I love Turner Classic Movies in October with movies full of the suspenseful ambience, the cheesy '60s Gothic Hammer auras, the movies that manage to be scary without a plethora of CGI effects. But this year, there's something magical about the line-up (aptly titled "TCM Special Theme: Ghost Stories") is that I have not seen that many of these! For a channel who in the past has spent a lot of time playing repeats (although I never complain for the ten millionth view of the original "The Haunting"), I am pleasantly surprised.And DUDE! The old Dark Shadows movies!!!

All movies are linked to a trailer or clip.


Thursday, October 2


Saturday, October 4
12:45 A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009)


Thursday, October 9
3:15 AM The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)


Thursday, October 16
11:45 The Ghost Goes West (1936)
3:45 AM Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944)


Thursday, October 23



Saturday, October 25
12:15 A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King (2011) *




Tuesday, October 28
5:00 AM Nosferatu (1922) *


Thursday, October 30



Friday, October 31
12:30 AM Poltergeist (1982) *



She's done TV, she's done plays, movies, charity work and ushered in the most important phrase in red carpet history: "What are you wearing?" Joan Rivers helped marry celebrities and fashion even closer together with her hysterical and often biting critiques and jokes. So it is an extreme blow to her "Joan Rangers" everywhere. But after a few hours stewing on this, she wasn't planning on stopping working anytime soon, so maybe her deity scooped her up and said, "I'll take you kicking and screaming, Robin Williams is asking for a double act."

It's a huge blow to so many industries; and while the details on her death is still sketchy, it's going to truly be a difficult world to live in without that raspy voice hurling insults to A Hathaway and shouting "Bitch stole my look!" My Fridays have become much darker now.

my favorite Joan moment? Glad you asked. It starts at 2:42
In the words of Donald O'Connor, "make 'em laugh" in your heaven, Joan.
Charlotte Church: Live in Cardiff Concert


Words cannot EXPRESS how dorked out I am for the moment that someone uploaded Church's BBC special that highlights many songs from the 4 EP as well as some of the fantastic tracks from 1 including "How Not to be Surprised When You're a Ghost" (which seems to be my theme song on some weird level) and "Nerve." While I am sad that some of my more underrated favorites like "The Rise" (which Church has a remarkable attachment to) and "Lasts, or Eschaton" or even "Magician's Assistant" isn't on here, I am more than happy that all 39 minutes are uploaded. So how's about a DVD with more songs or is this all that we have? Oh hell, I'd be happy with a DVD with a lot of interviews.


Tatiana Maslany Continues to be Utterly Awesome


She plays a pill-popping, gun toting house wife, a Ukranian terrorist, a female-lovin' scientist, and even more clones to boot on "Orphan Black" so what else could Tatiana Maslany possibly do to one-up her awesomeness? Possibly having a "Shaun of the Dead" inspired photo shoot for Comic Con including an interview for The Hollywood Reporter . 
Can she seriously be any more amazing?
Stars Unleash "From the Night" 


At this point, my love for Canadian Indie-Rock band Stars is pretty apparent as fall approaches, their wonderfully moody and ambient music is like an Autumn lullaby to my ears as the Sun God begins to die. But Torquil Campbell, Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, Chris Segliman, and Pat McGee always has had a degree of unexpectedness in their wide genre-spanning music. What was once lyric-conscious rock turned to occasional pop with the occasional symphonic sound and now... disco?
"From the Night" is a letter to those of you who stayed home and didn't take a chance on the possibility that a bassline and a hi-hat rhythm might save your life," thus spoke Stars mastermind, Torquil Campbell to NPR, "We just wanted you all to know that it's beautiful out here; that everyone feels like time won't end and we will all be alive forever. Oh, and one other thing: it's lonely. There is no lonelier feeling in the world than watching the sun rise as you walk home. Go back to sleep. And dream..." 
I just fucking love this band so much! No genre is too obscure for them!
But apparently "No One is Lost" is going to be one huge dance party and it will be landing October 14th which cannot get here fast enough! 
Le Kid Doesn't Dance and Makes it Sound Danceable
I suppose there was one more song deep within the small discography of ABBA's modern electropop cousin, Le Kid, that managed to escape me. And with good reason, since Scandipop themselves explain that Germany is a bitch to get music out of, which leads to only a two minute snippet of a wonderful electronic dance party despite the lyrics. And really, did we expect something less from this fantastic band? Can we please get this released in this hemisphere so that I can have a dance party in my head since obviously, this girl doesn't dance (in public anyway). 
Sharon van Etten is Touring Her Way Back to Me *happydance happydance happydance*

Again, I can't lie that Sharon van Etten is seriously my home girl. I know there's not much chance of chasing her down the moment she gets off the stage like last time, but, I will be mentally hugging her the whole time as she is coming back to Iowa City October 13 as she begins her "Are We There" tour. 


