudden surge in enjoyment. Answer: there's a definite correlation. I would recommend Dexter fans to watch the series AND read the books. Only the first novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, shares the same storyline as season 1. After that, almost every major / subplot is different. For instance, Book 2 aka Dearly Devoted Dexter mentions that a certain central character was killed off in Book 1, which did not happen on-screen. Quite a big shock, that one!
The villains also share zero similarities. So it's like getting 7 doses of Dexter instead of 4! :)

I'm halfway through Book 2, and just picked up Book 4 when it finally reappeared on the public library's shelves. Can't wait to get through them ASAP. :)


Oscar news: I'm thrilled that The Hurt Locker helped shatter the glass ceiling for director Kathyrn Bigelow, and whacked Avatar in the Best Picture category. Haven't seen Locker yet, but I love to root for the underdog, especially when James Cameron so clearly wants to win big yet again. C'mon, Avatar was fun, but a little too cheesy for Best Pic. A recent blockbuster that deserved to win that award was The Dark Knight.

Signing off. Till next time...

Kevin Spacey's In Singapore!

I apologize for the unbridled enthusiasm, but the fact that my all-time favourite actor - whom I've idolized for more than a decade, and after whom this blog is named - is in such close proximity, is just too much for me to handle. :D

There was no indication of the visit on his Twitter page, and I haven't been bugging my grapevine of inside sources, so imagine my shock when I saw the front-page headlines in today's Life! section, complete with a sprawling interview. I was in a stupor following less than 6 hours of sleep, after a hellish evening shift last night. The article definitely woke me up, no caffeine needed!

He'll be giving a talk at the Singapore Repertory Theatre today - those lucky lucky theatre students! - followed by a tour of the Esplanade. I can't worm my way anywhere near him because I'm stuck at the hospital all day ( argh! ), but I'm thrilled that he's confirmed he will tour with the Project in 2011.

Regular readers of this blog may remember he replied to my tweets last year about whether he'll tour in the near future. He ruled out 2010 because of other commitments, but did hint at 2011. Ain't it cool? :D

So what Shakespearan roles are you gunning for for the great Mr. Spacey? He excels at both drama and comedy, so if it's age-appropriate ( i.e. not Romeo ), he can do it.

I have a preference for The Merchant of Venice's Shylock, or even Hamlet. As for comedy, I like Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing, or Petruchio from The Taming Of The Shrew.

You can bet I'll attend more than one performance if Mr. Spacey's in the cast. And yes, I will do everything in my power to meet him in person. It's one of the items on my bucket list!

I hope he enjoys his 2 days in Singapore. Wonder if he'll be brave enough to try some durian? :)

Bliss Part 7


Am nearing the last few chapters of Laurell K. Hamilton's The Laughing Corpse. Thoroughly enjoying the ride, and although her writing has its slightly annoying moments ( think she uses the words "maybe", "bully" and "goody" a tad too often ), the characterizations remain vivid, and a couple of scenes are so well-drawn they literally leap off the pages. Haven't appreciated a funeral this much in a long time. :)

There's also a colourful trip through a red light district, where readers will meet a wheelchair-bound prostitute with an even darker personal history.

Cool stuff eh? :)



Here's something else to enjoy. Ladies, if you're not tuning in to So You Think You Can Dance season 6 on cable's AXN channel, then at least check out Ryan di Lello on YouTube.

They just aired the Top 20 special performance episode, but I've had my eye on this hunky dude since the early audition rounds. Never mind the fact that he's married to a hot young lady ( who also made the top 20 ). It's great to see a ballroom veteran who doesn't look the least bit wimpy for once!

Here's a HOT cha-cha number - with a jaw-dropping climax! Oh yes, and don't forget the half-buttoned shirt, heh!

And... a fabulous disco routine. Ryan looks perfectly capable of hurling his partner across the room, haha. :)

Ooh, I just found this delectable samba. No shirt, yow!


But of course, season 6 is also worth watching for its eye-popping choreography. The recent Top 20 special performance episode featured a flawless group dance orchestrated by Wade Robson. I love it so much I've seen it countless times - yes, I'm saving it all to DVD. :)



So Adam Lambert's confirmed a private gig in Singapore March 12. Despite being a big fan, it's unlikely that I'll be able to see him perform because (1) I can't for the life of me figure out how to secure tickets ( yes there's a contest giveaway, but my luck tends to suck in such things ), and (2) I'm already rostered to work that evening.

Such short notice, and not open to the general public. Why, Sony Music, WHY!?!?!?


Speaking of American Idol, the first Top 24 performances have illustrated how the series is getting old, and fast. This year's crop of Idol wannabes are pretty run-of-the-mill. The only person who stood out this week is Aaron Kelly, a sweet-faced 16-year-old whose big voice during a Rascal Flatts cover woke me up. Kind of a cross between Clay Aiken and David Archuleta, he could go very far in this competition if he continues to choose the right songs and corners the country-pop genre.

