Awkward."Resolutions": AKA: It's Gonna Be A Happy New Year....

Cast of MTv Awkward Photo Credit: MTV.com

As I excitedly announced yesterday, last night marked the return of MTv's hit series Awkward.



 SPOILERS ABOUND: So proceed with caution!




We pick up about a week or so after the season finale. It's Christmas time, and Jenna gives us a lovely little voice over recap, in the stye of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, to get us up to speed on what's been going on. She has yet to confront her mother, or tell anyone what she discovered. Lacey seems to have finally accepted her daughter for who she is and is somewhat adorably clueless to the sudden additional strain on their relationship.

Too Cute! Photo Credit: MTV.com

Jenna's relationship with the adorable Jake Rosati is progressing nicely. Not going to lie, as a big Team Jake supporter, the scenes in the montage, especially the cookie scene, made me giggly. Has anyone else noticed that Jake seems to be way more physical with Jenna then he ever was Lissa? I will to write it off as the effects of a shiny new relationship, because Jake is the type of guy who's probably been a "boyfriend" since the fourth grade, and it was most likely Lissa the whole time. Still, while he was willing to wait with Lissa, be it either because he respected her beliefs of had fallen "out of love" with her  at that point, he seems more that ready not to mention eager to take his physical relationship with Jenna forward and fast. I'm not saying it is unbelievable, just felt it was interesting note that change in him.

I also find it adorable that he goes to Tamara and Ming to ask why Jenna hadn't made their relationship online official.  He really likes her and I think perhaps for the first time is feeling insecure about it. After all it was clear that Lissa's feelings were stronger for Jake than his for hers, so he never really had to question where he stood. With Jenna, he finds himself in almost the exact opposite situation. His insecurity was not helped by the skiddish way she was acting at Matty's New Year's party, or by her admission, when he discovered her father's Christmas gift of a large box of condoms,  that not only is she is not a virgin, but was in love with the guy she did sleep with. Talk about dropping an emotional insecurity bombshell.

Damn it Matty! Photo Credit: MTV.com

Speaking of Matty, as much as he was beginning to win over my sympathetic side at the end of season one, he has completely lost it in the very first episode of season 2. First off is the complete disregard he has for his "best friend" after a few drinks. Telling Jenna he wants to start over with her, and he should meet him in the garage for a midnight hook up. "...And Don't worry about Jake, He'll understand, once he knows...". When Jenna questions Matty on "knows what?" Matty simply states, "That I was with you first".  Whoa, whoa, whoa, not only do I have issues with his implied "possession" of her and the fact that know she was with him would cause Jake to no longer want to be with her, but also that he is completely writing Jake off as any sort of competition. I'm sorry but when you're too ashamed to tell you supposed best friend you are "with" a girl, let us not forget he had AMPLE time to tell Jake,  between camp and when Jake started to have feelings for her but refused to do so, maybe you don't deserve to be with her.

Later on, when Jenna makes her choice, which shocker isn't him, because really everything, other than maybe her fuzzy brain causing feelings all signs logically point to the fact that Jake is the better guy for her, he spends midnight and after wallowing in the garage, where Sadie finds him. More on her in a moment by the way. He then tries confiding in her and garnering sympathy from her stating how "now I've be relegated to second string." Really, someone needs to tell Matty that relationships aren't a competition or a game that is to be won.

Douche-Bag Moment in Progress. Photo Credit: MTV.com

As for Sadie, I couldn't help but feel bad for her in this episode. Lissa has, at least for the time being, grown a back bone and stood up to her, leaving her more alone than before. She finally admits her long standing crush to Matty, who in a spectacular douche-bag move (though I'll allow a little leeway in the fact that he was drunk) and made advances on her, which she happily accepted, and then passes out halfway through. Not a shining moment for any girl, but for a girl with as much insecurity issues as Sadie, that is HORRIFYING. She finally "gets" her dream guy and he isn't even aroused enough to stay conscious. Ouch.

In other news we got to once again see "drunk Lissa" who is always entertaining, her meowing for a nonexistent cat ans her need for Jenna's forgiveness, including her badgering Jenna to slap her so they could be "Old Testament even" you know a cheek for a cheek and all that, was positively brilliant. Ricky Schwartz and Tamara are still having their "issues" and I am happy to say once again we were treated to  little Curt, the adorable sophomore winter "princess" from the dance. Which lead me to wonder if we are ever going to get to see Kyle again. You know Jenna's stalker? The guy who made the "Jenna Lives" tshirts, who was the reason Jenna got detention in the first place that ultimately lead to the misunderstanding between Jake and Jenna that lead him to Kiss her and thereby ultimately realize he has feelings for her? Bet you never realized what an important role he played in this world did you?

