Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Return of Sarah Michelle Gellar



 Show: Ringer
Network: CW
Time slot: Tuesdays 9/8c
Premiered: September 8th, 2011


Hells yeah! Sarah. Michelle. Gellar. Of course I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but I also really enjoy her movies, she's just a fantastic actress. Which means I'm super stoked to see her doing some work, especially on television.

SMG did a great job choosing the right show to get involved with. The CW has really fantastic shows, full of drama and twists, all while being sexy and intriguing. The premiere of Ringer was intriguing and had a few jaw dropping moments and cliff hangers, but also got right to the point, which I find really refreshing. Gellar has been quoted saying that Ringer gives answers and doesn't leave question after question, and it's made evident in the first episode.

Kristoffer Polaha
The acting was really great, the casting director needs a high five for sure. Plus, I love that The CW re-hires actors they've had on their other productions as well. Like Kristoffer Polaha, from Valentine and Life Unexpected. And he is just... deliciously sexy. And even though he's a cheater on this show, he still radiates sweetness. And, a lost alum is on the show, Nestor Carbonell. This is why I'm not surprised that  I like this show so much,  even after watching one episode so far (there's another on my DVR, but I've been working a lot so I haven't watched it yet). It has the perfect mix of awesomeness. Great cast and writers, it's suspenseful, sexy, and mysterious.

Although I'm already a fan, there was something not so awesome about this episode. The boat scene... it's been mentioned a lot on some websites, but I'm going to mention it here too since it was that bad. There are so many shows on this network that do just fine in the special effects department, so why they did such a crappy job on the pilot of Ringer is a mystery to me. Hopefully the whole season doesn't have this flaw, because it is just super distracting.




Bottom Line: One flaw is not enough to pull me away from the screen every Tuesday night. With this cast and the reputation The CW has for having amazingly dramatic shows, I will definitively continue to watch Ringer. And you should watch it too!!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Who's That Girl? Jess!!!




 Show: New Girl
Network: Fox
Time slot: Tuesdays 9/8c
Premiering: September 20th, 2011


You would not believe my excitement when I found out Zooey Dechanel was staring in a new comedy on Fox. I'm a huge Zooey fan, from her movies to her music. (If you haven't heard She & Him, you are missing out on some great music). 

Dechanel is awesome at playing awkward and quirky, which makes her perfect for this new comedy. Her character, Jess, is a super dorky girl who moves in with a few guys she met off Craigslist after she catches her boyfriend cheating on her (in a really funny and weird scene where Jess is dancing naked).

Of course, Zooey's character is my favorite. She is believable and interesting, and makes you want to root for her. I think the most endearing thing about Jess is the way her voice changes every so often and makes her sound even more like a dork. I know, that's a totally random thing to mention, but I think it makes the jokes and nerdiness of Jess really stand out.




I also really enjoy Nick (Jake M. Johnson), who seems the most sincere of the guys she moved in with. It's probably the fact that he relates to Jess because he had been dumped 6 months prior. Coach (Damon Wayans Jr) was very interesting, but there's no point of talking too much about his character since he is only in the pilot episode. Though he was funny I enjoy Wayans much more on Happy Endings, so I am not too sad he won't be on New Girl. Then there's Schmidt (Max Greenfield) who, so far, I just have not figured out. He's constantly saying and doing douchey things (he has to put money in a jar that says "Douche Bag" Jar a lot), but then there's small glimpses of him being... almost sweet. Of course, I've only seen the pilot, and if you know me, you know how I feel about pilots, so we'll just have to wait and see how he develops as a character.



gif via littlestweasel.tumblr.com
New Girl wasn't "knee slapping" funny like I thought it would be, but it really did make me laugh out loud quite a few times. They have a solid story line and pretty fantastic writing where they can just go anywhere with these characters. I'm more excited about the concept of having Zooey Dechanel staring on her own show. (And on the same network as her sister Emily Dechanel from Bones, that's pretty neat). The promotion Fox has done for New Girl has been a bit over the top and the anticipation actually led to a little bit of disappointment. I'm not saying the pilot wasn't good, because it really was, but not as good as I expected.

Bottom Line: I'll totally keep watching New Girl. It's a silly show with a dorky leading lady that brings quite a few laughs. Is it the best comedy on television? Not even close. But it's original, quirky, and... it has Zooey Dechanel. How can I not watch something she's in?!


xoxo,
e.m.



9021-Oh!

