Monday 20 April 2015

"You can't ruin Chrismukkah. It's got twice the resistance of any normal holiday."

Hello Readers!

Well we’ve reached the end of the semester, which means this post will be my last for a little while. So, while I’ve got you in suspense here I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog! It means a lot to me!

Anyways, in anticipation of summer vacation my show of choice for this week is The O.C.  As per the name, the show is set in Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The basic concept behind the show revolves around an affluent family who takes in a troubled teen when they realize he has no home.

Sounds like your typical teen drama, right? As much as I’d like to say you’re wrong, that’s exactly what this show is. While the plot may not be all that in-depth, and it sort of feels like a soap opera for teenagers, this show still holds a special place in my love for TV. It’s one of the first shows I watched from start to finish in binge-watching style.

But let’s get back to the show. Basically, the plot unfolds around 4 teenagers and their families. There’s Ryan – the strong, silent, adopted one, Seth – the geeky, always on the outside until Ryan comes around, Marissa – the party-girl, trouble-maker, and Summer – Marissa’s popular, quirky best friend. It’s the overlap of these friendships that I think make the show worth watching.


If you’re looking for something to get you ready for summer, tune in to The O.C. It’s only four seasons, so you’ll finish it before it’s time to get outside and enjoy the nice weather!

I hope you all have a fantastic summer!

Thanks for reading!


-Emily

Monday 13 April 2015

My thoughts on watching sports - have fun and enjoy the game.

Hello Readers!

For those of you that don’t know, the Masters was on TV this past weekend. If you don’t know what the Masters are then you’re probably not a huge fan of golf. Well, I am. I love it! I mean sure it’s a pretty frustrating game most of the time, but there’s also the great feeling that comes along with sinking your putt.

The game itself is not what I want to talk about this week, however. The reason I’m bringing up golf is because sports are a huge part of watching TV. Personally, I don’t watch that many different sports, and usually I don’t watch anything all the way through, but I’m sure a lot of you guys do.

If I’m going to watch sports on TV, it’s usually because I’m spending time with my dad. It started when I was little. I was a tomboy and therefore spent a lot of time doing things with my dad. So, when he would sit down and watch a NASCAR race, I would sit and watch it with him. I remember watching history unfold during one race when two cars got stuck together, one a little ahead of the other, during the last lap. The guy who was locked in the front position won because there was nothing the other guy could do about it. Photo finishes are what NASCAR lovers live for!


As I got older, and we started to go out golfing more often, I got to know the game better and started to watch it on TV too. Golf tournaments are a bit of a commitment to watch though, so I only watch bits and pieces. The one tournament I try to watch a lot of is The Masters. As boring as watching golf may sound to you, a lot can happen over the four days at Augusta National Golf Course. More often than not, the pressure of the Masters gets into the heads of the golfers, and once that happens it’s pretty hard to recover.

Jordan Spieth, the winner of this year’s green jacket, didn’t let this happen to him. Through four days of play, he kept a clear head and hit the ball consistently well. From Thursday through Sunday, he broke numerous records including being the first player to reach 19 under par at the Masters, his halfway total of 14 under par on Friday broke the 39-year-old record set by Ray Floyd in 1976, and his 54-hole effort of 16 under was also a new Augusta best, he became the second-youngest player to win at Augusta, and just the fifth man to lead the prestigious tournament from start to finish. Even if you know nothing about golf, you have to admit that’s quite an accomplishment.


Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is that watching sports on TV doesn’t have to be about knowing stats and following every move a team is making. It can just be about spending time with your family like it is for me. Even if you know nothing about the sport being played, I say why not take the time to try to enjoy it anyway? You never know. It might spark in interest in something you didn’t even know you were interested in!

Thanks for reading!


-Emily

Tuesday 7 April 2015

"Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through"

Hello Readers!

I’m going to talk about a good ol’ Canadian classic this week. Maybe you can guess it? It probably won’t take too long to rack your brain for Canadian TV shows. Well in case you didn’t get it, it’s Degrassi.

I started watching this show years ago. My sister was the one who introduced me to it with the episode where Ashley takes ecstasy. If you don’t recognize the name Ashley from the series, then you’ve probably missed out on Degrassi: The Next Generation.


This is where I started the show, but it actually goes back to the ‘80’s. From The Kids of Degrassi Street to Degrassi Junior High to Degrassi High, the show followed students basically through their entire school lives. Then came Degrassi: The Next Generation named as such because a couple of the stars from the previous shows are now parents of the kids in the show.

