Misery loves company,especially on Valentine's Day

I saw an interesting post at Bookseller Chick regarding Valentine's Day-seems her store does a "Dark Side of Valentine's Day" display(to balance the usual set-up of
love poems and romance novels)that features such fare as He's Just Not That Into You
for all those who wind up in the self help section,looking for love in all the wrong
places. That is so cool-rarely do you see open acknowledgement of the reverse effect
of a major holiday at your local store. The whole notion of that has inspired me to
write up a guide for Pop Culture Pleasures That Make Valentine's Day Managable For
The Mateless(which does include me):

Books: I mentioned on BSC that a good,antiromance novel to read would be Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte-why so many people adore this story is beyond me. I'm not
saying it's a bad book but it is real damn depressing(the Brontes were in desparate
need of Prozac)if you think about it;the entire story is about people making other
people miserable because they can't hook up with their honey. Heathcliff,in particular, is a truly vicious character who you feel sorry for at first but after
awhile,you start thinking"You know,this guy just seems to love beating down on people!" If I had to pick a Bronte leading man,give me Rochester anyday-you can feel
more forgiving towards a guy who was tricked into marrying a psycho(and went blind when she burned the house down)than a guy who couldn't get over not marrying a woman
whose brother picked on him and punishing her daughter to get back at her dying on him. Angsty men are overrated,in my opinion.

Another great pick is The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton-don't be fooled by the title;this is not a happy ending story at all. Lily Bart is Everyone Singleton's nightmare-the unmarried person who winds up a total social and financial reject. Wharton was the grand dame of high society misery-she made silent suffering of emotional pain as beautiful as any aria or power ballad you've ever heard. Plus,the film version with Gillian Anderson is first rate(you'll see why PBS' Bleak House is made even better with her as one of the leads).

Movies:This can be tricky since there's usually a plenthora of lovey-dovey flicks shoved in your face this time of year but if you choose carefully,you can find just the right film for your viewing displeasure. Fight Club,for example,is a good nonlove story-plenty of fisticuffs,blood and nasty characters making outrageous statements at one another. Yes,Helena Bonham Carter is in it but believe me,after seeing her in grimy goth girl gear and saying such charming phrases as"I hadn't had sex that good
since grade school",you'll wonder how she ever got a date after that.

I would recommend Corpse Bride but it has sort of a happy ending so you'ld be better off with FrankenHooker(not as bad as it sounds) or the French thriller,High Tension. Cecile de France really shows you the meaning of "Love Hurts" in many gruesome ways in a good old-fashioned 70's style road kill horror show. France may be considered as a very romantic nation but you'll want to have your honeymoon elsewhere after seeing this sinister side of the french countryside.

TV/DVD:Since the Olympics are on,many of your viewing probelms are solved but a good series to catch up on via DVD is Nip/Tuck. If you've never watched it at all,you might think"yeah,right-the probelms of a bunch of pretty people are really going to help me over the V-day hump"-you would be so wrong. First off,the plastic surgery is shown in rather realistic detail and nothing's more unromantic than watching someone scrap the fat out of someone having lipo(don't even get me started on the breast implants). Also,any love connections on this show wind up in the ninth level of relationship hell-love triangles get twisted,sexual quirks become deadly and even the
sweetest guy on the show,Sean(played by Dylan Walsh),is not immune to his darker impluses such as cheating on his wife with a cancer patient(who goes into remission) to getting it on with a sex doll modeled on one of his clients(who was not only flattered but used to date his business partner). Julian Mcmahon as Christian Troy is another reason I love this show:he's the guy you love to hate and hate to love.

Well, have a happy Valentine's day-enjoy the link to Pink's "Stupid Girls" in the title above and just remember,sour grapes taste just fine when they're chocolate coated:)