tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post9007481682552480528..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: There is a new blog logo. Discuss.Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59323046126696835112010-03-29T20:46:02.040-04:002010-03-29T20:46:02.040-04:00I watch it because Hodgins is super sexy.
I can&#...I watch it because Hodgins is super sexy.<br /><br />I can't believe you all find Bones-as-novelist to be so unrealistic, and yet no one has mentioned how unrealistic the entire premise of Castle is.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01396707968504353671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65334896049103316232010-03-26T03:40:38.562-04:002010-03-26T03:40:38.562-04:00"I don't believe that the character Hart ..."I don't believe that the character Hart Hanson and company created would have the ability for or interest in writing a series of best-selling mystery novels. They'd require far more understanding of ordinary human behavior and emotion than Brennan has."<br /><br />Is someone watching Bones in secret? tehe<br /><br />But yeah, definitely agree, her mystery novels are supposed to be spellbinding yet the character is supposed to be Data reincarnate. Doesn't fly.<br /><br />And PULLEEESSSEE, let's just all admit we all watch that terrible show only because Emily Deschanel is super sexy....or least I do, I'll admit it.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01663953193984351560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53177313943862476302010-03-25T15:36:01.529-04:002010-03-25T15:36:01.529-04:00A different view of Bones:
I actually find Brenna...A different view of Bones:<br /><br />I actually find Brennan being a writer quite plausible. The show has suggested over the years that her writing is where she explores emotion she may not allow herself to feel in the "real world." She is also not as pop culture illiterate as she seems on the surface. She clearly has an affection for old movies (a movie made her want to be an anthropologist -- not her parent's disappearance) and music (Cyndi Lauper, "Hot Blooded"). She just is written as someone who doesn't know who the hell Britney Spears is. I work with people in academia just like her.<br /><br />I agree with her hatred of psychology, but I love the show brought on someone who hated anthropology just as much (for laughs), and then another character who basically told Brennan off for her short-sighted behaviour (for character development).<br /><br />p.s. Hart Hanson mentioned an episode coming up will explore a bit how she became a writer. Maybe he'll tackle this issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32973193242574922932010-03-25T12:59:03.839-04:002010-03-25T12:59:03.839-04:00When you're writing a best selling fiction boo...When you're writing a best selling fiction book, getting the observations and facts right is less important than getting the feelings right so that the reader can connect with the characters in the book. I agree with everyone who said that it's unlikely that Temperance Brennan would be a best selling author. Have a number of criminology textbooks to her credit, yes. But not a best selling author.<br /><br />Also, she's very judgmental with people who don't believe what she believes and that doesn't translate well into best seller books.<br /><br />Alan, I thought the Castle episode was very well done, exciting and well written and acted. I was hoping that you would write a couple of paragraphs about it at least since most of the shows you write about lately I either don't get on my TV or don't watch.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-67583662947900593192010-03-25T12:37:10.338-04:002010-03-25T12:37:10.338-04:00I didn't even know who the two middle people w...I didn't even know who the two middle people were and I got it! Thanks for making me feel smart Alan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35015355119274795222010-03-25T08:36:54.579-04:002010-03-25T08:36:54.579-04:00Aspies are really really good at is observing, stu...<i>Aspies are really really good at is observing, studying, and learning -- many Aspies learn socialization cues by rote until they become familiar</i><br /><br />I think that's how the show started. Bones is, after all, an anthropologist. But I have to agree with the other commenter that she hasn't really done enough studying to be convincing. She often doesn't completely get the motives of the killers and other suspects that I would think are important in writing a detective novel. Also, the main thing that bugs me is how disparaging she is of some of these social/psychological norms. I just don't think she is that interested in the psychology of why people do things to write a bestselling crime novel.