tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323044142011-11-27T15:18:01.812-08:00MOVIES * TELEVISION * MUSIC * CULTURE * POLITICS * LIFE * UNIVERSE * EVERYTHINGKatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-6401841382105613902009-07-18T00:40:00.001-07:002009-07-18T00:44:09.052-07:00

When I was a kid I wanted to be a journalist. Journalists were, to my mind, the closest thing we had to living superheros. To live in a democracy it is your choice to be informed about the world but it is also your obligation, your duty. Journalists were the front line forces of this obligation. They told the truth, sometimes at great cost. They shone light in dark corners. They held a

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-18333577337624729802009-03-23T17:45:00.001-07:002009-03-23T18:00:36.106-07:00

I had an expectation of what I was in for when I picked up Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman. Gilman is a clever and witty writer, author of Kiss My Tiara, a frothy rumination on feminism and grrl-power, and Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, an anecdote filled memoir about growing up in the 70s. Gilman has an eye for the ridiculous, and an ear for the clever turn of

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-16046807195545018392009-03-09T11:15:00.001-07:002009-03-09T13:49:01.991-07:00

We weren't allowed to read comic books growing up. Our parents who were otherwise indulgent when it came to our reading material, assuming if we were curious enough to pick a book up we could handle whatever we encountered between the pages, drew a fierce and absolute line at comic books. I'm talking about Archie and Richie Richie comic books here which, living in rural North Carolina, were about

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-83256473233105449112009-03-01T17:46:00.001-08:002009-03-01T17:55:45.226-08:00

About three weeks ago I went to see my doctor for a minor issue. My ears had been bothering me, like they might be infected but maybe not, but it had lasted long enough I thought an expert should shine a flashlight into them. It turned out to be benign, allergies doing something funky, but during the visit it was noticed that my blood pressure, which I had brought under control during my year of

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-76074239171531240432009-02-03T11:13:00.000-08:002009-02-03T11:18:57.690-08:00

I'm still figuring out how all this fancy pants technology works, but I think I've actually managed to post my pictures to the web.

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-849077744811532842009-01-22T10:05:00.000-08:002009-01-22T12:28:22.689-08:00

Venturing down into DC for the Inauguration required careful tactical planning.  There was no driving in.  Metro was running extra trains and buses, but there was no way of knowing how many people would be showing up to catch those extra trains and buses.  I greeted the day armed with maps, snacks, cameras, pre-paid Metro card and, yes, a paperback book, just in case.  I woke up around 5 am and

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-88784370236289269002009-01-22T08:20:00.000-08:002009-01-22T10:41:56.155-08:00

I had this dream that I would live blog my Inauguration adventures via Twitter and then race back home and write everything up, immediately, if not sooner!  But I've learned some things over the last few days.  First, it's a bitch to text anything with gloves on.  Second, when you're actually standing there in the midst of crazy wonderful throngs of people, it's hard to think of anything to say

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-89946211989539700862009-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:002009-01-22T10:41:11.662-08:00

My Mom and I have just spent an hour or so planning logistics for the next few crazy days ahead, which brings me to my soapbox of the day.Most of the official agencies who have any level of responsibility of organizing this loopy do have, from the very beginning, taken a pretty gloom and doom stance about what to expect Tuesday. The city has adopted a seige mentality.  All the bridges from

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-18749853228012105722009-01-17T19:50:00.000-08:002009-01-22T10:42:39.173-08:00

I spent 5 whole hours in NYC before I faced my first delightfully energizing crisis of the trip.  I took my glasses off to clean them and they just fell apart in my hands.  My brother was standing by me when it happened and said, wow, they didn't even make any kind of snapping sound.  The molecules simply gave up the ghost and disbanded, right accross the nose bridge.  Now, this is officially the

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-3888688241200263102009-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:002009-01-22T10:43:05.434-08:00