"Carefrontation" Letter V 2.0 Photo Credit: MTV.com

The episode ends, much like the first episode began. Once again Lacey is seated at the counter happily chatting away on the phone, only this time it is Jenna who hands her a letter stating "This came for you". Lacy opens the letter only to find a page of the "Carefrontation" stationary bearing the words, "THIS IS WHO YOU ARE", echoing the sentiments she had written on a card for Jenna for Christmas.

Next week's preview reveals that there has been a security came above "The sanctuary" aka: under the bleachers all along, and the footage has been stolen. This leaves our poor Jenna reeling , since she and Matty had definitely hooked up under there. It looks like she might be forced to tell Jake about her and Matty sooner rather than later, so she can make sure it comes from her and not from him seeing their unintentional sex tape.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: AKA: Civil War Vamp Dusting

Last Friday night found me sitting in a darkened theatre, with my movie viewing partner in crime, getting ready to watch Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He was more than excited, seeing as he had read the book and was highly anticipating the movie's release. I on the other hand was a little more cautious with my excitement, as seen by our actual conversation below:


B: Were you reading a review for the movie earlier?


Me: What movie?


B: THE movie


Me: Oh, yeah...


B: Was it bad? It looked like it was bad....


Me: Yeah...


B: Who wrote it?


Me: I don't know, I think it was Television Without Pity, I don't always agree with them though...


B: I don't care I don't usually agree with critics...


Me: I still wanna go...


B: Oh You have no choice...

As far as I could tell the movie was going to be EPIC, whether it was going to be Epically Awesome, or Epically Bad was still to be determined. Either way I figured I was in for some form of entertainment.

*****SPOILERS BELOW***** 

So there we sat for a surprisingly short 105 minuets, taking in the glory that is, or at least attempts to be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

I took some time to mull over my feelings on the movie as I was tragically wrong. The movie wasn't epically anything, it just was. I didn't hate the movie, I found it enjoyable, but I didn't love it.  I didn't walk out of the theatre with any particular strong opinions on it at all.

The Good
 
1) The movie was visually interesting, which is both a good and bad point as I often found myself thinking about how interesting the visuals were, and not so much the story.

2) Alan Tudyk. Ok, so it was a small uncredited role, but any time Mr. Tudyk pops up on my screen I find myself gleeful. I will admit to quietly sqweeing each time he graced the screen.



The Not So Good

1) The lack of storyline. The movie has a rich source material, in fact the material could have even been stretched out in to a few movies, instead of slapping them all together hastily to form one. The outcome being that the movie feels as though it is a series of montages, rather than one cohesive story.

2) The fact that Abe trained with Henry for as long as he did and had to be TOLD he was a vampire. Seriously? Is he really that oblivious that he never noticed? I knew it with in our second introduction to him.

The Rando

1) It was pointed out to me that Benjamin Walker resembles a young Liam Neeson. This is both an amazing, and highly distracting fact to me. Now, if Benjamin Walker can achieve the same level of BAMF as Liam Neeson, I may have to marry him. That is all.

When all is said and done, I wouldn't tell anyone NOT to see the film, but I also wouldn't tell anyone that they need to rush out and see it either. It was entertaining enough, though I really wish they had given us more story and a reason to care about the characters.

AWKWARD. Returns: AKA: Are You Ready For More?

That's right folks, MTv's AWKWARD. is back at a new day and time.

When we left off last season, Jenna made her choice between Jake and Matty, and the identity of the letter writer was revealed. The new season is picking up about a week or so from the finale and I, for one, am eager to see where this new season takes us.

Honestly, I can not remember being this excited for a premier in a LONG time. In honor of said premier I am proudly sporting my "Jenna Lives" shirt at work today, which lead to this conversation between me and  a co worker:

Co-worker: Feeling "Punk" today?

Me: No, I took out my earrings so it would look less so.

CW: Really?

Me: It's completely unintentional.

CW: So you're telling me it is completely unintentional for you to look punk, wearing your pointy cross, a "school girl" skirt, and a black t-shirt that says "Jenna Lives"?

Me: Yes. This is my wardrobe...sometimes this happens...

CW: [laughs] Impressive.

So maybe I am skewing a little more rock star and a little less office worker today, but I definitely felt the need to show my AWKWARD. pride. 

So tune in tonight at 10:30pm to find out what's in store for our band of misfits.

FRANKLIN & BASH RETURNS: AKA: I'm So Excited!

