Britt's On

Long Time, No See

2012-05-14T12:48:00.001-05:00

EFFF I'm terrible at updating this blog. Truth be told, if I haven't spouted off about this already, this is one of FOUR blogs I write & manage. One is actually a huge commitment that generates me money / publicity / freebies so most of my time & effort goes there. But I also have a personal, private one, and a personal, public one - both of which are about different aspects of my everyday life. This blog is basically for shits & giggles, and to keep up on the Blogger platform, should any of the client-type folks I work with use it.

Anyway. I suppose the most logical thing to do right about now is start giving my grades out to all the TV I've been consuming that's recently wrapped up...I also owe you a post on the Alias series finale versus the One Tree Hill ones. I've got thoughts. Plenty of thoughts.

Onwards!

MONDAYS
Gossip Girl - Finale is tonight...so I'll re-loop back on this one. In general, I liked Blair & Dan as a non-couple than an actual couple. Serena's shown her true bitchy stripes. Lola is great, Ivy is wretched. Bart Bass being back from the dead is atrocious and makes me wish this show would die a quick death next season. Please & thanks.

Being Erica - Should probably talk about in my 'Series Finale' post. This last season was a little up & down, and I wish she hadn't ended up with Adam, but I also get the rationale from the creator's POV: when we met Erica she was single, jobless, without direction...now she's got all 3, even if the guy isn't quite my ideal match for her. The Dr. Tom stuff SLAYED me. FINAL GRADE: A

Pretty Little Liars - Sure I'm disappointed that Mona was a part of the A-Team. But at this point, there is no one satisfying answer. It's still deliciously convoluted. I REALLY want Alison to be alive. FINAL GRADE: B+

TUESDAYS
Parenthood - A solid season altogether. It felt like Adam was more in the spotlight than usual. I'm ambivalent about Crosby & Jasmine - it felt very S6 of Sex and the City as per Miranda & Steve. I love Amber and the cute yet vaguely creepy city council candidate, although his entire campaign felt much bigger than necessary. Sarah & Mark = best ever. I wish Sarah would take a chill pill. I sincerely want the show to come back next season, if only to introduce me to more great music. FINAL GRADE: B+

New Girl - I love this show, I really do. I think all the actors & their chemistry is great although I still somewhat lament the loss of high-energy Coach next to straight man Winston. I'm surprised they didn't carry out the Nick moving out plot, at least for a cliffhanger to next season / to introduce a new roomie to the mix. They've got an even tinier cast than Friends, so they run the risk of character burnout if no new new girls / guys are added...maybe in the apartment across the hall? *Wink* FINAL GRADE: A

The Little Couple - What a heartbreaking road for Bill & Jen over the last little bit. But I'm also getting a little...not fed up but...aware of the fact they almost always seem to be basking in some sort of freebie, promotional experience. I appreciate they have a lot of challenges in their life so good for them for making the best of it, but lately their episodes are feeling more & more like infomercials with repetitive convos about their lack of babies. I imagine the producers must be getting anxious about them still not having a baby, three or four seasons in. FINAL GRADE: B (although it still seems to be 'in season')

Ringer - Kind of a f*cked up show. The last five minutes of every ep were great, but it's altogether very schmaltzy. I won't be too heartbroken if it bites it this fall, which is never a good sign. FINAL GRADE: B-

The LA Complex - Shockingly addictive and kinda good. I love playing 'spot the set' between Degrassi & this show now, and I hope it picks up a bit in the states for the sake of its cast. The last few minutes of every episode are mind-blowing - in a much better way than ringer. FINAL GRADE: B+

WEDNESDAYS
Survivor - South Pacific had a disappointing finish...it was the same way I felt about Russell / Natalie's final showdown a few seasons back. A small part of me was rooting for the underdog (Natalie / Sophie respectively) but never expecting them to snatch the crown away...especially after relatively futile arguments by them both at the end of the show. Coach deserved the win, the bitter kittens on the jury were just fail. I did like the 'characters' of last season though. It made for an interesting arc. As for One World, it was altogether a boring season, but yay for Kim winning! I liked her early on and thought she played a great game. Kudos to a respectable jury when all was said & done. FINAL GRADE: South Pacific - B+ / One World - B-

Revenge - Also not quite finished. But loved the show in general. I'm hoping it doesn't peter out / fall into campy Desperate Housewives territory in the near future. Will have to re-loop after this week's finale.

Modern Family - Not quite as glorious as the first season, but still funny and enjoyable. Not quite done yet either but it's hovering in the B+ / A- range.

American Horror Story - I'm pretty sure this is on Wednesday nights. Wonderfully spooky, with plenty of fuck yeah twists & turns...because they can. I'm curious to see it sustain itself season-by-season. I suspect we'll always look back fondly on this one as the golden age though. FINAL GRADE: A+

America's Next Top Model - All Stars was fucking weird, and the result was ridiculous (as is the show, mind you). Angelea would've been an atrocious pick for the win, Lisa was probably best suited to the prize but on the old side for this to be considered a legit modelling competition (31?), and Allison was a poor pawn dragged along to the end to keep viewers watching. Terrible photoshoots as well...some of the worst in memory. British Invasion has been an improvement, only b/c the Brits injected some great personality into the show. I loved the final four British girls, and I hope Sophie (pal of Emma Watson) takes the cake! I liked Laura...but the last few episodes have made me dislike her as a person. She's a good model though. FINAL GRADE: All Stars - C / British Invasion - TBC?

THURSDAYS
The Office - Just. End It. Not done with the season yet but it's hovering in the C range still.

WEEKENDS
Degrassi - Too many story lines on characters I don't care about. We want more Eli! But psyched for the summer session at least, and good intro of the niners. FINAL GRADE: B

Boardwalk Empire - WTF TO KILLING JIMMY / RUINING THE CHARACTER OF MARGARET? FINAL GRADE: B

The Walking Dead - Finally someone listens to my idea of camping out in a jail. Before that? Slow. Too slow. Too many stupid decisions. The last two episodes boosted this one up though. FINAL GRADE: B+

Homeland - Fantastic show. Would recommend to anyone and still see so much potential without it getting too insane (although less of the flashback / mystery stuff). FINAL GRADE: A+

The Amazing Race - Big disappointment with last season and the snowboarders being turfed. I don't even remember the winner, sigh. This season Major Dave & Rachel deserved the win, hands down. The other two teams were horribly unlikable in the final three. FINAL GRADES: C / B-

Mad Men - Still in session. One of the best seasons ever (and I say that every season) although I'd like a little more creative with my drama please.

Girls - Ditto. Pretty much the funniest thing I've ever seen on TV, ever. Wished everyone watched...really. Sure the girls are spoiled (in real life & the show) but I can't help but connect to so much of it. Love.

The Pitch - Horrible advertising egos? Oh yes I can relate. I'm digging a glimpse into other agency's board rooms, I can say that much.

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting: The Fault In Our Stars

2012-03-09T08:19:00.009-06:00

I'm kind of…dreading…reading YA fiction right now. I'm just. Burnt out on it. And yet I still have a bunch of stuff stacked up to read in that department and it's all feeling a little stale (just like I burnt out on chick lit a few years ago).

Anyway in the last few weeks I've read Julianna Baggot's Pure, which was an interesting, twisty tale about life after a nuclear holocaust with rather pedestrian characters - plus their physicality was so gruesome I didn't really work hard to dreamcast the film.

I also read Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, mostly because I received the third book as a gift of sorts from another blog I write, and I figured I should read the rest of the series. It felt like a horrifically close rip-off of Twilight, which hi, we don't need, but it was sadly better written than Twilight. Angels instead of vampires. Or something. I just started the second book yesterday and I'm kind of dreading it. The one thing I will say for dreamcasting in that case is that chick from The Descendants / Secret Life of an American Teenager, Shailene Woodley, earned the main role of Nora in my head. I think her hair isn't right, but she is lean and leggy so that works. Also, in retrospect, she'd actually make a good candidate for the Jessica Darling movie that's being developed right now.

Anyway the last one I read, which was thankfully not YA Dystopian, was the amazing John Green's The Fault In Our Stars. And since I've dreamcast his last two books (that I've read) on here, it only seemed fitting to cover this one as well.

Hazel - John Green's first female protagonist, who is pretty similar to his male protagonists. I think he only felt comfortable writing her because she is somewhat asexual given her condition - a terminal cancer prognosis. Anyway she needs to be a good mix of spunky and awkward, and after some consideration I landed on Jordan Todosey of Degrassi fame. I MAY have been influenced by the fact Jordy has short hair for her role as a transgender character on Degrassi, but I honestly think she'd be good at this part. WHATTTT! I've found an (old) photo of Jordan donning pretty much Hazel's look (but with more hair). FATE!

Augustus - The star-crossed cancerous lover to Hazel's own story. He's described as athletic and with a crooked smile. I'm sure I could put more effort into casting this role, but around the time I read this I watched the premiere of that new Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) show, Awake, which featured the kid that played Young Jack in Lost / the bully in the American version of Let Me In, Dylan Minnette. Something about him just worked for me, even though he does have a kind of perma-sour look on his face.

Isaac - I pictured a really pasty, kind of chubby-looking kid for this. I don't know if that's accurate because he's all kissy kissy with Monica at the beginning, but that's what I had in my head. As for an actual actor? I couldn't really pick one. This would have to be an unknown. Or maybe the 'half' from Two & A Half Men, Angus T. Jones.

Kaitlyn - Hazel's only friend left from high school, a sophisticated social butterfly that still makes time for her cancerous gal pal. Although probably not the best choice ever, I went with Pretty Little Liars' Sasha Pieterse, who plays the devilish / enigmatic Alison DiLaurentis.

Van Houten - a crazy, large, hyper-cerebral author that writes Hazel and Gus' collective favourite book. I have THE GUY in my head for this…I can see him with sort of big lips, square glasses, a beret, and a vest but I don't know if this is all in my head or if it's a real actor. For the life of me I can't remember where I (may have) seen this actor. So for the time being I'd love to see a comedic actor like Robin Williams really knock this out of the park without it coming across super campy.

So those are your characters + that's my dreamcasting!

- B

All Stars

2012-03-05T09:33:00.000-06:00

All-Star Seasons can generally go one of two ways. One, it's thrilling to see people who aren't super naive come back and play the 'game' right - see: every time a past Survivor player jumps in for another round. Or two, it's awkward and against the entire concept of a show for rewarding a past loser, often with a bigger prize.

The main deciding factor between which type of show you're going to get is based on the nature of the show. If it's something where the game is entirely self-contained, like Survivor, The Amazing Race, or even The Bachelor, it makes sense and actually works to bring people back. But on a show like American Idol or America's Next Top Model…it's weird. Because those shows are meant to be proving grounds / launch points for success *beyond* the show. If you haven't hacked it in the meantime, it's not really 'right' for the show to be the thing that gives you a second shot.

So Project Runway All Stars should technically fall into that second category. And in a lot of ways, it does. But both ANTM & ProjRun haven't produced a calvacade of 'stars', with a few notable exceptions (Christian Siriano anyone?). Arguably the talent level on ProjRun is also much higher, and in many cases the 'right' person doesn't always win on that show (see: the last two seasons).

But still…when I compare the results of last fall's ANTM All Stars to this season's Project Runway, it's like night & day. The photoshoots on ANTM were some of the worst ever, and the outcome was completely jacked up: the fact they actually chose Angelea (as best as the public can tell) is bad enough, that they had to reshoot a false ending weeks before it aired is even worse.

That's not to say Project Runway All Stars doesn't have its issues. It does. Namely, we already understand each designer's point-of-view, so it's hard for them to surprise us (and the judges), but it's also not the contestants' advantage to break out of their box too much. In fact that's been the big trend this season: should I stay or should I go? For the most part it's been the former. And it's kind of refreshing to see each designer's dress walk down the runway and immediately recognize whose it is. But I've also seen so many familiar silhouettes and techniques, it can get a little tiresome.

Compound that with the fact they appear to be setting up Mondo (or possibly, maybe Austin) for the win, as if this whole season was designed to appease the long-outraged fans that Gretchen was handed Mondo's win two seasons ago. I was ambiguous about Mondo until the finale on his original season, truthfully. I didn't like a lot of his designs or his sniping, or his well-timed dramatic reveals re: his HIV+ and such. The whole thing felt a little calculated, and this season he's just coming off super arrogant, and I *still* don't really like this aesthetic all that much. Too busy / cartoony for me, but I suspect the prize package here will be a launching point that could put him into the Christian-like stratosphere.

Who does that leave us with? Well Michael Costello, who conveniently has tagged along this whole time as a confidant for Mondo, and otherwise still hasn't shown much by way of fashion chops (although he's made some pretty clothes). Kenley, who I have a soft spot for and am actually pretty irritated by the judges decision to never give her a first place finish - there were a handful of times I easily thought she should have won or at least been in the Top 3. And Austin, the second-most-likely to steal the throne from Mondo, given the 'foreclosure' set-up in this week's episode and his relatively consistent performance / fan favourite status. He's such a good demonstration of how you can be good TV and not be an arrogant prick (Mondo). Plus the fact they kept him around after one or two hideous offerings shows that someone up there (as in, the Executive Producer table) likes him.

Truthfully I think Mondo and Austin are a lock for the finale…whatever that is…they've never established that the designers will be showing collections or in what context, I assume a private runway show somewhere. It's a toss-up between Michael and Kenley. On the one hand, Michael has won two challenges, and we've never officially seen him do a collection (although his decoy Fashion Week collection was pretty tragic). On the other, the show would hurt a bit to not have any females in the finale, and Kenley has performed on more of a steady-footed plateau versus Michael's zig zag performance.

Anyway altogether I've enjoyed this season. The lack of drama / personal story shiftiness has been eliminated in the shortened episode length, and the weekly challenges have been mostly interesting - although a few were questionably campy. Having a fresh judging panel in place has worked well, although Erin (the host) has been kind of awkwardly cheery. I don't know if it's because of who was on the panel, or if it's because these are All Stars, but I've found the judging to be really refreshing because there are pros and cons to almost every outfit, and they discuss them openly, making it harder to discern who's going home. On the regular show, they've fallen into this pattern of just drilling home the flaws of an outfit, and I appreciate the more balanced critiques. I also love Joanna Coles as the new Tim. She's got this amazingly dry sense of humour and super blunt critiques, so much so that even her encouragement sounds like proclamations. She's got that perfect mix of droll humour and house mother guidance that Tim has taken ownership of…I like her so much more in this capacity than as a judge, although I've enjoyed the one or two times Tim has earned a spot on the judging panel. I actually think that should happen every season (ditto with Jay on ANTM).

Even though the remaining episodes feel like a forgone conclusion, and there isn't the excitement of a fashion week presence, I'm still digging that ProjRun went down this route. I'm not saying doing it often. And I do think the cast was a little lopsided (i.e. I can think of a half-dozen girls I'd have rather seen come back in the place of the ones that were cast / available). But altogether this >>>>ANTM.

Why hello there...

2012-02-14T12:57:00.004-06:00

Whoops. I've definitely been absentee for some time. That's not to say I haven't been a media fiend over the last few months. Quite the opposite. And therefore busy. Anyway here are my top 10 thoughts on media happenings since I last wrote in...gulp...October.

10) Homeland and American Horror Story provided two of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I've had on television in recent memory. If only every year brought such gems to my screen. Oh and I'm still digging Revenge. SO glad I picked that one up.

9) I feel like I've lost a lot of steam for this year's Oscars race. It's probably because I saw all of the movies (except War Horse...I just can't...) as of a few weeks ago, so its been a little anti-climactic since then. I don't feel passionately about any particular film. Midnight in Paris was definitely my favourite, but I know it doesn't have a shot for much beyond best screenplay.

8) Survivor was dissatisfying. The conclusion anyway. I have this weird issue where I secretly root for people like Natalie (Samoa) and Sophie (this last season) but not really expect them to win and then when they're in a position to I regret cheering for them. Coach deserved the win in my opinion. I loved this season altogether, it definitely had some good characters and 'moments', although I'm still not a fan of Redemption and a little tired of back-to-back 'bring 'em back' seasons. I'm glad they're going in a fresh direction this season.

7) I watched both the Golden Globes and the Grammys. Not much to say on either. I thought Emma Stone was best dressed at the GG's and I'm excited she'll (likely) be at the Oscars this year. Adele is a precious flower and like the rest of the world, I'm so happy for her success.

6) New Girl continues to be my new favourite comedy. I still love Modern Family and guffaw on occasion at The Office, but I'm so intrigued by where this show is going...and can go. It just feels like a really fresh take on the 90s 'Friends'-type comedy, although I know other people are toting 'Happy Endings' in that respect.

5) I've read a sh*t ton of books in the last few months, that should come as no surprise. I meant to do some dreamcasting on here. Let's see if I can remember...I found 'The Night Circus' incredibly difficult to cast but I know it's going to be a sensational movie. I think I had someone like Olivia Wilde in there for Celia. I just read 'Before I Go To Sleep' and I thought of Kate Winslet for Christine and Jude Law for Ben.

4) On Whitney Houston: serious tragedy. She clearly needed help for a long time and it's a shame no one was able to give it to her. Between her and Amy Winehouse I hope someone somewhere finds a way to connect with these people. I can only imagine Lindsay Lohan's name showing up next...

3) The Walking Dead. Disappointing season so far, not much improved by this week's mid-season premiere. They need to GTFO the GD farm. Also the scriptwriting still feels awkwardly clunky and expositional.

2) I watched both the Swedish and American versions of 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' in the last few months. The BF was not interested in the American version at all because he felt like he'd seen it all with the serviceable Swedish adaptation. But I have to say, I thought the American version kicked ass. Rooney Mara was superlative, and in my humble opinion, deserving of an Oscar. Perhaps if they make - and sustain the quality level - of all three she'll get rewarded down the road.

