Has another year already gone by? The answer is: yes. yes it has.
A new season of the Amazing Race and Dexter have just begun.
My teams this year are: Andy and Tommy (professional snowboarders) and Justin and Jennifer (brother and sister)
I haven't watched the premier of Dexter yet, but I will by the end of today. With Julia Stiles gone and Colin Hanks in, it looks promising.
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Drop Dead Diva- helpful or hurtful to big girl stereotypes?
There is a show on TV called Drop Dead Diva.
It focuses on the main character Deb who is an aspiring model (tall, thin, blond), but in the first episode, she dies unexpectedly. However, lucky for her, whilst up in heaven she presses a button that sends her back to Earth, but of course into another body: Jane's. Jane is a plus-size lawyer who was just shot and is lying in the hospital unconscious. So, conveniently, Deb gets to live, but the catch is that she is stuck in Jane's body.
This show is well written and the acting is good enough. However, the entire premise of the show kind of urks me and I will tell you why.
Jane is a big girl, but quite attractive (played by actress Brooke Elliot). However, it isn't until her body is inhabited by Deb that she starts to actually put effort into her looks (clothing, make-up, etc) and begins acting like a confident pretty girl.
Basically, before being taken over by Deb, Jane was just a frumpy fat girl. She played into every stereotype about big girls: always eating junk food, didn't put effort into her appearance, lacked confidence. My problem with this is that it makes it seem like it takes the mentality of a model (Deb) to make Jane confident and girly. It's as if no big girl could ever actually act/ feel this way on her own, she'd have to be taken over by a dead model first. It makes me wonder if the show would be successful or believable if the audience didn't know that Jane was actually Deb, which apparently justifies her confidence and extremely feminine demeanour.
As someone who has struggled with my weight and the stereotypes that go along with it for many many years, I just find it insulting that a beautiful plus size woman on TV can't be represented as confident and feminine without first being taken over by a model. I would estimate I am about the same size as Jane and I like to think I am just as attractive in the face. I think my mentality and behaviour is similar to that of Jane/Deb and I didn't need a model to take me over first!~
Now, to be fair, they also represent Deb as a total bimbo. It isn't until she takes over Jane's body (and apparently gets all of the memories/knowledge that Jane had too) that she is actually able to act intelligent, or at least recall intelligent facts that Jane retained from law school.
While I understand that in society, unfortunately a lot of bigger girls do lack confidence and sometimes give up on their appearance for various reasons, there are also a lot that embrace their size and still dress well and wear make-up and act girly and have the confidence of a model without being a size 2. I would just love to see a show that has one of those women as the main character, without needing the model takeover of the body.
It focuses on the main character Deb who is an aspiring model (tall, thin, blond), but in the first episode, she dies unexpectedly. However, lucky for her, whilst up in heaven she presses a button that sends her back to Earth, but of course into another body: Jane's. Jane is a plus-size lawyer who was just shot and is lying in the hospital unconscious. So, conveniently, Deb gets to live, but the catch is that she is stuck in Jane's body.
This show is well written and the acting is good enough. However, the entire premise of the show kind of urks me and I will tell you why.
Jane is a big girl, but quite attractive (played by actress Brooke Elliot). However, it isn't until her body is inhabited by Deb that she starts to actually put effort into her looks (clothing, make-up, etc) and begins acting like a confident pretty girl.
Basically, before being taken over by Deb, Jane was just a frumpy fat girl. She played into every stereotype about big girls: always eating junk food, didn't put effort into her appearance, lacked confidence. My problem with this is that it makes it seem like it takes the mentality of a model (Deb) to make Jane confident and girly. It's as if no big girl could ever actually act/ feel this way on her own, she'd have to be taken over by a dead model first. It makes me wonder if the show would be successful or believable if the audience didn't know that Jane was actually Deb, which apparently justifies her confidence and extremely feminine demeanour.
As someone who has struggled with my weight and the stereotypes that go along with it for many many years, I just find it insulting that a beautiful plus size woman on TV can't be represented as confident and feminine without first being taken over by a model. I would estimate I am about the same size as Jane and I like to think I am just as attractive in the face. I think my mentality and behaviour is similar to that of Jane/Deb and I didn't need a model to take me over first!~
Now, to be fair, they also represent Deb as a total bimbo. It isn't until she takes over Jane's body (and apparently gets all of the memories/knowledge that Jane had too) that she is actually able to act intelligent, or at least recall intelligent facts that Jane retained from law school.
While I understand that in society, unfortunately a lot of bigger girls do lack confidence and sometimes give up on their appearance for various reasons, there are also a lot that embrace their size and still dress well and wear make-up and act girly and have the confidence of a model without being a size 2. I would just love to see a show that has one of those women as the main character, without needing the model takeover of the body.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Dear Julia Stiles, No thanks.
Julia Stiles. is. the. worst.
