Top Five TV Series

Posted by spriglet On Sunday 17 April 2011 19:33 2 comments
Any of my Twitter followers will know that I'm a bit of a TV addict - put Tweetdeck in front of me when one of my favourite shows is on and you're guaranteed to find your timeline filled with chat about people and things that don't even exist In Real Life. 

When talking about my love of TV shows with real-life people, I've sometimes found there's a certain snobbery on the subject - I often get a slightly upturned nose, along with the comment 'Oh I don't watch a lot of TV. I'd rather listen to music'. Well, good for you. I do both. It doesn't make me an overweight couch potato who eats Pot Noodle for dinner, eyes glued to the screen - in fact I've never had a Pot Noodle in my life. It just means I love stories.

So, with the return of one of my most-loved shows this week (Desperate Housewives), I thought I'd do a round up of the best TV series out there - past and present:

1. Desperate Housewives
My inspiration and my guilty pleasure, Desperate Housewives has always been a firm favourite and I've never missed an episode. I can't believe it's on Series 7 already - there have been a lot of laughs, murders, guns, affairs and more, and it's still going strong. Yes there is way too much Botox involved (Bree's forehead makes mine feel funny - I wish someone would cut her a fringe and hide it away) and the men are somewhat lacking since Jesse Metcalfe left, but it's still brightening up my Wednesday nights. 

2. Sex and the City
This had to be in here, didn't it? The ultimate girls' TV show will, despite the not so great films, always be top of my list for entertainment. I recently bought the boxset (no, I can't believe I didn't own it either) and I am starting from the very beginning, where Carrie had awful brown hair (for all of one episode - quick learners) and she spoke to the camera constantly. An episode of SATC always inspires me to write something and gives me ideas, and it never gets boring no matter how many times you watch it. Oh, and Aidan is hot. 

3. Damages
What do you mean, 'what?'? If you have not heard of Damages, never mind seen it, SHAME ON YOU. I cannot stress enough how amazing this show is - and it is coming back this year for season four... I. Can't. Wait. With Glenn Close, Ted Danson, Rose Byrne and the swoon-worthy Timothy Olyphant as its stars, it's brilliant enough. Throw in a fantastic, twisty twirly plot that will have you gagging for more and you've got one of the best thrillers around.

4. Harper's Island
Sadly this was a one-off show but my god, did they make the most of it. You can read my full review of this frightfest on Screenjabber; but all you need to know is that if you like horror, you will LOVE this. I do love thrillers and horrors but would not dare watch this alone, nor without a cushion at hand - it's scary, jumpy, make-you-scream-in-your-living-room stuff but the story, and pleasingly the acting (despite it being full of teenager-type people) is fan-bloody-tastic. It also has a great soundtrack and introduced me to Civil Twilight - what more could you want?

5. Friends
This obviously had to be in here. Friends, without doubt, has a line or episode that can be applied to any single situation in life. I probably quote it daily whether it's out loud or in my head, and I can't go long without watching an episode because I would miss it. It's perfect for when you need a little boost, when you're tired and just need background noise, when there's nothing else on and you don't fancy a film... etc. I still can't decide who my favourite character is, though I adore the Rachel and Ross love story, and I still cry when I watch the final episode (despite knowing she gets off the plane, it hurts when she gets on the plane). Will they do a movie? Who knows, but I would be first in the cinema if they did...

What are your favourites?
I love romantic comedies. They continue along Disney's path of lulling us into a false sense of reality, making us think that some day, we'll all meet Mr or Mrs Perfect, Prince or Princess Charming, and all will be wonderful and happy-ever-after-ish. Sometimes it's what you need, whether it's to pretend Matthew McConaughey is going to knock on your door one day or simply to perv over Angelina Jolie. A good rom-com can cheer you up, inspire you to write, help you to remember the happy times with an ex, or simply give you an excuse not to do the laundry you've been putting off. 

But the problem with these Hollywood smile-filled, tear-jerking, emotional-soundtrack-having films is that life doesn't quite work like that, which is disappointing. After watching Serendipity last night (not bad, cute concept) which has some gorgeous scenes in it, I got to thinking about why my life will never resemble a rom-com (as much as I wish it would)...

1. I can not - no, WILL not - ice skate
Ever noticed how many films feature an ice rink? Usually it's at night, snowing, with glowing lights illuminating the rosy-cheeked faces of the merry couple. This would not happen in my life. Any attempt for me to even stand on ice is like a reenactment of Bambi taking his first steps on it and having tried it twice I refuse to ever try again, let alone with someone I'm trying to impress. Romance needs a romantic setting - unfortunately, for me it also has to be on dry, non-slippery land.

2. I don't do heels
Whether it's Cinderella's glass slipper tactic or the shot that makes you think 'wow' of the woman in a show-stopping dress and high heels, it isn't going to happen for me. I'm too tall to wear heels for a start, but more importantly I a) can't stand having painful feet and b) can't stand in the damn things (in fact, it's quite similar to previous Bambi comment). The best I can manage is sparkly flip flops. Not quite the same, is it?

