Watch This? Read That! Fall 2013 Edition

Continuing the theme of last week's list, here are some reading suggestions for the hot fall shows which are not already based on books!

If you are watching Junior MasterChef … 

Show premise: Will Gordan Ramsey clean up his language and attitude when a group of kids compete to be MasterChef?!

Try: Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games for the darker side of children competing against one another (it involves food too!). For a more realistic choice Kathyrn Williams's Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous follows a 16-year-old who competes in a reality show cooking contest for teens.

If you are watching The Blacklist … 

Show premise: One of the men on the FBI's Most Wanted List strikes a deal to help them find other people on the list if he is given mercy.

Try: Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs, where a serial killer is used to track another serial killer.
 

 

If you are watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D … 

Show premise: The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division attempts to fight nefarious organizations while finding and understanding people who develop superpowers.

Try: Jonathan Hickman's ambitious S.H.I.E.L.D. : Architects of Forever which imagines famous historical figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Galileo as members of the cult organization.

If you are watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine … 

Show premise: The odd couple trope gets yet another makeover as a laid-back detective and his strict captain work together to solve crimes in New York.

Try: Chris Grabenstein's Tilt A Whirl pairs together former military policeman John Ceepak with girl-crazy part-time cop Danny Boyle as they attempt to solve a high-profile murder during a Jersey Shore summer.

If you are watching The Michael J. Fox Show … 

Show premise: After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Mike Henry had to give up his career as a news anchor and focus on his health and his family. Five years later, Mike decides to get back to work and struggles between family and career.

Try: Tough to find a book that hits upon the right sense of comedy and tone. Perhaps David Sedaris's Naked to try and match the dry humor, family situations, and comedic take on living with a disorder.

If you are watching Almost Human … 

Show premise: In the not-so-distant future, human cops are paired together with incredibly realistic android partners to fight crime.

Try: Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel, his response to the suggestion that science fiction and mystery stories were mutually exclusive ideas. The story pairs together a human detective and android cop to try and solve a high-profile murder. Also Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the inspiration for the movie Blade Runner), where a bounty hunter tracks down rogue androids while musing about their ability to feel human empathy.

If you are watching The Crazy Ones … 

Show premise: A zany father with good-intentions runs an ad agency in Chicago with his more straight-laced daughter.

Try: Joshua Ferris's Then We Came to the End about the employees and office dynamics of an ad agency in downtown Chicago. Also Matt Beaumont's  E: A Novel about a British ad agency with tons of misadventures in a desperate attempt to win a contract with Coca Cola.

Books to Television Fall 2013

Can't wait to see some of the new shows debuting this fall? Check out the source material first so you will be the expert!

• 
  

  The Annotated Alice
  ABC's “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” is based on Carroll's classic novel of a Victorian girl transported to a fantastical reality.
• 
  

  I Suck at Girls
  Fox's new nineties-set “Surviving Jack” is based on Halpern's memoir about his mostly awkward attempts at interacting with the opposite sex.
• 
  

  I Suck at Girls
  Fox's new nineties-set “Surviving Jack” is based on Halpern's memoir about his mostly awkward attempts at interacting with the opposite sex. The audiobook won the Audies humor audiobook of the year!
• 
  

  About A Boy
  Hornby's novel about a bachelor who pretends to be a single dad in order to pick up women was previously adapted to film and will now be the NBC comedy "About a Boy"
• 
  

  About A Boy
  Hornby's novel about a bachelor who pretends to be a single dad in order to pick up women was previously adapted to film and will now be the NBC comedy "About a Boy"
• 
  

  The Complete Tales of Washington Irving
  Fox is adding a time travel twist the the classic tale of Ichabod Crane's deadly encounter with the Headless Horseman in "Sleepy Hollow"
• 
  

  The Returned
  A couple's deceased eight year old son suddenly returns to them years later, still frozen at the age he died. The book is the inspiration for ABC's new drama “Resurrection".
• 
  

  The 100
  Morgan's futuristic YA novel is the inspiration for a new CW series where 100 delinquent teenagers are sent on a dangerous mission to recolonize planet Earth.
• 
  

  Dracula
  NBC's "Dracula" stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the famous vampire from the classic gothic novel.
• 
  

  The Strain
  A horrific virus is transmitted through vampire bites in this novel turned FX series "The Strain"
• 
  

  The Republic of Pirates
  Colin Woodard's nonfiction account of Blackbeard's struggles is the source material for "Crossbones"
• 
  

  Undateable
  NBC's new comedy "Undateable" is based on Ellen Rakieten and Anne Coyle's humor book about various deal breakers when one is attempting to pick up women.

"Do Ross and Rachel end up together or something?"

The title question came from my girlfriend, who was sort of half-watching the episode of Friends I was watching.

"Wait you haven't watched Friends?!" I was in utter disbelief. I naively assumed even if everyone my age had not seen the show they at least knew the biggest 'will-they, won't they' couple from it. Apparently not. 

So started a journey where we decided to watch all ten seasons of Friends in order. By the middle of the series, Carrie was hooked. She constantly complained it was predictable, but she laughed out loud more at Friends then any other comedy we have watched.