1) I'm feeling Project Runway All Stars for the most part. I'll admit there is something problematic with the fact we are seeing style point-of-views that we're already well familiar with, as opposed to seeing what a new crop of designers would have brought to the table. But at the same time it's refreshing to see such ambition, talent, and commitment to said points of view.

0) Oh yes, a bonus post. I'm quite enjoying the new Canadian show The LA Complex. It's from the creators of Degrassi so this should come as no surprise, but I'm finding it surprisingly well-plotted, acted, and paced. I'm so psyched for the actors (particularly Cassie Steele) that its received a US pickup for the summer.

I PROMISE to write back after the Oscars. That is all.

- Britt's On

Project Fail

2011-10-31T10:27:00.019-05:00

Sometimes I wonder - pointlessly - how much my opinions are shaped by reading other users' content regarding some of the pop culture stuff I consume. Granted, I realize I may be doing the same in writing this blog, but whatever. Specifically I'm thinking about the blogs I read regarding some of my favourite reality TV shows - Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Project Runway.

On the latter, I am addicted to Tom And Lorenzo (formerly Project Rungay), which is probably the pre-eminent voice for all things PR. And while I love and appreciate their thoughtful commentary on everything - far beyond Project Runway - I also wonder how different my viewing experience of PR, or The Walking Dead, or Boardwalk Empire, or Mad Men would be if I weren't reading their blog.

This comes on the heels of last week's disappointing (in my mind) finale of Project Runway, where beauty queen / sex scandal Caribbean girl Anya took the grand prize. TLo (as they're known) aren't her biggest fans, and I've been wondering how much of that rubbed off on me. Going into the season I latched onto Anthony Ryan, Laura, and Anya as my three favourites - and indeed, all three made it pretty far into the competition (obviously in Anya's case).

As the season carried on, I fell for Viktor, recognizing that it was unlikely AR or Laura would make it to the end. I saw everyone's finale collections via TLo before the finale, and I liked Viktor's, even moreso once I learned where the prints he was using came from. What blew my mind was that he wasn't even in contention for the top two. It was between Anya and Josh.

I'll concede this. When the judges broke out Viktor's collections into two side-by-side images (which was super cool btw!), I did see the break in his collection. None of his black pieces (save for the mirrored top) really stood out to me before the show, or during it, and based on editing it looks like he actually eliminated some prints in favour of more black shadowy pieces...it could have been that decision that cost him the win quite honestly, because his printed looks were amazing. That dress up above...I'm in love. That would've won me over.

When I saw Josh's collection I was kind of horrified. The outfit with the day-glo lace-up shorts felt like a gay man that bought into every gay man stereotype ever was dressing women in gay pride clothing. I'm not even being a bigot there, I'm just saying...his clothes felt very bizarre, and not in touch with what women would want to wear. I hated the colours, and while I understand the judges' desire to encourage an interesting use of materials, I wasn't attracted to any of them. That being said...he did have very well-made pieces. Which is more than I can say for Anya or Kimberly.

I don't have a ton to say about Kimberly's final collection. There were many pieces I liked that I would probably buy if they were hanging on the rack at H&M, and seeing the collection on television did wonders compared to the photos since she did so many interesting back details. Some of it felt a little poorly made. Some of it was pretty boring. The overall effect was not a show that gave me any sense of progression. Kimberly is very fashionable, but I don't know that she's fashion-forward enough to really hack it. At least not for what this competition is hoping for.

I feel like someone in the editing room was staging a minor protest at Anya's (somewhat) shocking win. They had her confess this wasn't her best work. They had her say a weird little goodbye to Tim that didn't go unnoticed by the other competitors. While some may look at Anya's triumph as an example of self-doubt, any sage fan would look at Anya's clothes, shake their head, and go WTF???? I will say I loved that dress up above though, but that was more a print love than a dress love. In fact when I saw Anya's collection I was reminded a lot of Uli's beautiful Season 3, similarly beachy collection that ultimately lost out to Jeffrey's Japanese ghost story line.

Here's the worst of it all. By casting Josh as the villain all season and having him be the most vocal about Anya's lack of skills in the final episode, AND by having Josh and Anya in the final two, it should have felt like a triumphant moment for good reigning over evil. But it didn't. Who had the better collection? I'm hard-pressed to answer that question. I tend to agree with TLo that were Laura in the finals, she should / would have won. Between the final four I'd still have gone with Viktor, between Anya and Josh, I'd hesitantly tip my hat to Josh. I just don't think Anya's clothes showed any real ideas or growth outside of what she did in the competition and I'm genuinely baffled by the judges decision.

This inspired me to do one last PR exercise. Look at the finals of each season, remember who I wanted to win, who I thought deserved to win, and who actually won. I present to you my findings:

SEASON 1
Who I Wanted To Win: Kara Saun - I was her fan the whole season through. She totally deserved to make it to the end.
Who Deserved To Win: Jay McCarroll - despite liking Kara's collection, I was blown away by Jay, who up until that point hadn't really impressed me.
Who Won: Jay - I was pretty happy with this outcome. I remember feeling a tad letdown that my fave hadn't won, but ultimately happy because Jay's collection was kick ass.

SEASON 2
Who I Wanted To Win: I generally liked Chloe and Daniel V. in equal parts. I had high hopes for Daniel V.
Who Deserved To Win: *Pulls face* Hard question to answer. I didn't like Chloe's final collection, and Daniel's was very low-key (although that jacket above is adorbs). Santino's collection surprised me for being so pretty.
Who Won: Chloe - one of the few seasons where I really didn't care. I wasn't blown away by anyone's finale collection here. I like Chloe though, so that's fine. Her fabrics were just meh.

SEASON 3
Who I Wanted To Win: I genuinely liked all four designers that made it to the finals, but I was rooting for Mycheal Knight and Jeffrey Sebelia.
Who Deserved To Win: Mycheal choked. While I loved many of Laura's pieces, I thought it was a tad one-note and mature overall. Uli's collection was beautiful but she was probably my least fave of the remaining designers (on a season-long basis). Jeffrey FTW!
Who Won: Jeffrey! One of the few times this happened.

SEASON 4
Who I Wanted To Win: Poor Jillian. In any other season she would have sweeped it, but alas, this season was branded the Christian show from day one. I was cheering for her though.
Who Deserved To Win: I guess Christian. His looks were not to my taste or realistic whatsoever, but the dramaaaaaa! There was so much work that went into his looks. He was in it to win it, and he gave a RUNWAY show.
Who Won: Christian. Not surprising, ditto on the fact that he's been as successful as he has been. I loved Jillian's finale collection, but I knew going into this finale it was all but locked up so it was hard to be too disappointed that the wunderkid won.

SEASON 5
Who I Wanted To Win: I was part of the small faction of people rooting for Kenley Collins.
Who Deserved To Win: Really hard for me to say. I think I'd lean towards Korto because I just liked her clothing better, but much like with Jillian / Christian, I saw why they chose Leanne. Although it was a tad one-note in colours and application of her 'petals', it was a stunning show.
Who Won: Leanne - Kenley's collection was definitely the weakest of the three finalists. While I was sad to see her (somewhat) choke, I was pleased to see three solid entries up for the win at the end.

SEASON 6
Who I Wanted To Win: I call this the 'lost season' because I always forget about their unfortunate foray into shooting PR in LA. Anyway. I liked Carol Hannah but knew she had no chance - she was like a poor man's Laura (S3). I was mostly cheering for Althea as the bridesmaid to Irina's bride.
Who Deserved To Win: Meh. Another season where I didn't care much for any of the finalists collections. I felt like Irina's was the poor man's Christian Siriano show. I liked Althea's street chic clothing and what she did with knits (like the green dress above), but it didn't feel like a SHOW, much like Kimberly suffered with this season. Carol Hannah's collection was no good.
Who Won: Irina. Did the judges have a choice? Althea's didn't blow your mind and Carol Hannah's was poorly made and just so...satiny. Irina was smart and did the SHOW.

SEASON 7
Who I Wanted To Win: Seth Aaron Henderson. Did I think he had a shot at winning? Not for a second. He'd been quite under the radar all season, producing consistently good pieces but never being a judges' pet like Mila or Emilio, his fellow finale competitors.
Who Deserved To Win: Seth Aaron. Emilio's collection had a blah colour scheme and his ego just made me dislike him. I was never a fan of Mila's aesthetic, although I did enjoy her sequin gown for the finale.
Who Won: Seth Aaron! The second time my fave person actually won - and deserved it. I suppose the two should go hand in hand. I'm willing to admit not all of my fave designers have wowed me at the end.

SEASON 8
Who I Wanted To Win: Admittedly I got a little tired of Mondo by season's end. His constant praise was a little annoying. But Andy underwhelmed me, and while I loved Gretchen the character, I never liked her designs much. So I was on Team Mondo, fully ready to embrace his inevitable win a la Christian Siriano.
Who Deserved To Win: Mondo Mondo Mondo. His inspiration has been used by MANY a designer since then, and I literally loved almost every single piece he created.
Who Won: Gretchen Jones. I mean. WHAT? Probably the most shocking and hateful win ever. I hated her finale collection. Genuinely hated it. The fabrics, the clothes, the styling - everything was not to my taste. I don't know that I've ever disliked someone's finale collection as much (except for, sadly, Mychael Knight's). A total runway robbery.

So there you have it. The final tally is -

Two Seasons I Was Totally Happy With: 3 & 7 (Jeffrey and Seth Aaron - similar esthetics, so not surprising I gravitated towards them)

Three Seasons I Understood The Outcomes Of: 1 (Jay), 4 (Christian), 5 (Leanne)

Two Seasons I Didn't Care About: 2 (Chloe - I liked her, I just didn't like her collection), 6 (Irina)

Two Seasons The Outcome Royally Pissed Me Off: 8 (Gretchen), 9 (Anya). Yikes...not a good pattern!

Obviously I'm still watching the show. It inspires me, despite the fact many people are ringing the alarm that it isn't the same show it once was when originally conceived. I don't disagree - although T LO has a lot to do with my perception of things - but I still enjoy the show above most other reality competitions.

- Britt's On

Quarter-Season Report Card

2011-10-28T08:11:00.003-05:00

I know. I used to do mid-season report cards, and end of season report cards, but this year I felt the need to comment on the shows I'm watching so far. Just as a point of reference. Because I have some good feelings on some shows, and some bad feelings on others. Anywho.

MONDAYS
GOSSIP GIRL - I mean, it is what it is. The boyf and I often turn to each other and roll our eyes and laugh at the absurdity of this show. I will say this. I like the ongoing Dan / Blair undercurrent, in fact, I like both characters and their storylines this season. I hope they find a way to keep the handsome Prince in the picture, and I'm enjoying Dan finally having an interesting leading story that is (somewhat) legitimate. Serena, Nate, and Chuck all feel sidelined so far, their stories orbiting around non-essentials. Charlie can disappear anytime now, although I'm enjoying that SOMEONE knows she's Ivy. I hope she's gone by season's end though.
Quarter-Season Grade: B

BEING ERICA - Without a doubt, probably one of my most-anticipated shows this year. Typically the only shows I watch on the night they air are results-oriented shows with spoilers, like The Amazing Race and Survivor. But I also try to watch B.E. the night of, just cause I love it so much. However...I'm not disappointed by this season, but the *nature* of this season has Erica taking a backseat to everyone else. While it's fun to get to revisit and learn more about all the secondary characters, I almost miss the lovable screw-up days of Erica circa Season 1. I am still hoping and praying for a season 5!
Quarter-Season Grade: A-

TUESDAYS
PARENTHOOD - I'm a little behind on this show, admittedly. I tend to let the episodes stack up in 2's or 3's and then watch them all at once. So while I know Kristina has had her baby, and I'm pretty sure Joel and Julia are getting Zoey's baby, I haven't WATCHED those episodes. Regardless, this show is consistently good, if a little on the slow side at times given it's a character drama as opposed to a plot-driven drama. That's not a bad thing. I'm SO happy at the return of Jason Rytter (dreammmmy!) and while I'm sad to see Michael B. Jordan leave, I'm curious to see what happens next for Hattie's character.
Quarter-Season Grade: B+

NEW GIRL - Well unfortunately I've only seen three episodes of this season so far, given Fox's commitment to the World Series every year, but from what I've seen, I love this show. I gauge the funniness of a show by the knee-slapping reaction of the bf, and this is by far one of the shows he laughs the hardest at. Looking forward to its return next week.
Quarter-Season Grade: A

THE LITTLE COUPLE - Have I ever talked about this show before? I don't think so. I randomly picked it up a few years ago and have been joyfully following the adventures of little people couple Jen and Bill. This season has been fraught with tension over the delays on their new home build - which they FINALLY moved into last season - but you wouldn't know it with their consistently upbeat, take-charge attitude.
Quarter-Season Grade: A-

RINGER - Amusingly, Go Fug Yourself has been recapping this show. Primarily in terms of the fashion, but in general as well. SMG herself wrote in and explained the show would lighten up and have better fashion in the coming episodes. So good. Cause it's still taking itself way too seriously, and I definitely enjoyed the actors that play Henry and Agent Machatta better in Life Unexpected and Lost respectively (ditto on Buffy for SMG). BUT the show has an amazing way of pulling out some pretty twisty turny jaw-dropping endings each episode. Colour me excited to watch this unlikely tale continue to spin its wild web of lies.
Quarter-Season Grade: B+

WEDNESDAYS
SURVIVOR SOUTH PACIFIC - The producers must have done a happy dance when producing this last week's episode. The number of variables going into the merge are delightfully evil - although I suspect that next week, despite Jeff teasing the contestants, will be the merge given the previews focused only on events that would happen BEFORE the merge. Anyway this has been a pretty choice season so far. We've got loose cannon Brandon on Coach's surprisingly successful and cohesive tribe against Ozzy's martyr-risk by heading to Redemption Island in a last-ditch effort to eliminate hardscrabble fighter Christine from coming back into the game and potentially (although mystifying as to why) joining her old tribe. Beyond that we have scheming Jim, nerdy underdog Cochran, and potential silent assassins in Sophie and Albert. Let the hijinks begin as we roll into the second half of the game, which at this point, really is anyone's game.
Quarter-Season Grade: A

REVENGE - This show is just so...delicious. I mean, salacious would be a more grammatically appropriate choice, but whatever. Madeline Stowe as Victoria Grayson is pretty much the best thing ever, and the OTT writing and constant stream of events is like a darker version of Gossip Girl. It's also fun to root for, yet also be constantly afraid of / for miss Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp). Bonus points for smarmy nerd boy Nolan providing a bit of comic relief, and even though I want to kick him in the teeth, Tyler (Ashton Holmes) is providing a good, surprising, mysterious villain in this whole twisted mess. My theory: he actually doesn't have any money, and HE may be the one to kill Daniel by summer's end. My question? Why Victoria keeps on hiring Ashley as an event planner if her events all go awry! My fear: that this show will run out of tricks in its bag after the rollercoaster ride that is Season 1, a la Desperate Housewives and Pretty Little Liars.
Quarter-Season Grade: A

MODERN FAMILY - No matter whether this show makes an effort to grow its characters or not, at the end of the day I appreciate that they can still, consistently, make me laugh.
Quarter-Season Grade: A

ANTM ALL STARS - This is such a weird season. While it's refreshing to not have girls fretting over their lack of 'skillz', it's bizarre to see them have meltdowns and cause drama when they've all presumably aged a bit and seen how the show will edit them if they have emotional moments. While episode-to-episode eliminations haven't been that exciting (if anything, they seem more arbitrary than ever), the overall guessing game of what the heck makes someone an All Star IS. My early picks: sweetie Laura, fan fave Allison, or dark horse Dominique. I adore Laura and Allison (although curiously both haven't been front and centre much), but in the grand tradition of All Star seasons of any show, I suspect Dom - who was barely memorable from her season - might sneak in for the win. She's had a good showing so far.
Quarter-Season Grade: B

THURSDAYS
THE OFFICE - My own boss and I had a talk about the Office the other day. Andy Bernard isn't doing it for him, and he's not really selling it for me. In short, the show is floundering. End it. Please.
Quarter-Season Grade: C

THE SECRET CIRCLE - What's disappointing to me here is I was actually sold on TSC before Ringer. But as of right now, this show is perilously close to being deleted off my DVR altogether. My main issue? I legitimately do not care about a single person or action happening on the show. That's bad. I know Kevin Williamson has been doing his best at laying on the drama - break-ups! secrets! historical secrets! witch hunters! Grandma super witch! star-crossed lovers! dead 'main' character! double-crossing! murder! But it's all just...too much? I just see myself not being engaged with this show for the long-term. And seeing as how I've picked up potentially a few more series this fall, if I had to do away with an hour, I'd get rid of this one. I'm watching the Halloween episode this weekend and making my final do-or-die call.
Quarter-Season Grade: C-

WEEKENDS
BOARDWALK EMPIRE - this show is still surprisingly funny, and it has provided at least one emotional or plot-based punch every week, but it is still a little on the slow side. I often find myself asking...okay where are we going here? Take for example, Richard Harrow's trip to the woods to conceivably end his life this past episode, that sort of looped back to his reluctant return home. I'm just not sure what the long-term arc is for so many of the characters and plotlines. Although I am loving Margaret, as per usual, and I'm curious to see where Nucky's new Irish footman is going to take them. Altogether I'm just rooting for Nucky...and terrified of Eli.
Quarter-Season Grade: B+

THE WALKING DEAD - There've been some complaints of things slowing down here as well, and I don't disagree. The first two episodes have felt very fixated on a single event, when I'm anxious for the troop to well, keep trouping along. Still, some high-stakes drama between Carl's shooting, Shane's high school zombie nightmare, and the disappearance of Sophia. I said in the first episode that realistically, the kids would have to go, as per Lost having to get rid of Walt. The show's timeline is very, very short and these kids will grow very, very fast. It's hard to hide that. But I'm still so jazzed and scared every time I watch the show so I'm content. For now.
Quarter-Season Grade: A-

HOMELAND - What an interesting, dynamic little show this is. With relatively few sets, they've made this a very wholly realized, frightening, fraught little world filled with interesting characters. I'm ESPECIALLY intrigued by the end of this last episode, with Carrie and Brodie finally speaking on casual terms. What the hell is that going to lead to? An affair? Deep, deep cover spying? It was just a bizarre, surprising ending - amidst many other puzzling plotlines and questions I had. LOVE!
Quarter-Season Grade: A

THE AMAZING RACE - Generally speaking, it's been an interesting season...even though we've been stuck in one location for a few episodes, there's still been travel drama. I'm cheering for the snowboarders all the way!
Quarter-Season Grade: A-

ONCE UPON A TIME - I watched the premiere, mostly because the post-premiere buzz was so strong. General thoughts? I wish modern-day Ginnifer Goodwin wore her hair differently. Everything felt a little forced and OTT. But the premise is neat, and fun, and different from what else is happening on TV. Another show where I wonder what'll happen once these characters 'awaken' - also I'm baffled as to how no one has noticed that no one ages, unless the town is 'invisible' to the public - but I'm willing to give it a four-episode order before making up my mind.

