It's Okay to Like More Than One Thing

Recently, I've been hearing a lot of people talking about what they can and can't like because of some sort of loyalty or image or something, and that makes me sad. Because one of the best things about books and movies and TV shows is that there are so many of them, and you can enjoy whichever you'd like at a given moment depending on your mood and tastes and whatever else. So why impose these limits? Why not just let yourself like . . . whatever? Funnily enough, these objections often fall into two groups that look opposite:

You can like things that are similar. Loyalty is good, but a lot of fans seem to have a weird sort of loyalty that doesn't actually help anyone. We hear it all the time: "I like one Sherlock Holmes adaptation, so we shouldn't even acknowledge that this other one exists." "I love vampire series A, so I can't like vampire series B." "I love this writer/producer/actor's other show, so I can't betray it by watching the new one." Now, if you're literally saying you can only buy one book and you'll buy your favorite author rather than a new one, of course! I understand that! Likewise, if the point is that you don't have time to watch any additional show, that's understandable. But assuming you're reading (via purchase or library or whatever) or watching multiple things in general, why rule things out because they have something in common with other things you like? That does not sound like a good way to find more things you like. I promise, no author I know wants you to demonstrate your loyalty by shunning other authors in their genre, or trying to shame fellow fans you see as disloyal. (Hint: They're probably reading other authors in their genre themselves. Because they like it.) I'm not, of course, saying that you have to like anything, but give it a try! Think about it this way: if many properties in a genre or subgenre are popular, that will help your favorite by getting more attention, marketing, etc. for things in that genre all around.

You can like things that are different. This is sort of the opposite issue: People so often say they won't try something because they watch HBO and it's on CW, or because they like YA books and it's labeled as adult fiction, or because something else about the marketing doesn't fit with their self-image. And, you know, maybe you won't like it! You like what you like! But if you hear about a book that grabs your attention, say, don't rule it out because it's shelved with adult books and you've decided that only YA books are any good. (Yes, really, I hear this a lot.) Try it from the library! It's free! What could it hurt? At worst, you'll read a little, decide you really don't like it, and set it aside, and you'll have invested a few minutes of your time into generating an informed opinion.

So basically . . . let yourself try things, and let yourself like what you like, for whatever reason, and don't worry about whether some outside set of criteria or rules of fandom say you "should" like it or not.

Morning Coffee (6/29/12)

FRIDAY. Finally.

People are saying they'll move to Canada to avoid universal health care. Good luck with that!

A beautiful piece of writing: Lena Dunham on Nora Ephron. Also: Nora Ephron's Hollywood ending.

Magic Mike comes out today! Check out Magic Mike: The Gathering cards, and the rules of magic in Magic Mike. Hee.

I honestly don't understand authors who want to limit the ways people can read.

Whoa! Brazil is letting some prisoners shorten their sentences by reading.

War on women: Afghanistan edition.

Slang: Older than you thought.

A Palestinian Village Tries to Protect a Terraced Ancient Wonder of Agriculture

Trailer: Anna Karenina

Prettttty. Let's see if I can manage to read the book before the movie comes out.

Morning Coffee (6/28/12)

Muse is doing the official Olympic song.

The tower that holds Big Ben is being renamed Elizabeth Tower in honor of the Queen's Jubilee.

Perfect: Business phrases that need to go

What Finger-Counting Says About You and Your Brain is interesting, but at this point I automatically count with American Sign Language number signs, so . . . I guess that says something else.

10 Signs You're Watching an Aaron Sorkin Show

Rufus Sewell and Michelle Dockery starring in a British spy thriller? SURE.

The Education System That Pulled China Up May Now Be Holding It Back

Well, this is awful: Some guy deliberately molded his girlfriend's tastes to make them acceptable to him, and then of course was dismayed when she empathized with the dolls on Dollhouse.

Morning Coffee (6/27/12)

Sad news: Nora Ephron has died. The New Yorker has some of her greatest hits.

A good take on the Newsroom controversy: "If he wanted to, Sorkin could write an episode of The Newsroom where his crack reporters confirm that unicorns do exist and they really do have rainbows come out of their bottoms. He can also manipulate real events for dramatic effect and, yes, make his characters look like heroes. Sorkin likes heroes, if you’ve been paying attention at all."

