Relaxing

One great piece to try that includes both flute and harpsichord is German Baroque composer Telemann's [1681-1767] Nouveaux Quatuors Parisiens no. 6 - Modéré performed by a great group [be sure to listen to more of their work here: Nevermind, ie. try the slow and lovely "La Cupis" by J.P. Rameau] of Anna Besson, Louis Creac'h, Robin Pharo and Jean Rondeau on flute, violin, viola and harpsichord respectively.

Actually, if you prefer gothic, Symbolist style music instead of Baroque, try the cd Rachmaninov Songs, the piece "Vocalise [op. 34, no. 14]" performed by Joan Rodgers & Howard Shelley. Rachmaninoff [many spellings happen due to transliterating] was a famous Russian composer [1873-1943] who wrote a lot of moody, emotive, gothic E.A. Poe style music.

Many people decompress by watching dramas--the urgency and shocks onscreen put everything into perspective for you, making you feel better about whatever annoyances and worries you face. One such tv series is The Good Wife. It has become so much more than its original premise that I only wish they would alter the title to reflect it--it's one of the most moving and wrenching shows of the decade. It's very mature, and very philosophical; no one gets away free or clean. Everyone is faced with reality, the truth: of hard choices, of no answers, of no solutions or balms.

It's the new must watch, gripping show, much like True Detective was. And similarly, at first many people didn't see how incredible both were going to be. They could have slid off the rails early on, but didn't, they just exponentially grew in genius.

Convivial

Some easy fun is watching Chuck, the tv show--for Firefly/Serenity browncoats fans, it has Jayne Cobb ie. Adam Baldwin! His performance is truly excellent. I regret not trying this show earlier, I was unaware he was on it.

A funny blog we just discovered is the very funny, fashion-oriented Man Repeller.

For fun, light reading, try the fashion focused Dead Fleurette; it's stopped new posting, but reading back through it is quite enjoyable.

For fashion lovers and sartorialists, try looking through the photos at Chictopia, which is really fun. For people who prefer The Sartorialist to Polyvore, it's the place to be. It's like a more focused version of a fashion-focused Pinterest.

Boris

Royal Pains is a great, fun show about a doctor in the rarefied world of the summer Hamptons. It's very cute, and has a great mysterious character Boris, played by Campbell Scott. He's incredible, and a great foil for Hank, the main doctor. It's on USA on Tuesdays at 9pm. Be sure to watch the pilot--it's still one of the best episodes--the surprise in the case is truly surprising. As is the later shark and the woman who is swimming with them!

Tv Rewatch

One show worth re-watching, especially for the autumn scenes in grey, sweater dotted Paris near the Seine river, is Highlander. Every episode with Hugh Fitzcairn [famous singer Roger Daltrey from The Who], or Methos, or Amanda too is gold. The show has some over the top moments, but it's easy to forgive them their few mistakes. The scenery itself is quite interesting--you don't often see Paris in grey, cold autumn unless you're reading David Lebovitz's blog about living there, even through the cold seasons.

The flashbacks to other time periods make this show a real alternative for people who enjoy shows that deal with the temporal immortal reality of, say, vampires, ie. history flashback moments. Sometimes Methos is not done subtly, but even then you can imagine 'what is he really thinking?'--this is someone who could have been taught by Sun Tzu. What is the real import of his actions?

Holmes

Be sure to try the classic youth tv series The Adventures of Shirley Holmes [1997-2000]. If you love Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock adaptations and new ideas, you may really enjoy this series about a young girl in Britain who realizes just who she is tangentially descended from. She discovers an old chest, figures out the riddle of opening it and the story beings--she even gets her own best friend and Watson. And this version of Moriarty as a young girl is chill-inducing. In the above picture, this dark haired Holmes is at right.

Seconds

There is something in the national character of America, open to all who join it, that yearns for the ephemeral--that beauty and finality that is often found in Europe and especially France. That concept of no happy ending but a final, intense, majestic one. Stephen Dillane, shown above, conveyed that type of nuance in HBO's John Adams as Thomas Jefferson. The long series is very interesting and moving, especially the slow tension of the Continental Congress scenes.

Click here to read the real letters of Jefferson. The show's score has some great moments as well, try the extended tense and moving 'opening theme' and the exciting 'The Militia Passes By' and the fun, playful 'Street Shanty/Finding Palmes'.

He does equally excellent work in the tv show of G.R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones as Stannis, despite not being more showcased by the script. He's simply too good for anything he does. I commend him.

Fields

This is just a note: if you've seen HBO's True Detective and loved it, try E.A. Poe and Chambers of course, and then read Jean Lorrain's [1855-1906] novel Monsieur de Phocas. Read the 1901 text here in French or get the book in English. It's eerie and transcends other period books, read more here if you're looking for a strange, wild ride.

