New Girl.

Fox has given us many goodies over the years.  From The Simpsons to American Idol to Bones Fox proves itself over and over that they sure know how to make a fantastic television program.  Have there been plenty of loser shows?  Absolutely!  But let's forget about those and focus on one particular sitcom that makes me laugh out loud: New Girl.

I LOVE THIS SHOW.  I started watching it with my sister because we both adore Zooey Deschanel. You may recognize her name, as Zooey has been in show business for many years.  First, she is one half of She & Him, an indie duo with M.Ward. If you have not listened to their music than I suggest you go do that.  It's a soft, bubbly mixture of originals and covers.  They have five full albums and each one is perfectly amazing in it's own way.

The first time I recognized Zooey as an actress was in the 2003 movie Elf, starring Will Ferrell.  She plays Jovie, the blonde haired love interested of Buddy.  Zooey is highly recognized for her signature long dark hair and heavy bangs so it is a bit shocking to see her with short blond hair.  Zooey also has a famous sister, Emily Deschanel who stars in the hit Fox series Bones.

Zooey brings the right amount of quirk to play the main character Jess Day in New Girl.  The story begins with Jess going through a break-up and finding a loft apartment with three single men.  They do not always understand all the crazy things Jess gets into but they all form a lasting bond.

Honorable mention goes out to Damon Wayans, Jr who plays Coach.  Coach is seen in the first episode of the series and then was replaced by Winston, played by Lamorne Morris.  Luckily, Coach moves back in later in the series to make the loft rather crowded for a season.  Damon brings this unique character to life with loud, physical comedy.  I was sad to see him go but it made sense for the character to leave. 

Winston is my favorite ever.  With the cat he stole from his ex-girlfriend to the "pranks" he plays on people, Winston makes me laugh the loudest.  You never know what to expect from him.  He's a good friend with a solid heart.  He might get you into a sticky situation at first but he will do everything in his power to fix it.  Everyone should have a friend like Winston in their lives.

Then we have Schmidt and Nick.  They just go together.  They've been friends since college and sometimes other charters question their sexuality.  However, they're just close friends and that is really awesome!  Schmidt is played by Max Greenfield and the part is so perfectly acted.  Max knows just how to play this character.  Schmidt is selfish, self-obsessed, and any other term that includes the word "self."  But he truly loves and cares deeply for those around him. (If you haven't seen Max in American Horror Story: Hotel than be prepared to see a VERY different side of this incredible actor!)

Which brings me to Nick Miller, played by Jake Johnson.  Jake is basically a comedian.  His roles are so often hilarious and he always shines.  In New Girl, he plays Nick who is a goofy and loyal friend.  He likes to DIY everything around the apartment, which is one of my favorite story lines of the show.  You can't flush the toilet and run the shower at the same time.  And you should really see his "rain water" shower head!

The last of the main characters is CeCe, played by Hannah Simone.  CeCe is Jess' best friend.  They have known each other since childhood and there are some hilarious flashbacks.  I have to give the casting department props for the casting of young Jess and CeCe because the girls (Lauren Dair Owens and Jaidan Jiron) really look like young versions of Zooey and Hannah.  CeCe has plenty of funny antics with Jess and eventually finds love with Schmidt of all people. I only say that because they are complete opposites but they bring out the best in each other and I'm glad the show took their relationship in that direction.

I highly suggest you check out New Girl!  The current season, which airs every Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox, does not feature Zooey because she was pregnant during the filming of that season and her character is on jury duty.  She was in the first few episodes but you can see that the wardrobe department tried concealing her pregnant belly.  If you need to catch up on everything New Girl than head over to Netflix where all the seasons are streaming right now!

Check out the video before for some of the funniest moments of the first season!

What Dreams May Come.

Hamlet" (Act 3, Scene 1): "To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause..."

Hamlet just happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play and within that quote is "what dreams may come" which is the title of a movie I watched recently on Netflix.  That particular day was full of movie watching for me.  It was my day off, I had nothing else to do, no one was around, so I watched at least five movies in a row.  And they were all good!  The best was What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams.

The movie came out in 1998 and I had never heard of it before, which is too bad because it is wonderful.  I was only seven when it came out so that's probably why I hadn't heard of it but I'm glad I have now seen it.  It is imaginative, original, well acted, and it has Robin Williams.  I love that guy!  I had not seen one of his films in a while so it was refreshing.  In this film he is both funny and serious, the best of both worlds I think.

