Why Do I Love Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Or, Four More Reasons that You Should Love Avatar

Jana has covered this before (see Five Reasons to Love Avatar: The Last Airbender), but rewatching a bit today inspired me to reflect on it myself.

If you just glance at a few images, it’s hard to see sometimes what all the fuss is about.  I’m a smidge older than most people in the Avatar fanbase.  My middle school students adore it- it’s their childhood, as they tell me.  Some siblings and friends just a bit younger than me swear by it.  But what made me love it?  Honestly, I started watching it because the description sounded like something Tamora Pierce would write.  It feels right out of the Circle of Magic.  In reality those stories are very different, but the idea of a group of people controlling different types of powers intrigued me. That’s what got me started.  After I started, I couldn't stop.  I started talking friends into trying it, and raced through the entire series.  Here are the four main reasons I kept watching.

Sokka With His Dad

4.       The people on this show are just like us. Some of them have parents that love and accept them (Katarra & Sokka), some reject what makes them who they are (Toph), some are absent (Aang), and some are abusive and cruel (Azula & Zuko).  They have to learn how to make friends and get along with people.  They have to learn how to deal when things happen that they didn’t plan on. Sometimes it’s hilarious and ridiculous, and sometimes it’s tragic.  They have to grow up and struggle to find themselves in a world that isn’t always friendly.  Their goals may not match ours (I personally am still preparing for the attack of the Fire Nation, but true battle eludes me), but their lives mirror reality.

3.      They make the wrong choices sometimes, and there are real consequences. Like anyone in real life, they often make wrong decisions. Sometimes there are dire consequences.  Choosing the wrong time and place for a battle could lead to death and defeat.  Choosing the trust the wrong people, or not to trust the right people, has a consequence.  In a regular kids’ show, even bad decisions would be wrapped up quickly and resolved with a quick band-aid.  In Avatar it isn’t always that simple.

2.      Each person matters. Among the main characters, we learn that each of them contributes to the group in different ways.  “Team Avatar” wouldn’t stay afloat without everyone, but it goes beyond that.  Sure there are episodes highlighting the need for each character, but the show itself balances every week.  It shows the need for all people, of all talents, in nearly every episode.  Even the minor characters can have a major impact on the world.  Since these people are saving the world itself- it ALL matters.  The show magnifies the concept, but it reminds viewers that people matter in real life.  You personally can make a difference to somebody, so make the effort!

Zuko With His Dad

     1.      People grow and change.  Zuko is my favorite character on the show.  In the beginning he’s one dimensional and whiny.  He is living according to the standards and ideals he was raised with.  He is forced to reconcile himself to situations that he doesn’t want to be in.  Even with his understanding uncle shoving the right thing to do in front of him all the time, Zuko repeatedly throws it back in his face.  Zuko believes that he wants recognition from his father (don’t we all want to make our parents proud?), and it takes getting it to realize that it doesn’t make him happy.  I love that Zuko had to really learn for himself what was wrong with the world.  All the characters in this story grew in confidence and other things, but Zuko literally had to shed the ideals that he was raised with and create his own set of moral boundaries.  It's so rare, especially in things made with kids in mind, do you get to see such a shift.

Prince Zuko on His Own

So whether you’re completely on board with Aang saving the world, or you’ve never heard of the show, head into the world of the Benders and experience the awesomeness. (Can be watched on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or in reruns on Nickelodeon channels.)

Stay Shiny!

Kristin

Why Do I Watch Vampire Diaries?

Seriously, why do I watch this show?   Vampire Diaries is the most addictive show.   It isn’t high quality.  The plots have very little depth.  The actors are decent, but they aren’t Oscar worthy.  They’re pretty.  In all categories they’re MUCH better actors than anything on Twilight.  But it still isn’t what I would call fantastic television.  

Stefan, Elena, & Damon
in their "Love Triangle of Doom"

So in light of all these stellar attributes, what is it that makes this show something that I devour?  I just don’t know.  I know what it I don’t like- I don’t like the lead actress playing two parts throughout the series.  (They don’t seem different enough and it irks me.)  I don’t like that Elena gets to keep two boys at her beck and call.  (I’m over the continuous plots of two boys who both truly love the girl.  And if one of them moves on, then suddenly they’re truly evil.  I don’t love the message.)  I don’t love that one of the boys can go on a killing spree and be instantly forgiven, but if the rejected one found someone other than Elena to truly love, that isn’t okay. 

