Resistance is futile

So, I love to take surveys. At the movie theater this weekend, I was bummed the Nielsen lady didn't ask me if I wanted to do a survey. One of my favorite survey questions is, basically: Do you often tell people about the things you like? The answer is ALL MY YES. I'm big on evangelizing. When I like something, I love it and I love to tell people about it. ALL about it. So here are the things I proselytize about these days.  (By the by, my posts won't all be written in this format. I'm just feeling list-y.)
 
1. World of Joss Whedon. When someone asks "Who's Joss Whedon?" my heart dies a little. And then I say: "Uh, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? 'Angel'? 'Firefly'? 'Dollhouse'? 'Dr. Horrible'? 'Serenity'? 'Avengers'? Where I get a much of my lexicon?" "Bitka" -- from a throwaway joke in a Buffy ep -- is still a word my sisters and I use frequently instead of the b-word. Anyway,  Joss = great filmmaker/writer/hell, even songwriter. He was doing vampires before vampires were cool, my "Twilight" friends (Angel & Buffy > Edward & Bella). So go watch "Buffy." You won't be sorry. You will, however, laugh, cry and gasp. 

Happy sighs.
(Credit: Amazon)

2. "North & South." See my previous post about Richard Armitage. My sister tried to convert me on this period drama a few years ago and I didn't listen. But, boy, she was right. In a nutshell: It's "Pride & Prejudice" -- with cotton! And the hero, Mr. Thornton (a.k.a. my all-caps BOYFRIEND), is quite possibly better than Mr. Darcy from P&P. Yeah. You read that right. And I've had a Mr. Darcy complex since like 9th grade... Sa-woooooooon.

Age becomes them:
West, left; and Sawa
(Credits: CW, Zap2It)

3. "Nikita." My flavor-of-the-month conversion. I pick a show every summer to catch up on and this year it's "Nikita." And I'll be honest: It's not my fave spy show ever. That'd be the first 5 seasons of "Spooks," better known as "MI-5" on this side of the pond; go watch it.  And "Nikita" is not perfect: There are plot contrivances aplenty (of *course* Nikita somehow escapes the thick metal handcuffs in the nick of time) and the first season is a very slow burn. But stick with it and second season is a blast. It's "Alias" -- another cool spy show -- minus that show's silly Nostradamus-like mythology. Plus, Shane West is easy on the eyes, so you forget the plot holes  ... and possibly the plot entirely. And as a recurring bonus: Devon Sawa, another former young actor who, like West, has grown up.

I heart this book. So. Much.
(Credit: Amazon)

4. Young adult literature. I'm a late convert myself thanks to The Hunger Games. When I was young, I stuck to Nancy Drew Casefiles, BSC, Sweet Valley and Sunfire/Sweet Dreams teen romances. But the YA books today are original, smart, funny and touching, and I just keep finding more to love. To start your reading list: "The Truth About Forever," "Jellicoe Road," "Sweethearts," "The Fault in Our Stars." That's in order from lightest to heaviest, btw. TFiOS will destroy you.

5. "Doctor Who." I'll admit I'm only a contemporary fan (I haven't seen the original show). But this reboot -- particularly seasons 2 through 5, the David Tennant years -- is, to use a word from the S1 Doctor, fantastic. Now my usual caveat for it: You have to wade through a few episodes of the first season before you see it as more than a kids' show, which is basically who it's geared toward. After the creepy two-parter of eps 9 and 10, though, you'll be in it for the long haul.

Okay, that's it. Get out there and become true believers. If you try any of these, lemme know what you think. Also, what do you guys try to convert people to? I need some new obsessions...