Badass Ad of the Week

I want to apologize for not writing anything in a while. I have been keeping up with most of the TV shows I watch, but since I started my new job, I haven't had the time/energy to bring myself to write about them. Sorry. But I just have to say that this commercial is straight-up baller. It's uber-creative and the mash-up in the back is totally jammable. Watch it. Love it.

MTV: Morals, Trust, and Values

The days of Date My Mom, Jackass, and Next are over. MTV (which obviously stands for Music Television) is creating a new genre of television and it’s teaching its audience how to approach life. Between the shows The Buried Life, World of Jenks, Made, Teen Mom, and If You Really Knew Me, MTV is entering a world where reality shows don’t need to have drama, sex, and humor. These four shows are documentary-style programs that feature young adults making a difference in the world and changing for the better.

The Buried Life features four Canadians who have created a bucket list and with the help of MTV productions, are trying to complete everything on it. Each episode they attempt to check one off the list and in turn must help a random person accomplish something they want to do before they die. They have reunited fathers and sons, helped a young girl conquer her fear of heights via rollercoaster, and even built soccer stadiums for third-world countries at war. Things they would like to do before they die? Help deliver a baby, streak at a sporting event and get away with it, and ask out the girl of your dreams are just a few. The show is at 10:30 pm on Mondays.

World of Jenks is a new show added to MTV’s line-up. Andrew Jenks is a filmmaker and somewhat of an anthropologist. He wants to experience life in as many different roles as possible: poker player, homeless person, rapper, etc. His ability to submerge himself in whoever he’s shadowing is more than commendable. The up-close-and-personal filming technique allows viewers to feel as if they’re along for the ride with Jenks. Check it out Mondays at 10 pm.

There have been over 100 episodes of the show Made. Honestly? Some are kind of annoying like when it’s about a brat who wants to be made into a sk8er girl or a white boy who’s trying to rap. But then there are the inspirational stories about a nerd who is a closet beauty queen. It’s a show about how a little encouragement can help you accomplish your wildest of dreams. A little encouragement and some help from MTV, that is.

I won’t dedicate much of my time to Teen Mom other than to say it’s the sequel to the show 16 & Pregnant. I guess a lot of people like it or something (it’s MTV’s most popular show second to the Jersey Shore). You should watch it or something?

The last one on my list of MTV Soup for the Soul shows is If You Really Knew Me. I’ve seen a few episodes, enough to know that they should be doing this at every school. Seems strange at first when you’re trying to pry secrets out of the bad boy or the popular girl. But then it’s as if the hosts perform this crazy voodoo thing and everyone starts crying and hugging and realizing how alike they all are. Personally, I really enjoyed high school but I know there are a bunch of schools, or even students in particular that would have benefited from a program like this.

So in case you took a hiatus from MTV due to the awful line-up that used to be, I suggest you high-tail it back to this network and see what they’re offering. I mean, it’s not like they’re playing music anymore, right?

Quotable Quote

"I've been chasing dicks since I came out of the womb."
-Kim Zolciak from the Real Housewives of Atlanta

Wait...what?  Is that even allowed on television?  Oh, and if you're wondering in what context it was said, she was trying to explain that some people, herself included, don't understand her newfound love for women. 

The Social Network Creates Buzz

Somewhere among the numerous empty bottles of Beck’s Beer consumed by Mark Zuckerberg and clean-pressed Brooks Brothers suits donned by Eduardo Saverin, The Social Network emerged as an enjoyable display of talented young Hollywood actors. Facebook is officially the most trafficked site on the Internet as of September 10, 2010- it even surpasses Google- and dominates most of my unemployed life. Seeing a movie about the drama behind its creation satisfied my most stalkerish of dreams. At times, it felt like I was watching a male-dominated episode of Gilmore Girls with all the speed-talking and camera diversion from character to character. But after I sorted through the facts and realized that I was witnessing the story about the creation of Facebook as well as two lawsuits all happening simultaneously, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was punchy and witty and taught me a lot about the allure of money, that is the things I didn’t already know.