Show: 90210
Network: The CW
Time slot: Tuesdays 9/8c 
Season 4 Premiere: September 13, 2011

They're back and so is all the drama! The premiere of the 4th season of 90210 was a bit rushed and was kind of the most soap opera like episode I've seen of this show so far. But I'll let it go because I get why they did it-- It's almost like a pilot all over again. They graduated high school last season and now the writers have to set up all new story lines. Not many of the characters are still in the same story-line as they were last season. Mostly they're moving on, which to Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) means: throwing a huge party and burning things in a fire to let go of their past. The bon-fire ends up burning more than just memories from the past though... it burns a whole lotta weed. Yup, weed. That's what I love about this show... yes, it's dramatic as a soap opera, but there's always some comedy mixed in to lighten up the show.

Naomi is probably one of my favorite characters because they write her so well. She's a total bitch and pretty self-absorbed, but they write so many moments where she's absolutely human with a lot of faults. They've had a lot of things happen to her that can break a person and AnnaLynne McCord pulls off the stuck-up part of Naomi and the more vulnerable side of her as well.Although I really liked her with Max (their relationship was so freakin' cute), I don't think they could have kept them together and kept it as interesting as not keeping them together. In this episode she was really funny, but beneath that you can see that she was still hurting over the break-up. But, if you've seen the premiere last night, you know who she's going to be hooking up with this season. It's usually the person she insults the most. It'll be interesting, but obviously won't last.


Something I found lame was the fact that Annie (Shenae Grimes) was boo-hoo'ing over Liam (Matt Lanter) in the beginning of the episode and then when he does something huge for her she not only shuts him down but then doesn't give him a chance to make up for not contacting her while he was away during the summer. If she loves him like she keeps saying she does, she wouldn't be giving googly eyes to some other guy who isn't even as cute as Liam. Just sayin'.

I really enjoyed Silver (Jessica Stroup) in this season opener. Her acting has gotten a lot better and I think she has more depth to her from the events that happened in the last few episodes of last season. I really hope she never becomes friends with Adrianna  (Jessica Lownden) again. What she did (switching Silvers meds) is not forgivable, and I don't know how the writers are going to redeem her. She's done too much to everyone and to herself. They're trying hard though, having her go to Africa and do charity work and the speech she gave was almost moving, but it's going to have to be a whole lot more before viewers start liking her again. Well, at least this viewer.


I won't go into every character or every plot, because there was a whole lot going on in just one hour, but I do have to mention Ivy and Raj. First let me say, I was not a fan of Ivy in the first handful of episodes she was in, but her story line with Raj is beautiful, and I'm liking her more and more. I know it's going to be a sad ending, because it's going to be a better story for them to make it sad, so I'm sure the writers are going that way with Raj and Ivy's marriage/relationship. However, even if it does end tragically, it's still a beautiful relationship. Both Gillian Zinser and Manish Dayal are doing a fantastic job making these two characters lovely, realistic, and sweet.




Bottom Line: I'll continue to watch 90210. I've been a devoted viewer since episode one and will be a devoted viewer until the very last episode. The CW is really awesome at choosing shows that I can't help but get emotionally involved in. The end of this episode had my jaw to the ground a couple times, so that's a good sign as to what's to come this season!


xoxo,
e.m.



Friday, April 1, 2011

Porn. Yes... PORN.


A lot of guys watch porn. Notice how that was a statement, not a question? A. lot. of. guys. watch. porn. Guys who are single, married, or dating someone. Maybe they watch it alone, maybe they watch it with their significant other or maybe with their friends (I KNOW for a fact that some guys actually do that, I haven't decided if I find it gross or funny).

My friends come to me for advice on this subject often. They somehow find out their guy is watching porn (because guys really don't know how to hide it!) and they get upset. I mean, I guess I can understand why they get upset, but really, I don't find it a big deal. I'm always honest with my friends, even if it's not what they want to hear. So I say, so what? It's better than them cheating right? And as long as it's not some freaky-deaky porn, like midget porn or something, then I wouldn't be too worried.