Wow!  After that maudlin intro down there I be you're just itching to check in on my Inaugural Travel Fantasia over the next few days.  It's going to be deep, man.  Caught the red eye out and actually slept some on the plane!  I was next to a woman traveling to NYC w/ her son who had an audition at Julliard.  He plays the bassoon.  I used to play the bassoon, so we had ooodles to discuss.  She

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-31019555229346976072009-01-14T21:16:00.001-08:002009-01-14T23:12:50.631-08:00

What have I been up to lately?  And why haven't I been blogging about it?  These are questions all five or six of my loyal followers have been asking lately, and there's no short answer.  In September I walked in the Susan Koman Breast Cancer 3 Day.  I should follow that up by saying that it was an overwhelming, life changing experience which made me believe I could do anything, including fly!  

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-3059918263921912162009-01-04T21:42:00.001-08:002009-01-04T21:49:54.131-08:00

I didn't write a review of Quantum of Solace when it first came out, because I didn't get around to seeing it for a while and by the time I got to it, I thought the world might be a bit saturated with Quantum reviews.  But then stuff happened.  First, I went to see the film again over Christmas with my James Bond loving brother and enjoyed it, again.  Second, I read that Quantum of Solace topped

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-55390977179751348052008-11-26T20:11:00.000-08:002008-11-26T20:22:21.527-08:00

Last year was not a good year for either Jack Bauer or the creators of the Fox TV series 24. Season 6 started out with a bang (ha ha) with LA getting nuked and Jack Bauer going canibalistically, fratricidally bonkers in what this Guantanamo hating, bleeding heart liberal loving TV watcher must confess was hella entertaining television. The season couldn't live up to its early apocalyptic shark

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-57866617913855146782008-11-22T23:14:00.001-08:002008-12-04T22:40:50.801-08:00

Adults are often accused of forgetting what it's like to be a teenager, usually by a teenager they're trying to ground.  But it's a truth rarely acknowledged that no adult ever actually forgets.  Repress, certainly, but forget?  Does a soldier forget basic training?  We bury the memories under 50 miles of concrete, and strive for the appearance of dispassionate distance.  If we didn't, we'd stop

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-34242150826770387852008-08-21T22:57:00.000-07:002008-08-21T23:06:03.238-07:00

I've been unforgivably slack in the writing department of late. Truth is, I've been having a summer. I went on vacation to Hawaii where I learned to snorkel and decided that I would really like to find a job where I get paid to do that. Some kind of reference librarian for tropical fish perhaps. I've been working. I'm also officially "in training" for the upcoming Breast Cancer Three Day in

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-14528796213096347242008-05-30T22:24:00.000-07:002008-06-01T09:18:47.562-07:00

This February I attended my first ever Democratic Primary caucus, well actually my first ever caucus of any kind. The caucus for my district was held in an elementary school cafeteria which smelled like decades of cooked onions and boiled green beans, and we were bursting out of the room. I was told by some long time caucusers that during the last Presidential Caucus there had been 12 people

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-53207158591069984862008-05-02T09:49:00.000-07:002008-05-04T22:51:54.613-07:00

So I've been published in a real paper made from trees magazine which for reasons that make no logical sense really excites me. I, along with several other area film aficionados, was asked by Tacoma City Arts magazine to list the 10 films that would be playing non-stop in "The Cineplex of My Dreams." The list appears in the May/June 2008 issue of City Arts, available for free at most happening

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-2206149789499001272008-04-07T21:13:00.000-07:002008-04-07T21:20:21.967-07:00

Mary Doria Russell is one of the rare writers who has actually earned a place in my permanent book collection. When you work in a library, you tend to experience the whole world as your personal library, so it usually takes something special to join those books that never need returning. Although I love Russell's writing, I tend to recommend her with caution. She'll break your heart, you see. You

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-17813212646373121952008-04-02T16:21:00.000-07:002008-04-02T16:26:13.196-07:00

