My favorite werewolf: Monroe

April 22nd, 2013

YouTube Preview ImageAs a rule, I don’t like werewolves, be it in books, in movies or TV series. Of late, there has been one exception: Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell, from the show Grimm. (If you take a look at the video, he’s the bearded guy figured prominently in the trailer’s middle and end.) Read the rest of this entry »

Stop freaking me out, please!

April 18th, 2013

freakoutMy kids keep freaking me out. They read things on the internet and then tell me about them. An example – “Mom, did you know that in The Lion King, when Simba became king, they had to eat the hyenas?” Gross, right? This is something I never considered, never wanted to consider, but unfortunately sounded true.

My mind keeps going back to a recent conversation. I’d gotten up from the couch and walked purposefully into my bedroom. But when I got there I looked around, confused as to my purpose for being there. When I almost walked into my daughter on the way back to the living room and laughingly explained the incident, she said “Oh, you just went to have a conversation with someone who no longer exists”.

Apparently she’d read on the internet that due to the liquidity of timelines its possible for us to exist concurrently with other incarnations of ourselves. Sometimes things happen to people we know in the other timelines (dimensions, whatever) that cause them to cease to exist in our own, but our brain knows something is missing and causes us to occasionally act upon the presence that should be there. I’m no physicist, but what that tells me is that for every one of the uncountable times I’ve walked into a room without knowing why, I’ve experienced a loss. Agh! Freaky.

Does anyone else’s kids or friends freak them out the way my kids do me?

- Wendy AAR

Favorite TV Duos

April 15th, 2013

Some of my favorite TV Duos are not couples. They are friends, bromancers, or just excellent co-workers. Here are just a few of them:

sherlock-sherlock-holmes-and-doctor-watson-wallpaper-large-cast-photo-2011

Duo: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson from Sherlock

Why They Are Great: Sexy, brilliant, witty, loyal and fun. Read the rest of this entry »

Earworm of the Day: Thriftshop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz

April 10th, 2013
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Warning: Strong Language

This song seems to get almost constart air time in my city and as a result is my earworm of the week. I find it intriguing not just because of the catchy tune but the subject matter. Thrift shops don’t tend to be the subject of popular music very often. I can’t help but wonder if that is some kind of statement on our current economy. Has thrift store shopping become a part of our daily living? I don’t know – but I sure do like the song.

What is your earworm of the week?

- Maggie AAR

Earworm of the day: Thursday’s Child by David Bowie

April 8th, 2013

YouTube Preview ImageMy favorite CD right now is Best of Bowie. There are about 10 songs among the 20 on it that I could enter here as an earworm, but I have decided for Thursday’s Child. It’s one of those sneakily catchy songs that appear rather unspectacular when you listen to them, then grab you and don’t let go for the next 48 hours.

What are your favorite David Bowie songs?

- Rike Horstmann

Mr. Selfridge: Thoughts?

April 6th, 2013

As Downton Abbey’s season was ending PBS began a full-on press for Mr. Selfridge. I was intrigued by the trailers and looked forward to the first episode last Sunday. I’m a big fan of costume dramas, and the costumes looked gorgeous for this early 1900s drama. Add in a London setting and shopping, and it seemed a sure winner for me. Read the rest of this entry »

Great Songs, Weird Videos

April 4th, 2013

mtv

The MTV era saw the rise of some tryly funky music videos. One of my favorites is Tom Petty’s Don’t Come Around Here No More. As you can see below, the video tells a truly unusual tale.
Read the rest of this entry »

AAR Goes to the Movies: Lincoln

April 2nd, 2013

YouTube Preview ImageBecause Lincoln got rather mixed reviews in German papers and magazines, I didn’t go to watch the movie when it was first on here last autumn. After Daniel Day-Lewis had won the Oscar for best actor in February, it was put on at the local cinema again, and I went and watched it. And boy am I glad I didn’t miss it! Read the rest of this entry »

In Search of Balance

March 30th, 2013

balance boardStrength. Aerobics. Flexibility. Balance.

If you read any articles on physical fitness, attend any fitness classes, or watch any shows on TV about fitness, you’ve undoubtedly heard how we need to work on all of these aspects of fitness.  Focusing on one isn’t enough. Read the rest of this entry »

AAR Goes to the Movies: Howl’s Moving Castle

March 28th, 2013

YouTube Preview ImageHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is among my top 10 favorite books, and may be the one I have reread most often over the years. It received the only A+ review I have written for AAR so far. Which is why I was both excited and worried to hear some years back that it was being made into an animated film by Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Read the rest of this entry »