Category Archives: Movies/TV

Star Wars Fans Say No to Darth Vader’s Noooooo!!!

Charlie’s Angels versus Pan Am

Fall 2011 offers many new shows for TV watchers. Two ABC shows have caught my attention as they both revolve around the adventures of a group of girls. Since life is crazy and time is money, are either of these shows worth your time and emotional investment? You COULD watch both and do a weekly analysis, but how about I just settle things right now with my thoughts on which show will have your heart thumping more.

Charlie’s Angels (Thursday, September 22, 2011)

Once upon a time, Charlie’s Angel was a series on TV. It had a run for 4 seasons and is STILL referenced whenever people think of a group of sassy, formidable vixens. Nearly two decades later, the franchise returned to fans on the silver screen not once, but twice. Both films did well for their studios and helped launch the career of McG. I wouldn’t hold my breath on the return of Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore for a third installment, but is anyone clamoring for the return of Charlie’s Angels to TV?

Production

The show is stamped with Drew Barrymore’s seal of approval as an executive producer. That’s pretty big, right? Barrymore has quite a resume in Hollywood for work both in front and behind the camera and she actually seems to be getting HOTTER (have you guys seen those Covergirl commercials?!?). Her last producer credit is “Whip It”, which I rather enjoyed. She obviously knows how to an all-girl ensemble work, but making a show is tough! In this age, first impressions (ratings) are crucial in surviving.

The show is set in Miami which means there will be drugs, gangs, half-naked women, hurricanes, boats, and dolphins; the list goes on. Such a colorful town sets the right tone for a fun, modern television action series. Plus, even IF the show jumps the shark, there’s always a sweet opportunity to make a crossover episode with CSI! Imagine a story where Lt. Horatio Caine kidnaps Bosley and discovers he is actually a bastard step-brother!

Cast

Annie Illonzeh (left) plays Kate Prince, the former Miami cop. FORMER cop?!? Oh no!!!! What could she have possibly done to get kicked out? You mean, we’re supposed to trust a girl who swore to uphold the law but possibly broke it? Maybe she got framed! Yes… because there’s no such thing as a bad cop that ends up being a protagonist. Remember guys: Ray Liotta. He’s ALWAYS the bad cop, right? Regardless, this show looks like a pretty good opportunity for fans of Annie Illonzeh’s role in Melrose Place and Entourage to follow her in a new role. Go Texas! (That’s where she’s from)

Minka Kelly (right) plays Eve French, the street racer. Do you guys think she was named Eve because she’s the hot sauce in the group who ate the apple first in the garden of Eden? I also really hope the producers required she learn how to drive a manual transmission. I don’t care which car maker is doing product placement in the show. If there isn’t a cut where she’s shifting gears, this show is OVER! Eve French appears to be the alpha in the show and this just in: Minka Kelly is single!!! I wonder if she broke up with Derek Jeter because he was jealous she was on set having so much fun partying, shooting guns, and driving fast cars while he and the rest of the MLB was getting tested for steroids.

Rachael Taylor (middle) is Abigail “Abby” Sampson, the thief. Think about it. She steals things and that probably means she’ll be the one that will unexpectedly take your heart! Awww. Born in 1984, she’s also the youngest of the bunch too. ABC fans will recognize Rachael Taylor from her role in Grey’s Anatomy where she played an OB/GYN surgeon. I wonder if she will inspire girls across the globe to become sneaky little heartbreaking kleptomaniacs.

Oh. I’ll also be REALLY disappointed if there isn’t at least one scene in every episode where one or all of them are dancing.

Source: ABC

Pan Am (Sunday, September 25, 2011)

“You’re so beautiful. You could be an air hostess in the ’60’s”

– Flight of the Conchords

Pan Am takes place during the 1960’s, which also happens to be the same time period of one of my recent obsessions, Mad Men. That means viewers will be even offered more insight to a beloved era that seems to be trending (e.g. The Playboy Club). Since the show focuses on an airline, it’s safe to assume there will literally be a world of settings to choose from.

Production

ER writer, Jack Orman and West Wing director, Thomas Schlamme have the opportunity to appeal to a different audience with Pan Am. While Charlie’s Angel may tug at the hearts of fantasy loving action fans, trailers of Pan Am hint creators will be appealing to fans who dream of a work place that’s also a forum to self-discovery, romance, and certainly a few entries into the mile high club. With a legendary brand in tow, the show will definitely evoke nostalgia among baby boomers.