Basically, the movie is about a man who goes to the afterlife after dying in a car crash.  You could call it heaven but really it is whatever one wants it to be.  For Chris Nielsen his heaven is a painting by his suffering wife.  Everything in this afterlife world is made of paint!  I found this fascinating!  It looks so real and fun and I am impressed by the graphics of this movie.  After his wife commits suicide she goes to hell because that is where suicides go.  Chris Nielsen will not accept that and leaves his heaven to try and save his wife.

The way heaven and hell are portrayed is different from anything I've ever seen before.  It was beautiful and that's how I would like to picture the afterlife from now on.  The best part of this afterlife is that if people want to be reincarnated they can!  Or if they want to stay in heaven, they can!  How wonderful to think we could all choose that!

What Dreams May Come was shot mostly on Fuji Velvia film, which is quite rare, and is known for its vivid color reproduction.  Filming for the hell scenes took place on the hull of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany while is was at Mare Island in California.  That same ship was later sunk to make an artificial reef in 2006.

The original prints of the film were lost in the back-lot fire at Universal Studios on June 1, 2008.  That devastation led to a worldwide search for a copy and one was found in Europe.

The movie is based off a novel and the plot differs greatly.  The novel is less about the love story and more scientific than fantastic.  There are some major plot differences but I don't want to give anything important away in case you decide to watch this.

This movie is really fantastic.  It is now one of my favorite films and I cannot wait to watch it again sometime.  It completely changed how I think about heaven and hell.  It doesn't matter if it's true or not because no one really knows what the afterlife will be like until we die and experience it for ourselves.  If you're afraid of dying then you should definitely watch this movie because it makes it seem less scary.

So, give it try!  It's streaming right now on Netflix and it's worth the watch.  Check out my favorite scene below, when Chris decides to leave his wife Annie on earth and discovers his heaven.  Enjoy!

Breaking Bad.

Bryan Cranston is the man.  You cannot get cooler than a chemistry teacher with cancer turned criminal cooking meth.  He rocks bald better than anyone, in fact it makes him look even more bad-ass.

If you don't already know the greatness I am talking about, it's Breaking Bad.  Breaking Bad is a series created and produced by Vince Gilligan and first premiered in January 2008.  The show is set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico and follows the story of chemistry teacher Walter White and former student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. Walter discovers he has lung cancer and wants to secure his families financial future before he dies.  So, with the help of drug addict Jesse the two manufacture and sell methamphetamine.  Like all television shows, this shit gets dramatic.  Very dramatic.

The show features a stellar cast, music, settings, storyline, and just overall awesomeness.  It's a show I did not think I would like but was talked into watching.  I breezed through the first two seasons on Netflix like it was nothing.  Then I got stuck in season three.  Apparently that happens, or so I was told.  It took me a long time to get through it and I took a hiatus from watching the show.  Finally I got back into season four and hope to catch up soon to the final season which is currently running on AMC.

Breaking Bad has some great characters and actors.  Anna Gunn plays Skyler White, Walters wife.  Betsy Brant plays Marie Schrader, Hanks wife and Skyler's sister.  And then there's the talented Dean Norris who plays Hank Schrader.  Schrader has been in a number of television series including the current Under the Dome, which is a mini-series by Stephen King.  If you have Amazon Prime you can watch all the current episodes of Under the Dome for free.

Breaking Bad is one of those programs where you cheer for the bad guys.  Walter and Jesse are the main characters, we all root for them but they are breaking the law big time!  They cook crystal meth!  Yet, they make you understand their feelings and the show can be a real roller-coaster of emotions.

Series creator Vince Gilligan was afraid his show would be too similar to Weeds but I think it stands independently on it's own.  Weeds always felt more like a comedy to me and Breaking Bad is definitely a drama.  The series, with its writing and characters, feels unique and the show becomes addictive.

Gilligan uses the help of Dr. Donna Nelson at the University of Oklahoma to check chemistry facts and make sure the scientific information is all correct.  Dr. Nelson will write down chemical equations and structures that the show uses as props.  While the show does not have a full-time person on to assist checking facts, Gilligan wanted to be sure all the information was correct so Dr. Nelson is on call when an expert is needed.

