INFLUENCED BY GREATNESS

I read a lot. When I'm in between shows, I spend hundreds of dollars on books. Like my father, my library over flows with reading material: Political Theory, Philosophy and Behavioural Psychology and Historical texts; books on writing, script analysis and directing, Plays, Scripts, Poetry and a few Classic Lit. There's not enough shelf space for all the books that I have acquired over the years, most remain in piles on my office floor. It's an addiction; (like shoes and purses) I buy a lot of books.

Recently, I've spent most of my money and most of my literary endeavours on Chick Lit. Books that often require only a day investment and not a lot of brain power. However, I've currently been feeling the need for greater mental stimulation.

Hence, my first New Year's resolution: Resolution #1: Spend more time reading/rereading Classic Literature

It's been quite a while since I've invested time and effort into reading the Classics. I need to revisit and reimmerse myself in literature from authors who are the benchmark for all writers who aspire towards greatness. I need to be influenced by greatness.

Here’s my 2007 reading list:

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Civil Disobedience And Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Light In August by William Faulkner
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The Children's Corner by Jackson Tippett McCrae
East of Eden by Steinbeck
The Idiot by Dostoyevsky
Poetics by Aristotle,
Leaves of Grass (poetry) by Walt Whitman
The Bark Of The Dogwood by Jackson Tippett McCrae
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story by Glen Duncan
The Odyssey by Homer
Franny and Zooey by J.D Salinger
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Paradise Lost And Paradise Regained by John Milton
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
1984 by George Orwell
Ulysses by James Joyce

UPDATE: Additions, courtesy of my beloved blog reader (s)

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
The Misanthrope by Molière

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGGS

UGG [ugh] n.
1. A type of sheepskin boot, which has been made in Australia and New Zealand for nearly 200 years.

Etymology: originally called "ug boots", which is short for ugly.

I have openly denounced UGGS as one of the most deplorable fashion footwear of this or any other century. I have preached to anyone who would listen about the ridiculousness of these boots. I have sworn that I would never don those shoes on these feet (along with clear heeled stilettos).

I stand here, head down with my tail between my legs, wearing Christmas presented Uggs on my feet.

Yes, they are still ugly and ridiculous, but they are SO COZY and COMFY. (You should know. I'm a sucker for cozy and comfy.)

Head still down. However, this time not from shame, but from marveling at my new UGGS.

At least these are more "shoe" defined than the classic Uggs, which are still hideous. (I know, excuse making and straw gasping... back to shameful head hanging.)

THE NOIR SIDE

I have recruited new members into the VERONICA MARS fan club. Yesterday while spending quality time baking cookies with my brother, his fiancée and my two cousins, I coerced everyone into watching the first season of Veronica Mars.

By episode two, they were hooked.

As a filmmaker and a writer I love this series. The writing is clever and powerful. The characters have such depth and complexity, such human strengths and weaknesses. I admire how the character arc (for all characters) reveals itself episode by episode, allowing the characters believability in their development. The neo-noir style is perfect for the teen detective genre. The actors are marvelous at their craft (less one, but I will not point fingers. You can judge for yourself - reference to actor only applicable to season 1&2).

As a regular TV watcher, I love the plotlines. It combines the greatest of TV narratives: the trendy serial story arc and the TV touchstone of stand alone episodes. It makes for great syndication possibilities and great "choice" episode rewatching. It's not just one of those teen dramas that quickly become dated *sneeze-90210-sneeze*. It's more like Colombo (cult classic) or Seinfeld, a good "any era" type of TV watching.

I endeavour to share good filmmaking/television making with others. I love great story telling, and I must admit VM is by far one of the best TV story telling of the past three decades. I can say this with immense conviction because I am a TV whore. I've watched a lot of TV in my lifetime; my show knowledge is vast... I even regularly watch shows that are prior to my TV viewing era, and beyond my target demographic. I am the TV trivia champion (David would be the only other person who would come close to taking my title, but it would be a hard fought battle), so trust me on this one.

I hope I have enticed you to give this show a chance.

Tuesday 9pm SunTv - in the GTA only, check you local listing elsewhere.

See you on the Noir side.

ON THE EVE

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

BE HAPPY, BE GRATEFUL, BE GOOD - OLD SAINT NICK IS COMING TONIGHT!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

HE DOES EXIST!

Dearest Mr. Claus,

I hope all is well up there in the North Pole. I know it’s your busiest time of year and billions of other little girls and boys are writing to you, demanding gifts and such, so I will make this brief.

It is with much delight that I write to you. I would like to start by thanking you for granting a pre-Christmas wish that has been on my list since October. Thanks for ending my detention sentence a day and a half early! (Although I did ask for an earlier date than this… I’m not complaining, I’m just pointing out our miscommunication issue.) To aid in your endeavour in fulfilling the remaining portion of my wish list this year (without further mishaps) I will recap and include pictures for your reference.

I hereby tender my newly revised wish list:

1) A White Fendi Selleria handbagNOTE: An authentic one MADE IN ITALY, not a replica like last year’s Balenciaga Handbag MADE IN THE NORTH POLE. I know the elves make quality handbags, but it’s just not the same.

2) An Hermes Kelly bagNOTE: I know spending at this fiscal quarter for North Pole Inc. is at it’s maximum, but $6500.00 for a Kelly is not an unreasonable request.

3) A Gucci violet calf 'Bouvier' hoboNOTE: Yes, another handbag. There are 365 days in the year after all, and I only have a month’s worth of purses. That’s only 8.2% of what I should have.

4) Snow in Ski Resort Areas Only
NOTE: My paid lessons are going to waste without snow in the Snow Belt. Otherwise I’m very happy with the plus 7°C for winter in Toronto.

5) A Pony (the Andalusian variety... if we are being breed specific)

NOTE: I know we’ve talk about this before. But I’m much older now and I can take better care of a Pony. I won’t forget to feed it, like I forgot to feed Muffy the goldfish. I’ve been practicing my pet caring skills with a dog for two years now… and trust me, that dog has never missed a meal.

6) An open Roundtrip Business Class Plane Ticket to Fiji.
NOTE: Or any other Polynesian country.

7) Spending Money (must be given in combination with above wishes)
Note: To keep wishes 1, 2, 3 and 5 from being empty and to use as a bartering tool for wishes 4 and 6.

AND FINALLY… I wish for:

Peace on Earth, an end to world hunger and all that intangible warm hearted stuff that is on the list of all good girls and ALL Beauty Pageant contestants.

Sincerely Yours,

G.I.M.S