by jphilo | Jan 20, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. The premiere of Downton Abbey, Season 5, is a good excuse to binge watch Seasons 1–4…just in case any crucial details were missed during previous viewings.
9. Binge watching Seasons 1–4 makes the dead of winter go by faster.
8. Seeing all the Downton Abbey windows is a reason to be grateful to not be in charge of washing them.
7. After a November, December, and January (so far) filled with family changes and challenges, watching someone else’s problems is good therapy.
6. Those creepy scenes where perfectly capable men and women are dressed by other men and women make me glad Mom insisted all her children could dress themselves and put away their own clothes.
5. Every episode makes me more grateful for modern amenities such as enclosed car cabs, running water, and gas and/or electric stoves.
4. Every episode makes me long to wear arm length gloves and to ask my lady’s maid to do my hair.
3. The subtle snobbery of Carson the butler always brings a smile.
2. Maggie Smith.
1. Binge watching Downton Abbey and reading a biography of Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, in the same week leads to some interesting character parallels. Such as:
Lady Edith as Charlie Brown
Lady Mary as Lucy Van Pelt
Lady Sybil as Sally.
But Linus and Snoopy’s parallel characters are a bit harder to pin down. Your suggestions?
by jphilo | Jan 15, 2015 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
- Now that Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, has died, who would you nominate as the new spokesperson for hillbilly chic?
- The Exotic Marigold Hotel is the best movie we’ve watched this year. Though I was disappointed it ended without a Bollywood dance number featuring Maggie Smith. What have you been watching?
- Moving Mom into assisted living is the hardest thing my sibs and I have done in a long time. What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do?
by jphilo | May 1, 2012 | Top Ten Tuesday
Downton Abbey fever is alive and well at our house. My enthusiasm grew with Season 2, and I’m waiting eagerly for Season 3…whenever it begins. For those of you who haven’t been smitten with the Downton Abbey bug, check out these top ten reasons to become a fan of this Masterpiece Theater period drama.
10. Seeing is the only way to believe how long Lady Mary’s neck is.
9. Downton Abbey is an easy, painless way to learn English history from pre-WW1 England, through the war to end all wars, and the Roarin’ Twenties.
8. Maggie Smith.
7. An observant cook can learn a great deal about turn-of-the-century cooking.
6. Life has to turn around for poor Lady Edith. First he writers gave her sisters pretty names like “Mary” and “Sybil,” but stuck the middle sister with “Edith.” Surely, they won’t sentence her to eternal life as the ugly duckling middle sister. Such behavior is simply not allowed in escapist entertainment.
5. You will gain a new appreciation for central heating.
4. The women’s costumes are stunning. As for the men, today’s wife beater shirts and cargo pants don’t hold a candle to Edwardian men in custom tailored suits.
3. Anna needs a large network of friends and families to support her while the lawyers attempt to rescue her husband of integrity, Mr. Bates, from the hangman’s noose.
2. A baby and a wedding are in the works. Unless the writers employ the Bonanza death-before-the-wedding strategy, Season 3 will make Rhoda’s wedding and the birth of Little Ricky on I Love Lucy look like child’s play.
1. All the bad people at Downton Abbey smoke cigarettes. All the good people either don’t smoke or indulge in the rare cigar. So viewers don’t waste emotional energy sorting baddies from goodies and can concentrate on enjoying the show.
Did the top ten list convince you to give Downton Abbey a try? Then check out or rent Seasons 1 & 2 so you’ll be in the know when Season 3 begins. If you’re already a fan, what would you add to this top ten list? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Apr 13, 2012 | Current Events
Attention all Downton Abbey wannabes! You know who I mean.
- The career woman ashamed to admit her childhood dream was to be a princess and live in a castle when she grew up.
- The mom who saving up for mother-daughter Belle gowns from the Disney catalog.
- The hunter who secretly wishes he could wear a scarlet coat and riding britches instead of a fluorescent orange vest when deer season opens.
- The husband who dreams of a life where he can ditch his wife and spend the evening smoking cigars and drinking cognac with his posh buddies.
Yup, we’re the people who make the Masterpiece Theater creators eyes shine with dollar pound signs once we’re hooked on a show like Downton Abbey.
But it’s very, very important for us wannabes to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. Otherwise, we won’t have the emotional energy needed to remain suspended on the season two finale’s cliffhanger, worrying about what really matters. Things like:
- Will Matthew and Mary really tie the knot?
- Will Mr. Bates go to prison?
- Will Thomas quit smoking?
- Will the Dowager Countess of Grantham (aka: Maggie Smith) turn quickly and knock someone over with her hat?
- Will the wardrobe mistress ever let Edith wear a pretty dress?
Those issues weighed heavily on me until a friend and fellow wannabe sent a link to a YouTube video. Those who take themselves and Downton Abbey too seriously should be prepared to be indignant. Everybody else, be prepared to laugh at this spoof entitled Downton Arby’s.
[youtube]http://screen.yahoo.com/downton-arby-s-28723019.html[/youtube]
by jphilo | Jan 19, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
My, my, my it’s cold outside today. Apparently, winter’s a little upset about not being invited to her own party in 2012 and is now making her presence known. Maybe these three thoughts for Thursday will melt her icy little heart!
- If you think our world isn’t a safe place, think again. The Apostrophe Protection Society’s vigilance in keeping punctuation terrorists at bay is constant and well-documented at their website.
- When I grow up, I want to go to high tea with Maggie Smith at Downton Abbey. Provided she’s not at Hogwarts that day, of course.
- The Super Bowl-themed coupon flyer in our Sunday paper was puzzling. First came the ads for football snack foods. Then came disposable diapers, Depends, and feminine hygiene products coupons. At the end, more ads for munchies. Do you think the advertisers were sending subliminal suggestions about what to do if the halftime show is a bust?
So, what will you be doing during the Super Bowl halftime?
