Crowdfunding Convert

Have you ever backed a project financially? Flashback ten years ago and this would have meant you were an investor with thousands to splash about on things like property development. 

But now, thanks to the magic of crowdfunding, you can contribute even just $5 towards something you think is worthy. 

I must admit I have always been a but sceptical about the begging-bowl aspect of people launching a crowdfunded project. I must have seen it as a bandwagon upon which every struggling artist and tech entrepreneur had jumped. "Give me money to make my amazing app a reality!" "Cash me up & I'll put on an exhibition!" I imagined them shouting. 

And sure, there are thousands of projects out there I wouldn't fund because of disinterest, but also because I judge that the person or group doesn't "deserve" my money. 

Last night, after watching a partially crowdfunded movie, I'm willing to review my opinions. Why? Because I'm always whinging about the lack of original content in film and on tv. Sure, I'll go and watch the lastest sequel in a big franchise but I'm also wanting to hear new stories, about new characters in new worlds. 

And the reality is, tv and movie studios just don't like gambling their money on things they aren't 100% sure will make a profit. Thus, we get a lot of stuff on our screens that has always proved to be a sure-fire hit formula in the past. 

The beauty of crowdfunding is people who normally wouldn't get a cent of studio backing can ask the general public if they'll pay for them to create their content. Genius! Especially when it's people who are already known good performers or creators. 

In this case, I watched the Veronica Mars movie. Previously a tv show that was canned, the star Kristin Bell got a big-screen sequel off the ground with the power of crowdfunding. Without this revenue-raising platform, the project would have been almost certainly dead in the water. Fans were willing to pay to have another story created for their favourite character. 

Another great crowdfunded project I'm looking forward to is Alan Tudyk's Con Man. This is going to be a web series - a medium along with streaming services that I think may eventually 

 kill commercial tv. Funded by thousands of dollars of Firefly (Alan's previous tv show) fans' money, the series is filming at present.

So, I'm a total convert. If crowdfunding can help creative people put great movies and tv shows in front of my eyeballs, I say we should put our hands in our pockets occasionally, instead of paying studios and watching advertisements. 

Have you ever backed a crowdfunded project? What was it? 

Sarah Suggests: May 2015 Edition

I've been watching a lot of TV lately. Why? Because there's so much on that's good. 

I'm trying to watch less "crap" (a fluid definition based purely on personal judgement!) and finding that shows I would have found dead boring when I was younger hold much more fascination. 

However, my suggestions today are based purely on entertainment value!  

The Following

Season 2 is now showing on both Foxtel and Free to Air I believe. A thriller/drama about a non-religious murder cult, Season 1 had more twists than a corkscrew and Kevin Bacon too. It can be quite gory, so if you're squeamish you may need to hide behind a pillow. 

Fortitude

This incredibly beautiful, bizarre, horrible and excellent drama has recently been shown on ABC. I've been very slowly working my way through it because it's one of those shows I can only digest one episode at a time. Set on a fictionalArctic  island, a series of grisly murders will keep you guessing. Michael Gambon is just one of a stellar ensemble cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, who automatically makes anything he's in 10 times better. This one is also quite gory and even has moments where it becomes almost horror. Five stars. 

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 

Written by Tina Fey and possessing the catchiest theme song of the year, this comedy series is available on Netflix. About a girl who escapes a bunker where a cult leader has kept her & other women for years, our heroine has to learn about modern life. It's funnier than it sounds. I loved it. Ten hearts. 

The Soup

It's hard to describe this show. Basically it's a weekly half hour of television clips that host Joel McHale (of Community fame) makes fun of. It's been showing on E! forever and it has great guests and sometimes surprisingly cutting edge satire. TV that pokes fun at other TV - I'm a fan. 

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So that's a few of the things I've been devoting my eyeballs to lately. What have you been watching?

In and Out

I go through phases with things. Here's what my TV watching schedule is like lately.

IN

The 100 - started watching this because I heard it was based on a YA novel/series and was intrigued by the premise. Though it's not making me fall in love with the characters I'm persevering.

Penny Dreadful - I suspect I don't know nearly enough about Victorian horror to fully appreciate the nuances of this show but at least I have seen Bram Stoker's Dracula so I kind of know what's going on. Eva Green is ace and Timothy Dalton is aging well.