Newly Vamped Stefan
The backstories never stop coming, and that can only be a good thing.

Passions- NBC Soap
1999-2007

 What I do love is that I ALWAYS want to know what’s happening next.  Bottom line, that’s what the draw is for me.  It isn’t the “who hooks up with who” that I want to know, although that can be interesting, it’s really the who lives, who dies, and how they get out today’s crisis.  I love the boys and the romance of it, and I know that is what drags most people in, but I honestly I really just want to know what happens next in the plot.  People die in this, people get hurt.  Story lines get ripped apart, and story lines get dragged back seasons later.  It’s the soap aspect of it that makes it awesome. 

(Oh dear, it just a quality version of Passions?)

This is also a fast paced show.  They do not take fifteen episodes for things to happen.  You get the value of some instant gratification.  In the end, that means the plot takes these meandering and strange turns, but while you are sitting there watching it, it’s just riveting.  This is a show that makes you care.

Tyler & Caroline

I have found that this is a show I only care about in the moment.  Because my drive to watch the next episode stems around the “what happens next” idea, I absolutely am unable to watch it on a weekly basis.  About 24 hours after watching an episode, if I haven’t moved on to the next one I don’t care anymore.  The first time I watched the series I watched the ENTIRE first season in one day.  I started mid-morning on a Saturday and stopped when I had to leave for church the next day.  I stopped watching a couple of episodes into the second season because I lost interest. 

Alric & Damon enjoying a drink

Last weekend I watched the second half of Season 2 and the entirety of Season 3. (I did other things while watching, but it’s still a bit sad, I know.)  I loved it.  I doubt I will keep up with the current season since I have already lost interest with the plot, but be warned- if you start watching this with entire seasons at your fingertips, you may very well become beyond saving.  

Stay Shiny!

Kristin

Arrow Premiere Review- Gritty & Pretty

I have a serious soft spot in my heart for all archers (see my blog about it), and I have been thrilled waiting for the premiere of the CW series Arrow.   After viewing, here's my recap and review.  If you don't want spoilers, don't read this!

The look of this show feels a bit new for the CW.  While it has the pretty people (girls with legs like toothpicks…), I feel like it succeeded in getting the gritty setting it was aiming for.  It's also somewhat different in it's cast of characters. These are grown people, or at least people old enough to be working.  We've left high school well behind.  (One character has completed law school.) The beginning was strong, and I adored the flaming arrow right at the beginning.  Arrows- they can be hand crafted and multipurposeful in ways you never expected.  Establish this fact as early as possible.

Initial shot on the island.
It was awesome.

There was a slightly corny voice over about protecting his city, which seemed somewhat random.  I know we were supposed to get the city thing early, but it still seemed random to me. 

As soon as he was back (and the voice over stopped) I realized I was going to love him. Whether he’s a good actor or just seemed to fit the part for me, I don’t know, but I loved it.  He seemed very still while talking to people, and it seemed like all of his actions were very deliberate.  This was an awesome contrast to the flashbacks where his emotions were in every move he made.  I was preset to love him, so I may be biased, but I thought he was great.

The introduction of the characters was great.  I thought it was subtle enough that I didn’t feel like I was getting a character list, but you got the info about who was who and basic relationships very quickly.  His mom was seemed like a push-over who married a guy who seriously came off like an evil accent bad guy.   We didn’t really find out if the guy was bad, and I hope we defy expectations and he turns out all right.  (Obviously his mother defied expectations, so it could happen!)

"You were with me the whole time."
Oliver to his sister Thea.

