More surprising news

Ok, so I'm pretty surprised now that Moonlight has been cancelled, especially since Reaper has been renewed. Don't get me wrong. I like Reaper just fine and I'm glad it's coming back for another year. But if you'd told me I could only pick one of the two to come back, it would have been no contest. Moonlight is a steak hot off the grill, while Reaper is a sweet and fluffy Moon Pie. Also, Moonlight got at least twice and possibly three times as many viewers as Reaper does. Still, I'm glad that at least one of them will be around to entertain me next year!

Celebration and sorrow

I just saw that this is going to be my 100th post. Yay!

Ok, now on to business. I was a little sad yesterday to find out that Back to You was cancelled, but I could deal with it. It's not like I've watched every episode, but I did feel that it was finally starting to hit its stride. I'm also perplexed why Fox would cancel it when it had higher ratings than Til Death, which they've renewed for another year.

But this morning comes the news that New Amsterdam has been cancelled as well. I can't say I'm completely surprised, but it had done so much better than Fox was expecting, and it also seemed like they were just starting to hit their stride. I'll really miss this one, and I guess we'll never know if John Amsterdam finds his true love or not.

The view from the top

I don't know how to say this without sounding ridiculous or conceited or both, so I guess I'll just say it anyway. I was really surprised this week to find out that I have groupies. The occasion was the second incarnation of my watching TV online workshop, which 7 people attended. This is fewer than the 10 people that attended the first time, but still pretty good because our attendance has been very low this quarter, probably because the weather outside has been so beautiful. Would you rather spend your noon hour snogging on College Green or learning how to research newspaper articles?

At any rate, the 7 people who attended fell into two categories: people who work in the library, and those same girls who always come to my workshops. And so it dawned on me that the latter have become my, well, groupies. But I certainly don't know why. Why would you want to follow me around when you could have someone really cool like Chris or Char? The very idea of it baffles me.

Of course, I've been a groupie for several different professors during the course of my life, and I know that it's always been difficult to explain exactly what it was about them that I wanted. I know that some of the professors I've adored have been despised by the majority of students, and I also know that some professors I couldn't stand at all had their own contingent of groupies waiting in the wings. So obviously the quality we're talking about here is very subjective.

How to put this next part delicately, without sounding as conceited as Miss Piggy? If it were a bunch of young men who wanted to follow me around and hang on my every word, I guess I wouldn't be as surprised. I've always been good at getting the attention of the male sex, just not very good at keeping it in the long-term. But, as my ex-husband put it very brashly, "Other women don't like you, and you don't like them." And although I don't think he was absolutely correct, there was a grain of truth there. I tend to see other women my age as possible rivals, I guess. So to think that there's a group of young girls out there who want to be me, well, that's kind of confusing.

So now that I have groupies, what do I do with them? It was interesting to note that none of them showed the slightest interest in talking to me before or after class, so my initial idea of taking them under my wing and making them my friends isn't going to work. I guess I can start giving a series of increasingly esoteric workshops and see how far they're willing to take this thing!

RIP Men in Trees

I was so sad last night to come home from work and discover from Ausiello at TV Guide that Men in Trees has been cancelled. I'm so sad because I love that show so much, and it had so much story left to tell. Plus Jack is so hot! But at least this is only bad news, not terrible news, because we will be getting to finish out the season this summer, and apparently the last episode will be a real last episode that wraps things up in some way.

A Happy Belated May Day to You!

I know it's rather late, but the sentiment is still there. I remember singing this song when I was a freshman in high school, and when I think of it I still feel the same way I did then: love-sick and excited. Ok, so I pretty much always feel that way anyway!

The moon shines bright, the stars give a light
A little before tis day
Our Heavenly Father, he called to us
And bid us awake and pray.

Awake, awake, oh pretty, pretty maid
Out of your drowsy dream
And step into your dairy below
And fetch me a bowl of cream.

If not a bowl of thy sweet cream
A cup to bring me cheer
For the Lord knows when we shall meet again
To go Maying another year.

I have been wandering all this night
And some time of this day
And now returning home again
I’ve brought you a branch of May.

A branch of May I’ve brought you here
And at your door I stand
‘Tis nothing but a sprout, but it’s well budded out
By the work of our Lord’s hand.

My song is done and I must be gone
No longer can I stay
So it’s God bless you all, both great and small
And send you a joyful May.

If you're interested in seeing an older (and slightly more interesting) version of this May carol, try this.

Not the Owl Polka, but close

Here we are with another video. I have no idea why he felt the need to dress up as an owl, but close your eyes if you have to. Or just call him X!

Another video flashback

Don't let the hair scare you too much! This is really a beautiful song, especially the last verse.