The Best Show Most People Aren't Watching: Reign

I love history. However, even after countless classes and a degree later, it is - almost - impossible to be an expert in every single aspect of our complex and varied past. Therefore, I can easily say that I am no expert on French/Scottish history or of the reigns of Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots. Thus, I have no idea exactly all the ways the television show Reign, airing Thursdays on the CW, are inaccurate. I know the big stuff: Sebastian (Bash), Francis' half brother did not exist. Francis and Mary were only married for less than two years. Mary's friends/ladies were all named Mary and did not have the varied back stories and personalities depicted on the show.  However, what's so great about Reign is that I don't care. The show captures something much more important; it gets to the root of what these characters would do and feel if transported back into Francis' French court. Yes, the clothes - though beautiful - are not historically accurate, but all the characters face the portrayed challenges and relationships as 16th century people not 21st century people, as it would have been so easy for the producers to do. Love triangles are not drawn out, people actually stay married, and one gets to watch the complicated chess match that is ruling a country.

Which 'Reign' Character Are You?

More on Reign.Created by BuddyTV

Happy 10 years, Supernatural!

CW's (or when it first premiered on September 13, 2005 it was then the WB network) "Supernatural" use to be my favorite show. I would come home from class, sit in my college dorm room, tell everyone to go away, and watch every week. I knew every episode would be good: a little scary, a little funny, or a little emotional. I trusted  that the production team, namely the writers, knew what they were doing. We shared this connection for four years - until there were angels, story lines that went nowhere, and overly complicated mythology. There were still great episodes, but they were few and far between. I was just about ready to finally give up the show until the finale of season nine, Do You Believe in Miracles, and then once again I had to know what happened next. So, while "Supernatural" will probably never be my favorite show again, here's a look back at all the best episodes - in my opinion.

1. The Pilot - Season One
2. A Very Supernatural Christmas - Season Three
3. In My Time of Dying - Season Two - The first time they killed off a main character and the viewer had no idea what was going to happen next.
4. Faith - Season One - the turning point.
5. What Is and What Should Never Be - Season Two
6. Lazarus Rising - Season Four - Last consistently great episode.
7. Mystery Spot - Season Three
8.  Devil's Trap - Season One
9. No Rest for the Wicked - Season Three
10. Nightshifter - Season Two
11. Skin - Season One
12. Bad Day at Black Rock - Season Three
13. Sex and Violence - Season Four
14. Born Under a Bad Sign - Season Two
15. All Hell Breaks Loose - Season Two
16. Home - Season One
17. Exile on Main Street - Season Six
18. Tall Tales - Season Two
19. After School Special - Season Four
20. Crossroad Blues - Season Two
21. Yellow Fever - Season Four
22. Jump the Shark - Season Four
23. Weekend at Bobby's - Season Six
24. Bitten - Season Eight
25. Croatoan - Season Two
26. Changing Channels - Season Five
27. Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie - Season Seven
28. In the Beginning - Season Four
29. Bad Boys - Season Seven
30. Do You Believe in Miracles? - Season Nine

Things I Would Tell My 18 Year Old Self...

Things I Would Tell My 18 Year-Old Self...

Today, marking a few days past from my ten year anniversary of graduating high school, I started to think of things I would have told myself back then if I could. Here goes...

1. Go to school where you want to live. Recommendations and the relationships you make in college do not help very much when you live hundreds of miles away. 
2. Take more risks. There is no greater time to fail then when you are 18 without any real entanglements. It gets harder to run away to Europe when you have student loans to repay, rent, car payments...
3.  Travel! I studied abroad for a semester, and I loved it. It is the single best decision I have done with my life thus far. I wish I had stayed another semester! There is no better way to learn about yourself, then when you are thousands of miles away from anyone that has ever known you. 
4. Save money. This is mostly so again you can travel, but also for practical things like buying your first apartment. I wasted so much money on DVDs and food and things I don't even remember.
5.  Enjoy college, but remember what to take seriously and what not to. Have fun! This is the only time in your life you can do almost what you want with very few responsibilities, as well as take a bunch of interesting courses just because you want to and can. However, FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I really wish I went to school in New York or London and majored in something to do with television writing.

Book Con, The Fault in Our Stars, The 100

The Book Con (New York, New York)

A couple of months ago, I found out that there was going to be a Book Convention at the Javits Center at the end of May and I couldn't have been more excited. The previous October I had had the opportunity to go to the New York Comic Con, also at the Javits Center, and while it was fun, I thought it was going to be more like the San Diego Comic Con (geared more towards film and television) and less about, well, comics.  In any case, books have always been a passion of mine and I thought this would be a great chance to celebrate that.