Ok, I was going to finally master doing slick photo embedding type stuff, but then I decided I wanted to get these pictures "out there" before I retire. So, if the mood strikes, please check out my ShoWest photo album here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/populucious/

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-14706773872349407132008-03-28T16:41:00.001-07:002008-03-28T21:31:55.772-07:00

It may be hard to miss that loud pink box blinking at you from over to the right there, so allow me to explain.On September 11th - 14th 2008, I will be joining thousands of other walkers, including my fabulous team, Hotties for Healthy Hoots, walking 60 miles over 3 days to bring support, awareness and money to the fight against breast cancer. That widget will connect you to my Breast Cancer

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-66262869632299932322008-03-20T11:56:00.000-07:002008-03-20T12:02:31.670-07:00

Thanks to Blogcritics help in obtaining a press pass for ShoWest, I've been posting my *exclusive* ShoWest diaries on Blogcritics which can be found here. Not to fret, though. I will be posting some special *exclusive* material on Populucious as well, including the fully illustrated ShowWest diaries. I just have to get my booty in gear to do it! Thanks for checking in and checking out

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-89218485316943473612008-03-07T21:04:00.000-08:002008-03-07T21:14:07.334-08:00

Tomorrow morning I board an airplane for Las Vegas, and an entire week at the ShoWest conference. Because I'm not remotely equipped for live bloggage, it must wait until I return, a week from today, to tell you all the wonders I experienced there.Some of the things I do know already is that apparently 3D is the buzzword of the show. Ang Lee, Robert Redford, Sarah Jessica Parker, Seth Rogan,

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-23389775126650865642008-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:002008-02-15T20:25:34.910-08:00

2002 Anti-War Rally - I'm in Tacoma with relief, since earlier I'd assumed I'd have to drive to Seattle to participate in any anti-war protests. I'll be honest, I'm not usually a protest sort of person, but I'm just so angry and so frustrated with this Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to war our President has put us on. It's sickeningly transparent how determined he is to invade Iraq on any pretext. We're

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-35562083916464253142007-12-26T09:48:00.000-08:002008-02-09T19:30:00.565-08:00

Weeks before the film adaptation of the Phillip Pullman book The Golden Compass was scheduled to open, Christian groups began plastering newspapers and in-boxes with dire warnings of a hidden anti-Christian agenda. Editorials began appearing in newspapers encouraging boycotts and Fox News picked up the drum beat, dovetailing as it did neatly into their War Against The War On Christmas. Before the

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-25629844087500072682007-11-28T11:39:00.000-08:002007-11-28T14:40:39.513-08:00

Having this last weekend entirely to myself allowed me to do one of my most favorite things: go see a couple of movies whose only similarity is my desire to see them. No perusing film reviews to find early Oscar favorites. No subtitles! No spinach! No moms with cancer! My needs are few and simple: entertain me. Feed me candy and nachos. Points are taken away for anything that “really makes you

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-51992233827047475132007-10-26T13:33:00.000-07:002007-10-28T11:21:45.811-07:00

Sometimes my topics come to me very clearly, practically written in fact, but other times, they buzz around like irritating gnats, difficult to ignore but impossible to catch. I feel compelled to put something down, but the who what when where whys are all jumbled up. I can only start at the beginning and hope I end up somewhere worthwhile by the end.So, Friday, I went to see The Jane Austin Book

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-63090861723103105812007-10-14T21:31:00.001-07:002007-10-23T12:03:31.801-07:00

Sometime in early September, as the networks ramped up their endless promotions of the new TV season, I found myself experiencing a new sensation regarding TV: the feeling of dread. I wasn't dreading the new shows per se, and I looked forward to the return of old favorites, but when, oh God, when am I supposed to watch them all?Lately my television viewing has been transformed. The sudden ease

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-26701697649356749092007-08-29T15:12:00.000-07:002007-08-29T16:11:55.837-07:00