Cast

Christina Ricci (third) appears to the strong supporting role of Maggie. Christini Ricci has a special place in my heart. If I’m not mistaken, my crush on Christina Ricci originated from Casper. There’s just something about her that projects a real person in any role she’s in, even if it’s Wednesday from Addams Family. Since then, she’s gone onto various roles in different genres establishing herself as an actress with range. As far as her role goes, we don’t know much about Maggie from the trailers except she appears to be assertive and the mastermind of the group.

Kelli Garner (first) plays Kate. I’m going to GUESS and say she’s the one that’s trying to prove her worth to the world. She won’t be taken advantage of. She wants to be treated as an equal. She wants a deep monogamous relationship.

Margot Robbie (second) plays Laura. In the trailer, we see Laura as a runaway bride. She might be the naive, unassuming character that needed an eye opening experience of being a stewardess the most. Laura is the new girl we connect with as viewers, distant and unfamiliar with the world she will soon discover. I also get the feeling that she’s the girl that other girls will envy, completely unaware of all the men that see her as an object of desire.

Karine Vanasse (forth) is Colette. I’m going to be honest: I might watch the show JUST for her. She interjects throughout the trailer with clever one-liners and has already peaked my interest with her foreign appeal: she’s French Canadian. She doesn’t need to be the lead but her beauty will be what you remember the most from each episode. Her perky smile is innocent but has the power to cause men to twist their wedding band back and forth in confusion.

Source: ABC

And the winner is…

Wait… isn’t there supposed to be a winner? They’re both on ABC! From a network point of view, they BOTH CAN be winners. As an action show, Charlie’s Angel HAS to be explosive right out the gate. That’s what what viewers are expecting: fun. Pan Am will certainly need time to develop and let viewers slowly but surely realize an obsession to an era they once belonged to or wish they could have lived in. They appeal to different audiences and can coexist with the possibility of overlapping viewers.

One question still remains though: how do we get white gloves to be a trendy fashion?

The Tale of Two Todds

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Truth be told, I haven’t been much of a “TV” kind of person this past decade of my life. In between work, life, and relationships, television was something I turned to when I needed to fill in the cracks of my day. That all changed when I lost my job. It was great, really. Wake up late, turn on the tube, and hang out all day with my sweet 42″.

Soap operas were definitely not my thing. My mother was a big fan of Days of Our Lives and used to have me record it for her while she was away at work. As a kid, the show never really stuck to me. I knew the characters and watched it, but couldn’t follow the story lines from my lack of interest. My little interest turned to zero when I noticed how ridiculous the story lines turned out to be. A ghost possessing the main character? A man who was known as someone else is no longer that person? What the? I’m over it.

But this was plenty of years ago. The time is now.

All I got to say is… One Life to Live. I was somewhat ashamed of my interest in this soap opera that has been running since 1968. This show has been running longer than my existence on this planet! The many stories in this series revolve around rape, murder, cheating, the changing of paternity tests, conspiracies, DID (dissociative identity disorder), and the list goes on. Needless to say, I am now a fan.

The running story line that I’ve been quite hooked on is the story of Todd Manning.

I seriously cannot describe the history of Todd Manning, as I don’t know all of it, but here’s a little rundown:

He’s famous for his rape of Marty Saybrooke
He was married twice and has 4 kids
He had a scar on his face
He went missing and when he returned, he had a new face
He owns a newspaper
He has a ton of money
His son, Jack, was accused of murdering Gigi Morasco (which he did, but not intentionally)
He paid off Jack’s friend’s father to take the blame for the murder
He has temper problems
He helped Marty Saybrooke leave the town after she murdered her doctor and kidnapped someone else’s baby
and more!

The list goes on! I mean really… how intriguing is all of this? But wait, it doesn’t stop there. There are TWO.. TWO, Todd Mannings. How is this possible? What in the world is going on?

Two Todds? What?!

That’s exactly what the characters and all the viewers thought when the “old” Todd (left) came face to face with the “new” Todd (right). As I previously mentioned, before Todd had went missing, he had a very distinguishable scar on his face. When he returned, he came back a new man. As expected, DNA tests were done, but what did the results show?

Both men came up as Todd Manning.

WTF?!