It wasn't.

I'll give it to the organizers that this has been the first Book Con ever in existence. However, that still doesn't excuse the disorganized chaos that was Book Con. First off, there were way, way to many people. For some reason Book Con was crammed in the same space as the Book Expo so you had thousands of people, trying to get to the same places. I could barely see the exhibition tables and when it was time to try and get some author signatures there was literally a non moving herd of people blocking all exits. I heard the Fire Marshall was called at one point. I'm not surprised; because the space was so small there was no place to line people up. Also, while workers said they would not take anyone more than five minutes ahead of time, if you did that the author line became sold out by the time you came back. So, people wait around an hour or a half hour prior to the time of their favorite authors' autograph time. In a giant cluster. Needless to say, I did not get any autographs that day and we decided to move on to the panels. That was another mess. Again, there was not enough space to hold people, and it was hard to find rooms or where to stand, and even though there were signs saying not to line up more than an hour before panels, people did anyway. A lot of people had to be turned away, and if I didn't wait on line 2 hours before the Fault in Our Stars panel I wouldn't have seen anything that day.

I'll give it another go next year. Hopefully, the organizers will figure it out.

The Fault in Our Stars
I really enjoyed the novel by John Green and I was looking forward to the film version. I had been promised by the author that they had gotten in right and that it would be a faithful adaption to the novel. And I suppose it was, the characters felt the same, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, did excellent jobs, but there still felt like something was missing. Whether is was the rushed ending, or the feeling on the big screen that Gus was just too good of a guy I did not walk away from the film feeling anything other than that it was ok. Still, I did not appreciate the smirks of my fellow movie theatre co-workers mocking the, I'll admit it, mostly teenage girls coming out of the film crying. I love it when audiences get passionate about what they are seeing, going to the movies to me is an event, something to get into and discuss. Furthermore, it bothers me that so-called "Chick Flicks" always get a bad rap, and are almost always never taken seriously, even when they make millions of revenue.

The 100
I started watching this show on a whim, seeing as I love almost all things YA, and this looked like an awesome Falling Skies meets Lost sorta of premise. Like the thousands of dystopian novels and television shows copycats before it (Star-Crossed and Tomorrow People premiered on the same network in the same year), I was not assuming much from it. Instead, The 100 has turned into an action packed thriller, filled with rich characters that one can never know what to expect from. I'm glad that next season the CW has decided to keep the season shorter (it only had 13 episodes in its first season) so the show keeps its fast paced story telling. I'm looking forward to seeing how the show continues from its epically great season finale. I'm amazed by the changes that the CW has made to its line up (I'll discuss the greatness that is Reign in another post) and am excited to see where it goes.

The Great City of New York

When I was about to graduate college my mentor asked me where I wanted to go. I had just spent four years enduring the notorious awful Syracuse weather and what I really wanted to do was go home. Home to my city. She championed D.C. as the perfect choice for me, but I was adamant on returning and now some six years later, New York City has lost its charm, its appeal. The people were mean, too competitive, it was too much for my calm, gentle nature. I had been eaten alive and I wanted to run as far away as possible. Why didn't I go to D.C. when I had the chance? However, in the last few months my love for this great city has been slowly coming back to me, and I'll tell you why.

The Tribeca Film Festival 

For the past three years I have been volunteering at the Festival. Yes, some may say that it is the 'red-headed step-child' of film festivals and in a city where 'limited release' always means it'll play in New York, its hard to get excited about the chance to see more obscure films. But that's the thing. It's New York. I can volunteer and work at a film festival. I can see as many films as I'd like. And this year there were many great ones. I saw About Alex with Jason Ritter, The Canal, Just Before I Go directed by Courteney Cox , 6, Loittering with Intent directed by Adam Rapp, and most of Venus in Fur directed by Roman Polanski. These films ranged from horror to a environmental documentary and some might not see the light at your average megaplex, not because they are not good, but because that is just the way the entertainment industry is. But I got to, because I live in New York.

Broadway

Recently, I saw two Broadway shows after a long stretch of not seeing anything. Of Mice and Men with Chris O'Dowd and James Franco and The Cripple of Inishmaan with Daniel Radcliffe. Now, the former wasn't the best performance I had ever seen, probably due to my last minute cheap and uncomfortable seats, while the latter was excellent and I got to actually meet and take a picture with Radcliffe, which excited my inner Gryiffindor like no other. Either way, I was able to go 'see a show' which I was reminded by the Texan I chatted with on line who wished she could just move here. 


