“Ugly Betty” still going strong
I had some spare time this weekend, so I decided to catch up on a few episodes of “Ugly Betty.” Seeing as how it’s currently November and I still hadn’t seen the season finale from May, it was about time.
I found that once I got back into the series, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This forced me to lounge around and watch three of the four episodes that have been aired so far this season. (Sorry, econ homework).
I must say, the show is the best it’s been since season one. However, ratings have gone down something like 37 percent from last year?? I’m blaming the show’s Friday night, 9 p.m. time slot for the dip in viewers. I’m betting a lot of fans, myself included, watch episodes online when they have spare time, not at 9 on a Friday night.
While some critics believe that Betty (played by America Ferrera) has run her course, I wholeheartedly disagree. The show still has the same wit it had during season one, which is one of the best parts of this show. It would be nothing without Amanda (Becki Newton) and Marc (Michael Urie) slinging insults at Betty, and now that she’s more confident, her handing them right back.
*SPOILER WARNING*
To get you up to speed thus far…season four finds Betty working her way up the Mode food chain, as she is now a junior features editor for the magazine. She and Marc were both up for the position, and Marc is not at all pleased Betty beat him out for the job–and he makes no effort to hide his disdain. To add to Betty’s stress, her ex boyfriend, Matt (Daniel Eric Gold), is now her boss and tries to make her life as difficult as he possibly can. Daniel (Eric Mabius) is trying to get back into the swing of things after the death of his wife, which includes hiring a new assistant at Mode and befriending a woman in his therapy group.
*END OF SPOILER*
Here’s some of that humor I was talking about. The following clip is from episode four of this season, where Betty and Marc investigate the top 10 worst jobs in NYC and pitch their idea to Wilhelmina. One of these jobs is that of a hot dog vendor…
To catch season four of “Ugly Betty,” tune in Friday at 9 p.m. on ABC, or catch up on episodes here.
G.I. Joke
I thought it couldn’t get any worse than “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.” That is, until I had the displeasure of seeing “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” last night.
Channing Tatum as Duke
Let me just start off by saying that I wasn’t going in to this expecting much, but I was even more disappointed than I thought I would be.
The plot was pretty shaky, the acting was not all that great and the writing was just embarrassing.
I understand that this is not meant to be a thought provoking film, but the viewer should not feel as if he or she has lost brain cells upon exiting the theatre.
The action scenes seemed to drag on, and it was all just nonstop computer imagery. If something wasn’t blowing up, either the Eiffel Tower was crumbling to bits or there was a high speed car chase of some sort.
As for the acting, Channing Tatum is nice to look at, but he should probably stick to dancing in “Step Up.” Also, Dennis Quaid clearly needs to go on holiday and clear his head so he never accepts a script like this again.
Speaking of the script, as a writer, I was incredibly disappointed. This is one of those movies that I not only question how it got made, but what zoo they got the monkeys from to write it. Maybe I should be less harsh on the actors and blame the poor dialogue they had to work with?
Pros: at least I didn’t pay for it, and even though I was squirming around in my seat for the last 40 minutes, I made it out alive.
Cons: well, everything mentioned above. And the ending was set up perfectly for a sequel. NOOOO.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against action movies. I love action movies. Example: the Bourne series, Die Hard, any of the Batman movies, etc. If you’re looking for a good action movie with a little bit of substance to go along with it, I suggest you rent one of those and skip “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra.”
Parachute: shot and chopped by yours truly
It may have taken a while, but I have FINALLY compiled my Parachute footage/pictures into a video. Better late than never, right?
In case you missed my earlier post, I met the band Parachute in late September. They played an acoustic show/had a meet-and-greet at Borders in Birmingham, which is where the majority of this footage is from.
The rest is from the same night, in Pontiac, when they played with Secondhand Serenade, The Rust and Evan Taubenfeld for the “Secondhand High Tour.”
Check out my video here and let me know what you think!
Oh say, you can sing!
While the cast of “Glee” was recently nixed from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade lineup, its stars had an opportunity to shine last night.
Cast members sang the National Anthem during game 3 of the World Series on Oct. 31 in Philadelphia.
They delivered an excellent performance, which does not always happen with this song. Too many musicians try and play around with the it, when it’s not really something you should put your own spin on. (Just ask my dad!) Or change the lyrics to. *Ahem* Jesse McCartney *Cough*
Amber Riley, who plays Mercedes, took the (well deserved) lead, with her fellow cast mates singing backup.
In case you were out causing a ruckus on Halloween and missed it, check out the video here.
Captain Jack and John Lennon: Pumpkins with pop culture flair
I have a confession to make.
This is the first year I have not carved a pumpkin since I was old enough to wield a knife.
However, I am very much in the Halloween spirit otherwise, and I did find some pretty cool photos online of pop culture pumpkins.
Check them out below!