The Newsroom - I know it's a bit wanky but I do love the fast pace of this show. I have knots in my stomach the entire episode every time I watch it. Jeff Daniels is magnificent in this. I find it hard to reconcile that he is the same person as Larry in Dumb and Dumber.

The Leftovers - I love a good world-is-ending story and this one had a hook I hadn't heard of before -2% of the world's population just disappear into thin air one day. Then the rest of those left behind have to deal with it. I'm liking it so far, even Liv Tyler isn't getting on my nerves too much.

Criminal Minds - I boycotted this show for a while when Reid's One True Love was murdered and I got very upset by it (too emotionally involved in the characters) but I'm back on board now. I enjoy the keen minds, the problem solving and Garcia.

NCIS - though I miss Ziva the new girl is pretty cool. Even though this show has had countless seasons I continue to watch because I love the characters and I care about them. Abby (along with the aforementioned Garcia) is one of my fave female characters of all time. 

The Walking Dead - Yes, another end-of-the-world show, but I do love a good Zombie or two. I didn't think that the creators of this show could do much more with the rag-tag bunch of survivors we've all come to know and love but I continue to be surprised, intrigued and invested. I always want to know what happens next.

Long Lost Family - Who'd have thought that I'd fall in love with a show that reunites children, siblings and parents? But every episode is a real and touching story. And it usually makes me cry.

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD - Coulson is the man. I adore this show so much. 'Nuff said.

Scorpion - I know it's ridiculous and cliched and I am really worried they are going to make Walter fall in "love" even though the whole time they take pains to underscore that he probably not emotionally capable of that, but I enjoy this show every Sunday night. The supporting characters are quite lovable and I do love me a bit of Robert Patrick.


OUT

NCIS: New Orleans - I tried. But I just couldn't. The original is a hard act to follow but it just didn't work for me. Scott Bakula is kind of a running joke in my house too.

Gotham - watched 1.5 eps and gave up. Didn't interest me in the slightest. There was nothing to draw me in.

Fashion Bloggers - this was not the show I thought it would be. I hoped for so much more but instead it turned out to be a half hour of thin women taking pictures of themselves in clothes so expensive the only people that wear it are gifted or lent it.

Save With Jamie- I'm sorry to say it but I'm almost all Jamie'd out. I don't believe his recipes are cost-effective or time-saving any more and the ingredients are sometimes just ludicrous.


IN THE MIDDLE

Castle - The last season finale was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen - drama for the sake of drama. I know that when the UST between a show's couple is resolved, writers always struggles to create watchable storylines. But going down the path of throwing challenges in the face of the relationship is SO predictable. I have a long-standing love of Nathan Fillion though so I will probably keep watching even if it does go very bad.

Covert Affairs - another show where they recently resolved the UST. I have waited a LONG time for Aussie tv to show the new season and frankly it's gone to crap since the two hot leads got together. The plotlines, though always complicated, are now so convoluted they are impossible to follow. I'm frankly just watching for shirtless Auggie now.


Have you been watching anything good lately? What's coming from overseas I should know about?

Sarah Suggests: Game of Thrones

I've written before about how big a fan I am of the Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire books. However the TV series has its own merits, and I'd like to commend Season 4 to you, which starts tomorrow April 6 (US) and April 7 (Australia).

Why? People will say to you "Oh, that show has so much violence/gore/nudity/sex!". Or they will say it's got a complicated plot. Both these things are true.

But then again, both these things are true of House of Cards or True Detective. 

 

At the end of the day, if you enjoy amazing acting, characters you can really love/hate/love/hate, production on an epic scale, beautiful locations, exquisite costuming and dragons, you should be watching this show.

 

I will only say - perhaps don't join in on Season 4. Binge watch from Season 1, you'll thank me.

 

Sunday Summary - 1st December

This week I have been...

Reading - All Good Things by Sarah Turnbull. A memoir of the author's life when she moved to Tahiti. It's pretty cool.

Tidying - my patio and yard. A huge job, but one that is very satifying.

Loving - those moments when you stop and just breathe. Like when I saw this beautiful Moreton Bay Fig at the markets today. What a glorious elder of its kind.

Watching - a mish-mask of television including The Walking Dead, NCIS and Sleepy Hollow. I like to pretend that Ichabod from Sleepy Hollow is James Norrington from The Pirates of the Caribbean's long-lost brother. (Don't blame me, it was on tumblr).

