Entertainment Archives - Dreams, etc. // Minneapolis Lifestyle Blog

Christmas Music Playlist 2017

December 22, 2017

Who wasn’t sure I’d actually get this post up this year? 🙋🏻 But I do this every year and as I’ve been listening to music as I drive around I’ve been trying to remember which ones have really caught my attention. As always, you will see some repeats. A Christmas music playlist isn’t a Christmas music playlist unless it’s filled to the brim with Harry Connick Jr. Additionally, you can just listen to all of his Christmas albums on repeat like I do all season long. The playlist starts with HCJ’s Sleigh Ride as it does every year, because I have not started listening to Christmas music until I’ve heard that song. It opens his album Where the Heart Finds Christmas, which is also the first Christmas album I listen to every year. And the playlist ends with my favorite version of Auld Lang Syne. And, as always, you’ll also hear Mahalia Jackson’s Silent Night, Holy Night, because… there really are no words to describe how much I love her rendition.

I hope you enjoy this playlist and I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas!

What are some of your favorites?

A Christmas music playlist for your 2017 festivities!

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Entertainment

3 Addicting Summer TV Shows You’ll Love & What’s Coming This Fall

September 18, 2017

Puppy cuddles & tummy rubs. That sums up my evenings after I returned from two weeks in Colorado last month. Puppy cuddles because I missed them, and tummy rubs because they’re her favorite thing in the world and she demands them as penance after you’ve abandoned her to spend two weeks in Colorado… or after you left to run some errands, go to meetings, spend an evening with friends… or after you stepped outside ever so briefly to take out the garbage or pick up the mail. While I soaked up puppy cuddles and Little One soaked up tummy rubs, I watched some summer TV shows.

I can’t remember the last time a TV show gripped me enough that I watched it week to week as it aired, but these three? I anxiously awaited each new episode and if I wasn’t able to watch them right away, I was waiting for them. Two of these are limited series, which is great for those of you who don’t like to commit to a long season. Watching these shows also reminded me how much I actually enjoy having a TV show or two to look forward to each week, so I thought I’d look ahead at some of the new shows that are coming out this fall and share the ones I have my eye on. First, let’s start with the summer shows.

Books Entertainment

Books Read in January 2017

February 14, 2017

Note – Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that I’ll receive a small percentage of any purchase you make using them at no extra cost to you. This helps me to keep this blog running. I received some of these books for review from the publisher. I’ll state which books were sent to me in the review–and it’ll be listed in the link to my original review as well. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Dreams, etc.!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

How fitting that I’m talking about one of my favorite things on Valentine’s Day. This post was supposed to go up last week, but after a busy day on Saturday I came down with the flu and didn’t touch my computer for most of the week, because I was in bed for a lot of it. Of course, that meant that Little One had a fantastic week! I think she likes it when I’m not feeling well since it means I spend more time at home and she usually has a higher likelihood of getting some tissue to snack on.

Anyway, on that gross note (keepin’ it real!) let’s get on with the books. Since I had a slower reading month, but actually watched quite a few movies, I thought I’d talk about a few of those once I’m done with the books.

Entertainment Life

2016 Christmas Music Playlist

December 13, 2016

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

That’s right… it’s time for Christmas music!

Those who have followed my blog for awhile have probably seen these playlists pop up before. I tend to share a Christmas music playlist each year. I’m one of those who absolutely loves Christmas music and, yes, I do listen to a Christmas song here and there throughout the year.

Entertainment

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Thoughts

November 29, 2016

Let’s see a show of hands: who has watched Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?

I have! And I have thoughts. I even took notes because… well, that’s what I do when I get geeky about things like this. So I thought I’d share my thoughts with all of you.

(And yes, that is Miss Little One, trying to make a move on my coffee while we watched Gilmore Girls.)

If you’d like the quick version: I really enjoyed it. I was also pretty underwhelmed by it. And my final note was “WTF?” That actually popped up quite a bit in my notes.

But I’ll share more thoughts below.

If you have not watched the Gilmore Girls revival and you do not want to be spoiled, do not read this post.

I repeat… there are spoilers ahead for the Gilmore Girls revival. Do not continue reading if you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls and do not want to be spoiled.

Entertainment Life

A Night at the Orpheum with my Niece

July 13, 2016

Here’s something that you might not know about me: I’m a bit of a musical geek. I’m not as big of a musical geek as some people that I know, but I listen to musical soundtracks quite often—and belt out the lyrics along with them when I’m alone. I really enjoy seeing them on stage and back in the day I may or may not have been a RENT-head.

(Who am I kidding? I totally was. After I saw it live the soundtrack was all I listened to. When the movie came out and I had a chance to see most of the original cast in their roles I dragged my friends to the movie and made them sit in an ice cold theater that had no heat during winter because I wasn’t going to miss my chance to see it that night due to something as crazy as no heat in the theater. And I’ve seen it live a couple of times.)

Entertainment

From the Queue // Period Dramas

March 14, 2016

So. I have a new entertainment love. It’s one that comes and goes, but right now the love is here and it’s strong: period dramas.

Reviews of When Calls the Heart and Reign. // dreams-etc.com

It probably helps that I have a friend who also loves period dramas and is always there when I want to gush about what I’m watching. I could see this love sticking around for awhile.

Here’s what I’ve watched lately (both of which are on Netflix).

WHEN CALLS THE HEART

That’s right! I now count myself as one of the #hearties.

When I told a friend (a different one) that I’ve been watching this show, she was surprised. I was too. A Hallmark Western doesn’t really scream Crystal. I basically discovered this show when I was scrolling through Netflix to find a show to watch when I was sick a couple weeks ago. And I was hooked. I really don’t know why I like it, but let’s see if I can figure it out as I type.

