The Scandalous Lana Del Rey [music]

Apparently I am a little slow on the uptake, but I just heard Lana Del Rey's hit single Video Games and instantly was a fan. I don't know if it was the tubular bells at the beginning, the cinematic orchestration and the snare drum that starts at 2:32, or the video that won me over, but I am a fan of it all.

Is Eliza Dushku in a Toilet Paper Commercial?

Is Eliza Dushku (yes, the one in Wrong Turn and Tru Calling) in a Quilted Northern commercial?

Perhaps horror and TV aren't her true calling after all.

The Killing [tv].

I am catching the pilot for AMC's The Killing right now on OnDemand. The show premiered last night to very positive reviews and looks like another win for AMC, adding to the phenomenal success of Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and a recent favorite of mine, Breaking Bad.

IMDb

Reviews:

New York Times

The Hollywood Reporter

Variety

Blast Magazine

Much-anticipated and controversial mini-series "The Kennedys" also premiered over the weekend to stellar reviews as well. "The Kennedys" stars Katie Holmes as Jackie and was pulled from the History Channel schedule and passed up by Showtime before Reelz decided to air it.

The Golden Girls Tackle Lesbianism [television]

I happened to catch a 1986 episode of The Golden Girls this evening dealing with the issue of "lesbianism" entitled "Isn't it Romantic."

I found it interesting when the episode was made - I don't think of "gay" as becoming mainstream (ok, even talked about) until the 1990's, but these witty old ladies from Miami were always ahead of their time.

A show description from TV.com:

Dorothy's old friend, Jean comes to Miami for a visit and Dorothy decides not to tell Blanche and Rose that Jean is a lesbian. Then, after spending time with Rose, Jean begins to fall for her. Meanwhile, a new VCR, prompts Sophia to rent "dirty movies."

I also enjoy seeing the shifts in technology over the years, and it tickles me to death that Sophia is using the "new" technology of VCRs to rent and watch dirty movies!

Here is the entire episode via YouTube:

Methamphetamine [drugs, society]

Watched Meth: A County in Crisis earlier, and now watching "Meth's Deadly High" on Lifetime.

The first show detailed the meth problem in Missouri, and focuses on the epidemic in Franklin County, but meth is a plague rampant everywhere in the United States.

The Bay area is no stranger to the meth problem either but has launched rigorous campaigns to combat the meth crisis and according to Life or Meth, meth usage has almost halved in three years here in San Francisco.

Meth is also a huge problem in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California; the photo below details the admissions into drug and alcohol rehab centers over a four year time in California.

One can clearly see meth usage has spread like wild fire in California in just several years.

The San Diego area is also known for its numerous bizarre crimes involving meth; below is a video of the infamous incident in San Diego on May 17, 1995, when meth-addicted Shawn Timothy Nelson stole a tank from the National Guard Armory near Mesa College and went on a rampage through a city, only stopping when he ran into a median on the highway.

Lifetime Movie Network: My Neighbor's Secret [movies]

One of my indulgences is the Lifetime Movie Network. I am taking advantage of the rainy day to watch "My Neighbor's Secret," starring Nicholas Brendon, whose career was pretty much over after his run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, save a few episodes of Criminal Minds and Private Practice as well as some minor film roles here and there.

He still has that slight lisp, too.
Up next is the much-anticipated "And Baby Will Fall," based on the novel by Hallie Ephron, and starring Clea Duvall. Yes, Clea Duvall.

No, I don't know why she is doing Lifetime movies either.

There Will Be Scream 4 [movies].

You thought the 1990's Scream-brand slasher films were over a decade ago, but Scream 4 has been cast! Before you start to get depressed, worry not because Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette will be back to star in the film; Adam Brody, Marley Shelton, and Erik Knudsen have also been cast.