Dreamcasting: Divergent

2011-10-25T08:08:00.003-05:00

This has been the year of the YA dystopian novel for me. I read the entire Hunger Games series, and the first books in the Delirium, Matched, and Divergent series. Luckily I didn't have to dreamcast The Hunger Games - it was announced right around the time I picked them up - but I do think Jennifer Lawrence is a kick-ass choice. If you saw 'Winter's Bone' you'd fully agree that the movie provided a choice audition for Katniss in THG.

Anyway. I never really settled on my heroine for Delirium - the story of a society where love is considered a disease, and teenagers undergo a surgery to remove their capacity for true love. Part of me thought Kat Dennings, but I think she's might be a little old / brassy for the role.

Matched, on the other hand, I settled on Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars pretty early on. In this world, people are matched to who a computer identifies as their ideal romantic match - a better outcome than Delirium, to be sure, but things go awry when Cassia uncovers a flaw in their system. To be honest, there isn't much to the part of Cassia. Unlike some of these other protagonists, she's pretty restrained. Again, Hale might be too old unless the film started shooting ASAP, but I think she'd be good at it.

Divergent is the story of a futuristic Chicago which is divided into five factions, each of which lives, eats, and breathes (quite literally) the guiding values of their society. Sort of Harry Potter on crack. Our protagonist in this instance is Beatrice aka 'Tris', a girl who starts out in the pious, selfless Abnegation faction, but makes a decision to jump ship to the brutal, powerful, violent Dauntless faction. Honestly with all the YA fiction I've read this year, it gets harder to cast these things without falling back on the same 'ol young actors, particularly since this book had a MASSIVE roster of characters. Apparently twenty-something author Veronica Roth has already signed away the movie rights, so we'll see how accurate I am with my picks.

Saoirse Ronan as Tris

Well, Tris is described as 'not beautiful, but striking' with lovely eyes and blonde hair. I actually think Saoirse is quite beautiful...but in a striking, non-traditional kind of way. I see her growing up to fulfill Cate Blanchett type roles. Plus she's got some experience playing a kick-butt chick (see: Hanna), and I think she can master Tris' stiff upper lip but inner fragility.

Thomas Dekker as Four / Tobias

I think this is perfect casting. Thomas is on The CW's 'The Secret Circle' and has a kind of (inexplicably) broody character on there - which is pretty much the primary requisite for Four, the chilly, enigmatic trainer of the Dauntless initiates like Tris.

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Christina

Well I apparently missed the memo that Christina is 'dark-skinned' till about halfway through the book, so I had someone totally different in mind for this part. Once I discovered she's supposedly black, I chose Jessica Parker Kennedy, also from the Secret Circle, pretty much by default. Hollywood doesn't have a ton of young, strong black females that would really be able to fulfill this role - so while JPK is definitely a bit of a cop out owing to her fair complexion, I think she'd be swell at doing the part of Tris' friend justice.

Josh Hutcherson as Will

The least likely to happen, simply because Josh will have his hands tied playing Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games trilogy for the next couple of years. But I needed a blonde, sort of stocky / generic type to join Tris and Christina's band of merry initiates, and Josh worked just fine.

I mean...I had other people in mind for the GIANT cast here. I could tell you my thoughts on Al, the jumbo-sized fifth member of the core group of transfer initiates, or Uriah, the handsome, friendly black Dauntless initiate, or Eric, the hardcore young leader of the Dauntless. But I think many of the roles in this film will go to unknowns, or virtual unknowns - just because I'm familiar with these actors, I doubt the public is (with the exception of maybe Saoirse). Seriously though, casting directors - my casting picks for Tris and Four in Divergent are INSPIRED. Do it.

- Britt's On

What A Score

2011-10-17T13:21:00.013-05:00

I'm a writer by trade. I make a living from it, I think I have four or five blogs including this one, and I've always got some writing project on the go that may perhaps provide a new source of income in the future.

I'm also a Grooveshark addict, constantly making new playlists for various moods and activities. For awhile, I created a playlist I called 'Writing Friendly', because it wasn't chockful of top 40 dance-readyhits (which belong on the 'Shimmy' playlist). In time, that has basically evolved to be songs of the indie rock / alternative / folk persuasion that I tend to favour. It's easily the most generic of my playlists, but it does tend towards a more mellow vibe that I CAN use to write with.

However, more often than not, when I want to buckle down and focus, I actually listen to movie / television scores. The reason is multi-fold. For one, there are no words to focus on and mock or smile at. For another, there is a certain 'creativity' to movie scores that I don't find with classical music - I see what the composer was trying to do in terms of evoking a mood for a film. It's quite powerful without being distracting.

And I'm not bashing classical - I've had many years of playing the piano and the flute (no AP jokes please), and I'm a classically trained singer. Unfortunately, all of that works against me when listening to classical music to focus: I get VERY distracted by picturing how I might figure out the notes to play a song on the piano, and I'm incredibly familiar with say, the top 100 most famous classical tunes. Unfortunately most of the songs I'm most familiar with are songs I've *played* at some point, so I tend to just stop and want to close my eyes and listen. I also realize I sound like a huge tool at this point, so let's move on.

If you haven't listened to scores before, I suggest you give it a whirl on your Grooveshark, Pandora, iTunes, whatever account. Think of a movie or tv show that has a memorable score - stuff like CSI or rom coms with indie rock soundtracks aren't right here. You want things that let orchestral music do the work.

Generally speaking, I gravitate towards pretty orchestral stuff: lots of strings and piano. I almost never listen to the dramatic 'battle scene' type music, but I love the quieter tunes. I generally don't listen to a whole lot of ethnic-influenced scores. They're a little polarizing and distracting, although not as much as big dramatic scores can be.

The more you listen to scores, the more you'll get to know a composer's style. Thomas Newman, my fave score composer and the Susan Lucci of the Best Original Score award at the Oscars, does gorgeous string arrangements punctuated with interesting percussion instruments. If you listen to John Williams 'Home Alone' and 'Harry Potter' scores, you'll hear a similar sense of whimsy and traditional orchestral arrangements. Michael Giacchino's scores are bold, and often use brass instruments to dramatic effect.

Here are a few places for you to start. I do recommend to listening to as much score music as you can get your hands on, then figuring out from there what you love / don't love.

American Beauty & Road To Perdition
by Thomas Newman

It's really a toss-up for me on which score I prefer. Both are genius examples of Thomas Newman's abilities to create an atmosphere for a film. I tend to lean towards Perdition because listening to it instantly takes me not only back to the movie, but to the time period - I can picture Boardwalk Empire and Shawshank Redemption right alongside Tom Hanks' beleaguered Irish mafioso. It's a lot of moody strings and piano wrapping themselves around each other, channeling the dark grey skies and somber felt green suits that dominate the film. I don't even mind the more aggressive, bagpipe-influence tracks. Every time I listen to it, I just crave watching the movie (which is, to be fair, one of my five faves of all time).

American Beauty however, is a stunning albeit overplayed score. The fact is, when any of the tracks are used in other productions (something more commonplace than you might think), it stands out as jarringly wrong - those songs belong to THAT movie. The album is well known for being primarily percussion based, yet incredibly melodic nonetheless (an impressive feat Oscar voters!) Of course, the most infamous song of the bunch is the haunting piano track Any Other Name, played during the plastic bag video scene. This is an example of a distracting score in my books...but I do love listening to it.

Thomas Newman

I've singled out my two favourite scores above, but I'd be remiss not to mention that Thomas Newman in general is fantastic. You can't go wrong. Here's a quick recap of a few of his other notable recent projects in terms of sound and song suggestions:

Little Children - I associate Thomas Newman with Sam Mendes, because they almost always work together, and thus Kate Winslet comes into the picture. This is one of a few times they in fact WERE on the same project, with Newman creating a haunting, simple, string-laden score.
Listen To: Red Bathing Suit - I hear windchimes, whispers, and hints of Newman's greatest hits.

Revolutionary Road - Not my favourite Mendes film, but it's good. I won't argue with that. It's a solid if depressing adaptation of a solid if depressing novel. The score reminds me a bit of Perdition, only simpler. Not lighter. Simpler.
Listen To: The Bright Young Man - NOT the prettiest song on the soundtrack, but the way it balances the pretty harp noises with the jarring, dissonant piano speaks volumes about the atmosphere of the story.

Shawshank Redemption - A dramatic, laborious score with a few quieter moments mixed in. It has a real cinematic quality to it without being too distracting...I feel my heartstrings tug a bit during these ones.
Listen to: Shawshank Redemption (Stoic Theme) - That's just the title of the main theme on my Grooveshark playlist. You want the main theme here. It's very dramatic, but still gorgeous and rich.

WALL-E - One of two notable collaborations with the Pixar wizards, this score mixes techno burbles of happiness with light string arrangements and dramatic kid-friendly stuff.
Listen to: Horizon 12.2 - A perfect mix of techno-infused piano wizardry.
Pay It Forward - I only vaguely recall this movie - about Haley Joel Osmont creating the power of three or whatever in terms of being a do-gooder - but the score is very sweet and simple. Many pieces of the score wouldn't be out of place in some of Newman's other films actually.
Listen to: Gasoline - nice melody, primarily piano based, like most of the score. If you like this, you'll like the rest.

Finding Nemo - Newman's other, and possibly more memorable (if repetitious) score for Pixar is for my fave Pixar film. The score warps as the setting does: surfer tunes, dark action-y tracks, and hero worship string numbers all play a part, but the main theme is used so often and to such great effect, it's equally as heartwarming as the film's story.
Listen to: Nemo Egg - after one listen of this, you'll be able to pick up how often it's used in the film. I think my fave moment is when they're in the whale's mouth. So beautiful.

Lost
By Michael Giacchino

Mendes and Newman. Columbus and Williams. Abrams and Giacchino. Almost every JJ Abrams project has Michael Giacchino at the helm for creating the score, and while I certainly picked up similarities between them once I realized that fact, it's the Lost score that stands out to me. It got a lot of attention for its unique use of actual parts of an airplane to create the first-season score, but as the years went by, the sound evolved. Listen for the dramatic, in-your-face horn sections, the nods to island living, the ability to create suspense during pivotal scenes and character development. And of course, some really beautiful, oft-repeated piano and string melodies used during the series' most memorable montages and final scenes.
Listen to: You have six seasons of material. Listen to as much as possible. I love the Do No Harm (Closing Score).
Note: Michael is also the brains behind the Oscar-winning soundtrack for Pixar's 'Up'. Most of the tunes are very short, very thematically based, but the whimsical main title that channels the love story that unfolds at the beginning of the movie is a pure joy. Listen to it.

Love Actually
by Craig Armstrong

The Love Actually soundtrack is actually a pop-fueled soundtrack that I quite love, but I also especially love Craig Armstrong's notable score: 'Glasgow Love Theme'. You'll recognize it from a few points in the film, most memorably during scenes with Colin Firth's lost in translation love story with Aurelia.

The Notebook
by Aaron Zigman

Despite my love for piano and strings, sometimes a score is a little schlocky, which makes sense if you're scoring a sappy (but beloved) romance like The Notebook. I however, love the Main Title for the film, and actually have the sheet music to play it on piano. Fun fact: the song Ally knows how to play by memory throughout different points of the film - Prelude in E Minor by Chopin - is one of the songs I played for my final piano exam before I gave up studying it. And I still love it to this day, wicked arpeggio in the final section and all.

The Social Network
by Atticus Finch and Trent Reznor

I absolutely love this soundtrack. It's best marked by the somber electro-hum credits track Hand Covers Bruise, but there is plenty of other pulse-pounding (surprisingly so) gems to be found here, with an almost jungle-esque vibe. Unexpected, memorable, complex, beautiful - all the things you want from a movie soundtrack.

Moon Soundtrack
by Clint Mansell

From the opening strains of Clint Mansell's haunting score, you know something's afoot on the aforementioned Moon. In fact, I'd say a good chunk of the film's mind-torturing tension comes from the haunting, eerie score that pops up in a variety of forms throughout, and sticks with you well after the credits. One of the BEST new scores I've heard in the last few years.

- Britt's On

Home Of The Brave

2011-10-17T07:39:00.005-05:00

I picked up another new show. Showtime's Homeland. All too often there seems to be a ton of great American cable TV content that simply isn't available in Canada, and by the time we hear about it, we're many seasons behind (or at least one) and it seems insurmountable to make our way through all of them.

Anyway, we tracked down Homeland, and since we are watching from the beginning, I suspect we'll stick with it - in part because cable TV is just SO frickin' good. Admittedly I was a bit worried about the premise of the show last for many seasons, but we are watching the series unfold in very small chunks of time (I suspect the first season may end when Claire Danes' Carrie's four weeks are up) so I think it'll have legs. And I can see a few possible directions for where it can go.

If you're unfamiliar with the premise, let me fill you in. Damian Lewis plays an American soldier named Nicholas Brody that has been a POW for eight years in Iraq (or some equivalent Middle Eastern country). He's rescued and returned to America, to a life that is confusing and jarringly unfamiliar - his children are grown, his wife has moved on, and the mere thought of facing the public causes him to curl up in the corner of a room.

Claire Danes plays a slightly wild, conspiracy theorist CIA agent that heard from an Iraqi source that an American soldier 'had been turned'. In her quest to bring down the world's number one terrorist, she suspects this turned soldier could be an insider for another mega terrorist attack, and her number one pick for the guilty suspect: Nicholas Brody. And while there is reason for her suspicion, she also comes off a little unbalanced - between her bi-polar meds she takes under the table, her wild-eyed insistence that her complete invasion of this man's private life and the trust of those around her is completely justified, and her nighttime excursions where she pretends to be married but really hooks up with a random dude all make it difficult to fully buy into either person's story.

It's a great cat and mouse game so far, especially since the mouse is unaware there's a cat on him, yet the mouse is also blatantly lying to its fellow mice, leaving the cat also in the dark. I remember thinking that the show reminded me a bit of a more subdued 24 / Alias with its flag-waving American hero premise. And indeed, it's created by the minds behind 24, but it has all the stuff you expect from a cable program: swearing, sex, and violence...and better writing. What's even more fascinating is that it's adapted from an Israeli series, which I can imagine had a very different spin than the 'home of the brave' concept we're getting in two skewed versions: Carrie's dogged determination to not have another 9/11 on her shoulders, and Brody's unwilling role in the spotlight (whether for good or evil) as the white bread family man.

Colour me intrigued, on edge, and excited to carry on watching this new series.

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting: An Abundance of Katherines

2011-10-14T08:00:00.014-05:00

I actually finished this book a week or two ago, but I'm just getting around to dreamcasting for it. I'm on the fence as to whether I'd like to see John Green's work in films. In my opinion, good YA fiction typically gets ruined on the big screen because they are pandering to teenage audiences, when in fact, many (slightly) older folks like myself like them as well.

Anyway. An Abundance of Katherines is a great book. It's much funnier and lighter than Looking for Alaska, but also a tad on the frivolous side as a result. But I did laugh out loud, and that's hard to do. I'm casting five roles for this one, although two are kind of random, and one is probably not right at all based on the age of the character.

The book, for the record, is about a child prodigy named Colin that has just graduated high school and is skeptical about his prospects in college. He also has a habit of only dating girls named Katherine, having had 19 relationships with Katherines over the years. He goes on a road trip with his best friend Hassan, and they end up in a strange little town in Tennessee called Gutshot. The book is about moving on, growing up, and having a eureka! moment.

So here are my picks for An Abundance of Katherines movie casting.

COLIN
I didn't really have someone in mind for Colin, to be honest. He came off as very generic in the book, although some part of me thinks he may have had curly hair, I honestly don't really care. I basically just pictured someone that could play a kind of obnoxious nerd but still be semi-attractive, or else how do you explain the 19 girlfriends? Jesse Eisenberg would have been choice 1 a few years ago, Penn Badgeley would have been number two. They're both too old now though.

Paul Iacono

Best known for playing RJ Berger on The Hard Times of RJ Berger, a sort of American Pie-esque MTV comedy that I actually quite enjoyed when I caught an episode, but it never really went anywhere. Sad face. He looks pretty attractive here, which makes me think he can pull off Colin's nerdiness, but also be good-looking enough to nab a girl (or twenty).