Here's an excerpt:

“There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is their terrifying and dolorous enigma, their abominable and delusive charm. There is nothing but that which we put there ourselves. That is why honest gazes are only to be found in portraits.

The faded and weary eyes of martyrs, expressions tortured by ecstasy, imploring and suffering eyes, some resigned, others desperate... the gazes of saints, mendicants and princesses in exile, with pardoning smiles... the gazes of the possessed, the chosen and the hysterical... and sometimes of little girls, the eyes of Ophelia and Canidia, the eyes of virgins and witches... as you live in the museums, what eternal life, dolorous and intense, shines out of you! Like precious stones enshrined between the painted eyelids of masterpieces, you disturb us across time and across space, receivers of the dream which created you!

You have souls, but they are those of the artists who wished you into being, and I am delivered to despair and mortification because I have drunk the draught of poison congealed in the irises of your eyes.

The eyes of portraits ought to be plucked out.” 

Mysterious

Today I want to feature a famous illustrator, the French George Barbier [1882-1932]. His work is quite eerie and draws you in, filled with little strange details. He has this secret, obscure edge to himself. It kind of reminds me of Bedelia as played by Gillian Anderson in her exchanges with Mads Mikkelsen in the tv Hannibal series.

Some of Barbier's work is very art deco and twenties in style, and other parts of it have an edge, a Greek feeling. He does many time periods. Some of it is risqué, as well. If you like the work of American Edward Gorey [1925-2000], be sure to try Barbier.

He also famously did some drawings of Nijinsky, the infamous dancer. Vaslav Nijinsky [1890-1950] was a Russian ballet dancer who was incredible, had amazing costumes and is truly a pinnacle of ballet.

I also want to highlight the excellent score to HBO's Game of Thrones. Whether or not you like the show, or whoever you'd like to win the seven kingdoms, the show has some great scoring by Ramin Djawadi, nothing like his earlier projects. His best tracks definitely include 'The Pointy End' and 'Valar Morghulis'.

Art and entertainment

For any Marvel fans, there's a 'real world' gossip and entertainment news site MediaAvengers with all the top mags--except they feature the Avengers. It's hilarious.

For a fun trip in art, be sure to get exposed to many different styles, countries and time periods of art in this overview of the paintings on the walls in the tv show Hannibal at ixiLecter here.

The picture above is just a beautiful wood painting of Krishna and Radha from a crafts museum in New Delhi. Notice the little Lotus in her hand, beautiful. And the multi-styled parts of the backdrop or wall behind them, what lovely patterns.

TV Rewatch

While I have no interest in anything shallowly gruesome, I do like the art direction and cinematography of Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal tv show. It's like the first Silent Hill game, I can practically hear the ominous siren, it's really great. I simply can't look at the screen for certain scenes, but other than some of them, I love it. The score is incredible--it's on youtube, be sure to listen to it. It was composed by Brian Reitzell and is a must listen if you love atmospheric strangeness, odd dream-like music that draws you in slowly.

Mikkelsen's physicality when he jumps over the counter in his fight with Jack is a perfect moment--he's like a jaguar in human form, and that moment shows you everything. The man is an incredible actor. You find yourself thinking of Blake's tyger burning bright.

The clock drawing scene with Will where he thinks it's fine and it looks crazy is just so fun; Mikkelsen's expressions are so well done and complex. If you enjoy funny Hannibal show and pictures stuff, be sure to read the gaggle of laughs ActualHannibal. If you like the classical music featured on the show, try HannibalsMusic.

And by the by, the Alma-Tadema above is certainly not for the flower crown homage crowd, uh..... it's merely a tribute to Lecter's love of the fine arts.

TV Rewatch: Highlander

Make sure to watch all the Highlander tv show episodes with Methos, played by Peter Wingfield, who is not only a great talent but smart as well. You can't miss a chance to watch his acting. I just want to see him and my favorite Stephen Dillane work together.

The swords, the history--every Methos episode is fun. I normally stick to drama or other fare myself, but Mr. Wingfield is worth making an exception for.

For some reason, the show really reminds me of the book Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett, which has the same kind of fun feeling and bickering.

TV: Rewatch

One great show, that has a interesting wry, ironic sense of humor is Arrested Development. The characters are all ridiculous, scheming dorks for the most part, but they are so flawed and stupid that it's really funny to watch. The first three seasons were especially funny. It's hard to catch all the jokes at once, so give it some time--and don't forget that at the beginning they have some growing pains. The more recent fourth seasons is very different in tone, it's much more sad, so I don't recommend it unless you're in the mood for that.

The show is about a large family--only one son is a responsible adult, so he tries to deal with his crazy family. He has a son [he's a widower], so he tries to set a good example, but things often turn out in ways he didn't expect.

The matriarch Lucille Bluth, played by Jessica Walters, is hilarious. She's such a standout.