I was hooked as soon as they panned the scenery and I saw mountains, because you all know that after my trip to Montana last year I’m all about the mountains. (Mountains all the time please, I say from a mountain-less state.) I love that the community represented is filled with women who do what needs to be done to take care of themselves and their families. Sure, there are some women who always seem to descend into gossip and cattiness, but the awesome female characters always manage to turn that negativity into a life lesson for the perfect Hallmark moment. And since this is a drama and Hallmark, I love that it doesn’t turn away from depth and that the stories have emotional impact.

Oh, and I like the mountie.

Now, for things I don’t like… to be honest, I’m not sure there’s anything. If you watch this, go in knowing that it’s a cheesy, sappy Western and take it for what it is.

That being said, there is one thing that perplexes me: Elizabeth. Sometimes she shows so much strength and then the littlest thing happens and she’s falling into the mountie’s arms. But I guess we all have our moments and there are probably some who would think the things that make us falter are small things. And they needed to get her to fall into his arms somehow.

Seriously though, she perplexes me sometimes.

REIGN

I started watching this show when it first aired and loved it, but forgot about it after a few episodes. I wanted another period drama to watch once I was caught up on When Calls the Heart and I pulled this one up, since I’ve been planning to get back into it.

I don’t know why I stopped watching. I love it! It has a lot of drama and I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, but I love it anyway.

I loved watching Mary’s character develop in the first season. I love that she is willing to make hard decisions to protect her country, but that she struggles with it too, especially when her decision is bad for another person. I love Francis–although to be clear, I love the actor and because of that, Francis is one of my faves. I just love his acting and think he’s fantastic. If I’m painting while watching the show, I’ll stop when Francis is on screen just to watch him. I also love watching Francis’s internal struggle as he tries to find the perfect balance between doing what he needs to for his country, but also being there for his friends and family. I love that just when you have him figured out, he does something that surprises you. I love Bash and Nostradamus and even Catherine. I just… I love everything.

I watched the first season really quickly and once I reached the end I was actually happy that I did. The first few episodes were still fresh in my mind and it was really cool to see how each character’s story had developed and how much each character grew throughout the first season, but it didn’t feel rushed or unbelievable.

I started watching season two late last night and I’m excited to watch more!

HAVE YOU WATCHED EITHER OF THESE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
WHAT PERIOD DRAMA SHOULD I WATCH NEXT?

In the mood for a period drama? Check out these! #tvshows #perioddramas #reign #hearties

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Entertainment

From the Queue // Jessica Jones & iZombie

January 18, 2016

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It was pretty cold in Minneapolis, so Little One and I spent the weekend hiding out from the cold with coffee (for me) and books. Although, hiding out from the cold was probably more for my benefit. Little One appeared to enjoy our jaunts outside, while I shivered as I watched her roll in the snow.

I’ve watched a couple of TV shows this month and I thought I’d talk about them today. Have you watched either of these? What were your thoughts?

// Jessica Jones

This is one of Netflix’s new shows, about a woman with a special power who doesn’t want to be a superhero. She’s traumatized by something in her past and works as a PI until her past catches up with her.

I… have mixed feelings about this one. I liked it a lot at the beginning, but then it got a bit too violent for me. Here’s what I loved:

The suspense. One thing that kept me interested was knowing that something happened, but not knowing what. They revealed snapshots in a super creepy way that caught me by surprise. It worked really well to build the suspense. I couldn’t turn away for awhile, because I wanted to know what would happen next.
The characters. I grew attached to so many of them and was on the edge of my seat sometimes as I waited for what would happen next.
The villain. I guess this was a love that turned a little lukewarm. He’s a terrifying villain because of his ability and I seriously wondered if anyone actually had any hope of stopping him. But as the series went on, I found parts of his story to be a little lacking.

What I didn’t like… the violence was a bit much, for me at least. I know this won’t be true for everyone. I went from not being able to turn away from the screen to not actually watching. I’d work on things while listening and look up when it sounded safe to watch.

That being said, I continued watching (well, listening) because I had to know what was going to happen and I’ll definitely tune in for season two.

// iZombie

When a medical student with a promising future is turned into a zombie, she starts working at a morgue so that she has access to the brains that will help her keep some semblance of humanity.

I’ve had this in my queue since it was “new on Netflix” and a friend finally convinced me that I should watch it sooner rather than later. I was hooked after the first episode! I wasn’t surprised when I saw Rob Thomas’s name in the credits, although I was surprised it took a few episodes for me to notice. What I loved:

The characters. Liv, Ravi, Major… I loved them all. Liv is a fantastic heroine. I love that she’s making the best of becoming a zombie, but that she also struggles with her existence. I mean, who wouldn’t? It makes her relatable. I love her friendship with Ravi and their banter. I loved that there’s awkwardness and tension in some of the relationships that would be strained based on what has happened, but I still felt the love between the characters, like with Liv and Major and Liv and her roommate. I even grew so attached to some of the side characters that I’ve already had my heart broken once by this show.
The crime-solving. I love shows about people who solve crimes, but sometimes they start to feel the same. This show definitely has a unique angle and feels different than anything else out there.
The writing. This show was able to make me laugh, draw me into the action, and break my heart… sometimes all in the same episode.

WHAT HAVE YOU WATCHED RECENTLY?

Need a new show to binge-watch on Netflix? Here are two possibilities! #tvshows #netflix

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What are some of your favorites?

WHEN CALLS THE HEART

REIGN

HAVE YOU WATCHED EITHER OF THESE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? WHAT PERIOD DRAMA SHOULD I WATCH NEXT?

// Jessica Jones

// iZombie

WHAT HAVE YOU WATCHED RECENTLY?

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HAVE YOU WATCHED EITHER OF THESE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
WHAT PERIOD DRAMA SHOULD I WATCH NEXT?