Getting in The Zone

In late 2014, the Sky network launched a new Entertainment channel called The Zone, which features TV shows and movies from the Science Fiction, Cult, Fantasy, Superhero and Horror genres. I squealed rather loudly in delight when I read about it, because I have long wished that NZ had its very own version of the SyFy channel available overseas. At this stage I should mention I am well well WELL behind in watching TV shows. Something had to give when I became a parent to my mini-geeks, and sadly TV was it L

So when I read the initial line up for The Zone there was even more squealing, or squee as it is fondly known as. My mysky unit then very quickly filled up with all sorts of shows, many of which got the one episode watch and then the flick. (Sorry awesome shows, I only have so much mysky hard drive space and evening viewing time). But the following oldie yet extremely goodie shows made the final cut, and I am now well addicted!

The great news for you, our lovely library customers, is that we have most of these terrific shows on DVD for you to borrow, just in case you missed them on The Zone, or don’t have Sky TV at home. Or maybe you just want to revisit the awesomeness.

First up is Eureka. Eureka is a quirky wee town like no other. Jack Carter, a U.S. marshal who stumbles across the town, is quickly drawn into mysterious events, which we soon learn are pretty par for the course in Eureka. In a town made up of America’s top geniuses and scientists, things definitely get a bit interesting! I’m so in love with Sheriff Jack and the way he meshes with the town, and can’t wait to see more. Luckily for me I have 5 more seasons to look forward to J

Next is Warehouse 13. This is a spin off show from Eureka, but stands on its own just fine.  Secret Service agents Pete and Myka are ‘seconded’ to Warehouse 13, a highly secretive storehouse of supernatural artefacts. They are sent on missions to retrieve such objects when they wreak havoc in the world. There is just such a fun dynamic between the leads. Again, I’m pretty happy to see I have another 4 seasons after this one to go, wahoo!

Third on the list is Supernatural. This is a show I have been missing out on for so many years it’s a bit embarrassing really. I have several good friends (and family members) who have been telling me how much I would love it, and yep, they were all right. Supernatural follows the adventures of brothers Sam and Dean Winchester as they battle a legion of supernatural and demonic creatures. I may have come to this show because, lets face it, that’s a whole lot of hot right there with Sam and Dean, but I’m staying because it is nail biting and terrifyingly good (although I MAY watch from under a pillow a chunk of the time). The dynamic between the brothers is just that good – it really is what makes the show what it is. Not to mention the incredible supporting cast, I am hanging out to get to Charlie episodes. And yay - now I understand so much more on Tumblr!

Lastly we have Teen Wolf , which has almost completely taken over my mysky, as since The Zone launched, they have already played the first three seasons and are just starting the fourth. I’m quite ok with that, but my other half not so much; he seems to be missing the attraction (ahem) somehow. Teen Wolf is (very) loosely based on the 1985 movie of the same name that featured Michael J Fox. I am actually old enough that I loved this movie at the time (although not so much its sequel). This modern take on Teen Wolf is a whole lot more gruesome and gritty, but is still filled with just the right amount of teen angst. Scott McCall is the said Teen Wolf after being bitten in the pilot episode, and he is not only navigating some very complicated wolfy politics and vendettas, but is dating the daughter of the family of hunters that have hunted his kind since way back when  - awkward! His best friend Stiles is just THE best, full of zingy dialogue and witty one liners. His mysterious werewolf mentor Derek Hale is full of smoulder, tension and general hotness, and I am never sad at all when he has to remove his shirt, although usually he is in pain at the time, oh dear *fans self*.

So these are just a few of my new (old) favourite things, courtesy of The Zone. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I may have some more TV to catch up on J

The Twelve Posts of Christmas:Snow, Tinsel & Angst, In Other Words TV Christmas Specials

As you can probably tell by now Christmas is my thing.  And as with all things I have a special weakest for Christmas television.

Forgot about watching The Sound of Music for the 100th time or The Queen's Message.  Sappy, sentimental, angst filled is what it's all about.  The angstier the better, though I do enjoy some humour as well.

It will also come as no surprise that some of my favourite Christmas episodes come from some of my favourite TV shows.  How's that for perfection.

Supernatural: A Very Supernatural Christmas

My absolute all time favourite Christmas episode.

EVER.

