A Long Time Ago, We Used to be Friends...

I admit it.  I'm a Marshmallow.  I'm also a big ol' softie, but in this case I'm referring to being a die hard Veronica Mars fan. If you can't name the catchy theme song by The Dandy Warhols in the first two bars, I'm not sure we can be friends.

I saw the Kickstarter-ed movie on opening night, and absolutely adored it. I hate spoilers as much as the next geek, so you'll get none from me. I will just say two things.  It's totally worth the 7 year wait we endured to get it and Mac's hair is f-i-e-r-c-e you guys.  Fierce! If you haven't seen it, go now. If you don't want to go outside, you don't have to. There's a digital download available and you can sit and watch it in your mother's living room with your laundry clothes on where no one can see you.  I have no personal experience with this. Really.

Now I can hear some of you saying "Why do I want to see a movie for a television show I haven't even seen?"  What?  You're killing me, Smalls.  You haven't seen Veronica Mars?  But Joss Whedon and Stephen King love it!  There are fantastic cameos throughout the three seasons from people you would never expect! It has Ken Marino from The State and Party Down doing this:



Sold, yet?  Buy all three seasons here.  Still on the fence?  This video of the show's star, Kristen Bell, talking about how much she loves sloths will cinch it for you.

Already a Marshmallow? The Thousand Dollar Tan Line just came out last week. The audio version is, of course, read by K-Bell herself. It promises to be the first in a series of novels by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. 

Is one of the characters really getting a spinoff?  Yep, in web-series form.  Read about it here.

I also read this partial interview with creator Rob Thomas, who hinted at the possibility of more crimes, more cases, and more witty repartee. Yes!

Hey, Rob.  Now can we get that Party Down movie we've been waiting for?

XOXO,

Gossip Girl, err...I mean Geeky Bunny

Music Monday

This morning,  I received such a nice comment on a previous post that I decided to devote this entry to getting my reader set up with some new tunes.  Anonymous said..."Always enjoyed what you had to say. Glad to see you're writing again. Listening to anything of note, these days? I need something new to listen to at work."  Not only can I help you, but I'm thinking Music Monday might be around to stay!

Now normally I would ask all kinds of questions before I make a suggestion for new music.  What kind of office do you work in?  What genres are your favorites? Do you need need a boost in the morning or after lunch?  No matter your need, Songza has to covered.  I downloaded the free app on my iPhone a couple of years ago, and couldn't be happier.  It organizes playlists by genre, decade, mood and activity. You're not just limited to listening from your mobile device, either.  They have a fully functioning website so you can listen directly from your desk.  Some of my favorites are Irrelevant Bees, put together by the ultra hip and self-proclaimed sometimes DJ, Kahlym Schell (Tumblr here). It's loaded with some great, upbeat little gems that you've likely never heard. I also really like Melancholy Jangle, a 60's garage rock compilation that's great for rainy days, Alternative Pick-Me-Ups spanning decades and literally vowing to break through your mid-afternoon slump and the Girls: Jessa playlist.  It boasts the coolest pop-punk and rock from 1954-1979 for those of you who still long for the character and warmth of vinyl. Even if my recommendations aren't exactly your bag, there are practically endless options and all of them are free.  Just make sure you are on WiFi if you stream from your mobile device.

Want to just make your own playlist for your iPod?  I used this ultimate playlist to help me decide what to load on my new iPhone a few months ago.  It was put together by a last.fm group who calls themselves The Musical Elitists. They are thorough and have so many excellent tracks that every true music lover needs at their fingertips.  

Tracks I'm digging for Spring of 2014? "Broken Bones and Pocket Change" by St. Paul and the Broken Bones is on repeat right now.  I like it because it's a new song with an old soul.  Definitely a band with a wide appeal if you have to share your speakers with an office mate. "Hot and Cold" by Ex Hex is still encouraging my teenage daydream of having an all chick rock band. "Wave" by Beck is dreamy and cinematic. I'll need to wait another paycheck to pick up Morning Phase in it's entirety, but this one gets a regular listen.


Hope I helped, Anonymous!  Happy playlisting. 

What's Happenin', Hot Stuff?

If you read that in your best Donger voice, I love you.  Let's do lunch. If you didn't, I haven't been drinking. This is what I'm talking about:

John Hughes forever!

Lately I've been feasting on this tattoo artist's eye candy.  It is weird.  It is original. It is glorious.  If I didn't think my mother would come at me with a loofah in an attempt to remove it, I would so get one.  I'm thinking the 3D glasses or the Adventure Time one from this page.

Speaking of Adventure Time, Indie Wire wrote this great article about why you should be watching it, if you aren't already.  I recently bonded with my cousin's ten-year-old over our mutual love for it, much to the dismay of his mother. It's funny in a way that appeals to kids, but is laced with lines that are clearly meant for thirtysomething adults.  It has John DiMaggio, who we have loved as Bender Bending Rodriguez on Futurama and Stimpy the Cat on Ren and Stimpy. Lena Dunham has even guested as the voice of one of the characters.  Don't take my word for it, though.  Bingewatch it on Netflix now.  They just added new episodes!

As for Lena Dunham, I just watched this very charming interview she did with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.  Think what you want to about Girls. Even criticize the indiscriminate nudity, if you must.  I doubt you'll walk away from this 5 minute conversation she has about Reese Witherspoon's "Man in the Moon" without kinda loving her. 

The death of Lou Reed back in January really affected me in a very deep way.  I spent a great deal of time in high school devouring his music and discovering art because of him.  He lead me to paint and work in collage and stencils after reading about his collaborations with Andy Warhol. I recently heard a very haunting and beautiful tribute cover of "Walk on the Wild Side" by one of my favorite artists, Joseph Arthur, that was too fantastic not to share.  It's clear to me after listening that his influence affected others very deeply, as well.  A full album's worth of influence, Lou, is due in early May. Here is the magic. 

Signed, Epstein's Mother

I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way, right now:

To say it's been a while would be pretty silly considering I'd completely forgotten I'd left this account open until I received a spam comment on it this week. The call to write has been sounding louder than ever in the past few months, however. Perhaps it was kismet.

I'd been given some advice in the months before I walked away from my blog, which was "write about what you know."  I'd made some changes to the content and pulled away from my original passion, which was music, television and movies, thinking that by giving things a singular focus, I was doing myself a favor.  It failed.  When I tell you it failed, think Edsel.  Think Crystal Pepsi.  Think Wayne's World 2. It wasn't until I re-read some of my old posts that I realized, I was writing about what I knew and I was passionate about my topics. 


It feels good to be back, but I'll be skipping the perm and the bell bottoms if that's okay with all of you.