Turns out, both Todds are twins. There’s a-whole-nother story behind that, which I will briefly touch. Their mother, Irene Manning, had twins but could only support one so she gave the other one up, but kept a close eye on him when she started working for the agency (FBI). From there, she managed to kidnap the old Todd and brainwashed the new Todd (real name Victor) into believe he was the REAL Todd Manning. Knowing that Todd was a target, she decided to have his face changed to someone else. For 8 years, he managed to live a life that was implanted into his brain.

So… much… DRAMA!

The Todd’s themselves are going through absolute hell; Todd is trying to reclaim his life as Victor is trying to figure out what he’s going to lose from this truth. The families of Todd Manning are currently trying to figure things out. Do they remain loyal to the man they’ve know for the last 8 years, or do they run back to the man who is the original Todd?

What would you do?

My Man Crush on Don Draper

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Television series have a double edged sword when it comes to character development: every episode presents the opportunity/challenge of developing a character. Remind the viewers why they love OR hate a character and they’ll keep coming back.

I’m barely finishing Season 1 of AMC’s Mad Men and am having trouble thinking of another male lead in television that I’ve been so attracted to. A lot of guys would suggest Jack Bauer (from Fox’s 24 series) as the ideal male character to vicariously live through. Bauer represents many of the adolescent fantasies one could conjure up: firing guns, pounding faces with our bare hands, and making things explode all for the sake of protecting the United States. Although Don Draper doesn’t have as many action scenes as Bauer, they both are a vessel for a multitude of issues and inner demons. Here’s a list of qualities for Don Draper, that I’ve become rather infatuated with.

(Note, if you haven't seen season 1, then there are spoilers)

Looks

Mad Men takes place in the 60’s. If there ever was an era that produced respectable fashion that stands the test of time, it’s the 60’s. Guys just look like such gentlemen with their skinny neckties/bows, perfectly cut, pressed suits, plastic/horn-rimmed glasses. Compared to the rest of the male cast on Mad Men, Draper, in particular, grabs your attention. Is it just a coincidence he also has the nicest hair in the show?

Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper, has hit the big 40, but I could definitely see him as a great candidate for Superman. If there ever was a modern advertisement for cigarettes, this show would be it. At times, I think the show should include a warning that cigarette addiction can occur from watching it. One time, I had a moment where I was holding a screw in my hand and caught myself holding it between two fingers like a cigarette.

Most importantly, the show has redefined how I measure success: if I don’t have a stack of fresh shirts in my desk drawer, I have not made it.

Power

Who couldn’t use a little more pull? Professionally, he’s THE guy who’s opinion matters the most. In any meeting, there could be 10 other guys chiming in with advertising thoughts on how to sell a product, but in the end, it’s Draper’s opinion that hooks the client. His ability to seduce initially unimpressed prospective clients never fails to be fascinating. Beg to differ? Opposing his opinion most certainly makes you an enemy (Pete Campbell). The key to his power is also the fact he almost never feels threatened. Control is everything

Issues

If I’m being honest with myself, I think my the biggest draw of Don Draper is how much of a mess he is and we all know everyone loves looking at a train wreck. Draper represents the American dream of rags to riches formula with a generous pinch of self-destructive crazy. Let’s review what we know of him so far:

He’s a bastard: I can only imagine how big the chip on my shoulder would be if I was also a bastard child. Being a mistake never feels good, ESPECIALLY if you’re, literally, the son of a whore.
He changed his identity while serving in the Korean War. Um yeah… who does that? Who goes “I just saw my superior get blown apart. Wow! This corpse is super toasty and gooey. Oh hey, look; his dog tag is still in tact. Score!”?
He made eye contact with his half-brother while faking his death and denied him.

Don Draper is clearly a sex addict. He demonstrates how married men can have their cake and eat it too. Any pretty women that crosses his path are not safe from his charm and insatiable appetite for sex. Even after he’s done gallivanting during office hours, he’s still the man of the house at home.

If you were to look at the cast without seeing an episode you’d probably go “Wow. He’s married to January Jones! What a lucky guy. How could he possibly want to cheat on her?”. Well… Just watch the show, you’ll see how. Having sex with women appears to be as addictive to Draper as the cigarettes he smokes. If you haven’t figured out how Don Draper’s mind works when it comes to women, here’s the formula: if he finds you attractive, he WILL have sex with you.

Sigh.

HBO’s Guide to a Game of Thrones

[wu-e]

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