Here's a bunch more neat facts from IMDB:

• The actor who plays Walt Jr., RJ Mitt, actually has cerebral palsy in real life.  Mitt's condition is much milder than Walt Jr's, so he learned to walk with crutches and slow his speech for the part.
•  Characters on the show who are smoking meth are actually smoking sugar or rock candy but do not inhale
•  In the beginning of each episode, the chemical formula C10H15N along with the number 149.24 and the word "Meth" can be seen just before the title Breaking Bad appears. C10H15N is the formula for methamphetamine, which has the molecular weight of 149.24.
• Bryan Cranston stated in an interview that the term "breaking bad" is a southern colloquialism and it means when someone who has taken a turn off the path of the straight and narrow, when they've gone wrong. And that could be for that day or for a lifetime
• Betsy Brant was pregnant during season two. Whenever she reached the point in the pregnancy that Skyler was supposed to be, the producers would do pick-up shots with her as the fake bare belly on Anna Gunn.
• 10 actors cast on the show have previously appeared in the Vince Gilligan produced The X-Files.
• Sony and AMC were initially reluctant to cast Bryan Cranston because of his previous comedic roles and considered both John Cusack and Matthew Broderick for Walter White. When they both declined, Vince Gilligan got to cast Cranston.
•  Bryan Cranston has a Breaking Bad tattoo on his ring finger.
•  The first episode to the second half of Season 5 is dedicated to Kevin Cordasco, a teen Superfan of the show who died of cancer in March of 2013. Before his death Kevin was able to meet Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, and other prominent members of the Breaking Bad family, and he was even offered the chance to read the final scripts of the series so he would know how the show ends. Kevin denied, as he didn't think he could keep the secret

So, basically, Breaking Bad is awesome.  I am super glad that Cranston was cast as Walter White because I cannot even imagine Cusack or Broderick in that role.  I love both of them but this role needed a slightly lesser known face.  As I've stated before, I love when unknown actors (even if they're just unknown to me) are cast in movies and shows.

If you haven't already, please go check out the first four and half seasons streaming on Netflix right now.  Netflix is on it and offers the most up-to-date season of the series.  Season five, the final season, was broken up into two parts and the first half is available on Netflix.  If you get bogged down in season three just press on!  You will get through it!  If you are already a Breaking Bad lover then enjoy the new episodes of the final season.

One of my favorite things about Breaking Bad is Jesse Pinkman and his mouth.  He ends most sentences with "bitch" so please enjoy the video montage of Jesse using his favorite word.

2-Headed Shark Attack.

Nothing says Shark Week better than watching 2-Headed Shark Attack!  This movie is hilariously bad.  It's one of those B-horrors that is so bad it's good.  First of all, it stars Brooke Hogan.  That should say it all.
 

The tagline for the movie is "1 body, 2 heads & 6,000 teeth!"  Um, it that supposed to be scary? This movie is just ridiculous but I enjoyed it!  It's like watching all the Tremors movies.  The first one is good, the second one is good, and the rest are awesomely bad.  It's almost as if they know the movie will be bad so they make fun of themselves.  Also, if you haven't watched the entire set of Tremors than you should. Numbers two and three are available to stream on Netflix.

Along with Hogan are such actors like Carmen Electra, Charlie O'Connell, and a host of young unknowns who should probably stay away from acting.  As you may have already guessed, I found the acting quite terrible.  The film came out in 2012.  I had heard about the movie in 2011 while watching a SyFy show called Monster Man where Cleve Hall created the puppet form of the two-headed shark.  It was Cleve's idea to give the shark two separate heads, as the movie creators originally wanted a second head coming out of the forehead.  That episode of Monster Man showed the creation of the shark head and even the filming of a scene where the shark eats two characters.  The scene was shot in a pool, Cleve was behind the shark puppet controlling its movements, and the two actresses had fake blood in their mouth to spit out when the shark bit them.  Apparently that left an impression on me as I watched the movie about a month ago on Netflix, a couple years after first hearing about it.

Only a few scenes used the puppet, the rest was CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), which I'm not a huge fan of in horror movies.  CGI can do many cool things but often times it looks so fake that a puppet would be cooler.  I  watch a lot of horror and I'm more entertained by puppets and more impressed by the overall feeling it gives to movies.  Yes, of course there are times when CGI is mega awesome and looks so real you think, how did they do that? In this particular case, the puppet shark has way more impact than the computer animated shark.

