Sunday 31 October 2010

Happy Halloween


I Put A Spell On You...

I simply adore Halloween, it's one of my favourite holidays. I can't help but love the atmosphere it creates. With small children running round in their costumes trick or treating and the good old Jack O' Lantern's lining the streets. Its such a fun night full of frolic and laughter. I personally make sure that every year I complete my only tradition of watching one of my childhood favourites; Hocus Pocus. It's one of the best films in my opinion. Considering it stars Bette Midler it's hardly surprising how great it is. So whether you spend the night out partying or stay in with a good film like me, I hope you have a Happy Halloween.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

My Leading Lady


Katherine Mayfair/Dana Delany

Before I begin i think we should all take a minute to admire the photo... right all done? I know she's not one of the original ladies of the lane, but in my opinion she was the best. Within the first hour of her arriving on the lane she had become my new favourite. I like everything about her. from her spunky attitude to her hair... god that hair. Further proof of my red-head addiction. As she became more established she became interwoven in the usual drama. At first I didn't like the direction her character was going when she fell into the grasps of insanity but eventually i came to accepted it. Then the writer redeemed and excelled themselves all in one fell swoop. They introduced Robin, the stripper. When I first heard of Katherine's gayness I struggled to see how they would make it work without it seeming like a cheap stunts rating. Nothing annoys me than when shows play the gay card just because they think it'll attract the "cool" crowd. But I must admit I thought DH managed to do it with their own flair and it worked for me. Of course I'm not that hard to please and I was never really going to disapprove of the pairing, I mean who in their right mind would. Then they have to go and spoil it by sending them of god knows where, with no sign of return. I know that it was down to Dana that she choose too leave but even so couldn't she have stayed for a bit longer. At least i can take comfort in the fact that they left together and the writers didn't just pass it off as a lesbian phase. For that I am thankful.

Monday 25 October 2010

My Weekly Addiction


Desperate Housewives

It seems like an eternity since the ladies of Wisteria Lane last graced our screens but finally their back with a few new additions and of course a whole new set of drama. I know the show borders on cheesy but I think that's one of the things that draws me to it, I mean who doesn't love a bit of fun completely insane drama with no strings attached. Normally I get annoyed by shows that revolve around an unrealistic perfection with beautiful houses and even more beautiful people, but I have made an exception this time, mainly because despite appearances this show is possible as far from perfect as is humanly possible anything and everything that could go wrong for these ladies does with a vengeance. Despite this they always remain composed and their friendships strong. In a way its kind of inspiring if you overlook the insanely dramatic side of it. Of course it was inevitable that the show would be a success it ticks all the right boxes; sex, lies and murder. The seductive hat-rick that we all secretly crave for our TV screens. Gotta say I though don't think it'll be the same without Katherine, although I do have high hopes for the new housewife on the block; Renee. So for the next several weeks I will be having a turbulent love affair with these lovely ladies and I don't think ill be the only one.

Sunday 24 October 2010

Equality


A Right, Not A Privilege

After overcoming several obstacles I finally managed to get to a cinema to see the much anticipated Made In Dagenham. I've got to say I certainly was impressed. This film managed to handle every aspect well, resulting in a successful and respectful film. It was great to have a film that had such strong feminist themes without coming across as simply man hating film. It got across an important message while managing to keep a sense of humour. It showed a great moment in the history of women, and conveyed the passion of several strong and admirable women. What's sad is that even now despite all that these women and thousands of others have fought for women are still not considered as equal to men. Were getting there but there still a long way to go. I think its great that we have a film like this to remind us of what has and still needs to be achieved.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

My Leading Lady


Captain Kathryn Janeway/Kate Mulgrew

It appears I have a particular type when it comes to women; fiery redheads, and Janeways definitely no exception. That's not to say I'm exclusive but there's a clear pattern when it comes to my tastes. There's something about a girl with a gun that makes me swoon, I can't explain it but I'm not complaining. I remember one episode of voyager in particular where Janeway must stand alone against some form of macro virus. In it she has one big-ass gun, I gotta say she looked formidable if not sweaty, that teamed with the tank top she was wearing... well lets just say it was a good combination. She's the dame in charge and everyone knows it not to mention respects it. Maybe that's my attraction, the power she possesses. Then again it could be that killer smile she has.