Seth Meyer started out the night with "We had comedies that made you laugh and comedies that made you cry because they were dramas submitted as comedies." So true and like a hodge podge of mismatched submissions, the Emmy's had a little of everything great or horrible. But then that is rather subjective..



The "Hell Yes"'es

I don't believe in hate speech and the whole spammerish "GO KILL YOURSELVES. WE DON'T CARE. EMMYS SUCK" bullshit so I intend on just sticking to the stuff that made me nerd out the hardest. And on the nerd-off scale at the very top, I must name all of the Sherlock wins tonight from Benedict-gorgeous-Cumberbatch winning the Outstanding Lead Actor for Sherlock: His Last Vow to Martin Freeman winning Outstanding Supporting Actor to STEVEN-FUCKING-MOFFAT for Outstanding Writing. I literally squealed like Zooey Deschanel upon discovering Louie C.K. won for Outstanding Comedy Writing...

Steven Moffatt winning for Oustanding Writing for a Mini-Series or Movie, Sherlock: His Last Vow
And when Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange won for American Horror Story: Coven? Yeah, loud happiness occurred because horror/fantasy is not typically a win-able genre at the Emmy's. It also seems really strange that while Kathy Bates deserved the win, the people who actually watched the show know her portrayal of Marie Laveau is a racist bigot who basically ends up as chopped limbs at the end of the show. Oops. Spoilers. But it was extraordinarily bittersweet watching Lange, who has been a consistent AHS alum since season 1, knowing that after this next season she will be retiring from acting.

Also, no one told me that Cary Joji Fukunaga was doing True Detective so when he ran up to the stage, my jaw literally fell on the floor. His resume is extremely solid from an underrated adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and from the direction of that, I do not blame the academy at all for letting him win with the multiple talents this man has. He directs! He produces! He writes! He understands cinematography and how cameras work! He does have an amazing ability of creating an ominous ambience. OK, I'm foreseeing a True Detective marathon in my near future, next to re-watching Grimm, finishing Community and Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time but that's besides the point....


As for the comedy portion of the night, it was all the usual suspects that I was well-pleased probably a little more than the average Orange is the New Black fan, but I was so happy that Modern Family has remained intact with the Academy as well as Ty Burrell's win for best supporting actor. While some people could be annoyed by this, Modern Family is not the typical formulaic sitcom so of course it's going to be ushered in every year. If there would be an ensemble category, then, I think we could sift out the actor categories so others have a fair chance. And let's not get started how disappointed I am that Amy Poehler is leaving television without a single won Emmy... But as for Jim Parsons winning, what, the fourth year in a row? Because science, folks. Because. Science.

Steven Colbert. There is no other explanation as to why I'm so happy about this. Because Steven Colbert ... and the fact that this is his last year with the show before going to The Late Show, it was well deserved.

The Best Tweets

@glamourmag Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are tonight's Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. #Emmys

@glamourmag Julia Louis-Dreyfus + Bryan Cranston = the new Adrien Brody and Halle Berry #Emmys

@AnnaKendrick47 I wish I was Bryan Cranston right now

@glamourmag I could watch @billyeichner yell at people about Maggie Smith for the rest of the night. Is that an option? #Emmys

@mrbateslegal Lived in the Keys for 4 years and never came across a conch shell full of weed. Think there's an untapped market here... #Emmys2014

@BdeCaunteton Waiting for that one tweet where @glamourmag and @hellogiggles nerd out over Zooey Deschanel's squealing #emmys

@glamourmag YES! Amy Poehler IS the Beyonce of Pawnee. #Emmys

The Best One-Liners/Moments

"TV will always be the booty call of entertainment." - Seth Meyers

Everything that was between Jimmy Kimmel and Matthew McConaughey. "Matthew McConaughey doesn't even own a television. I happen to know for a fact he traded his television for a conch shell full of weed." "You won an Oscar six months ago. No offense, but how many of those speeches of yours are we supposed to sit through?Should we give you the BET award for best male hip-hop artist while we're at it? Look at that face. That's not a TV face. That's a movie-star face right there. Where's Ricky [Gervais]? Now that is a television face. Not even really a television face. It's a Netflix face." "Take your brother Rico and your bongo drums and get the hell out! And take Julia Roberts with you." "You beautiful son of a bitch."