As a monster movie, and more specifically a giant shark movie, 2-Headed Shark Attack is a great one to watch in celebration of Shark Week!  I enjoyed the movie, the good and the bad.  I made fun of it, I laughed, gasped, and probably even hid my face a time or two.  I was completely enthralled the entire movie and I get bored fairly easily.  If you like monster movies where a giant two-headed shark attacks a boat of college age kids in bathing suits then this is the flick for you!  Enjoy!

Here's a clip of the body count for 2-Headed Shark Attack.  It's very graphic and bloody but remember that it's all fake.  Please notice how much better the close-ups of the puppet look over the full-body CGI shark.  Happy Shark Week!

Big Fish.

Big Fish is one of my all-time favorite movies.  The film is directed by the incredible Tim Burton, whose filmography includes Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Edward Scissor Hands, and my favorite movie ever Beetlejuice.  Burton is known for his weird and wacky settings, stories, and writing.  The term "Burtonesque" is sometimes used to describe movies that resemble a Tim Burton film.  The dark humor of his movies are probably what draws me to his work as an artist.

Big Fish is both different from other Burton films and the same.  The movie is not as dark and deathly as much of his other work but it has that same feel to it.  It was only recently, after having seen the movie for probably the sixth time, that I learned that Burton directed this movie.  That made it all the better!

The film was released in 2003, which was ten years ago by the way.  The film in no way feels outdated yet, because most of it is set in flashbacks and stories of when the main character Edward Bloom was a young man.  Edward Bloom, as an old man, is rehashing his life to his son Will through tall tales.  Edward senior is played by Albert Finney and Edward junior is played by Ewan McGregor.  Two talented men share the spotlight of playing the strange role of Edward Bloom.

Along with Finney and McGregor are plenty more big and talented names. Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Devito to just name the big ones.  Jessica Lange stars in American Horror Story right now, an excellent show even though it was hard for me to get into.  Helena Bonham Carter is married to Tim Burton, has acted in many of his movies, and of course is well known for her role in the Harry Potter films as Bellatrix Lestrange.  Steve Buscemi has appeared in just about everything!  My favorite is The Wedding Singer but more recently he was in the movie Grown Ups.  Danny Devito is a big name and he currently stars in the comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The favorite character from Big Fish is definitely Karl.  Karl is a misunderstood giant until young Edward Bloom talks to him, cleans him up, and helps him join a circus run by Devito's character.  Karl is played by the late and great Matthew McGrory who died in 2005.  McGrory was 7' 6" in real life but in Big Fish was meant to look over ten feet tall so a lot of camera tricks were used to make him look extra large.  There is so much trivia on this guy!  Apparently, he holds the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest shoe size not caused by Elephantiasis.  He wore a size 29 1/2.  He is also listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as "The Tallest Actor."  He was born fifteen pounds! Also, he was friends with Bam Margera and would hang out with his crew.  How cool is this guy?  HE WAS FRIENDS WITH BAM.

Also! Miley Cyrus has a very small role in the beginning of Big Fish.  I am not a fan of Miley but I still think it's cool that this was one of her first roles on the big screen.  She plays Ruthie, one of young Edwards friends who goes to see the witch.  It's very brief but she made a big enough impression on fans who realized it was her.  Check out the clip below of her cameo!

This movie is a tear-jerker, just to warn you if you have not yet seen it.  It's available to stream on Netflix right now, so make sure you watch while you have a chance.  It's so amazing.  Just the director and cast should be enough to make anyone want to watch this film.  The story is great, too!  All his life Edward Bloom told tall tales and in the end Edward became what he always was: a very big fish.  I want to cry just thinking about it.  The ending is so perfect.  If satisfying endings are important to you then you'll like this one.

"Did you ever think that you're not too big and that this town is just too small?"  Check out the first sighting of Karl below when he meets Edward for the first time.  What a gem this gentle giant is!

Now, "let's get out of here!"

Netflix Original Series.

In 2009 Netflix starting creating their own original programs.  I hadn't heard of anything until House of Cards came out in February 2013.
 

House of Cards is a thirteen-episode long political drama.  It stars none other than the talented Kevin Spacey as the conniving genius Francis Underwood.  This show is fantastic.  It's well made, acted, casted, and written.  The settings and scenes are gorgeous!  Everything is placed just so.  I hate politics but this show is too good to pass up.  So if you haven't checked it out yet then I suggest you do.  You'll love it, trust me.