Brendan Robinson

I don't know why I didn't think of Brendan before - ie when I was reading the book - because now, a week after finishing the book, I think he'd be perfect for the part. Brendan plays lovable doormat Lucas on Pretty Little Liars: the nerdy boy you wish the pretty girl would wake up and date already (especially since I suspect Tyler Blackburn, who plays said pretty girl's paramour, is probably off to bigger and better things). He's good at handling the whip-smart dialogue that Colin has, and has a nice neurotic streak, but he's also endearingly sweet and winsome...something that this character really needs.

HASSAN
Colin's best friend is described as Lebanese, overweight, lazy as all hell, a huge fan of Judge Judy, and ultimately a funny, amicable guy. This was SO EASY to cast, it actually probably lent itself well to me thinking the book was as funny as it was.

Jacob Neayem

When I say this was easy to cast, it's only because Degrassi made it so. Jacob Neayem joined the cast this past summer season as Mo, comic relief and frenemy to Sav. He's definitely got Hassan's loudmouth likability and physique down pat. I also know a few Lebanese people and whether Jacob is Lebanese or not, he certainly resembles those I know.

LINDSEY
She's described as 'not so much pretty, but interesting looking'. That's a tall order in Hollywood, unless you're casting Tilda Swinton for a role :) I kid, a lot of the times I DO think - yes, she's not so *pretty*, but interesting. But for teenage stars, not so much. So I went with two girls that I think are pretty, but not va-va-va-voom teenage sexpots. Lindsay is supposed to be cool, smart, chameleon-like, but also a little insecure.

Skyler Day

Apparently Skyler was on that terrible-sounding show 'Gigantic'. I think when I started to read this book, I just happened to watch the first episode of Parenthood where Skyler was introduced as Amy, a love interest for Drew. She sort of stuck in my head as a good person for the part - she's pretty in a girl next door sort of way, which is what I pictured for Lindsey.

Alyson Stoner

Apparently Alyson is a Disney-type actress. I didn't know that. I saw her in Step Up 3D (sigh. yes.), and at one point I pictured the scraggly kid in that film as Colin (no), and then I thought of Alyson as a potential for Lindsey. I think her features a little too exotic to fit Lindsey's sort of white bread aesthetic, but she wouldn't be the worst choice ever. She had a good personality for it, from what I remember.

KATHERINE THE GREAT
When we meet Colin, he's just broken up with Katherine XIX. A bit part, so I didn't give much thought to it, but I know she's blonde. So...

Dakota Fanning

I mean, why not? She's blonde. She does bit parts. She has the sort of innocent eyebatting thing going on that would have attracted Colin in the first place. Sure.

THE MOM
I can't remember the mom's name, but it was a guy's name from what I do remember. This is, of course, the mom of Lindsey, who owns the tampon string factory that pretty much sustains the existence of Gutshot. My choice here was random, and solely fueled by watching The Office.

Kathy Bates

I think she's too old for the part, possibly, but she just made sense as sort of a small-town do-gooder with a tough exterior. Margo Martindale is interchangeable here.

- Britt's On

PS - Reading Chuck Klosterman's 'The Visible Man' at the moment. This will NOT be a book I cast. But it's so good. READ!

Fall TV - Week Three

2011-10-03T07:19:00.002-05:00

Okay well. I watched a few new shows this week, and made decisions about the three shows that were on the bubble for me the previous week. I don't think there are any *new new* shows left for me to watch / assess at this point, but I do plan to pick up 'The Walking Dead' come October 16th. And lordy I am excited for it.

In the meantime...

Pan Am
Hmmmm. Okay I can see why people might like the show. It's a shinier, happier, glossier version of the 60s than what we've been treated to for the past few years on Mad Men. But for me, the realities - the deconstruction of the Camelot era - that's what makes Mad Men tick. I'm not really interested in a saccharine replacement. I also wonder whether the show will have real legs...there's only so much interest on a plane, although I'll admit that Kelli Garner's spy gal twist was fun. I think all of the actresses they cast are lovely and dynamic, but the guys are sadly a little square and flat. I also didn't like the constant use of flashback, which is weird because a show like 'Revenge' uses it in equal portions. Anyway. We decided not to carry on with this. I didn't *mind* the show, but I didn't love it. Another gripe? Mad Men provides a social commentary from a modernist perspective, while Pan Am seems content to let you dive into the 60s - which makes you wonder, why should we care?

Terra Nova
I realllllllllly want to like this show. To the point where I'm still hemming and hawing about taping a second episode tonight, to give it another shot (after last week's premiere we opted not to do so). And there is a lot of cool stuff - the glimpse of the 'modern world' was fascinating and jarring and sad. The age of the kids makes for fun teenage drama, as per the crux of last week's episode with Landon Liboiron's jaunt in the jungle. I find all of the actors relatively interesting and engaging to watch...but something is just stopping me from getting into this. I think it's because it seems like a reallllly action-y show, especially based on the clips of 'weeks to come', and while the show is attempting to draw on the mystique of a jungle-set show like Lost, it seems to have forgotten that the action sequences on Lost were some of the weakest parts of the show. It was the mind games and character back story that made Lost, and right now they don't seem too focused on either with TN. I don't know. I think based on the preview of weeks to come, I might have to skip this one altogether.

Suburgatory
I was on the fence about watching this one. I only happened to do so because I heard positive things after the premiere, and it happened to be on at a random time this weekend when I was home. So I sat through two - LIVE - segments of the show (this is notable because I loathe commercials). And that was enough. In fact it's what inspired my 'Art of Comedy' post from the other day - the recognition that this was what I deemed a 'high camp' show which is not to my taste. Everything just felt a little too exaggerated for me. And it reminded me of Easy A, which in theory is a movie I enjoyed, but in actuality, I found it kind of irritating that Emma Stone's character was the only one with a properly working brain. The same seems true of our Proto-Emma heroine here. A good show is built on the shoulders of more than one character. Just saying.

As for my 'Bubble' shows? I decided to keep 'Ringer' and 'The Secret Circle' on my to-record list. The reason being The CW wisely invested in shows with carry-you-along cliffhangers. I find it a little sad that will all of the new programming out this fall, two of the four shows I picked up are teen-oriented (sort of) shows, but whatever. I find the writing on both shows to be a little jarringly blunt (and dare I say, bad) at times, but I have a lot of questions that I'd like to see answered. At this point I suspect TSC will be around for many years to come, a la Vampire Diaries, but I can't say the same for Ringer.

We decided to drop 'Up All Night' after three episodes. Ultimately I feel like the show is trying too hard - there are these forced little moments that remind me of SNL's desire to have 'that moment' that everyone talks about afterwards. I also feel like Will Arnett is the only attraction for me. Christina Applegate's character is never as funny as she ought to be, and Maya Rudolph's Ava is very one-note (and way too derivative of her typical roles on SNL). Ultimately I just don't think I'll 'miss' this show if I stop watching it - but I think it'll do just fine without my viewership.

Revenge is also a lock for me. I'm a little uncertain about the long-term prospects of the series as Season 1 feels very tightly knit and well-constructed, although oddly a little 'monster of the week' when you look at the first two takedowns. I see Season 1 as a wonderful, self-contained entity (and the writers have promised answers by the end of it) - I just wonder whether they've got Seasons 2, 3, 4, and more planned out as well. I see it as a grown-up 'Pretty Little Liars', along with all the other shows I referenced last week.

Oh and this week was also the Season 4 premiere of Being Erica. The exciting news is that Erin Karpluk (Erica) recently mentioned in an interview that she was looking at this season as if it was her last and just enjoying the ride. Which hints that there is a maybe baby possibility that the show will return for a fifth season, despite the flags waving that have said 'final season' for the last few months. I'm an optimist. Sometimes. Anyway this was another emotionally-charged episode and a surprisingly strong opener (I really didn't like the S2 or S3 premieres) that once again found a way to flip Erica's flashbacks in a fresh new way, with the return of her first patient, the ever creepy Josh (doubly so because he is a DOPPELGANGER of a former coworker of mine). My *only* complaint is that I felt like the costume / make-up people really half-assed it this week in making Erica morph into a 1999 version of herself. They're usually way more 'on' than this, and I felt like this week she looked identical to her 2011 self. Either way, beyond psyched for this show to be back, and it's one of the few (alongside TAR & Survivor) that I will make an effort to watch on the night it airs.

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting: Anna and the French Kiss

2011-10-02T18:44:00.004-05:00

Yay! Another YA book to cast. This time I was pretty limited with my dreamcasting. I generally picked out everyone pretty quickly, and that was that.

If you're unfamiliar with the book, it has a terrible title and a terrible cover. But it's actually a sweet little high school romance story set in - logically - Paris. Anna is the daughter of a Nicholas Sparks-type author who feels the need to validate his wealth by sending his daughter overseas to an American boarding school located in France. While at first, Anna is torn up at missing her senior year at home, including her best friend and a boy she feels she could have loved, she's soon caught up in the romance - and the drama - of her Parisian setting, including her very real feelings for the very off-limits Etienne St. Clair.

So without further ado, here is MY picks for casting the Anna and the French Kiss movie!

Anna Oliphant

Shelley Hennig

Anna is described as being pretty, but I also got the sense that she wasn't too aware of her prettiness. She's a little awkward and shy at times, and I think Shelley Hennig here could rock the part. She's got that approachable prettiness to her, where she's not the 'hot chick' but she's definitely gorgeous. I only know Shelley because I've been watching The Secret Circle, but once I settled on her in my head, I didn't even bother mentally recasting her.

Etienne St. Clair

Aaron Johnson

Ugh there are many actors that would have been great for this part - several years ago. Robert 'Twilight' Pattinson and Ed 'Gossip Girl' Westwick come to mind, as a few examples. I mean, you could put Daniel Radcliffe in here, but I don't know that he's dream boat-y / accessible enough. He's a little intense to play the laid-back St. Clair. Generally speaking most of the guys that came to mind here were too old. I somewhat settled on my go-to boy, Aaron Johnson, because he's British and he's got the curly hair, but really I think they'd be best with casting an unknown for this part.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Believe it or not, both Thomas here and Aaron above were born in the same year (1990). Aaron is the father of two children and engaged to a woman nearly twice his age. TBS here looks just a smidge older than his baby-faced breakout role in Love Actually eight years ago. He might just look too young next to someone like Shelley, but he's got the kind of impish good looks I pictured St. Clair to have. Eh, I'm still saying hire an unknown though.

Meredith

Aly Michalka

I don't care how old Aly Michalka is - she was pretty much Meredith to a tee in terms of description. Tall, athletic, confident, and blonde curly hair. Find a doppelganger that's more age appropriate if she's not available.

Josh
Evan Peters

I know Evan from Kickass and One Tree Hill, and I think he'd be a good choice for the sweet, soulful, but sometimes distant Josh - best friend to St. Clair, boyfriend of Rashmi, and artiste extraordinare. He's just got that broody high school thing going on.

Rashmi

Melinda Shankar

This is where things got tricky for me, because realistically I think you need a hybrid of actresses - or an unknown - to play the part of Rashmi. She's supposed to be East Indian (I'm 90% sure on that one), but she's also supposed to be a sort of glib hipster type, one who takes a little warming up to. Melinda Shankar is my go-to East Indian actress of choice, but she plays a sort of valley girl on Degrassi...I don't know that she could do a dialed-down role like Rashmi. I sort of want her to be cast, but to channel someone like...

Charlyne Yi

Miss Yi is best known for her parts in Juno and Paper Heart (alongside Michael Cera). She definitely has the quirky vibe that I imagine Rashmi to have, but she lacks the bristly confidence that the character needs...and she's Asian, not South Asian. Kind of a problemo.

There are of course, several other minor characters that would need to be cast. Mean girl Amanda, best friend Bridgette, emo boy Toph, etc. - but I feel like they could be pretty much anyone.

- Britt's On

The Art Of Comedy

2011-10-01T11:28:00.002-05:00

Wellll week 2 of my fall TV-palooza has nearly wound down, in fact I don't think I have any other new shows to watch at this point, but I'll probably hold off a day or two before posting my thoughts, because I still have a decision to make on one show.

Whilst shampooing my hair, I started to think about the sitcom, the comedy, the dramedy, whatever you want to call it, and how there are really four distinct styles out there right now...and that not all comedies appeal to all people. In fact, I rhapsodized the other day about why I wasn't watching Two Broke Girls: the particular style just wasn't for me, despite liking the cast and concept. So without further ado, I bring you the four pillars of the modern day comedy.

The 'Setpiece' Comedy - When most people picture comedies, this is what they picture. A finite number of what are clearly sets - familiar spots, missing a fourth wall, and almost comedically well lit with no attention to natural or ambient light. They are of course, the classic definition of a sitcom, but they're also feeling a little dated compared to the other three variations we'll look at today. They're also characterized by laugh tracks (or on occasion, live audiences), pausing to 'play' to the camera, and punchline jokes. Oh, and whenever they do let their actors out into the real world (like Friends' infamous London excursion), they look freakishly different.
Examples: Friends, Two Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly, Home Improvement, and pretty much every comedy made before the year 2000...

The 'Mockumentary' Comedy
This is a style that will probably feel dated (and maybe already is) when we look back in a few decades. Or years. Basically it involves lots of handheld camera work, confessional reality TV-style asides / commentary, and the sense there is another, non-story person in the room. There's also the breaking of the fourth wall, with characters looking into the camera at times. Now, The Office has taken this concept to the extreme. They fully acknowledge they are being filmed for *something*, they wear mics (as per Michael Scott's sweet, simple farewell) - the hook is, we don't know what that is. Other than the show we watch. Modern Family has done sort of a hybrid thing where it does do sidelong interviews, but most of the time they don't speak or react to the camera - it's a subtle difference, but a fresh take on the concept. There are also a handful of shows out there that borrow the cinematic style of a mockumentary (see: Arrested Development, Friday Night Lights) but aren't quite as committed to it as something like The Office.
Examples: The Office, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development.

The 'High Camp' Comedy
Camp isn't necessarily the fairest term to apply to the shows that fall into this variety of comedy, but it's the best I could come up with. Basically every comedy MTV has ever put out falls into this category. The characteristics? Lots of tweaky theme music underneath dialogue, with interjections of the protagonists' self-monologue voiceover. Characters that are more caricatures than anything, and ones that fit into neat little boxes at that. And extremes. Always lots of extremes. Hence the campiness. Now, I'd also throw Glee into this category. Although it's not one to use a single voiceover, it definitely fits the rest of this style of comedy in that it's a very high-spirited, joyful type of funny.
Examples: Awkward, Suburgatory, Glee, Malcolm in the Middle, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Desperate Housewives.

The 'Modern' Sitcom
This is sort of an update of what the original sitcoms were / are. They basically heighten the melodrama of somewhat everyday life, so as not to be too campy, but grounded in some form of reality. They are shot using many of the same techniques as a dramatic program, but they just happen to be really funny instead. The sets are fully realized, the characters don't look into the camera, and there is a lack of accompanying score or voiceover. They are, quite simply, funny shows that just happen. It's interesting because there aren't too many examples of this out there at the moment, and yet I think it's where most comedies will go - the other three are 'concepts' that have been around for awhile now, and it's surprising that it's taken this long to come up with a new, relatively basic one.
Examples: New Girl, Up All Night, Raising Hope

Andddddddd a bonus...

The Dramedy
There are some shows that are really hard to classify. They're too self-aware to classify as strictly drama, but they're too emotional to fall firmly into the comedy category. They are, nine times out of ten, hour-long programs which makes us think they're dramas, but they're so laced with laughs it's really hard to distinguish, clearly, where they fall. They are, almost always, 'modern comedies' in nature. And for the record, I refuse to write down Gossip Girl here because it's not a comedy, it's a parody of itself.
Examples: Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City, The Riches, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nurse Jackie

I should point out that you could argue with me and reclassify these shows I've outlined in a few different places. 'Sex and the City' could fall under High Camp, for example, with its puns and voiceovers and one-note characters. But generally speaking, I think the most successful comedies are the ones that bring a fresh new spin on an existing concept - whether it's a hybrid of multiple styles, or something we've never seen before, chances are, it'll stick.

I tend to gravitate towards the dramedy, modern sitcom, and mockumentary, based on my weekly TV viewing at the moment. I literally can't watch traditional sitcoms anymore, and the 'high camp' concept tends to skew a little younger - note that almost all of those shows are set in high schools. Take a look at your favourite shows, see what you dig, and hopefully it'll help you make smarter TV choices in the future.

- Britt's On

Fall TV - Week Two (almost)

2011-09-27T12:36:00.003-05:00

Okay well...week 2 is over. Almost. See, I haven't watched ABC's 'Pan Am' yet, but I feel like since 99% of my planned week 2 viewing is done, I can report on my findings and thoughts. I have some strong...okay, contemplative...thoughts about what shows I'm drawn to. But I'm still giving MOST shows three weeks.

MONDAY

2 Broke Girls
A show I hadn't really planned to watch, but Entertainment Weekly put it in their top 5 new shows, so I gave it a go. I like Kat Dennings, always have, and this is a perfect role for her. Beth Behrs, the blonde heiress / proto-Paris was also very well cast. She managed to be likable but daft at the same time. I also liked the concept - especially the $$$ counter at the end of the episode. BUT. I don't like sitcommy sitcoms. And this is a VERY sitcommy sitcom - playing to the camera, super obvious sets, gimmicky jokes. So while there was so much to like here, the format just doesn't fly with me.
Survey Says: Sorry girls, but I've already given you the boot. I vowed to only add one, max two comedies to my rotation this year and I know this one won't work for me. Congrats though, you've got a great career ahead of you both.