Not that I totally agree that guys should watch porn, well... not a lot of porn. Because some guys watch WAY too much of it. Seriously, they have problems. But the reason I feel guys shouldn't watch so much of it is because it gives them a false idea of what a girl should look like and act like in bed. We all know that sex in real life is not like sex in porn. And that's the point. That's why people watch it. It's almost the same when it comes to anything in the entertainment business. Magazines are the worst. It's like guys don't even know what photoshop is. Those girls are not that perfect. Yea, gorgeous, but not that gorgeous. (Or that's what I try to tell myself, lol). But that's a whole other blog/rant. :x

So, ladies, if you find out your guy is watching porn, don't take it personally. Men can love you and love porn at the same time. (Cheating, however, is a whole other story). We all have our own opinions, some of you may even think porn is cheating, but not me. If they are not physically touching someone (besides themselves, ha!) or getting emotionally involved with someone, then it's not cheating in my book. Just remember that your man is only human, if you really don't want him to look at things in that nature, then ask him to stop. If he doesn't stop, then send him to porn addiction rehab. Haha. I'm kidding of course.

Love,
Elle Marie


Monday, January 24, 2011

Jonah Hex


Jonah Hex wasn't a horrible movie but it wasn't awesome. It was just... eh. Some parts of the movie were just so weird. I was expecting some major bad-ass-ness, but was totally let down. 

What makes it worse is that Megan Fox was in it. I put up with Transformers because it's a good movie, despite Fox's sad acting abilities. However, once again, like Transformers, she's just eye candy. I don't understand why they even give her lines. (Don't think I'm saying this because she's beautiful and I'm a hater. I honestly think she's a bad actress (however, I did enjoy Jennifer's Body). And if you disagree, you're probably a male and blinded by her hotness--Also, she even admits to not being a good actress. Props to her for owning up.)

When I wasn't distracted by the fact that Megan Fox looks like she has botox in her face and massive lip injections, I was being disappointed with the action scenes. They seemed forced and lacked creativity. Josh Brolin and John Malkovich are way too old to fight the way they did and  actually look hardcore. This is not anything against old people, because there are some older men who totally pull off action movies. Like Forest Whitaker. He is one total bad-ass!

The best parts were when Will Arnett was on the screen. He was hilarious. But, uh, he actually wasn't supposed to be. His character was serious and didn't crack jokes. But if you've watched comedies with Arnett in it, you know he's funny by delivering his lines very seriously. So him acting a serious part that's not supposed to be funny was just that. Funny.

The parts that were comic book-ish (I'm really not sure how to word that?) were pretty sweet. And there's a brief appearance by Jeffery Dean Morgan which was nice (love him!) and surprisingly he plays a dead man. Oh wait, that's not surprising at all (more on that in a later posting.) 

Overall I enjoyed it. Not the first movie I'd want to re-watch, but it was entertaining. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel if Megan Fox's character is either not in it or dies a painful death in the first few minutes. :)

Love You, Hate You, Miss You/Leftovers

Love You, Hate You, Miss You is about a high school girl who's best friend died on the last day of the school year. Amy comes home from a psychiatric hospital at the end of summer,three months after the accident, and the story begins. Parts of the book are letters Amy writes to Julia, her friend who died in a car accident. When she gets to school she feels alone with no friends and feeling like everyone blames her for Julia's death, and of course, she blames herself. 

Though sad and well written, it's almost a little far fetched. It just seems like Elizabeth Scott was trying too hard to make this story as emotional as possible but almost seems insincere. 

It's also predictable which is weird for this kind of book. There should be twists, but the reveal of what little twists there were was lacking shock value. I give a lot of credit to writers of YA Fiction because a lot of them realize that kids are growing up fast and can deal with issues like death and other subjects that can be controversial. Love You, Hate You, Miss You could have been another fantastic novel showing a great insight of teenagers dealing with loss, but unfortunately it fell short.

It is a short book, however, and an easy read. It may not have been my cup of tea (wow, I really said my cup of tea... how OLD am I?), but some may like the subtleness of the book. If you're looking for a darker story that is a fast read and well written (besides the whole reveal of plots lacking shock) then you won't want to miss this story written by Scott. 


Yet another darker novel with even worse shock value. By time I got to the end I realized what a waste the story was. All the things that go on between best friends Ardeth and Blair are intense and very real. I believe that these girls are out there somewhere and it's sad to think girls really go things like this. It deals with sex, abuse, and bullying. But when the story wraps up and the big part of the plot is revealed, what they do doesn't seem that bad. I mean, what they do is messed up, but it's not as crazy as the other things that happen in the book. 

Also, it's hard to believe how close they are to the cop they're telling the story to, because there aren't many interactions between the three of them. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who can't deal with tough subjects. I wouldn't suggest it for other reasons too, mainly for the fact  that the ending was really stupid. That may not be the most eloquent description of an ending to a book, but really--- it was just stupid. Had Leftovers had a different/better ending, this book would have been pretty great.


