Sunday, March 8, 2009

Anatomy of an Entertainment Center (2009)

Where do you watch movies? When I'm not at the Brattle, Harvard Film Archive or my parent's house (they have digital cable!), I'm lounging on my big red sofa watching films from my entertainment center. I mostly watch Netflix rentals but also have a budding inventory of DVDs. I also have a massive secret collection of taped movies from TCM. I don't have a DVR or TiVo, so I tape on good old-fashioned VHS tapes.

I have always wanted to do a sort of follow-up to my post Work: My Classic Film Nest with an ode to my entertainment center.

Here she is. Isn't she a beaut? You can see my big red sofa from the reflection of the TV. This entertainment center consists of 500+ pieces and I assembled this monstrosity all by myself. It's my crowning achievement.


Here is another look at my television set. Nothing fancy here. No HDTV, Plasma screen or flat-screen. Believe it or not, she is a color TV! I have that at least.

This is my DVD player which I've had for close to 10 years now. I love the unusual shape because it's cool and it takes up very little room. It's got interchangeable cards so I can make it red, blue or gold whenever I want.



Now here's a peek at my DVD collection. You'll be surprised at some of the films I own. I usually only buy films that I want to watch over and over again like Good News, Pillow Talk and A Patch of Blue. Also, some of these DVDs are presents from friends.



Here is the second shelf. On the right you'll see some earlie Talkies on DVD that my good friend and partner-in-crime Jonas from All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing! sent me!

I had a stereo here before but got rid of it to fill the space with boxed sets, TV collections and music CDs. Unfortunately, now it's quite full and I have 3 new boxed sets to add to it.

Here is the piece de resistance! My secret stash of taped movies. I have hundreds of films in here including my extensive collection of Norma Shearer movies.


Calling all fellow bloggers to participate! What does your entertainment center look like? What films are in your personal collection?

[Participants]

Jonas @ All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing!

Laura @ Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Bookyeti - 1st Pic - 2nd Pic - 3rd Pic (Temporary)

King of Jazz - 1st Pic - 2nd Pic - 3rd Pic (Temporary)

Sarah @ Cinema Splendor

Casey @ Noir Girl

Kate Gabrielle @ Silents and Talkies

Nicole @ Classic Hollywood Nerd

27 comments:

  1. Ha ha ha Wonderful! You also lable your VHS with an ordinary white labels on the short end of the box to save space. Great minds think alike... as you soon will see on a blog near you... :)

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  2. Jonas, you do that too?! GMTA for sure. Can't wait to see your entry.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Raquelle do you know where you got this entertainment center?

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    2. Hi I was wondering if you know where you got this entertainment center?

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    3. Walmart or Target. I really think it was Walmart but I'm not 100% sure.

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  3. Nice stuff you have and I really like the center.

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  4. What a great idea for a post! I'm amazed how much your center looks like my family's! (It's not my tv or anything, but I kind of have charge over it.)

    I have the enormous collection of VHS tapes, too. ;) Sure, they're embarrassing by tech standards, but they do the job!

    So glad to see the BBC version of P&P in your cupboard. We've got that too - all battered and bruised from much viewing.

    Is that Arthur I see?

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  5. Fun post! I have THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY too, but I haven't opened it yet... Just spent yesterday rearranging my "secret stash" of videotapes...my stacks of blue videotape boxes look rather like yours. :)

    Best wishes,
    Laura

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  6. Great post, 'quelle!
    Here are some photos...

    http://i40.tinypic.com/10y07c9.jpg

    Just a small glimpse into a trunk full of BBC goodness!
    http://i44.tinypic.com/wwkbk2.jpg

    A few of my boxed sets
    http://i42.tinypic.com/2hf42kk.jpg

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  7. What a fun idea for a post. I've actually been cutting back on the amount of videos in my collection and trying to utilize the library as much as possible. It's so close I feel like it's my own personal collection.

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  8. Great idea! I'd definitely get in on it, but my "entertainment center" consists of a TV on a coffee table, with a CD case of DVDs; not very visually exciting. Such is dorm life.

    Also, after putting together a small chest of drawers (and having it fall apart almost immediately), I have a whole new respect for people who have the patience to assemble larger pieces of furniture. Your entertainment center looks wonderful.

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  9. I LOVE IT! Your DVD collection looks like my family's! I thought we had the only dvd collection that had Pillow Talk, Arthur, and The Office along side of each other!

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  10. Tony - Yay! Then let's watch a movie.

    Sebina - Thanks! I appreciate it.

    Casey - BBC P&P is a requirement amongst young women for sure. It's one of my first DVD purchases. And yes, Arthur. I love Arthur. I also love Angelina Ballerina.

    Laura - Darling Buds of May is a treat, you'll like it. I wanted to move in with that family. Thanks for participating.

    Bev - Cool! Thanks for sharing.

    Robby - I hope you'll do a post too!

    Time Traveler - It was well worth it. After almost 3 years, it's still holding up. Eclectic taste? That's the best kind!

    Princess - That's more than I had in college. I used to watch movies at the library's video center. They did have a good collection though.

    Millie - You like The Office & Arthur too? Yay!

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  11. Great topic, but for the life of me I can't make a link to any photo I'd like to post. How do you people do it?

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  12. can we comment on your DVD selections? :)

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  13. King of Jazz - You can use HTML code. Or if you want, just copy and paste the URLs, and I'll add them to the original post. :-)

    Steve-O - Yes please do. I'm fully expecting someone to make fun of the fact that I own Employee of the Month (2006).

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  14. Our house features a big entertainment centre that we (I live with my siblings). I wanted to store my VHS tapes there (this was before we had DVDs), but my sis insisted on putting knick knacks there. The TV, DVD player, and VCR are then surrounded by knick knacks. My poor VHS tapes (over 500 taped) and DVDs (not sure how many I have) are shoved into two tiny bookcases.

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  15. Thanks to Raquelle, I have three photos posted:

    Betty Boop --patron saint of my collection :D

    TV, with black curtain backdrop; mini-sofa top in foreground

    a glimpse of my DVD collection, which
    I arrange by decade

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  16. I like the structure of blank VHS sleeves.

    Nostalgia at its finest.


    -mAQ

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  17. I love this idea so much!! Somehow I missed the original post in my blogger dashboard, but I came across casey's post on NoirGirl. I love the As Time Goes By complete collection :)

    I'll go grab my digital camera and be back later!

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  18. I just did it! Thanks again for the idea :)
    http://silentsandtalkies.blogspot.com/2009/03/anatomy-of-entertainment-center.html

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  19. How much do movies influence our society over time and at present--may be you can tell something on that.

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  20. I don't have an entertainment center -- we use antique trunks (one to host the tv, another to hold the DVDs etc.) Well, we do have an old record player stand which holds the turntable, etc. (and record stands too). We are totes old school. And far less organized than you & your labels lol

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  21. ive got a long ways to go... love it...

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  22. I have no patience whatsoever when it comes to assembling furniture pieces like this. So yeah, you should really consider it an achievement. I like the fact that you have stuck to the more traditional television! And yeah, your DVD is a find. We have had the rectangular ones, and they don't seem to last five years.

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