Monthly Archives: October 2012

TV Obituaries: RIP Bent

Posted in TV, TV Obituaries by

2012-2012, NBC

As you all know it’s Fall TV season, or as we like to call it, Fangirly Christmas. We get so excited around this time of year that it’s easy to forget about the shows that are no longer with us. One such show is my beloved Bent. Starring David Walton and Amanda Peet, Bent was tragically struck down in its infancy because, and this is just a working theory, the universe is conspiring against me. How else can you explain how a perfectly awesome show could get cancelled after 6 episodes?

Even more confusing is how a show with such a crowd pleasing premise could get axed so suddenly. Alex (Amanda Peet) is a recently divorced lawyer who hires contractor and ex-gambling addict Pete (David Walton) to renovate her kitchen. And because it’s TV, the sexual tension starts to mount almost from the get go.  Jeffrey Tambor (of Arrested Development fame) plays Pete’s father, a failed actor who now spends most of his time in drum circles and playing the piano in department stores for tips. Also in the mix is Alex’s perfect-on-paper boyfriend, who is less than cool with Pete and Alex’s “will they, won’t they” vibe. Here’s what happens when these two clash.

When tragedy like this strikes, it’s so easy to become bitter. I, however, would rather honor Bent’s life than mourn its death. So rest in peace, you beautiful piece of TV magic. I’ll miss you, and I’ll miss moments like this.

-Whitney

Fangirly Exposed: Dancing with the Stars!

Posted in Fangirly Exposed!, TV by

Ellen and I really represent the two ends of the reality TV spectrum. She likes quality TV like The Voice and So You Think You Can Dance? I, however, like my reality TV to have a healthy helping of trash, which explains my love for the Real Housewives franchise (or really anything that comes from Bravo). And then there’s Dancing with the Stars. It’s easily the least trashy of all my reality shows, and yet it’s probably the one I’m most ashamed of. This mostly stems from the fact that I am at least 20 years younger than this shows target demographic. (Seriously, George Hamilton was a contestant on the show. Look him up, kids.) In an effort to change that, I’m going to list the most awesome moments from the last few years. So listen up youth of America! ‘Cause I’m about to rock your world with some gnarly ballroom dancing.

1) Tristan Macmanus- Honestly, where have they been keeping this guy all this time? For more than ten seasons, the best eye candy the show had to offer was super-douche Max. Thankfully the producers wised up and hired this babe as one of the professional dance partners. Oh yeah, and he can dance too. Here’s a clip of one of his best dances. If you can’t find him, he’s the sexy Irishman who can’t seem to keep his tounge in his mouth.


2) Katherine Jenkins’ freestyle- Is there anything this woman can’t do? I would hate her if she weren’t so freakin’ cool. Here’s her unbelievable freestyle. (Feel free to skip through the into garbage).


3) Chelsea Kane’s Viennese Waltz- Oh, Chelsea. Just thinking about you makes me a little sad. This girl was without question one of the best dancers to ever be on the show, and who do they give the mirror ball trophy to? A football player who couldn’t foxtrot his way out of a paper bag! This dance, set to the Harry Potter theme is probably one of my favorite dances of all time.

There you have it, folks. My secret shame. Watch the All Star season of DWTS, Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC!

-Whitney

Debunking the Myths of Pitch Perfect

Posted in Movies, Music by

Some of you may recall from a previous post that I had acquired an addiction for watching the trailer of Pitch Perfect.  It is a blessed relief that this movie came out this weekend in select cities, one of which I inhabit, because I needed more to base this obsession on than the trailer and brief promo clip alone.

In talking to people about this movie, both before and after seeing it, there seem to be a lot of preconceived notions out there as to what this movie is all about.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to debunk some of those myths while also gush about how much I FREAKING LOVED THIS MOVIE!

Let’s proceed, shall we:

1. This is a Glee rip-off – They are singing at a school and, yes, they go to Regionals with aims for Nationals.  But that is pretty much where the similarities end.  One of my moviegoing comrades put it well when she described it as “Bridesmaids with a capella”.  This is Glee with a heck of a lot more bite.

2. All of the funny lines are in the trailer – False.  The truth of the matter is that they can’t put all of the funny lines in the trailer because of that “approved for appropriate audiences” disclaimer.  Let’s just say, this movie went to levels I was not expecting it to go to, but I was happy to ride along.

3. Rebel Wilson is the only good part –  There is no denying that Rebel Wilson is a major scene-stealer, but I feel like the trailers are making her seem like the only funny character when that isn’t the case.  Every character seems to have their moment to shine, especially the girls in the Bellas.  For example, there is the soft-spoken Asian girl who says her lines so quietly that the other girls don’t hear her talking about her time in County or how she ate her twin in the womb.  And then there’s the boy.  Being the type of movie that it is, there has to be a boy.  Skylar Astin’s Jesse is both charming and dorky at same time, which suits me just fine.  Ladies, go see it and tell me if you aren’t swooning by the end.

4. A Capella music?  Please. – This one is harder for me to address, because I find a capella to be entertaining.  I don’t listen to it on a regular basis, but it is definitely entertaining to see performed.  That said, a capella aside, the mash-ups in the movie are really cool, unique, and not necessarily all current top 40, which I found refreshing.   Did I buy the soundtrack when I got home?  Guilty.  If loving fun mash-ups is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

5. That’s a total chick movie – Speaking as a chick, I can’t definitively say that all dudes would love this movie, but I believe I can safely say that any guy that would be dragged to it by his girlfriend/sister/mother/girl he is pursuing would leave the theatre being pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed it.  There was a fair amount of the menfolk in our (sold out) screening and there didn’t seem to be any sour faces in the lobby afterwards.

Bottom line:  I was beyond excited to see this movie and my expectations were exceeded.  It was everything I wanted it be and more.  If you don’t take pleasure in the joys that life has to offer, then you probably shouldn’t see this movie, but if you are into that then you might like it.  All I know is that this movie was the most fun I’ve had at the theatre in a long while.

Did you see it this weekend?  Do you want to see it?  Did I change your mind about seeing it, for better or worse?  Let me know!

–Ellen