Luckylyn

I’m also wondering if Lifetime is going to get into the exclusive contract game. They definitely have more resources to compete with Hallmark. I liked the way things were where actors had freedom to hop from one network to another. Sometimes one actor would be in Christmas movies on different networks the same year. Yet locking down the actors makes business sense with GAC actively trying to recruit Hallmark talent. Plus, I assume the actors appreciate the job security a contract provides. I do wonder if some will insist on being free agents and continue hopping from one network to another. Some actors don’t like longterm contracts. I remember a show I used to watch and wondering why a popular supporting character never got upgraded to lead but it turned out it was the actor’s choice because he found the contract to be a lead to be too restricting. I remember Hilarie Burton and her horrible experience with sexual harassment on One Tree Hill and how she said that experience makes her hesitate to sign long term contracts unless she knows the people involved extremely well or has a lot of creative control. She’s done some Hallmark, but I think Lifetime offered her more control so she’s pops up there more often.

I adore that man!

Because of GAC business model of poaching Hallmark talent, I’m betting there will be more exclusive contract announcements for Hallmark and GAC. Hallmark has to lock down their talent to prevent losing more people. But the Hallmark machine is so big I think it can withstand losing a few actors. I think some have been overused and the audience would enjoy newbies joining the rotation of movies. But there are favorites I am always happy to see. I am relieved Andrew Walker is sticking with Hallmark. I hope Nikki DeLoach, Paul Campbell, Kristoffer Polaha, Autumn Reeser, Alison Sweeny, Michael Rady, and Luke Macfarlane stay with Hallmark. I also look forward to new faces in leading roles.

You definitely have a point about unsympathetic characters. And the beginning was a struggle because of the vast amount of plots. I’ve adjusted to the jumping around to various characters/plots. Parts of it are a rough read but it’s compelling. I must find out how it ends.

I’m reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. His writing reminds me of Joseph Heller. The book is comedic in tone but parts of it can be grim to read about. The book is massive and there’s a lot of characters. The most recurring locations are a Tennis Academy and a halfway house for addicts. Addiction of various kinds (drugs, sex, entertainment) is a constant throughout. I am halfway through and very curious of how things will conclude.

Why This Creepy Melody Is In So Many Movies How The Music Spoils Sweeney Todd (and Why That’s a Good Thing) The Dies Irae really is so baked into our culture’s musical vocabulary regarding death. I probably associate it the most with The Shining and Sweeney Todd.

I'm currently enjoying A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare which is book 2 in her Spindle Cove Series. This book features Minerva and Colin. Worried that her mother's determination that Minerva's sister Diana marry the womanizing viscount Colin will lead to unhappiness for Diana, Minerva attempts to intervene. Since he's blocked from accessing his fortune until he either marries or reaches a certain age, she offers him the prize money from a geological competition if he will escort her to Scotland so she can present her findings. So Minerva and Colin have the kind of trip where things go wrong while they deal with an attraction stronger than either anticipated.

This is a really interesting video about the voting process. I had assumed the movie with the most votes won best picture. I had no idea about their ranking voting system. How the Oscars Work….and How They Don’t

The Academy Is Facing Harsh Criticism After “West Side Story” Lead Rachel Zegler Revealed She Wasn’t Invited To The Oscars Despite The Film Having Seven Nominations I was surprised that the lead actress in a best picture nominated film wasn’t invited. I know she herself wasn’t nominated but I figured if the film was nominated for the big award the leads would be invited. Who decides who goes and who doesn’t? Is it a matter of each film being allotted a certain amount of tickets or is it up to the Academy to individually invite people to the ceremony? Do the producers of the nominated film have no say over who gets an invitation and who doesn’t? Why can’t someone from the film who was invited bring her as their plus one? edited to add another thought: Was Ansel Elgort also not invited? Maybe because the of scandal surrounding him he wasn’t invited and it was decided to also disinvite Rachel so it’s not so obvious he’s being pushed out. But that totally screws her over unfairly. That’s just my speculation which is probably wrong.

Why are Batman Movies Afriad of Robin? I really think the new series starting with The Batman is the best chance to introduce Robin.

I’m disappointed that Aeryn and John from Farscape and Becca and Jesse from Life Goes On didn’t make the list but several other couples I enjoyed made it.

I’m reading Melissa Gilbert’s biography Prairie Tale. It’s an interesting read and she isn’t shy about sharing the events of her life.

I thought his request that the money be counted discreetly made sense. He didn’t want to draw attention to the large some of money he was withdrawing which could be a security risk for him. The teller’s overreaction was totally uncalled for.

Sadly systematic biases can affect anyone. Being a member of a particular group doesn’t guarantee a person won’t perpetuate profiling.

Trailer for the limited series about the case

Trailer

I’m reading If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy . It’s the start of a “Meant to Be Series” where authors take a fairytale and twist it into a contemporary romance. I saw that Jasmine Guillory whose books I love was writing one so decided to read book one since I wasn’t sure if they were supposed read in order of if they are all stand alones. I started out enjoying If the Shoe Fits but am starting to lose interest. This take on Cinderella has Cindy the aspiring shoe designer compete on her producer/step mother’s bachelor type of dating show. I feel like I was liking it until the book got deep into the dating competition. I really like that the step mom and sisters aren’t villains. I like Cindy’s opinions on the fashion industry needing to be inclusive about sizing and really felt felt for her when the show’s costume designer had tons of cute options for clothes for the other contestants but just a tent for Cindy. Also I find I don’t care much about the love interest. He’s alternates between being blah or being shady. I’m going to keep going with it. I’m disappointed that after finishing the terrible Ready Player Two that my follow up book isn’t as fun as I was hoping. The conclusion of Ready Player Two was horrifying to me.

That could be a great plot for a romantic comedy. Exs who temporarily move back in together platonically because of an emergency and fall back in love again. I hope it works out for them.

So I have begun Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. I am 28% through according to my Kindle, and I am frustrated. I am not liking Wade. I sympathize with him at points but he does inappropriate creepy things. He uses his godlike abilities in the Oasis to do stuff like look for people’s personal information, cyberstalk people, and destroy avatars just because they criticize him/his friends. I can’t get past it. He’s the narrator so I don’t get a break from him. Sam’s accusation that they are drug dealers getting high on their own supply nails the situation pretty perfectly. I hate the way Wade treats her concerns about people being addicted to the tech and that at least children shouldn’t have access because they aren’t certain about the long term Neurological effects as eye-roll worthy while he’s well aware he’s very much addicted. Anyway, I really hope it gets better. I wanted to be optimistic despite the poor reviews because I did like the first book.

I have been enjoying Jasmine Guillory’s Wedding Date series. I have been reading While We Were Dating where ad exec Ben is paired with movie star Anna. Ben is the brother of Theo from book 3 The Wedding Party. Ben and Anna start as a fling while they are working together on smartphone campaign. Anna has had some personal setbacks but strives to get further ahead in her career. Would a romance with Ben raise her profile? Would a temporary public romance become something real and lasting? This one is one of my favorites in the series.

A YouTuber made a video about Kanye’s most recent behavior. He just won’t let Kim go. He is not making the situation easier on the kids. Although I agree with him about not wanting his kids on Tiktok I think the way he’s going about it is terrible.

Billie Eilish Responds to Kanye "Ye" West's Plea to Apologize to Travis Scott Wait, he thinks she should have left her fan in medical distress just so Travis Scott doesn’t look worse by comparison. That’s just bonkers.

Firestarter

Fanny won me over with her strength and refusal of Crawford. Even with the pressure they put her under by sending her back to her family she won’t be forced to marry. In her own way she was tough.