Donna Freitas: June 2008 Archives

After reading the New York Times' excellent review of ABC Family's newest quirky, squeaky-clean series, "The Middleman," by Susan Stewart--it's basically an ode--I quickly DVR'd the pilot I missed from last week and set up the cable to catch epsiode two.

Well, heck! It was such a good decision! Title character Matt Keeslar who plays The Middleman (he fights crime but he doesn't know exactly on who's behalf--maybe God's?--he quips at one point) is constantly letting out old-fashioned exclamations like "Gosh-darnnit!" and "Lickety split" with such deadpan that you'll be in stitches. And Natalie Morales as Wendy Watson, his newly hired sidekick adds just the right amount of salty sarcasm to Middleman's super-goodguy sweet. Overall, the show is fantastic--highly stylized, fast-paced, clever dialogue, witty banter, enough camp to satisfy the most committed Buffy fans (now that's high praise--all packed into a show that oozes comic book flair (with a wink, wink).

Impossible not to love. Don't forget to set the DVR to catch episode three, which airs on Monday at 10pm, and repeats of one and two. You won't be sorry.

Check out New York Times reporter Nate Chinen's live music review of lead singer Jim James of the band My Morning Jacket who, Chinen calls, a "cheeky Shaman" and describes his music as "music to get lost in, body and soul."

Among other things, Chinen comments:

"Mr. James obviously understands the shamanistic side of his profession, where reverence and impudence stride down the same aisle....And he welcomed adulation from the audience, basking in each full-throated singalong. By the time the band roared through its closer, "One Big Holiday," the room had been thoroughly sanctified."

I know my fellow Idol Chatter blogger Doug Howe has urged everyone to stay home and wait for the "Get Smart" DVD, but I roundly disagree! I too, saw "Get Smart" on its premier weekend and I not only loved every minute of it (and laughed so hard I was almost in tears at several points), but I found it pretty inspiring stuff and here's why:

As I was leaving the theater, still chuckling and recalling some of the movie's funnier lines and moments with my husband, I was realizing that it had been AGES since I'd gone to see a movie billed as a straight-up comedy (not a romantic comedy) and actually enjoyed myself. I feel like just about all the comedy that Hollywood serves up lately is of the Judd Apatow and/or Adam Sandler and/or Mike Myers variety--meaning that its primary audience is men, the movie itself infantilizes men yet makes them into (romantic) heroes all at once (yeah right), and just about all the jokes are vulgar and at the expense of women and women's bodies. The typical Hollywood blockbuster comedy is one where the humor makes me extremely uncomfortable, to the point of offended.

I know all about the American Girl doll empire from my friends who have daughters obsessed with all things American Girl Doll. Plus it's hard to miss the many-story American Girl Doll headquarters store when you're walking down 5th avenue in NYC--not to mention all the moms, dads, and kids clamoring to get inside all the time.

But the only reason I agreed to screen this film was because of its star: Abigail Breslin, of "Little Miss Sunshine" fame. She's hard to resist.

Boy was I more than pleasantly surprised--this movie is not only a win for kids, it's a win for parents and all adults looking for a family-friendly, sweet, yet surprisingly deep movie this summer. "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" is very well-cast--on top of little Miss Breslin, there is the wonderful Julia Ormond as Kit's mother (she's excellent), with Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci, and Jane Krakowski (hilarious as always), and a whole host of other wonderful actors and actresses to carry the story's laughs, whimsies, and a good deal of sadness, too.

Recently, I had the great good fortune to be invited to participate in a conference at Esalen--that famous, new age spiritual retreat (you know, the Beats hung out there, Huxley tripped there...) in Big Sur, California, perched on the rocks overlooking the gorgeous Pacific Ocean. I couldn't believe my luck: five days of salon-style conversation between scholars of religion, scientists, and comic book artists among other creative types. Heaven!

My own worry: nudity.

Esalen is not only famous for its eclectic history and notorious visitors, its yoga retreats and guru-led workshops, but also for its hot spring baths. Which, now having been there, I can say are exquisitely beautiful and built right on the edge of the rocks overlooking the ocean. Unreal. Incredible.

But before leaving, when the convener of my conference asked if I had any questions, my one query was the following: "So....will everybody be naked at the baths and in the pool? Because I am a New England prude through and through, and a Catholic one at that." In other words: there was no nudity on my agenda! No matter what.

His response: "Oh, don't worry! Nobody will mind if you wear a bathing suit!"

Um, nobody will mind?

This brings me to the tantalizing title of my post...

Everyone who either has a tween or knows one also knows that Disney churns out (more or less) family-friendly pop stars (see Hannah Montana) and one-offs like "High School Musical" (and its sequel) to unbelievable success--feeding the hopes, dreams, and...

After a long-term love affair with the four fabulous ladies of HBO's series, "Sex and the City," like the rest of female America, I was jumping up and down about the movie from the moment New Line announced they were...

Carolyn Jessop has become a familiar face on many a news channel and the talk show circuit, with the eerily timely release of her memoir "Escape" in fall 2007, which chronicles her life growing up (and leaving) the FLDS Church--the...