In 2010, the show dropped “The Next Generation” part of its name, and it’s now known just as Degrassi. The show doesn’t really have the same draw for me as it used to, but I’ve continued watching it mostly out of loyalty. Also, I like to support homegrown programming.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the basic plot line. Every few seasons the episode themes get recycled. There’s been teen pregnancies, drug addictions, suicide, cyber bullying, pretty much any issue the can affect young people today has been covered at some point on the show.


All in all though, it’s really not a bad show. If you want to start watching it, from Degrassi: The Next Generation to Degrassi there are 14 seasons, so it’ll take you some time to get through it. It’s not completely clear whether you have something to catch up to though. There’s no word yet whether Degrassi will be renewed for a 15th season.

But if you’re looking for a new show, show a little Canadian pride and check it out!

Thanks for reading!


-Emily

Monday 30 March 2015

It's a family drama, and that family just happens to be a royal family.

Hello Readers!

This week’s post is about a new show called The Royals. It premiered on E! on March 15. While I’ve only seen two of the three episodes, so far I like what I’ve seen.

The show is centered on a fictional British royal family set in modern-day London. In the opening of the first episode, we find out that the king’s oldest son has died. The heir to the throne is now Liam, if there’s even going to be a next kind at all.

The king thinks his son is dead because of the monarchy and announces to the family that he’s thinking of having it abolished. This of course leads to instability within the family.


Between the drug-addicted princess, the evil uncle vying for his brother’s crown, and the controlling queen who has come accustomed to the royal lifestyle, it’s hard to know exactly which way this show may go.

But that’s what I think this show needs if it’s going to survive in a struggling TV market. While it’s too soon to say if this show is going to grow legs, you can enjoy the royal unrest Sundays at 9 PM on E! Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!


-Emily

Monday 23 March 2015

"This is the story of 10 strangers and one night"

Hello Readers!

I’m back to a review this week, and my show of choice is Mixology. I’d heard about it from a couple of my friends, so I thought I might as well give it a try. Sorry for the episode spoilers (this is pretty much a play-by-play of the first episode).

The show opens on Tom and his two friends Cal and Bruce. Tom’s fiancĂ© has just left him, and now he’s back in the game. His friends are super supportive about him finding a girl. They pick one out at the bar and encourage him to go talk to her. As Tom walks away, they decide that she's way out of his league, and they think he’s going to get eaten alive. At the start, it looks like his friends might be right about that. His opening line has the words “I'm a stranger” in it.


Then we get a little backstory on Tom. His dad left when he was six but he didn't figure it out till he was nine. He was always trying to make his mom happy, which Bruce’s voiceover says ruined his relationships with girls for 10 years. Then Tom and Laura met in college and later got engaged. When Laura breaks up with him she says, “I'm just not feeling it anymore - everything about you repulses me.” It’s a self-esteem hit for Tom.

Back to the present, Tom thanks Maya (the girl he approached) for talking to him. Then we get a little backstory on her. Maya is the third of six girls, and her father raised her like a son. She loved conflict and hated people, so she became a lawyer. She says to her friend Liv that she has to date pro-athletes - they're the only real men left. It makes you wonder if Tom is going to get anywhere with Maya.

You begin to think Tom’s going to give up when he admits to not being very good at talking to women. And then things get worse when he starts talking about his ex and begins to cry. Maya, clearly fed-up with Tom’s whining, says, “Your fiancĂ© left you because you're a sniveling little bitch. Every girl wants a nice guy, but that they also need a man. Figure out what you want and go after it. That's what real men do every day. It's not that difficult.”

From a girl’s perspective, this is great advice. And it seems to be exactly what Tom needs to snap out of his funk. He gives Maya a hug and then asks for her number. When she tries to refute him, he says he’s only following her advice. As she writes down his number she says, “You realize this has been the worst pick-up in human history.” He jokes it’ll be a great story to tell the kids.

When he goes back to his friends, they are extremely impressed with him. When Liv arrives, Maya recounts the story, and she says it felt good to give him her number.

A couple of other characters are also introduced in the episode. There are two sisters. The older one, Jessica, is there to meet Ron who she knows from an online dating site. He shows up and throws up in Jessica's bag because he’s so drunk. He says he'd offer to buy her a new purse, but he just lost all his money. Then he leaves.

Ron is still outside the bar when Liv goes out to take a phone call. He asks her for gum, but she doesn’t have any. There’s something between them, and he asks her to stay for a drink as the camera flashes to her engagement ring.

Finally there’s Kacey the waitress who breaks up with Dominic the bartender. When she confronts him about his reaction to their break-up, he calls her by the wrong name, which makes her mad.

Anyways, I guess I’ll have to watch the rest of the series to find out what happens with the rest of these people. So far, I think it's a pretty realistic portrayal of bar life.


If you’ve watched, I’d love to know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!


-Emily