Mad Men

My end-of-the-school year present to myself was a netflix subscription, and I have definitely taken advantage of it so far. One of the gems I have discovered is the  television show Mad Men.

For the past few years I have been hearing wonderful things about this show from critics and friends alike. I started watching from the beginning of season one and now I can’t get enough of it!

The show begins in 1960 and takes place in New York City. It centers on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), one of the elite creative executives at Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency.

I have fallen in love with the world of  Mad Men. The glamour of the high society that the characters live in is fascinating and fun to watch. It is definitely a time period that I would love to have lived in. The contrast between Don Draper’s work life and home life. In the Sterling Cooper world, smoking and drinking are indulged in, the men aren’t afraid to cheat on their wives and each day involves a cocktail party or working dinner. Don has a mistress, as well as a couple other women he sees regularly, however at home he has a beautiful house, a wife, two children and a dog. It is the stereotypical picket-fence, American dream lifestyle.

The cast is a talented ensemble, who has really embodied the early 1960s setting and culture. The characters are all strong and unique and I think it will be especially interesting to see the relationships play out. At the moment, I particularly like the characters of Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), Betty Draper (January Jones), Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss), Don Draper and Roger Sterling (John Slattery).

This is the first time that I have begun watching a show without knowing anything that will happen, and for the most part, nothing has been spoiled for me. I encourage you to check out Mad Men on dvd or the season four premiere in July.

Bones (The 100th Episode)

SPOILER ALERT

Can I just start out by saying that I love Bones? It is currently my favorite show on television and this week’s 100th episode reaffirmed why I love it so much.  Seriously though, I can’t remember the last time that an episode of a show made me scream, laugh and cry.

I loved the way that the flashback was done. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters met and started working together. I had forgotten how much Brennan has changed over the course of the series, and how much better she is with people now. It was fun to see the old Brennan again, although I do like the warmer Brennan better. Seeing the first time Booth called her Bones was adorable. It was totally unexpected for me that Booth and Brennan had such a strong attraction and that they were THIS CLOSE to starting a relationship back then. (The makeout session in the rain was when my roommate and I started screaming like banshees.) Can you imagine how different the show would be if they had slept together that night? There probably wouldn’t even be a show! I also hadn’t onsidered how Angela started working at the Jeffersonian. I had always just thought that she and Brennan had gotten to be friends when they both worked there. It was interesting. I wish we could’ve seen more of their blossoming friendship though. However, I loved that Hodgins had anger management issues and hated Zack. Seeing their first experiment was hillarious!

I know that a lot of fans are really angry at the writers for making Brennan reject Booth’s proposal to start a relationship at the end of the episode. I think a lot of the true fans though, myself included, realize that Brennan only rejected him because she is afraid. She’s afraid of how it might change their friendship, especially if it didn’t work out between them. She’s afraid of Booth leaving her, although we all know he won’t. Finally, I think she is just plain afraid that they are too different, especially where relationships are concerned. She said she can’t change because she doesn’t know how, but what she doesn’t realize is that she has already changed a lot over the course of their partnership. She used to be commpletely opposed to parenthood, but as we all know, her maternal instincts have kicked in a few times during the series. She even asked Booth to have a baby with her! I think Booth’s declaration was just too sudden for her and that all she needs is a little more time to realize that a relationship between them really could work out. My heart broke for her as she broke Booth’s heart, especially when those tears started rolling down her cheeks. Booth may feel that he has to move on and find someone who will love him in 30, 40 or 50 years, but I have no doubts that no matter how hard he tries, he won’t be able to stop loving her. I’m very excited to see how the rest of this season plays out.

The 100th episode of Bones was well written, well acted and well directed. Congrats to all involved, here’s to another 100!

Parenthood

This past week, NBC premiered a new show called Parenthood. I watched the pilot and was quite impressed. I haven’t seen NBC produce a drama with such potential in a long time.

Although the general storyline reminded me a little of ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, I think that Parenthood might resonate with people on a personal basis a little more. The show follows the family of Zeek and Camille Braverman as their grown children Sarah, Julia, Crosby and Adam face the varying challenges of parenthood.

Sarah (played by Lauren Graham) is a divorced mother who is having some financial troubles and moves her teenage son and daughter back to her hometown of Berkley, California.

