Recommendations of the Week [January 15]

(Image courtesy of Yellow Bird)

Hello everyone! I've made it through the second week of my new blog here. I hope you've been enjoying what I've put up this week, like my favorite quote of all time by Nelson Mandela and the YouTube video of a cat pushing another cat down an opening in the floor.

So since it's the start of another week, it's time for another installment of my Recommendations of the Week. These recommendations could be something that happened in the past week that I read, watched, participated in, etc. or something coming up in the following week. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments section below; I would love to read what you have to say.

Jeff Dodge's Recommendations of the Week [January 15]:

Movies:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Foreign Film-Sweden)

I read the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson last summer/fall. The first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, became my favorite book I read in 2011. Over the previous year or so before then, I kept hearing about these books and seeing them on the bestsellers lists. Since an American film version was going to come out at the end of that year, I decided to read the books to gear up for the movie. And before I started reading them, I also found out there were Swedish films made out of the books (if you aren't already aware, the author was Swedish and the books first came out over there).

I wanted to go through this process the right way, so I first read the books, then I was going to watch the Swedish films, and then finally the American one. Yesterday, I finally saw the Swedish film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, English subtitles and all. And I really enjoyed it. I believe this is only the second film I've seen where I've had to read subtitles because it's in a foreign language (the first was The Passion of the Christ). Since I've read the book and loved it, I could easily nitpick certain things with the translation from book to screen, such as the climax. That scene didn't feel long enough; I would've sworn there was more to it in the book. But I was able to just really enjoy it as a film. The cast all did a great job, including Noomi Rapace as the titular character, Lisbeth Salander; she looked a little older than she's supposed to be, but that didn't bother me that much because Noomi was able to really capture the spirit of what Lisbeth is all about.

In the next couple of weeks or so, I will be watching the remaining films, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And when it comes out on DVD, I will be sure to watch the American version of the first book. I'm interested to see how Rooney Mara interprets Lisbeth. I've seen the trailers and some images for this version, so I'm really looking forward to it. And I discovered recently that extended versions of these Swedish films came out, so I might have to catch up on those some time as well.

TV Shows:
Golden Globe Awards (Tonight, 8pm ET/5pm PT, NBC)
Smash Pilot (Monday, Comcast On Demand)
Betty White's 90th Birthday (Monday, 8-9:30pm, NBC)
Alcatraz Series Premiere (Monday, 8-10pm, FOX)
American Idol Premiere (Wednesday, 8-10pm, FOX)

There's a lot of good TV coming up this week. First, we've got the Golden Globe Awards tonight. If you haven't yet, click HERE to check out my predictions. Tomorrow night, NBC will also be airing a special celebrating Betty White's 90th Birthday. I absolutely love her, don't you? I can't imagine anyone not loving her, am I right? I will be tuning in to that special, for sure.

Then there's Smash! I've been anticipating this show for months and months now, ever since it was announced way back when that American Idol's Katharine McPhee had been cast in the starring role on some new musical show. Smash follows the journey of bringing a Broadway show about the life of Marilyn Monroe to life, from conception and casting to performing for the public. Besides Kat, there are other excellent casting choices, including Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston.

Smash doesn't officially make its primetime network debut until September 5 (or, the day after the Super Bowl, as NBC has been promoting it), but we can watch it early on Comcast On Demand beginning January 16. There will be other ways to view it earlier starting January 23. Over the past several weeks, I've been watching all the promos, previews and featurettes for Smash, and I can't stand it anymore; I need to see this show! And if Smash lives up to its hype, don't be surprised to see it again on a future Recommendations of the Week.

Wow, there's a lot going on on Monday. Besides Betty White's special and the early look at Smash, Monday night will also see the series premiere of J.J. Abrams' brand-new show, Alcatraz. Besides Smash, this is another show that I've been anticipating for months now. In recent weeks, there have been various previews released. And I've been able to get a sense for what the show might be like. I do have a little worry for this show, though. I worry that the crime show aspect of it may overwhelm it and it will have a feel like any other crime show (even though it involves Alcatraz). I mean, look at Grimm. That show had a fairy tale aspect, but it was still bogged down by feeling just like any other crime show, which turned me off. J.J. Abrams is a genius. After Alias, Lost and Super 8, I still have faith in him, though.

I went to San Francisco years ago when I was younger. I took a bunch of pictures when we went to visit Alcatraz prison. Ever since going there, I've always had this fascinating with Alcatraz; I don't know what it is about it, but it interests me. That's another reason why I want to watch this new show. Speaking of the pictures I took, I'm hoping to put some of those pictures up on the blog here for this week's Picture of the Week. Stay tuned for that.

Then on Wednesday night, it's the return of the #1 show on TV, American Idol - the show that I watch religiously. After The X Factor aired this past fall, I am a little worn out from these shows, but I'm still looking forward to coming back to the show that started it all. I just hope that it's not the "beautiful" and "in it to win it" show of last year and that Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are able to be more tough on the contestants and not be like the coaches on The Voice.

Politics:
South Carolina Primary

If you're a political news junkie like I am, then it's a great time to be following all the latest political news. Two states have already voted, and now it's time to focus on South Carolina, who votes on Saturday.

Websites:
TV Watch Online (@TVWatchOnline)
Bieber Guy (@Bieber_Guy)
BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge Blog:
Recommendations of the Week [January 8]
Quote of the Week [January 10]
Video of the Week [January 11]
Jeff Dodge's 201 Golden Globe Predictions

TV Watch Online BLOG:
T.W.O: Golden Globes 2012 Predictions

Bieber Guy:
Review: Book - First Step 2 Forever

BuddyTV (Articles I've Written):
It's Official: No 'Glee' Spin-Off, Graduating Seniors to Stay
'Glee' Casting Rumor: Sebastian to be Series Regular in Season 4?
*Exclusive Interview: India de Beaufort Talks Playing a Villain and Fashion on 'Jane by Design'
*Exclusive Interview: Dillon Casey Talks Loyalty and Romance 'Nikita'
     *BTW-I actually did interview the above actor and actress, and I'll have more coming up soon.

#1 Recommendation: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish Version)

Tomorrow (Monday, January 16), my next Bieber Guy review will be online over at my Bieber Guy blog. This week's review will cover Justin Bieber's My Worlds Acoustic.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge. I tweet various thoughts and opinions there. And anything I post on this blog will be tweeted there as well (so that's the best way to find out when the blog's been updated). And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either tweet me, e-mail me or leave a comment below.