This and That

[shakatany]

Well "Without a Trace" wasn't on last night with or without James Marsters :( However I did catch Amy Acker in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and like JM in "Saving Grace" she was the murderer - is this a trend? She also said to one of the detectives "You'll never make Senior Partner" and that just cracked me up. I wonder if she had a flashback to "Angel"?

There's an ad for V-8 that's been on the air for sometime that really irks me. A mother is eating a french fry and is TAUNTING her toddler saying something like "Look what I have" in a nyah, nyah sort of voice. Would any sane mother do that? I think the ad was written and approved by bachelors who think it's cute :( 

For fun go see the amazing Dancing Cockatoo - he's really got rhythm *g*

Comments

[debauched-angel.livejournal.com]

Firstly, I meant to thank you for that wonderful link you posted the other day (The Way of Cats), I really enjoyed it and will be visiting again, thank you :)

I love seeing people from Buffy and Angel in other shows and I'm always interested to hear what they're doing and hoping that they're doing well. I was, and still am, so thrilled with Julie Benz's wonderful performances in Dexter. I've gotten to Episode 3 of Season 2 and if anything S2 is already better than Season 1.

Strangely, Darla was never a favourite character of mine initially, but I did grow to love her. I was fortunate enough to meet Julie at a convention where I was one of the 'security' people. She was so nervous before going onstage to speak, I couldn't believe it! And she's so *tiny*, like a little china doll! At the time I was struck by how so un-Hollywood she was and by how much of a real lady that she is. She remains one of the most genuine celebs that I've ever met.

I must say, at the risk of being lynched by certain parties, that I've not seen James Marsters really shine in anything since BtVS and AtS. It's not that he's been bad, but I find myself disappointed and am now not inclined to watch anything that he's in just because he's *in* it. Spike was my most favourite character of any show *ever* and I'm very surprised that JM hasn't tweaked me in anything else as he did in the Joss-World, or indeed as Julie Benz and indeed David B have. However, I have high hopes for Torchwood :)

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

While "BtVS" was airing initially I didn't care for Darla as she was Buffy's foe and then later on Angel's. However there were a few scenes when she was pregnant with Connor and giving birth to him (or trying to) that absolutely got to me. Once the show went into syndication and became available on DVD I could follow the thread of her story more easily and I grew to sympathize with Darla. We never learned how she ended up a prostitute but life wasn't easy for women back then (it's often not that much better now) and dying at such a young age would seem so unfair that any way out would be preferable. I think she truly loved her boy Angelus and was furious at herself for bringing about his "ruination" and took it out on Angel. Of course it's Julie Benz's performance that makes Darla so sympathetic even though you know how much evil she's done in her existance.

James Marsters in RL doesn't come across as a very vivid or imposing fellow and when he plays ordinary people (written by ordinary writers) the small roles he's had since BtVS, which are often little more than walk-ons, make him seem bland and colorless (I didn't see him in "Cool Money" where he was the major character and Prof. Fine/Brainiac was just a comic book character without depth). JM inhabited Spike so brilliantly that he was able to turn a half-season role into one that lasted until the end of BtVS and beyond. He inspired the writers of BtVS to create a flamboyant, multi-faceted character and unfortunately he may never get to play a character of such charisma again (though his Charlemagne Bolivar on "Andromeda" also had a bit of Spike's hotness). I look forward to his "Torchwood" appearance too which sadly you'll get to see before me :(

Shakatany