Julia is a workaholic lawyer, who is starting to discover that her young daughter prefers her husband, Joel, to her.

Crosby has just reconciled with his girlfriend Katie, and begun to face his fears of commitment when he finds out that he has a young son with an ex-girlfriend.

Adam is the  father of  a stereotypically “normal” family. He and his wife Kristina have a teenage daughter and a young son. Adam and Kristina’s life is turned upside down when their slightly problematic son is diagnosed with Asperger’s.

So far, I’m enjoying this show and I plan on sticking with it. The challenges that the family’s face are real and I think it will be interesting to see how they play out, especially the storyline with Adam’s son Max. It is rare that a show will capture my attention from one episode, but this show has managed to do that.

Check out Parenthood on Tuesdays at 10 on NBC

Shine All Night

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending Martina McBride and Trace Adkins’ Shine All Night tour stop in Buffalo, NY. This concert was one of the most enjoyable live events I have seen. (The fact that I only had to pay $5 for my ticket, because I went with my school, and the fact that we got to ride to the concert in a limo was only a tiny part of the reason!)  

Rising star Sarah Buxton opened the show, and was accompanied by Jedd Hughes. I had never heard or seen her perform before, so that was  kind of neat. I think she sang a handful of songs, including “Big Blue Sky,” “Outside My Window” and “Radio Love.”  

"Ride"

 

Trace Adkins sang next. He opened his set with “I Got My Game On” and “Swing.” Despite some of the things I had heard, Trace was actually really fun to see live. He sang a good mix of upbeat (“Songs About Me,” “One Hot Mama,” “Marry for Money,” “Ladies Love Country Boys,” “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” “Hillbilly Rich/Hillbilly Bone,” etc) and slow songs (“Muddy Water,” “All I Ask for Anymore,” etc). During a break in the set, Trace saluted his band, whose bus had gotten into an accident the week before. The band received a standing ovation and much cheering from the audience. Of course, no Trace Adkins show would be complete without “You’re Gonna Miss This.” Observe Trace at his best in the video below:  

  

After a brief set change it was time forMartina McBride! Her band rose up from beneath the stage and began to play the intro to “Ride” as Martina appeared too. (Picture the beginning of “All That Jazz” in Chicago.) From the first few notes, I could tell she was going to be fantastic. After “Ride,” Martina sang “When God-fearin’ Women Get the Blues,” “Walk Away” and “Happy Girl.” During the latter, the woman behind me scolded me for recording the song, which is one of my favorites. It totally ruined the song for me, ironic isn’t it?  

I quickly recovered though when Martina sang: “Wild Angels,” “Where Would You Be,” “My Baby Loves Me,” “You’re Not Leaving Me” and my current favorite, “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong.”  

Check out “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong” here:  

  

Then the band stripped down the large scale appearance and sang “Help Me Make it Through the Night” and “Anyway” in front of a curtain. After an interlude in which the fiddler showed off her awesome skills, the opening chords of “Concrete Angel” began. For this one, Martina was seated on a giant glowing crescent moon that moved over the audience as she sang, and brought her to a small circular stage in the back of the arena. At this smaller stage she sang the beautiful “I’m Trying” and the spirited medley of “Love’s the Only House/Blessed.” While making her way back to the mainstage, Martina treated the crowd to the fan favorite, “This One’s For the Girls.”  

When Martina reached the mainstage, she really showcased her vocal abilities by powering through “A Broken Wing” and “Independence Day.” Then it was over and I was in shock that anyone could sing that well for that long. The rest of the crowd seemed to share my opinions and we defintely weren’t going to let Martina get away from us without an encore. After a lot of cheering and applauding Martina reappeared and treated us to renditons of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Then it was really over, and I had to reluctantly put an end to a concert that I won’t soon forget.  

Definitely check out the Shine All Night Tour when it comes to your area! You won’t be disapointed.

Sunset Boulevard

Last night, I finally got around to watching 1950′s Sunset Boulevard, which, it turns out is a fantastic movie. Some post-viewing research informed me that it was nominated for eleven Academy Awards (although it only won three), including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. I think we all know though, that awards don’t neccessarily mean something is appealing to the masses, so let me further prove that this film is worth seeing.

Reason #1: Gloria Swanson- I haven’t seen this woman in anything else, but apparently she can act. She portrays former silent film actress Norma Desmond. After twenty years of not working, the 50 year old Norma has slipped into a state of madness. She lives in a fantasy world where she is still worshipped by her fans and will one day “return” (she hates the word “comeback”) to the screen. In the mean time, she lives in her mansion on Sunset Boulevard with her butler and a dead chimpanzee while working on her own screenplay. Gloria Swanson captured all this with dignity and ease. While watching it, I couldn’t help but wonder if she created the character with Vivien Leigh in mind, because there were hints of the Blanche Dubois-era Vivien Leigh in her. It amazes me that Gloria didn’t win the Best Actress Oscar for this role.

Reason #2: William Holden- With Gloria Swanson as such a strong lead actress, it would seem that the lead actor would have a difficult time not  being upstaged. However, William Holden manages to successfully match Gloria’s acting. Holden plays Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter who stumbles on the life that Norma is living. He somehow finds himself Norma’s companion and the editor of her screenplay. He is essentially trapped in the life that she lives and is conflicted over how to deal with Norma’s madness.

Reason #3: The concept- The film faces the issues that many Hollywood studios of the time were facing. Actors struggled to find work once they reached their late 30s and 40s and studios were having trouble finding scripts that were good enough to produce. The film uses the names of real filmmakers of the time, some of whom even make cameos. These little details of authenticity make the film feel more like a documentary than a work of fiction. It proves to be an interesting look at Hollywood, both back then and now.

As a fan of movies, both old and new, I thoroughly enjoyed Sunset Boulevard and the way it parodies the struggles of actors to hang onto their fame. I invite you to check it out and leave me a comment!

The 2010 Grammys

I know it’s kind of cliche to write an entry on the Grammys, but I’m going to do it anyway. I’m assuming most people have heard about the awards and the performances enough that I don’t need to do an actual recap. Instead, I’m just going to mention some of the highlights for me.

1. Lady Gaga/Elton John- this performance was so incredibly strange for me. I like Elton John and Lady Gaga but I just didn’t get this performance.
2. Taylor Swift/Stevie Nicks- I think it’s pretty well known by now that Taylor did not sing well. I was watching the awards with my two roommates, one of whom is a music major and she was pointing out every time Taylor sang off key. It was amusing and sad at the same time. I think Taylor is a good songwriter, but she does not sing well live. That brings me to my next point…
3. Beyonce beats Taylor Swift for the Female Vocalist Award- I was overjoyed when Beyonce won this one because she can actually sing. Like I said, I don’t think Taylor sings well live, and although I do have a lot of respect for all of her accomplishments, I don’t think it’s fair that she keeps winning Best Female Vocalist Awards at these award shows.
4. Lady Antebellum singing “Need You Now”- I love Lady Antebellum, I love this song and I think they did a great job, but I wish they had sung “I Run to You.” It would have been a really special moment, especially since they had just won Best Country Duo or Group for the song.
5. The Michael Jackson tribute- I’m sure it would have been a lot more impressive if I had actually been able to watch it in 3-D. The vocals were all good though. I definitely never thought I’d see those singers on the same stage.
6. Jennifer Nettles singing with Bon Jovi- I loved seeing them sing “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (and “Livin’ on a Prayer”) together. It brought back wonderful memories of the last time I saw Jennifer sing that song live (at the Sugarland concert I went to in October).

These were the moments of the awards that I had the most to say about. All around, I thought last year’s ceremony was better. I thought the performances were better last year and the ceremony was just more exciting.

What I’m really curious about, is how they decide which awards should be given out in the pre-ceremony and which ones should be given out on the live broadcast. If anyone knows, post a comment and let me know!

“As Summer Was Just Beginning”

Today, the world of pop culture lost JD Salinger, Howard Zinn and Zelda Rubenstein. In the past two years, pop culture has lost more celebrities than I could possibly list or pay tribute to here. My personal life has been rocked with a number of deaths also. If you are trying to heal or recover from this kind of tragedy, sometimes you just need to simply be emotional for awhile.

To survive and event like this, you have to be able to laugh one minute  and burst into tears the next. It’s the only way to recover. Denial will only slow down the process. Crying is good. Even if you can’t cry right away, don’t try to hold the tears back when they are ready to fall. Laughter is good too, even if you feel ashamed of wanting to laugh.

We all know that it is impossible to put into words the pain, shock, sadness and anger that we feel after finding out that a loved one has died (whether they are family, a friend or an idol). The following list is composed of quotes from various sources that I feel are able to put this wave of emotion into words.

“When a pending pain is so big, there is an inner place that a soul will go to keep from breaking. A place where it sits and holds terribly still, an emotional coma that allows our heart a moment of peace so that we can begin to heal. In this place we find a void, where there is no feeling, no up, no down, no sound, no taste.” -Sugarland

“You never think the last time is the last time. You think you have forever, but you don’t.” -Grey’s Anatomy

“We’re meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?” -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

“Is it the loss that breaks us or the ‘what ifs?’ Regret is a ghost that haunts. She waits patiently in the shadowy halls of memory. Waiting for a moment to ask her only question, ‘why didn’t you?” -Sugarland

“The old saw that time heals all wounds doesn’t quite wash. Time helps- it’s the only thing that does; it helps you to go on, to live, to laugh, to love- but it doesn’t help you to forget or lessen the tiny stab of pain that remembrance brings.” –Lauren Bacall

I also encourage you to make a playlist of music that fits the emotions you are feeling and reminds you of the person. If you are looking for ideas, here are a few that I think are particularly powerful or meaningful:

“Hallelujah” -Jeff Buckley

“Hear You Me” Jimmy Eat World

“Love Heals” (From the Rent movie soundtrack)

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” -Simon and Garfunkel

“Angel” -Sarah McLachlan

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” (From the musical Carousel)

“To Where You Are” -Josh Groban

“Without You” -Rent

“Borrowed Angels” -Kristin Chenoweth

“Let It Be” -The Beatles

“I’ll Be Seeing You” -Frank Sinatra

“Fix You” -Coldplay

What do you do to help you grieve? Do you have a particular song, quote or movie that helps you begin to heal? Let me know, and may your loved ones rest in peace.

Lady Antebellum (Need You Now)

So, I just picked up Lady Antebellum’s second album Need You Now. I’ve been looking forward to it’s release ever since I heard “Need You Now” for the first time. After the success of the title track I have high expectations for the rest of the album.

Here are some of my thoughts during the initial listen:

Track 1 “Need You Now”- The album version is about 30 seconds longer than the single version. Therefore, there is even more “NYN” goodness.

Track 2 “Our Kind of Love”- I’m loving the piano melody. It seems to me that Lady A excels at piano parts, which is always a nice addition to a country song. Lyrically, this song kind of reminded me of a Keith Urban song, which is never a bad thing.

Track 3 “American Honey”- It’s my first time hearing this song, even though it’s their latest single and was released a few weeks ago. Honestly, I can’t decide how I feel about the tempo. It’s somewhere between too slow and too fast. I can definitely tell that it’s a Hillary Lindsey song though.

Track 4 “Hello World”- Love the string part. Beautiful song overall.

Track 5 “Perfect Day”- This is a fun one.

Track 6 “Love This Pain”- Another upbeat one. More Keith Urban-esque lyrics.

Track 7 “When You Got a Good Thing”- Love the lyrics and the guitar solo at the end.

Track 8 “Stars Tonight”- From the opening chords, I knew I was going to like this one. It’s fun and very much in the spirit of a typical country summer party song.

Track 9 “If I Knew Then”- Love the opening piano. Love Charles’ vocals. Love the lyrics.

Track 10 “Something ‘Bout a Woman”- The tempo and melody fit the vocals and lyrics well.

Track 11 “Ready to Love Again”- Love this song. Hillary is great on lead vocals.

Overall, I liked the album. After one listen, I have to say though, that I like their first album better. Of course, that opinion will probably change within a few days. My favorite tracks on this album ended up being the ones that Hillary, Charles and Dave wrote or cowrote. (But then again, I usually like songs that the artists write themselves better.) I think that “Need You Know” is one of the best tracks on this album and they made a good choice in making it the first single.

Buy or download Lady Antebellum’s  Need You Now and let me know what you think!

The Lovely Bones

I loved The Lovely Bones and I don’t care what the critics say, it was a great movie.

The casting was pretty good. Saoirse Ronan did a really good job as Susie Salmon. It wouldn’t seem like playing a dead girl would be that difficult, but she captured the (alive) happy-go-lucky Susie and the melancholy, confused (dead) Susie. Susan Sarandon was perfect for the role of pill-popping, borderline alcoholic Grandma Lynn. And who knew that Stanley Tucci was the perfect serial killer? His performance and appearance were so different from any other movie he has done that it was easy to forget any image viewers may have of him. Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Michael Imperioli round out the rest of the cast as Susie’s parents and the police investigator assigned to the case.

The special effects in the movie were wonderful. Majority of the special effects were used during the scenes when Susie is in her heaven. They weren’t too overdone and fake looking. It actually kind of visually reminded me of Taylor Swift’s music video “Fifteen.”

This movie was one of the better book-to-screen adaptations I have seen. I haven’t read the book in awhile, but it seems like the movie stayed pretty true to the book. I can only think of one subplot in the book that was left out (which I won’t reveal). The one complaint I had with the screenplay was that the film was resolved a lot faster than I think it was in the book. For the purpose of time, I’m sure that Peter Jackson just escalated the ending much faster. Overall, I don’t think any of the changes made will anger fans of the book.

What did you think of The Lovely Bones?

Obama’s Inauguration: One Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of President Obama officially becoming our 44th president. I’m not going to get into the politics of the whole thing because frankly, I don’t know much of what’s on (don’t judge me), instead I’m going to take the opportunity to reminisce about Inauguration Day: January 20, 2009.

First, I remember that Obama was supposed to take the oath of office at about 12:00 noon. However, I wasn’t due to get out of class until 12:05. I had very little hope of getting out of class early because from what I could tell, my professor was a Republican. Therefore, my plan was to run from my classroom on the 2nd floor down to the cafe’ in the basement of the building I was in, and hopefully make it in time to witness the oath on one of the televisions there.

Miracle of miracles, my professor let us out of class at exactly 12:00. So, I rushed down the stairs and got to the television just in time to see Vice President Joe Biden take his oath of office. There were probably about a hundred people crowded into the cafe’ in front of two television sets. While someone was singing (Maya Angelou? I don’t remember…) I grabbed a quick lunch. I planted myself on the floor in front of the TV just in time to see President Obama take the oath of office.

I remember it being completely silent in the room during this part of the ceremony, even when the infamous moment when the Chief Justice mixed up the lines of the oath occured. When the oath was over, everyone let out a large cheer. It was one of the most exciting and historic moments I have ever witnessed. Thank goodness the class I had just gotten let out of was a history class, so even that professor understood the significance of witnessing the moment, even if he didn’t support it.

After the oath was over, I practically ran across campus and back to my residence hall. Once I got to my room, I turned on the TV and watched in slight awe as the rest of the inauguration ceremony unfolded. (Thankfully, Iwas done with classes for the day, so I could afford to watch.)

As a history major, I felt it was my duty to witness the entire day unfold. So, there I sat at my computer, talking on skype with one of my friends from high school (who was doing the same thing), taking in the events of the day. Together, we analyzed the ceremony, reminisced over the former administration when the Ex-President and Mrs Bush waved good-bye to the country, and watched as the motorcade drove down Pennsylvania Avenue and arrived at the White House.

During a break in the festivities, we both took a dinner break. Soon after, we were back to watching and waiting with baited breath for the Inaugural Balls to begin. This was about the time that we began talking about how cool Washington DC is, and how lucky the people that work for the government are. We fantasized about the working in the White House or at the Capitol on a day like that. I became convinced that I would marry a politican and if I was lucky, become First Lady. With all the hype about Michelle Obama’s gown, I started browsing the internet and found my own “Inaugural Ball gown” too. (What can I say? I have an active imagnation, and admit it, you think being  married to the president would be cool too.)

Finally, the coverage of the Inaugural Balls began. We ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ over the glamor of it all, and watched as the Obamas danced their first dance to Etta James’ “At Last.” After maybe the fourth Ball, my friend and I realized that it was about midnight, and we had morning classes the next day. We reluctantly turned off the TV and thus, Inauguration Day ended.

I feel so lucky that I got to witness these events. Obama’s Inauguration is definitely one of the historic moments that I will remember clearly for the rest of my life.

What about you? What do you remember about Inaugration Day? Or even past Inauguration Days? LEave a comment and let me know!