Binge Watching

Shows I Want to Binge Watch:
'Broad City' - I will faithfully committ to anything that Amy Poehler has a hand in.
'Nashville' - I hear so many good things about this show and there are only a few seasons to catch up on so why not?
'The Fall' - I love Gillian Anderson. Just seeing her gives me 'X-Files' flashbacks.

Shows I Would Recommend Binge Watching:
'The Good Wife' - This show is everything. Can I be Alicia Florrick though? But I would make way better decisions about my personal life.
'Masters of Sex' - The acting is amazing. The writing is amazing. The storyline is amazing. It is all just amazing. I never thought I would think of Michael Sheen as sexy.

Shows I Have Binge Watched Within the Last Year:
'30 Rock' - I may or may not have specifically purchased Netflix to watch this show. Maybe.
'Parks and Recreation' - AMY POEHLER. THAT IS ALL.
'Sex and the City' - So the main reason I started binge-watching this is because once I found out I was moving to the city I wanted to watch anything that was set there but I had already seen every episode of 'Will & Grace' and 'Friends.' It was definitely worth all the nights spent home watching when my friends were out having lives.
'The Vampire Diaries' - Last summer I was in the mood for a little Ian Somerhalder so I dedicated the month of August not to doing my AP summer assignments but to enjoying the eye-candy that is the Salvatore brothers.
'Parenthood' - My friend makes fun of me when I talk about this show and says "Yeah my mom loves that show too."

Article: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20811795,00.html#30145499

'Castle' Season 6 Finale Cliffhanger

I have been a loyal 'Castle' fan since Rick was a playboy and Beckett sported some not-so-attractive short hair. Since then, I have been waiting for those two crazy kids to realize they were meant for each other. When they finally came to in the Season 4 finale, I never thought that two years later I would be gearing up to watch them get married. But they never made it to the alter.... Shocker. 

In a seemingly contrived cliffhanger as a ploy for ratings when the show returns in the fall, Castle's car was driven off the road by shady characters in a stereotypical black escalade before he could say his vows. What makes me the most angry about this is that the cliffhanger is really not all that cliffhanger-y. The show is named after him, so it is obvious that Castle is not dead. Of course Beckett is going to get him back and they will eventually get married. 

In my opinion, a real cliffhanger should be one where the outcome can't predicted with any high level of certainty. Even last season's finale, when Castle proposed to Beckett on the heels of her announcement of moving to D.C, you knew that somehow Beckett would end up back on the NYPD but I genuinely had doubts as to how the proposal would play out. 

I guess I just think 'Castle' can do better than fiery car crashes. I mean come on, just the week before Beckett was finally able to put her mother's killer in handcuffs and she can't even enjoy her bliss for one episode to marry her dreamy fiancé?

Article: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/13/castle-season-finale-post-mortem/

My TCA Awards Wishlist

The difference between who I want to win and who likely will win.

These are all my own opinion.

Individual Achievement in Comedy:
Who I Want to Win: Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Likely Winner: Jim Parsons "The Big Bang Theory"

Individual Achievement in Drama:
Who I Want to Win: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Likely Winner: Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black” 

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information

Who I Want to Win: "The Daily Show with John Stewart"

Likely Winner:  "The Daily Show with John Stewart"

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programmming

Who I Want to Win: "Shark Tank"

Likely Winner: "Shark Tank"

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming

Who I Want to Win: "Adventure Time"'

Likely Winner: I have not one clue or care

Outstanding New Program

Who I Want to Win: "Orange is the New Black"

Likely Winner: "Orange is the New Black"

Outstanding Achievement in Movie, Miniseries, and Specials

Who I Want to Win: "American Horror Story: Coven"

Likely Winner: "American Horror Story: Coven"

Oustanding Achievement in Drama

Who I Want to Win: "The Good Wife"

Likely Winner: "Breaking Bad"

Oustanding Achievement in Comedy 

Who I Want to Win: "Veep"

Likely Winner: "Brooklyn Nine Nine"

Career Achievement Award

Who I Want to Win: Valerie Harper

Likely Winner: Valerie Harper

Heritage Award

Who I Want to Win: "Saturday Night Live"

Likely Winner: I have not one clue

Program of the Year

Who I Want to Win: "The Good Wife"

Likely Winner: "Game of Thrones"




Article: http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/televistion-critics-association-unveils-nominees-for-tca-awards/

Why "The Good Wife" is the Most Feminist Show Out There

Disclaimer: I am a woman. I am a Good Wife Fan. I am a proponant of female sexuality.

This article is one of my favorite things I have ever read. Nothing I can say can do it justice as it encapsulates everything I think but expresses it all better than I could.

When I started watching the show in September 2009 it was for the intrigue behind how a disgraced housewife picks up the pieces after a political husband's scandal. I wanted to see justification for why a woman would stay with a man who put her through such public humiliation. What I got was so much more.

