Two Negatives Equal a Positive

After re-watching episodes of Once Upon a Time, I was thinking that  Regina and  Hook would make a good couple. They really have quite a bit in common. Both had to witness their loved ones’ hearts literally ripped from their chests. Cora, Regina's mother, ripped Daniel's heart after learning her daughter was going to run away with him. Rumplestiltskin ripped his wife's heart out after learning that she ran away with Hook. Also, both Hook and Regina have tried to start a family with a boy that was not related to them through blood. Regina, of course, adopted Henry after Emma gave him up for adoption. Throughout the two seasons of the show, Regina has fought to keep Henry. And Hook, even after discovering that Baelfire was the son of his enemy Rumplestiltskin, wanted to adopt Baelfire. Although both characters have done despicable acts, Hook and Regina have had moments where they have tried to do good things, even if their intentions were all but honorable. Plus, I think that Hook may have some infatuation with Regina. Even after she betrayed him and pushed him off a cliff to be killed by Maleficent, he still refused to participate in her torture by Greg and Tamara. Now the only question is could Regina put down her guard enough to find a little love for the captain.

 

Passing of the Sonic Screwdriver

Well it’s official. Matt Smith will no longer be playing the Doctor, come Christmas time. BBC confirmed that the Doctor Who actor will leave after four years of starring as the Time Lord. Smith will continue his role of the Doctor in the 50th Anniversary Special in November of 2013, but will regenerate in the Christmas special. My initial reaction, like many other fans, was mistrust of the new actor who first starred as the new Doctor in 2010. Although I was not a fan of David Tennant’s performance of the Time Lord, I still had my doubts that this young actor could pull off such a colossal part. Boy was I proved wrong. Although Christopher Eccleston will forever be my favorite Doctor, Smith, at least out of the three recent actors, was the perfect portrayal of the Doctor. He had the exact combination of madness, charm, eccentricity, and strength that made him such a good Doctor. And the sad part is I just got used to him playing the part and now he’s leaving. Although I am sad, I’m really excited and a little apprehensive about who will be cast as the new Doctor. Of course, like anything else, speculation and rumors are spreading like wildfire. It has been rumored that the next Doctor may be played by a woman. If this is to happen, I hope the next Doctor will give an excellent performance. I can bet that many fans will be resistant and even hostile against an actress that does not fit their exact expectations. Whoever it may be, I wish this performer luck, because they have a taunting task ahead. And as for Matt Smith, I hope he had good experiences performing as the Doctor and I wish him many prospects for the future.

 

 

Just to Have a Laugh

Whenever I’m feeling sad or just want a guaranteed laugh, there is one show that I turn to every time; The Carol Burnett Show. Found mainly on DVD, this variety show from the 60s and 70s is a sure way to put a smile on my face. The cast, Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner worked so well together that they seemed as close as a family. The variety show had clever writing that could take even the simplest moments and make them hilarious. The outstanding writers, one of whom was the show's comedian Tim Conway, did not need to have a joke be nasty in order for it to be funny. Those writers had true talent, reaching deep down in their minds to find clever ways of making the ordinary extraordinary. Even with the exceptional writing, the skits wouldn’t be as funny without the performances of the actors and actresses. The cast, especially Carol Burnett, were not afraid of physical comedy; in fact they were more than willing to take a fall for a laugh. The cast handled the pressure of performing in front of a live audience well, even though they were prone to fits of unscripted laughter, most commonly Harvey Korman. With an ornery little rascal like Tim Conway, I think it would be near impossible not to laugh at his ad-libbed lines and funny accents. I think reactions like this demonstrate that the cast were so passionate about their work that they could appreciate a funny situation even in a serious one. All in all, I think the show was just an all-around good show that touched many hearts. Whether you want to have a laugh or sing a song, as Burnett’s farewell song goes, this show will bring a smile to your face.

 