Dreaming - of landscaping my pool area with terracotta pots and minimalist spiky plants.

Thinking - a lot about Christmas. I wrote a guide to a Happy Homemade Christmas last year, would like to do something similar this year, but I'm not going to be doing much homemade stuff! So I might just curate some great other blogs that are doing it.

Baking - my own pizza dough! For the first time, I was insanely pleased with it. I also made a banana loaf today, finally used up all those over-ripe bananas in my freezer.

Hanging - out at the farm. Went and saw mum and dad last weekend, did some deep-breathing and chilling out. Going up to the farm recharges my batteries. I took some photos, which I have the intention of blogging but are still on my camera...

Looking forward to - work winding down after we complete end-of-month accounts this week. More scrapbooking in two weeks. And then some time off!

How's your week been?

Sunday Summary

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Happy Sunday everybody!

Doing - some blog reading for the first time in a long time. Doing my best to leave comments but sometimes I really just don't have anything to say and I struggle. Sigh.

Reading - just finished Dan Brown's Inferno. I liked it - but then I've liked his books since Angels and Demons. Yes, the plotline is sometimes very conveient and our bumbling hero is more lucky than smart - but the pace never slacks and you get to learn stuff along the way. This time, I learnt a heck of a lot about Dante and Renaissance art! The visual guide for this book would be very handy too. Who knew? Next, I'm going to start a book I've been wanting to read for AGES, a YA novel called The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

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Watching - I've been trying to get through the first season of Hannibal but finding I can't watch more than one or two episodes at a time or I get terrible nightmares. If you've seen it you'll know what I mean. I thought that shows like SVU and Criminal Minds had numbed me to the horrors of the human psyche but this is a whole new level or horrifying for me. Now wanting to see Silence of the Lambs (nope, never seen it) and read Thomas Harris' novels.

Making - cards! I know, how quaint. But I had two birthdays coming up so I got out my brand spanking new Close to My Heart scrapping stuff and stamped my way to glory. Ended up with ink EVERYWHERE (how do they stay so clean in the Youtube tutorials?) but the cards turned out great. Can't show you because a) gave one away today and forgot to take a photo; and b) the second one is for a reader of this blog and want to surprise her! Did I tell you I'm officially a Close to My Heart consultant? Ha ha not seriously but I did buy the consultant's kit because it was no obligation and had so much cool stuff in it.

Wishing - that we could afford to shop anywhere other than Aldi again. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE Aldi fan, but sometimes I get sick of their same same stuff and crave some Kraft Peanut Butter.

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Planning - possibly I have been watching too much River Cottage Australia, but I'm bursting to start a vege garden. Other half keeps says "when the shed is finished". May have to take matters into my own hands and start some pots.


So... whatcha doin'?

I Heart the 80s

This post first appeared on We Heart Life on 22/02/13

On my 8th birthday, a friend gave me a My Little Pony as a present. Her name was Yum Yum, and I thought she was the greatest thing in the world.

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My Little Pony, along with many many other cartoons, made up a large part of my childhood. I look back fondly at many happy hours spent watching shows like Muppet Babies, Count Duckula, DangerMouse, Voltron and Rainbow Bright.

And you know how everything old is new again? The 80s are making a comeback. My Little Pony has successfully rebooted in the last few years, Strawberry Shortcake seems to be cool amongst the children again. And have you caught the remakes of Hawaii 5-0, Knight Rider and Teen Wolf?

And it’s not just tv shows but that 80s fabulousness is sneaking into movies, music and fashion too.
Recently we’ve been treated to everything from The Smurfs  to The A-Team and 21 Jump St on the silver screen. I think screenwriters still have a rich vein of movie goodness to tap into when their well of creativity runs dry! Can you imagine a live-action movie version of The Jetsons?

I’m also loving some of the 80s style music coming out recently! Check out bands like Haim and the new single from The Presets. I honestly thought that last one was Duran Duran when I heard it on the radio.

And I haven’t even mentioned The Carrie Diaries yet. It is a veritable smorgasboard of 80s fashion, music and fun! Check it out if you have cable tv.

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I do think there are some things that are best left behind in that decade though: rah-rah skirts, neon sunglasses, crimping…

What do you miss, or definitely DO NOT miss about the 80s?

