Update

This week is skipping along quickly. The semester is drawing to an end and I spend every day busily trying to make sure my students are getting what they need before the bitter end. We're moving into fiction workshop time for my creative writing course, my 1001 students are working on their final essay, and my 1002 students are halfway through a big research project. Things are clipping along.

Evenings are always filled with tasty dinners, ballet for the girls, encouraging Maryn to do her math homework, listening to Avery read, showers for the girls, and high quality television. Seriously, I would get so much more homework done at decent hours of the day if I wasn't powerless to pull myself away from Dancing With The Stars and Lost. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings between 7-9 are pretty much a loss for me in terms of being a productive human being.

This is not to say I'm not making progress because I am. I'm working through Andrew Dickos's Street With No Name: A History of American Film Noir and am enjoying it a lot. Dickos is a good writer and an insightful scholar. So not only does he have interesting ideas, he presents them in a way that's accessible and fun to read. I'm happily plowing through that and will move on to the smaller but less interesting Film Genres next week.



I'm watching two films a week because I'm trying to maintain a more attainable, reasonable schedule. If I have three movies that I feel I ABSOLUTELY MUST WATCH this week, I probably won't watch any. If I have two, I'm more likely to do it. On the schedule for this week are A Star Is Born with Judy Garland and the Busby Berkeley-choreographed Gold Diggers of 1937. Next week will begin with Roman Holiday featuring the granite-like Gregory Peck and the eternally lovely Audrey Hepburn.



Now, back to DWTS. It seems that Lil' Kim is more of a competitor than I originally thought. Obviously, the fact that she's with Derek is a big advantage. He's easily the best, most creative male choreographer on the show and he can do a lot with a little. The fact that she's pretty talented and is a big performer doesn't hurt either. For a while, I thought it was pretty much just going to be between the two nobodies - Frenchy French Frenchman Gille and Celebrity Dumpee Melissa. Shawn, that little barrel of muscle, is a strong contender as well, of course, but I never really considered Lil' Kim. It seems like, depending on the mood, the shiny mirror ball could go to any one of those four. One thing is for sure - we're all better off without Steve-O. He tried and I admire him for it but it's more comfortable to not have to watch him anymore. I think Ty may be next.



As for Lost, could the last two episodes been any better? More of Ben's complicated history last week and this week, insight into Miles Straum, the angriest ghost whisperer in town? I've loved it.

Things I Have Loved:
Ben getting the smackdown from Desmond.
Hurley's effort to write the Empire Strikes Back screenplay.
The uber-mysterious line "Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?"
Hurley's line: "Face it, dude. Ewoks suck."
Confirming that Dr. Candle is Miles's dad.
Seeing Ben "call" Smokey through the mystery sump pump in his basement.



It's all been good, people. All of it. (Except for the cheesiness of the Smokey-flashback sequence in the basement of the temple. Is that really the best they could do?)

Anyway, as ever, I can't wait for next week.