212: Hoo boy.

via We Heart It

Do you ever have those days when you just feel like poor John Watson here?  Because this humid, ninety-degree Sunday is one of those days.  (At least this day ended with pot roast?)

211: Favorites XXIV

This week, I present some of my favorites of a dying breed: TV title sequences.  In addition to those listed below, I give honorable mentions to The Big Bang Theory, the CSI franchise (mostly for using "Who Are You?" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" to great effect, though "Baba O'Riley" isn't as good a fit), and Doctor Who (because I get giddy just listening to the theme song).  Any suggestions for other good opening titles?

Downton Abbey
First, the bit of score over the credits is just gorgeous.  Secondly, it's the prettiest montage I've ever seen that starts with a closeup of a dog's butt.  Incidentally, I also like that the cast is presented in alphabetical order, with no preference whatsoever given to bigger stars, bigger roles, or even the dame in their midst.

True Blood
Warning: there's some suggestive images, roadkill, a time-lapse shot of a fox being consumed by maggots and some close-up shots of weird-looking bugs.  But it's totally worth it for the "God hates fangs" sign and the general modern Southern gothic ambience.

Mystery!
Edward Gorey animations and the theme song that I miss desperately, now that it's Masterpiece Mystery.  I actually learned the Mystery! theme on the piano when I was a kid -- I loved Poirot that much.

Law & Order: UK

A nice update on the traditional freeze-frame style of the US franchise, with another piece of music that I love.  It's not the funky jazz themes of the American series, but it does go nicely with a show that has Crown Prosecutors instead of Assistant District Attorneys.

Mad Men

Great mix of animation, music, and vintage advertising for one of TV's best shows. (YouTube won't let me embed, so click the picture to go watch it on the site.)

210: Phonetic

Have I mentioned before how much I like old Victor Borge routines?  Because this never gets old:

209: I'll take One Year Ago Today for $600, Alex.

Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, CA, 2010.

This picture was taken 365 days ago.  It seems like much longer, and at the same time, like much less time has passed.  I've had two jobs and lots of unemployed downtime in that year, gotten one haircut, read seventy-eight books, and lost ten pounds.

(It's been an interesting 52 weeks.)

208: Bow ties and Cybermen

Posted without comment, because I am so full of squee that there are no words.

207: To the point

Montpellier, France, 2007.

More French stuff: crazy, awesome ironwork in the south of France.

206: Les nuits Parisiennes

      

I came across the 1920s-30s work of Brassai (or Brassaï), a Hungarian-born photographer who worked in Paris.  The photos were so Midnight in Paris-y that they practically gave me the vapors.  Between the deserted, misty Parisian streets and the backlit alleyway rendezvous, this set looks like storyboards for a Jazz Age film noir, the very thought of which makes me swoon.  See more here.

205: Secret identity

As a follow-up to yesterday's SDCC delights, have a cool graphic that's been making the rounds on Tumblr.

via HeroChan

204: Favorites XXIII, SDCC Edition

I'm not at San Diego Comic-Con, but I'm enjoying it vicariously through Twitter and various news sources.  Some fun things from SDCC 2011:

Muppet Mythbusters
From Mythbuster Tory Belleci's Twitter came this gem:

The Marbled Rye
In which Lost's Man in Black finally gets a name:

Spectacularly bad hair

via GFY

I understand that it's for a movie (evidently, the character runs out of a barbershop in the middle of a haircut), but that's not going to stop me from chuckling every time I see it.


Cosplay with Annarchy 
My favorite tertiary character from Penny Arcade made her triumphant return for the Comic-Con-themed run this week.  PA is rarely sweet in tone, but I think this one is just utterly charming and perfect for a Friday strip.

(click to view larger at PennyArcade.com)

203: Allons-y, Alonzo!

I shredded some old papers today, and came across the receipt for my copy of Pierrot le Fou, my favorite film from the French and Italian New-Wave film class I took in college.  Also, I had forgotten that "Allons-y, Alonso" is repeated several times in the movie.  Directed by Jean-Luc Godard and starring Jean Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina, it's a wacky crime caper with musical interludes and some existential contemplation.  It's also very, very French.  I feel a little pretentious when I watch it, but it does make me happy.

all photos via We Heart It