At times the news of the world becomes so much more entertaining than anything happening on screen, I find I must put away my critic's hat and pull out my advice apron, solving all the world's problems one coffee klatch at a time.Dear Republicans in America (Or, as I like to call you, The Gay Fantasia on National Themes),Well, I think it’s time you woke up and smelled the poppers. The problem isn

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-78093590723888092632007-08-21T09:43:00.000-07:002007-08-21T09:51:20.801-07:00

The Bourne Supremacy had a perfect closing scene; Jason Bourne limping away from a Russian housing project after trying to make some kind of amends to the daughter of the first people he ever killed. Unfortunately, or perhaps inevitably, the film makers felt it was necessary to tack on another scene, in which Bourne calls in to Pam Landy, the CIA agent who seems to be on his side, for some banter

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-27051511995809574082007-08-12T17:31:00.000-07:002007-08-14T09:46:26.061-07:00

"I had a boyfriend throughout undergraduate school-a beautiful blond haired man with Paul Newman blue eyes. My boyfriend was all I could ask for...but the relationship crashed and burned when I had a brief affair with a movie star who was making a film in East St. Louis, Illinois."-Dr. Pepper Schwartz in Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex, Love, and the Sensual Years (a dating guide for mature

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-55994472593324262082007-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:002007-08-02T11:22:50.425-07:00

Cultural practice suggests that I should open this with a Spoiler Alert, or an assurance that there are no Spoilers, a Spoiler Lack of Alert if you will. Spoiler Alerts are a somewhat useful tool which, like so many things, we’ve managed to take to asinine extremes. I’m not interested in telling you so much about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that you won’t want to read it, but how do I

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-47076225592832524282007-07-14T23:47:00.000-07:002007-07-15T11:22:09.911-07:00

It’s a scary time for Harry Potter lovers. Like die hard fans in the days before the big game, we wait in nervous anticipation. We long for the day to arrive, but find ourselves in fear of the unknown outcome. Conversations, arguments and even betting fill the blogosphere, attempting to predict what may be, though it is completely out of our control. These discussions offer the illusion that

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-90264641898446301752007-07-05T20:20:00.000-07:002007-07-06T07:51:36.951-07:00

I decided late yesterday afternoon that I was in the mood to celebrate my July 4th with a hamburger and some fries from the diner next door. Alas, the diner next door was closed for the holiday as was the gyro stand up the street and all of the other diner joints in the neighborhood. The only place that ended up being open was a British pub where I enjoyed a Ruben sandwich and a Caesar

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-91679472545066297592007-06-11T20:37:00.000-07:002007-06-11T20:39:23.440-07:00

Shopping at a mini-mart near my office the other day, I could not help but notice the menagerie of freshly painted signs announcing that this particular Gas n' Sip was: "Redefining the Culture of Customer Care". I feel we've achieved some kind of cultural nadir when even the local mini-mart feels it's necessary to not only have but proudly trumpet that they have a mission, and they're not afraid

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-26701593345072399242007-06-02T19:18:00.000-07:002007-06-02T22:07:01.150-07:00

I find myself oddly uninspired by the current crop of summer flicks dukeing it out in a theater near you. It’s not that this batch is somehow worse than those of previous years. I’m just overcome with been there/done that-itis. I don’t really care what happens to Peter Parker and Mary-Jane. I can catch Pirates 3 on DVD. I’m indifferent to the Silver Surfer and his Rise. Nothing has

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-4213526179438078712007-05-29T11:58:00.000-07:002007-05-29T12:16:33.237-07:00

My sister-in-law related to me an interesting incident that happened to her recently. She teaches singing to kidlets at an elementary school and recently decided to show them West Side Story. While the children were engrossed in the film, another teacher peeked in the room and saw Szilvia’s class raptly watching West Side Story, at which point she apparently flounced down to the head of the

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-57331865282037436532007-05-05T20:07:00.000-07:002007-05-08T09:39:03.205-07:00

