Almost Paradise

Director Kenny Ortega has walked away from the new Footloose film. Check out the full story here.

I'm really bummed. I think Ortega is a good director (HSM and Newsies have their flaws, but they're well directed films) and an unbelievable choreographer. Honestly, he was the redeeming factor for me when it came to this film.

I also think it's interesting that this was conceived as a project for Ortega and Zack Efron and now they've both walked away. Not promising, I can tell you that much.

Although I love Chace Crawford and Julianne Hough, I'm just not convinced that they're going to be able to pull off Footloose. Ren and Ariel are pretty complicated and difficult characters. Ren has to both brood and make the best of things at the same time. While we all love watching Chace brood, something Josh Scwartz hasn't let him do lately, I'm not sure he'll be able to pull off the making the best of it aspect. Although maybe he has hidden depths. To be fair, I wasn't sure Efron could pull off the acting necessary either, but we knew he had the singing and dancing aspect.

Ariel has to flirt with the line of being extremely unlikable. She's petulant, spoiled, impulsive (in the bad way) and demanding. I love Julianne. Adore her. I even voted for Adam Corrolla on DWTS just to keep Julianne around, I'm just not sure if she can surrender the cuteness and the million watt dancer smile for long enough to see the pain that Ariel's going through without taking it so far as to make us hate her.

I was really looking forward to seeing what Ortega did with it. He handles emotion very well in his movies, and one just has to watch Newsies to see how good he can be at "One kid against the world" story.

But then again, that kid was Christian Bale...something tells me Bruce Wayne can do a bit more than Nate Archibald.

What do you think of Ortega's exit?

40

I wrote at the beginning of the season how much I love this game.

Moments like last night are why. Andy Pettite won the final game of the ALCS championship with Mariano Rivera closing it out. Just like back in the late 90's, when the Yankees were on top of the world.

The Bronx is back baby! Can you believe this is the team's 40th Pennant win?

Insanity...

Next stop 27th World Series! WOOOO!

Glee: They would 10/21/09

I've decided that every Thursday I'm going to write about Glee in a special way. I may start doing it for some other shows too, but for now let's stick with Glee. It's called Glee: They Would

Quinn would refer to the hockey players as "brain dead puckheads."

Rachel would continue to dress like what a middle class Ohio girl can approximate of Blair Waldorf, and tell a boy she couldn't "give herself to him."

Emma and Will would have the same favorite song, being all perfect for each other and all.

Kurt would start wearing a clear plastic trench to school to protect himself from Slushy warfare.

Puck would totally think having a sexy dream about Rachel was a Moses-esque message from Yahweh to seduce her. And I love that the way he and his family practice their Judaism is eating Chinese food and watching Schindler's List. Perfect way to connect the disconnect between true religion and American society, also TOTALLY funny.

The Glee kids would all have their own personal choreography to "Sweet Caroline" and would sing the "ba ba baa's" but they would also chant "So good, so good, so good!"

Sue would get a female Zoot Suit to wear to a swing competition, and be in favor of human/animal marriage.

Finn's ideas of visionary leaders would be Thomas Jefferson and John Connor, whose name he can't remember.

OK, so there are some other things going on here, that I want to see and we haven't. More Tina and Artie, I think that they're characters with serious potential that isn't yet explained. Also I really think that Rachel and Puck make kind of a sweet little couple. It's a relationship with Naley-esque possibilities, if Nathan's issues were less prominent and Haley was a total whacko.

New Moon: Looks good...but I can't wait for more.

I-tunes released this clip from The Twilight Saga: New Moon today. I have to say the clip is amazing. But far too short. I know they don't want to spoil anything...but well, I'm so psyched for the action in this movie.

First of all Kristen actually does something different for once, which gives me greater hope for Breaking Dawn, but I digress. Secondly, the FX for the wolves is unbelievably amazing and thirdly, I'm really into the guys playing Sam and Embry, they're kind of perfect.