The Playboy Club
I genuinely liked this show more than I thought I would, however I suspect most of the novelty for me came from having just read "The Bunny Years". Seeing everything come to life - including the legendary 'Bunny Dip' serving move - was really cool. Eddie Cibrian's take on Don Draper was a little eh, but I'm biased because all I can see is SUNSET BEACH when I look at him. Amber Heard is stunning though. But part of choosing whether or not to watch a show is predicting whether or not it's going to stay on air. I HATE picking up shows that get insta-cancelled halfway through a season.
Survey Says: Interestingly, the boyfriend thought this had the most potential of the three dramas we'd watched to that point - The Secret Circle and Ringer being the other two - but I'm not that enthusiastic about carrying on with it. I'll watch last night's episode and probably call it quits from there.

TUESDAY

New Girl
I'm not going to lie. I only programmed in two 'Series Recordings' in my PVR going into this fall season. One of them was 'Ringer', the other was 'New Girl'. I'm a fan of Zooey Deschanel - she has an undeniable likable enviable it factor - and this show is very much a set piece for her as a person, and her as the type of character she clearly feels comfortable playing. I laughed at this show more than any other (save for Modern Family), and I feel like this is the comedy I will continue to watch.
Survey Says: Locked in kids. New Girl gets a pass from being 'on the bubble'.

WEDNESDAY

Modern Family
Lol. I just typed in 'Dude Ranch', as per the season 3 premiere episode title and this photo. Anyway. Tons of laughs, as per usual. Ty Burrell in particular proved his Emmy worthiness, but then again, he is my fave character on the show (although Cameron is a *close* second for me). My only long-term fear for this show, as with most comedies, is that they won't have room to grow. Most comedies die in the last few seasons because you know the punchlines that they love to hammer home, and each of the characters in MoFam definitely have their 'personas' nailed - like Phil, the male cheerleader that's always trying to impress his father-in-law / be a 'cool' dad. Although the boyf pointed out that the kids are still wildcards. We've got places to take them. And as long as the laughs keep coming, I'll keep buying in.
Survey Says: So far, so good. OF COURSE I'M WATCHING.

Revenge
It took me until Saturday to finally watch this show - the story of a socialite that's seemingly new to the Hamptons, but hellbent on revenge - but I have to say, this might be the surprise hit of the fall for me. It hasn't received a ton of buzz going into it, but I genuinely, genuinely enjoyed this show. The actors were all well-cast, and there was a ton of soapy, scary drama brewing. Intrigue abounds on this mix of The OC, Gossip Girl, and Desperate Housewives! Sidenote - it also reminds me of a little-watched show I once enjoyed starring Allison Lohman, called Pasadena. Look it up. I just hope this one fares better.
Survey Says: I'm SUPER tempted to give this one a pass and an official subscription on my DVR. I'm giving it this week to keep me hooked and then it's a go.

THURSDAY
The Office
Something's missing on the Office...aside from Michael Scott, that is. And I'd say, it's a sense of understanding. Namely, understanding what made the show work so well for the first three seasons, and why they're stuck. The camaraderie of the earlier seasons feels broken down in lieu of giving each character their own little bit - Stanley's new 'stuff it up your butt' was horrendously juvenile and awkward, Pam's emotional viewing of sad commercials was just sad, and Andy trying to be a good guy, Michael Scott style, was just bland. There was the occasional giggle, and Robert California's throwaway lines of mystery were a treat, but I really hope they put the show out of its misery. Soon.
Survey Says: I'm in this for the long-haul kittens. Let's end it though soon, k?

SUNDAY

Boardwalk Empire
Nucky's back! You know, as much as people complain about the 'glacial' pace of the show, I have to say that in the recap of last season, a sh*t ton of stuff happened, some of which I forgot about until this week's premiere. There are a whole lot of hot messes unfurling and getting knotted up, and although I've heard this season keeps the same trot-along pace, I'm jazzed to see it happen. I love the actors on this show so much, and the surprising levels of humour more than anything. I got nothing more to say.
Survey Says: Watching it, naysayers be damned. You just gotta be patient! Also I read the book 'Boardwalk Empire' this year. I didn't like it much, but it was neat to have that context when watching the show now.

The Amazing Race 19
I thought this was a solid premiere. Not because the events themselves were that intriguing - although the showgirls' passport moment was crazy - but because the cast is really interesting this year. I already like a lot of the teams. Ethan & Jenna (naturally, although they're longshots to win it all). The snowboarders (pictured above) have cheerful, dopey charm - it worked for the hippies remember! I always love parent / child teams and the father / son adventurers could go far. The NFL player and his wife also seem like strong competitors.
Survey Says: Oh TAR, you know I can't give you up. Not really. I love my buzzy, adrenaline-filled reality shows! And you delivered with a good cast this year.

ROUNDUP

MONDAYS
Dead & Gone
2 Broke Girls
The Playboy Club (pretty much...I'm thinking I must just skip carrying on with it altogether)

TUESDAYS
Locked In
Parenthood
New Girl

On The Bubble
Ringer - here's the thing. I don't find the show that LIKABLE. As in...I don't have an emotional connection to the characters whatsoever. I blame the duplicitous nature of the show's premise. But I DO find the show intriguing. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, it opens up tons of questions, and the cliffhangers make me want to keep on watching. I might extend my thoughts on this show for four or five weeks before making a final decision. It's hard to turn down Baze & Buffy & Richard Alpert.

WEDNESDAYS
Locked In
Modern Family
Survivor
America's Next Top Model

On The Bubble
Revenge
Up All Night - I'm leaning towards losing this one after this week. Will Arnett is consistently the only thing I laugh at, and that's not enough for me...as much as I LOVE me some WillArn. I hope the show continues on though, if only to raise Will's profile and have him get more movie love.

THURSDAYS (ps - remember when Thursdays were awesome? What happened?)
Locked In
The Office

On The Bubble
The Secret Circle - I like the soapy OTT melodramatic teendom that Kevin Williamson so expertly captures. I think the show has a lot of places it could go...but I need to give it another couple of weeks. I still feel a little *old* to be watching the show (despite being a Degrassi nerd hah)...I think right now for me it's a choice between this, Ringer, and Pan Am / Terra Nova, both of which I haven't watched yet.

WEEKENDS
Locked In
Saturday Night Live - I always forget about this one. I was ho hum about the premiere. But you don't want to be the one not watching the show and have everyone talking about that must-see moment that crops up once in awhile. Plus they'll be ramping up the political drama right away!
The Amazing Race
Boardwalk Empire

- Britt's On

Best Workout Tunes - Volume 1

2011-09-24T19:17:00.005-05:00

I've been meaning to write this post forever, because I love music as much as books, computer games, movies, and TV. And I love those things a LOT. Anyway. My boyfriend's work gives you free gym memberships, however we missed last year's cut-off for the year, so we didn't get them until this year...I think we got them *right* at the end of June. This gave me the opportunity to create a workout mix, load up ye ol' iPod Shuffle (because who cares what happens to a six-year-old Shuffle at this point), and sweat to the newbies, and the oldies.

Whilst drafting my mix, I did a bit of searching for ideas to populate my mix with, beyond the 439 songs I currently have on it. There were a lot of classic suggestions - Eye of the Tiger anyone? - but I have to say, I'm pretty happy with my mix.

So I'm going to add my two cents. If you're looking for workout music suggestions, look no further. For now anyway - I've got a lot of great ideas, so this is just volume 1!

My general criteria for good workout music:
- It's got a consistently upbeat tempo (i.e. you're not twiddling your thumbs through a 45-second intro or outro)

- It's distracting enough that you can sometimes forget about the fact the song is 4:38 seconds, and thus you count every. single. second. as you run

- I also love songs that surprise me with some sort of upbeat messaging - not quite as literal as 'I've Got The Powah!' but the chorus of songs like Katy Perry's "Firework", Britney Spears' "(Drop Dead) Beautiful" and Jamiroquai's "Use The Force" are all great examples.

- Of course, you've got to like the artist. If you can't stand Britney as a vocalist - ignoring the fact you might not respect her as a musician - then skip my song suggestions there.

Britney Spears

Are you surprised? I think Entertainment Weekly reviewed her last album with the words "plenty of great tunes for the treadmill" included in there. Her last three albums in particular are goldmines for upbeat, supercharged songs. Here's a quick list of my top ten Britney workout tunes, in no particular order other than my iTunes organizing stuff by album title.
10. Break The Ice (Blackout) - bit of a slower intro, but I adore this song. I dare you not to swivel your hips on the elliptical.
9. Toy Soldier (Blackout) - consistently upbeat. Army theme works well for working out.
8. Womanizer (Circus) - awesome tempo and beat. Fun to sing along to in your head as well.
7. Till The World Ends (Femme Fatale) - electric and pretty much demands a high-level of energy, particularly once the beat kicks into overdrive a minute in.
6. Hold It Against Me (Femme Fatale) - probably one of the fastest songs she's ever done, although weirdly the chorus is a little slower. Still a great one for working out.
5. (Drop Dead) Beautiful (Femme Fatale) - I love when this song comes on. It's all about 'looks' and body image, so you'll definitely feel motivated to give it when the chorus hits.
4. Toxic (In the Zone) - I mean, obviously. String quartet on acid.
3. Me Against The Music Justice Remix (B In the Mix) - For the record, the original is also good, as is the 'In The Zone' Reshi Rich remix.
2. Crazy (Baby One More Time) - you want the 'Stop' Remix here, clearly. Lots of Britney's early stuff is a touch too slow to qualify as good workout tunes, but Crazy is a classic.
1. Selfish or Up 'n' Down (Femme Fatale bonus tracks) - Torn between these two.

Honestly, I have about 25 Brit songs on my overall workout mix. Her stuff is super upbeat and energized, you really can't go wrong.

LMFAO

Interesting story about these guys. I was watching something on my DVR, and caught about 10 seconds of the 'Party Rock Anthem' video while scanning through my playlist. I was kind of intrigued, but thought nothing of it...until I finished watching whatever show it was, and this video was on AGAIN. I sat and watched the whole thing, mesmerized. I literally listened to this song about ten times a day, and I'm STILL not sick of it. What's amazing is it's a relatively pedestrian song. It evokes so many things, yet sounds like nothing. That's good pop music.

Anyway. 'Party Rock Anthem' is a give-in, but if you haven't listened to the boys' album, I literally put the entire thing on my workout playlist. It's all thrummy, bass / electro-driven pop music at its finest. You might prefer some songs to others (I do), but it's all the right tempo for a workout mix.

Black Eyed Peas

A hybrid of Britney's pop and LMFAO's electro-thrumminess, BEP are one of my top, top, top picks for workout music ever. Their lyrics are interesting and distracting if you can focus on them instead of the painnnn, but their tunes are also super fun, upbeat, and easy to sing along to. I have a funny relationship with the Peas when it comes to workout music. The first MP3 player I ever owned was a freebie that held approximately 25 songs, via one of those little cards you put in a digital camera. I loaded up BEP's 'Monkey Business' album plus maybe five other songs. And I guess I found it such a pain, I never bothered RELOADING it, so for the year that I had a gym membership at that time, I listened to that album every. single. session. I now have really bad associations with that album and elliptical machine death, but that won't stop me from giving you 10 picks from the BEP's collection of infectious tunes.

10. Rock That Body (The E.N.D.) - Reminiscent of LMFAO (or vice versa), plus the whole 'rock your body' thing works well for working out.
9. Let's Get Retarded / Restarted (Elephunk) - It takes 30 seconds to kick into high gear, but it goes down in history as one of my fave, super upbeat, hip-shaking Peas songs. Before they remixed it to Restarted. Dammit.
8. Pump It (Monkey Business) - One of the few songs off of 'Monkey Business' I can still listen to without having painful memories of my year of working out and listening to this album. Surfer-tastic.
7. Feel It (Monkey Business) - Although this seriously brings back negative workout memories, the theme of the song is too good not to pass up for a workout mix.
6. I Gotta Feeling (The E.N.D.) - You probably think this song is done to death. And it is, but it makes for a great workout song.
5. Hey Mama (Elephunk) - Get a little reggae booty-shaking going on while you're on the treadmill.
4. Boom Boom Pow (The E.N.D.) - Not my favourite song ever, but the theme of it works well. Try and find a radio edit somewhere without the super long intro!
3. The Time (Dirty Bit) (The Beginning) - To me, the entire 'Beginning' album is a dialed down, over-produced, fuzzy electric disc that seems muted by the overuse of autotune. In fact, their singles have all been kinda ballad-like compared to the high-energy picks off of 'The E.N.D.' The Time's buzzy electro sections are good though.
2. Party All The Time (The E.N.D.) - Man the E.N.D. was jam-packed with good picks, including this alternate riff on 'I Gotta Feeling'.
1. Anything off The E.N.D. bonus disc - I believe it was only packaged with a version of the disc sold at Target, but it may be available on iTunes or the like. They basically included a few b-sides and remixed five of their classic tunes. I have 'Pump It Harder', 'Let's Get Restarted', 'Shut the Phunk Up' and 'Don't Phunk Around' - all high-octane versions of their hits - on my mix.

Basement Jaxx

I love me some BJ. Their stuff is built for working out - the other artists on this particular list are all derivative of Basement Jaxx to some degree. Here's my top 10 picks.
10. Plug It In feat JC Chasez (Kish Kash) - JC doing JT. Great theme for a workout song.
9. Good Luck feat Lisa Kekuala (Kish Kash) - One of my fave BJ songs, period. Starts a little slow, but FULL of swagger.
8. Raindrops (Scars) - One of their more recent singles, full of life and positive energy. The chorus is electrifying.
7. Do Your Thing feat Elliot May (Rooty) - I'm breaking one my rules. It has a long, quiet intro. But few songs will make you feel as upbeat as this one. I love it.
6. Red Alert (Remedy) - The boys worst album imo, was also their first one. But it includes this high-energy gym gem.
5. Where's Your Head At (Rooty) - Another song with a good theme for working out - focus!
4. Cish Cash feat Siouxsie Sioux (Kish Kash) - This song isn't for everyone, but it's definitely one of their most turbo-drive in overdrive songs.
3. Right Here's The Spot feat Meshell Ndegeocello (Kish Kash) - Another good tune about moving your body and shimmying ahoy!
2. Romeo (Rooty) - The first song I ever heard by the boys has a soft spot in my heart. It's full of East Indian-inspired fun.
1. Jus 1 Kiss (Rooty) - I can't get sick of this song. It's a little lower-key and prettier than the rest of these, but it has such a phenomenal beat, I can't not include it.

Lady Gaga

Few artists are better for making you want to get up and go. Plus the huge number of hits she has means endless stuff to sing along to in your head. Here's my top 10 Gaga workout picks.
10. Just Dance (The Fame) - Just dance or just work out? Doesn't matter. Just listen.
9. Telephone (The Fame Monster) - After the lovely harp intro the song kicks it up a few notches, but it's Beyonce's swaggerrific verse that makes this a particularly good pick to workout to.
8. The Fame (The Fame) - Not a single, but easily could have been. It's a little disco, a little 80s, a lotta fun.
7. Born This Way (Born This Way) - Yay title tracks! A positive message and upbeat vibe make this a surefire addition to your workout mix.
6. Americano (Born This Way) - I'm not a big fan of the Born This Way album, as I previously riffed - I felt like a lot of it was retakes of her existing library. But I kind of like Alejandro part 2, the Euro-trashy Americano. It's uber cheesy, but kind of transformative when listening to it as well.
5. Poker Face (The Fame) - Infectious lyrics? Crazy upbeat bassline? Non-stop energy? Sold. Also, the LLG vs. GLG Radio Mix on her remix album is quite good as well.
4. Lovegame (The Fame) - Is it a little slower than others on this list? Sure. But the on & on rhythm works well for the on & on running on a treadmill.
3. Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix) (The Remix) - I was never a big fan of Paparazzi, and I feel like it's a little slow for working out. The Stuart Price remix however does a really nice job of reinventing the song with a sort of melancholy fallen starlet vibe.
2. Bad Romance (The Fame Monster) - Probably the synthesis of everything Gaga has stood for to date, Bad Romance is again, a touch slower than some of my other picks. But Gaga's passion will sell you on pushing harder when doing those tricep dips.
1. Alejandro (The Fame Monster) - Torn between this and another 'Born This Way' track, but this is such a fun, upbeat song I had to include it. As is the 'Sound Of Arrows' remix off her remixed album.

K well, I'm out...but those are fifty songs and five artists with many, many more tunes that what I listed here to get you started. They easily take up the most songs (per artist) on my overall playlist, but stay tuned for some great top 5's from a few others!

- Britt's On

All My Movies: Changeling

2011-09-23T10:52:00.008-05:00

Changeling
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Costarring: Amy Ryan, Michael Kelly
Times Watched: 1
Genre: Drama / Thriller
RT/Metacritic: 62% / 63

Road to Ownership: I think I took advantage of a Blockbuster deal to score four movies for $20 (pre going out of business). This rounded out the bunch.

The Plot: Angelina Jolie is a single mom named Christine Collins, living in the 1920s and working overtime at a switchboard centre as a well-respected manager. One day she takes an extra shift and leaves her son at home. When she returns - he's gone. The cops take their sweet time in sorting out her case, but they eventually deliver good news: they've found her son. The catch? When she picks up her son from the train station...it's NOT her son. The detective assures her it is, tells her that she's simply delirious, and she poses for photos obligingly. But then she starts to gather evidence to prove that in fact, the boy they've brought home really isn't her son, and the cops better keep on looking for him - bringing the media and sympathetic radio listeners on board. What follows is a struggle between Christine being heard, and the detectives getting down to the bottom of the case of her missing son.

The Good & The Bad: I actually watched this movie a few weeks ago and forgot to post about it, but the main thing I have to say is this is soooooo not what I expected. Changeling has some mystical / folklore ties to it, and I was surprised when the movie ended up being a terse historical thriller of sorts. It's incredibly twisty-turny, and oftentimes quite sad and painful to watch, especially since it's based on a true story. It's amazing that this actually didn't happen *that* long ago either. Angelina was perfectly fine in it, and all of the supporting players (including the always awesome Malkovich) were well-cast. Amy Ryan once again proved how incredibly transformative she is as an actress.