Excess Loser - weight-loss TV realities

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I realize that many journalists and media bloggers will probably have already put pen to paper on this subject, but I wanted to compose a few thoughts of my own before reading anyone else’s opinion. If you don’t watch reality shows, in particular that specialized genre that most folk enjoy watching while eating a big bowl of ice cream – this post may not be relevant to you. But if you do enjoy shoving sugary, fatty food into your gob while watching others sweat their asses off, read on friend.

I watched every episode of the new season of The Biggest Loser last week, and quite enjoyed it despite some howls from Twitter (and everywhere else) about the overtly “skinny is beautiful/fat is ugly and undeserving of love” theme this season. I empathized with the contestants, and their stories resonated with me. I could very much relate to the young girls in particular – I have always been overweight for my entire adult life, and up until I met my fiancée at age 26 I had never had a boyfriend.

But the more I watched, the more unsettled I became. Yes, traditionally the trainers had always yelled at the contestants in previous seasons. Their first workout was always an opportunity to film sequences of large people sweating and straining, of them giving up and being exhorted to greater efforts by their trainers. They would reveal the demons that had haunted them and the trainers would use this information to remind them why they were there.

And underlying it all this time was the message – if you don’t lose weight, you will never find love. No wonder so many viewers have gotten a queasy feeling in their stomach. The show has always flogged the ‘weight-loss is good’ message but turned it into a competition. Not sure if this was to make the show more interesting by introducing a political aspect or simply to motivate the contestants more, but it was always there. Recently the Australian version introduced an education aspect into their weight-loss regime, brining in a cook and a doctor to talk to the contestants about healthy eating and habits. I applauded this as the more information they receive that they can use outside the boundaries of the show the better. And at the same time the viewers were being educated as well with health facts about everything from their bio-age to things you can substitute for white rice.

The introduction of The Commando last season as one of the trainers has also added a more interesting element to me personally. Yes, because he’s insanely physically attractive – but also because his training style is so very different from Shannon, Michelle and Tiffany. His military background means that his approach is about teaching independence, resourcefulness and most of all, self-confidence. This aligns nicely with what I have read about training programs in US Special Forces such as Delta and British and Australian SAS. (I don't know why, but these groups have always fascinated me. Probably because they're so stealthy and cool and shit).

This season however, the added element of having only singles has changed the show substantially. No longer are we rooting for our favorites because we want them to be healthy. Instead we are being told we should be cheering them on so they can get skinny and get some action. It has left a bad taste in my mouth.

It wasn’t until I was watching Excess Baggage last night that I realized that I don’t have to put up with that sort of crap from my favorite reality TV show. Here was a show with the same premise, but an entirely different approach. Here’s the things I liked and that I predict will mean that this show will win the ratings war hands down this year.

- The Host – Kate Cebrano is a breath of fresh air. Compare her cheeky joking with Dipper in the opening scenes of the show with Hayley Lewis’ stilted, scripted delivery. I’m not hating on Hayley – in fact I think she has done a wonderful job the past few years – but Kate is much more natural and has the added bonus of being goofy and able to laugh at herself.

- The Premise – There was a remark last night from someone on the show that summed it up best – it was something like “this show is not about seeing who can lose the most weight". Yes, the “Spirit Walk” where the contestants found presents of meaning to themselves was a touch contrived, but it provided the perfect vehicle for us to hear a bit about their back-story without a series of endless montages. The show has firmly sold itself as a journey of self, not of shedding kilos. Not only are contestants wanting to drop some weight, they genuinely want to make their life better. And they don’t need the motivation of winning money to do it – they’re clearly doing it for themselves (with a little bit of self-promotion thrown in). On offer is a donation to charity, instead of a pot of cash for one person. Is this something that Channel 9 borrowed from The Apprentice perhaps? The celebs not only get to lose weight, learn about health and promote their brand – they get to look good working for a charity while doing it.

- The Contestants – having a “celebrity” (I used the term loosely, perhaps “well-known personality” might be better) teamed with a “regular” person is a stroke of pure genius. Not only do we get to cheer along with the Average Joes, we gain an insight into the lives of folk with a higher profile and their struggles. EVEN FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE HANG-UPS OMG. This appeals to the voyeuristic nature of reality TV viewers and allows us that forbidden, tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the people we read about in New Idea. The two-person team idea is itself also different – instead of multiple people, there’s only one other person to mentor and encourage. Interesting. I suspect it’s the Average Joes that might end up doing more mentoring instead of the other way about.