There's angst and humour and things that go bump in the night and brothers being brothers.

I adore times 1000


Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Amends

Well if Supernatural has angst then this Buffy episode is even angstier.

If that's even possible.

There is also snow.  And that is reason enough to watch it.

It is also completely and utterly beautiful and romantic.


Gilmore Girls: Santa's Secret Stuff

I sense a marathon coming on because it's been ages since I've watched this show.

I love this because there's tinsel and peppermint chocolate and Christmas sweaters.

And of course Lorelai and Rory.  Being... well Lorelai and Rory.


The Mindy Project: Josh and Mindy's Christmas Party

1. It features my favourite Christmas song Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses.   2. It's funny,  And 3.  It's so relatable. Because yeah there's Christmas heartache.

Did I mention I liked angst.

Frasier: Miracle on Third or Fourth Street

Sometimes Christmas is just depressing.

Or at least it is in Frasier's world.

Especially when he works on Christmas Day.

I like the fact that he can turn up to work in his sloppiness clothes.

I wonder if I could do that at my work...

The Big Bang Theory: The Maternal Congruence

I'm a fan of The Big Bang Theory... or at least of the earlier seasons which are so funny..

And their Christmas episodes are even better. 

Because Christmas and Sheldon.

This month I'm loving...

Well not the heat, that's for sure but even if the weather can sometimes be a bit much to handle there are plenty of things on offer at Auckland Libraries to take one's mind off it.

January is one of those lazy month's where we all ease ourselves slowly back into work after the madness of Christmas, eat bucket loads of cherries (well you do if you're me) and winter seems like a million days away.

For me there are always plenty of wonderful things coming across my desk.  At times it's hard to decide what to choose and what to start with first.

This month I've discovered new bands, new authors and indulged in a few fav's.  So what have you been enjoying this month?

The glorious dead / The Heavy.

I so love these guys but can't help wonder why I hadn't come across them before.  Still never mind, I've found them now and have been busy listening to all 3 of their cd's, courtesy of my bestest bud Youtube.

This, their latest album, is just brilliant.  It's bluesy and rocky and just a little bit indie with a touch of soul thrown in for good measure.

My favourite's are Same Ole' and What Makes A Good Man.

Best served cold / Joe Abercrombie.

"Monza Murcatto is one of the best mercenaries around but being the best can sometimes have a hefty price.  Only thing is Monza never thought that price would be her life..."

I've been meaning to read Joe Abercrombie for absolutely ages and I'm so glad that I finally did.

Bloody and violent and ruthless and that's just the female character, Murcatto could so kick Buffy's butt.

There's a lot to love. Betrayal and back-stabbing are so me. All I can say is... on with the sequel.

Pines : a novel / by Blake Crouch.

"FBI Ethan Burke wakes up near the town of Pines with virtually no memory of who he is.  Pines though is not the safe haven he would like it to be and there are things going on around him that make him wonder what exactly it is that the town is hiding."

The ending of this book will thrown you for a loop.  Trust me, you won't see it coming, or maybe you will and it was just me you went Oh My God.

Like the book above I'm now hanging out for the sequel.  Why do authors insist on teasing us so...

Wool / Hugh Howey.

"In a ruined and hostile landscape, a community exists in a giant underground silo. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last."

First published as an e-book Wool is now in print after the huge and I mean HUGE public demand.  Having recently read it myself, I can see why.

It's so good to see Sci-Fi books doing so well.  As with the others I am now waiting impatiently for the sequel Shift which is due this April and also for the film adaption, which rumour has it, Ridley Scott is interested in making.

Ghost planet / Sharon Lynn Fisher.

"Imagine an alien world where the alien's manifest themselves in the form of the dead.  What would it be like to be haunted by a loved one? Psychologist Elizabeth Cole is about to find out, only not in quite the way she'd imagined.  Living with a ghost should be relatively easy but what if you're the ghost..."

A book with a little bit of something for everyone, from romance to sci-fi to paranormal to adventure, Ghost Planet covers them all.  A genre mesh or should that be mess.  Either way it was enjoyable.

The essential Supernatural : on the road with Sam and Dean Winchester / Nicholas Knight

"Fill a flask with holy water and make sure your car is stocked with rock salt and shot guns, you're about to drive headfirst into the world of Sam and Dean Winchester, hunters of demons, ghouls, vampires, and all things supernatural."

