The Park

I’m so in-lurv with Jason Castro. Except for that ugly note near the end, it was an awesome performance. Yay, him!

I can’t believe I’m watching AI clips every week.

Oh, my. Auditions for Joss’ latest project is underway. Here are spoilery goodness on the characters for Dollhouse:

(Los Angeles, CA) - Send photographs & resumes ASAP to: Details Are only Available By Subscription.. Title: DOLLHOUSE, TV Pilot / TV Series - 1 Hour for FOX. CAST, Eliza Dushku; EXEC PROD, Joss Whedon; PROD, Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain; DIR/WRTR, Joss Whedon. Contract: SAG. Shoot Dates: Spring, 2008 (in Los Angeles, CA). Breakdown– Adelle DeWitt: 40 something, any ethnicity, beautiful, sophisticated, cold as an alp. Runs the Dollhouse with an efficiency that is both ruthless and protective. Would die before she showed anyone how lonely she is. Series Regular; Paul Smith: 30s, any ethnicity, good-looks hardened by a cynical distaste for most of humanity. An FBI field agent, he’s been chasing the urban myth of the “Dollhouse” long enough to have lost any shot at promotion. Becomes obsessed with, and twisted romantic foil for, Echo. Series Regular; Boyd Langton: Late 40s-60, any ethnicity, gruff, about to make the descent from ‘good-looking’ to ‘fatherly’. An ex-cop, Boyd is Echo’s ‘handler’ - her guard/bodyguard. Hates himself for taking this job, bu he’d lay down his life to protect the people he feels he’s exploiting. Series Regular; Topher Brink: 20’s, any ethnicity, genius programmer who’s articulate, nerdily attractive and blithely amoral. He’s responsible for imprinting the dolls - and making sure they stay unaware of anything. Is fascinated by the science and kind of digging the illegality. Fun to be around, but might not be remotely trustworthy. Series Regular; Sierra: 20’s, Asian or any ethnicity - certainly not Caucasian. Strikingly beautiful. A Doll like Echo, she has every personality in the world but her own. Is not as self-aware as Echo, but is instinctively drawn to her as a friend. Series Regular; Victor: 20’s, any ethnicity, handsome and fit. A Doll, and the other closest thing to a friend Echo has. Childlike when he’s inactive, and everything from Errol Flynn to (young) DeNiro when he’s active. Series Regular; November: 20’s, any ethnicity, beautiful and heavy. Another Doll, a hopeful child in the house and everyone else you need her to be outside. A comforting, radiant presence, who tends to get fewer of the criminal gigs and more of the personal ones. Recurring; Dr. Claire Saunders: 30-60, attractive, smart and a little sad. Looks after the physical well-being of the dolls. Has an acid wit that she usually reserves for Topher, who may only be kidding about being smitten with her. (Or he may not). Recurring. (Posted: March 3, 2008)

-source: MEW listings (link will expire soon)

For the past six seasons, I have never sat through an entire episode of American Idol. I never had a particular interest in any of their contestant. Well, maybe once with Jasmine Trias when I heard she was Fil-Am. I checked her out but she was mediocre and forgettable. After that brief spark of interest, I never bothered with AI. But it may change this year, all because of YouTube.

I saw a clip of this dude with a hippie, folksy vibe, like he was down with smoking joints with Shaggy and Scooby. So hippie dude had dreadlocks and a guitar, and he was singing a happy 60s tune, some title with daydream in it. If he were to be described to me, I’d probably sneer and roll my eyes. Alas, I’ve come across his vid. In a decent capture too.

Here’s a vague account of the experience:

My first impression on his intro pre-package resembled, “Oh, boy. White dude in dread locks. Whoop-dee-doo.” Then, I saw his eyes. Hmmm. Sparkly. The eyes caught my attention. At this point, I was thinking, “If you chop off the mop, this dude is hott”. When he started singing accompanied by his guitar (later on with the band), I was all, “This guy is too happy”. Normally, I’d cringe at ‘too smiley’ schtick or snark at the chock full of rays of sunlight. But the dude looks genuinely, I don’t know, happy. He’s like the colors of the rainbow, but not in the flaming gay way. (Flaming gay way is a different kind of happy and a different kind of awesome.) He’s more like someone who’s overwhelmingly positive without being annoying.

After hearing his first verse, I was mesmerized. By the end of the clip, I was ready to Kumbayah with him. (Not in that way, you dirty minded person. Well, maybe a little bit.) And I was ready to listen to another performance. Gasp! I think I like dreadlocks dude. So I re-read his name. Jason Castro. Hm. It is now embedded it in my brain.

Am I morphing into a fan? Yikes. Does this mean I have to watch AI and vote too? Not gonna happen. But still, I’d probably look for his clips regularly.

A Pride and Prejudice marathon makes Ten a very happy gal. I’ve fallen in love with Colin Firth all over again.

I have nothing against the 2005 P&P adaptation. I enjoyed it, in fact. But it pales compared to the BBC mini-series. Colin Firth is the Mr. Darcy. And Jennifer Ehle is my favorite Eliza Bennet.

Must. Buy. DVD.

Tall. Lanky. Athletically-challenged. A traveler and a foodie. A foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, middle-aged chef. A dozen more adjectives, good and bad, describe Anthony Bourdain. And then some.

I heart this guy.

Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations is must-see TV in our household. It’s just is. Could this be another case of food porn? Or does this fascination run deeper? Away from the poster card shots and safe destinations, NR is more intimate take on culture. It builds its niche by experiencing varying places through local color and cuisine. I wonder if this fascination boils down to finding a kindred spirit, ready to take on adventurous feasts.

Hm.

Nah. It’s all about food porn.