I typically write my blog posts a few days in advance, I know what pop culture I’ve consumed so far this month, so I can get a head start on it. But this month? I thought this post was done, but the final weekend of the month included reading a book, watching another Oscar nominated film, and then the craziest Oscars ending EVER…The shortest month of the year sure packs a pop culture punch doesn’t it?

Listening

As per the usual, podcasts are always in my ear holes. Besides the usual Pod Save America and The Watch (the re-up with Chuck Klosterman was really fantastic…), I’m also enjoying Pod Save the World (a great look at world affairs) these days. The Nerdist had a great interview with the fantastic Alan Tudyk who’s on a very fun new show Powerless that I’m enjoying. The Nerdist also had Nathan Fillion on a live episode earlier this month, so if you need a Firefly reunion this helps…My husband and I finally started listening to Crimetown and it’s a good filler if you miss Serial.

Reading

I finally setup my subscription to The Washington Post which is keeping me busy. I need to create a rule that for every 5 minutes of screwing around on Twitter I have to read a chapter of a book. I read way more in the summer than in the winter. But I did start Dark Matter earlier this month and didn’t think I’d finish it. Thanks to a quiet weekend I ripped through the last 2/3 of the book this weekend and LOVED IT. It’s a crazy story and although a bit science-y you can survive if you aren’t a science person. I’m behind on my comic book reading, which I’m hoping to catch up on in the next couple of weeks. We just booked a vacation to Maui for 8 days, so I promise April will have a LOT of great books…

Watching

So much fantastic tv right now! If you aren’t watching Legion you are missing one of the most visually stunning and craziest shows maybe ever. I love it. It’s a show you have to pay a lot of attention to – just a heads up. And if you’re an X-Men fan and aren’t watching it stop what you’re doing RIGHT NOW.

Big Little Lies just started on HBO and so far I’m in. I read the book a couple of years ago and really liked it. Lianne Moriarty’s writing style is super fun, I have her newest book on my kindle just waiting to be at the beach…I happened to catch the pilot for Crashing on HBO. I’ve never been a big Pete Holmes fan, but read something in Entertainment Weekly that made me decide to check it out. And I really loved it. It’s a show about a comedian in New York, and there’s a lot of New York comedian cameos if you like that kind of thing.

Speaking of comedy…CNN’s The History of Comedy series is spectacular. You really need to be watching this if you like comedy or like to laugh. The “Fairer Sex” episode about women in comedy was so wonderful and well done. I’m learning a lot and getting a good ab workout from laughing so much!

Thanks to Hulu I’ve been watching a lot of Happy Endings, which is a fantastic show you should have watched and then we’d still have it on the air. I didn’t expect to like Imposters on Bravo as much as I do, but it’s pretty fun. And I heard a podcast interview talk about Riverdale, and it is the campy teen show I didn’t realize was missing from my DVR. Jane the Virgin has been on a SPECTACULAR run these past few weeks thanks to a 3 year time jump (and woah, did NOT see that coming). And that ending to My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s season was something. I read they have a 4 season plan for the show, at the half way point, I’m excited to see what’s next!

We watched Hell or Highwater a couple of weeks ago and it was really fun. A friend of mine raved about it when it came out last year and said it was a favorite of his. I trust the friend so finally got around to watching it, and while there’s nothing amazing, it’s a great story, told well with great acting. If you like westerns or bank robbers give this a try…On a whim Saturday I watched Arrival. It’s a movie that’s sticking with me a couple of days later and I just heard someone on a podcast say that months later it’s stuck with her. I like a good alien invasion and this one has some great twists about WHY they’re here and WHAT they want. Add it to the list. I know that after The Oscars I still am not that interested to see La La Land but my interest in Moonlight sure has sky rocketed. My friend came over to watch the Oscars and we were screaming at the tv those last few seconds. What an awkward situation, and always comforting that the accountants weren’t paying attention to the details…

Okay – what Oscar movies were you rooting for? What shows are you addicted to these days? How excited are you for Stranger Things Season 2?

2017 started off with a lot of SNOW and icy roads for me. Which meant more time for pop culture consumption. Which was good, because January launches a lot of great pop culture!

Reading

For Christmas my dad bought us March Book 1,2 & 3 by Congressman John Lewis. Yes, that John Lewis who was in the news over MLK weekend. Which is exactly when I picked up Book 1 to read. Then the next day Book 2. And then a week later I read Book 3. (Fun fact about graphic novels – they’re short and only take about an hour or two to read!) I am embarrassed to say how much of the Civil Rights movement I wasn’t aware of, and what incredible and amazing people were doing incredible work to make our country better. We still have a long way to go, but as my dad keeps saying – “John Lewis is the MAN!”

Like many people I’ve been reading and watching a lot of news coverage the past few weeks. Which means it’s time for me to turn it off and read a book. Up next: Dark Matter and Underground Railroad.

Watching

I couldn’t figure out why NBC decided to break up The Good Place instead of just running all 13 episodes straight through, but that season finale was one of the better twists I’ve seen on any television show in a long time. If you haven’t watched The Good Place yet, go watch the entire season. It’s very clever and funny and I love anything Mike Shur does!