I loved his face when he first heard his sister.  He just seemed so happy!  I know happy moments will be few and far between for him, and I am going to soak it up when I can get it.  She was also the first one that I heard call him Ollie.  I am thrilled I can keep calling him that.  I would have anyway, but it seems more accurate if at least someone on the show called him that, too.  I’m not a comic reader, so all I know of Ollie comes from Smallville and a bit of Wikipedia reading.  Seeing his mother and his sister around defies what I know from Smallville, so I plan to do some digging.  Even though I don’t know what happens in the comics, I appreciate how different adaptations use the original source material.

As the boat is sinking and he can''t
find Sarah

The moment I was totally sold on the series was when we saw Sarah die.  The way he responded tore me apart.  I nearly started crying, and I don’t cry very easily.  (No actual tears were shed, but it was closer than I'm comfortable with.) I really appreciated the use of the flashbacks.   Other than the conversations about the city with his dad (which still seemed a little forced), I felt like the flashbacks flowed in perfectly with the current story.  

When he gets kidnapped and questioned about what his dad may have confided in him, he did have a couple of corny lines before going completely superhero on them.  Of course he’s able to inexplicably dodge machine gun bullets while taking people out, but what superhero can’t?  Here, in this first action sequence, we set up what makes Arrow different than Smallville. A guy is trying to get away and Ollie gets hold of him.  He asks to be let go, Ollie says no one can know his secret (is his secret these awesome fighting skills?), and he snaps the guy’s neck. It’s kind of brutal.  Obviously working with a different moral line than some other crusaders.

Ollie's stash of toys

At this point, all I wanted was to watch him shoot arrows.  The general fighting is okay, but it's the archery that does it for me.  After some recent let downs (that would be you Henry Cavill- why didn’t you use that magic bow in The Immortals for more than thirty seconds!), I was hoping for something fulfilling.  Right when I was ready to demand arrows, arrows appear-  Enter training scene!  (I admit it- it was my favorite.)  Making arrows and things, being hot, working out shirtless, that moment when he reverently takes out the bow.  I don’t even care where he got this bow he loves so much.  It was great.

Classic Green Arrow moment

He then proceeds to be very Green Arrow like.  (I love when he escapes his new body guard, and it should be noted that I like his body guard. I bet they become friends!) Ollie stages a big fancy party to disguise his break-in next door.  He robs from the rich and gives it back to the poor.

Trying to Survive

Nearing the end of the episode, we cut to a pivotal flashback.  I couldn’t believe this scene in the boat with his dad.  To me, this sets up something entirely different in vibe than any other CW show.  If you didn’t watch it, go watch it yourself and let me know your thoughts.

I liked the Dinah reveal (Laurel's middle name, and more casual audiences might be aware of Dinah's connection to the Black Canary character).   I want to know more about Tommy.  Are we supposed to feel like he’s a bit sketchy?  I’m hoping he reforms or becomes less ambiguous.  At the same time, I like that I can’t pin him down.  I just want his ambiguity to be deliberate, and not because he’s an undefined character.   

Final thoughts include that this could fair well with the Revenge crowd.  Wrongs done by the generation before you, list of corrupt people to take out one by one… (a real physical list that you cross names out out, like Emily). There’s even an island (cue Count of Monte Cristo feel).  I really enjoyed this as a premiere, and in my opinion the CW (or WB/UPN) is not a network known for its stellar first episodes.  The show has to be carried by its lead, and I think this actor can do it.  I absolutely plan to tune in next week. 

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen

Stay Shiny!
Kristin

My Favorite Youtube Video Channels

So... today I decided to do a post about my favorite youtube videos! Since The Guild Season 6 premiered the other day, it seemed appropriate. 

I know I've already mentioned some webseries that I checked out, but I don't think I've been able to mention some of the important videos I watch otherwise. 

Must See's Every Week: I generally check into my youtube subscriptions on Wednesdays and Saturdays (that way something new is always around!)

- Vlogbrothers - John and Hank update like clockwork and at less than 4 minutes a video, I can always find time to watch the latest addition. The John videos are ALWAYS necessary to watch, but I find Hank to be more of a hit or miss kind of video. I love their takes on current events, fandom insights, etc. They always have something interesting to talk about. The Nerd Quote Video!

