Libraries on TV

Libraries and librarians have been on my pop-culture radar all day. And by that I mean, they have been elements in episodes of some of my favorite shows today.

My library senses may be heightened because I am a library and information science student, but three instances in one day is weird.

First, an older episode of Doctor Who (starring David Tennant as my favorite incarnation of the Time Lord) was on this morning that took place in a plant-sized library that contains every book in the universe. Real books still exist in the future. Imagine that! Bookworms and librarians rejoice!




Then on Community, Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) compete for the affections of the college librarian. Sure, the study group's headquarters are in the campus library, but this is the first time we are introduced to an actual librarian and she is today's stereotypical version -- the sexy librarian (young woman, stylish dark-rimmed glasses, tight shirt). The librarian's appearance was short-lived and there was only one joke made about her book-loving ways. Oh well.

Mariah the Greendale Librarian (played by Maite Schwartz) -- (source: poplibrary.library.tumblr.com)

Finally, Parks and Recreation brought back Ron Swanson's ex-wife, a librarian in Pawnee, tonight. I just became a fan of the show and have caught up with the past two seasons on Netflix. In watching a number of episodes one after another, I have noticed that the employee of Pawnee's parks and rec department have a thing against their local library and librarians. I can't help but laugh at their jabs at my future profession. I mean, c'mon, they've made a librarian a villain ... you have to admit that's funny. In this promo, the main character, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), references the evil librarian's job at the 1:15 mark.




The fact that libraries are mentioned frequently in pop culture is a wonderful way to keep these institutions in the public eye.

Hello ... Is It Me You're Looking For

I have been away a long time. The past semester at graduate school (and the accompanying commute) left me with little free time.

So many things have happened in pop culture in my three-month absence that I don't know where to start. Let's just recap a highlight or two from each month, I've been gone.

October:

Right before Halloween, I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show live at the community college I graduated from eight years ago. I grew up on Rocky Horror thanks to my semi-progressive parents who were big fans. We would listen to the soundtrack on car rides and I was singing along to "Sweet Transvestite" long before I knew what a transvestite was.

November:

Conan is back! However, I am sad to say that I was a loyal viewer for the first month, but with school I haven't been keeping up. My first reaction was that it seemed too much like his stint on The Tonight Show, but in some of the more recent clips/shows I've seen, he seems to be coming around to something resembling his old self. I also haven't been interested in a lot of the guests he's had, so that has been a deterrent. I am, however, loving that each episode has a title (e.g., "Zeus was Framed" - 12/9/10; "2011: A Spanx Odyssey" - 1/10/11). Congrats to Conan for winning a People's Choice Award for Best Talk Show Host!

December

I've been doing a bit of time-traveling this month.

First, my husband and I have been watching reruns of "McMillan and Wife" a 1970s crime show staring Rock Hudson and Susan St. James. It was part of a wheel series called NBC's Mystery Movie. I had never heard of a wheel series or "McMillan and Wife," which my husband remembers running in syndication when he was a kid. From what I've read and what my husband has told me, a NBC ran this show and others, like "Columbo" on a rotating basis each week. Interesting concept. Well, the show is hilarious, more so than I think was intended due to Hudson's personal life and because, most importantly, I don't think most police commissioners would solve crimes with their wives.

Next, I have recently started watching Doctor Who. Now, I am not a sci-fi fan. I remember the 1980s series with the old bloke with a scarf and an afro that aired on PBS, but I never watched it. I've also been watching a lot of BBC America, because, well, Top Gear rocks and Law and Order: UK is pretty good (wigs ... hello!)

Anyway, I've enjoyed Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, but I decided to check out a few episodes of the David Tennant version, because Freema Agyeman, an actress on L&O: UK, was a companion of the Doctor's. And, of course, I got hooked.

Tennant is brilliantly funny and I am smitten with the messy hair, suits, and Chucks (trainers, Converse All-Stars ... whatever you want to call them). My favorite episodes have to do with historically or literary conceits: Queen Victoria being attacked by werewolves and William Shakespeare unwilling doing the bidding of witches.

Photo courtesy of www.david-tennant.com

And it turns out, Tennant is a classically training actor who did a theatrical production of "Hamlet" for the Royal Shakespeare Company. From what I've seen of the subsequent televised version, which came out last year, my Chucks have been blown off. And now he's starring in a production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" with his former Doctor Who companion, Catherine Tate. Oh, how I wish I lived in London! Or that my trip coincided with the show's run. (UPDATE: The show will still be on stage during the time I'm planning on traveling across the pond!)

So that, in a nutshell, has been my life for the past few months. Outside of the nutshell, it has been the busiest semester ever.