Robert Humphrey

While these are all good choices, one of my personal favorite Hoffman performances still remains his role in ‘Doubt.’ Hoffman opposite Meryl Streep on screen is nothing short of phenomenal and deeply emotional. Those two are absolutely fantastic on their own, but together they bring out the absolute best in each other, so imagine the extremely high caliber of performance level occurring. In that film, they provided a master class in acting, and Hoffman was a massive part of what made that film so breathtaking. His absence from cinema will definitely be felt and missed.

There’s actually some ambiguity in what they’re called. You’re completely right that they are commonly referred to as the Brides of Dracula; this is what most people know them by. However, they are never explicitly called that in the novel. Though, in fairness, they’re never called the daughters of Dracula explicitly in the novel either. But there is one point where Jonathan mentions that their noses are like that of Dracula’s. Some have taken this to mean that they are his daughters. And while they could be his brides or his daughters, it’s just as likely that they have no relation to Dracula at all except that they’re all vampires. I would have to go back and double check, but I do believe they refer to themselves as sisters. This could mean that the three of them are blood sisters, that they are actually Dracula’s sisters, or that they are just simply sisters in their vampirism. No one knows for certain what they are in terms of their relationship to Dracula. It’s an interesting point to debate, and I was sure someone would bring it up.

I’ve never gotten into Twilight. I haven’t read any of the books or seen any of the films, and I likely will never read any of the books for watch any of the films. I can just tell it’s not my cup of tea. But I won’t begrudge those who do enjoy it. My hope would be that those who are just so immersed into Twilight are aware of the more classic vampire literature. I would assume the older fans of Twilight are aware, but maybe not some of the younger ones.

Really good and interesting article. In my hours of research about the American family on TV, I believe one of the shows that really showed the suburban life in early TV (along with Leave it to Beaver, like you’ve mentioned) is The Dick Van Dyke Show. Much like LITB, Dick Van Dyke Show depicted that typical American suburban family. But along with that, what I think it did more so than LITB was the depiction of the suburban neighbors. However, the 50s and 60s were the heyday of American suburbia and I think many shows from that time depicted life as such. I really enjoyed this read.

In one of my university classes, we took an academic look at Dollhouse. We discussed some of the issues you brought up here. On top of it being a good show, there’s a lot of rich material there to look at in depth. Orphan Black is brilliantly amazing. I’m anxiously awaiting season 2.

This is a good list. (I find ‘Maus’ to be one of the best pieces of literature, graphic or otherwise.) One of my favorites is the graphic novel that was developed from the TV series ‘Jericho.’ The show itself is absolutely amazing, but when it was cancelled after a limited season 2, “season 3” was a graphic novel. It’s a bit of an unconventional choice, but it pairs well with the series as it continues the story in a worthy manner. Definitely a worthwhile read … after wallowing in the gloriousness that is the TV show, of course!

I generally agree with everything you’ve said. I’ve had some good laughs throughout season 6 thus far, but it definitely isn’t as good as previous seasons for many of the reasons you have expressed. Ron’s baby has been a source of confusion for me all season. That plotline has seemed to just disappear. I wouldn’t really call Diane’s gestational period “worryingly long,” we’re not past the typical gestational period in terms of time. But we’re definitely approaching the “Diane needs to give birth NOW” stage. If we don’t see and/or hear anything about this in the next couple episodes, then I’ll start getting worried.

I assumed April’s abrupt disinterest in veterinarian school has to do with the writers needing a female “replacement” for Leslie since Ann is leaving. And with April in school in Bloomington, that would’ve taken away from potential storylines with April and Leslie. But the way they dropped the storyline was so sudden.

I don’t anticipate any building of a park at the pit this season. I could be completely wrong about this, but I’ve always assumed that the building of the park would begin during the final season and that the completion of the park would happen for the series finale, as it’s a way to bring the show full circle. And based on comments the president of NBC has made, Parks and Rec is unofficially renewed. And while another season is quite possible, I’d assume it would be the final season, which is when I think the park storyline will really take off. So, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if don’t hear much more about the park itself for the rest of this season. I agree with Angel that a final, 13-episode season 7 would be a good way to end out the series.

Thank you! I’m glad I could re-spark an interest for you.