- JennaMarbles - I should probably hang my head in shame that this is so high on the list. She's hilarious though. She can get a little too crude for me sometimes and the voice she does with her dogs - ugh, but sometimes her reflections on life are just way too comically true. I will admit, I check on Wednesdays because that's when she updates. She's awesome.

- Lizzie Bennett Diaries - probably should have made the web series post to be honest, but I've been into the Lizzie Bennett Diaries for a while, so I didn't consider it a new find. These come out every three days and are following (what else?) Pride and Prejudice and are doing an awesome job. I love the modern interpretation, the characters are awesome and spot on, and it's produced by Hank Green. Yay Lizzie! It is fun to watch it from the beginning - but this is going to be a long production, start watching soon, we're already past 50 videos and maybe half way through the book. Lizzie Bennett Playlist

When I Have Time: These are the videos that used to be watched religiously every week and I still love them, but they have been regulated to the back burner because of time issues. Whenever I watch one of these I remember the pure awesomeness and have to question why I don't watch it every week. 

- Crash Course - John Green's world history youtube channel; I have to admit - I'm not even sure if he's still updating weekly on this - it has been so long since I've checked in. I used to watch this every week without fail. He's awesome, the history is interesting, and, I mean, seriously, who doesn't love a good crack about the Mongols? But at 10-12 minutes a pop, I just can't commit. I need to try again. Crash Course: The Renaissance

- The Flog - Again, I used to watch this every week. I love every aspect of this show: I love her fave fives or top three, or whatever it is now, the skill set is always hilarious, and her letters at the end are amazing. Why am I not watching this all the time? No idea - just doesn't happen. Watch the flog - remind me why it is so freakin' amazing. The Flog

When I Want to Waste an Amazing Amount of Time: These are my go to's when I have hours to kill (or not, I just think I do) and I want to watch something on the computer for some reason. 

- Starkid - LOVE does not begin to describe my feelings for Starkid. They rock. I love the Harry Potter musicals, I love Little White Lie, I love Me and My Dick (yes, it really is about what it says), I love Starship, and I love Holy Musical Batman. I also think anything any of them do is amazing - I could watch Potion Master's Corner all day. When I want to waste serious amounts of time, I go to Starkid. Starkid's Amazing Videos

- The Guild - NEW SEASON!! Just started this week - super awesome. The availability of The Guild makes it doubly appealing. I can watch it on Netflix, they recently combined all the short videos into one long video and added annotations!! Seriously, that made me go back and watch the series from the beginning. 

- Karaoke Soundtracks - seriously, my favorite things ever. I love the ones with lyrics - who needs a karaoke machine when youtube exists. I think my favorite time doing this was with the chorus kids; this is literally how they practice for auditions. Brilliant! 

Recent Interests I Think are Kinda Fun: New stuff that could last...

- Itswaypastmybedtime - She seriously has a song about being a Disney Princess. Enough said. Disney Princess Song

- Alex Day and Charlieissocoollike - Funny boys that make fun of Twilight and 50 Shades and love Doctor Who are worth putting on any list. Charlie's Doctor Who Video

Things I'll Occasionally Check on: They don't always put out something awesome, but it is always worth checking...

 - HISHE - How It Should Have Ended has Super Cafe with Superman and Batman. It is pure awesome. The other videos are pretty funny too - Harry Potter and Hunger Games are both favs. SuperCafe: Batphone

- The Nerdist - I prefer the show on BBCAmerica, but occasionally they'll post something amazing that is worth a look. Watch the appeal to nonwhovians by Chris Hardwick. Oh my gosh - love it!Watch Me! New to Who

- Potter Puppet Pals - The Ticking Noise is still the best thing they've put out, but the others are funny too. The one with Draco and the things he likes is pretty much pure hilarity.

DFTBA!
Jana

My Deductions on a few Mysteries

Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen
Give a Mystery!

CBS remake of
Sherlock Holmes

It is the season of crime solving.  Of course, it's always the season of crime solving.  I can't remember a time when detective shows didn't fill a television line up.  Even as a child I remember watching my grandmother soaking up her weekly Murder She Wrote and Matlock.  (Is it really bad that I have the seriously old and seriously bad Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen song "Give us a Mystery" running through my head.  I only remember the title line, but it still keeps coming up.)

This week I enjoyed the third episode of Bones, the second episode of Castle, and the premiere of Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes inspired series. Here are some thoughts and reviews. (Spoiler abound throughout, so back off now if you don't want to see them!)

Esposito & Ryan make up. Yay!

Castle
I'll start with a quick mention of Castle, since I talked pretty extensively about going into the new season last week. (Click here to check out last week's review.)  As I predicted, Castle was back to it's usual back and forth between Beckett and Castle while solving the case of the week.  I found the case interesting enough to keep my attention, and I was satisfied watching Esposito and Ryan make up.  Their relationship troubles has been bothering me.  I was happy to have the deep  stuff pushed to the side and have an episode keep it light.

Sweets getting kissed by his associate and assailant,
new FBI Agent Olivia Sparling

Bones
This Bones episode was my favorite so far this season, mostly for the same reasons as I enjoyed Castle.  It kept it light. Even the second episode had a tense tone as the couple stumbled around trying to figure out how to fit back into one another's lives.   For better or worse, it managed to keep it light by keeping Brennan & Booth out of the limelight.  Sweets is paired up with a new lady FBI agent. (Whom he totally likes and I'm confused by- are we supposed to want him to cheat on Daisy? I don't like cheaters... he needs to cut Daisy loose ASAP.)  Sweets and the new girl, Agent Olivia Sparling, do most of the mystery solving.    Booth and Brennan are barely active.  They are cute in the final scene.  I hope next week we let them do a bit more crime solving, but I'll take Booth in a t-shirt smiling and deciding Brennan can spend her paycheck on his, I'm sorry the baby's, new grill.

Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law
Blockbuster Film Sherlock & Watson

                                 Elementary
Now onto Elementary.  I will admit to being an avid Sherlock fan, and I was not ready to like this show.  Watson is not a girl, he's Martin Freeman.  I enjoy the latest Sherlock movies, but they aren't really Sherlock, they're hyped up Robert Downey, Jr. with an accent.  Enjoyable, but I don't really group them as Sherlock remakes. Another aspect is that  this new series isn't planning traditional Doyle based mysteries, at least not as of yet.  

Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman
BBC's Sherlock

First thoughts- I didn't make the connection from the still images I'd seen that our new Sherlock, Jonny Lee Miller, was Edmund in the 1999 version of Mansfield Park then moved on to Austen's Mr. Knightley in 2009.  I liked him ok in that, but this modern man is different.  He's a very British actor to me (despite having led the American series Eli Stone) in an iconic British role, but that's just not good enough for Americans.  We must move it to New York.  What's with that?  I mean, this is a week for Britains in NY (Doctor Who), but still.   According to IMDb, Miller's first role in 1982 was in Doctor Who, so points for him.  Also in my thoughts, I think lady Watson, Lucy Liu, as a sober companion is an annoying premise.  Watson should tag along because Sherlock is fascinating to him/her from the get go, not because he/she gets paid.  I do like that she wants to be called his companion. 

After completing the episode I felt something was missing.  I can take someone other than Cumberbatch as Sherlock, but I was missing that manic energy and arrogance.  This Sherlock, while showing moments of excitement, was a bit passive for me.  I didn't smile just watching him flummox people, and that's part of what makes Sherlock who he is.  The mystery itself didn't really intrigue me.   I still hated the British detective on American soil.  If you want a modern, American remake, then make him American.  Otherwise, leave him in Britain   It was just annoying throughout. This is a show that could make decent filler while you waited on Castle next week, and granted it's possible things might change, but I am less than intrigued. 

Best quote of this show, delivered by Watson.
"Just because you don't understand something
doesn't make it less awesome." 

There was one major redeeming quality- in the final scene Watson is watching baseball with Sherlock (against his will), and when he gets grumpy she gives him this amazing line that I loved.  "Just because you don't understand something doesn't make it not awesome."  Sherlock then proceeded to prove that he did understand, but this doesn't make the quote less fabulous.