Let's talk about Kristen. I get the Kristen Stewart screen appeal OK. I'm always charmed by her when she's in a movie. But I get so frustrated by her personal appearances that I tend to forget how good she is. And she is very good, especially as Bella, and here where she channels Bella's temper (something we don't really see in Twilight since Jake is the one who gets her all riled up!) she does extremely well.

Secondly. The special effects! Oh my God! This was my biggest worry about this film. Especially after the disaster that was the sparkling in Twilight. (He's supposed to look like a diamond catching the light, not like he's covered in body glitter!) But I put my trust in Chris Weitz because of The Golden Compass, and it seems he has delivered. So glad for the warm colors too, the blue lighting in Twilight was effective, but it got old quick.

The wolf pack! Can I get a big old fangirl SQUEE! Anway, despite the fact that we hear Sam say "Paul, cool it!" and that's about it, and I still got a sense of how perfect this guy is, says a lot. Sam, at least in New Moon, he has to present calm and authority and yet be totally scary at the same time. As for Embry, the key components of Quil and Embry's character (they're really just one guy, let us be honest) is sarcasm. We get that.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Any further?

This is Halloween

I don't do scary. I'm a big fat coward, and I've just always avoided things that are outright scary, mostly because of terrible nightmares I had when I was a kid.

Because of that, during this time of year, right before Halloween when we're supposed to embrace the scary, but it was never good. But there are some very clear alternatives to scary for Halloween time:

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas....or Corpse Bride...or Batman...or anything.

I have some issues with Tim Burton, although mostly just, Tim Burton in the past five years, but there's something about his work in the late 80s and most of the nineties that embodies the spirit of Halloween. The silly creepiness, the out of this world visuals. Of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas will always own the day. Probably because it's about Halloween. Also Danny Elfman's music is some of the most beautiful and inventive ever heard. So, if you really want something to get you in the mood for Halloween, go with Jack Skellington and the gang.

Hocus Pocus

"On all Hallow's Eve when the moon is round a virgin will summon us from under the ground."

Hocus Pocus is the best of Halloween alternative entertainment. It's about witches and history, kind of. It's about Salem and three sisters, who are witches, who are killed and then vow to return...they do, in the early nineties. Hijinks ensue. Really, this movie is about the fact that the sisters are played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. That and there's a character named "Thachary Binks" who turns into a cat! A CAT I tell you!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I've made no secret of my love for Buff and the gang, but this time of year especially. Only have an hour or two? Try the original movie. Kristi Swanson can't match Sarah Michelle as Buffy, but Donald Southerland is awesome as her first watcher and Luke Perry is hilarious as her love interest. Or make a night of it and rent the DVDs of Season 2 or 3 (I'm partial to pre Angel stuff, since I like David Boreonaz) and watch the banter fly and the vamps turn to dust.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Shout at the screen, throw things, do the time warp, just don't tell anyone if it's your first time! Either stay in and watch it with your friends, or hit a midnight showing with people ready to have a crazy good time. That's what this one's all about. Also Tim Curry has better legs than most of the women I know. I'm just saying.

Shawn of The Dead

I like real Zombie movies too (especially really old cheesy ones, that aren't particularly scary), but that's part of why I love Shawn so much. Simon Pegg does genre satire better than anyone in the business, and his send up of zombie movies is perfect. I personally love the idea of heading to the pub to wait out the Zombie scourge, might as well have a pint while you're stuck. Shawn's ex girlfriend Liz sums up what his slacker hero perfection perfectly. "Does it strike you as disturbing that your idea of a place for a romantic evening and a impenetrable fortress are the same?" It's a laugh a gory minute.

Young Frankenstein

Did I say that Pegg did genre satire best? I'm sorry, I lied, he's up there, but he can't compete with Mel Brooks. Young Frankenstein remains a seminal Halloweentime classic. Gene Wilder and Brooks wrote the screen play together, and Wilder's performance is pitch perfect. The supporting cast doesn't suck either. Terry Garr, Madeline Kahn, Peter Boyle and Cloris Leachman. Right, and of course this little number:

What about you all? Any non scary All Hallow's favorites for you that I missed?