The film highlights four major players, or six actual people. There’s Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, who, pardon the language, is an egotistical pompous asshole. He’s a genius and he knows it. The only time in the whole film he’s put into his place is when his girlfriend, played by Rooney Mara, dumps him, leaving him stranded with two beers. Mark’s best friend and business partner in the movie is Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield. He’s a suave money-hungry Harvard student who is played for a fool by Mark with the help of Sean Parker. Enter Sean Parker: a paranoid schizophrenic who is more self-absorbed than whoever that Carly Simon song is written about. He is played by none other than Justin Timberlake who brings a more realistic view of fame & fortune to the movie. The fourth player in the film is played by three characters: the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narenda. These three guys are pros at being ivy-leaguers: smart, athletic, and powerful. They originally recruit Zuckerberg to help with their elite Harvard-only dating website. And that’s where the conflict begins. Zuckerberg saw promise on his insta-shutdown website, Facesmash, and realized that combined with the ideas of the Winklevoss twins, he could create a media powerhouse.

The casting in this movie was more than well-done. The movie used all of its allotted 120 minutes but when it ended, I still felt as if there was much left unsaid. Perhaps it’s because the Facebook trials are still ongoing or perhaps it’s because the ending was very abrupt. No matter the reason, this movie left me wanting more.

Spend or Save? Spend…and spend and spend

How Do I Spend My Thursday Nights?

Another night of classic television from the fellas over at NBC. 

Community

While I was watching community, I noticed in one scene that Abed was talking to some pregnant girl in the background and was really confused. My sister pointed out a YouTube video to me, courtesy of Huffington Post, that explains Abed’s secret storyline.

The rest of the episode was full of wet t-shirt mud-wrestling and talk of faith. But I thought that Abed part was very clever, NBC.

Episode Grade: B-

30 Rock

I had to watch this episode twice because the first time I watched it, I was surrounded by my chatty Kathy friends- Fasy included –and had difficulty hearing anything. Basically, Jack Donaghy is challenged by a Congress woman played by Queen Latifah who alleges that NBC has a lack of diversity. Because of this, Liz Lemon must share her head-writer duties with Toofer. She is more than happy with this sharing of responsibilities until Toofer gets all the credit. Meanwhile, Jenna takes it upon herself to make sure Kenneth earns his spot in the NBC Page Program. In the process, she finds herself turning into the ultimate stage-mom: her own mother. This episode was particularly politically incorrect, but I guess that was necessary in order to get the point of their lack of diversity across.

Episode Grade: B

The Office

Andy Bernard is performing in a local rendition of Sweeney Todd so of COURSE the whole office attends his performance. Funny thing is, Andy is actually amazing in the play. Well, I guess that’s not funny rather it’s predictable considering he is an esteemed member of Here Comes Treble, the a cappella group from Cornell. With the help of his colleagues (namely Meredith), Michael takes a bottle of wine to the face and laments over his not being chosen for the lead role. How could they not choose him after he performed an ENTIRE episode of Law & Order for them!? What’s really sad is that Andy still likes Erin even though she is committed to Gabe. I just want the two oddballs to reunite.

Episode Grade: A-

Badass Ad of the Week

When it comes to late night shows, the only ones worth watching (in my opinion) are Jay Leno, Dave Letterman, and Jimmy Fallon. However, when I saw this promo during the MLB postseason on TBS, I giggled. Mainly because the actress (yes, actress) they use as the fake Conan is now the football coach on Glee. There's a bunch of these TBS promos being aired. I still probably won't watch Conan, but I thought the ad was funny.

Who is Andy Cohen?

Have you ever watched the Real Housewives reunion shows and wondered to yourself “Who is Andy Cohen?”  For instance, how did this flamboyant Jewish man earn his spot as host of all the table-flipping, hair-pulling housewife reunions?  Well, I wondered the same question aloud and was rendered speechless when my father told me just who he was.

Andrew Cohen is Senior Vice President of Production & Programming for the Bravo Network.  He is in charge of concocting and creating The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York, Atlanta, New Jersey, and the soon-to-be Beverly Hills.  Andy’s creative mind has also brought us Top Chef, Flipping Out, Kathy Griffin:  My Life on the D-List, and Project Runway.  He’s much more than another MTV VJ turned host; he’s a reality-television genius.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (a.k.a. Wall Street 2)

There’s just no consistency when it comes to reviews of this movie. I have friends who hated it, parents who loved it, and I just can’t decide. I think the topic that’s swaying people both ways was the movie’s portrayal of the actual Wall Street and the financial lingo that went along with it. I’m no good with numbers. I got a C in Accounting. But I’m fine with that and Hollywood should be as well. What I don’t understand is why, in the movie, they even made a joke about how NO ONE knows what half of the jargon means. Isn’t that a clue that the rest of us won’t know either?

 

I still really enjoyed watching the movie. The star-studded cast pleased my eyes which included everyone from Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, and Shia LaBeouf to newcomer Carey Mulligan and Eli Wallach (the cute old man from The Holiday who explains the meaning of gumption). The plot of the movie actually mimicked the stock market crash of 2008. It was interesting and yet sad to see how the downfall of our economy happened and how it affected so many people in different ways: a suicide, a hostile takeover, lies, tears, and even reconnections with loved ones. Carey Mulligan was mainly responsible for the tears; I don’t think there was a scene in the whole movie where her eyes didn’t well up. The crazy talk of bubbles and moral hazard really did set the themes for the movie and yet, I couldn’t explain to you what a bubble is. Like I said, I enjoyed watching the movie but the analysis part isn’t really an easy homework project for me.

 

Things I will take away from this movie:

• Josh Brolin is a great actor and an even better villain.
• NINJA Generation = No Income, No Job, No Assets
• Never trust someone whose motto used to be “Greed Is Good”.
• The rumor mill within the financial world can be 1000X more detrimental than middle school.
• When Eli Wallach whistles, he’s trying to tell us the apocalypse is coming (though I’m still not sure why).
• Breaking one big story on a blog can gain you fame and fortune, though usually you’re not working for a non-profit blog for that purpose.

 

Spend or Save? Spend…but only because I foresee myself wanting to watch this again to really understand what it meant.

Lonestar Walks Alone

Just a few days ago, I decided to hop on Hulu and check out some new shows that I hadn’t seen yet. Lonestar was one of the shows that had received some pre-premiere buzz and I decided to head in that direction.

The handsome young gentleman starring in the leading role, James Wolk as Robert “Bob” Allen, plays a con-man torn between the love of two women in separate Texas towns.

His father, played by David Keith, taught him the ways of the con early on in life and Robert’s been in the family business ever since. Robert Allen’s wife is part of an oil tycoon family where Jon Voight plays the father and head of the black gold-crazed company. “Bob” Allen’s girlfriend lives in a rinky-dink town where most inhabitants have been exploited by Bob. Before they’re onto him, he must leave the town and establish his true lifestyle with his wife. At this point in the pilot, he kind of had a Dawson Leery-esque mental breakdown in the car which had me questioning his manhood. He pulls it together long enough to be torn apart again when his father tells him he MUST pull a con on the oil company at which he was just hired. Yes, his father-in-law’s oil company. It sounds crazy and not really plausible but hey, that’s what makes great TV, right?

And just like that, the show was cancelled! After a mere two episodes of primetime television. How can you make a call like that? The show aired Monday nights at 9 PM on FOX – same time as Dancing With The Stars (which of course I’m a fan of as well). The pilot episode received rave reviews before it even aired and just because of a small numbers issue (only 4.1 million viewers tuned in), it was given the boot. My point is: why didn’t the show do well? It’s lead-in show was House which seems to be everyone’s favorite medical drama these post-E.R. days. Seems like the target audience should have stayed tuned in. I guess some things are just inexplicable. One less show to add to my viewing schedule, though it’s really unfortunate that I won’t get to see James Wolk’s beautiful baby face on primetime again.