Monday 18 October 2010

My Weekly Addiction


Star Trek: Voyager

Voyager was my first Star Trek love. I have a friend who is a Star Trek buff and after a great deal of persuasion she convinced me to give star trek a chance, well that was is I was hooked. Gotta say I'm thankful for her persistence, I should have trusted her in the first place after all she's responsible for a pretty high percentage of my TV addictions. Any-who I managed to watch the first season in just over a day and haven't looked back since. One of Voyager's greatest attributes has got to be it's strong female leads, having a female captain like Janeway definitely goes in its favour. Unlike most of my friends I view everything as a separate entity, I don't compare the books to the films, similarly I don't compare one star trek to another. However that's not to say I don't have a favourite because I do and it is inevitable that it would be anything but Voyager. I cant explain why, but I can tell you that with a cast with such great chemistry and unique setting, as far as I know there isn't another show that focuses entirely on a crew lost in space. Whatever its is it works with gusto.

Thursday 14 October 2010

Apologies

I've been living in at work for the last week and unfortunately they have no internet access. Therefore I've not been able to update my blog. But fear not my creative juices have been flowing and I've backdated my posts. I've even been writing a little fanfiction, something I havn't done in quite a while. So I though I'd post the link just encase anyone fancies a read, it's West Wing based and of course femslash. So feel free to have a look and enjoy.


P.S. The website it's posted on is great for femslash fanfiction so I've also added the link for the home page. If FF's your thing you should definitely check it out.


Thanks for reading.
Marlene

Wednesday 13 October 2010

My Leading Lady


Delilah Buchanan/Beth Broderick

As soon as I started watching the 5 Mrs. Buchanans I knew that Delilah was going to be my favourite character. In fact she was the reason I discovered the show, after I decided to have a look at the other persona's of everyone's favourite bewitching aunt Zelda Spellman. The ditsy but endearing southern belle certainly makes for entertaining viewing. I'm not sure I can think of anyone else who could quite pull off the character of a former stripper turned preachers wife, but Beth does it with a unique flare. Then again I wouldn't expect anything else from her. I've also got to admit that I think that her outfit choices certainly go in her favour. Even if the skirts are a bit short for a preachers wife I cant imagine anyone complaining, I'm certainly not.

Monday 11 October 2010

My Weekly Addiction


The 5 Mrs. Buchanans

I recently discovered this gem of a show on YouTube. Me being the person I am proceeded to watch every episode. It didn't take long for me to get hooked, after all any program that can make me laugh out loud instantly gets my respect. But alas like many great shows its life was destined to be short-lived. After a mere 17 episodes CBS bizarrely saw fit to cancel it, God only knows why. This was one of those rare shows that just works, its difficult to explain what makes it so, perhaps its the unique combination of quirky characters or the simplicity of the story lines, of course the fact that the entire lead cast is female helps. I know its a cliché but its good clean fun and I often think that's the best kind of humour. It such a shame that it never got the chance to continue but at least we have the memories.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Who Do We Care About More?


Pets Or People

Now I've posed the question as a self-confessed animal lover. I admit it I adore dogs and can't imagine life without them. Me and my mum always seem prone to express more sadness or sympathy for situations of suffering that involve pets then when its people involved, I know that proberly makes us bad people but its who we are.