The OA – as my dad said, it’s the best show about liturgical dance he’s ever seen. I have to say I agree, and it sure is different from anything I’ve watched. But that pilot hooked me and while I wasn’t on board with every twist and turn the show took, and I’m still not sure I understand how it ended, it was the right kind of weird TV I needed for a snow storm.

I watched the first two episodes of The Young Pope and, well, it’s certainly different. I mean, there’s a kangaroo and a very unhealthy relationship between the first American Pope and the nun who raised him. The next few episodes are on my DVR, and I may need another snow storm to pick it back up again…

Colony is back and it’s great! I really liked the first season and think the second is off to a great start. I especially liked that the premiere took place mostly on the day of the arrival. Not enough post apocalyptic stories take the time to show us what happened and the immediate aftermath. I always appreciate it when we see how it all went down.

I finally watched 13th on Netflix and that along with reading the March trilogy makes you have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this country of ours. 13th is nominated for a couple of Oscars, and it should be towards the top of your watch list before it wins a bunch of awards. Ava Duvernay can do no wrong.

After Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passed away at the end of the year, HBO pushed up the release date of their documentary Bright Lights. I knew they’d had a contentious relationship earlier in life but didn’t realize just how incredibly close they were. After watching it it makes complete sense why Debbie couldn’t live without her daughter.

Listening

All things Crooked Media have been getting me through this year. The guys from Keepin it 1600 – probably my favorite podcast of 2016, launched their own media company in the new year. Their interview with President Obama was really really fantastic.

The Watch has been keeping me sane with all my TV watching this month. With some crazy Oregon snow storms I spent a lot of time on the couch and not as much time walking and listening to podcasts. But when I did, this was at the top of the list to keep me sane.

And if you missed Lin Manuel Miranda on Fresh Air at the beginning of the year, go back and give that a listen…

What pop culture have you been enjoying as we start 2017? What’s next up on your lists to read, watch and listen to?

I’ve heard a lot of people refer to 2016 as a Dumpster Fire. In a lot of ways this feels true, and it’s pretty easy to agree with it when Prince, Davie Bowie, George Michael, Alan Rickman, Sharon Jones and too many more to list have passed away. And then as I walked into Rogue One (for the second time) the other day I heard about Carrie Fisher’s heart attack. And then just after Christmas I came back from walking the dog to the terrible news of her way too early death. And then in a cruel twist Debbie Reynolds died the next day. Are we living on the Death Star? It kinda feels like it lately.

When I haven’t been sad about the extreme loss of talent this past year, I have been enjoying a lot of talent (living and recently passed). Here’s a few of my favorites this month…

Watching

Rogue One was exactly what I needed this holiday season! It was fun and a great story and I enjoyed it all the way to the very last scene. I thought it fit great into the Star Wars Universe and couldn’t believe how perfectly it lined up to Episode IV.

I also finally watched the Amanda Knox documentary on Netflix. I was living in Issaquah when her story all unfolded and was fascinated by it. If you remember the story, this documentary was a great recap with a lot of information I wasn’t aware of. It also made me think about the way the media portrays murder suspects, especially women. I  had made a lot of assumptions because I only caught part of the story, I was glad to have watched this and stand corrected.

My dad’s been visiting over the holidays and thanks to a suggestion from my brother, we binged Marcella this past week. It’s a British crime series (always a good start) and I am proud to say that I called it on the killer 3 episodes to the end. I will say this – the first 7 episodes are great, and the 8th (final) episode has some bad writing and does a few dumb things. But it still all wraps up and leaves a few pieces hanging for another season.

I caught a cold a couple weeks ago which meant the DVR is all cleaned up! I’ve really been enjoying Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E. I’m fascinated by cults and scientology is a pretty popular one. To get so many interviews and insights into this religion has been a fascinating watch. And because we all need a guilty pop culture pleasure, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Ladies of London helped nurse me back to health.

Top Chef is BACK! Hooray! And a Portland chef is (spoiler alert: was) on! I’m enjoying having past contestants back (except John, I hate that guy) especially Sheldon! Top Chef is the perfect antidote to dark winter nights.

Reading

I’ve been catching up on my comic books lately. Ms Marvel is having a good run that I’m enjoying, and I’m still enjoying Clean Room. I picked up the new Hawkeye (written by and starring a woman) and can’t wait to dive into that series. I’m also enjoying World of Wakanda, probably more than Black Panther itself.

I did find time to get ONE more book in this year and it was fantastic. Station Eleven is a book that’s been on my short list for a while, and earlier this year a friend of mine, knowing how I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, recommended it which was the icing on the cake. I read it in just over a week (which is fast for me, there’s a lot of pop culture to consume in my life, plus this pesky job!) and I LOVED it! The way the characters stories weave together and the storytelling style was something I’ve wanted in post-apocalyptic stories for a while now. If this is a genre you enjoy, add it to your list!

Listening

I haven’t been driving as much thanks to the snow, or walking as much, thanks to the snow so it’s mostly been me trying to keep up with Keepin it 1600 and The Watch this month. However, I did find time for a few great interviews on Fresh Air. The Trevor Noah interview was fascinating, as was (I’m as surprised as you that I enjoyed this) Megan Kelly. And I’m downloading the Carrie Fisher interview from the end of November as I type this. I just caught the final hostful episode of the Nerdist and it was a perfect ending to the pod for the year.

As we end 2016 what Pop culture have you enjoyed this year? What’s on your pop culture bucket list for 2017?