Badass Ad of the Week

This commercial makes me laugh everytime. I'm never expecting the little piggy to have the voice of a pre-pubescent boy or the mother to be annoyed with the little piggy crying "wee wee wee" all the way home. Just another mascot for the GEICO commercials.

How Do I Spend My Thursday Nights?

Community

Just last night I saw Joel McHale live at the Oakdale Theater. He was funny. He did little bits that I could imagine being on his show, The Soup. What he didn’t do, however, was plug his own show, Community. Now, I already watch that show, but it made me respect him a little bit more (because I know him personally and all…).

Thursday’s episode is sure to be a classic. The study group finds themselves competing for Jeff’s time after an old lawyer colleague, Alan Connor (played by Rob Corddry from Hot Tub Time Machine) finds Jeff after coming to Greendale for a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Shortly after meeting Alan, Annie realizes that she recognizes him from a past NA meeting where he bragged about turning Jeff into the National Bar Association for false lawyer credentials (whew). Of course, he has a difficult time believing his study buddies and chooses to go to a law office party instead of the Pop and Lockathon which the group committed to. The contest is also Senor Chang’s chance to finally join the study group which lands him as the sole contestant for their team, the Heather Pop & Locklears. At a party where Drew Carey stars as a partner of the company, Annie, Troy, & Abed finagle their way into an office to prove Alan turned Jeff in while also drugging a janitor. There is literally too much in this episode to comment on including Jeff’s line “Don’t sue her. She’s a stripper. Life sued her and she lost.” The team ends up getting disqualified while an evil-laughing Chang passes out with fury.
Episode Grade: A-

30 Rock

“When It Rains It Pours” was the name of the episode and a very fitting tagline for the theme of the episode. Liz Lemon finds herself getting attention from all walks of man for the sole fact that she is in a relationship. Paul Giamatti plays a TGS editor spreading rumors about a fake relationship he kindled with Liz Lemon. A masked page is running around The Girly Show set completing tasks that no one has been able to do since Kenneth left. Jack and Avery find out they are having a son so Jack takes it upon himself to make a video diary providing advice on every possible situation his son may find himself in…including how to camouflage yourself. Tracy is busy finding a way to make it to the hospital for the birth of his third child and lands himself in the Cash Cab with Ben Bailey.

His odd experiences somehow give him the knowledge to answer all his questions correctly for instance, when did the U.S. receive the Statue of Liberty? Jack Donaghy reveals the masked page to be Kenneth and then is stunned again when he finds out he will be father to a daughter, not a son. The jokes never stopped coming during this half hour comedy.
Episode Grade: A

The Office

Michael Scott must suffer the repercussions of the alleged spanking incident and undergo counseling. His assigned counselor? His arch nemesis, Toby. After three hours and many failed attempts to get through to Michael, Toby tricks Michael into playing games with hopes of him opening up. It works! Until Michael finds out and is infuriated. Pam is tired of being an awful salesperson. The only other option is creating a faux position: Office Administrator. Meanwhile, Dwight has been denied service at a store in the mall because of what he assumes to be his appearance. The office collaborates to help Dwight pull a “Pretty Woman” on the store, letting them know what a big mistake they made. Later, we find out that Dwight was refused service because of the safety hazard he posed by having blood smeared over his hands. It was another classic episode, including this typical Kelly Kapoor line, “I talk a lot, so I’ve learned to just tune myself out.” I can relate.
Episode Grade: A-

I chose to not watch Outsourced this week because it failed to wow me the week before. Sorry if I let any of you down, though I'm sure I didn't.

Dancing With The Stars: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (Week 2)

Since this was only the second week of Dancing With The Stars, there was still a wide range of talent on display for America. David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff was kicked off after last week’s odd & flamboyant performance. Until the dancing gets better as the contestant pool gets smaller, I’ll stick with classifying performances as The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.