- The Support Team - the trainer and the nutritionist are new faces, but straight away we can sense the difference between this show and Biggest Loser. Even the language they use is different. It's supportive instead of aggressive. The trainer knows where they are at because he has been there.

- Lack of a Meanie – every reality show seems to have written into it one person whom the viewer is obviously supposed to hate. This is achieved usually through creative editing, out-of-context remarks and post-incident to-camera testimonials where other contestants are encouraged to bitch about them. I’m looking at you here, My Kitchen Rules. But despite a couple of remarks around one of the contestants not “bonding” immediately with his partner, and another about him being “hard”, there is nobody to really hate amongst this group. Dislike, yes, or feel disappointed in, but not hate. (I suspect Darryn is just a bit of an over-achieving, driven narcissist, personally. He just needs to work on realizing not everybody else is too).

- The Location – stunning scenery makes it all prettier. And ups the difficulty factor when you’re working out in 40 degree heat, I guess.

What do you think? It’s a big call I know, but Excess Baggage really pressed all my buttons, whereas Biggest Loser is starting to stink like mayo left out in the sun. I know which show I'll be watching from now on.

Pukka Tukka

I'm a bit strange when it comes to new things. Sometimes I'm an avid early-adopter - the first one onboard in a new fandom, or buying a book the first day it is out. Other times I'm a lagging late-adopter; only catching onto some new gadget after hearing everyone else's good reviews. But when it comes to the subject of tonight's post, I am very, very tardy to the party. I'm talking about Jamie Oliver.

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A quick Google tells me he was first on our television screens in 1999 - can you believe that? Over ten years he's been part of the culinary landscape. I vaguely recall people rabbitting on about him whilst I was at university, and one of my cousins in particular was a bit obsessed, collecting all his cookbooks. I, meanwhile, had watched the odd episode of School Lunches or Ministry of Food and not thought that much more about him. Until recently.

The reason for my late, great obsession with Jamie is solely due to one thing: his show Jamie at Home. It's being (re?)-run on two different channels here at the moment, and it has bewitched me. I am not even clear on why, but let me tell you all the things I think are wonderful about it.

- Brian the hairy gardener. At first I was like "who is this homeless begger who has wandered onto the set?" but now his taciturn nature and boundless knowledge about organic gardening have won me over.

- I'm learning things. Like how to roast a capsicum. Or blanch things. I'm pretty sure noone in my house or my mother's has ever blanched a vegetable. But should I want to, I now know how.

- Jamie is not fussy. He just chucks stuff in a bowl or pan and mixes it up. He hardly ever seems to measure things, but when he does, he uses an old kitchen scale that looks like my nannas.

- He doesn't use strange ingredients. Sure, there's a few herbs I've never encountered before, but I chalk that up to my own ignorance. There's nothing too complicated about the recipes on this show, and I LOVE that fact. It makes me feel like YES, I COULD MAKE THAT TOMATO SALAD. And is that not the mark of a good cooking show?

- He makes me want to eat vegetables. I am dying to try to make his Zucchini Carbonara. Did you know zucchinis are also called corgettes? Another thing I learned!

All of these things are great, but the best (and possibly most disasterous) thing that has happened from my new devotion to this show is that I have become inspired to plant a herb garden. I am positive if I have a basil plant or some parsley or mint at my immediate disposal I will use them in my cooking more.

Watch this space...

That Terrible TV

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Just wrote nearly a whole blog post about ways to creatively slack-off at work then deleted it. It's been done, my suggestions were boring and hatched from some not-very-original ideas.

Truthfully, I thought I would get more time to blog this week but every night has me coming home, cooking and collapsing. I think I'm still recovering from the lurgy that I had earlier in the week and all I want to do is laze about in front of the telly all evening.

I've been watching some new shows too - trialling "Lost Girl" on SciFi, seems harmless and kinda kooky, so will continue with that one. "Game of Thrones" is something I've been looking forward to for a long time and I've dragged C into watching it as well. I love how it's so political and confusing. And in the trashy TV stakes, I'm totally into "Ice loves Coco". Now I've watched a lot of celebrity reality shows, and I believe this is one of the best. Ice T is a funny mofo, and I think I've tweeted more than once that he is an amazingly supporting husband.

What are you watching right now?