When Alicia starts the show she is timid and vanilla and acquiescent to her surroundings, except in the courtroom. In the courtroom Alicia holds the power and she shines. Eventually that power spills over into the bedroom when her boss and longtime love interest, Will Gardner, helps her find her sexuality again after her husband stripped her of it. Will worships Alicia and the encounters they share are extremely erotic.

Her influence eventually recaptures her husband's attention and then this over 40 lawyer is torn between two powerful men who both desire her. As the article points out, this is so important because "regardless of how Alicia wields the power of her sexuality, it’s important to note that she is a woman over 40, on television, who undergoes a sort of sexual awakening with men near her same age." Alicia becomes the strong one while Will and her husband struggle under the hold she has on them.

What makes me the most proud of my favorite show this is that while female sexuality is such a taboo in society, the creators and writers are unafraid to fully embrace Alicia as a sexual being. Unlike the MPAA, "The Good Wife," a primetime network drama has no scruples about "showing a woman receiving non-reciprocated sexual pleasure." You go girl! It's about time women's sexuality be embraced the way men's sexuality is. 

 Article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/tnwhiskeywoman/the-sex-life-of-the-good-wife-alicia-florrick

Friends' Tenth Anniversary

I sort of want to Photoshop myself in here

I started watching 'Friends' when I was a little kid with my mom and new episodes were still airing. As a young viewer the show definitely gave me unrealistic expectations of friendship, relationships, working life, and as I'm sure I'll learn when I move to Greenwich Village in three months, living in New York City.

Who doesn't want to have five best friends who stick with you no matter what, an endless amount of free time to spend with said friends, and a gorgeous, spacious apartment in the Village in which to spend said time?

Unfortunately real life friendship drama isn't wrapped up in 22 minutes, you have to work hard to live in even a studio apartment in the big city, the person you are meant to be with probably hasn't been pining for you for 15 years, and, as I know from experience, you definitely can't remain best friends with your ex.

These sad truths still don't deter me from loving the sitcom. If anything I watch it because I know those things aren't true but it's nice to be immersed in the fantasy for a couple of hours - so maybe I'm a binge-watcher. It's fun to pretend to be the seventh Friend and chuckle at Phoebe's quirkiness, Chandler's sarcastic comments, Monica's OCD, Joey's pick-up-lines, and Ross and Rachel's tumultuous relationship.

Article: http://time.com/88806/friends-10th-anniversary-unrealistic/

How Working for 'Orange is the New Black' Helped a Writer Come Out

This article is a conundrum to me. It is equal parts somber and uplifting; the story of a women's feelings of isolation and ultimately, liberation. Lauren Morelli, a writer for the hit Netflix series "Orange is the New Black," explains how working for the show helped her realize the truth about her sexuality and have the courage to come out.

At times it can be a difficult read as Morelli explains the darkest points that followed her realization when she wanted to die because being a lesbian "meant losing the person I loved most in the world, meant coming out to my parents and tearing open the most vulnerable, soft parts of myself and showing them to everyone I knew, I would rather be dead. I was suicidal in a way that I hadn't been since eighth grade, when I took a bunch of Tylenol and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up feeling refreshed from the great sleep and excited that I could tell my friends about how depressed I was."

But one of the most important things Morelli expresses in the piece is how important it was that she was surrounded by acceptance. She describes the community of New York City and specifically the "Orange is the New Black" set "as the world's most supportive environment, surrounded by people in the LGBT community, where being a minority of any sort is joyfully celebrated...Mourning the end of my marriage and the identity that I'd known for my entire life, I hadn't yet stopped to consider that I was now a part of this community."

Morelli's story encourages readers to embrace their own sometimes messy narrative which might never fit the mold they believe they should fill. I think that is a wonderful story and I wish everyone would have such a supportive community in which they would feel safe to be themelves. Four for you Lauren Morelli, you go Lauren Morelli!

Article: http://www.policymic.com/articles/89727/while-writing-for-orange-is-the-new-black-i-realized-i-am-gay

Sitcom Theme Songs: A Dying Art

This article really got me thinking and there truly are no good theme songs anymore. No catchy little tunes that get stuck in your head all day, that you notice yourself singing when you didn't even realize you were. In fact, many shows no longer have songs with lyrics at all; instrumental tracks have become the new trend. Without those informative and memorable lyrics how are we supposed to know what the show we are sitting down to watch is about?

With "Thank You for Being a Friend" we knew the Golden Girls was focused on a group of best friends. "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" told us exactly what kind of bar Cheers was for its patrons.

Those two are my personal favorite sitcom theme songs, but one that didn't make the list which shocked me is the classic, "Love Is All Around," which opened each episode of the Mary Tyler Moore song. (Just writing the name of it has that damn tune playing in my head on repeat: "you're gonna make it after all.....").

Article: http://jezebel.com/whats-the-best-sitcom-theme-song-of-all-time-1579654658