"True or false, Maggie Smith doesn't give a shit about award shows." - Billy Eichner


[Singing] "Jon Hamm's liver won the Emmy because he's Jon-freaking-Hamm." - Weird Al Yankovic

"Despite any differences we may have, we must strive to remember that... there's one common truth that binds us all together; None of us will ever make as much money as Kim Kardashian did for her iPhone game." - Jimmy Fallon

"The Golden Globes have alcohol... Here everyone sits quietly in one place and waits for the pills to kick in. Tonight we are all Crazy Eyes." - Seth Meyers

"OK, hello. I am honored to announce the first award of the evening: best on-screen orgasm in a Civil War reenactment." - Amy Poehler

Drunk Andy Sandberg dressed as a character from Game of Thrones and talking to Lena Headey


[Coming up with introductions for Ed Harris and Matthew McConaughey] Poehler: "Please welcome two gentlemen who seem like they'd be chatty in the sack." Meyer: "That sounds accurate."


Chris Hardwicke schooling twitter users on the use of your/you're

Stephen Colbert whispers his acceptance speech into Jimmy Fallon's ear and Fallon dictating.

"We're all molecules and we are all shooting through space right now." - Sarah Silverman

"Hold on there, Clark Gable." - Julia Louis-Dreyfuss to Bryan Cranston with a pencil mustache (and apparently I was the only one who understood this reference)

Zooey Deschanel squealing out that Louis C.K. won for best writing in a comedy series

[Singing] "Inigo Montoya grew a beard." - Weird Al Yankovic

Everything about comedian and Silicon Valley actor T.J. Miller describing director nominee Mike Judge from the cigarette to the weird woman dancing in the background and all the mocking pretentiousness.

"Robin Williams, what a concept." - Billy Crystal
When Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers high-fived. I need a .gif of that like yesterday!
"I love you and I loved the scenes in bed." - Bryan Cranston to Anna Gunn, winning Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Julia Louis Dreyfuss

Heidi Klum in Zac Posen

Kate McKinnon 



Sarah Hyland in Christian Siriano 


Melissa Rauch in Pamella Roland

Alexadnra Daddario  
Special Award of "Most Improved" (for me):
Julie Bowen in Peter Som




 as Batty Koda in "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest"



"Zak, truth doesn't always win friends, but it certainly influences people."



"It's Darwin's grab-bag!"


(Robin, since you're in the cosmos, you should hear that I pulled this at
a community college party and everyone knew what I was referencing. 
Thank you)

"Delicious and nutritious! Tastes like chicken!"


as Genie in "Aladdin"



Never fails! You get in the bathtub, and there's a rub at the

lamp.

(But mostly 0:01-0:09 and 0:050-1:03)

Genie: "Quick. Quick, wish for something outrageous. Say, 'I Want the Nile.' Wish for the Nile. Try that."
Aladdin: "Uh, I wish for the Nile."
Genie: "No Way!"


Genie: "I can't help you. I work for Senor Psychopath now!"



As Armand Goldman in "The Birdcage"




John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt in "To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything!"


John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt: "Oh my God, 
I'm like a compass near north."
Noxeema Jackson: "Thank you."

as Himself

from Live on Broadway, 2002




"Canada's like a loft apartment over a really great party."

"I have one question for the ladies: Do we look like this? [Bends arm in front of his face]" (for twelve years, this shit has stayed with me longer than it should have...)

"Shhh! In Neverland, there's a sign that says, 'You must be this high to ride Michael!'... Obviously the lawyers at HBO are going "FUCK!"" [Pantomimes writing a check] 

"Marijuana enhances many things, colors, flavors, sensations, but you are certainly not fucking empowered. When you're stoned, you're lucky if you can find your own goddamn feet."

[On Coco the Gorilla being attracted to him] "Part of me went "could be fun." Make a great story for a bar. "I had a wild night in Vegas." Yeah, well, I banged a gorilla! Where ya goin'?"

"Keith [Richards] is the only man who can make the Osbournes look fucking Amish."

"I'm Episcopal, which is Catholic Lite. It's like same religion, half the guilt."

[Channeling Elmer Fudd] "Be very, very quiet, We're wooking for tewwowists." He he he he he he he he."



"When this whole thing [9/11] happened, I thought the Statue of Libery would change. Instead of "Give me your tired and your poor," it would be her with a baseball bat going "You want a piece of me?".

