This time with the absurdly intelligent, funny (trust me, there is me having a giggle fit somewhere in this video) articulate Seth Colter Walls of Newsweek:

We talk getting into opera, Lady Gaga, Robyn, Covert Affairs, and the joys of the internet for book collectors and scholars alike. I was very excited to do this (I’ve been hoping to rope Seth into this, and BHTV into it all for months). It’s a real pleasure to get to ask someone like Seth, who knows a ton about the parts of culture that I don’t, to explain the music behind the lyrics in a terrific Robyn chorus, or to talk me out of my nerves about not being smart enough for opera. I think I might even be brave enough to catch Nixon in China in New York next year, now.

I wish I cared that 30 Rock was going to do a live episode, but it feels more like a gimmick to me than a correction for the show’s problematic writing. The performances have never been the challenge. They don’t need spicing up, or the edge of a live audience audience to be sharp. When they’ve got material like this, Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, and Tina Fey are as good as ever:

I’ll tune in because I need something to write my Community recaps to.

I finished the first series of the revitalized Doctor Who last night, and I’m still processing all my thoughts (I plan to continue with the show, and with Torchwood, so more to come, I’m sure). I think the flaws in the concept are significant. The Daleks are too powerful to be truly interesting arch-enemies. If you can’t turn someone, or shove them down an air shaft, or through general cleverness rather than unprecedented turns of events, there isn’t much material to fuel an ongoing battle, which I assume is one of the reasons we never see the Time War. There are a lot of inconsistencies in the rules about what changes to time bring grave consequences and which are just, even necessary—and it’s not always clear which changes stick. The cheesy effects are part of the nature of the show, but in an era of updated television and movies, they’re distracting.

All those flaws aside, it was an awfully compelling 13 episodes of television. A lot of that’s to do with the show’s basic cleverness. It’s a nice bit of sniping at British television innovations like Big Brother and The Weakest Link to imply they’re the result of extremely nasty alien technology. The reinterpretations of historical events like the Blitz are evocative without being objectionably revisionist. “Father’s Day” is one of the better ghost stories I’ve ever watched.

But really, I think most of it is the way the show handles Rose Tyler. If there’s a character capable of transforming our understanding of the Mary Sue concept, or at least the idea of an audience stand-in, she is undoubtably it. I talked about this a little on NPR, but it’s so rare to see female characters heading out simply for the sake of adventure, not to protect anyone, or to uphold a cause. The moment in the series when Rose says goodbye to Mickey and runs joyfully back onto the TARDIS made me incredibly happy. It was such a delight to see her going for it. And it felt right when she had to reckon with the consequences of abandoning him, and transforming herself through experience. It’s a subtle gender role reversal, but for all the women who waited on widows’ walks, in castles, on farms without anyone to work the land while men went out and saw, and conquered, and defined the world, Rose Tyler is a champion.

I’m sorry I’ve been slow to get these links posted. Things at work have been busy, and things after work no less relaxing. I’m going on vacation later this week, about which details to be posted very soon (I have an amazing crew of guestbloggers lined up). But I had some thoughts about the Norwegian Wood movie adaptation, the title song on Katy Perry’s latest album, and further thoughts on how fantastic Helen Mirren is going to be in her two upcoming action roles.

In addition to the usual round of writing over there, I’m guest-blogging for Ta-Nehisi Coates, too this week. I’ll try to be very good about getting links and excerpts posted over here when relevant.  For those of you who don’t read both of us already, come visit! Outside of this place, that comment section is my favorite gin joint in all the internet.