The Good

Rick Fox – His graceful moves made him an official contender for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
Audrina Patridge – Continuing with her theme of scandalous dresses, Audrina improved greatly, earning praise from the judges.
Jennifer Gray – Her drama queen antics may not bother everyone, but she gets on my nerves. That being said, she’s very talented which doesn’t go unnoticed.
Kyle Massey – The Disney Channel star did it again, this time with a modernized version of the Quickstep. Kyle also got the crowd laughing while he joked about not following the strict diet he’s been put on.
Kurt Warner – The NFL star managed to stick with the good crowd by showing his smooth moves.

The Bad

Brandy – Though she still out-performed other dancers, she retrogressed from last week. Plus, she’s got some attitude problems.
Florence Henderson – The high level of fitness required for this week’s dances did flow with Flo.
Margaret Cho – I’ll give her props for learning to leave the humor out of it, but she still isn’t ready for the dancing big leagues.
The Situation – All that fist-pumping and no rhythm.
Bristol Palin – I’m pretty sure the only reason the judges gave her positive feedback was because her mom was in the audience. She’s not a good dancer. Sorry I said it.

The Ugly

Michael Bolton – I Said You Danced Well But I Lied. How Am I Supposed To Live With Your Dancing? When A Man Loves A Woman…guess that one doesn’t really work.

How I miss this hair

Michael Bolton was kicked off the following night after receiving an embarrassing score of 12/30. Notables in the audience: Sarah Palin, Ray J, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brad Womack (the old but new Bachelor), stars from the Brady Bunch, Romany Malco (Conrad from Weeds), and Chelsea Staub (from Disney show Jonas L.A.).

Episode Grade: B-

Live From New York...

So I know I’ve told you all that I’m a huge fan of Saturday Night Live. But I’m going to tell you right now that when I came home from a night of attempting to be a college student again, followed by an equally impressive rally at a football game, followed by a night of babysitting, I couldn’t stay awake until 1 am. But I did watch a large portion of it which is what I’ll comment on.

At 11:30 pm, host Amy Poehler commenced the 36th season of popular variety show, Saturday Night Live. Poehler’s opening monologue was absolutely fitting for her triumphant return to Saturday Night Live, her first time as a host! Guest appearances -made by Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, and Justin Timberlake to name a few- flooded the stage as Poehler walked us through a crazy dream she had. Maya Rudolph returned to the NBC set for the sketch Brooklyn Beats where she and Poehler play two stereotypical Brooklyn mothers gossiping about anything and everything. Katy Perry, the musical guest for the evening, appeared in the skit in a shirt mocking her recent stint on Sesame Street. The singing starlet, known for her pop beats and perky boobs, wore a shirt with Elmo’s stretched out head on the front. Recently, Katy Perry’s Sesame Street segment was pulled from the air after outraged mothers complained about her cleavage. Though I’m sure she’s not sorry for it, she poked fun at herself, something all Saturday Night Live hosts and guests must be able to do, and got fits of laughter from the audience.

I think it’s fair to say that Elmo wasn’t tickled by Katy Perry’s musical performance to “California Girls”. It was evident that her much auto-tuned voice on the radio didn’t translate so well via the live performance. Her dance moves looked mechanical at best…think Britney Spears at the VMA’s right before her nervous breakdown. Perhaps she should stick with live acting?

The longest segment of the night and in my opinion, the best, was Weekend Update with Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler. The two have an on-screen chemistry that, while not romantic, is symbolic of their long-standing friendship. Their “Really?!” segment was laughable, but it was honestly seeing the two of them together again that made this portion of the show so enjoyable.

Aaaanddd, this is when I fell asleep. Sorry, guys. I highly suggest you watch the entire episode to familiarize yourself with great television. Here’s the episode below:



Episode Grade: B+ (from what I saw)