When Books Become Movies

As someone who likes both reading and watching movies, it's sometimes hard to decide which form I'd rather indulge in. Differences between a book and its movie adaptation can nag at me, even when they don't make a difference to the story. Because of this, I've found that it usually helps if I see a movie long after having read the book. That way, the text isn't fresh in my mind, and I can appreciate the film version better.

I found three books that I think have potential on the big screen. The publication dates range from 1982 to 2007, and I read them all fairly soon after they were published. If you're a fan of Christopher Moore, Dean Koontz, or Bentley Little, check out my picks for books that should be movies.

Update on status of Persons Unknown Episode 11 (and the Finale)

I'd intended to write about books this week, but then something happened with Persons Unknown, and I wanted to provide an update.

Until very recently, NBC was saying that episode 11, "Seven Sacrifices," would be available online only. This was upsetting to those of us who either can't or just don't want to watch shows online.

I decided to check my cable's On Demand section, just to see whether the missing episode was there. Well, to my surprise, it was.

This won't help everyone, since not everyone has the On Demand option, but it helped me, and I'm grateful that NBC made it available in a way in which I could actually watch the missing episode. (No, I haven't actually watched it yet.)

If you're a fan of this show, don't forget that the final two episodes will air tomorrow, August 28. It's a double-header; check your local listings for the time.

NBC's Latest Persons Unknown Fiasco

My husband and I were planning to check out The Event. Of all the new shows premiering in the fall, it's the one that most interests both of us. It's certainly gotten a lot of promotion. Now I'm wondering whether it's worth our time.

NBC can't even commit to a show that was planned as a 13-episode miniseries. I'm referring to Persons Unknown. For some inexplicable reason, the network is considering skipping episode #11.

As I said, it was always supposed to be a miniseries, and we were promised answers to all our questions by the end of its run. Did I ever believe that? Well, not really. Why? Partly because they can't begin to imagine all the questions viewers can come up with, but mostly because I always figured it was possible they'd pull the show before airing all the episodes. Normally, when this happens, they end the show early. I never imagined they'd yank an episode from the middle and then show the remaining two.

Most shows airing nowadays are in serial format, with no stand-alone episodes. If you miss one, the continuity is gone. This is even more true of a show like Persons Unknown. It's a huge mystery, and fans are supposed to look for clues in every episode. People like me--who don't like spoilers--don't want to find out elsewhere what happened if we miss an episode. They're called "spoilers" for a reason; they ruin the show for us.

Will I continue to watch Persons Unknown on NBC? Not if they really skip an episode. I'd rather wait for the DVDs. Am I still willing to give The Event a chance? At this point, I really don't know.

Pretty Little Liars

A friend alerted me that ABC Family will be airing a Pretty Little Liars catch-up marathon on August 10. The marathon starts at 11:00 am EDT and will include the first ten episodes.

This show is based on Sara Shepard's book series of the same name. Although teens--especially teenage girls--are the target audience, it has broader appeal.

I knew about Pretty Little Liars before it premiered, and I was interested. The problem was that I couldn't justify adding yet another show to my schedule, so I decided to pass. I regretted this decision after finding out that Nolan North was playing the father of one of the liars.

Port Charles fans know Nolan as Chris Ramsey. Since its cancelation in 2003, he has become a prolific voice actor. In fact, if you're a gamer, there's a good chance you've heard Nolan's voice many times.

I like to watch shows in order, and I don't watch shows online. Now, thanks to the upcoming marathon, I'll be able to watch Pretty Little Liars from the beginning.

Thoughts about last week's Y&R, AMC, and OLTL

I usually watch The Young and the Restless, All My Children, and One Life to Live on weekday mornings, when SOAPnet airs them in a three-hour block. I don't actually sit there the whole time and watch them with the same intense concentration I do my primetime shows, but I do like to keep up. With that in mind, I have a few thoughts about last week's shows.

Y&R: Victoria shouldn't have shown up at the dinner at all. After having been ordered to attend, that's the last thing she should have done. It doesn't matter that she intended to take Billy with her to annoy her father; the fact that she showed up at all means that she's still unwilling to completely defy him. That doesn't mean she should act like Abby, because there's something seriously wrong with that one.

I do have to give the writers credit for not dragging out the "Chance cheats on Chloe" secret. I didn't even know they'd done it; I knew about the kiss but thought that was as far as it had gone until I saw the flashback.

AMC: I really, really, really want Caleb to mop the floor with Junior. Really. Speaking of Caleb, the way he kept referring to Jackson's "perfect hair" was priceless. It's annoying that Bianca has no intention of keeping her kids out of Caleb's wing of the house. It's going to be even more annoying when he tries to shoo them away and they end up chipping away at his gruffness, and you know that's what will happen. And, to risk overusing the word, Bianca is even more annoying than ever.

I can't forget to mention Angie. That woman is a menace. I don't even like Ryan, but the guy doesn't deserve what would have happened to him if Jake hadn't taken over in the E.R. Angie is supposed to help people--first do no harm--but she's too stubborn to admit that she shouldn't be practicing medicine right now.

OLTL: I actually saw less of this than the other shows last week. One thing that stood out was Charlie and Viki's plan to get David and Dorian back together. It was silly but still fun and hilarious.

I keep waiting for Starr to dump Cole. It looks like that's the direction they're heading, but she's being stubborn about it.

I'm also waiting for an explanation about Elijah/Bennett. What did he have against Kelly's mother and Marty?

That's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of a few things I neglected to mention, but they'll just have to wait.

Some of My Favorite Love Songs

I did something that was almost impossible. I compiled a list of my favorite love songs. Think I'm exaggerating about how hard it was? I'm a music lover. I always have a song in my head. Sometimes it's one that's been around for a while--a couple months, several years, a few decades--and sometimes it's a new release I just can't get enough of. When you take that into account, I think you'll have to admit it's hard to come up with a list of favorites.

I compromised a bit. I started by listing 20 of my favorite rock love songs. The only way to do it was to think of songs guaranteed to have me cranking up the volume. I went back pretty far but did include some newer selections.

When I finished that list, I started working on another one: 20 more great love songs that weren't necessarily rock. Again, I went back pretty far, but I didn't duplicate any from the other list.

I suppose I'll have to do some updated lists at some point. After all, great new songs are showing up all the time.

Awesome: The Best Word to Describe Chuck

Chuck is a fantastic show that has it all: action, adventure, romance, humor, and drama. In spite of this, the fans, cast, and crew are put through the wringer every year while NBC makes a decision about whether to renew or cancel. I just don't get it; Chuck is such a great show, yet the ratings are never what they should be.

If you don't watch Chuck, why not? "Awesome" is more than just a catchphrase in this show; it's also the best word to describe Chuck.

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A&E Haiku

Back in April 2009, I wrote a few haiku-style poems for National Poetry Month. One of them, "Classic Journey," shows the connection between the band and a popular show from a few years ago. In fact, whenever I watched the show and Journey came up, I had to chuckle. One character loved them, while his best friend just didn't understand their appeal and preferred Death Cab for Cutie.

I doubt there's anyone who hasn't gotten into a show, only to realize that the ratings aren't great and the network might give up on it. It happens to me all the time. When it's time for decisions to be made, each show is reported as being either renewed, canceled, or on the bubble, meaning that it could go either way. "On the Bubble" is a set of three haiku poems about the agonizing wait for the network execs to make up their minds. One of the shows mentioned is still on today, but the other was unjustly canceled. I still miss it.