Tuesday, June 28, 2011

This Just In: Party Down movie in the works?

According to Punchline Magazine, Rob Thomas is hoping to rekindle the Party Down magic.  What's great about this is that there's not a specific filming deadline for TV airtime, so it can be worked around the cast's schedules.  What can also work for this movie is that it was just getting started.  People were just beginning to turn in.  There were endless formulas for these characters because they interact with so many different people each episode.  They don't have to interact with just each other.  In other words, it's still fresh, so an added movie would only be welcome.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Voice: Week 9

Semifinals are here!

As predicted, Vicci, Nakia, Casey, and Javier have been saved.



Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Voice: Week 8

Told you. Beverly and Frenchie made it through. And Dia and XENIA (Who I wanted to get through)!

Team CeeLo
Tori and Taylor Thompson
The Ts dominated with their tight harmonies, highly reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters themselves, performed "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," one of my favorite songs! They were entertaining and damn-near flawless. But there were a few hiccups along the way, in which they went out of synch and possible stumbled on the lyrics at one point. Tori, the younger one and the blonde, seems to be the less professional. I think she's the one who stumbles. But the other is there to save it.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Music to look forward to in 2011

If you haven't already bought The Pierces' You & I, do so immediately. The Pierces have begun to take over the music scene all over the world, starting with Britain. Their vintage sound recreates the glory of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I can't recommend them enough. They're smart, sassy, and ethereal.

Fairport Convention has also released an album Festival Bell that rings true with British Folk. They sometimes can veer off and sound more rock, but here they've produced an album that sounds more folk than possibly anything they've done. It's a beauty.

The Greencards' The Brick Album will be released June 21.

Folk Queen Gillian Welch will release an album The Harrow and the Harvest on June 28. Expect greatness in traditional sound, complete with covers of old folk tunes and self-penned genius.

Dolly Parton's new album Better Day will be out June 28.

Sinead O'Connor will release the album Home September 5, much to my eagerness.

And hopefully we'll see Malinky's album out this year. It's been a long time coming.

Feminist Feature: Warehouse of Women

Warehouse 13 was surely considered female-centric in its first season, but the second season was considerably more so, and I'd say even feminist.  The addition of Helena "H.G." Wells, played by Jaime Murray, as a recurring cast member was a wonderful idea.  Her character is complex and mysterious.  Her motives for her actions were understandable and clear in the end, and I felt so bad for her.  I hope one day she'll return to the Warehouse under more trustworthy terms. H.G.'s like X-Men's Mystique: unpredictable, mysterious, sly, and dangerous but with misunderstood good intentions carried out in unfathomable and militant ways.  She must have been a hit, and the SyFy network must have loved her because she will be starring in a Warehouse 13 spin-off, revolving around her life prior to being bronzed by the Warehouse agents.  Steampunk goodness awaits!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mortal Kombat: Legacy

So I've told you about Mortal Kombat: Legacy before.  I watched the first episode when it debuted, and it was amazing.  And I totally missed out on the rest of the episodes, so I had to catch up.  Let me tell you: they are gloriously realistic.  There's one episode left, episode 9, and I already want another season.  You can find all episodes here on youtube.  Linked is the first episode for you to watch.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Awesome Movie Highlight: X-Men First Class


X-Men: First Class serves as a prequel, in a way, to the first three X-Men movies.  And it's just as good, if not better, than X2, the best of the three originals.  I think I even like it better than Thor, which was my favorite superhero movie until First Class arrived.  I'm not one to compare to the comics or book because I'll end up being disappointed.  Let's face it: movies are no longer original; they are adaptations of comics or novels.  I like to separate the mediums.  First Class succeeds in its goal of making a fantastic movie, based on the X-Men comics.  It takes X-Men from many generations and incorporates them into this First Class.  I give it an 8 out of 10.  Do not read ahead if you don't want spoilers.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Voice: A Reality Show I'll Watch

I'm not a fan of reality shows....at all.  I watched the first four American Idols and then I realized that most of them are awful and American voters for the show were tweens and teens obssessed with the people they see.  It was never about talent.  It was always about: can this person sell based on their look?

The Voice is entirely different.  I had to catch up after the first three shows because I didn't want to watch it.  I refuse to support stupidity and terrible writing.  People should be on TV for being good at something worthwhile being good at.  Right?  So what kept me watching The Voice?  The judges have great connections with the contestants and with each other.  It makes for a fun watch.  The judges work one on one with them, lending them their expertise.  It's not just waiting until the last minute.  The judges know the contestant's strengths and help build them.  Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green, and Adam Levine are especially great together and are all hilarious.  But then there's the mess that's Christina Aguilera.

Feminist Feature: Esquire's Sexism

Esquire Magazine recently ran a list of 75 Books Every Man Should Read.  Seventy-four of those were by males, Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find (of course) being the only female work.  (They did state, though, that their list was "utterly biased," in their defense.)  Why O'Connor and not Margaret Atwood?  Don't get me wrong: Esquire is promoting reading!  That's a good thing, right?  But I'd rather they promote gender equality as well; this is not to say have 50/50 gender split.  That in itself would be discriminating...and as retaliation Jezebel released their list for women, including three men...just as discriminating.  Good job on the war front, ladies.  All that should matter is that a book is stellar.  The author's biological makeup should contribute nothing to the quality of writing.  As fellow blogger Sally said, "I'm amazed, though, that To Kill a Mockingbird wouldn't be on there because it belongs on any Must Read List, regardless of gender."  It's true.