Tag / Angel

by admin

Post Mortem – Bones

When Bones debuted on FOX on September 13, 2005, the White Sox were still a month and a half from breaking their 88 year World Series drought and the Cubs drought had not even hit 100 years.  12 years later, the wacky procedural had aired in at least one timeslot on every weeknight, giving FOX a steady, if unspectacular, performer.

Fresh from Angel, David Boreanaz signed on as Agent Seeley Booth, followed quickly by Emily Deschanel as Temperance Brennan.  Their chemistry helped to elevate the show above a typical procedural, useful for a 12 season, 246 episode run.

While it was certainly time for the show to move on, I can’t say that I won’t miss having it on the schedule.  Even at the end, when the cracks were starting to show, it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour with a group of old friends who had been together for so long.

by admin

iTunes Top 200 Artists: #179-185

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

Today, we look at the remaining 6 bands tied for 185th with 25 plays apiece before starting with the first 4 bands tied for 179th, with 26.  Again, these are all new entries to the list from the original 2013 edition.

#179: PJ Harvey
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The 90s indie darling has a completely even split between 2 songs to make up this total.

#179: Soundgarden
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

5 different tracks from the bastions of Seattle’s alternative scene place them pretty low on the list.

#179: The B-52’s
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Georgia-based band has 3 songs that make up this total.

#179: The Wonders
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The imaginary band from the hit 1996 film That Thing You Do! uses their one hit to make their way on to the chart.

#185: Cardigans
iTunes stats: 25 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Swedish band, who I saw live in 2004, make the list thanks to 3 tunes.

#185: Darling Violetta
iTunes stats: 25 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The outfit responsible for the theme song to Angel rides that track to this spot on the chart.

#185: Firehouse
Continue reading →

by admin

Book 13 (of 52) – Heat

Heat - Nancy Holder

Heat – Nancy Holder

My second attempt to acquire and read this book was much more successful, though maybe fate was trying to keep me from something.  In this tale from author Nancy Holder, ancient demons from China plot to thaw out magical dragons and take over the world, attacking both in Sunnydale and Los Angeles.  Buffy and Angel are forced to reunite in order to stop the threat and save the world.

Unlike her other works in this franchise, Holder’s output this time was a bit of a slog to get through.  Perhaps if less time was spent on the demons and where they came from and why they are attacking and more time was spent with out heroes, it would have been a bit more enjoyable.  But, it is what it is and my latest foray into the Buffyverse comes to an end.

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #46 – 56

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

We reach the 3/4ths mark today, looking at the remaining songs tied for 56th with 23 listens and starting the songs tied for 46th with 24 listens.

#56: Darling Violetta – Angel Main Theme
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 12/11/2015
Previous ranking: #76

The band performed 2 songs in a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before being tasked to perform the theme to the spin-off.

#56: Coolio f/ L.V. – Gangsta’s Paradise
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 11/15/2015
Previous ranking: #96

This 1995 hit from the Dangerous Minds soundtrack also appeared on Volume 19 of my mix tapes.

#56: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Where Do We Go From Here?
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 9/22/2015
Previous ranking: #41

The last tune from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer following the defeat of the dancing demon Sweet.

#56: The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 9/21/2015
Previous ranking: #58

The only theme song to a Beatles film to not be released as a single.

#56: The Beatles – Helter Skelter
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 6/13/2014
Previous ranking: #54

Considered by music historians as a key influence in the development of heavy metal.

#46: Weird Al Yankovic – White & Nerdy 
Continue reading →

by admin

Book 23 (of 52) – Girls In Pants: The Third Summer Of The Sisterhood

Girls In Pants - Anna Brashares

Girls In Pants – Ann Brashares

Last year, I noticed that my collection of unread Buffyverse books was dwindling down.  I found a used copy of a hardcover crossover between Buffy and Angel that I had missed, Heat,  on Amazon, so I decided to go ahead and pick it up to restock the unread book drawer.  Sadly, when the book arrived, it was the dust jacket for the advertised book, but inside was a copy of Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood.  After requesting a refund from Amazon, they let me go ahead and keep the book, which sat on my dresser for more than a year until I recently decided to pick it up and try something different.  And something different it was.

My only other experiences with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants saga was watching the two films.  Because of this, I had some familiarity with the characters, which made getting through this a little easier.  It wasn’t a bad read, but certainly not in my usual genre.  Short of another used book mishap, I don’t envision myself going back and reading the previous entries in the series.

by jim

Book 16 (of 52) – Avatar

Avatar - John Passarella

Avatar – John Passarella

When a demon tries to regain his physical being by literally sucking the life out of humans, Angel and crew need to stop him before the police and a cult trying to control him find him.  Author John Passarella takes us on another trip through the early days of Angel’s adventures in LA, prior to Doyle’s untimely death in the 9th episode of season 1.

