the awesome/terrifying freedom

see the loop? see me way way way behind it? yeah. so here's my list of things i'll pretend to have always known about at cocktail parties, but will freely admit to what a poser i am here:

nellie mckay: she was brilliant in 'threepenny opera' (not worth paying full price though.. the shows gets boring) so i downloaded her album and was really pleasantly surprised. she's a peppier fiona apple with a dash of regina spektor, a pinch of ben folds, and just a bit of marlene dietrich thrown in for good measure.

firefly: i saw serenity when it came out and enjoyed it quite a lot. fans of 'firefly' said newbies would never understand what was going on in the movie, and i totally disagreed. but having just watched all 14 of the original episodes, i have renewed appreciation for the deeper delights of 'serenity.' i have mixed feelings about the show's cancellation - without it, we never would have had 'serenity,' but those 14 episodes planted the seeds of a hugely epic story that could easily have filled 6 or 7 seasons. i'm now a whedonite. and love nathan fillion.

sufjan stevens: now he's just a doe-eyed cutie. i consider him to be part of the 'new folk' movement, a kind of musical dave eggers: clever, esoteric and retro without irony. a cross between arcade fire and polyphonic spree, except without the robes and the wacky acid trippiness. i really like the songs 'chicago' and 'they are night zombies..'

augusten burroughs: i've just started reading 'magical thinking,' and totally love it. to call him the new sedaris feels cheap. no, i have not read 'running with scissors,' or anything else, though i intend to get right to it because if you want to be cool, you have to be able to say you're disappointed in the film adaptation.

veronica mars: thanks to the beauty of bit torrenting, i'm able to catch up on any television show i fancy seeing. being a whedonite, i had to check out joss' favorite new show. i'm only 2 episodes in, but i'm completely hooked. kristin bell is an amazing find - and the show's mythology is as complex as 'lost.' except set in high school, but smart. really smart.

also:

television is completely changing. the reality shows have peaked, and in their wake we're seeing some of the best episodic, epic, beautifully produced tv that has ever aired. and even on network! i'm talking about 'the unit,' '24,' 'lost,' 'battlestar galactica,' 'the office,' not to mention the cable standbys 'sopranos,' 'rome,' 'big love,' 'weeds,' and i'm not even getting into shows that other people love that i just can't fit in: 'gilmore girls,' 'gray's anatomy.' and what will always remain at the top of my list, despite its many flaws, which i probably have deeper affection for than i do most living breathing actual people: 'six feet under.'

and:

elliott yamin. i just love the guy. love him. he's my new favorite. once katherine gets booted, we will finally have a really really fantastic threeway showdown. no mckibbins in sight.

furthermore:

play taylor hicks pac man.