"We will be all dead and gone, but Keith [Richards] will still be there with five cockroaches. He'll be going, "I smoked your uncle, did ya know that? Fucking crazy..."

[channeling Charlton Heston] "Guns don't kill people.. APES with guns kill people."

"I can see it now: Osama Bin Laden goes up to the gates of Heaven where George Washington comes out, says, "How dare you defile what I have created," and starts whaling on his ass then 70 other members of the Continental Congress come out and start kicking the shit out of him. Osama will say, "Hey, wait! Where are my virgins?" "71 Virginians, you asshole!"

from the credit footage of "Waking Sleeping 

Beauty" channeling Burgess Meredith

(Sorry about the quality and the crazy zooms)
 
Warning: Spoilers Included


Bad Moon Rising
(Season 2, Episode 3)

When Hank decides to quit his job, his Coyotl high school friend's daughter (and Hank's God-daughter) is kidnapped by her mother's side of the family for an Aseveracion (mating incest ritual) now that she has turned sixteen. Nick decides to bring Hank into the Wesen loop. Juliette is released from the hospital and Nick sleeps on the couch.

Literature Used: The Old Woman in the Wood

Wesen featured: Blutblad (werewolf), Coyotl (coyote)

Best Quotes: 

Monroe: "Well Nick, when a mother coyotl and a father coyotl love each other very much..."

Carly: I'm sorry Hank. I didn't mean for that to happen. I just... I thought he was going to kill me.
Hank: Why?
Carly: He's a Grimm. It's... what they do.
Hank (to Nick): A what?
Nick: A Grimm. It's sort of a family problem. Look, I promise I'll explain it better later. But right now you just have to trust me.

Best Moments: The gratifying moment when Nick tells Hank what he is.  

The Good Shepherd
(Season 2, Episode 5)

When an accountant to a church organization gets thrown into a wood chipper, Hank and Nick find out this has happened before to the last accountant in another state. The church organization is led by a Blutblad who just happens to be romantically involved with a Seelengut woman who has been married to the two prior accountants as both of them extort money from the church. Monroe goes undercover at the church. Nick and Juliette start to lay ground rules as strictly room mates.


Wesen featured: Blutblad (werewolf), Eisbiber (beaver), Seelengut (sheep), Nuckelavee (horse)

Literature Used: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Best Quotes: 

Monroe: Yeah, well, he is definitely working his charms on his assistant Megan. I think they have something romantic going on and I gotta tell you, that's totally weird. A Blutblad with a Seelengut, I mean, Darwin would have a field day with this relationship. And I'm not saying I'm prejudiced. It's just like the wolf getting into a sheep's clothing, if you know what I mean.

Hank: Last thing you want to do is put any pressure on her. That'll just push her away. Not that I'm an expert. Well, I guess I am the expert.

Best Moments: Monroe bemoaning the use of digital clocks in the church room. When the Seelengut go after Monroe after attacking and killing Calvin. (That's bad to say it's the best moment but the herd mentality is so ridiculous you just have to laugh and start quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail)


La Llorona 
(Season 2, Episode 9)

It's Halloween and Monroe is decorating and having way too much fun -- until some delinquency happens which results in his window being broke. Nick and Hank get caught up in the disappearance of three children according to the La Llorona myth where a ghost of a woman tries to replace three living children for the three dead children she drowned in the river to be with a man who would not accept her children. Juliette is brought on by Nick to act as translator for a Spanish family whose son has disappeared. Juliette is confronted by a woman who can sense the effects the cat scratch had on her.

Wesen featured: Blutblad (werewolf), Balam (jaguar)

Literature Used: La Llorona myth

Best Quotes: 

Monroe: Halloween for us, come on. That's like, bigger than Christmas. There's a long Wesen tradition of All Hallows' Eve Midnight Woge running through the woods, scaring the crap out of the villagers. Literally, sometimes.

Monroe: What a bevy of great costumes. Oh, love the wolf man. Looks like my Uncle Herman before they chopped his head off. 

Best Moments: Monroe's decoration of a reaper with an activated mace before all hell breaks lose.

One Angry Fuchsbau
(Season 2, Episode 17)

Monroe takes Juliette to the trailer with Nick's blessing but only causes Juliette's memories to come back more erratic and hectic. Juliette caves and finally asks Pilar to help. While serving jury duty, Rosalee becomes victim to a lawyer Ziegevolk bending the court to his client's advantage as Monroe, Nick and Hank go all Scooby Doo on the case. Slapstick ensues. Eric notices there is something different about Adalind as he tells her he best have a visit with his brother, Sean on getting the key back.

