aradia22
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Posts posted by aradia22
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On the one hand, I found the episode to be just as boring as the other episodes have been lately. There's no sparkle, no energy. Really, Ghost and Paula Abdul? It works on Glee. It doesn't work with all the faux-earnestness here. There were little moments that were nice but really it just seemed like a bunch of things rehashed from better stories. On the plus side, yay, Pablo is back! It seems like Lauren will get more depth in season 2! I think the acting of the three main leads has been slipping and I'd like to see more of the parents (or you know, school) in season 2 to ground things outside of the romance. Oh, and I loved the last 2 minutes or so. It was the only thing that really had some genuine life to it. It's like the episode finally got excited that it was airing when it was time for that cliffhanger. I won't pretend it wasn't obvious only because shows like this thrive on changing partners and there weren't a lot of options. If they wanted to shock me, it would have been Amy and Lauren falling into that bed.
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Carole talking about Aviva: She talks about sexual stuff because she thinks it's provocative and it makes her interesting. She is not interesting. She is a thumping bore. She is not fooling anybody...
Pot, meet kettle.
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Carole: She talks about sexual stuff because she thinks it's provocative and it makes her interesting. She is not interesting. She is a thumping bore. She is not fooling anybody...
Pot, meet kettle.
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I love Sisaundra but I don't think it was her best performance. 25% of it was her vocals and 75% was the performance and staging. I thought her vocals were just the tiniest bit off, which still puts her leagues ahead of most of the other contestants but Sisaundra's one who can't slip. There are contestants that these shows love to eliminate and Sisaundra is one of them. As for the staging, what idiot said, let's put her up on a weird platform (almost as bad as a terrible X Factor plinth) and then put her in crazy high heels so she can't dance. And let's hide the backup singers in the stage... and just, ugh. It took so much momentum out of the song. Her vocals were dynamic and here she was, doing her best by strutting from time to time but unable to pick up the rhythm of the song.
I do not understand how Usher ended up with only one artist.
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Why do all of Shakira's songs from this new album sound so derivative?
Bria wasn't ready but I'm impressed by how much Usher managed to improve her singing.
The confessional was very cute. Ear wiggling. Mullet Tina Turner. They do a good job putting those together and I much prefer them to all the lame attempts at checking in backstage in the lounge and engaging with social media that we used to get. I don't think they've quite refined the magic formula yet but they're close. The instant twitter save is probably the least offensive way they can get all the tweets they want without driving the people watching the show crazy.
I do not get what is happening with Kristen and her father. I wonder if she filmed a ton of interview segments that would make this make more sense that we didn't see because they didn't show so many of her full performances.
I hope Usher never gave Bieber that "what you are is amazing because you say you are" advice.
As for the final sing off, Tess did the worst simply because she was drowned out for most of the song. Bria had some issues but it was solidly average. Kat was so far ahead of the other two it was ridiculous. I wish she did more songs like the one she performed because I'd probably be a bigger fan of hers if she did. My only struggle with Kat is that she's technically good but doesn't have a striking, unique sound while also not really being a great "interpreter" of songs. It just leaves me feeling a little flat after her performances.
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What the heck was Maya wearing to school? A red semi-leopard print minidress with a low V-neck and a cutout in the back? It's both "inappropriate" and inappropriate for school. She looks like a backup dancer or a bebe ad. Who the heck is running the costume department for Degrassi?
Oh, and his eyes did not look bloodshot.
Again, with the hilarious age stuff. I love how Degrassi inflates and ignores age differences as it suits them. Frankie's in high school. It's a big weird to warn her about "high school guys." A "grade 10 or 11 creep" would only be a year or two older than her. Calm the eff down.
Why is Clare being awful to Drew? Clare does not need "revenge." God, revisionist history, much? She did not get "dumped." At least, not the way she's portraying it.
But awww, puppies and bacon. All would be forgiven if they actually filmed that scene.
Drew, Grace, and Tristan could be good characters if they would stop sidelining them and then misusing them when they do highlight them. Kill Clew. It's a terrible couple. There's a way to make that trope work and it's not with these specific characters. Tristan just keeps rehashing the same plots of pining for some guy or sort of pursuing his acting ambitions but only when there's time for it in the episode. What happened to the weird teacher with his club in the woods? For the most part, these three characters are the writers' favorite exposition machines and sounding boards.
Zig is an idiot. He's hiding out and he just goes to answer the door without even peeking through the curtain?
Did I miss the episode that explains why they can suddenly put on events almost constantly and why they seem to have unlimited resources when they were having budget issues just a little while ago? The silent dance party seemed kind of cute. The other rooms were lame/copies of other concepts. It was weird that everyone was ready with an "art installation" when most of these characters have no connection to art.
Maya's "What do you know?" to Alli was amazing. I think that was the writers talking to us there.
Ugh. I don't mind if Zig and Maya are just friends and not in a relationship but this is opening the door for more awful Maya and YoungMoney stuff which I am not on board for.
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Yes!
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I'm kind of intrigued by Tiny. I think they have the potential to do something with his character. As this is Degrassi, they probably won't, but hey, there's potential. I think Grace's potential is slowly dying. She's very much on the sidelines. She mostly provides exposition or serves as a sounding board for Maya. And all her "edge" is slowly being stripped away until all she has is her look and really nothing else that defines her as an outsider.
I think they shortchanged the Winston/Frankie thing by rushing it. Even the transition to the kiss was way too fast. But this could be interesting in the long run. I just wish they'd taken the time to build it up so it didn't just feel like "and now you will care about these people."
I'm not sure Jack has the physique to run the triathlon club and do drunken axe throwing on the side, but sure, whatever. It's Degrassi.
I know Zig wasn't heroic this episode but this is what Maya made me think of (she's just a big bag of bad female character stereotypes, isn't she?) http://the-toast.net/2014/05/27/movie-girlfriends-hate-heroism/ I'm fine with characters making bad decisions if A) there's a point to it B) the show realizes it's a bad decision C) it's believable D) (optional but preferred) there are consequences. I'm not quite sure yet if the show really understands how bad they've made Maya at... all the things. Really she's terrible at everything except playing the cello. I hope she does have feelings for Zig because I find her relationship with Miles creepy, I think the writers do a better job with Maya and Zig when they're flirty and not tasked with too much drama, and because if she doesn't then this whole storyline about "saving" Zig is getting ridiculous and painfully stupid.
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With the raves for Emily Blunt coming for Edge of Tomorrow, I went looking to see what her next project is, surprisingly she plays the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods. Can she sing?
Slightly off topic, I am so worried for that Into the Woods movie. I want it to be good but nothing about the casting makes me think that it will be good. I was fine with Chicago casting singers that were just alright as the singing has never been the strongest part of Chicago. And even though I rolled my eyes at Les Miz, I have no real affection for it so I didn't care too much what they did with it. But this is Sondheim. This is Into the Woods. And you cast Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, etc. Like seriously, WTF? Yeah, I know someone them can "sort of" sing but this is Sondheim. I am not interested in hearing people who can "sort of" sing do Sondheim. Meryl Streep couldn't even do ABBA so I'm not sure what we're expecting her to do with The Witch. Maybe they'll lower the keys.