At the end of April I spent a week away at a training class (Please feel free to call on me for any and all of your interest based negotiation needs. After a week of training I feel like Gandhi.) After returning to the real world, I got very excited about writing a piece on graphic novels. I spent a week putting it together in my spare minutes. It was a beautiful work of art. Seriously Pulitzer

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-6374531541221415052007-04-10T10:35:00.000-07:002007-04-10T10:39:45.134-07:00

Once in a rare while, I see a movie that simply takes my breath away; something achingly beautiful, so familiar it seems I know these people, or come to know them in the brief time in the theater. They keep on living after the credits roll, not in a tidy happily ever after way, but in a true, messy, lovely and painful way. Mira Nair has directed two films that fall into this category for me,

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-56698297129399760372007-04-04T13:33:00.000-07:002007-04-08T11:14:53.199-07:00

It’s hard to know where, exactly, my bizarre affection began. Perhaps it was upon reading The Autobiography of Henry VIII, the novel, despite its title, by Margaret George. Perhaps it was during my college years when I majored in British History. Perhaps it has some connection to my life as a cradle Episcopalian. Regardless of its origins there is no escaping the truth. I love Henry VIII. He’s

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-38168507380543592542007-03-21T23:54:00.000-07:002007-03-22T00:00:44.681-07:00

If you'd like to listen to a podcast of me chatting about the Library's DVD collection, click here.

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-68010160015294969882007-03-19T23:18:00.000-07:002007-03-21T15:50:40.028-07:00

300, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, which was inspired by Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield, tells the tale of Leonidas, King of Sparta, who led 300 Spartan soldiers against the theretofore undefeated Persian army. At great cost the Persians won the battle, but ultimately lost the war, creating a turning point in world history. The movie has received mixed reviews both from

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-28026031335683394212007-03-04T22:22:00.001-08:002007-03-05T09:39:58.250-08:00

As a music and film librarian, kids books are not my area of expertise. Lately, however, controversy has gripped the Library World over a kids book, and like the wreck of a clown car, it’s been impossible to look away. This particular controversy is about the use of a word. A word which, in the opinion of some, utterly negates any value of the story. Although the book, The Higher Power of

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-31241693920203974542007-02-26T22:34:00.001-08:002007-02-28T20:30:51.314-08:00

The 79th Academy Awards was a pleasant evening of safe comedy, tasteful gowns and almost no surprises. There were no shocking upsets; no shameful Academy shut outs; no war protesters streaking in the background. No winners used their 47 seconds to petition for the release of Leonard Peltier, or for anything more scandalous than an end to global warming. No starlet forgot her slip or committed

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-85180710700821391202007-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:002007-02-21T12:03:30.321-08:00

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it's getting harder for me to feign interest in the Academy Awards every year. The Oscars feel increasingly irrelevant to me. Every awards show and its cousin are being televised and new ones are invented every year. Sundance has played out and buzz about the movies we will theoretically be lauding this time next year has already started. Particularly

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-65709559760868804292007-02-13T21:41:00.000-08:002007-02-14T17:05:21.439-08:00

Normally the court marshal of Lt. Ehren Watada is not the sort of thing I'd reflect upon in a venue like "Populucious". But if popular culture is, as Wikipedia defines it, the daily interactions, needs and desires and cultural 'moments' that make up the everyday lives of the mainstream, Ehren Watada’s story is undoubtedly a cultural moment which speaks volumes about where we are as a country,

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-60372967597996801672007-02-04T14:13:00.000-08:002007-02-04T14:14:58.669-08:00

Aaron Sorkin is capable of writing an intelligent, fast paced, timely, witty and compelling comedy about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a television show.  We know, because we have evidence.  Sports Night was and still is one of the best shows ever aired.  Its abrupt cancellation left a hole which even the fine West Wing was never completely able to fill.  When Sorkin is writing well,