Literature Used: The Garden of Paradise

Wesen Featured: Ziegevolk (goat), Blutblad (werewolf), Lowen (lion), Fuchsbau (fox), Eisbiber (beaver), Mauzhertz (mouse)

Best Quotes: 

Monroe: "Oh, I get it, so if I'm crazy no big deal." 
Nick: "Hey, we can't both be crazy."

Monroe: "It smells good. I didn't know you could cook."
Nick: "I can't. This is take-out."

Monroe: "Oh, he's sweatin'. But I think I pulled a groin muscle."


Best Moments: Monroe injecting the frog only for it to run away from him. Monroe jumping to Rosalee's rescue at the end.  The return of Bud and his role in the great plan to get Kellogg's sweat. Juliette's Memory-Nick with a guitar in his hands, it's strangely sexual.

Volcanalis
(Season 2, Episode 18)


Fumarole is discovered on Mount Hood and a very possessive Fire God will ravage and kill anyone who takes them in, including a employee of EON Industries and an archaeologist-turned-not-so-crazy-as-we-think's wife. The men of the "Grimmy-Doo" gang fix this complete with hosing the mythological character with liquid nitrogen. Juliette's memory continues to strengthen as she faces them head-on. Adalind makes alliances with the Schwarzwald gypsies in Vienna to give up her half-royal unborn child  in exchange for her powers back 

Literature Used: The Devil's Three Golden Hairs

Wesen Featured: Blutblad (werewolf), Esibiber (beaver), Hexenbiest (witch), Taureus-Armenta (minotaur)

Best Quotes: 

Monroe: "Keeping Portland weird."

Monroe: "You got something?"
Nick: "Dead Body"
Monroe: "See? That'll get your mind of her [Juliette]."

Best Moments: Hank being rolled out of the police station by multiple cops with a lei around his head (I must have a .gif of this!). When Juliette delves deep into a memory, the color turns from black and white to gray to colored very very slowly as she fully gains the memory back. (Genius!)


Endangered
(Season 2, Episode 18)


A pair of a rare alien-type of Wesen is on the run from from a Condor who kills and sells parts of Gluhenvolks. The kicker, the girlfriend is pregnant and George Lazur, the Raub Kondor, is after the baby. Jocelyn has to eat cow ovaries in order to go into labor which Rosalee and Monroe help bring her child into the world. Hank is still on vacation in Hawaii, leaving Nick to team up with Wu for this investigation. Nick also learns more about the Seven Keys; the shapes on them forming what could be part of the Black Forest in Germany according to Monroe's grandfather's maps. Juliette's memories become strong enough that she asks Monroe what a Grimm is.


Literature Used: Little Brother and Little Sister

Wesen Featured: Blutblad (werewolf), Fuchsbau (fox), Gluhenvolk (alien), Raub Kondor (condor)

Best Quotes:

Monroe: "Don't you need a warrant for that?"
Nick: "You're right, you open it."
Monroe: "Oh, OK."

Wu: "Nobody was probed...yet."

Monroe: "A Grimm is someone who can see into the heart of darkness. Someone who sees things other people don't understand."

Wu: "What is it about cows and aliens?"
Nick: "I got nothing."


Best Moments: Wu. Just everything Wu. The gratifying moment we can trust Renard. Monroe and Rosalee finally kissing and getting mildly frisky. Monroe attacking the Raub Kondor. 


Kiss of the Muse
(Season 2, Episode 20)

A musai drives men into insanity and attempts to take Nick as her own as he spirals out of control. Only Juliette can save him. Juliette returns to the trailer and starts to remember more of what Nick told her of the Wesen world and finally believes him. Hank comes back from Hawaii on crutches. Rosalee goes to the trailer for the first time.

Literature: The Odyssey

Wesen: Blutblad (werewolf), Fuchsbau (fox), Luisant-Pecheur (otter), Musai (elf)

Best Quotes:

Nick: "Man, what did the doctor say?"
Hank: "Actually, he was very adamant. 'Let your partner do all the work."
Nick: "As if I don't already."

Monroe: "Ring a dinner bell?"

Renard: "Really?"

Best Moments: When Renard got all guard-Zauberbieste-dog on Nick as he threatens Zoe then woges. Most gratifying moment ever! When Juliette finally gets it and although apprehensive, is willing to learn about the new Wesen world.