Mini-rant: Don't count on me regularly watching Elementary.  I watch things online and on Hulu Plus, and CBS shows are mostly only viewable on the CBS website.   There were twice as many commercials as on Hulu, and twice it froze, so I had to reload.  After reloading I had to rewatch ads.  Since most people DVR things and don't even watch commercials, stations shouldn't alienate those of us who are watching them. 


Stay Shiny!
Kristin

How I Love Entertainment Weekly... let me count the ways

So, for Today in Fandom, I wanted to discuss my love for Entertainment Weekly. Technically I didn't get my copy of EW today, but since I saw this amazing video from their site today, I figured it was a great topic.

The awesome video that led to today's topic: 

Cookie Monster and Grover take on the fandoms

Isn't it pretty? I think I just gazed
at it's beautifulness for about
5 minutes before reading anything.

I love Entertainment Weekly; I've subscribed to the magazine since 2004 and have never missed an issue. As the years have gone by, I’ve realized that the people who work at EW have amazing taste – pretty much because it’s the same as my taste. We will occasionally disagree, EW and I, but I usually chock that up to me not having a direct influence over their decisions. (Just saying, Thor got an A. I’ll leave it at that.)

Now, I know Kristin actually checks the site more than I do (I’m usually good with just the magazine), but on occasion I do head over to EW.com and take advantage of the amazing recaps , reviews, etc available. It is how I “watch” American Idol at this point if I feel like catching up. The website is usually good for a decent hour or so of procrastinating – BEWARE, it is addictive. As is the magazine actually; there was a time when I was not to be interrupted when EW showed up in the house. And I’ve gotten better about throwing the magazine away after a week or two. They used to make me look like I should be on an episode of Hoarders.

Anyway, I wanted to list some of my favorites from EW over the years, so here we go…

My Top 5 Favorite Issues/Articles from Entertainment Weekly:

#1: The Doctor Who issue – I call it that because Matt Smith was on the cover, but it was beautiful. The Tardis picture and the cover are currently laminated in my classroom. (Next to the Katniss picture from EW of course.) And the article on The Doctor... 10 glorious pages (pretty lengthy) with great stuff for classic and new whovians written by a whovian. Pretty much the perfect article. And following it was an article about other cult shows - so that's pretty awesome too.

Love it.
Almost too much. 

#2: Stephen King in a funny mood. He used to do guest articles; no more I’m afraid. He always had wonderful things to say about Harry Potter and his article about Junior Mints was hilarious!

#3: Any Twilight interview – oh my gosh, hilarious. I hate that they grace the cover of the magazine, but the interviews are so stinkin’ funny.

#4: Harry Potter covers – I keep them in my den; the others get thrown away, but never Harry. I do have to admit they may have done a few too many Harry covers for some people, but not this person. Their all Harry issue was divine.

#5: Soundbites – even now I want to cut them out and make a collage. Although when I personally heard each one on TV, it does make me think I need to reevaluate my priorities.

Oh, Entertainment Weekly, I love you and the joy you bring me when you magically appear in my mailbox Friday afternoon!

DFTBA!

Jana

Castle's Back!

So Today in Fandom I watched the Castle season premiere!  For the record, I do not have cable in my house.  I'm watching things the next night, so other than my excursions to the homes of friends and family for Doctor Who, others may see things ahead of me.  I decided I can live with that.

Entertainment Weekly image- my favorite Castle pic ever!

My thoughts on Castle before watching the premiere- 

I did not watch the last few episodes of Castle until very late in the summer.  I have watched every episode since the series premiere, but I often let it collect in my hulu queue and watch it some low-key weekend in chunks.  I have discovered over the years that I do not love episodes that are exclusively about the murder of Kate's mom.  I love Kate & Castle no matter the situation, but I get bored with the never ending plot.  I much prefer episodic solve a crime episodes.  Whether they are together or not, I want them to make progress.  I do not like endless drama without resolution.  It isn't always required within the episode, but it's preferred.  I do require resolution by the end of a season!  (Although honestly, I will take Nathan Fillion any way I get him...)  

And now for the premiere-

Great new moment- Beckett easily seeking and accepting
comfort from Castle.  Even he becomes aware this is
touching and new.