Want an excuse to buy Oreos? Here you go.

Oooh, new women's Doctor Who shirts.

Amy Spalding on Being a Lady.

10 Rules of Blockbuster Movies that Hollywood Forgot

John Edwards and Rielle Hunter broke up, you know, sometime.

The (Cat) Newsroom

George Washington: Not against individual mandates.

One Reason Why I Like The Newsroom...

Over the past few days, I've discussed the wildly polarized reaction to The Newsroom with several people, and I finally realized something - it's not that I think critics are wrong when they say Sorkin's portrayal of how the news is made is inaccurate or that his diagnosis of what's "wrong" with the news is off. It's that I can acknowledge that those are interesting and even important discussions to have, but while I'm actually watching the show, I can't really bring myself to care.

Really, the majority of shows I watch are about people doing their jobs - mostly lawyers, cops, and doctors. And I don't expect any of them to be particularly accurate. My differing levels of knowledge mean I notice inaccuracies more in some shows than others - my mom's a doctor, so I know enough about how hospitals work to know that virtually every hospital setting on TV is completely absurd - but that sort of thing doesn't really make or break a show for me. And in this particular case, it undoubtedly helps that I rarely watch cable news (except for BBC World Service, and Up With Chris Hayes), so I'm willing to accept that in the fictional world of The Newsroom, things work the way they say they do.

When it comes down to it, the subject matter of any show is not high on my list of criteria for watching. I watch shows that have writing I like and characters and character dynamics I find interesting. I particularly enjoy shows that revolve around groups of smart people who are very different or think they don't/won't like each other but who end up coming together to accomplish a goal. And given those criteria, I enjoyed every moment of The Newsroom pilot.

Morning Coffee (6/26/12)

Someone stole Jody Rosen's bike. Twitter found it.

Infinite Kittens

Ooh, interesting: Vintage aerial photography of Britain, now online.

Police have concluded that Dylan McDermott's mom was killed by her mobster boyfriend in 1967, but I'm basically just bringing it up because apparently it happened in the city of my birth.

Huh. Anglo-Saxon woman buried with cow.

Ever wonder about the elevator S button?

If you haven't seen the Aaron Sorkin supercut yet, here you go. Warning: May make you need to rewatch everything Sorkin's ever done.

Heh. Twitquistion: A Brave Media Member Is Forced to Answer for a Pro-Newsroom Tweet

This list of Sorkin's ten best episodes isn't exactly what I would have come up with, but I don't really object to any of the choices.

Trailer: The Queen of Versailles

...wow.

Morning Coffee (6/25/12)

Ah, Monday, here again.

NPR does "Call Me Maybe."

This time-lapse video from all seven continents is astonishing.

An Introductory Feminist Reading List

This is AMAZING: Lawyer mom accused of planting drugs on rival PTA president had written a book about 'the perfect crime'

Jezebel makes a really important point about the bullied bus monitor situation.

Some interesting reads related to The Newsroom:
In Defense Of HBO's 'The Newsroom': Why This Might Be One Of Aaron Sorkin's Smarter Shows
On Hype, Backlash, and the Value of Criticism in Today’s Media
Sorkin, Fandom, and Cultural Biases

Morning Coffee (6/22/12)

Sorry for the sudden lack of a post yesterday. I woke up to a very sick cat - he's now in the hospital and on the mend, though he'll have to go back in for surgery next week.

Since I need to stop obsessing about that, let's look at the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister wearing pretty dresses to weddings.

The Yarn Harlot's post is by far the most reasonable thing I've read about the Ravelympics issue.

I thought there was something wrong with me because none of the previews for Brave looked good, but no, it sounds like it's actually just dreadful.

"I want to take this sentence, drag it out into the backyard, and beat it to death with a shovel."

CBS put out the best fake press release of all time.

Eighteenth century France has a message HBO needs to hear.

E.B. White was pretty awesome.

Good publicity or bad publicity? Depends.

Whoa: The statues of Easter Island could have “walked” into place.

Historical pictures of people in D.C. eating ice cream? Why not?

Awesome Books to Replace Your Favorite Cancelled TV Shows