I will say that the movie is a tad on the long side. Some parts dragged - painfully so. And there was a relatively inconclusive ending to the whole thing, but that's how these things go I suppose. I genuinely liked it more than I thought I ever would, and I'm surprised at the middling ratings.

Best Scene: Probably the big 'confession' scene towards the end, and the subsequent visit to the farm / digging stuff. Gut-wrenching and shocking.

Worst Scene: Ugh most of the stuff in the asylum was too much for me!

Best Character: I'm partial to John Malkovich's brassy Reverend Briegleb!

Worst Character: Hmmmm no one jumps out at me as being unfit for the film. I'll say the Changeling kid, whoever he was played by. Kind of stiff.

Soundtrack of Our Lives: Eh nothing to say about the soundtrack on this. I think it was all score.

If You Like This You’ll Like: Movies about unwinding a secret / conspiracy - Gone Baby Gone (more Amy Ryan!), Atonement, Mystic River.

Final Grade: 3/5

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting: Skipping A Beat

2011-09-22T14:43:00.003-05:00

Another book down. I read a lot. Did I mention that? And I also like the idea of casting the books I read on digital paper. Because then, maybe, on the off-chance Hollywood picks up one of the books I've read and decides to butcher it with a movie edition (okay, at least POTENTIALLY butcher it) perhaps I can have some influence on the casting. Doubtful. But let's just say the casting of 'Something Borrowed' made my heart bleed, and thus I feel the need to document someway, somewhere, my less-than-important take on book-to-film adaptations.

Today's book was Sarah Pekkanen's 'Skipping A Beat'. As far as I know, there is no movie in the works - yet. But her book had a pretty cinematic quality to it, and it has a relatively consistent following from what I've seen on the interwebs / witnessed firsthand (months and months of waiting to get the SINGLE copy of the book from my city library because there was a giant wait list in front of me). The only tricky part I can see would be the flashbacks, particularly to when the main characters, Michael and Julia, met as teenagers.

The plot, in summation: Michael is a multi-millionaire entrepreneur of a VitaminWater-type company called DrinkUp. His wife Julia is a successful event planner. As the book opens, Michael dies from a heart attack - but is miraculously revived just over four minutes later. When he awakes, he's literally awakened - he decides to give away his fortune, and repent for his sins as a well-to-do, business-obsessed workaholic, including his mistreatment of his wife.

Today's casting of Skipping a Beat will only be for Michael, Julia, and Isabelle - the best friend of Julia, an heiress with a relative heart of gold. Our characters are supposed to be in their 30s - although flashbacks take them to teenagehood and their twenties (which I'm mostly ignoring). They live in Washington. And they're all relatively average looking (by Hollywood va-va-va-voom standards).

MICHAEL

Adrian Grenier
My go-to choice for curly-haired protagonists. The thing I like about Adrian here is he polishes up nice, but also he has that bright-eyed boyish thing going for him. He's 35, which is the exact age of our male anti-hero, making him perfect for the part.

James Franco
I mean. If you had to go for another actor, James might be someone to consider...although I have yet to see him play a convincingly romantic lead, and that's sort of what Michael evolves into post-death (although the portrait painted of him by Julia is less than flattering). He could do the aloof, over-ambitious, didn't-realize-what-I-was-losing thing though. Plus I've seen him with curly hair. He's 33, a tad younger than Michael but still workable.

Ben Affleck
I have my reasons for picking and NOT picking Ben here. I honestly think he'd be fantastic in the role - definitely more subtle in the various shades of the character than the other two actors above could be, BUT my pick for leading lady makes him a longshot to do the film. He's 39, a little old, but still a good choice.

JULIA

Jennifer Garner
I vacillated between many different actresses before landing on J Garn about halfway through the book. Why? Well, Julia is a super conflicted lady. So much so that it defines her character. And no one does fierce-meets-conflicted better than Sydney Bristow I tells you. I feel like she can portray Julia's meek beginnings and sensitive heart mixed with her desire for security and anger at how her life has turned out. Again, she's also a tiny bit old for the part at 38 (and Hollywood loves to tweak the age of characters when taken from books), but I think she'd be perfect for it. Doubly so if she and Ben were co-stars!

Reese Witherspoon
The second person I had in my head for Julia before settling on Jennifer Garner - she fits the Type A event planner / socialite part of the role perfectly...but I don't know that she can do the super conflicted, angry, reluctant side of the role. I feel like she's too sweet for it almost. She would actually be a good Isabelle, if she were willing to do 'the friend' role for a change. She is 35! Right age.

Rachel McAdams
My original pick for Julia, but she was pretty quickly eliminated when I realized this wasn't about a loving relationship suddenly gone awry, but a long-crumbling relationship that had gone sour eons ago. Not really what I picture Rachel doing - too sweet for the role, like Reese. If the story were more sentimental and less complicated, she'd be great for it though.

Isabelle

Zoe Saldana
Yeah, I don't know why. I figured the casting director might want to add some diversity. Isabelle is supposed to be utterly confident but also a little frivolous. I'm not saying Zoe embodies that exactly, and it's not who I ultimately gravitated towards for this role, but she wouldn't be the worst choice EVER.

Christina Hendricks
She's still doing b-role parts right now, so she'd actually be perfect for this. She was who I ended up picturing after the first few chapters...I feel like knowing her as Joan Holloway makes me a little biased to be uncertain that she can't be so prim and proper - you need a gal that's willing to show an uglier side for this part - but I can totally picture her and J Garn laughing it up / loving it up.

There you have it! Another movie cast dreamcasting session down.

- Britt's On

Fall TV - Week One

2011-09-19T06:43:00.004-05:00

I've got a rule around these parts when it comes to jelly-vision watching. Basically, my aim is to watch three episodes of a show (if I can stand it) and make my decision as to whether to continue after that point. After reading EW's Fall TV Preview, a few more shows have made the cut in the last week. Only after my three-episode rule will I have the guts to turf or set up a series recording for anything that isn't part of my regularly scheduled programming.

Without further ado...

TUESDAYS

Ringer
Talk about a premiere trying to do too much...with a more experienced showrunner, the premiere probably would have been a little less ambitious (and would have had way better special FX for the damn boat scene). BUT, it definitely sparked intrigue. I do hope the show learns to gain a sense of humour at some point - right now it's all serious, all the time, which doesn't lend itself well to SMG's considerable talents, along with castmate Kristoffer Polaha.
Survey Says: I stuck with 'Dollhouse' the whole way through out of Buffy nostalgia (granted Joss Whedon was at the helm). I'm giving Ringer three episodes to *keep* me hooked as I'm not sure how this concept will work in the long, long-term.

Parenthood
A solid season premiere, although the last three minutes were cut off cause of stupid America's Got Talent, so I never saw Adam's final decision. I assume he's opening the studio with Crosby though. I'm a tad confused by Kristina's working situation, and irritated by Hattie / Alex in the premiere, but I loved the 'FNL' joke they slipped in. Altogether a promising start to another year with the Braverman clan.
Survey Says: Obviously I'm going to continue watching. I love this show. Plus...Jason Ritter!

WEDNESDAYS

Survivor: South Pacific
Interesting season premiere...Ozzy and Coach coming back are SO different than Rob and Russell. I think there are some potentially great characters among this cast, and again, Ozzy and Coach can be considered liabilities more than Russell or Rob ever was, so I'll be curious to see how this plays out for them. I predict neither one will make the finals, but one of them may make the final episode.
Survey Says: The tribe has spoken, of course I'm watching!

ANTM All Stars
*Pulls face* The season premiere did nothing to dissuade me that an all-star edition of the show was a BAD idea. Why? Well for one, these girls supposedly have careers to fall back on. Top Model works best when it rewards girls who surprise or grow with the competition. We know what these girls are capable of, and if anything, getting eliminated early on in the show may be a bigger hindrance than help to their careers. The whole thing just felt LOUD and overdone and unnecessary...everything felt like it was on warp speed. I actually like the way the characters unfurl on the show normally. I'm not sure how this one'll go...but I'll watch.
Survey Says: I'm the stalwart amongst my friends that still watches this show. I'm not about to quit now.

Up All Night
Surprise! This is one show that sneaked its way into my fall TV preview, after the big glowing article in Entertainment Weekly. I went into it with an open mind - I'm not exactly the target demographic. My main thoughts? Will Arnett is 90% of the reason why I'd watch this show. Christina Applegate's 'smart girl in a world of insane people' one-liners fell kind of flat without character development, and Maya Rudolph's talk-show host was something we've (quite literally) seen before, but still funny. The baby was cute!! I just wonder what kind of legs this show has with only three lead characters...
Survey Says: I'm test-driving three new comedies this Fall - 'Two Broke Girls' and 'New Girl' premiere this week. I'm only willing to take on one, maybe two, new ones...and at this point, I don't know that 'Up All Night' will cut it. An admirable debut though.

THURSDAYS

The Secret Circle
How pretty is this photo? Stunning scene from the pilot episode of CW / Kevin Williamson's new paranormal drama, 'The Secret Circle'. Generally speaking, I liked it. There was a decent amount of intrigue (if slightly overdone in the way Williamson is known for) and Britt Robertson is great. The only way this show will become a casualty at this point - because I see its potential - is if I simply feel overwhelmed with other, more mature programming.
Survey Says: A show with legs beyond the initial 'what happened to the last circle?' conceit. I'm definitely willing to go past the first episode.

SUNDAY

Emmys 2011
Yeah this was a one-off, but it bears some notice:
- Why must every awards show do a musical opening? Kind of boring. Jane Lynch was an okay host, but sometimes her quips felt a little off-colour (like her attack on Tom Cruise. So five years ago). I LOVED her segment on the Mad Men set though.

- I was SO happy with some of the surprise wins. Julie Bowen seemed floored, and I was totally cheering for Ty Burrell (my fave Modern Family member) to take it as well. Melissa McCarthy ascending from 'character actor' to 'best lead actress' was precious. Margo Martindale, who I primarily know as 'Ninah' on 'The Riches' seemed just tickled. And MOST IMPORTANTLY - Kyle Chandler, the beating heart of Friday Night Lights 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose' was finally recognized for his amazing, soul-stirring turn as Coach Taylor. If I didn't talk about the finale before, it's because I watched it on DVD instead of live, week-by-week. It was amazing. I was so happy for Jason Katims to walk away with the writing award, and would have been content with that. But for them to also recognize KC was brilliant. He was so humble and sweet.

- Some great acceptance speeches this year. Ty Burrell, and the Modern Family writer / creators, stand out in particular. I barely fast-forwarded through the speeches.

- Kate Winslet now has an EGO. Not an 'ego', but she's just a 'T' away from the legendary acting quad-fecta of EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Kudos Kate.

- Fashion. Lots of red, which I'm so bored with. I appreciated the pops of colour and there were a few truly stunning choices on the Red Carpet this year. No major disasters.

- Does anyone remember when the Housewives were the talk of the carpet? Oh how the mighty have fallen - not a single Wisteria Lane appearance this year.

- Overall I was fine with the telecast. I would have liked to see Steve Carrell and Connie Britton win their categories, but generally speaking I thought the Emmy voters did a solid, well-rounded job of awarding a very talented bunch of pretty people. Kudos.

- Britt's On

Saying Yes

2011-09-12T08:51:00.006-05:00

So, I've mentioned it before but...I watch 'Say Yes To The Dress'. I used to think it was the stupidest show ever, but blast that TLC, they hook me with their programs in a way few other networks can.

Anyway. There are two (technically three) incarnations of SYTTD now. The original, at New York City's Kleinfeld boutique. The spin-off, set at Brides by Lori in Atlanta. And the new spin-off, which is 'Bridesmaids' and also set at Lori's salon down in Hot-lanta as my friends and I have nicknamed it.

Let's get Bridesmaids out of the way first. It had a short order of episodes to debut this summer - maybe 4 or 5? Generally speaking, I enjoyed it, having been part of the excruciating process of picking out a bridesmaids gown. I think it's something that a larger part of the viewing audience can relate to because there are more bridesmaids than brides. Seriously.

On the flip side, there was less dramatic tension compared to the wedding dress. The budgets of the 'maids was something the brides couldn't be as flexible on as they are with their own dress. And typically only one or two of the bridesmaids, the bride, and maybe one other member of the viewing gallery said anything. But it was fun to see some truly hideous gowns walk out (and in some cases, WIN) - although I wonder if it's bad PR for Lori's salon. Anywho. I wouldn't mind seeing this return to the small screen again.

The debate for me comes from which version of SYTTD is better. I'm going to tip my hand say I probably favour the original more, but there are some things I actually like about the Atlanta incarnation. As for the original?

Well, I think they have a better selection of dresses, plain and simple. And if you (plausibly) watch the show for the pretty gowns, then Kleinfeld is your pick. Plus the budgets tend to be higher here, therefore you get to see even more insane gowns tried on. Pnina dresses are always a treat to see, although I'd never wear one myself.

Secondly, I think they have better consultants in terms of being reality show personalities. I feel like I know these ladies and they're all interesting in their own way. And I heart Randy and Nicole, although the latter has been off on Mat leave so last season was a bit weaker.

Also just generally speaking, the original series has a prettier store. Not saying that Lori's salon looks cheap or anything, but it's hard to beat Kleinfeld's majestic tall ceilings, plush white carpeting, and massive seating / viewing areas. Although Lori's catwalk is cooler than Kleinfeld's little on-the-floor podiums.

As I said. There are things I like about Atlanta. For one, I feel like Lori and Monty are WAY more candid than anyone on the NY incarnation. Sometimes they can be a little nasty and shrill, but I appreciate their honesty.

For another, the brides tend to be younger (oftentimes moreso than me) so I find I can relate to their fashion sense a lot more than the myriad of brides that parade through Kleinfeld. They also have way more reasonable budgets. This is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I like seeing them purchase dresses that are within the realm of possibility for more people. On the other, I like the insane over-the-top extravagance of watching women try on $10,000 or $15,000 dresses. It's like window shopping for me. More often than not, the budget is below $2,000 on Brides by Lori, and the same dresses are often trotted out more than once.

I do appreciate that the alterations department takes up way less time than on the original series - although who knows, the new season could edit down the alterations portion a bit. You literally see one, maybe two sixty-second segments, while on Kleinfeld it can easily eat up five minutes of the show overall. I like seeing the finished product and all, but for me the show is really about buying the dress.

In terms of dislikes, well the consultants aren't nearly as interesting as the NY ones. Robin and Flo are probably the most notable, and while they're all very pretty and sweet and charming, there's no zing like what you get on the original series.

Altogether I'm fully aware the show is totally frivolous. But as a prospective bride-to-be, I've found it very helpful in determining what I do and don't like in a dress in terms of silhouette, details, and PRICE. I'd honestly recommend it for any soon-to-be-engaged gals, and for soon-to-be-shopping-for-a-dress gals. For me it's the equivalent of visiting open houses before you get a real estate agent and shop for a house. It may be silly and overwrought and in some cases, deranged, but in general it's a treat to see dresses on real women to understand what would work best for yourself, instead of flipping through a magazine.

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting: Looking For Alaska

2011-09-09T20:57:00.006-05:00

So I devoured John Green's fantastic YA debut, 'Looking For Alaska' in the last day. And lo and behold, it too is becoming a movie. Interestingly, seeing as how I 'cast' films in my head when reading books, I found this amongst the hardest to picture. About a third of the way through the book, I googled a bit to learn about the movie, see if any casting rumours had been sparked, and so far nothing...although one name from the few and far between fan cast lists I saw did stick with me and served as a very good potential casting choice, even if the movie isn't coming out till 2013. Most of the discussion on casting the movie was back in 2008, so I'm revitalizing it for 2011, since casting likely IS going to happen soon and shooting will happen in 2012. I hope. Interestingly, apparently Josh Schwartz is tied to the project...which would play in well for my number one choice for the titular Alaska.

Anyway. Here's my attempt to cast Looking For Alaska, in terms of the five main characters. The b-characters and authority figures (Mr. Hyde and 'the Eagle') could be SO many different actors, I won't bother.

MILES 'PUDGE' HALTER
Our main character and narrator is a lovable every guy - the type of wallflower that is content to fade into the background because it's easier, but is actually a pretty special person once you discover him. Needs to be tall, skinny, gangly, but also kind of good-looking.

Gahhhhhhh how I struggled with this. All of the skinny gangly types I could think of weren't good-looking enough, or were too old (and thus too bulky at this point). Adam Brody (Seth on the OC) and Penn Badgley (Dan on Gossip Girl) both would have been choice for this five to ten years ago.

Logan Lerman
Well okay. This works. Perfectly actually. I don't know how tall Logan is, I've never seen any of his movies, and I've only heard his voice in a YouTube clip I just Googled...but his look is pretty dead-on to the vaguest of vague images I had in my head. Sort of the boy next door, a sweet, vulnerable face. AND he's the right age - 19, like my primo choice for Alaska.

Justin Kelly
The actor I occasionally settled on casting in my head was Justin Kelly, who is a newcomer to the Degrassi cast this season...which is apparently my main source for 'mining' dreamcasts. Anyway. Jake might be a little beefcake-y to play 'Pudge', but he has the right look from the neck up, and could play a good little boy lost that easily slips into the crowd.

Gaelan Connell
If Hollywood wanted to get real about casting something, then Gaelan Connell would be a great choice. The character he played in "Bandslam" was pretty much Miles Halter to a tee. I'm not sure he's quite 'cute' enough for the role, given uber hot Alaska is supposed to be attracted to him whilst my casting choices for The Colonel and Takumi are both good-looking, but in terms of typecasting, he's totally your guy for the part...getting a bit old though, so act fast Hollywood!