Ok, so I know I'm in the middle of going through all the networks' new shows, but I find it imperative to remind you all that tomorrow TUESDAY, JUNE 5TH, 2012 at 10PM ON TNT is the return of Franklin & Bash!!!!!

 

Yes, that's right Zack Morris and Travis Birkenstock are all grown up and lawyers, with a man cave and everything. I, for one, can not wait for some new misadventures.

The Pilot Season Pay Off: AKA: The CW Edition

The networks have now officially released their new shows for the fall/winter of 2012. Which means its now time to talk about the ones that have me most excited. I'm starting with the CW.

-Arrow-

As you have probably figured out if you read pretty much anything else I have posted, including this entry right here, I'm a bit of a super hero geek. Basically I have been ridiculously excited, waiting with bated breath to hear if Arrow wold be picked up. For those of you who don't know, Arrow is the CW's new show based on the DC Comics super hero The Green Arrow. I can already hear a bunch of you going "Who?" and really that's part of the beauty of choosing to create a show based on a lesser known comic character. That's not to say that The Green Arrow is unknown, just that the majority of the world is less likely to know his origins as opposed to say, Superman or Batman. Anyway, the pilot gives some insight to how wealthy playboy Oliver Queen became The Green Arrow. It has plenty of ass kicking and pretty people. Also I'm going to put it out there that I am very excited that Paul Blackthorne has another job, now that ABC has crushed my dreams and cancelled The River. Arrow will be airing on CW Wednesdays at 8pm.

-The Carrie Diaries-

Next up is the other CW pilot my heart has been all a flutter for, as shown here.  The Carrie Diaries are  based on Candace Bushnell's books, of the same name is all about the one and only Carrie Bradshaw...when she was a mere 16, living in Connecticut and had just lost her mother. AnnaSophia Robb steps into the famous Manolo Blahniks as Carrie and is a fabulous fit. For fans of the original Sex & The City, the whole tone of the show is strikingly similar, voice overs abound, but now we have the added bonus of 80's fashion. Seriously, I could not be more excited for a show's wardrobe, neon GALORE. Also be sure to take note of the adorable Brendan Dooling, who's been cast as one of Carrie's best friends, Walt Reynolds.

-Beauty and the Beast-

I am all for the reinventing of fairy tales, in fact it is one of my favorite things, and at first glace the idea of a modified Beauty and the Beast television series, at least to me sounded like a pretty cool idea. Then came the promo photo...

Now I have yet to see the actual pilot, but if that J. Crew model sporting a scar qualifies as a "beast", well then I am not fit to be seen by humans. Ever.  While I will probably still at least check out the pilot, I really don't think I'm gonna be able to buy it.

-Emily Owens, M.D.-

Another Doctor show, because the world is so desperately in need of those. This one, seems to be about how hospitals are just like high school, with cliques and drama and such. This one stars Mamie Gummer and airs Tuesdays at 9pm, after Hart of Dixie.

-Cult-

 

 I'm also very excited for the mid season replacement Cult, though I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, so I'm going with Tvline.com's description, "A journalist teams with a young production assistant working on a popular TV drama about an enigmatic cult leader to investigate the show’s rabid fans, who may be re-creating crimes from the program." Seriously, this show looks awesome. Plus the TV themed cafe featured in it is kick ass. I swear if it was a real place, I'd probably live there.


So there you go, that's what you have to look forward to on the CW. More network pick ups to follow.

Entertainment Shakedown: AKA: I'm Back Baby!

First of all I want to apologize for the lack of updates recently, between Upfronts, family commitments, weddings and playoff hockey, let's go Devils, the month of May has been completely kicking my ass. But enough excuses, there is much to discuss. May brings all sorts of excitement to the entertainment world filled with renewals, cancellations and the announcements of the new shows to come.

I'm starting the news off with cancellations. Time to see how the "promising" shows of last year turned out.

ABC

The River - Ok, so it was pretty much a given that the little show brought to you by the guy who "brought us Paranormal Activity" was probably not getting a pick up. Which is sad because I really enjoyed it, and will even go so far as to say it may have been my favorite show of last season. While having a short season, only eight episodes, the show was a creepy, crazy ride that I am sad to see end. Although the show had a decent ending which could work as a season or series finale, I still wish that ABC had stuck with it. There was a rumor circulating a few months back that NETFLIX was interested in possibly picking the show up and producing new episodes, and since the first season was released on DVD, and available on Amazon, I am still holding out hope.

Pan Am - The show was cute, and had some really awesome guests, but it was mostly forgettable. I wouldn't have been upset if it was renewed but I can understand why it wasn't.