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-80330224326733259602007-01-03T21:05:00.000-08:002007-01-19T21:45:55.130-08:00

I am capable of indulging Jason Statham a great deal.  I saw both Transporter films…in the theater, mind you.  I can even explain to you why, despite the surprise factor of the original, Transporter 2 is, in fact the better movie.  (The tough guy/cute kid dynamic is always more interesting than tough guy/whimpering chick.  Plus, Transporter 2 has far superior evil henchmen, offering a Brigette

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-13682464863638570832006-12-22T11:44:00.000-08:002006-12-22T11:49:04.584-08:00

Having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit? Was the one two punch of Deck the Halls and Santa Clause 3 somehow not enough to warm your chestnuts this year? Is the Hallmark Channel’s “One Thousand Nights of Christmas” not enough to lift you from your Holiday Ennui? Well never fear. Through extensive work in the test kitchens, I have come up with a fool proof recipe to create your very own

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-48601569711915026712006-12-05T22:59:00.000-08:002006-12-05T23:17:15.098-08:00

Whether or not you enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man’s Chest really depends on what exactly you demand from a pirate movie. Given the spotty success record Hollywood has had with pirate films in the recent past, and the mediocre reviews Pirates II received when it was initially released in theaters, it seems that many American film reviewers have very particular demands from a film

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-54697506857130129892006-11-16T19:44:00.000-08:002006-11-17T16:22:28.640-08:00

Professionally I’m a film and music librarian, but generally I write about films or television or pop culture in general. Music reviews are not usually my thing. Truth is, I have a problem with music reviews in general. I read them in my professional life to get a handle on what is coming round the bend, but I rarely rely on them as guides to what I’m going to personally like. I think that

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-29719831430966672242006-10-29T09:45:00.000-08:002006-10-29T10:14:44.413-08:00

I confess I was excited the first time I saw ads for BBC America’s HEX. Truth is I’m in perpetual mourning for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and may be ‘til the day I die, or Josh Whedon finally directs Wonder Woman. I confess I had some small hope that this trendy demony looking show might be a temporary balm. It started off semi promising. Cassie is a pretty blonde teenager struggling to fit in

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-3532851941132004212006-10-25T21:09:00.000-07:002006-10-25T21:25:40.361-07:00

It's amazing how small the world is becoming. A friend of a friend sends you an email to which you respond on a lark, and suddenly you've won 2nd prize in the Shuswap Association of Writer's Worst Opening Line competition. The wha???? You might well ask. The Shuswap Writer's Association is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the interior BC (or British Columbia for those not in the

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-70595152089443045902006-10-22T15:07:00.000-07:002006-10-22T15:09:21.162-07:00

Main Entry: nos•tal•gia Pronunciation: nä-'stal-j&, n&- also no-, nO-; n&-'stäl-Function: nounEtymology: New Latin, from Greek nostos return home + New Latin -algia; akin to Greek neisthai to return, Old English genesan to survive, Sanskrit nasate he approaches1 : the state of being homesick : HOMESICKNESS2 : a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-87310296672612556212006-10-18T22:38:00.001-07:002006-10-20T23:14:57.516-07:00

In every story with a beautiful princess there is almost always an evil queen of some sort or another, poisoning apples, filling shoes with hot coals, imprisoning innocent maids in towers, and generally making it difficult for any good princess to realize her full potential. What occurred to me as I watched The Queen is that in the heart of every queen is a princess defending her castle. Wicked

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-60053259194199820132006-10-18T19:52:00.000-07:002006-10-18T20:01:35.540-07:00

If you happen to be in the New York area this November, let me encourage you to check out Donkey Corleone playing four shows at the People's Improv Theater. Donkey Corleone's humor is like being pantsed by your mother...if being pantsed by your mother was an entertaining way to spend an evening, and not sick and wrong...at least not totally sick and wrong. Need more convincing? Check out