Back on topic, I think this movie will be a good test of movie stardom. On the one hand we have Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp who are meant to pull people into theatres and give this movie some acting cred. But they've also had their share of flops and aren't always box office draws. And if they look ridiculous in this movie, do they have enough cachet to pull them through unscathed? With Emily Blunt and Chris Pine I think it's more of a testing ground. They've had some big mainstream roles, him more than her, but I don't think they've hit that level of movie stardom and guaranteed box office success yet. She can't sell a movie (and has some misses as a second banana) and he just had a miss with Jack Ryan in spite of his Star Trek success. I think Anna Kendrick is in a more unique position because she's basically our new Anne Hathaway. Will she be America's musical-making sweetheart or will we collectively go, you know she doesn't sing that well and she's starting to irritate me. I know she was on stage when she was younger. So was Nick Jonas and anyone who watched the Les Miz 25th anniversary concert can tell you how much that proves. I find her voice pleasant but unremarkable and if they stay true to the Sondheim score as written, I think the part of Cinderella is going to give us a chance to see if she has the chops. Kim Crosby, Laura Benanti... not to mention the countless women who've played the part in non-Broadway productions. I don't know. I don't really see how her Pitch Perfect role was enough to land her Cinderella in Into the Woods and The Next 5 Years over "real" Broadway performers. I hope she gave killer auditions and they didn't just offer her the parts.
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Nope. Still soapy but focus more on the prominent roles for female characters.
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I think going into theater is a very smart decision. It may not be the exposure she wants, but she is getting good reviews in a well known production.
I only read the NY Times review which wasn't so hot.
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I love David Alan Grier but he was kind of a mess. I think Tim actually did fairly well. He was a rockstar in the memory game, especially given his team. It was nice to have two civilians who were really there to win. They chose some good games this episode. It wasn't the best episode but it was fun. I'm still waiting for the day when they start bringing together the all-star panels. Not just a few repeat celebs but the best celebs and some good civilians (not repeats) to really test the people designing the games and writing the clues. I felt bad for Brigitte during Show Me the Music as she didn't seem to know the songs she was trying to guess and was off by a pronoun or article. I think it didn't help that her team wasn't working together as much. For example, Jeff's Brick House clues fit the song but they don't help her guess the title and threw her off of Tiffani and Poppy's clues.
As for the bonus round. I wouldn't have felt safe picking anyone on Team Brigitte. DAG is great but after the way he whiffed the chain game I wouldn't trust him for the bonus round. Tim actually did OK in some of the games but I think unless you've got an amazing older player it's always safer to go with someone younger so Leslie really ended up being the only acceptable choice. Natalie passed on some weird ones but she was also really smart about passing quickly which I appreciated.
I loved Tiffani's laugh at Kate Winslet. I love crazy laughs.
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The first guy's set with the cats on the airplane wasn't bad but it just didn't win me over. I actually liked Vecchione more in this round than the first round. I think Karlous Miller had better material this time. I liked the comic with the set about having a gay mom but I also think the first few comics had already set the mood and I'm a sucker for someone who mentions musicals. But then that doesn't explain me not liking Chloe Hillard's routine. I'm tired of female comics who seem to only do jokes about body image or "women things". At some point it feels like the rom-coms that think we all drink buckets of wine and sit in front of the TV eating tubs of ice cream if we're single. The checklist was also weird. It was too personal/specific in a joke that was written as universal. Mark Normand's set was pretty good. I don't think the crowd was totally with him and his delivery might not be for everyone but I think the joke construction was there. Tracey Ashley had a fun set. I think she's one of the comics that would work well with her own show because there's a part of her that's an actress more than a joke-teller. The times when she's acting things out are when her jokes really shine. Aida Rodriguez started off OK but it was kind of unfocused and she didn't seem totally confident. When it got into the dating/surveillance stuff it started to lose me. I don't think the rest of the dating stuff really got me back into it. I've just heard so much material on dating that none of it felt fresh.
I didn't love Yamaneika the first time but I liked the cocaine/baby powder joke. I wanted to see more of her set. I wanted to see more of Mike Gaffney's set. I feel cheated. Deanne Smith is kind of painfully unfunny. Maybe she should just go be in an indie hipster band? I have yet to hear her tell a really great joke. I still don't think Nick Guerra has great jokes but as with his first set he has a good energy and is comfortable working the stage. He could be a comedic actor who sells other people's jokes but right now I'm not wowed by his own material.