One of my early faves, Tyler Grady, got booted off, which is a real shame. Surely the wooden Tim Urban warranted an elimination? And don't get me started about the females. I can't stand that African-American girl who slaughtered The Beatles' I Wanna Hold Your Hand!

You're walking on thin ice here, AI9. No wonder SYTYCD is gaining strength in the ratings.


Last but not least, I received some very interesting news recently, raising questions about a certain person's career path and marital situation.
I'm a firm believer in divine intervention. What goes around comes around. Thank you, God. :)

Bliss Part 6

1) Purchased my Jamie Cullum concert tickets today. A reminder to those who don't know which seats to get: his piano's always on the left side ( that's the audience's left, facing the stage ).

2) Borrowed Laurell K. Hamilton's The Laughing Corpse from the public library - couldn't resist! :)

3) Also have a tattered copy of Jeff Lindsay's Dearly Devoted Dexter sitting on my shelf.

4) Completed Episode 7 of Dexter Season 4. Wonderfully screwy, super-gory but with a smattering of hilarious scenes, and the script and acting are top-notch. Hasn't disappointed me yet, so it's currently my favourite TV show.

5) Lots of Chinese New Year visits lined up this weekend. Need to run a truckload of errands tomorrow.


Was watching the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance season 6 this afternoon. It's the last Vegas round before the Top 20 are chosen. Excellent 2 hours, filled with eye-popping dancers and lots of drama. It's far superior to American Idol. Dancers are way tougher than musicians, rarely give attitude, and seem to share an optimism which I find extremely heartwarming.
So whenever someone who's good but not quite there yet gets cut, the judges holler, "Come back next year!" and the contestant almost always answers, "You bet I will!"
Awwww. :)

And American Idol's Top 24 have been revealed at last! Only the guys have made strong impressions on me so far. Am thrilled to learn that Andrew Garcia, Casey James and Tyler Grady made it through. Casey is a frontrunner for sure - a blues guitarist who looks like a movie star and sings like a dream. We shall see how far he goes with his gifts.

I don't know if you agree with me, but I find that the quality of American TV shows has skyrocketed in the past decade. Reality programmes form a large part of that jump - American Idol, SYTYCD, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, The Apprentice, etc - but the sitcoms and dramas are also way better these days.
Could be the edgier material and lax rules on nudity, foul language and taboo subjects. But TV actors now also hail from Broadway and film, like the Glee cast, Dexter's Michael C. Hall ( primarily a stage thespian ), Damages' Glenn Close, 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin, House's Hugh Laurie, and so on.

I'm just glad I have cable. Local programmes really suck - I'm allergic to all Mediacorp productions - and they censor just about everything.

Finally completed Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Took me a few weeks, no thanks to constant distractions from work and New Year preparations, and the book was a huge chore to read. Haven't made a detailed comparison with the first Robert Langdon novel, Angels & Demons, which I loved back in 2005. But I remember A&D boasted much better writing, while Symbol seems painfully staged from beginning to end.

There're a few interesting plot twists, but the finale is a huge disappointment, with an irrelevant last chapter. I guess I get miffed when something gets built up to this level and ends up not really mattering in the whole scheme of things, y'know?

Anyway, I do NOT recommend this to anyone, but if you want to waste your precious time on it, be my guest.

Have been scouring the Net for travel ideas for the upcoming trip. Still a ways to go, but planning holidays always puts me in a good mood, especially when it involves the theatre and striptease. Excuse me, I'm single and in my 30s, it's all perfectly legitimate. :)

Also resolved not to kill myself during shifts. If it's busy, it's busy. The queue will clear eventually.

Bliss Part 5

... is about to end.

Returning to work on Monday. NOT looking forward to it.

But a week of leave has been a godsend, despite spending half of it - or maybe more - mopping, vacuuming, dusting, wiping and getting soaked in detergent and dirt.

The upside: meeting up with Australian friends for a tiring but fun day at the Jurong Bird Park, where numerous pots of festive flowers were on display and we had a ball getting swarmed by excited lories ( that's the Lory Loft for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about ), followed by afternoon tea at a posh hotel ( felt really bad about ordering a $14 pot of Singapore Sling tea, but they wouldn't let me get away without drinking something! ), and a tummy-busting dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant.

They were particularly thrilled with a dessert called "momo ice-cream", which comprises peach-flavoured ice-cream covered with a shell of white chocolate coloured to look like a real peach ( very creative I must say ), with a core of what looks and tastes like Ferrero Rocher.

Mmmmmmm. :)

Last night was feast #2 - a reunion dinner with relatives at a seafood restaurant along the Singapore River. Great location, terrific ambience, and heavenly food for a very reasonable price, complete with 10% discount if you have the right credit card.

