First Word

3 That night, I went home tired. Denise wasn’t home, as was mostly the case these days. She and her boss spent most nights together, leaving the apartment partially paid for by her but virtually vacant. She kept some of her clothes here still, but it was all for appearances. She had set up camp at her boss’ home in Calabasas. I was fine with it. I was working late and fully consumed in my professional life. I didn’t want any distractions, and Denise was – if anything else – good for distractions. She was either getting dressed to leave or talking about her latest work drama that was heightened by the affair with her boss. I mostly listened and laughed at the dramatic subterfuge she managed to conjure up. I was eating some leftover lasagna when a knock came to my door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I was surprised to find Letty standing there when I opened the door. She had dyed her hair purple and was wearing chic white sunglasses that were a throwback to ...

You know when you hit a point where you say something like, "Oh that younger generation ..." then you have officially become "old." I decided I've hit that point only after once more torturing myself watching that horrible show Girls about four young women in New York and their social lives. This show is a major hit. And I frankly don't get it. Every single time I watch, I am completely aghast (never turned on) at their frank, soft-core porn approach to twentysomething girls and their dating lives. The show is supposed to be funny, and I suppose it's making someone out there laugh, but I am more gob-smacked by it more than anything else. I worry about this, because my book California Girl Chronicles is geared partially toward this audience, but at the same time is highly relatable for women my age who in their younger days may have made Brea's mistakes. While California Girl Chronicles is sexy and I hope funny (reviewers have agreed it's fun...

I was speaking with my girlfriend Sonja Fisher yesterday, and she mentioned that in the Hollywood Reporter it was announced that the two HBO shows about women, Girls and Veep were renewed for a second season. I was not at all surprised about Veep . It's really a great show. Once more on last week's episode Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivered yet another pitch-perfect comedic performance, especially as they had to sort of lift her up so she could keep her knees together (she got very sick) and get her into the limo. Girls , on the other hand, continued to consistently make me scratch my head and ask the ongoing question, "What is so funny about this?" So far, I have no cracked a smile. This show just continually capitalizes on young women not esteeming themselves. At one point, we had the only attractive girl on the show have a sexual run-in with an artist that resulted in her locking herself in the nearest restroom to masturbate. Was that supposed to be funny, sexy ... I...

I don't watch very much television. I love HBO on Sunday nights, but right now the choices outside of the new show VEEP seem like slim pickings. Speaking of VEEP , I have to say the scene where Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character does the best "WTF" contortion and tosses the coffee was classic. Her comedic timing was outrageously perfect and proves her physical comedy is brilliant. I loved it. If you haven't seen VEEP yet, I recommend you take a peek at it. The awful show Girls , on the other hand, is very likely to find its way into my "don't-watch" list. My friend and associated Sonja Fisher was over last night, and she was showing me how to DVR (yes, I am not DVRing), and I told her she had to watch the awful sex scene in the opening of Girls' second episode. I put it on for her to watch, and the look of horror on her face closely mirrored my own the first time I watched it. She said and I quote, "That's not even funny? Why is this thing...

I think when you watch a sex scene it's supposed to at least be sexy and not sort of make you grimace. On last night's episode of the new HBO show Girls , it opened with the possibly the unsexiest sex scene I've ever watched. Last week, I let you know that while this show is the critic's darling, I wasn't overwhelmed with its appeal. In my quest to give it a second chance, I watched the second episode. Here is how it opened: boyfriend is pounding (and I mean pounding ) Hannah. As usual, she doesn't come across like she's enjoying this. He is saying all sorts of unappealing fantasy stuff to her, and at one point, he takes his hand and smashes her face to the side. I was not the least turned on. I was completely disgusted, and my first thought was, "That was completely unappealing." He disrespects and degrades her. She degrades herself, too. I didn't see the exact point except to show young women what? Don't let your boyfriend behave this way...

I watched Girls last night on HBO with high hopes. It was positioned as the new Sex in the City series about four girls living in New York. The reviews were great! I thought, "Finally! A new Sunday night show for my viewing pleasure!" Well, I am sad to say that I found Girls a moping, depressing, self-entitled mess. The jokes weren't funny. The main character Hannah, a slightly overweight moping case of the millennial generation, was just everything I described. She debases herself with her loser boyfriend who doesn't text her or call her for that matter. She just drops in on him, and he then proceeds to eventually demoralize her in a bad sex position that looked terribly unsexy. If she was enjoying anything, it sure didn't come across that way. She talks a lot and spends most of the episode sort of everyone's dumping ground except for her roommate which she has an odd intimacy with down to the two of them in the bathroom together and even sleeping in the s...

Tonight the new series Girls airs on HBO, and I will take time out of my busy work to take a look. This series follows young women (who think it's okay to be called "girls" is this post modern feminist world) as they struggle in New York City (a la Sex in the City with no budget for shoes) to establish their careers. These girls are not sexy, but more your average and perhaps not particularly attractive group. The main lead actress is slightly pudgy and definitely nothing to turn heads. From the trailer, she comes across as sardonic and sarcastic. I will watch the show with an open mind and see if I like it. This continues the season of the great flawed female characters, which my heroine in California Girl Chronicles falls into that category for sure. My young California Girl though is attractive and possibly not real, but she definitely faces real problems we can all relate to. I had a 19-year-old girl at the convention pick up the book and turn to page one and laug...

Well, I am not really a big mainstream TV watcher. I love movies. I watch the premium channels, and the only mainstream show that I will watch to its conclusion is House , which ends this year. I enjoyed my days spent with the cantankerous diagnostician. My fondest memories are when two fall seasons in a row, I visited my favorite aunt in New Hampshire and propped my laptop with DVDs of the show running on the bed late at night and watched episode after episode. I completely associated this series with those crisp New England fall evenings even though the majority of the time I actually watched it in my own bed in California. Now the summer HBO Sunday night show season is about to start, and I bet all of you fans out there know what I'm looking forward to now ... True Blood Season 5 . I've read some of the spoilers and expect to see a season loaded with some engaging story lines to keep me hooked. I also have spotted the trailers for the new show Girls in which I am marginally...