I was so disappointed when she joined Dexter this season. Apparently she will appear in 10 episodes, which I hope does not extend.
As an actress, I think she just plain stinks. I also find something about her voice irksome. I feel like she is just (like so many) a pretty girl who is not the right kind of pretty for modeling, but looks pretty enough on TV and in magazines, so therefore; is an actress.
Anyways, aside from my already formed negative opinion of her, I also found Sunday's episode of Dexter very awkward. When Julia Stiles and Michael C. Hall are having conversations at the diner, it is as if their scenes were filmed at different times. Did anyone else notice how choppy and awkward these scenes were? I even noticed that Michael C. Hall's hair changed between shots, which makes me believe it was another person entirely sitting across from her. Why do directors do this? Are actors really that busy that they have to film scenes in which they appear sitting across from each other, seperately?
Though I know this is not Julia Stiles' fault, I still contribute it to my dislike for her. I just really hope she doesn't ruin Dexter like she does most things.
To her credit, I can say she was fine in 10 Things I Hate About You. I absolutely love that movie. I think "Teenage Angst" might be the only acting class she ever mastered.
PS. Did you know there is a (cancelled) television show called "10 Things I Hate About You", based on the exact same premise of the movie? Can't anyone come up with original ideas anymore? Remakes of movies, movies based on TV shows and now TV shows based on movies? Just try something different. Or make shows/movies that are based on great books. Those usually work well. (Dexter, True Blood, Harry Potter...). Oh, and please do not ever again create a show based on a Twitter account. Shit My Dad Says, is shit my dad won't even watch.
I was so disappointed when she joined Dexter this season. Apparently she will appear in 10 episodes, which I hope does not extend.
As an actress, I think she just plain stinks. I also find something about her voice irksome. I feel like she is just (like so many) a pretty girl who is not the right kind of pretty for modeling, but looks pretty enough on TV and in magazines, so therefore; is an actress.
Anyways, aside from my already formed negative opinion of her, I also found Sunday's episode of Dexter very awkward. When Julia Stiles and Michael C. Hall are having conversations at the diner, it is as if their scenes were filmed at different times. Did anyone else notice how choppy and awkward these scenes were? I even noticed that Michael C. Hall's hair changed between shots, which makes me believe it was another person entirely sitting across from her. Why do directors do this? Are actors really that busy that they have to film scenes in which they appear sitting across from each other, seperately?
Though I know this is not Julia Stiles' fault, I still contribute it to my dislike for her. I just really hope she doesn't ruin Dexter like she does most things.
To her credit, I can say she was fine in 10 Things I Hate About You. I absolutely love that movie. I think "Teenage Angst" might be the only acting class she ever mastered.
PS. Did you know there is a (cancelled) television show called "10 Things I Hate About You", based on the exact same premise of the movie? Can't anyone come up with original ideas anymore? Remakes of movies, movies based on TV shows and now TV shows based on movies? Just try something different. Or make shows/movies that are based on great books. Those usually work well. (Dexter, True Blood, Harry Potter...). Oh, and please do not ever again create a show based on a Twitter account. Shit My Dad Says, is shit my dad won't even watch.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Amazing Race
Sunday is family dinner night and as a result my family and I gather around to watch The Amazing Race together after dinner. This year we decided to make things more interesting by choosing which teams we think will win and putting $5 into the pot. Each of us has two teams picked and the eventual winner will take the $20 pot.
My first choice was Michael & Kevin, because let's face it, I love Asians. My second team is Chad & Stephanie, who I believe will do quite well if Chad gets his temper in order.
Mom's teams are: Nat & Kat, and Gary & Mallory.
Dad's teams are: Connor & Jonathan, and Katie & Rachel.
Mike's teams are: Brook & Claire, and Jill & Thomas
Also, if you missed last week's episode and the hilarious watermelon incident. Click here.
I am happy that she wasn't hurt and thus we can all laugh hysterically at this truly once in a lifetime incident.
My first choice was Michael & Kevin, because let's face it, I love Asians. My second team is Chad & Stephanie, who I believe will do quite well if Chad gets his temper in order.
Mom's teams are: Nat & Kat, and Gary & Mallory.
Dad's teams are: Connor & Jonathan, and Katie & Rachel.
Mike's teams are: Brook & Claire, and Jill & Thomas
Also, if you missed last week's episode and the hilarious watermelon incident. Click here.
I am happy that she wasn't hurt and thus we can all laugh hysterically at this truly once in a lifetime incident.
Dexter is Back!
I finally got around to watching the season five premier episode of Dexter. After a very shocking and sad ending in season four, I was very excited to see where they would take season 5. The episode itself was a little bit slow, but I can see that they are setting things up to get interesting. I'm recording the second episode tonight and will watch it sometime this week. Hopefully things will pick up a bit more. On a side note; I still can't believe that Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Jennifer Carpenter, who plays his sister on the series, are married.
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