Now that I've babbled about Castle in general, on to this particular episode.  I've been waiting on it obviously to see how Kate and Castle are after their night together.  I thought that were cute in their moments together throughout the hour, but I struggled to care about the plot of the episode. I can't wait to get back to solving cases. Thirty-five minutes in, and I'm praying Kate does whatever she's going to do just so this ends.  It's well acted. It's well written.  It's well done all around.  I'm OVER it.  Castle can't be cute and funny and Kate can't be teasing and snarky when they're making personal life and death decisions.   

I did love the moment when Kate realizes that she can't escape and Castle asks if he can just take her away.  There's no personal tension, no heartbreak, no conflict between them, and this moment demonstrates the main change in their relationship.  She leans against him, and lets him hold her.  They give and take comfort, without worrying about how the other feels (at least for now).  But back to Kate- does she take out the threat and find security and safety, albeit throwing away her career, all she stands for, and probably her life? Can we rap this up? 

And nope.  Not entirely resolved.  As the chief said, "It seems to be the gift that keeps on giving."  Thank goodness they established a scenario that allows next week get back to normal. Yay!  And for the record, I'm totally fine having them together.  They can be fun and tease.  I like it better than wistful looks and broken hearts.  There is potential now for it to be lighter and more fun than it's been in ages.  I'm very much looking forward to this season.

Beckett teasing Castle in the elevator at the
conclusion of the episode- this bodes well for the season!

J's Review of Revolution

So, one of the shows I was looking forward to the most this season was Revolution. I watched the premiere the other night and was, to say the least, underwhelmed (that word always makes me think of 10 Things - can you just be whelmed?). 

The premise sounded awesome and J.J. Abrams always comes up with fun stuff. Revolution had these Lost moments (down to the music) and that may have been its downfall - it was trying to hard to attract the Lost crowd. It wanted to impress me too much. Like Lost, I was left with questions - is Nate good or bad, why did Sebastian turn bad, why DID the power go out, and why in the world can't they get it back on? I'm glad I have questions, but I certainly hope, unlike Lost, some of this can be answered soon. I'm also not sure how long they can draw this out - I think we'll all get tired of this "we have no power" thing pretty soon.

I felt like they didn't set up the world very well, but that doesn't surprise me. This is obviously one of those shows where we'll find out the information piece by piece. Seeing as how Revolution is set in areas that Americans will obviously know, I wish they had spent some time on how the power down really affected everyone - what is the world like? I don't just want to know Charlie's perspective - I want to know what happened everywhere. Hopefully, they'll get there.

The other problem with the show was Charlie. For the main character, she was not that developed. She obviously has parental issues, but she is not very interesting. I would much rather watch the story from someone else's perspective. She seems like a very weak Katniss character. And the whole reason anyone likes Katniss is her strength. A weak Katniss - boring. I hate that she bores me because the boys (Miles and her brother) are much more interesting. She could be awesome, but so far, I don't like her. 

Anyway, that's my review of Revolution - I think I'll try another episode or two, in the hopes that it gets better. At least tomorrow, TV will be awesome. New Parks and Rec!! Awesome sauce. 

DFTBA!

Jana

Vampire Diaries- To Watch or Not to Watch?

Vampire Diaries
Seasons 1-3  now available on Netflix

So, today in my world of Fandom I am considering whether or not I'm going to be watching Vampire Diaries this season.   The last season just became available on Netflix, so it's time to make a decision.  I am a season behind, and I have acted with my usual spoiler caution when it comes to this show.  While I may have become aware of a few unavoidable plot points, I've avoided scenes, video recaps, Youtube clips, or detailed episode summaries.  This indicates I'm not ready to give it up.


Why I'm Behind
I got behind because I didn't watch all of Season 2 last year, and I was behind when Season 3 began.  I couldn't catch up easily on Netflix, and the CW had taken the latest new stuff off the web before I caught up on the old stuff.  It was a no win.  I didn't watch any of Season 3, because I hate seeing bits and pieces ahead of time if I'm going to watch it later.  Now we're about to begin Season 4, and yay Netflix, you've placed the last season online in time for me to catch up!  It may happen...