I still like Monroe. I have no issues with his jokes. I just think he hasn't reached the performance level where they land as hard as they should. A good comic does make you feel safe as Vecchione joked. You feel safe because you're confident that they know what they're doing. Monroe Martin still lacks that final spark that makes someone a great comic because you feel like they're on top of things.
Keenan is totally the best judge. He gives the most constructive, helpful advice. I feel like Russell just keeps describing what he saw and saying useless things like "we/I related to that." Um... thanks?
Joe Machi. I can see how he could be grating but I like him. I like his rhythm and delivery and his jokes are actually pretty well thought out. They were far superior to Deanne's you're going to die song. Ugh. Hate her. There were so many comics better than she was who didn't make it through.
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Although, I am going to go see Jersey Boys, but then I tend to like those kinds of movies, so I'm hoping this one is good.
I like Clint but I wish he would stop directing films that are so damn depressing. Direct a comedy, Clint, will ya?!
I don't think I've seen a single movie he's directed but I will be watching Jersey Boys because I missed JLY on Broadway. But would it have killed Clint Eastwood to not film Jersey Boys in his Letters from Iwo Jima/Flags of Our Fathers color palette? I get that it's not exactly a shiny, happy musical but does everything need to be gray and beige? It's Jersey Boys. Why so serious?
Frozen was boring. The plot is so weak, and the real villain basically materializes out of nowhere and there's no background for it. And ugh, that song. How many versions of it do we need?
I really enjoyed Frozen though it has problems. I think
Hans
was a fine villain and I liked the commentary behind it which echoed what they were building with TPATF (which disappeared for the most part in Tangled) deconstructing the fairytale. However, I do think it was a bit cheap to throw in a red herring villain (the older character... can't remember his name).
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Leighton Meester will have to do a lot to get me to hate her. I was in on Gossip Girl from the beginning and any Gossip Girl fan knows Blair and Chuck were the best part of that show. I saw Country Strong on a plane. I couldn't bring myself to see her Single White Female style movie or That's My Boy. I hope for the best for her but she needs to make smarter decisions because there's only so long reviewers can go "Leighton Meester was the best part of this terrible movie" before she stops getting roles.
I've only seen Chris O'Dowd in The Sapphires but he was great in that movie. At the moment I don't see him as a movie star or a critically beloved actor (though that could change) but he definitely seems to know how to fit himself into movies in a way that makes me think he could stick around for a long time in supporting roles. It probably also doesn't hurt that he seems really likable and is forming relationships with people who will probably help him get projects in the future.
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Julia Stiles is now playing a hooker on web series called Blue. It's actually pretty good and it makes me again sad that Julia Stiles doesn't get leading roles in feature films anymore.
I think it's because a lot of her acting relies on her being cold/reserved which isn't something that people are really clamoring for. Especially with actresses.
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Just the thought of some of the dumb stuff I may have said had someone interviewed me 10 years ago for a mag or talk show makes me cringe, so I can empathize a little.
Furthermore on the subject of the shit that flies from young celebrities' mouths: I still have not forgotten - nor forgiven, apparently - the Kirsten Dunst interview I read in Seventeen when we were both teenagers (we're the same age).
I think that might be a key to the difference in our thinking. I just turned 23 so if anyone close to my age (Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, etc.) says something stupid I'm less likely to forgive or just shrug it off if someone uses "age" as an excuse. Sleep deprivation, fine. Being in your early 20's. Eh, not going to cut it.
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I hope Lawrence and Woodley both stick around for a long time. I can see them both outlasting the ingenue stage, which I can't see with either Kristen Stewart (I think she's destined to go the way of Wynona Ryder) or Emma Watson. I can see Emma Watson deciding very easily to move on to something else once she's no longer the Cover Girl ingenue, which is probably why she has an English degree, instead of fighting hard to stay in the game.