It's so FLUFFY!!!!

Loved it! Great comedic cast. I had fun figuring out who was who by their voices. It was also really friggin' cute! The minions and the three little girls were too adorable. Seriously, I wish they were real. I'd want those girls as my kids (and I don't even want kids!) and I'd love to have a bunch of loyal and cute minions!
 

Though predictable (duh, most animated films are!) it was still very entertaining and the 3D effects were sweet! At the end of the film the minions try to see who can reach out further over an edge which was fun with 3D.  All the characters were equally funny and there were hardly moments when I wasn't laughing or at least giggling... or saying/thinking "awww... that's sooo cute!!!"

Also, the score was by Pharrell, and it was definitely different- in a good way. It had a hip-hop feel (another duh, it is Pharrell) and he did a perfect job making it suspenseful, funny, and interesting.

Despicable Me is a must see 3D film for any age!

Give them a chance?!


I once mentioned 10 things I love about 10 Things I Hate About You. There were many more reasons why the show was completely awesome but it only lasted two seasons, yet had so much life left in it! I can't believe ABC Family killed it! KILLED IT!  (Apparently this happened awhile ago, yet somehow I just recently found out.) There are so many great shows that don't get a chance yet shows like... The Secret Life of the American Teenager get to stick around. Seriously, that show is ridiculousy bad. Addicting, yes, but the acting and the writing? Poop I tell you, total poop!

Other shows that got canceled that breaks my friggin' heart.

 
The first episode of Accidentally on Purpose wasn't that good. But unlike most people/networks, I give a show a chance, because sometimes pilots rush to outline the plot and that makes the first episode (usually) not so great. But the second episode and on were incredibly funny. Laugh out loud, tell all my friends about it funny!!! I honestly cannot believe this show was canceled. Just like NBC, CBS axed a ton of their shows! Luckily A.O.P. ended nicely.


 
 
Okay, anyone who's seen Better Off Tedd knows how funny it is. They had two seasons, but that was not good enough for me. This is an example of not enough advertisment. Sometimes word of mouth is just not good enough. They constantly changed the night and time it aired and sometimes went weeks without showing an episode, which was confusing. Great cast. Awesome writing. Wtf ABC?!




I don't mind too much that they got rid of Heroes. It ran it course. I understand that. I also understand the ratings went down. But there are real fans out there (me! me! me!) who would have liked a conclusion. There are talks about a t.v. movie to wrap it up, but the chances of that happening are slim. You know why? Because Heroes is on NBC, and though they have good shows, NBC are a bunch of assholes.

 

Oh man, this show was so friggin' good. Here's another awesome example of a great show not getting the ratings it should because NBC doesn't advertise their shows equally. If you don't believe in a show enough to put money behind it, then don't release it. You get dedicated fans into a great show and then cancel it without giving it a real chance. It's 2010, shows need more than one season most of the time to really take flight, especially with shotty promotion. And the last episode? Don't get me started at how pissed I am. They left so many questions unanswered and had HUGE cliffhangers. Oh, this show's on NBC? How surprising!



Unfortunately I understand why Romantically Challenged got the boot. Though the rest of the cast was spectacular, Alyssa Milano couldn't hold a show on her own. Make her a supporting actress- then I think the show could have had a bigger following. It's not that I don't like her, but she didn't quite pull off her character and humor. The show as a whole though was extremely funny, and I really hope the rest of the cast get put on more successful shows in the future. Also, this show had the same problems as Better Off Ted: bad promotion and an all over the place schedule.



Just because the original characters were not on the reboot of Scrubs doesn't make Scrubs: Med School any less great. They pretty much made it a whole new show, but with some familiar faces. And they did a pretty damn good job! Med School was refreshing and genuinely funny. I actually don't understand why it didn't take off. Maybe people couldn't handle that most of the cast was gone. Sad, because there were some amazing characters and fantastic jokes. Boo ABC.

 

Once again, crappy promotion for this show. Proof? I couldn't even find a real promo poster for this posting. Come on! This show was great. Funny and dramatic. Lots of tension between all the characters. And lots of good looking people. I don't even think they got half way through the season before it got canceled. With cliffhangers. Boo.


                                      

And the saddest of all. Ugly Betty. Moment of silence please.