Then on May 26, 2013, the next (semi) Original Series by Netflix was of course Arrested Development.  Originally the show aired in 2003 and ran with a serious fan base! It was those same fans who convinced Netflix to bring the series back.  The show is in a totally different format.  Each episode is about one cast member specifically and all the episodes end up tying together.  It's still funny and I still love it but I do not laugh the same as I did at the original show.  However, MAJOR KUDOS to Netflix for giving the hardcore fans what they wanted.  And remember: There's always money in the banana stand.

Most recently Netflix released the first thirteen-episode long season of Orange Is The New Black.  This show rocks.  Everything about it is wonderful.  If you haven't already then go read this to learn more about the show.

Those three series are it for what I've watched of the Original Series.  There's Hemlock Grove but I heard it's kind of strange and I didn't feel like wasting my time.  But I'm sure I'll end up watching it anyway and I'll let you know how it is.  Oh! There is the new Mako Mermaids series which is based off the Australian show H2O.  Even though H2O is played on Teen Nick and I'm technically too old, I still watch it and like it.  So, of course, I watched the first episode of the Netflix re-boot Mako Mermaids.  It appears to be a prequel to H2O, except it doesn't quite work because it's set in modern time.  It's still well made, though.  I'm impressed with how well made Netflix Originals are.

Looks like there are at least four new series to look for on Netflix late this year and next year: an animation, another drama, a sci-fi drama, and some sort of stand-up comedy which doesn't interest me.  So keep your eyes peeled for all the goodness coming to Netflix.

Netflix was established in 1997, started distributing in 1999, and now in 2013 Netflix has over 33-million subscribers.  2013 saw the real rise of Netflix as a competitor of cable and network television.  Netflix became a streaming service and apparently "hopes to one day revolutionize TV by making television ratings obsolete."  That literally made me laugh out loud but they are definitely on the right path to making that goal a reality!

The company is the first to have a web series earn a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Series for House of Cards (which earned a total of nine nominations, by the way).  That nomination is definitely deserved!  Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove also earned nominations.

Netflix is doing incredibly well right now.  Almost everyone I know has a Netflix subscription.  If you don't, then you can't rent movies! Unless you have a RedBox near by, but those don't always have what you want inside.  Netflix completely demolished video rental stores like Movie Gallery and Blockbuster.  I don't have any in my area anymore.  It's sad but at the same time, go Netflix!  It's impressive what one company can do.

I wasn't sure what kind of video would go along with this post best.  So on a completely unrelated note, here's a song by the talented Caleb Orion.

Monk.

Okay, I lied and I'm sorry.  Next time I'll really write about Netflix Original Series but I just finished watching Monk on Monday and I wanted to write about it while it was still fresh in my mind.
 

So, Monk.  This show is crazy amazing.  I had watched some episodes back-in-the-day when they were new but I really wanted to watch the series from beginning to end.  Boy am I glad with that decision!  This show offers something that a lot of crime dramas do not, which is plentiful humor and good old fashioned detectives.

Adrian Monk is a peculiar man who is a germaphobic (is that a real word?), has severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and an eye for clues that no one else sees.  He walks into a room, hands up to examine the crime scene, and knows if it was murder or not.  Some episodes he could have everyone against him but he'd always say "he's the guy" or "here's what happened."  Monk is always right.  Sure, there was an episode for each of the supporting characters to solve a crime but it was Monk the majority of the time.

The series started in July of 2002 and ran through December 2009.  It ran for eight wonderful seasons, breaking the record from The Closer for most watched scripted drama episode in cable television history.  The finale episode, "Mr. Monk and the End - Part II" racked in an impressive 9.4 million viewers.

Tony Shalhoub plays Adrian Monk.  Shalhoub is incredibly talented in this role, so much that whenever I see him in anything else I start thinking "It's a jungle out there, disorder and confusion everywhere...." In the series, Monk goes undercover a number of times and Shalhoub's acting ability just shines.  Along with Shalhoub are a few more talented actors who could steal many a scene with their timely acting and of course the great writing and directing.

Ted Levine plays Captain Leland Stottlemeyer and Jason Gray-Stanford plays Lt. Randall "Randy" Disher, a hilarious pair of cops working for the San Francisco Police Department.  Stottlemeyer is a good friend to Monk, a great cop, and a role-model for goofy Randy.