Last but not least, I've finally submitted that pesky journal article, ONLY because I want a pay hike, nothing else. :)


Things I CAN look forward to - Jamie Cullum's upcoming Esplanade gig in April, and Joshua Bell's performance at this year's Arts Festival. Playing Beethoven and Mendelssohn, yech. I'll probably choose Beethoven. Lesser of 2 evils. Why no Tchaikovsky or Mozart?!

Also, the annual JC class gathering at our teacher's home, complete with spouses and kids, and a long overdue BBQ with clinical group mates.

Need to exercise like crazy over the next couple of weeks!

Bliss Part 4

A sure sign of impending physical meltdown always presents itself after 3 months of work in the ER. So yesterday evening, as the influx of resus cases continued, with 2 collapses and countless geriatric patients with raging fevers on nasogastric tubes in vegetative states, I suddenly felt the room spin and had to stop in my tracks for a few seconds until my head cleared.

But I managed to finish the shift despite a few milder episodes thereafter. And today, I'm relieved to escape an even worse fate in resus, by being assigned to consultation and having competent MOs running the show.

Am just waiting for the evening to end, so I can start my leave and recharge my dying battery.

How the hell am I going to do this for another 20-25 years?

Anyway, the week ahead isn't going to be easy. Chinese New Year looms, and as always, I'm in charge of house-cleaning, since I refuse to let my parents go through any heavy physical exertion, and think it's a waste of money to hire professionals who may end up stealing my valuables for all I know.

In the middle of all that sweaty activity, I need to finish up a journal writeup and get it submitted, meet friends visiting from Australia for an entire day out ( they were extremely hospitable when we met them at the Gold Coast last October ), congregate with relatives for a reunion dinner, and run a long list of other assorted errands in between the social engagements.

But I'm not complaining. Anything beats fighting daily battles in the ER. Not seeing sick people - or even worse, WELL people - in the hospital will do wonders for my mood.

As Dr. Gregory House famously said, "Treating illnesses is why we became doctors. Treating patients is what makes most doctors miserable."

Second, many hearty congratulations to Jason Mraz for winning TWO Grammy Awards! Don't think Make It Mine was the best choice - his rendition of Love For A Child is far superior - but I've always predicted that he would win a Grammy someday, and am thrilled that he's swept 2 in a year, especially after he lost in 2009 for I'm Yours.

Well-deserved, Jason, bravo! :)
Now if only they'd get him a spot performing at the Grammys ceremony already. He'll bring the house down for sure!

Am eyeing a new series on cable's Fox channel ( Ch 132, FYI ). Called White Collar, it features a con artist being arm-twisted into aiding the FBI - not the most original idea ( e.g. Catch Me If You Can ), but boasts a tasty Matt Bomer in the lead role, so I'm game. :)

Premiered last night, but I've been too busy with other programmes to watch it. Will post a review once I do.

Glee continues to enthrall. Episode 3 was so much fun, with the high school teachers forming an all-male a cappella group called, cheesily enough, Acafellas. Check out their performance of Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex You Up. Real high school teachers are never this cool. :)

And I have such a huge crush on Matthew Morrison right now!

John Lloyd Young made a guest appearance as a thumb-less teacher, but his vocal abilities weren't showcased at all. Such a pity.

Something else to look forward to - the final season of Monk starts on Starworld 9pm tonight. I've watched every single episode since S1, and can't wait to get some closure regarding Monk's torment over his wife's unsolved murder. Not going to read episode guides for this one!

I intend to enjoy some good food this coming week. I rarely venture far for meals since my mom's an excellent cook and I love staying home ( TV, books, Internet, fluffy pet cat ), but social commitments offer good opportunities for pigging out once in a while, so I'm going to enjoy myself dammit! Just need to make up for the calories with more exercise.

Oh yes, forgot to mention that I'm currently poring over Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. 100 pages in, I'm far from impressed. Think Angels & Demons was exceptionally good, then The Da Vinci Code got tiresome, and now Symbol feels limp and lifeless. Am certain Brown had a strict deadline to meet, since his publisher would insist on yet another Robert Langdon adventure so Hollywood can churn out a 3rd Tom Hanks / Ron Howard flick.

The result? Every scene sounds and feels staged to the point of annoying the hell out of me. And why does the author deem it necessary to start most chapters with a character's name? Robert Langdon this, Katherine Solomon that... you get the idea.

He sets things up in Washington, D.C., which is intriguing enough, but again, the prose lets the story down. This isn't helped by the fact that I finished Jeff Lindsay's mind-blowing Dexter In The Dark just before picking this up. The difference is colossal.

Last but not least, I'm so thankful to W for tipping me off about a website that offers free American TV shows online, and actually works! Have already watched 2 episodes of Dexter Season 4, which is so freaking AWESOME! Uncensored too, so everything makes perfect sense now. You can bet local cable will snip out the naked bathtub murder scene when it hits our shores.

Once I'm done with Dexter, it's on to Gossip Girl. Hope the webmaster will add Nip/Tuck and Nurse Jackie soon. I love dark comedies. :)