You might see me yet becoming a resident of a smaller and calmer paced city. But for now I'm quite happy being a New Yorker.

"I'm In." The Good Wife's Shocking Episode.

If you have not watched March 23^’s (Season 5, Episode 15) episode please stop reading now.

Very few would argue that CBS’ The Good Wife has never been, as well good, as it has since Alicia said the words “I’m in,” to Cary at the end of season 4. The Good Wife has never had to rely on car crashes, bombings, or any of the usual sweeps scenarios to generate interest or to propel the drama along. The Good Wife has always been that show that felt real. Yet, “Dramatics, Your Honor” was everything a viewer never thought they would see on The Good Wife, and it was amazing. Not only did the show manage to keep the death of a major character quiet for a year, but it was also written so that it makes sense to the show. How else would a lawyer die, but in a courtroom doing what he loves? It also left lingering questions that I believe will propel compelling further story lines. Why did Will’s client snap? How will his trial play out? What roles will Will’s friends and colleagues play in it? While the cause of Will’s untimely death was a practical behind the scenes reason, this event, it seems, will not be used purely for a one time rating generating event, I’m thinking of Glee’s “Shooting Star” episode, but will, as in real life, have complicated and persistent affects. I believe that The Good Wife will follow more on along the lines of ER’s "Be Still My Heart" / "All in the Family" episodes – Dr. John Carter’s character was never the same after that, and what happened in those two episodes followed the character till the final scene 8 years later.

We will see soon if The Good Wife will sustain itself without the Will/Alicia dynamic. I believe it can. No one thought Florrick, Argos, & Associates would really last either.

2014 Academy Awards

I love film. I also love any excuse to pretend I from a bygone era where everyone dressed up on a daily basis (I looking at you the 1950s). I am also single and childless, therefore, not much opportunity to throw a big bash - except for every year during the Academy Awards. I hosted an Oscar party for the first time last year, and while it was fun I was disappointed with how it turned out: I was too invested in watching every single minute of the broadcast, not enough games or options to accommodate my guests if they did want to watch or if they just wanted to hang out, and not enough guests. Thus, this year I took the 'go big or go home' approach. Here are some ideas to help you host your own Oscar party.

1. Pick a color scheme, stick to it, and make it simple. This year I went with black, white, and silver. Classic Hollywood colors. The year before I tried to do all the official Oscar colors (black, white, red, and gold) and it was way to much going on and did not look clean or elegant. Next year I am thinking all gold or black and red.

2. Find some games. I find that having an Oscar Ballot, Oscar Bingo, and some sort of trivia game works best. I Googled/Pintrested until I found a Ballot that worked best with my theme and printed clearly. For prizes it's better to go with the major categories such as Best Picture, Actress, etc., unless you have major film buffs going to your party. The best bingo that I found was from www.punchbowl.com, but wait till it is closer to the broadcast or your bingo will be outdated. I also found a word search that worked great as a good gooey bag item, but too time consuming for the party itself. I made the trivia game myself. I had my guests guess Academy nominated films by quotes from the film or by trivia from imdb.com. For winning each game I gave out books, dvds, or soundtracks from movies.

3. Add a Hollywood flare. This year I had a popcorn machine and mason jars with each nominated film written on them with chalk. Furthermore, in the picture below my friend baked Oscar cupcakes and added stars and a paper cutout of the famous statue. For the last surprise, after the best actor was announced I pulled out a cake with the words "Sorry, Leo" (see picture below). 

Have fun with it and
see what works best.
Next year I hope to do a candy/ice cream bar. We'll see how it goes!

I’m a Marnie…

“There’s a [n]ew American way of thinking that I call the Unrealistic Happiness. This culture tries to negate aggression and unhappy feelings. But we have all these uncomfortable, icky feelings that we have to work through as human beings. To repress them is just not honest. ” – Libba Bray (Carter, 2010, p.25). 

                This third season of HBO’s Girls has really hit its stride. Going back to a similar season one – anything is better than season two – the stories are less about romantic misgivings and thankfully more about how these young women will reinvent themselves as they become adults.  Jessa’s back from rehab, Shoshanna is about to graduate from college, Hannah is working and becoming an actual person, and Marnie is… she’s trying to figure it all out. Shoshanna’s experience is probably the most typical of a 21 year old: ­­­­­­­­­­­she goe­­­s to college and she parties a little, but mostly she wants to start her adulthood headfast with a great job, apartment and boyfriend. She’s ambitious and it is becoming increasingly clear that she has very little in common with her friends, most of whom are vagrants. In a recent episode, Hannah becomes terrified of her 9-5 job, believing she will never become a real writer by staying in this corporate vat, quits only to take it back. Normal people don’t do that. But Hannah gets away with it. In any case, the real interesting story of this­­­ season is a less obvious one and it is Marnie’s.