Finishing this book was somewhat bittersweet, as it was the last Angel novel left in my drawer of unread books.  It looks like there are some more out there in the world, but I don’t know if the expense is worth tracking them down.  Plus, I should be getting a replenishment of said drawer sometime soon, if I get some of the books on my Amazon Wishlist for my birthday.

 

by admin

Book 14 (of 52) – Soul Trade

Soul_Trade_(Angel_Novel)

Soul Trade – Thomas E. Sniegoski

Returning to the seedy streets of Los Angeles, we find Angel and company trying to save a young girl who’s soul has been stolen to be sold on an underground black market.  Standing in their way is an ancient wizard and a soul-sucking demon, who have been working together for centuries.

The original lineup for Angel lasted all of 9 episodes before Doyle was written out and replaced by Wesley, but the majority (if not all) of the novels take place during that time period.  Author Thomas Sniegoski shows a good grasp of the characters and their mindsets during the early parts of season 1.

by jim

Book 2 (of 52) – Close To The Ground

Close To The Ground - Jeff Mariotte

Close To The Ground – Jeff Mariotte

After the good experience I had revisiting the Angel universe back in November, I decided to pick another one out of the unread drawer and head back to Los Angeles for another look at a season one era tale.  Sadly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous entry, though it was still a pretty decent read.

The first season of Angel was kind of hit or miss, especially early in the season when Glenn Quinn’s Doyle was still alive.  The show didn’t really start to come together until after Quinn was replaced by Alexis Denisof and the later additions of J. August Richards and Amy Acker.  Having to set the novel before these changes puts author Jeff Mariotte at a slight disadvantage.  His previous work didn’t rely too heavily on having Doyle around.  The same can’t be said of this one, where Angel Investigations is hired to protect a young woman after Doyle has a vision about her as a mystic from Ireland looks to steal Angel’s lifeforce.  Meanwhile, in a subplot that never actually gets around to being tied in to the main goings on, Kate Lockley investigates a string of bank robberies.

While this didn’t live up to the last Angel book I read, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good story.  Mariotte certainly had a good read on the characters as they existed early in the show’s run.  The main threat, a sorcerer so hell bent on summoning a demon that he needs Angel’s life force in order to live long enough to complete the spell, was a little by the numbers, but that is to be somewhat expected after reading enough of these books.  Overall, I’m willing to go back for more, if I have more in the drawer.

by admin

Prolific Authors 2013

bookshelfWay back in December of 2011, I took our first look back at the authors I have read the most dating back to high school.  Since that time, I’ve read 34 books from 31 different authors.  I don’t think there is going to be much movement since then, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time.  Once again, we will be limiting ourselves to the now 47 authors from whom I have read more than one book.

Author Name Current Total 2011 Total Difference
Nancy Holder 13 13 0
Christopher Golden 12 12 0

No change to these two, who owe their totals mostly to Buffy and Angel tie-in novels.

Greg Rucka 12 11 1
Stephen King 10 9 1

Both of these long time favorites increased their total by one book.  Rucka’s newest is due out next summer and is already pre-ordered.

Michael Jan Friedman 8 8 0
Brad Meltzer 8 7 1

Brad Meltzer pulls into a tie for the top 5 with another author of tie-in novels, mostly Star Trek: TNG and Lois & Clark. Continue reading →

by admin

Book 14 (of 52) – Hollywood Noir

Hollywood Noir - Jeff Mariotte

Hollywood Noir – Jeff Mariotte

Jeff Mariotte brings us back to season 1 of Angel in this tale of a private investigor. killed in the early 1960s, who comes back to life when his body is found hidden behind a wall in his old office.  He sets out to take down his murderer and solve his final case, which crosses over with Angel’s latest case, brought about by Doyle’s vision of a long dead cigarette girl.

Angel went off the air in 2004, and the occassional trip back to his corner of the Buffyverse thanks to book purchases I made years ago have usually been a nice palette cleansing from the more current offerings.  This one, however, was more engrossing than I would have thought.  Mariotte does a good job of mixing the Angel universe with the pot boiled detective formula from an earlier time.  I also enjoyed the inclusion of Detective Kate Lockley, who appeared quite often back in the first season, before being slowly left aside in season 2.

I’m not sure how many of these Angel novels I have left sitting around, of if there are more out there that I never bought.  If there are, and they are up to this standard, they will be well worth tracking down.