Okay, so the show had a decent run. Four seasons isn't too shabby. But shows like Supernatural get way more seasons? Please explain this to me? Ugly Betty was beyond fantastic. So funny and dramatic and moving. They broke barriers and brought something new to television. Each character was lovable and amazing. Thankfully ABC was able to wrap it all up and leave us with a happy ending. An ending that could possible turn into a movie (fingers crossed!!!). Season four was the best season yet, and Ugly Betty had potential to keep going for many seasons. I'm going to miss that UB so much! Gurr!



The two networks that aren't on this list of awesome shows that were murdered? Fox and CW. Yea they both canceled shows (CW-Melrose Place... well deserving!) but they are networks that give their shows, especially cult following shows, a real chance. The CW even renewed Life Unexpected for a second season even though it had low ratings. There's a network who stands behind the shows they put on television. They don't just throw out a billion shows and see which ones get ratings. How are shows supposed to get ratings if you have so many and pulling them out and putting new ones in without a second thought? Yea NBC I'm talking to you!!!

Back to 10 Things... I'm quite shocked they canceled it, even if season two ratings dipped a little. Instead of trying to bring those ratings up they just gave up. I'm confused because they usually give their shows a fighting chance. Well, no, Ruby and the Rockets was canceled really fast, and it was extremely funny. Hmmm... I guess they're too busy with their badly acted Secret Life. 


I'm looking forward to a great season in the fall, but also need to prepare for a lot of disappointments. If this year shows us anything, it's that most television shows don't stand a chance. 

So, are there any shows you'll be missing in the fall?


Sidenote. Though I dislike NBC very much (hello... let's not forget about Conan!) I do love a lot of their shows and am very happy they gave Chuck another chance, which I'm quite surprised made it to another season because it is very much a show with a cult following but lacking ratings...


Xtina decides to have some fun with Bionic


Remember back when I started this blog? Yes, before I took that long break because my life is so crazy busy (playing games on Facebook counts as a busy life right?). And I said I was going to buy Christina's Bionic album? Oh yea, I bought it... I bought the heck out of it. (Ummm... I don't know either).

image via www.amazon.com
It seems Christina always has a theme with her album and she sticks to it. She tries different sounds and I can appreciate that. It's been four long years and it seems Aguilera was looking to have some fun on Bionic! The album is different from anything I've heard lately and though I enjoy most of the songs, there are a couple I could have done without.

Elastic Love and Sex For Breakfast were two songs that were just too "WTF"-ish for me. I think it's the lyrics I can't get past. I'm all about the lyrics when it comes to music and those songs are quite annoying when it comes to the words. If the lyrics were better I would actually like Elastic Love because of the beat and futuristic sound. And I would like Sex For Breakfast because it reminds me of her album Stripped. It's very soulful, her voice is beautiful, and it's naughty in a way that's not too dirty by the way she sings it. But some of the lyrics are pretty stupid---"When the morning comes, I know I will too". Really, that's the best she could do? She has plenty of naughty songs on her older albums (When You Put Your Hands on Me, Get Mine Get Yours, Nasty Naughty Boy, to name a few) and they at least had lyrics that weren't just plain retarded. Yea, I went there.

image via google images
With those negatives aside, Bionic as a whole is really great. It may take a few listens before you realize it's greatness, but once you do, you'll realize how fun it is! WooHoo, Vanity, I Hate Boys, Prima Donna, and her lead single Not Myself Tonight are good work out, dancing like a fool, or blasting/singing loudly to in the car songs. My Girls is a fun anthem for the ladies and Desnudate is another song that sounds like it came off the Stripped album, with the chorus partly in Spanish. 


The slow songs are classic Christina- where her voice really shines and is at it's best. Of all her slow songs, though they're all fantastic, I Am is just out of this world. Not only does she show a side of her voice we have yet to hear, but the lyrics are amazing. In fact, I can't stop quoting it on my Facebook. I think almost every woman can relate to the song... so basically- download it now! 

image via google images
 Her deluxe album has a few extra songs including Bobblehead which is catchy and, again, really fun! Birds of Prey is a slower tempo song, reminiscence of Madonna (Frozen). Also, Stronger Than Ever shows the side of her voice she introduced with I Am but gets intense in the chorus. It's nice that there's more than one song with that sound. And--- the last song on her deluxe album is a "stripped' version of I Am. Guess she knows which song on her album people really love! 

I think all the smack talk everyone's been doing has been quite out of hand. Christina is one of a kind and her music is fun and beautiful. People love to start drama, but ignore the haters, give the album a chance, and decide for yourself.