What's back and I'm not into

So, I talked about new things that I like, but now let's talk about things that are back that I used to like but now I'm not so into.

90210 I loved last season, but after watching two episodes this season, I didn't realize how much of that love came from A) the presence of the old characters, and B) that character of Ethan. The Ethan/Annie relationship had potential until they drove Annie into the ground by turning her into a whiny mess. I'm sorry, but this girl was supposed to be the successor of Brenda Walsh, Joey Potter, and Marissa Cooper who granted whined their fair share, but there was more to them than just that (for Marissa not much more, but whatever) and then when that didn't work out they set up a great storyline with the Liam/Silver/Dixon triangle, but he was gone and Dixon and Silver's will they or won't they lost it's urgency. Aside from all of that, Ethan was a great stand alone character, especially the whole dealing with his autistic brother and breaking out of the golden boy image could have really gone someplace.

Dollhouse: The premiere had potential, a lot of it. Injecting Ballard into the Dollhouse was smart. Showing the attraction between Whiskey and Topher was fantastic, but apparently they're not going anywhere with it. I've said it since the beginning, I'd much prefer a Dr. Horrible sequel to sitting waiting for Dollhouse to take off. I hope that Fox keeps it on long enough for Summer Glau's rumored appearance though. I really think that her glassy eyed look around a room thing will fit in perfectly as a doll. Maybe a doll from one of the other houses.

America's Next Top Model: I admire the principle of using all "petite" (Under 5'7") girls this season. The idea being that Kate Moss is 5'5", HOWEVER, not a one of these girls is a Kate Moss. And the photo shoots have been dull, because the only lesson that they've taught the girls is how to make themselves look taller and that's what every shoot is about. But I'll still watch because ANTM isn't really about the girls at all, it's about Tyra.

Smallville: OK, in reality the two episodes so far of Smallville have been amazing. I'm just pissed because Brian Austin Green guest starred and still refuses to do the 90210 thing. DUDE! SAME NETWORK AND EVERYTHING! Clark has embraced the Superman symbol, and his double life. Lois keeps having visions of both the apocalypse and her and Clark bumping uglies in pink satin. Since she went to the future and has no memory of it I think she's repressing memories. Oh right, and Zod is there and kinda hot, not going to lie. Plus I'm being Supergirl for Halloween, so you know HOLLA!

I'm back...and so are others.

OK! First of all I am soo sorry for my lack of posting in the past few weeks (midterm time, ick!) But this week's Gossip Girl got me off of my proverbial ass and back to being who I am. That is a person who not only reports on but over analyzes pop culture. So I am once again bringing a format change around, to accommodate my school schedule and what I really want to be doing. More analysis less summary! I'm an English major people, this is what I do.

So, how does Gossip Girl fit into this? This week's episode was all about finding oneself. And Tyra being crazy.

First of all I love that Serena's quest to find herself led her to become a PR girl. This is the perfect job for Serena, not being a full blown publicist mind you, because she's way too self centered. But I could totally see her ending up in event planning, you know becoming one of those girls like in that Lauren Weisberger book Everyone Worth Knowing who just goes to clubs to scout locations for celebrity parties. Serena would be great at that.

Nate trying to explain who Olivia Burke (Hilary Duff) is to Dan reminded me of the time my friend Chris didn't know who Spiedi were. But Dan often reminds me of Chris. Also they did it! Nate had a personality. He played a playful silly trick on Dan, by not telling him who Olivia was tee hee! Chase Crawford actually laughed playfully on camera with the same subtlety as say an Ashton Kutcher. Not that I'd compare Nate to Kelso...except for the man slut-ness, and the bossy brunette ex girlfriend who left him for his way hotter and more competent bestie...OK, so maybe I would compare Nate to Kelso. And Dan is TOTALLY Eric. Chuck gets to be Hyde. Carter can be that annoying guy they brought in when Topher and Ashton left the show. I've already established that Blair is Jackie, and Serena can be Donna, except not as cool and whines a lot more. Jenny and Eric combined get Fez. OK, I'm done with that game.