Despite the massive success of Twilight, I don't Kristin Stewart has earned the audience goodwill that Wynona Ryder had. I don't see her making her version of Little Women or Girl Interrupted unless she's just lucky enough to get cast by some crazy director or producer. Unless, you just meant the shoplifting thing, which would kind of be amazing. Also, if that ever happens, expect a message from me because you'd obviously be psychic and I'd want some lotto numbers. As for Emma Watson, I think she has more of a Wynona opportunity to pick projects but after The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring I don't think she's proven that she has a big enough fanbase to allow her to make any project. I haven't seen either movie yet (they're on my list!) but I'm not really sold on her acting ability. I think that'll be the real test. I know I'm alone in this (so many of my comments seem to belong on the Unpopular Opinion board) but I really hate the David Yates Potter films. I find them really slow and boring. They really pulled back on the special effects and magic (aside from the great animated sequence) and I don't think anyone really got a chance to show off their acting ability. When everyone seems kind of bland, then I fault the director, not the actors. I think she could easily choose another path... maybe become a teacher or operate a small art gallery or do a bunch of plays. But if she's got the acting ability, I wouldn't count her out. She could be a Cate Blanchett, an actress who doesn't work often (Blanchett is coming back full force but took some time off to run a theatre in Australia, I think) but who can choose a lot of her projects and who has the respect of audiences and critics. What I'm saying is, I think she's in a position to choose. She doesn't have the desperation you can sense with other starlets around her age.
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I'm not sure if Caprice was intentionally trying to invoke Tracy Turnblad as the brash rules breaking outsider. I'm guessing not.
Ha! Squish! Squash!
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It puts me in the mind of the old adage that a star that burns the brightest usually burns out the fastest. I prefer Shailene's slow burn, for lack of a better term, to stardom. I find it interesting that her latest movie Fault in Our Stars has done quite well at the movies.
Yeah, but I find Shailene much more annoying than Jennifer Lawrence. Not saying that it prevents her from being a movie star but it just baffles me that people can like her with the nonsense that comes out of her mouth sometimes. Stuff like "Do you consider yourself a feminist?"
Shailene Woodley: No because I love men, and I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance. With myself, I’m very in touch with my masculine side. And I’m 50 percent feminine and 50 percent masculine, same as I think a lot of us are. And I think that is important to note. And also I think that if men went down and women rose to power, that wouldn’t work either. We have to have a fine balance.
My biggest thing is really sisterhood more than feminism. I don’t know how we as women expect men to respect us because we don’t even seem to respect each other. There’s so much jealousy, so much comparison and envy. And “This girl did this to me and that girl did that to me.” And it’s just so silly and heartbreaking in a way.
That's not even getting into all the crazy hippie stuff.
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Oh, I totally watched a little of that. Maybe an episode or two. I missed the basic cable part. I still probably wouldn't have remembered it. I didn't make the connection with her and Trophy Wife. I was thinking of Malin Ackerman and the woman from Killer Women as the ones who just got cancelled shows on ABC.
Sticking with ABC... If you like Revenge and Scandal, we think you'll enjoy... Now, I think amazon's a little crazy with all the suggestions on this one so this could take awhile. Or not. It depends how good you are at random guessing.
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I think I mostly watched to chat with you guys and to read hilarious recaps. The ones on The Date Report were pretty good.
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Is it
Tron: Uprising
? Full disclosure, I looked it up based on the clues. I just want this to be over.
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FOX being this viscous with cancellations in the summer is puzzling.
Could it have something to do with Kevin Reilly stepping down/being fired?
Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away?
in Everything Else Movies
I think it's wonderful that she made time to go to school but those ladies didn't really have the best post-college careers. I don't see any agent suggesting that Emma Watson should model her career after one of theirs. Sorry to any Suddenly Susan, Lipstick Jungle, or Addams Family fans out there.