Arrested Development

        

         Arrested Development is a unique show, not quite similar to any other show I've watched. The scripting, story, acting, characters, and camera work are astounding, and all of these elements come together to produce a sitcom that's both brilliant and outright hilarious. Arrested Development follows the story of a wealthy but dysfunctional family, the Bluths, after George Sr., the patriarch and CEO of the Bluth Company(housing development), is arrested for defrauding his investors and using company money for personal indulgence. His son, Michael Bluth, who had theretofore served as the responsible manager of the Bluth Company, did not receive a promotion upon George Sr.'s retirement. Because of this, Michael was fed up with his proclaimed immoral family and decided to leave the company; his socialite mother, Lucille, was named the new CEO and immediately made her panic-attack prone, socially inept son Buster Bluth president. After realizing that nobody in the Bluth Company was neither diligent nor responsible enough to run a business, the Bluth family courts Michael to come back and run the company. Michael reluctantly concedes out of duty to his "immoral" family: George Bluth Sr., Lucille Bluth, Gob (pronounced "Job"; Michael's older brother and "magician"), Buster (Michael's younger brother), Tobias Fünke (Michael's brother-in-law, a failed therapist who's sexuality is confusing), Lindsay (Michael's sister, who married Tobias and dabbles in charities without a real job), Michael's son George-Michael, and his niece, Maeby.

        Despite fervent critical acclaim (won six Emmy's and a Golden Globe), Arrested Development never received the ratings it deserved and was canceled after the third season in 2006. Even though it had low ratings, it's an excellent show that's definitely worth watching; if I had a top ten list for t.v. shows, I'd put in above Lost but below the X-Files.

       You can watch all three seasons of Arrested Development on Netflix instant stream, and you can watch the first season on Hulu (without Plus):Arrested Development (Hulu). If you have Hulu Plus, you can also watch all three seasons of Arrested Development.

Origami with Peggy Hasegawa this Saturday!

Just a reminder, the Origami workshop is this Saturday at noon...

And yes, you will receive community service hours for attending :-)

Back in the Day

The Mar Vista library goes way back to 1927 when the city of LA annexed the area and Mar Vista was advertised in the newspaper as "on the shortest boulevard to the sea"  The first Mar Vista branch was in the librarian's home (Mrs. Florence Dibble) and was only open 9 hours a week. The library was always popular and in 1950 the one pictured at 12310 Venice was opened for business. A bigger and better one followed in 1962 and then today's way cooler one recently.
(these and many other old photos are available on the LAPL webpage under photo collection)

two paws up!

“Unwind” by Neal Shusterman

      I just finished a recommended book from the YA librarian at Mar Vista that is topical and a real page turner.  While the book has a riveting plot and well-developed teen-aged characters the author slips some philosophy in with the fascinating story.  The novel is set in the future where marginalized kids are given up on by society and sent to harvest camps to be “unwound” as rather unwilling organ donors.  The ordinary screw-up or late bloomers who might wise up and get back on track are never given that chance while some are chosen as a kind of religious sacrifice that ends their lives before their seventeenth birthday.  As a misguided concession after a societal civil war the country has accepted the concept of using unwanted humans for spare parts along with other strange practices such as tithing family members for unwinding and storking where babies are left on doorsteps of strangers. Surgical advances allow transplants of every body part so the desperate need for unwound parts by the injured or diseased outweighs the moral dilemma of taking lives.

     Neal Shusterman separates himself from run of the mill sci-fi by bringing numerous characters to vivid life including the rambunctious Connor, the talented but orphaned Risa and the straight-arrow gone astray Lev who find themselves outside the law and into some dramatic life or death situations.  There is much more in the brisk narrative with a subtle examination of the true sanctity of life and the acceptance of imperfection.

Venice High School students stencil old t-shirts at the Mar Vista Library

Texture Images by Valeria Casillas at Notre Dame High School

Playoffs Round One: Lakers vs. Hornets

Kobe Bryant and the second seed defending NBA Champion Lakers are preparing to take on Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the Game 1 of the NBA first round series. The biggest match-up is Fisher on Chris Paul; hopefully Fisher can slow down the explosive point guard, CP3, who's easily a top three point guard when he's 100% healthy. I think the Lakers bench will be a big factor in this series, but one of the "Killer B's," Steve Blake, is injured due to Chicken Pox. It'll be a great series, and perhaps history if Phil Jackson and the Lakers can complete their three-peat quest. Tune in now; it's live on ABC/ESPN depending on your TV provider.

YALSA Teen's Top 25 Nominated Titles

Looking for some good books to read this spring and summer?

The YALSA Teens' Top Ten committee has released the 25 nominated titles for 2011. Teens get to vote on their favorites from Aug. 16 through Sept 22 to come up with the big 10 titles.

Teen reading groups around the country read galleys and chose these nominated titles. For more information on Teen's Top Ten, check out the YALSA website:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm

April Events at Mar Vista Library

Saturday, April 9 at 11 am - New Volunteer Training; Saturday, April 16 at 11 am - Teen Council; Saturday, April 23 at noon - Origami Workshop