Then there's Sharona, played by Bitty Schram, and Natalie Teeger played by the lovely Traylor Howard.  First Sharona then Natalie were Monk's "assistants."  After Monk's wife died he sort of had a breakdown.  His nurse, Sharona, turned into his assistant and of course his friend.  These ladies hilariously put up with all of Monk's ridiculous antics to help him live his life.

The show ran for eight seasons but almost every main character stayed for the entire run.  Sharona left but she was replaced with someone great and of course she did come back for an episode in the final season to tie up loose ends.  Monk's original shrink, Dr. Kroger played by Stanley Kamel, actually died in real life in 2008 and needed to be replaced.  I think Hector Elizondo was an excellent choice to play Dr. Bell.

Only, Shalhoub, Levine, and Gray-Stanford were in all 125 episodes of the series.  An interesting thing about Monk are the titles to each episode.  All but one episode have titles in the form of "Mr. Monk and (a person or thing)."  The only exception to this rule is the season eight episode "Happy Birthday Mr. Monk."

Another interesting thing is the plot format for the series.  While browsing Wikipedia I found a list of four basic plot lines that Monk follows:

• The killer is known, and how the crime was committed is known. The episode is spent trying to find evidence to arrest that person.
• Monk knows who the killer is, and knows what the motive is, but the killer has a seemingly air-tight alibi. The episode is spent trying to break that alibi and find out how the killer did it.
• In a number of episodes, the plot involves trying to find out the killer, how the murder was done, and why.
• In some episodes, the killer's M.O. is known, but not who did it or why.

The show is predictable.  The episodes all follow one of the four basic plot lines, however the show is still fantastic.  How did they do it?  By the end, my fiance and I were predicting everything that was going to happen but we had so much fun doing it!  How can such a predictable show still be so enthralling?  I'm not sure, but a huge thumbs up goes to creator Andy Breckman and everyone else involved in making this show happen.  It is genius.

It is going to take me while to stop singing "It's a Jungle Out There" by Randy Newman everyday.

Check out the video below where Tony Shalhoub talks about playing Adrian Monk.  He truly is the only one I could ever picture playing that role.

Orange Is The New Black.

Is anyone else obsessed with the new Netflix Original Series called Orange Is the New Black?  Because I think it is fabulous!  Amazing casting, acting, writing, just everything is amazing!  The first season, which is thirteen episodes long, aired July 11th, 2013.  The show was created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Lionsgate Television.  Apparently the show is based on Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman, a memoir about her own experience in prison.  I'll read the book and let you know how it was.  I'm interested in how much of the real experiences from the book are in the show.  Check out this great article here with an interview from Piper Kerman about her experiences and the show.

The show stars Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman, a woman in her early thirties who was sentenced to fifteen months in jail for transporting drug money ten years earlier.  Her ex-lesbian lover, Alex Vause played by the talented Laura Prepon, ratted her out to make her own sentence shorter.  Oh, did I mention she's in prison with Piper?  Then there are a host of talented people such as Jason Biggs who plays Larry, Piper's fiance.

Netflix renewed Orange Is the New Black on June 27, 2013 for a second season.  Yeah, that's right, it was renewed before the show was even aired on Netflix.  Luckily, the show is popular and doing quite well on Netflix but it does seem odd to renew it before it airs.  I mean, even if it does well in testing, it could still bomb to the general public.  But that just isn't the case for this Netflix Original.

This show is unique.  Numerous story lines about male prisons are in existence, like Shawshank Redemption and The Longest Yard (to name two totally different types of movies).  But this is the first time I've ever seen anything about a female prison.  If there is something already about women's prison then I would like to watch it because this is an interesting topic.  It is something I knew little about yet should be relevant in pop-culture.

My fiance posed an interesting question today: Why are men's prisons more violent?  Well, they aren't really.  Women are just different.  We're catty, we back-stab, we fight with our words not our fists.  Orange Is the New Black features plenty of physical fighting, too but it mostly depicts the social relationships between women.  It's fascinating!

If you have not checked out Orange Is the New Black then I suggest you do because it is worth the watch.  It is original and well made.  Kudos to Netflix for another successful original series.  I don't know how they do it but I hope they keep up the good work.

The title theme song "You've Got Time" is an original written and performed by Regina Spektor for the series.  I love Regina and this song is great.  Take a listen to the full song below!

Say Yes To The Dress.

I finished watching the first season of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta on Thursday evening.  It’s a TLC show that started in 2010, a spin-off from Say Yes to the Dress which features Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan.  Both shows are kind of my guilty pleasure.  Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta is currently available to watch instantly on Netflix, each episode is about 20 minutes long, and is the perfect show when you want to pass a few minutes or want something on in the background while you do something else.