                Marnie, Hannah’s supposed best friend, started out like Shoshanna. She had the great job and the great boyfriend, she was living NYC in her 20s the way it is supposed to be done. However, along the line she’s ended up alone without direction. Marnie represents the other side – the side that most people are afraid to talk about – the depressed, crippled, unsure 21 year old who curls up in bed binge watching Game of Thrones, Scandal, or Girls trying to escape the real world.  Early in the season, Marnie claims her miserable state is due to her recent breakup with boyfriend Charlie. However, it has been subtlety evident that what Marnie is really depressed about is failure. She has meaningless jobs and meaningless relationships.  Her actions show that she believes if she stops trying, she can’t fail.  Girls gives no easy answers, next week Marnie will probably be still searching for her next steps, but that is what is so great about this season of Girls, it is (mostly) realistic.

Suddenly I woke up and it was 1998 again..."When Calls the Heart"

"Hope" is the thing with feathers - (314) By Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all - 

 Hope was the theme of this week's episode - Feburary 8, 2014's episode "The Dance" -  of When Calls the Heart on the Hallmark Channel. Conveniently, every story line dealt with this idea of unrelenting hope but in a shocking twist neither the Plot A storyline in which Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow, from Lifetime's Army Wives) starts to have feelings for the new miner/poet Billy or the Plot B storyline in which widowed Mary Dunmore (Amanda Zimm from Ready or Not of '90s fame) starts to have feelings for another new miner get resolved by episode's end. 

This is unusual for When Calls the Heart, a charming if simple series modeled after fan favorites from the 1990s such as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993-1998) or PAX's Little Men (1998-1999) or even earlier shows such as Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) (Michael Landon's son, Michael Landon, Jr. produces, writes, and directs When Calls the Heart). There is merit in all these television programs, format was very different than it is today, and thus you can not judge them too harshly compared to contemporary programming. Nevertheless, the same basic formula applies to When Calls the Heart. Rich, naive school teacher Elizabeth,  à la Michaela Quinn, comes to Coal Valley, in the wilds of Canada in the early 1900s, to teach a bunch of miner's children, most of whom have lost their fathers in a recent accident. She interacts with the widows and wives of the miners and learns life lessons in every episode which she captures in her journal. To round things out Constable Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing, Last Resort), reminiscent of Byron Sully and Nick Reilly, tries desperately not to show how much he likes Elizabeth. Lastly, When Calls the Heart is based off of the book series of the same name by Janette Oke (who has also written the popular Love Comes Softly series) but keeps mentions of faith to a surprisingly subtle minimum. 

In "The Dance" new miners come to town to replace the ones that were killed. One of the newcomers, Billy, interrupts Elizabeth's lesson on poetry to showcase that he's not just as dirty, loud miner but indeed a learned gentlemen by finishing Dickinson's poem  314. Embarrassingly, Elizabeth doesn't know the rest of the poem (worst teacher award?) and Billy tries to finish it. Mountie Jack overhears and decides that Billy is not whom he appears to be. Meanwhile, Mary Dunmore tries to make a better life for herself and her son Caleb by accepting the attentions of the kind, new miner who buys her groceries when he sees that she has no more money. However, Caleb just really wants his dad back and tries to stop the romance. 

Several '90esque elements come in to play in this episode such as the two clear plot lines that obviously tie into one central theme, as mentioned. Elizabeth has hope that she will find love, Mary has hope that she can get a second start, Caleb has hope that his father won't be forgotten... furthermore, not only is there a central theme but there is also a moral character building one. Arguably, current programming is more plot driven, where story lines change quickly and new information is built upon episode by episode as seen by The Following (2013-). In When Calls the Heart, the story lines are contained to an episode in which a dilemma is resolved and then a moral lesson is learned. In the second episode of the series, the mining company has decided to kick all the widows out to make room for a new crew. To combat this, the widows ban together and mine for a few weeks to earn and save their homes. All is well that ends well. In a single episode. Through hard work and determination. Lesson learned. As current television - Game of Thrones (2011-) and  Girls (2012 -) for example -  has taught us, life doesn't get tied up in a bow, sometimes bad things stay bad. Moral television is currently very popular (hollywoodjesus.com reported that The Bible (2013) miniseries received more than 100 million cumulative views) and that is all well and good, if that's your thing, but hopefully When Calls the Heart remembers that it is 2014 and not 1994 and creates some depth to a promising show.