Yeah, you just knew that I had to include something to do with Supernatural, but trust me, for fans of the show this book is a must.  Filled with glorious coloured photos, a history of the show and its characters plus interviews with the actors and behind-the-scenes-staff, this is the ultimate book.

In the words of the boys... Got salt?

Rock On Supernaturally

"Driver picks the music.  Shotgun shuts his cakehole."  Dean Winchester from Supernatural.

You just knew that I would get around to doing this eventually, a post dedicated to Supernatural or least one aspect of Supernatural. 

If you've read any of my previous posts then you know that I am a HUGE fan and one of the reasons (and there's alot of reasons...) is that it features some of the best classic rock music around. 

I have gotten almost every song from the show loaded onto my MP3 player.  From foot-tapping, head banging rock songs to power ballads to good old fashioned blues, it's all there.

Don't you just love shows like this.  Shows that have great music that you just have to have and listen to again and again.

With Supernatural, every fan (of course) has their favourites.  My current top 5 (in no particular order) are

• Thunderstuck by AC/DC
• Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas
• Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi
• Shambala by Three Dog Night
• Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull

Though if you were to ask me tomorrow this list would probably change, it's just so hard to pick just 5 as they are all so good. 

Strangely enough no one yet has thought to bring out an CD featuring music from the show.  I'm crossing my fingers that someday someone will.  After all if they can do soundtracks for Glee and Twilight surely a Supernatural soundtrack is a must.

Until that day comes why not try some of the following CD's to put you in that Supernaturally frame of mind and rock on.

Greatest hits / Journey

Never really that big here, in the US Journey along with lead singer Steve Perry were mega popular, despite the fact that they never had a No. 1 single.

Their popularity, even today, can be shown in the fact that Don't Stop Believin' was the greatest selling song in itunes history.

My personal favourite is Who's Crying Now

Iron Man 2 / AC/DC

Even though most of the band are nearing retirement age AC/DC are still considered one of the bands to see live. 

Hugely popular with rock fans around the world, their album Back in Black is the 2nd biggest selling album in music history, being beaten only by Michael Jackson's Thriller. 

Not bad for a group of Aussie boys.

Foreigner: the definitive collection

I've been a Foreigner fan for a long time and it's no wonder with such great rock songs as Juke Box Hero, Double Vision and Cold As Ice as part of their discography. 

Again like Journey they were never really that big here, yet in the US they had 9 songs that reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

The platinum collection / Deep Purple

Who hasn't heard of Smoke on the Water.

Considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time and a song that pretty much every wanna-be guitarist learns, this classic rock song is familiar to many, even those that aren't rock fans, which is pretty amazing for a song that never even got into the top 20 let alone the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

Rock of Ages: the definitive collection / Def Leppard

I mentioned my love of this band in my very first post which goes to show how much I enjoy their music.

Still performing and producing albums, they have lasted more than 30 years in the business, continuing on after the tragic death of their lead guitarist as well as surviving alcohol addiction and a drummer who had to adapt his drum kit so he could continue playing after he lost an arm in a car accident.

The essential Heart

Women can rock too and Heart have done this for almost 40 years.

The core of the band are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Ann's the voice and Nancy the guitarist and together they have had 7 albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard charts and even had a No.1 hit song with These Dreams in 1985.

Music from the Sound FM

The Sound are one of the newest radio stations around.  

Dedicated to playing rock music from the 60's, 70's and 80's this compilation CD features such great rock songs as Don't Fear The Reaper by The Blue Oyster Cult, Dream Police by Cheap Trick and Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon.

Pure Hard Rock

Looking for some head banging rock?  Then look no further.  Pure Hard Rock is the CD for you.

Featuring classic rock and heavy metal songs by Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Ted Nugent and many more there is something here for every fan.

The greatest hits of mullet rock has never looked so good.

Double shot blues

Blues is the grand daddy of rock.  Pretty much every rock artist and band have gained their inspiration and style from blues music.

Its changed and adapted over the years but blues still rocks on and this CD has features the likes of Janis Joplin, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Robert Cray, The Allman Brothers and so many other great blues exponents.

If you've like some of the above you might also want to check out some (if not all) of the following bands: Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Bad Company, ZZ Top, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Styx. Joe Walsh, The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin.