Newest Glee Update!

A new trailor for Glee has surfaced! As you have seen in my previous post a few weeks ago, I am a huge Glee fan! The new episodes are just around the corner, next Tuesday, April 13th! I must say, the trailor looks amazing!

My favorite romance of the show (as probably is most people's) is Finn and Rachel and they seem to go through some bumps (but then again, what's new?). From what the clip shows, the new songs are going to be awesome, especially Madonna's!
Rachel embarks on a new romance with a rival show choir, "Vocal Adrenaline" member and they all wonder if he is using her to get insights on their numbers for regionals. Puck and Quinn come out as a couple, as Quinn is pregnant with Puck's baby, however, can Puck be faithful? And of course, Sue Sylvester is more evil and wittier than ever! So much excitement and drama is revealed in this short two and a half minute clip--so take a look and get ready for next week's part two premiere of Glee!

Good T.V.: LOST

I know I am a little late with this whole "Lost" craze, I was adament about not giving to this show however, a couple months ago I started Season 1 on Hulu and was hooked. I am now almost done with Season 3 and I plan on finishing before the final Season 6 ends! When I first heard of this show I was wondering how they could make a show out of people mysteriously crashing on an island and how they survive on this island. But, it is so much more than just "surviving", it's about who was there before them, why are they there, the "others", and so many more questions. It seems as though once you get an answer to one question about ten more pop up. It is a never ending cycle of questions.
What I like about the show is how up until the end of Season 3, each character has an episode geared toward them with a flashback to their old life not on the island. They all have struggles and their past is a big reason why they all ended up on the island. As I am only on Season 3 I do not know why they are all there, but it's the curiosity and suspense that keeps me watching.
The Season Finale is May 23rd, where most of the questions will be answered, but some say it may be a disappointment as there is not enough time to answer all the questions. However, I do not think it is necessary for all questions to be answered, just the crucial ones. The mystery to this show is why it is so popular and leaving the viewer with a little more mystery even when it is over is hopefully what the writers will do.
Watch Lost every Tuesday at 9 pm on ABC or go to hulu.com to watch it for free.

Oh South Park, you've done it again!

As much as people wish to hate on South Park, it is nearly impossible to do so with its episodes making a mockery of America's people, politicians, celebrities, and more. Although the last season was a little less than mediocre compared with past seasons the Season 14 premiere last Wednesday reminded me of old, classic South Park episodes. What better way to start a new season than to make a parody of Tiger Woods' supposed "sex addiction"? It was brilliant! There needed to be a public mockery of Wood's "sex addiction" because the whole concept is completely ridiculous and is just an excuse to take some of the heat off of what he did. Labeling his infidelities as a "sex addiction" makes it seem as though he could not control his actions, for his it was his "condition" that made him a cheater. To me that's BS and apparently the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, felt the same way. Watch a clip below if you haven't seen it already. You can go to to watch the full episode.

Glee Previews

Alright I'll admit it, I'm a huge Glee fan! I was reluctant to watch the show because I figured it'd have this cheesy "show choir" feel to it, but I ended up falling in love with the show. It's funny and the songs are great. Listen to the Glee cast's version of "Don't Stop Believin" (originally sung by Journey) and "Somebody to Love" (originally sung by The Beatles) and you too will be hooked. Not to mention, there's a whole lot of drama! Teen romance, teen pregnancy, teacher romances, a wife pretending to be pregnant (her husband actually believes it), and a crazy cheer coach (Jane Lynch) who happens to be hilarious.

Today the cast drew a large crowd at the Paley Fest to answer questions and talk about the upcoming remainder of the season (Part 2 airs April 13th). They had a lot of interesting things to say. New guest stars will appear on the show from Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith to Neil Patrick Harris. Series creator Ryan Murphy said even Julia Roberts would love to be a guest star down the line.
There will also be more songs in the upcoming episode. Says Murphy, "We've gone from three or four [songs], to between six and eight [per episode] on an average. We just have a lot more music and a lot more comedy. And more Jane Lynch."

I think everyone should give this show a try. The first part of Season 1 is available on dvd (which is how I first watched the show). It is very addicting; I finished it in just a few days! I am thinking it will only get better come April 13th
Below is Don't Stop Believin, the song that put the show on the map and put the song on top of the music charts.

THE OSCARS!!

The much anticipated Oscars took place tonight and, to give my opinion, I am VERY pleased with the winners. In case you missed it here is a list of the winners:

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, for “Inglourious Basterds”
Best Animated Feature Film: “Up”
Best Original Song: “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart),” music and lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett, for “Crazy Heart”
Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, for “The Hurt Locker”
Best Documentary Short: “Music By Prudence”
Best Makeup: “Star Trek”
Best Short Film (Animated): “Logorama”
Best Short Film (Live Action): “The New Tenants”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Goeffrey Fletcher, for “Precious: Based on The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire”
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, for “Precious: Based on The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire”
Best Art Direction: “Avatar”
Best Costume Design: “The Young Victoria”
Best Sound Editing: “The Hurt Locker”
Best Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker”
Best Cinematography: “Avatar”
Best Original Score: “Up”
Best Visual Effects: “Avatar”
Best Editing: “The Hurt Locker”
Best Foreign Film: “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”
Best Documentary Feature: “The Cove”
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, for “Crazy Heart”
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, for “The Blind Side”
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, for “The Hurt Locker”
Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker”


Now, I must say my previous predictions of James Cameron and Avatar sweeping the Oscars was wrong. It was Kathryn Bigelow and The Hurt Locker who were the real winners of tonight's award show.
The Hurt Locker walked away with six awards (including Best Director and Best Picture), while Avatar left with three, similar to the seven to two award wins at the BAFTAs (see previous posts). Kathryn Bigelow made history being the first woman director to win an Academy Award, which is an amazing achievement, especially with James Cameron in the same category. (On a side note, did anyone else find it odd how close the Academy put the two together in the seating arrangement? Anything to add a little drama, right?) I have not seen The Hurt Locker, however I have heard nothing but good reviews and all the awards it has won will definitely influence the next movie I rent.

I was EXTREMELY happy that Sandra Bullock won for Best Actress. She was in a category with some amazing nominees, however I feel Bullock has worked so hard in her career and her talent has finally been noticed. I saw The Blind Side and although it wasn't, in my opinion, worthy of an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Sandra Bullock's performance was worthy of Best Actress. She delved deep into her character and really proved herself as a serious actress. (I also liked the irony of how she picked up her Razzie for Worst Actress for All About Steve just last night.)

As you could probably guess from my previous posts I was also very excited that Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Inglourious Basterds. He also presented the Oscars with the second best speech I have heard at any awards show (Kate Winslet's Best Actress speech last year tops my list). It was short and simple but full of life and gratitude. He just seems like a fascinating, genuine guy.

Alice in Wonderland: Opening Week Buzz

This Friday, March 5th, Tim Burton's much anticipated Alice in Wonderland opens in theatres across the U.S. The movie has already premiered in Australia and the U.K., both to which have given the movie opposite reviews from each other. The popular film ratings website, IGN Australia has given the movie four out of five stars, while IGN UK has given only two stars to the movie.

Here is a small sample of a review about the film, written by Chris Tilly with IGN UK: "The result is an almighty disappointment that fails to capture the magic of Lewis Carroll's tome, but at the same time never truly feels like a 'Tim Burton' film. Suffering from a severe deficiency of wonder, this Alice is by turns loud, lifeless and lacklustre, and so what should have been the perfect marriage of moviemaker and material instead does justice to neither."

Now, to the contrary, here is a sample from a review by Patrick Kolan with IGN Australia: "Allow your fears to be alleviated – those concerned about Tim Burton's increasingly indulgent direction can ease back into their seats; Alice in Wonderland does not fall to the same pretension of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's not a vanity project or a hollow reboot. Alice in Wonderland is a lovingly filmed and meticulously crafted interpretation of Lewis Carroll's treasured tale, rife with fantasy, coated in gothic iconography and presented by a superb cast who nail their characters' portraits utterly."

After such early mixed reviews from the two countries able to see this movie before the U.S., one may be hesitant about whether or not to see this movie. However, my instinct tells me it will be worth seeing. The Australian reviews says the exact thing most of us were probably worried about: "Alice in Wonderland does not fall to the same pretension of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Meaning, Tim Burton has a certain style in his movies, especially with Johnny Depp, and it gets old and tiresome--as one would see in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. My advice would be to not get caught up with foreign reviews and to really pay attention to the U.S. reviews that will be available on Friday. There's no doubt this movie will make money and people will go see it. It's just a matter of the quality of this movie that will send movie go-ers back for a second or third time.


What do you think? Will you see the movie?

British Academy Film Awards: A predictor for Oscar hopeful's success?

The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) took place this weekend and supposedly it is a good indicator for possible Oscar success. The Hurt Locker and Avatar both went into the BAFTAs with eight nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Interestingly enough, Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow and Avatar director James Cameron used to be married for a couple years in the early 90's. A bit awkward, huh? Well, Hurt Locker took the Best Director and Best Film awards, meaning Kathryn won the former spouses battle according to the Brits. Even though Avatar has made $2 billion at the box office and has dominated the American film scene, Britain loves an underdog, as last year's Slumdog Millionare won Best Film at the BAFTAs and Best Picture for the Oscars.

There are talks that because of last year's similar nominations that the same could be for this year. However, I disagree. Last year, the biggest competition for Slumdog was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was a great movie but not Oscar Best Picture worthy. There were only 5 nominations last year for the Oscars, while this year they are going back to the old way of 10 nominations. The Brits like an underdog, while most of the time America likes big budget films that tend to dominate every category the Oscars have to offer (Avatar). Surprisingly, Avatar only took two awards at the BAFTAs. They're each going into the Oscars with nine nominations. However, I think at this award show, it'll be the Hurt Locker walking away with two awards, if that.

The only award won that I can guarantee will also be won at the Oscars, that was won at the BAFTAs is Best Supporting Actor, Christoph Walz for Inglourious Basterds (see previous post to learn more about him in this film).

It will be interesting to see the match-up for these two Oscar contenders (Hurt Locker and Avatar). Will it be the small indie film or the box office record breaker? Or, if you want to look at it another way (as the media does), the ex wife or the ex husband?