I asked her to describe her experience and she said "It was okay, but every character had exactly two jokes that were repeated over and over: Monica used to be fat and is obsessive about cleaning. Ross has effeminate qualities and is nerdy because of his profession. Joey is dumb and dates around a lot.
Phoebe has a rough background and says extremely quirky things. Nobody seems to like Chandler and he makes sarcastic jokes. Rachel...dates a lot and is sorta ditzy."

"Well I am impressed. That was surprisingly accurate." It is interesting to see how American television comedies have evolved continuously. My interest in watching Friends again stemmed from listening to Warren Littlefield's Top of the Rock: The Rise and Fall of Must-see TV.

Here are some great comedies you can check out from Des Plaines Public Library, along with some great books on the subject of television comedy:

• 

  America in Primetime
• 

  Arrested Development
• 

  Cheers
• 

  Frasier
• 

  Friends
• 

  From Daytime to Primetime
• 

  Girls
• 

  How I Met your Mother
• 

  The Office
• 

  Seinfeld
• 

  The Simpsons
• 

  Top of the Rock

Just in time for Father's Day...

Diabolical Dads

This weekend families everywhere will take time to celebrate all the ways they have been blessed by the dads in their lives. Gifts will be given and hugs exchanged and all of the tender, fatherly moments of wisdom, guidance and love will be remembered.

Sometimes, though, it's fun to head on over to the darker side and take another look at those dastardly dads we love to hate. These film and television characters have parenting styles that would give any family counselor the chills, but they sure can entertain us.

On TV:

• Archie Bunker All in the Family - He is the patriarch of badly-behaved TV dads.
• Al Bundy Married With Children - Al would probably sell his wife and kids for a some alone time -- if anyone would buy them.
• Homer Simpson The Simpsons - As a dad, he is best characterized by this iconic image:
• Peter Griffen Family Guy - Another animated example of over-the-top bad parenting, Peter is not the ideal family man.
• Dexter Morgan Dexter - Here's a quote from the new dad/serial killer: "Wanna know a secret? Daddy kills people." Enough said.
  

At the Movies:

• Darth Vader (James Earl Jones & David Prowse) The Empire Strikes Back 1980 - Dismembering your kid with a light saber will not win you a Father of the Year award.
• Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) The Shining 1980 (Not a good year for dads.) - Nothing says daddy's home like, "Heeeere's Johnny!"
• Dr. Evil (Mike Meyers) Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997 - "I hate you! I hate you! I wish I was never artificially created in a lab!" Poor Scott Evil.
• "Dad" Meiks (Bill Paxton) Frailty 2002 - Axe-murder is not the typical father/son bonding ritual.
• Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) There Will Be Blood 2007 - Papa Plainview should have known better. Ruthless ambitious and violent paranoia are not character traits that engender filial piety.

What is it about these guys that make them so fun to watch? I honestly don't know, but this weekend, you and the dad in your life can relax on the couch with some popcorn and enjoy the exploits of some of these diabolical on-screen dads.

Did I miss any? Which fictional father-figure do you love to hate?

All Things Glee

One of my favorite moments on the tv series, Glee, was when music theater geek and budding fashionista Kurt showed up for football tryouts announcing: "Hi. I'm Kurt Hummel and I'll be auditioning for the role of kicker."

Another favorite: when the frequently clueless Finn said of the library, with the guilelessness of youth: "Did you know that you can take books home from there?"

"Yes," said Mr. Schuester.

"For free?"

"Yes."

To which I'd add: "And CDs and DVDs, too, and yes, all for free!"

If you can't get enough of Glee, the Fox tv series about a high school show choir, you can further indulge yourself with Glee related CDs and DVDs from the library.

A great starting place is Glee. Season 1, Volume 1: The Music. A highlight for me is the soaring "Defying Gravity," with Lea Michele as Rachel and Chris Colfer as Kurt trading verses of the Wicked show-stopper. (I confess that Kurt is my favorite, played by Colfer with sweetness, humor and heartbreaking vulnerability.)

Other Glee CDs are:

Glee, The Music. Season 1, Volume 2. Check it out for Lea Michele's performance of My Life Would Suck Without You.

Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna

Glee. Volume 3, Showstoppers: The Music

Glee, The Music. Journey to Regionals

If you're unfamiliar with Glee but curious, you can also place a hold on the DVD Glee. Season 1, Volume 1, Road to Sectionals or Glee. The Complete First Season, which is currently on order.

We even have a novel for teens based on the show, Glee: The Beginning, an Original Novel.

One final Glee tidbit: one of the co-creators and writers, Ian Brennan, grew up in Mt. Prospect and attended Prospect High School, where he was a member of the show choir. Nominated for an Emmy award, Brennan writes the gleefully wicked Sue Sylvester's witty and biting dialog. ("Your hair looks like a briar patch. I keep expecting racist animated Disney characters to pop up and start singing songs about living on the bayou.")

Do you have a favorite Glee character, moment, song or line of dialog?