Also warning, after you watch this, you will want a banana split sundae. That's just a given.

Game of Thrones

One of the best parts of Game of Thrones, the HBO show about the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, is talking about the possible futures--and crazy theories. Be sure to read the ASoIaF Reddit for the series to add an extra level of enjoyment to it all.

There's also ASongofTheories on tumblr as well. Also I finally like the dragons. They're more pterodactyls than magical, I was relieved. I don't usually like magic universes without rules or sense, but Game of Thrones is just incredible. It's like post-modern Tolkien. I recommend that anyone who likes Modernist or post-Modernist fiction give it a try, and look at it as a whole body of work [so if the first book is too slow for you, just keep going/read ahead to see how much crazy stuff happens].

Now he isn't always the most charismatic character, but I have to say I like Stannis. The poor guy has had such a hard life. Dany [called Khaleesi because she was Drogo's wife, it's a title like 'khan', see a neat Indian illustration of Genghis Kahn and wife Borte here from the 1590s] has also had a hard life, and struggles to know what to do--even when she thinks she's done a good thing, it often falls apart in ways or backfires.

If you love fashion, be sure to check out the tumblr AGameofClothes. This post at WornJournal was cool too, it discusses the show and the books's differences in costuming.

Rewatch: Old TV

There's only one true vampire show for connoisseurs: Forever Knight. It is incredible--it's about a Roman general Lucius who becomes immortal and the man he adopts as his son, Roman style. Unfortunately, this guy is from medieval, Crusades-era Brabant in northern France, so he doesn't have the same values as Lucien Lacroix [who updated his name for the times]. Their contentious relationship is the best part of the show. Nigel Bennett is incredible.

This is leagues better than anything else I've seen in terms of supernatural shows, though I do feel like Mads Mikkelsen [on the Hannibal qualifies just in and of himself. And Rhys Ifans too, he's so almost eerie [who plays Mycroft on Elementary, the American Sherlock Holmes show].


One of the great parts of the show is that they understand that a Roman man would be coming from a totally different culture and understanding of the world. The Romans had different norms for family, adopted children, sex, dalliances with young men [by older men] and honor. The show has moments where it really presents the difficulties of cultural difference.


These worldview differences are discussed in the recent, interesting book about the move from pagan Roman culture to Christian culture, which is reviewed here, it's called From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity. The book also is a good reminder that the Romans has a serious slave culture, one where you simply forced sex on people beneath you because you had the power. This wasn't seen through the lens of 'Christian sinful behavior' until that turn in history began.

The show also is a great way to spark an interest in the area of Brabant, Pompeii, more info here and medieval history, not to mention the Crusades. There were many, and they all had different people, reasons and outcomes. It's very interesting.

Rewatch: Old TV

There's nothing than the true north, strong and free in the last episode of the tv series Due South. I even learned a lot about Chicago, home to the Nolans and a cool city flag. Ben Fraser made mounties looking amazing, and was fine.

Even Ray Kowalski was pretty fun too, but I totally called his real hometown. The soundtrack was great too. The show had some incredible moments--there should be reruns on stat. Both guys were such great characters, so well developed. It's a fun show but also a show where the emotional moments really kill you.

If you like First Nations, hiking style background music, check the show's out here, and make sure to especially try the track 'Horses' and 'Dief's in Love', the infamous 'Possession' here by Sarah McLachlan [in the show that episode is by far the most horrifying and moving, be sure to watch it after a bunch introductory episodes--you'll never think of it the same way again], and if you only hit up one, listen to this score suite for the show.

Rewatch: TV

HBO's True Detective is incredible. The true terror that slowly, silently builds up is incredible. It's absolutely a show to try if you like M.R. James's scary stories [which were done in an antiquated style around the 1920s, which you should try if you like this kind of thing] or Hawthorne's, Poe's or Lovecraft. It has this edge of horror that's just kept out of the frame. And it's more scary for that.

The performances were ones I was doubting going in, and I was blown away; I forgot everyone's status as real people during the show. They were so totally different as their characters, even in terms of looks. It's really quite unbelievable, what a success. I'm so happy for them all. They have achieved so much.

I was glued to the TD Reddit the entire time, desperately trying to spoil myself so the fear after watching wouldn't keep me up at night. Spoiler: I failed.

I liked The Ring--this was like a superior version, in a sense. One that was more artistic, more beautiful and terrifying, more moving, more shocking. It is a pinnacle in aesthetics. They've truly raised the bar.

Rewatch: Old TV

One great old tv show I've been watching has been Magnum PI. It's as fun as Spin City without the over the top comedy. I love Rick, TC and Higgens, and the dogs. Magnum is such a fun character, and the locations in Hawaii are great.

Basically, I'll try any show if the locations are incredible, and Hawaii qualifies.