A recent event made me consider the contrast between how we treat pets in comparison to people. On Friday (my birthday) I was preparing for a family meal when I learnt that my Mum was trying to get my Dad to hospital. As you can imagine this was quite a shock. I quickly rushed home to find out what was going on. When I got there I found my Dad in agony and my mum on the phone trying to get an ambulance. We had a pretty good idea of what the pain was as my Dad had had the same problem before, its nothing life treating but even so he needed to go to the hospital. However it seems the emergency services did not agree with that, they refused to send an ambulance as the situation was not life threatening. Instead we where told to take him to a near-by medical clinic. So that's what we did, by this point an hour had passed but he had been in pain for 3 hours. We were greeted by a guy who answered the door without a word but instead a look, after a rash explanation he let us in and told us to sit down and wait for a while, even though there were no other patients and it was extremely painful for my Dad to sit. Several unhelpful members of staff and injections later we tried to ring for an ambulance again, once again one was not sent. Eventually my mum drove him to the A&E department herself he was scanned, poked and prodded yet again before been referred to another hospital, this time they actually sent him in an ambulance by this time it was 8 hour since we had phoned for the first ambulance, that's 8 hours of excruciating pain. It wasn't until this point that he was given food and painkillers. Every step of the way was an uphill struggle, littered with rude, unhelpful and uncaring people. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to our medical system. When had it become so appalling? But its not just the staff that upset us but general people we came across too. At one point me and my mum had a quick dash to the local store to buy some painkillers on the doctors recommendation. When we got there there was a queue so my mum asked if she could cut in, explaining the situation, one women turned round and said "No, I want my lottery ticket." Safe to say she joined a long list of people me and my mum were prepared to put in the hospital just so my dad would have some company, if your catch my drift.

The whole experience was a disgrace. At one point my mum turned round to me and said " We'd have been better taking him to the vets." and I can't help but think that she was right. If a pets in pain we give them painkillers, if their hungry we feed them, and if their suffering we put them to sleep. We take such good care of them and cater for their every need, so why can't we extend that same kind of treatment to people.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

My Leading Lady



Natalia Boa Vista/Eva La Rue

Wow, well let me start by saying that blue is definitely a good colour on Miss Rue. Hell I'd bet any colour looks good on her. She sleek, she's stylish, she's smart and she stunning, what more could a girl ask for. One of the thing that strikes me the most about Natalia is that she is always elegant and delicate and yet you know that she has the ability to be incredibly strong, hey that's another 'S' word to describe her, but anyway, throughout the show she's shown that she is just as capable and dedicated as any other member of the team. She also comes across as very caring, like the kind of person you could go to if you had a problem. Did I mention that she's beautiful, not that I need to because well... duh. But just encase you didn't quite notice the obvious I thought I'd provide you with a little additional visual aid...

...because a picture says a 1000 words.

Monday 4 October 2010

My Weekly Addiction


CSI: Miami

During the course of this week I decided to indulge myself in a little DVD session, my chosen tipple: CSI: Miami. It's been a while since I watched the show but only a couple of episode to suck me back in. What with the bright colours and many attractive females, who am I to try and resist. Although my heart still lies in Vegas, I must confess that Miami is certainly a close second. I even like Horatio despite he slightly bizarre dedication to never really showing emotion. Maybe its the slight rogue tendencies both him and Delko have. I like the fact that their willing to serve their own form of justice for those who really deserve it. Miami certainly is a stark contrast t the much more dark and gloomy New York and the continuous night-time of Las Vegas. I find it refreshing for the show to be filled with sunshine and beaches, although I have to admit I am fascinated and somewhat bemused with the way everyone feels the need to wear white. Whenever I watch it I can't help but feel that I've been transported to an alternative reality where the good old Miami Vice look is the height of fashion. However I can't complain about the women's fashion because without a doubt they always look amazing. Even in white.

Saturday 2 October 2010

Commonwealth Games


Good Luck England

As we prepare for the beginning of the games in Delhi, it difficult not to wait with baited breath to see if in fact they do pull it off. Through out the last few weeks the papers have been packed with stories of construction disasters and cleanliness nightmares. Many people have doubts that anything will be completed by tomorrow. I however have faith in India. I think that they will pull out all the stops and bring it all together, not to mention I don't doubt that the situation had been grossly exaggerated by the media. I am looking forward to the opening ceremony, with such a rich culture to draw from it promises to be a wonderful celebration of colour and life. I'm also looking forward to the games their self, being an English girl I am of course rooting for my home country and all the other British athletes as well as Canada, since it has a special place in my heart. Looking at the line up of events it seems were in for an exciting couple of weeks of competition and I hope it lives up to expectation. One aspect of the Games I'm hoping gets attention is the Para-sports. These men and women deserve so much recognition for what it is they are achieving, to overcome so much and reach this level requires so much dedication and strength and I hope that everyone remember that and supports these athletes. We should be proud of every person who take part in this event and I wish them all luck.