CBS

 
A Gifted Man - Let's be honest CBS rarely cancels shows, especially after only a season, but in order to make room for new shows something's got to go. It wasn't a terrible show, but it definitely wasn't helped by having a Friday night time slot.

CW

The Ringer - It's sad that a show with such an awesome cast, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nestor Carbonell would only last a season, but even I have to admit the show got a little too soapy/predictable for my taste.

The Secret Circle - Honestly, this show was pretty much presented on a silver platter, based on a book series by the same author and with the same creative team as its ridiculously successful lead in The Vampire Diaries, it looked like this show was almost a shoe in for success. But alas, it lacked whatever magic, no pun intended, that has kept The Vampire Diaries audience captivated.

FOX

The Finder - It was pretty much a given when FOX decided to move their Bones spinoff to Friday nights that it wasn't going to get a second season. The show itself was fine, awesome guest stars, but as seems to be the current trend in tv land lately of you're not a "hit" right off the bat, you get the axe.

Alcatraz - It seems with JJ Abrams, his shows either do ridiculously well, or the crash and burn. Alcatraz fell into the later category. The concept itself was pretty awesome, and having Hurley in it definitely added to the appeal, however the show itself sort of fell flat. While I watched the shoe, and enjoyed it, I didn't LOVE it. If I missed an episode I wasn't feening to watch it as soon as possible.

Terra Nova - I sometimes feel like Jason O'Mara on a show is like having a show written/directed by Joss Whedon. Both are quite talented and yet most of their shows barely last a season. Let's face it though, with the mega huge budget required to keep this show going, if it wasn't an automatic television phenomenon, it was destined to be canceled.

NBC 

Awake - I will state again for the umpteenth time, I am still devastated to know that I live in a world where Awake was canceled and Whitney was renewed. The show itself was great, my only complaint was that it required A LOT of brain capacity for 10pm on a Thursday.

The Playboy Club - I know, I know it was canceled FOREVER ago, it only had three episodes air, but I still feel it is worth mentioning. Here we have another classic example of an NBC screw up. Instead of taking the controversy caused by the fact that the were airing a show called The Playboy Club to their advantage, they decided to stop airing the show after only three episodes despite having several more already filmed. Um, that just seems like a waste of money to me. Why not air the remaining episodes, in the hopes of picking up some new viewership? If it doesn't pick up then don't renew, but the money has already been spent to not air the remaining episodes and replace it with reruns of another failing show is just a waste. News flash NBC you are already in last place, the only place to go is up, take some risks. 

Other cancellations include:
ABC
Charlie's Angels
Missing
GCB
Work It

CBS
How to be a Gentleman
NYC 22
Rob
Unforgettable

 CW
H8R

FOX
Allen Gregory
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
Napoleon Dynamite

NBC
Are You There, Chelsea?
Best Friends Forever
Free agents
The Firm
Prime Suspect  
  
Next up...What's new for the fall/midseason line up.

Avengers: AKA: Ready to Assemble!

Ok so I full on admit to being more of a DC gal. I have no problem with Marvel, I actually very much enjoy them, but I did grow up more with Batman, Superman, and the Justice League more so than any of the Marvel heroes. Sure I had X-Men and a little Spiderman but in general my expertise, if you could even call it that would be for the DC heroes.

However, while I may not have as much knowledge on the subject I absolutely adored The Avengers. first off, hello a superhero movie written and directed by one of the geekiest men in the industry? Not to mention the fact that being who he is and how he writes, you knew Joss Whedon was the perfect man to make Black Widow more than just a pretty face.

So you better believe that I was at the midnight showing, pumped and ready, sporting my semi Captain America themed ensemble. Yep, I'm that girl. I'd love to say the theatre was filled with people in costume, but I was at a small theatre in New Jersey, there wasn't even a line to get in. Still the theatre was  full by the time the movie began.






Before I continue, there will most likely be SPOILERS ahead. Go see the film, because it is BEYOND awesome, and then come back.

So here's the sitch, Thor's brother Loki is still pissed over being denied the throne, and essentially kicked out of Asgard. Naturally he does what every power hungry demi-god would, he raises an army and heads to earth. His first stop is to reclaim the Tesseract from S.H.I.L.D. in the process he uses his creepy glowing staff to take over the minds of several S.H.I.L.D. personal, including Professor Erik Selvig and Agent Clint Barrow, AKA Hawkeye whom he uses to aid him in his escape. So Fury calls together "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" retrieve the Tesseract and save the earth. Sounds simple enough, but let's face it, these people really shouldn't be in the same room together, let along coming together as a team. Let's break them down:

The Team

Agent Clint Barton AKA: Hawkeye: we caught a brief glimpse of Hawkeye in Thor. He is a master with a bow and arrow. In fact he has a tricked out quiver which allows him to have all sorts of arrows, such as ones that explode or turn into grappling hooks. He is beyond skilled, able to hit targets without even looking out them. Top it off with the fact that his relationship with Black Widow is just adorable.