David Henrie
Another actor I have zero experience with (but hey, if they cast Selena Gomez they could be reunited), but one that fits the bill for me physically. He's got that gawk-ward look to him that also reads charrrrrrrming. I'd need to see him act first to make sure he's not too mired in Disney slapstick drama, but watching a clip of him on YouTube he seems like an okay choice.

Matt Prokop
Apparently this kid was in High School Musical 3, which (shame) I have seen...I assume he's one of the newbies they randomly interject for a Degrassi: The Next Generation-style transition, but I don't remember him. Anyway he has the scrawny thing going for him, and he can apparently attract hot chicks if he's dating Modern Family's Sarah Hyland. Who for the record, would be a fabulous Alaska if she had a little more emotional range.

CHIP 'THE COLONEL' MARTIN
The troupe's fearless, overachieving leader with a serious chip on his shoulder. Caustic sense of humor and a passion for revenge, he's also fiercely loyal, protective, and dedicated. Should be short-ish, stocky, and commanding.

You know who I wanted to cast for this? A younger version of Russell Hantz (of Survivor fame), if such an actor existed. Alas...Hollywood, go with an unknown here I think. These are my two prospects for your enjoyment though.

Josh Hutcherson
I've only ever seen Josh in 'The Kids Are All Right' and I liked him well enough. In that movie he was relatively passive so not sure he'll be able to pull off the snarktastic guy in this film, but he has the right 'look' that I had in my head. Unfortunately I think his 'Hunger Games' duties will be keeping him busy for awhile.

Jeremy Sumpter
He played a SERIOUS asshat for a season and a half on Friday Night Lights as the love-to-hate baby-faced QB JD McCoy. That should disqualify him - playing a pretty boy jock type? But it doesn't. Because he was cold, and he had a stiff upper lip, and he was good at making smart cracks, and he's actually pretty small. See, I never necessarily saw The Colonel as a bad-looking dude. I saw him as a square-jawed guy with short(er) man syndrome. Jeremy Sumpter can grit his teeth and stare you down and set his jaw like few others, so I think he could rock this one out.

ALASKA YOUNG
The smokin' hot yet stupidly fucked up want-what-you-can't-have-love-interest in the book. Apparently has a rocking bod, but also needs to be extremely acerbic, dry, confident, and brainy.

A few names floated around in my head until I saw someone else's suggested cast list from years ago. The thing is, the main casting choice - the easiest one for me to picture - would actually still work in terms of age.

Willa Holland
Some keen eyes might recognize Miss Holland from her stints on The OC and Gossip Girl (both Josh Schwartz productions). At first I was like 'NO!' when I thought of her for the part...then I was like, actually yes. She's got the skinny / curvy body described in the book, and she's definitely good at playing a bit of a fucked up drama queen. The thing about Alaska is she's never entirely likable or stable in the book - but you WANT to love her, and I feel like Willa would do a bang-up job of portraying her brassy sentimentality. She's only 19-ish right now so she could totally film it in the next year and pass for seventeen.

Maiara Walsh
Seeing double? Yeah, Maiara Walsh is pretty much Willa Holland's doppelganger. So if she's not available, cast Maiara, she'll be fine enough. I've seen her on Desperate Housewives where she played a pretty thankless role as Gabby's niece. It was more of a self-entitled princess role, but she has the right 'look' - I'm sure she can pull of Alaska's complex smart-tortured-girl vibe. Willa's still my first choice though.

Aly Michalka
Aly played an awesome, mostly likable 'bad' girl in Easy A and Bandslam - I particularly liked the interesting level of gravitas she super surprisingly brought to the latter. She might be a tad old to play Alaska, but I think she'd be good at playing the bad/good/crazy/smart/dreamy/feminist multi-dimensional heroine.

TAKUMI HIKOHITO
I believe Takumi is supposed to be Japanese, although in the racist traditions of Hollywood, any Asian'll do (Hi, 'Memoirs of a Geisha'). He should be kind of laid-back and cool, and imminently likable if a little quiet.

My go-to 'Asian' at the moment is pictured below. I know. I'm as racist as Hollywood, given Shannon here is not from Japan (I feel like he's from somewhere really bizarre like South Africa), but he's a stone cold fox, and therefore I want to see him on my screen as much as possible.

Shannon Kook-Chun
See above. Shannon Kook-Chung is mesmerizing and downright dreamy on-screen. He might be a little too zen to play Takumi, who has this sorta slacker vibe circa John Cho in 'American Pie', but I think he'd make a good fifth wheel for the fab five that feature heavily in the plot.

Leonardo Nam
Quite frankly, Nam is too old at this point, but he sprung to mind while reading the book for his portrayal of Brian McBrian in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films - a character I felt was quite similar to Takumi. So whoever the next Leonardo Nam is, if Shannon Kook-Chung is unavailable, I nominate you.

LARA BUTERSKAYA
A tricky one as she's described as a Romanian immigrant student who, up until a few years ago, didn't speak a lick of English. All of her dialogue is modified to including soft "i's" so she speaks leek theese. She is supposed to be very beautiful and have 'perky breasts', so I picture a gal who looks doll-like, as most beautiful Russian girls do. The hard part will be to find a girl who can do a subtle accent without sounding too fluidly American, or too cheesily faux Romanian a la Shannon Elizabeth in the Pie films. Since I've never seen any of these actors portray someone with a faux accent, I'm picking them for looks alone!

Lucy Hale
This is ultimately who I pictured as Lara, as per her doll-like features. She plays a good flirty wisp of a girl on Pretty Little Liars and I think she could nail the awkwardness, aloofness, but also sweetness of Lara.

Selena Gomez
True story. I've never actually seen Selena ACT in anything - only appear on many red carpets and talk shows. Sure she's actually a quarter Mexican as opposed to Eastern European, but if she can possibly portray Charlotte York, surely she can do a Romanian girl. The main motivation here is I see a resemblance between her and Mila Kunis, who actually is from Russia.

Nina Dobrev
I like how one of the more minor characters has so many options. Anyway, Nina Dobrev is a no-brainer because she's actually Bulgarian, which is close enough to Romanian in my books. I haven't watched her on the Vampire Diaries but she's got that sort of vacant sweetness with a touch of fiery flirtiness (on Degrassi) that this role requires.

Hmmmmmmm well we'll see how Hollywood decides to fuck this one up. I really sincerely vouch for Willa Holland above all others on this list. I can't imagine another actress more suited to the part that's actually of the right age, and I hope some lovely casting director out there stumbles upon this and heeds my warning! Don't. Fuck. This. Movie. Up. Thanks.

- Britt's On

Fall Lineup

2011-09-08T07:21:00.006-05:00

I feel a little lost without my 'Fall TV Preview' of Entertainment Weekly...which I HOPE is in my mailbox when I get home tonight...a week late. F*ckin Canadian mail system / EW not printing anywhere North of the border. LAME. Anyway I took it upon myself to jot down a list of fall TV viewing that I'm planning to partake in. I added nary a show to my viewing last year, aside from short-season cable TV programs like The Walking Dead (AMC) and Boardwalk Empire (HBO).

This year, however, the networks have wizened up and pulled out ALL the stops in getting me to watch a few of their new programs - bringing in hot stars from the silver and small screens alike and fresh new high-concept plots. Below is a preview of what I'm planning to tune into - at least for the first episode - this fall. And lordy it's a LONG LIST.

Mondays

The Playboy Club (NBC) - Premieres September 19th
There have been two buzzy 1960s Mad Men wannabes on the network's schedules for this year - the Playboy Club is probably a fair bit less promoted. I'm not 100% sold to be honest. We saw a glimpse of the legendary bunnies on Mad Men and that felt like enough for more. Also I'd feel a little lascivious to say I'm an avid fan of the show, I mostly feel like it's fueling the Hefner marketing machine. I may check out the premiere though.

Terra Nova (FOX) - Premieres September 26th
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts about this one. It's been mired in production issues, and dragged out for years past its original planned premiere date. However! It features a Degrassi alum (Landon Liboiron, above), has Stephen Spielberg attached, and promises to be pretty high-concept when it's not doing the action sequence thing. I'll at least do the premiere of this one for sure.

Gossip Girl (CW) - Premieres September 26th
Seriously, how cute is this picture? Granted two of the stars in it aren't returning as regularly billed cast members this season - Jenny and Vanessa - but they will be back in guest spots. Sidenote, why does Eric never get any love in the cast photos / promos? I mean, I know he looks like he's permanently 10 years old, but really. Anyway the beat goes on with this one. Not looking forward to the actress that played Charlie joining the cast - I found her acting very awkward - but hoping for some more Blair & Dan non-romance sparks to fly.

Being Erica (CBC) - September 26th
I LOVE BEING ERICA. Having watched the first 3 seasons on Netflix in 30 days, I'm all kinds of excited but also sad for the final farewell to our plucky heroine, Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk). This is one of my top to-watch shows this fall...I can't even imagine having to wait from episode to episode now.

Hart of Dixie (CW) - September 26th
Man CW is really shaking things up this year. A doctor drama? A show starring someone over the age of 30? Anyway I thought this show looked supremely lame, and it still might be...but it also has the potential to be a slice of small-town heaven, which has been sorely missing from the CW's glossier productions of the last few years. I'm uncertain as to whether Rachel Bilson can be a leading lady - she has yet to 'own' anything she's been in, including the final near-solo-lady season on The OC - but I'm curious to check out the premiere of this one. The CW has a habit of yanking shows though (LUX!), so I'm wary.

TUESDAYS

Parenthood (NBC) - September 13th
Looks like we're fast-forwarding a bit on Parenthood, given the state of Christina's swollen belly in this screen grab. I'm okay with that for the most part, given the show has always fudged around with their timeline (what grade are the Braverman children in anyway?), and I don't know that I wanted to see a season of Amber trying to figure out her life, Jasmine and Crosby trying to forgive, and Christina complaining of backaches. I'd rather see the wounds after they've somewhat healed, so altogether, I'm JAZZED for this new season.

Ringer (CW) - September 13th
SMG is a lucky gal to have such a massive fan base. Here's hoping she's doing the right thing with it by getting us all to tune into her promisingly twisty dark drama premiering, oddly, on the CW in a week. Entertainment Weekly made it sound interesting enough, although I'm still a tad concerned about the fact CBS pushed it from their slate onto their little sister network...but c'mon, they've got Christoffer Polaha (last seen as the dreamy screw-up Baze on Life Unexpected) and Nestor Carbonell (last seen as the dreamy demi-god Richard Alpert on Lost) PLUS BUFFY. Sold.

New Girl (FOX) - September 20th
The thing I've been consistently hearing about Zooey Deschanel's new hipster rom com sitcom is that if you like her, you'll like the show. Generally speaking I like Zooey and I'm curious to see what she does on the small screen. That's it that's all.

WEDNESDAYS

Survivor South Pacific (CBS) - September 14th
I'd heard there were former cast members returning again this season - guess it's a guaranteed ratings booster - but I didn't know who they were until today. Ozzy, possibly the greatest physical player of the game ever, but also the cockiest. And Coach, possibly the greatest 'character' of the game ever, but also the most naive. Quite frankly, I'm psyched to see them back, although not so much with the return of Redemption Island. Interesting sidenote - a relative of Russell Hantz's is on the show, and I thought it might be a cool future incarnation to have friends / family compete that know former legendary contestants. Parvati's mom! Russell's wife! Coconut phone Shane's pride & joy kid! Anyway, count me in for another season o'Probst.

ANTM All Stars (CW) - September 14th
The 'All Stars' concept seems a little weird for ANTM, given it's a show where virtually any contestant - if a truly bona fide model contender - should have been able to find work afterwards. Also aging is a major factor here...regardless, Tyra's tired show could use a little kick in the pants, even if it's mostly for the sake of bringing back the best / most memorable 'characters' (read: lots of house bitches) instead of the best potential models.

The X-Factor (FOX) - September 21st
I gave up on American Idol after Season 3, which is weird, cause Fantasia was a respectable winner...at the time. When I heard Simon Cowell's other, self-developed show was making its way across the pond I figured I'd give it a shot for at least Season 1. I do enjoy singing competitions, I just got tired of Idol. Here's hoping X Factor can give the Fox juggernaut a run for its off-key money.

Modern Family (ABC) - September 21st
Not much to say on this one. I ploughed through Season 1 and the first half of Season 2 in approximately six weeks. Many thought S2 paled a bit to S1 but the happy blur of them both has me psyched for Season 3.

THURSDAYS

The Secret Circle (CW) - September 15th
Over the last few years I've *tried* to pick up several CW series, including 90210, Hellcats, and the Vampire Diaries. But none of them appealed to me by halfway through the premiere - in fact I didn't even get through the full premiere of any of them. I'm only going to (attempt to) tune into The Secret Circle because Britt Robertson from Life Unexpected is starring in it, and she's interesting. I'd like to see her do well.

The Office (NBC) - September 22nd
It's been awfully quiet when it comes to promoting the 9th season of the sans Michael Scott version of The Office. I was never a Michael Scott fan, really, but I feel like he was the glue that held the premise's wacky concept together. I suspect this season will be like any show that loses a major star - dismal - and I hope it gets put to bed sooner rather than later. I'd like to see it go this year.

WEEKENDS

Boardwalk Empire (HBO) - September 25th
Another show that kept me warm and entertained last winter (having caught up during an HBO marathon), I'm quite excited to see the return of Nucky & co. I feel like they've got their joints warmed up...now I'd like to see them explode some of the groundwork laid in Season 1.

Pan Am (ABC) - September 25th
Probably the most hyped up show of the fall TV season, as ABC's entre into the Mad Men 60's drama. Not sure that planes have the same 'glam' factor as ad campaigns, but I feel like I at least need to tune into the premiere here and see what they can do with a cable-type concept.

The Amazing Race 19 (CBS) - September 25th
I'm a little tired of TAR to be honest. I think we all are. They've never been as good as Survivor at creating characters and drama, and some of the pieces that made the earlier seasons so insanely addictive and water cooler-worthy - like crazy flight advantages, fast forwards, and ridiculously long road blocks - have been turfed. But I'll tune in again. It's habit.

The Walking Dead (AMC) - October 16th
Hm, it seems my Sundays will be primo TV nights if all goes well. I'm beyond excited to see the return of AMC's breakout zombie hit from last year. Seriously, every week was like a terror-inducing movie...I can't wait to see what they can do with it this year, and a full(er) order of episodes.

Yowza. If I watch all this shiz, I'm going to have to start curling weights during them so I don't become a total couch potato. Still, SUPER EXCITED for the return of Fall TV, even if it puts a damper on doing anything else, ever.

- Britt's On

Good Luck To The Grads!

2011-09-02T08:00:00.005-05:00

Last night was the finale of the second summer o' Degrassi, and our final glimpse of this year's grade 12 class. Although...I recall hearing from Stephen Stohn (one of the show's creators) / Kary's Degrassi Blog that there was still a 'one-hour special' that will air this fall as sort of a send-off to these characters, similar to how we said goodbye to Jane, Spinner, Manny, Emma, and Jay a year ago with the New York movie. I certainly hope that's true, because it felt like these last few episodes were about highlighting the future grade 12's as opposed to saying goodbye to the current cast.

In terms of a review of the overall half-season, I think the show did one thing way better than last year, and one thing I have mixed feelings about. The way better comes from the way they integrated characters into secondary plots. It's something the original series did really well ("Hey, there's Yik and Tessa talking in the hallway!") but the current incarnation has always struggled with - you generally only saw characters when it was 'their week' (or episode, as it were). By bringing in the characters / having them create atmosphere, it allowed us to further their character development and remind us of how they fit in within the school. Great example? Jenna's one-liner at Marisol and Katie's presidential debate, regarding Marisol and KC's affair. Great reminder of one of the season's best plots, and how it didn't just end with their break-up.

In terms of the not-so-great? I have mixed feelings about the direction the show is moving in - to long-term plotlines. Degrassi is a short and sweet little show that in the past, gave you half an hour to 'get' a story, and sometimes left things unresolved. Now they're doing more long-form plots - to the point where every character this summer had one, if slightly meandering, plot line. This means if you don't like someone's plot, they're pretty much a write-off for the season. Also Degrassi has such a huge cast, it felt like the pushes forward in each character's plot were sometimes totally out of nowhere / you'd kind of forgotten, etc. etc. Not that the original format didn't suffer from weird plot inconsistencies. Degrassi is just a really weird show for that I guess. The main reason why this has cropped up in my mind is reading the Degrassi Blog this summer, I noted that each person really had one, and only one story, other than minor involvement in secondary plots. It never felt like that before, and I'm not sure what to make of it...it made for a slightly slower summer, admittedly.

Anyway! Back to the grads. This batch has a special place in my heart because they are the last of the 'crossover' characters that interacted with the original cast members, having arrived in season 7 with the Lakehurst / Degrassi merger. Except Chante, who has been on the show since what...season 5? 6? and probably should have graduated a year or two ago. Anyway. I really liked these kids, and I felt like they did a good job of growing them and giving them interesting plotlines all around.

Everyone knows by this point that I think Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) is all kinds of awesome. I don't know that she loves being 'famous' all that much, and I've heard she's off taking journalism at Ryerson, so I'm skeptical that she'll go the Hollywood route, despite being a fantastic actress and probably my most to-be-missed characters on the show. I loved her original 'Mean Girl' role when she first joined the cast, but I also appreciated that she grew up and became an ambitious, mature, respectable character.

Chante (Jajube Mandeila)? Well, she never had a major plotline, like, ever. She had a b-plot that one time, getting Principal Snake to listen to the students...and I half-expected her to lead an end-of-season revolution to BRING BACK REGULAR CLOTHES! But kudos to Degrassi for sticking to their guns, because really, the uniforms only came into play 'half a school year' ago. There's no way they'd scrap them that easy. Anyway, I don't have much to say about Chante. Really. I don't.