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-41732183533567260582006-10-01T22:03:00.000-07:002006-10-01T22:05:56.506-07:00

Television has thrown up many unlikely series in recent years which have gone on to become ratings bonanzas. 10 million people regularly tune in to watch the trials and tribulations of a New Jersey mob family. 14.8 million tune in to watch an overworked government agent try to save to world in 24 hours. 9.7 million people watch the Byzantine tale of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-52956726783852635172006-09-25T10:26:00.000-07:002006-09-25T10:27:26.195-07:00

I found myself sucked into a nostalgic vortex this afternoon when Turner Classic Movies showed The Tender Trap. Not, as you might assume, a 1950s nostalgia trip, but a 1980s one. I was transported back to one summer, round about 1982 I think, when my family relocated to northern Virginia and my step-dad’s company put us up in one of those apartment hotels until we found a house. The place had a

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-68233051678831781332006-09-11T22:17:00.000-07:002006-09-11T22:18:15.803-07:00

I went to two films this weekend, both dramas, which meant that I got to see the first wave of “For Your Consideration” Oscar contending previews. They look like an ominous bunch this year, nary a lighthearted one to be seen, although plenty of gripping ones. In the way of Hollywood, we have some odd zeitgeist happening, or zeitgeists as the case may be, with several films mirroring each

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-51798848725720775242006-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:002006-09-09T11:59:30.295-07:00

She tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up. — The Big SleepDo you trust me now?Less now than when I didn’t trust you before. — BrickBrick, directed by Rian Johnson, and released on DVD in August, is a great noir mystery, reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett or James Ellroy. Like any Bogart film or Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential, it has sharp, witty dialogue which is less realistic than it is how

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-76245240561754588992006-08-26T17:25:00.000-07:002006-08-26T17:26:38.408-07:00

I got my Macy’s catalog in the mail today, and out of it fell the usual collection of unwanted perfume samples, including one for Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Sean Jean’s cologne, Unforgivable. Maybe it’s just me, but every time I am reminded of Sean Jean’s Unforgivable, all I can think of is The Princess Bride…”You keep saying that word…I do not think it means what you think it means.”So without further

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-1156179246423198362006-08-21T09:52:00.001-07:002006-08-21T09:55:29.196-07:00

Gene Siskal often said that the two most subjective genres in film are comedy and porn. No amount of good reviews, Oscar buzz or repeated Skinamax showings can make you laugh at something you don’t find funny, or turn you on with something that…doesn’t turn you on. Even if I don’t enjoy a drama, I can appreciate objectively why it might be a great film, but no amount of arguing on earth will

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-1155433728737065202006-08-12T18:48:00.000-07:002006-08-12T18:52:26.773-07:00

The story behind the FX series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has already become legend in struggling actor/comedian/writer circles. A group of friends frustrated with the lack of opportunities for struggling actor/comic/writers spend the change in their pockets to film a pilot, send it into FX, win a contest and voila, are given a series. We saw something similar with the Project Greenlight

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-1154929831848878932006-08-06T22:49:00.000-07:002006-08-12T12:55:47.783-07:00

Welcome to the next generation of the Popular Librarian blog, PopLib 2.0, if you will. It was hard for me to let go of name checking the library profession in my title, but certain people suggested that a different moniker might have wider appeal. Since popular culture is the reason for this blogs' being, appealing to the masses is kind of appealing.I went through a long list of possible names.

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32304414.post-1154929755417348602006-08-06T22:47:00.000-07:002006-08-06T22:49:38.493-07:00

I confess I was excited the first time I saw ads for BBC America’s HEX. Truth is I’m in perpetual mourning for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and may be ‘til the day I die, or Josh Whedon finally directs Wonder Woman. I confess I had some small hope that this trendy demony looking show might be a temporary balm.It started off semi promising. Cassie is a pretty blonde teenager struggling to fit in at an

Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18033012221013106686noreply@blogger.com0