Lilly was BACK! Rufus did a Lilly impression. I can't even begin to analyze, I was simply overjoyed.

Blair's storyline criss crossed with Jenny and Eric's, which was a blessing. Jenny got to Constance on the first day ready to abolish high school hierarchy. It didn't work because the new mean girls (sporting leather jackets, ruffles on their uniform skirts an too much eye makeup) reported this news to Blair and she horrified headed right uptown to fix it. Chuck tried to tell her she was being delusional and eventually gave her what was supposed to be an inspirational speech but mostly just reminded her that he is awesome! Plus he reminded Jenny that two years ago, she wanted to be queen and that girl should totally start ruling at Constance. Then Blair found some minions at NYU. The new minions, both Jenny's and Blair's are adequate but I miss Nellie Yuki. Not Hazel though. Oh right and during all of this, Eric got to be snarky, so wonderful and gay and snarky. I was pleased.

Oh right, and Chuck sending Blair her old Constance uniform with a note saying to wear it that night. HILARIOUS.

Now, I'll move on the this whole idea of Tyra and Hilary's movie. (Or should I say Ursula and Olivia's) Three Words: Hilary's French Accent. It was worse than her Italian accent at the end of The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I shouldn't say that. It was actually the same accent. But damn, she did look cute in a beret, and Georgina in the scenes for next weeks episode called her "The Whore" which was just perfect, because oh yeah, you don't cheat on crazy with a cutie teen idol. Crazy will KILL you.

What's new and why I'm into it

OK, so I know I've been MIA for the past week. It was a busy school week, followed by two more busy school weeks coming up, (although I'm hitting Springsteen at Giant's stadium tomorrow night! Expect pictures and a set list! He's playing the entire Darkness On The Edge of Town album, it should be legen...wait for it...) But I figured to get caught up was a lost cause at this point. I barely had time to watch all of my shows, let alone write about them. So, to cover the Season and Series premiere stuff, I'm writing about what I liked best and least. This post? What I like in new TV, what I think is going to stick around. (dary! See what I did there?)

Favorite New Show: Glee. Without a doubt. This might be the best show I've seen on TV in a really long time. It doesn't hurt that I'm a mondo theater geek and this show has everything that I love, plus a really spot on showing of what my high school experience was like. Oh Mercedes! How I relate to you and you curvy fabulousness, and your incurable crush on a gay guy! Oh Rachel, how is it that you are exactly like those girls I hung out with even though I thought they were horrible? Oh Finn, how are you the guy I dreamed up and never found in high school, the hunky football player who also loves to sing and is OK with waiting until marriage to have sex! (Such boys do not really exist, btw. Hunky football players, even if they like to sing, never notice nerdy uptight theater geeks. SIGH) Plus last night Kristin Chenoweth sang both "Maybe this time," from Cabaret and Carrie Underwood's "Last Name." Hi, BEST SHOW EVER!

Best New Show (Drama): The Good Wife. True, I'm not picking up too many new dramas, but lets face it, you can't get much better than this. The pilot was pitch perfect, and the second episode on Tuesday set up a nice little path for the show to take, and showed Alicia as a strong, confident and independent woman. Plus Chris Noth is sooo good at playing skeez.

Best New Show (Comedy): Modern Family. Ed O'Neil leads this perfectly executed little show. Centering around an extended family and three of its units. One, the nuclear family, Mom, Dad and three kids, the other her father and his second wife and her son, the third, her brother, his life partner and their newly adopted daughter. O'Neil is playing off of Al Bundy for sure, but underneath it he's showing a sensitive super dad side that we've never seen before. Plus Julie Bowen, who I've had a soft spot for since Happy Gilmore.

Other things I've liked: The Vampire Diaries (dur), NCIS: Los Angeles and Cougar Town. I haven't gotten to Flash Forward yet, maybe this weekend, and V is still a few weeks away, but we're getting there.