Dwight from "The Office"
The "Star Wars" Death Star
__________.jpg "Captain Jack Sparrow")
Captain Jack Sparrow
Barack Obama
John Lennon
I’m impressed…what do you think??
To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him…
You know what I hate?
Special anniversary edition DVDs.
If you’re a fan of the movie, you obviously buy it when it first comes out. Then if you’re REALLY a fan, you’re forced to buy the special edition with all those extra fancy features when some sort of anniversary rolls around.
For example, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” I purchased the plain ol’ DVD for about $13 a while back, and then they came out with a TWO disc set with a snazzy box. I bought it, fancy box and all, for less than I paid for the original.
Now one of my favorite movies of all time is doing the same on Nov. 3.
“Say Anything” will be re-released on DVD in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
Released in 1989, “Say Anything” is a tale of first love directed by Cameron Crowe. Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) is determined to win over class valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye) after their high school graduation. Lloyd attempts woo her, despite a number of obstacles including Diane’s overprotective father.
I don’t want to spoil anything, because you need to see this movie magic for yourself.
Check out the trailer here!
This new 20th anniversary edition DVD includes a bunch of new extras, like commentary, alternate, extended and deleted scenes, a “Say Anything 20 Years Later” feature and much more.
I complain, but of course I will be buying this. It’s probably best, as my current copy is pretty worn out at this point.
Look for the new DVD on Nov. 3!
Gordon-Levitt: From “Summer” to “Uncertainty”
In my mind, Joseph Gordon-Levitt just may be the king of indie movies, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be losing his crown any time soon.
His newest release is titled “Uncertainty” and looks like it won’t disappoint.
It’s the 4th of July, and Bobby (Gordon-Levitt) and Kate (Lynn Collins) don’t know what to do. In order to decide whether to attend a family barbecue or go off on their own for the day, they flip a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge.
After the coin toss, two stories develop simultaneously, and each is the result of what would happen if the coin had landed heads or tails. The first is a family drama set in Brooklyn, the other a tale of action, suspense and intrigue in Chinatown.
The film is about being insecure, the consequences that stem from the choices we make every day and how that choice can define your destiny.
There are, in my opinion, two very interesting aspects about this movie…
First, the film’s script contained no dialogue, meaning the actors improvised everything during filming. How awesome is that?
Second fun fact–the film is set to be released in theaters November 13, 2009. However, it is also being released via VOD the same day. VOD stands for ‘video on demand,’ meaning you can watch it from the comfort of your own living room.
Check out the preview for “Uncertainty” here and let me know what you think!!
Breaking News! “Time For Miracles” Music Video!
This week just keeps getting better.
Not only did “Time For Miracles” become available for my downloading pleasure on iTunes yesterday, but now the official music video has been released!
Check it out here and let me know what you think!!
Public Enemies and Inglourious Basterds, oh my!
My last few posts have been me rambling about how excited I am for Halloween, but now I have a reason to look forward to December!
My two favorite movies from the summer will be released on DVD within a week of each other. SCORE.
“Public Enemies” will be available on Dec. 8, followed by “Inglourious Basterds” on Dec. 17.
Trust me, I could go on a rant of how awesome I think both are, but I will spare you my commentary. For now, that is…
Instead, I’ll give you a two sentence summary and preview for each.
“Public Enemies” is directed by Michael Mann and stars Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. It’s the true story of 1930s American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and the cat-and-mouse game he plays with the FBI, most notably agent Melvin Purvis (Bale).
“Inglourious Basterds” is directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Eli Roth. It takes place in France during World War II, where a group of Jewish-American soldiers called “The Basterds” go on a Nazi killing spree.
Check back in December for DVD reviews!!
We all scream for “Scream 2009″
This October, Spike TV presents its 4th annual Scream awards, which honor the best horror, sci-fi, fantasy and comic-book inspired films.
The event was taped on Saturday, Oct. 17 and will be aired on Spike TV on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Categories include best movie for all the previously mentioned categories, “The Ultimate Scream,” “Scream Song of the Year,” “Best Superhero” and many more.
While it was up to the advisory board to assemble the nominees, fans were able to vote online for their favorites. Among those on the advisory panel include Tim Burton, Eli Roth, Wes Craven and Zack Snyder.
Of all the nominations, “Star Trek” tops out with 17 nods.
Quentin Tarantino, Christina Ricci, JJ Abrams and casts including “Twilight,” “True Blood” and “The Vampire Diaries” will all be either presenting or accepting awards.
Johnny Depp will also be present (yay!) to accept an award for the “Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Movie”(Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which is to be released in March of next year). He will also be presenting the Rolling Stone’s Keith Richards with the ‘Rock Immortal’ award.
While this awards show is pretty much the polar opposite of The Oscars, it’s a must see for horror/sci-fi/fantasy fans.
Scream 2009 will be televised on Spike TV on Oct. 27 at 10 p.m.
For now, enjoy this “Alice In Wonderland” trailer. What do you think…did it deserve the award?