Agent Natasha Romanov AKA: Black Widow: Finally a female super hero that is worth routing for. Words can not express how overjoyed I am by this. I so often find myself disappointed by the female characters in superhero films. More often than not the female characters end up being more of a plot devise than any type of real hero. Growing up I LOVED Rogue from X-Men, she was strong sassy and could totally hold her own in a fight, in the first of the 1990's trilogy, she was simply a plot point and ended up being useless in the next to films. Black Widow is anything but, she kicks major ass, but is written so she never unbelievably so. The fact of the mater is Black Widow is human. While she can kick ass with the best of them, she's not gonna win in a hand to hand fight with the Hulk, but she she can definitely kick major human ass. They managed to make her a realistic character despite the completely unrealistic circumstances.

Thor: Oh, Thor. The man is a demigod and while I wasn't really happy with the lack of explanation of how he got to Earth, aside from a passing comment thrown out by Loki, as the bridge was destroyed at the end of Thor, I was more than happy to see him appear. Once again Chris Helmsworth manage to play Thor with just the right mix of arrogance and charm.

Tony Stark AKA Iron Man: speaking of blending arrogance and charm to perfection, it is impossible not mention Robert Downy Jr's Iron Man. Let's face it, his kind of an ass, but you've got to love him. This is the kind of character that thrives on Joss Whedon's snarky dialogue. Plus as the character that movie audiences have become most familiar with, through both Iron Man and Iron Man 2, he is the one we, the viewer get to see grow the most.

Dr. Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk: I think perhaps the most interesting part about this role in this particular film was how little we saw of the actual Hulk. For a majority of the film we deal with the brilliant Dr. as opposed to his "Smash" hungry alter ego. Not only does this give us more inside into the character, but allows him to establish and form relationships with the rest of the team.

Captain Steve Rogers AKA Captain America: After much internal debate I have come to the conclusion that the Captain is by far my favorite Avenger. It is generally assumed that he is the most naive/idealistic of the group, seeing as he has been thrust into our world from a simpler time. I actually think that makes him the most jaded. When he was frozen we were in WWII a bloody, dark time in our history, a time that is still very fresh in his mind, and now he wakes up to present time and the current mess society has made of itself and you have to imagine he wonders if it was really worth it. He is strong, focused and a natural leader. He calls women "Ma'am" unironically, seriously, he may be the only man on (fictional or actual) Earth I would allow to address me as such. In the interest of full disclosure the fact that I have a bit of a crush on Chris Evans, may also contribute.

Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson being a bad ass. I mean seriously do I need to say anymore? First off let's take a moment to take in account that the actual comic character is designed based on Samuel L. Jackson himself, so clearly the role suits him perfectly.


Random Thoughts and Theories

1) All the characters were treated realistically - Well, as realistically as one can be in a superhero world. In fact they even managed to make the heroes more evenly matched for this movie, as best evidenced in the fight between Thor and Iron Man.

2) I have a random weird love for Agent Phil Coulson. I think mostly because he fanboys over the Captain and let's be honest that would probably be what would be going on in my head. Plus he is a genuinely good guy, brave and loyal. I mean let's face it there aren't many who would take on a Demi-god on their own. I think that may have been what made his death so heartbreaking. I remember during the scene my mind thinking in rapid fire, "no, they wouldn't.…they couldn't…but it's Joss…he would…and he will". Remember kids, guns don't kill people, Joss Whedon kills people, but never without good reason. In his dying breath Coulson explains that it's okay, his death is necessary to bring the team together. He will die so others can live.

Its not so much that this was a bad thing. On the contrary, it was an amazing catalyst to further the plot. I neither deny this, nor wish to change it, however as I've mentioned before I'm a sucker for happy endings, and it makes me sad to know Agent Phil Coulson never got to see his.

All and all it was a great movie, action pact but still full of heart. It isn't perfect, no movie is, but over all I found it to be exactly what it should be. An big action packed summer movie. My one question now is that now that Joss Whedon has proved he can not only hold his own writing/directing a super hero summer block buster, but can CRUSH records while doing it, can we please let him do that Wonder Woman movie he was working on? Because lets be honest he would totally KILL that.