As for Anya, I generally liked Samantha Munro's portrayal of a ditzy, clueless, but sweet, lost girl. They finally made her grow up and get interesting in the last couple of months, and it's sad that her development ends here - but again, thumbs up to the writers for giving her a little rebellious streak that made sense with all of her plotlines. I actually enjoyed the Ownya (Owen & Anya) relationship as well. He is a 'type' of guy I think every girl knows, and they made their 'haters gonna hate' relationship work well. It'd be neat if next season they did a 'long-distance relationship' thing with the two of them, because they haven't really to this point. Neater still if something terrible happened to Anya. Not in a sadistic way, mind you, but in a "how much does this relationship mean?" way.

Sav (Raymond Ablack) kind of fizzled out, mostly because his primary castmates graduated the previous year, and he had no real friends in his grade. So they hinged the bulk of his storyline on Holly J until their inevitable break-up, and then he disappeared, only to reappear for Ally's runaway plot and his bizarre, awkward romance with Mrs. Oh. The addition of Moe gave him a friend in the final episodes, and made him interesting again imo - Sav works well with other actors - but otherwise kind of an unmemorable character post-Studz. I hope he makes an appearance here and there given Ally's still kicking around.

Riley / Zane. Well, Zane's not part of the Lakehurst crew, but I LOVE him just the same. I seriously hope Shannon Kook-Chung goes to Hollywood as I find him mesmerizing on-screen. Unfortunately the two of these characters were buried in gay-land tales, instead of getting to participate in other, non-sexuality related plotlines, so their departure (especially since their surprising break-up) isn't that sad to me, other than I'll miss the rare occasions they let Zane appear in an episode. I wish them well as they ride into the Brokeback Mountain sunset at 'Eastern U'.

As for next season? We've got some new niners. When I think back to S8 (cited by many as one of the worst evarrr), aka the last time we had new grade 9's, I do cringe at the immaturity of some of the plotlines - like Connor and KC fighting over a pre-makeover Clare. I hope the producers learned their lesson and can come up with a way to make us fall in love with these kids the way we have with those former grade 9's, who are now about to join grade 11. When they graduate? Man that'll be tragic. The new crop of grade 12's are actually ALL new characters that joined in the last year, so I'm not quite as attached to them (Eli!). But the grade 11 class, at this rate, by the time they graduate we'll have been with them for about 5 years of television time. So maybe that'll be the time to hang up the Degrassi hat and say farewell to the show? Doubtful, as they're masters at introducing new characters and continuing on the awesomeness, but we'll see.

- Britt's On

Darling Dilemma

2011-08-31T09:48:00.011-05:00

One of my allllllllll-time favourite book series is the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. I read 'Sloppy Firsts' and 'Second Helpings' back in my angsty teenage days and was so moved by them, I emailed Megan to thank her for writihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifng the books, and actually received a really lovely reply that I've buried in my emaihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifl account to this day.

One of the questions I asked in that email was why the book hadn't been made into a movie or TV series. Oh naive me. Looking back, and thinking about how Hollywood has a tendency to BUTCHER book adaptations (at least 50% of the time), do I really want them to make a movie? Urgh, well in light of the terrible potential Sex and the City prequel casting, I'm a little apprehensive about seeing Notso and friends appear on screen.

Megan, for her part, has been spreading the word by asking fans to vote for who they'd like to see in the semi-iconic roles of Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie. The thing is, these books have been released over the last decade, so many of the actors and actresses that I (and fellow readers) have maybe once considered are probably wayyy too old now.

I went to a movie camp one summer, and this guy there was a dead ringer for Marcus in my head. He had red hair, just not in dreadlocks, and he was good-looking in that ruffian, artistic kind of way. Seeing as how he is not an actor (that I know of) and I have no clue what his name is, or for that matter, the fact this happened nearly a decade ago and therefore he is ALSO too old, it's time to move onto other prospects.

I gave a haphazard answer on the Megan-post on Facebook about who I'd cast in the Sloppy Firsts movie, but now I'm trying to think a little harder. My main criteria for each character:

Jessica:
- Needs to LOOK young. None of this twenty-five-year-old playing a seventeen-year-old business (ahem, guess that counts me out).
- Needs to embody the 'everywoman' in terms of facial beauty. This is why I'd love to cast someone from Degrassi - the people on there just look normal. I don't want goddam Emma Roberts invading my screen for this.
- Ideally lanky in frame, although petite would work also. Va-va-va-voom curves are out.
- Needs to be able to carry off the whip-smart personality of our girl Jessica. No cutesy pandering to cameras, a la most Hollywood starlets.

Marcus
- Needs to be interesting looking, the type of guy that not all girls will immediately admit they're attracted to
- Again, ideally lanky in frame - not a muscular guy
- Slightly more okay with him looking mature (based on his reputation of being a dropout of sorts) - although depends on the actress he's paired with.
- Needs to have a very expressive face. Marcus is such a complex character - you always get the sense there is WAY more going on behind his eyes, just by the way Jessica describes his mannerisms, and the actor that takes on the role needs to be able to capture someone who is smart yet also a tad emotionally unavailable / chameleon-like.

Now. Ideally I think this film would cast some unknowns because what I've just described there doesn't describe very many people...at all...in Hollywood. But I'm going to try.

Saoirse Ronan
This photo of Saoirse makes me think she'd be an amazing Jessica Darling. She has an everygirl beauty about her, but her eyes really make her pop and stand out a little - much as I pictured Jessica. She's definitely got the long, lanky frame, and as an actress, from what I've seen her in, I think she can tackle Jessica's mix of self-assuredness yet also pull off her reactions when she gets hurt / has a wake-up call. She did a solid job at being an American in 'The Lovely Bones' so I think she could do this.

Ashley Rickards
A lot of people on Megan's Facebook discussion topic picked out Ashley Rickards, who I first encountered on One Tree Hill. I think she's definitely got the right personality - snarktastic to the nth degree - and her everygirl looks are pretty dead on. I'm a little worried this role might be too close to what she's currently doing on 'Awkward' - an outsider that has a surprisingly good grasp on navigating the social sharks of high school. Maybe that's not a bad thing? I wouldn't be disappointed if she got the role really.

Hailee Steinfeld
I just considered Hailee as of this morning. It's a really tough call for me though, because she's only been in True Grit, and really...that's not much of an audition for the role of Jessica Darling, other than the fact she held her own on screen with a very experienced, male-dominated cast. I'm not sure how she'd handle the petulant teenage role. And she's a touch young...but if the movie weren't being made for a year or two? I feel like she's got a sweet kind of pretty and as of right now, the right body type...hm.

Jamie Bell
THIS is what I'm talking about when I say Marcus should have an interesting, good-looking quality to him. Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot, once upon a time) is not a ripped Prince Charming type. He has an impish quality that I always associated with Marcus. Now obviously, he would not be a good fit for someone like Hailee. He'd need an actress that's a little closer to his own age. But I think he's a solid contender.

Aaron Johnson
He came off a little weasely-voiced (given he's a Briton) in Kick Ass, but from a looks standpoint alone I think AJ here would be a fantasmic choice for Marcus. He is riveting to watch on-screen, has that charming smirk down pat, and is able to embody the nuances of a character incredibly well (see: his portrayal of a young, complicated John Lennon in 'Nowhere Boy').

Tyler Blackburn
The numero uno pick for Marcus that I saw on MM's Facebook wall. As someone that watches Pretty Little Liars, I don't disagree - his role as Caleb, the burnout cell phone hacker with abandonment issues works as a great audition tape for Marcus. He's a little too pretty and a little too wooden as an actor to fully make him my dream choice, but again, wouldn't be disappointed / surprised if he got the part. He can work a smoldering bad boy eye.

Munro Chambers
It's incredibly difficult for me to picture Degrassi's Munro Chambers without his trademark dark emo-cut and guy-liner, but from an acting standpoint alone, he would be a phenomenal choice. He is easily one of the most winsome young male actors I've seen on the screen in forever, and his role as Eli - manipulative, hot & cold, passionate, independent - is a fantastic foundation for playing Marcus. However, Munro is known to be a short guy, and Jessica is known to be a tall character...can it work? Hm.

Paul Dano
Believe it or not, Paul Dano is actually 26 already, which makes him probably too old to play Marcus, although I think he has an interesting look that would work for the part. I've only seen him in Little Miss Sunshine where he played a mostly mute role, but his ability to win you over in that film with little more than facial expressions proves he's still a potential dreamcast member

Hmmm...I need to think more. Hollywood is rife with young starlets, but few that I'd even remotely consider for the part. That being said, the b-cast members, man the possibilities are endless!

- Britt's On

Dreamcasting

2011-08-23T08:36:00.016-05:00

I just finished the second book in 'The Carrie Diaries' series - Candace Bushnell's YA look at Carrie Bradshaw BEFORE she was Carrie Bradshaw. If you're not familiar, the first book took place in Carrie's small town, in her final year of high school. This book covered Carrie's first summer in New York, where she's a temporary resident attending a writing program, contemplating whether University is really the right place for her come fall.

For people expecting a carbon copy of the bits and bobs of origins that the TV show covered - LOOK ELSEWHERE. There are tons of anachronisms that will probably irritate or confuse most diehard Sex and the City fans...like say, how Carrie lost her virginity, or what her family life was like. As an example, apparently in this world, she had sisters!!! Carrie always screamed only child to me so this was shocking.

Regardless, I would genuinely be interested in seeing the books come to the big screen. Or even the small screen. I'm not sure how well it would go over because they're set in the 80s and you can tell Bushnell is longing to make her characters appealing to the modern reader, but thankfully she doesn't pull a Francine Pascal and time warp her characters to be modern but un-aged. I talked before about my casting choice for Carrie, but after reading this book I now have picks for the young 'un versions of the fab four.

Playing the part of Carrie Bradshaw...

Degrassi's Charlotte Arnold

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Charlotte Arnold would be a phenom choice to play Carrie. She's got similar enough looks / voice to SJP, and she's a great, endearing actress. I don't know that she'd actually do it since she seems pretty focused on her journalism schooling, but I imagine if the opportunity came up, she'd take it.

Playing Samantha Jones:

Glee's Dianna Agron

Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones

I'm not a huge Glee fan whatsoever, but I've caught a couple of episodes, and for some reason Dianna Agron popped into my head while reading this book. She's supposed to be older, confident, street smart, and snappy in the book - but also with a tinge of vulnerability. I think Dianna would be an awesome choice to embody all of that, plus I see a bit of resemblance with her and Kim!

And now onto Miranda Hobbes...

Parenthood's Sarah Ramos

Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes

I had to think about this one a lot before landing on Sarah Ramos, who is a wonderful actor on NBC's Parenthood. Once I thought of her - it clicked! She's got the ability to have that sort of tough sneer that Miranda has, but also to be hilariously caustic. And I think based on the maturity level of the characters, Sarah has a great ability to come off as both a know-it-all and know-nothing. Again, there's enough of a resemblance between her and Cynthia Nixon that I could see it working.

Finally Charlotte York, who only has a bit part...

Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester

Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt

Another character I didn't give much thought to because I didn't even expect to see her in the books, but I think Leighton Meester would do a fine job with it, even if she's a touch older than the other girls. The brand of comedy typically used for Charlotte-centric scenes is very campy, and that's exactly what Leighton employs on Gossip Girl. She'd have to tone down her manipulative girl bit and go for a more airy, less self-assured gal though.

NOW. I did google ideas for casting Charlotte when I wrote this post - Leighton came from a list of the hottest stars under 25 - and was surprised to see the prequel has been green lit (not sure if it's the original C Diaries or the latest book). No official casting news has been made, but the four rumored potential starlets for consideration are...

Carrie - Elizabeth Olsen
Lizzie Olsen (yes, of the Olsen dynasty) is about to make her feature film debut, and has been making a splash on red carpet as the more sane, relatable member of the clan. In a picture like this, I can see the resemblance, however I need to see the girl act before I can gauge whether she can embody SJP's punny, brassy take on the everywoman Carrie.

Miranda - Emma Roberts
I find this a really odd choice. Nothing Emma Roberts' has done has impressed me to date, and her on-screen persona is more indie dreamgirl waif than tempestuous activist / feminist. I also don't see a huge resemblance between her and Cynthia Nixon at all.

Samantha - Blake Lively
I mean...really? I have Blake burnout at this point. And this is totally the wrong role for her. Blake's whole thing is this irresistible, indecipherable charm / coquettishness - and Samantha's whole thing is bold, upfront, I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT. Maybe it's from years of watching Serena on Gossip Girl waffle on just about everything, but I find this one really hard to envision from both an acting and even a physical point of view.

Charlotte - Selena Gomez
This is BY FAR the weirdest rumored choice of all. No offense to Selena, but her doll-ish ethnic-flavoured looks are not matched to Kristin Davis' WASP appearance at ALL. Granted she's barely in the film (in theory) but if they go with Gomez because of her tween popularity I'm officially calling this prequel a fail.

Seeing this potential foursome makes me think a prequel will be an epic fail. Not saying my casting is perfect - Leighton is too old I think - but it's definitely more inventive than what Hollywood can come up with. Leave it to the big wigs to pick the four prettiest starlets they can find, when part of what made the original show so appealing was that the stars really did look like your gal pals, or women on the street (albeit with crazy styling), with different body types. The actresses I picked celebrate each woman's key features without downright re-envisioning them as glam, size zero starlets. Sigh.

- Britt's On

Are You Listening?

2011-08-17T10:03:00.003-05:00

So we're more than halfway through Degrassi's summer season, and while I'm enjoying it and clamouring for the next episode the second the one I'm watching is done...something feels off about it and I can't put my finger on what. I actually like what they're doing with the season, and I've thought all of the storylines have been good apt choices, and I appreciate that they're not neatly (or ambiguously) wrapped up in 22 minutes...but what is it? Maybe that there is a certain level of inevitability to most of the storylines? Or all the previews online kinda spoil a lot of the drama? Or that there isn't this insane level of buzz that surrounded the show the first time they did the 24 episode summer? I'm debating.

Either way, thinking about Degrassi and Project Runway - my two fave summer TV fixes, along with Pretty Little Liars - inspired me to look back at two posts I wrote about last year in regards to stuff these shows had (surprisingly) not tackled yet.

The Degrassi post touched on issues I was surprised weren't that prevalent in this incarnation of the Degrassi-verse. Here's a quick rundown of what I said, and what Degrassi has or hasn't done about it:
- Adoption: Came up in a big way this season with Holly J's increasing health worries. I appreciated that they put a very tricky, sticky human life element into the story...but I also feel like Holly J's health issues have overshadowed the turmoil of emotions she should be experiencing right now. Consider Wheels' downward spiral in the original Degrassi compared to Holly J's laissez-faire "Well I'm still reeling, but I need a kidney so whatever." There's no family drama to be seen - it's all health-based.

- Suicide: I listened to a Stephen Stohn interview while making dinner one night and he explained the discrepancy here. First, he didn't think the way they handled Claude in the original series was the best storyline, and I agree - the show wrapped up shortly after that episode if I recall so there was a lack of reverb (particularly for Kaitlin). Second, they were worried about copycat situations in real life. Third, and this was skirted around, they don't want to kill off a character the fans are invested in. Obviously Eli would make the most sense at this point, but can you imagine the Eclare hysteria??? HOWEVER. I suspect that if Eli is scooped up by a US network at some point, he'll be the one to carry the suicide storyline.

- He Said, She Said: I'd say to a degree this has happened with Clare and Eli, although Adam seems to be doing fine straddling their collective friendships. There has been a big focus on "I heard you..." between the two of them, Jake, Katie, Imogen, etc.

- Duelling Exes: Underway with Eli and Jake. Weird - I'm feeling like the Degrassi people read this blog lol.

- Interracial Dating Tension: This is sort of happening with Alli and Dave right now, however it's more about Dave as a person versus Dave's 'race'. But the Bandari household is a copout for this plotline - we've seen seasons worth of material regarding Sav not being able to date who he wants to date.

- Aboriginal: Still no aboriginal characters, which is a shame. Like I said before though, I see why the show is probably super hesitant to dip their toe in this - from a political and a story-relevance-based point.

- School Cheating: Still nothing major here, which is so weird to me. Oldest trick in the book I say, and I can't think of a single major example of this being pulled off effectively. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Season 4 of One Tree Hill had a cheating storyline as a major plot point, and they did it well.

- Depression: Eli was on anti-anxiety (codename for depression?) drugs this season. I'll give the writers credit there.

- Stalking: Imogen seems to be a borderline stalker / psychopath so far, which I appreciate. I like that she's in the school versus an outsider, like Darcy's temporary stalker.

- Uppers & Downers: Ummm hm. Anya's cocaine addiction is similar, but not directly tied to this plot point.

Now I also wrote a post about Project Runway challenges I was surprised they'd never done.

The only piece of advice they heeded from me was...oddly...fitness wear. Except it was 'active wear' for Heidi's Amazon.com line, and it was really moreso loungewear. Not stuff you'd actually work out in, but might run around town in, or wear post-gym while grabbing a carton of milk on your way home.

I still think my other ideas were awesome. And the season is still young, but I doubt I'll see any of them come to fruition. I also thought the other day about designing tennis dresses! It harkens back to the practical-meets-fashion requirements of designing a skating costume of one of the earlier seasons, but tennis wear is KNOWN to be super innovative and interesting and downright trendsetting. Having Anna K or Maria Sharapova or one of the Williams sisters in the house would make for an interesting judging panel.

Now to brainstorm a dozen other ideas for Degrassi to steal...use...in Season 11!

- Britt's On