When I Saw the Cast on Their Mall Tour
I saw the cast at a panel during their mall tour a couple of years back.  I hadn't really been to any celebrity panel-like events before, so I had no frame of reference at the time.  I waited for hours with friends, and ended up directly front and center, surrounded by 15-18 year old girls.  When the cast came out, they looked exactly like they do on television. They were gorgeous, and seemed to have had their clothes, hair, and make-up done by the series stylists.  The problem that occurred was that I spent the entire time wishing we were talking to someone more important on the show- the producer, the script writers, or the author of the books.  The questions asked of the actors were simplistic and the actors catered to them, seeming to almost be in character while they answered questions about what it was like to act with one another and did they like Atlanta.  Of course  "Who would you pick, Stefan or Damon?" seemed to be the repeating question to the point of annoyance. They looked great and were respectably entertaining, but I wasn't impressed.  It's probable that they were catering the teenage crowd- you certainly felt like you were talking to the characters most of the time.

Thoughts on the DragonCon Vampire Diaries Panel?
I'd love to hear them!

The Cast at Dragon*Con 2012
The cast was at Dragon*Con while I was there recently, and I had people ask me if they were worth seeing.  I told them that despite being unimpressed in the past, I wasn't sure.  Were they just catering to the younger audience when I saw them?  I'd like to think they would be more relaxed and more themselves at a convention populated with people mostly their own age.  Also, I hope the questions would be of higher quality.  Anyway, I would love to hear someone's opinion who has seen a different kind of panel from this cast.  What did you think? 



The premiere is scheduled for Thurs. October 11th at 8:00 on the CW.

Stay Shiny!
Kristin

Literally wearing myself out with my nerdiness...

So for Fandom Today, I decided to discuss my crazy obsession with the way I express my fandoms... mainly my ever growing, smile inducing horde of nerdy T-shirts. I've always been a fan of the T-shirt -so comfy and easy, but awesome, nerdy T-shirts are beyond just a comfortable level. They make me happy and have on many occasions introduced me to a new friend! Seriously, I walked through the door at K's house last week and several people had to comment on my amazing Magic School Bus (with the HP kids on it) shirt. It was pretty sweet - must say.

Anyway, I realized this needed to be my topic when I went to the mail box and had yet another T-shirt in the box today (super cute Kaylee's Shiny Repairs shirt). This July and August, I will admit, I went a little crazy.

My brother is the one that turned me on to these sites - he and his wife love T-shirts and they have bunches. When I saw his Tardis and Delorian crash T-shirt, I knew I was hooked. So technically speaking, totally David's fault (in my family everything is David's fault anyway, so this makes sense).  And then after I missed the Men of Scarves shirt (Sherlock, Harry, and the Doctor with scarves - adorbs!), I decided heck or high water, I was checking those stinkin' T-shirt sites. And paypal just makes it so easy... result = many, many T-shirts.

Oh, and I don't limit the T-shirt buying just to me, oh no. I love giving presents, so you know I ordered T-shirts for friends and family. Got my brother his "Legen...wait for it... dary" suit and tie shirt - he claimed it was the best present he could have ever gotten (for $15 I vote I'm an awesome sister).

So... if you wanna be awesome like Jana and have way too many T-shirts, check out this amazing site: Day of the Shirt - all the daily tees on one site. I love the daily T-shirts; it makes me so happy to think I "discovered" the shirt and managed to get it. I regularly buy from Woot, TeeFury, and Ript. Qwertee always has amazing stuff, but it's from the UK, so it is more expensive and takes longer to ship; however, it comes with gummy bears. So major points there.

I have decided that I am not allowed to buy every shirt I think I need; I have to set a limit. Suggestions? One a week? It's just so hard, you could think something is amazing and then the next day something even better pops up! Yes, I'm addicted. I think I may need to enter a 12 step program for this. Oh dear. I mean, Lord knows, I'm not missing when this becomes a shirt: 

And now, I'll leave you with my amazing bumper sticker (yes, I know not a T-shirt, but this is what happens, now I have to decorate my car). On the other side I have a Weasley is my King bumper sticker because my nerdy girl status was not confirmed without both. 

DFTBA!

Jana