<br /><br />Still, the show is adorable, and I often completely forget that Bones is a writer!psnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70325300183434263802010-03-23T16:46:28.953-04:002010-03-23T16:46:28.953-04:00Regarding Bones as an author: I could easily pict...Regarding Bones as an author: I could easily picture her being quite successful as a novelist. Katherine Reichs makes the claim that she has the highest of standards in the science elements of her novels, and Bones is based more on her than Reichs' Tempe Brennan character.<br /><br />Isaac Asimov would be a similar example - couldn't write a characterisation worth a damn, but the science and ideas were often good enough to let it slide. Some people suspect him of aspieness, also.Sam Garretnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-17430142544650996492010-03-23T16:13:03.391-04:002010-03-23T16:13:03.391-04:00I believe we should be calling it a blogo, yes?I believe we should be calling it a <i>blogo,</i> yes?justjoan123https://www.blogger.com/profile/03333328551629388436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90608628484250211532010-03-23T14:17:14.144-04:002010-03-23T14:17:14.144-04:00"Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) from Castle&..."Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) from Castle"<br /><br />Oooooh ! And me who was trying to figure out how Captain Reynolds fit into the lineup...Caravellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-4479720187067233912010-03-23T13:53:49.560-04:002010-03-23T13:53:49.560-04:00Joan -
Brennan - who I don't think of as an A...Joan -<br /><br />Brennan - who I don't think of as an Asperger's character even though the showrunner has basically said she is - is written very inconsistently, but one of the frustrating things for me about her character is that, in mid-30s, she seems to have done little or none of the kind of consciously learned socialization you're talking about. (And in other episodes she has, but...whatever.)<br /><br />While the "writers like to write about writers" thing is ture, and leads you down this road fairly quickly, it is amusing that such a specific concept has been reworked so many times.medrawthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16245140880936526970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14575263755323761352010-03-23T09:59:49.845-04:002010-03-23T09:59:49.845-04:00Despite seeing it every week, I always enjoy the c...Despite seeing it every week, I always enjoy the clip in Castle's credit sequence when he says, "I really am ruggedly handsome!"<br /><br />Yes, indeed, Nathan. One of TV's prettiest guys.Margaretnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78382396751342506192010-03-23T03:50:22.610-04:002010-03-23T03:50:22.610-04:00I didn't recognize Schwartzman and didn't ...I didn't recognize Schwartzman and didn't know about Bored to Death, so my mental image database jumped to Steve (Jack Davenport) in <i>Coupling</i> and thought to myself, "I know that canonically he's a writer, but when did he start solving crimes?"<br /><br />He could've easily passed as Steve Coogan to me, too, but I don't think he's ever been a novelist on a TV series.<br /><br />CAPTCHA: "fonzymor." A CAPTCHA after my own heart. Aaaaayyyyyy!LoopyChewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07091676474583296903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41877250895966615832010-03-23T03:45:40.234-04:002010-03-23T03:45:40.234-04:00I don't watch Bones (ducking), but I do have a...I don't watch <i>Bones</i> (ducking), but I do have a comment to make about whether or not an Aspie could be a best-selling novelist. <br /><br />Recall Jack Nicholson's character in <i>As Good As It Gets</i>? He wasn't an Aspie, he was an obsessive compulsive, but he also definitely had socialization problems. And yet he (supposedly) cranked out romance novels...<br /><br />Successful series writers develop a formula (or two or three) and then stick with it. Mystery writers don't need to do a whole lot of characterization, anyway. And one thing Aspies are really really good at is observing, studying, and learning -- many Aspies learn socialization cues by rote until they become familiar, like "See how she's drawing her eyebrows down and together, see how her mouth is straight and tight? How do you think she feels right now?" They may not instinctively know how to 'read' facial expressions or body language, but that doesn't mean that they can't learn it. <br /><br />Obviously, I have too much time on my hands, but IMO the idea of the character is valid -- can't speak to how well the character is actually written & portrayed, though.<br /><br />And Nathan Fillion is definitely the prettiest. I enjoy <i>Castle</i> tremendously.