3. I look rubbish in the day time
There's a bit of a trend with, oh, everyone I meet - they always comment that I look like a different person as soon as the glasses are off, the contact lenses are in and I've sorted my face out (as I call it, they're not that rude) for night time fun. I make effort in the mornings - I won't leave the house without makeup, do what I can with my crappy hair and dress pretty well - but I am basically invisible as my daytime self. It may be the glasses, it's definitely the hair (I should have been born with curly hair. I wasn't. It upsets me), but whatever it is, I'm not going to spontaneously get noticed by the man of my dreams while shopping in Tesco. Unless he's really desperate.

All this aside, I have had my romantic (and comedic) moments; from emotional chats in the pouring rain to candlelit nights in. And when I walk along the street with my MP3 player on, I like to imagine it's my life soundtrack and everyone else can hear it too. I just wish Matt Damon was my co-star...     

Blog Round Up

Posted by spriglet On Monday 11 April 2011 23:06 0 comments
I may have skipped a few of the 30 Day Blog Challenges since some were for things I do all the time, but I liked this one since I've been addicted to looking at Blogger stats every single day of late. I'm amazed that I get traffic at all, let alone people from all over the world (I appear to attract the Russians, weirdly), so thanks for reading! 

As one of these bloggers who can't choose a subject and therefore writes about all sorts, it's interesting to see what people read more and comment on. In honour of today's challenge and to share what content gets the most hits, here are my top five blogs:


I am surprised this is my most read post and reckon it may be because I left it in the top slider for so long... that or you're all just looking for inspiration for New Year's resolutions! Now that we're a quarter of the way through the year there will be an update on those shortly...

Given the number of tweets about the dire state of public transport in my feed every day I am not surprised this is number two. It even got me a contributor's position at Grumpy Young Women and was published on a transport blog... now, Boris, if you're reading - let's get it plastered all over the trains, yes? 

This one gets me a lot of SEO traffic so I'm not surprised it's in here - it's a topic that is continuously debated about. I still think internships are a great way to get into journalism and necessary, but there are limits. Just make sure you know yours!

Actually, the next three most popular are my X Factor posts but here's the one that came up top. I enjoyed these and can't wait for the next series to start... Saturday nights just haven't been the same since Take Me Out finished!

After the X Factor posts, this one about the very weird repetition of three boys' names in my love life was the next most popular. Luckily I am not alone, but still, when I do (rarely) look at online dating sites, there are four names (three plus the ex) I most definitely avoid...

So that's three personal or 'Just Judy' blogs, one dating (Single Scoop) blog and one review/TV blog. Interesting... what would you like to see more or less of? Do you think it's better to specialise in one subject?

Best of the Bloggers

Posted by spriglet On Thursday 7 April 2011 00:31 3 comments
So today's task in the 30 Day Blogging Challenge ('today' meaning day five, though I am well aware I am a week late) is to say something nice. Now I may be a bit of a grump but when I started brainstorming it amazed me how big a list of things I had to rave about (in a good way). 

But, what did I want to commend most? My favourite blogs, that's what. I know how great even a little blog comment - hint hint - makes me feel, so I thought why not share the love and recommend a few fellow bloggers and their wordy greatness. I do have a long blogroll on the right hand side of this site of all the blogs I read, so feel free to take a look there too.

The Beauty Bloggers
In my day job I have the pleasure of contacting lots of brilliant beauty bloggers - there are so many out there and they all amaze me in their dedication to it (beauty can be hard work). It's impossible to narrow down but my shorlist of blogs to always check out would be: British Beauty Blogger, Product Placement, and Beauty Scribbler. All are witty, informative and of course, mad about makeup and the like - what else could you want?

The Dating Bloggers
I love catching up on dating blogs - after all, who doesn't have a story about the last guy or girl they saw? Whether you want tips about online dating or you simply love a good read, I highly recommend The Single Filez for honest, funny updates; Sex and the Cosmo Girls for Mullies' latest love-life news; and The Loves and Life of a London Girl for Sarah's try-anything-once approach to men!

The Funny Bloggers
Like laughing? Thought so. If you need cheering up (or even if you don't), have a proper giggle and follow some blogs by writers who can not only string a sentence together but can make it damn funny too. Top of the list is Luv & Hat, full of debates over everything from beards to fish pedicures and phrases that will give you the best mental images you could possibly ask for. Next, and yes this is slightly self promotional, but The Grumpy Young Women tend to make me laugh into my teacup (I actually only have mugs, but 'teacup' sounds much more Grumpy Woman-like) so go follow. Shoo.

The Helpful Bloggers
Ahh, the ones I couldn't live without. Not only do I love reading these blogs, but they post about content that actually helps me in some way - whether it's blogging, discovering new web tools, top tips that I can use at work... they are informative and easy to digest. Friend and fellow blogger Emma Cossey is first with her blog on everything from blogging itself to social media and shoes... it's all there and I always learn something new. There's also ABC Copywriting which, if you're a web writer, always has interesting posts on the industry complete with a handy how-to every so often. 

Do you have a blog, or suggestions of blogs you never miss? Comment below and if it's up my street I'll add it to my blogroll!

This post is part of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge series - see all posts in the challenge here!  

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