The Third Time Really is a Charm

I am so glad that Candice Glover won American Idol. Not only do I think she is a better singer than Kree Harrison, but I also liked her personality better. I  personally would have preferred Angie Miller was in the top two, but I’m just glad Candice won. That woman has such an extremely powerful yet controlled voice. I would give anything to sing even remotely as good as she can. And to think, this was her third time auditioning for American Idol! The finale was, as usually too long, but I did enjoy a few of the performances such as Emeli Sande and Amber Holcomb’s performance of Next to Me and Jesse J's surprise performance with Angie Miller. It was really awesome that Jesse J asked Angie to perform at a concert in London. Man, I would die from a heart attack if my idols, Pink or Kelly Clarkson, asked me to sing at one of their concert. I was surprised by how many performances the judges did. I wonder why Nicki Minaj did not perform at all. To be honest I'm glad she did not perform. Not only am I not a fan of her music but I am not a fan of her behavior on American Idol as a judge. She was very immature and unprofessional. Minaj often let her own personal biases and emotions skew her criticism. For example, after Lazaro Arbos performed a song, instead of just politely critiquing the performance, all she could say was “Okay” in a very rude manner. I often wonder if Minaj, or the other judges for that fact, realize that they are being paid to do a job, not spend the time rambling on about themselves or fighting each other. If this was any other job, they would be reprimanded for their behavior. It is no surprise to me that The Voice had better ratings over American Idol. Although the judges could get a little competitive and egotistical sometimes, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira, and Usher showed true concern, compassion, and beneficial criticism towards the contestants on The Voice. I have been a fan of American Idol since it very first aired, however, if Idol cannot chose better judges, it may lose a fan.

Humanity of the Undead

I've been reading the novel "Warm Bodies" by Isaac Marion, and I must say that it is quite a tale. The extent of unique concepts seen in the movie of the same name comes nowhere close to that of the novel. Although many aspects of the movie are similar to the book, there are some ideas that are excluded from the movie, which in my opinion may be a good thing. The level of humanity that Marion portrays in his zombies can boggle the mind. In his novel, his zombies attend church, have a family, attend school, and even have a twisted version of sexual intercourse. Church is comprised of zombies standing in a circle, school consists of a helpless living human being attacked by zombie children, and sex is just standing around naked. I would argue that some zombie fans may not enjoy this unique encroachment into humanity. To me, these activities seem too ordinary to have such a supernatural phenomenon like zombies participating in them. However, although I do not like reading about zombies performing these acts, I cannot help but feel that Marion is trying to incorporate a deeper meaning into his novel. Perhaps he is saying that  the basic needs of pursuit of knowledge, craving of company, or hunger for touch, is so deeply embedded in our being that even a hypothetical situation of the zombie apocalypse  cannot extinguish these needs. Whatever his message is, I enjoyed the movie more than I did the novel, which is quite rare for me to say.

 

A Fan's Biggest Dream

Yet another winner of Survivor was chosen and I can honestly say that this season proved to be the most dramatic yet. It appeared to me that there were more physically injuries and mental breakdowns this season than past years. And to top it off, the winner could be the biggest underdog the competition has seen. John Cochran, or Cochran, was a huge fan of the show. If a person wrote his thesis paper on the jury system, you can guarantee that this person is a fan. Cochran proved this by the analysis he showed during the show, which ended up benefiting him in the end. Out of the final three competitors he made the most convincing case of why he should be the winner of Survivor. Dawn Meehan, throughout the competition proved herself to be out of control when it came to her emotions. I think Sherri Biethman destroyed her chances of winning during her speech at final tribal council. She shouldn't have told the jury she was in control of multiple businesses, because her wealth possibly dissuaded the jury from handing her the million dollars. It didn't help that she responded so rudely to Erik Reichenbach. I feel that this was a defensive move on her part, since she may have realized she would not receive any votes in her favor. During the live reunion it was quite odd that only members of the jury were placed on stage and questioned by Jeff Probst. All of the competitors should have at least been able to sit on stage, even if Jeff did not have time to speak to them.

Wi-Fi Soup

So today I watched Doctor Who's “The Bells of St. John" for the second time. I was so excited for the return of the show, especially since I was so eager to find out who Clara Oswald is and how she died two times. Though this episode did explain some small details about where her famous words to the doctor "run you clever boy and remember" came from and her nickname Oswin, I was disappointed that the show still left me hanging on the full details of who she is. There have been some interesting theories going around on the internet though. One theory that I found really neat was a connection between Rose working in a shop after she was sent to a parallel universe and Clara telling the doctor that a woman in a shop gave her the number to the T.A.R.D.I.S. phone. Rose would definitely considered The Doctor to be the best helpline and so it would make sense that she gave this number to Clara. The really exciting part of this theory is that if it is true, then it is possible that Rose may be returning for the 50th Anniversary special to explain her connection with Clara. Also there may have been a subtle appearance of Amy Pond, since the book Summer Falls, which Clara took from one of the children she looked after, was written by Amelia Williams. If Amy adopted her husband's last name, Williams, then she could have very well been this author. However, for me, the best part of this episode was the touching love and care that the Doctor put into making sure Clara was okay after first encountering the Spoonheads. I thought it was the most adorable gesture when he put flowers by her bed and cookies on the nightstand, even though he left a cookie half eaten. I would give anything to have someone do that for me, especially if it was the Doctor.