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06093453920666892035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34262708237025150352010-03-23T02:33:19.257-04:002010-03-23T02:33:19.257-04:00Thank you, Alan. That's always bugged the ble...Thank you, Alan. That's always bugged the bleep out of me about Bones. She's basically got Asperger's but she can write best-selling novels? Non-fiction books I'd buy, but a novelist? There's just no way.Michaelangelo McCullarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684146120271687293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54385132176031322362010-03-22T23:51:32.649-04:002010-03-22T23:51:32.649-04:00Wow, this is the first time I've known all fou...Wow, this is the first time I've known all four people. I feel proud.Torinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55200130127341292382010-03-22T23:03:19.183-04:002010-03-22T23:03:19.183-04:00I just remembered the odd case of the mystery writ...I just remembered the odd case of the mystery writer Anne Perry who was convicted when she was young, for the murder of her best friend's mother . They based "Heavenly Creatures" on that story.<br /><br />I never read her books but they tended to be historical and Victorian. When I first saw the movie, I would have sworn she grew up to be Ruth Rendell.<br /><br />Anyway, it was so easy I got it but that was fun.Allisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2952551867484085522010-03-22T22:05:24.991-04:002010-03-22T22:05:24.991-04:00Best-selling authors who are well-connected with l...Best-selling authors who are well-connected with law enforcement?jerieblacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63314040818412642852010-03-22T21:26:40.448-04:002010-03-22T21:26:40.448-04:00Two other obscure novelists who solve crimes would...Two other obscure novelists who solve crimes would be Maxwell Beckett played by Edward Woodward in "Over My Dead Body". and Glynis Granville (Glynis Johns) in 'Glynis'.Toby O'Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06999037844031101965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-23823151108854310052010-03-22T17:03:09.803-04:002010-03-22T17:03:09.803-04:00I, too, have always found it implausible that Bren...I, too, have always found it implausible that Brennan could create well-rounded characters in novels but I figured she was more of a Patricia Cornwell than a P.D. James.<br /><br />And there is no question that Nathan Fillion is the prettiest person in that logo--and possibly on television.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288100796201737845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47182082949713984962010-03-22T16:33:31.340-04:002010-03-22T16:33:31.340-04:00"We're just too pretty to die," says..."We're just too pretty to die," says Sgt. Malcolm Reynolds (a.k.a. Captain Tightpants) in the pilot for Firefly.<br /><br />Not so much mysteries, but science fiction is full of concept novels without character development. Neither Asimov nor Clarke ever wrote a character I cared about.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623422545436294378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47628042439839429422010-03-22T16:31:41.948-04:002010-03-22T16:31:41.948-04:00Not cops who help solve crimes and write novels.Not cops who help solve crimes and write novels.DJ Doenahttp://doena-journal.net/en/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-298042525337756902010-03-22T15:25:56.253-04:002010-03-22T15:25:56.253-04:00I actually got one, right away.
They'd requir...I actually got one, right away.<br /><br /><i>They'd require far more understanding of ordinary human behavior and emotion than Brennan has.</i><br /><br />Exactly. Since her oddness (uniqueness?) is one of the most endearing and interesting elements of the show, tryng to pass her off as an mystery author sticks out like a sore thumb.<br /><br /><br />And if Brennan heard that expression, she'd probably question it for 15 minutes.Allisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-25916191046760834192010-03-22T14:51:36.421-04:002010-03-22T14:51:36.421-04:00I could definitely see Brennan writing one of thos...I could definitely see Brennan writing one of those extremely formulaic, schematic crime novels. It's not as if the average JD Robb or Sandra Brown novel is rich with complex characters.<br /><br />As Strand said, how bizarre is it that this an aspect of 4 different TV shows, 3 of which are still on the air!Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15130480927375919459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90411384644448029602010-03-22T14:48:28.340-04:002010-03-22T14:48:28.340-04:00Brennan is easier to understand if you assume they...Brennan is easier to understand if you assume they're <i>really bad</i> novels.Gareth Wilsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-50714713358928429922010-03-22T14:27:02.146-04:002010-03-22T14:27:02.146-04:00I've also found it unbelievable that Brennan c...I've also found it unbelievable that Brennan could, or would want to, write detective novels. But there are a few things about her I find hard to believe.<br /><br />Eldritch said: <i>Prettier than Nathan Filion? I don't think so!</i> <br /><br />Heh. He is just about the prettiest person on television.Maurahttp://occasionalblond.vox.com/noreply@blogger.com