The reality program features Bridals by Lori in Atlanta, Georgia.  Owner Lori Allen, image consultant Monte Durham, manager Robin Gibbs, and their talented team of bridal consultants help brides find their perfect gown.  Hokey? Of course! But it’s a good show nonetheless.  The bridal team is full of funny, talented, and kind ladies who deal with plenty of drama!  Makes for some good television!

Reality shows like this always make me wonder about production.  So I did a little research.  And by research I mean I read Wikipedia and I’m hoping the information is correct.

Apparently, if a bride wants to be featured on the show you have to apply online and go through a casting process.  This makes sense to me because that’s how most other reality shows work.  Though, I had assumed, for some reason, that brides who came in for appointments were just asked if they wanted to be on the show.  That doesn’t make sense at all and I don’t know why I thought that.  Glad I know the truth now (unless Wiki’s lying to me).

The brides who are on the show receive no compensation and don’t even have to buy a dress.  So, if you really want to be on TV and really want to shop at Bridals by Lori, then this is the show for you to apply for!  The beautiful bridal store has twenty-one dressing rooms and only número diez (or number ten, for those of you who do not know advanced Spanish) is used for the show.

I find the process kind of fascinating and I am glad that I looked it up.  I don’t think I would ever want to be on the show because editing makes most of the brides/families look nuts.  I’m not nuts and I don’t want to look nuts.  I do however want to shop at Bridals by Lori and I want Monte to “jack me up.”  If you’ve never watched the show, and I suggest you do, being “jacked up” by Monte Ray means having your hair pulled up, wearing a veil and jewelry, and just being made to look how you would on your wedding day.  Often, a bride’s family will like the chosen dress more once the bride has been jacked up in style.

Monte is amazing.  So is Randy, from the original Say Yes to the Dress.  These dapper gay men swoop in to make any bride look/feel amazing and they totally save the day.  You go guys! You go Glenn Coco!

TLC has also successfully produced some spin-offs from Say Yes to the Dress, Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, Say Yes to the Dress: Monte’s Take, Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss, Say Yes to the Dress: Randy Knows Best, and Randy To The Rescue.   Now all that’s left is Say Yes to the Tux!  I’m looking at you TLC. Hint hint.

Check out the video below for a Behind the Scenes look at a production day for just one bride.  Apparently it takes five hours to shoot one party!

My First Blog.

I've always been told that I am a good writer.  My fiance told me recently that I should start a blog.  So, here I am.  Writing my very own blog.  I don't know what I will be writing about... everything I guess.  I work and go to school full-time, yet I find myself with a lot of extra free time.  Free time for writing!  School, my cats, my family, the love of my life, and my obsession with Netflix will likely be hot topics in my writing.

I may not have an exciting life to some but somehow people seem to laugh and enjoy my stories.  I love my life and I'm very happy where I am.  I want to share my happiness with everyone.  There just is not enough happiness in this world!  Like, for real.  What is wrong with everyone?  Sometimes I think I could have been a hippie in the 60s.  Peace, love, no war, and equal rights for everyone.  Apparently that is asking too much of the human race.

On a completely non-related note: I am watching Boy Meets World (or BMW, to those in the know) right now.  It's on the television.  Why are things that you've seen a million times better when they're on TV?  It doesn't make sense but it is just the way the world works.  Apparently.  On this particular episode of BMW, Cory and Eric are on their way home from a summer road trip.  They stop at this little country restaurant that serves delicious pie and has pretty waitresses and Eric decides to stay forever.  That is, until Mr. Matthews pays him a little visit and convinces him to come home where he belongs and not to give up.  Why is this show so heartwarming?  And why can't shows be like this still today?  The 90s was a magical time when television and DCOM's (Disney Channel Original Movies) were AMAZING.  I'm 22 and I still thoroughly enjoy watching these programs.  BMW is that good!

OH! The next episode came on and it's the one where Topanga chops her hair off to show Cory that appearance does not matter.  Cut my heart out, why don't you! I love Cory and Topanga. They are always teaching each other lessons and at the end of the day will always love one another.  Topanga tried teaching Cory a lesson but ends up teaching herself a lesson... Way to go BMW for being insanely wholesome and wonderful and teaching us life lessons.