The Random iTunes Fairy got cute today, serving up a second helping of Elvis Costello after yesterday’s belly-aching about not finding enough time to listen to all of his music.
She even went straight to one my favorite Costello albums, the sublime King of America, zeroing in on one of its signature sad ballads.
I wonder if at some point an artist can release too many albums, too many songs.
I don’t mean that in the sense of running out of steam, though that is certainly the case for some long tenured musicians (The Rolling Stones, for example, who continue to record despite their best work being 40 years behind them).
Game of Thrones is the first TV show I’ve watched that is based on a series of books I’ve read.
In the case of some shows based on novels, I haven’t experienced either. Dexter, True Blood, Gossip Girl and House of Cards are a few (somewhat) recent examples. In other cases, I’ve watched the shows but haven’t read the books (Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead, Justified and Orange is the New Black come to mind).
The Walking Dead came back this week after its winter hiatus and drew nearly 16 million viewers, even more than the Olympics that night in the 18-49 demographic.
I was among those 16 million viewers, and I’ve watched the show loyally through all four of its seasons. But I wouldn’t really call myself a fan.
The third show I’m writing about this week is another I’ve only recently started. Orange is the New Black is my first NetFlix Original series and it’s a blast.
Based on the memoir of writer Piper Kerman, the show details the prison life of an upper middle class New York WASP (renamed Piper Chapman) who is jailed for smuggling drug money for a lesbian girlfriend ten years earlier.
