Greetings,
I don't know if any of you out there believe that you can have too much of a good thing, but I certainly do. Some really good things are just meant to be what they are. There is no need to expand upon them, and, in doing so, they have the danger of being ruined. You know, like if you have a fantastic movie and think it would be a great idea to turn it into a series, and then you realize, NO! And such a predicament brings us to today's subject, My Big Fat Greek Life.
In 2002, a small independent film called My Big Fat Greek Wedding became an unexpected and phenomenal hit, grossing nearly 250 million dollars on a 5 million dollar budget. That is some good profit. Many times, what with crap movies making more money than they deserve, I would be annoyed about something like that. But this little film deserved every bit of success that it got. So did the woman behind it.
Nia Vardalos wrote this screenplay in the hopes of sharing the true tale of her meeting a man, introducing him to her family and eventually marrying him. Seems pretty basic and not very special, but you throw in the traits, stories and personalities of her extremely Greek family and it becomes pure gold. Now I am not going to speak too much on the actual movie today. That's not our subject, plus, I may review that one day. Let me just say that I loved this movie because it was very, very real. A lot of people do things like this which are supposed to be based on their real life, but they don't always seem so sincere. This film was covered in a warm, fluffy blanket of authenticity. You knew in your heart that all of this actually happened, and knowing that made it even more hilarious. This was just a very special little film. Having said that, I must now move on.
With great success often comes great opportunities, like turning your sleeper hit movie into a well-budgeted series. Look, I do not fault Nia for taking a chance on this. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was obviously a passion project for her, so why not try to extend the magic of it? Well, I see that movie as something similar to what we call a "coming of age" film. By that, I mean it is the story of one specific, life changing moment in time. One special moment. It's not easy to take that and stretch it into a series. And it just didn't work here. Let me just share a bit about the show.
My Big Fat Greek Life was an attempt to make a sequel by way of a television series. Of course, considering the last few minutes of the movie, I guess technically the show would be a midquel. Look it up. Anyway, the show begins as Nia and Thomas return from their honeymoon, thus, giving us the first change from the movie. The character names of Toula and Ian have been changed to Nia and Thomas, because . . . I don't know. And our former Ian/current Thomas was now being played by an actor named Steven Eckholdt, as John Corbett was busy filming his own one season show, Lucky. Other than that, though, the rest of the movie's cast decided to join up together again, and, considering that stellar group, it was a major plus. Not to mention the fact that they had some awesomely Greek guest stars, like Rita Wilson, who was a producer on My Big Fat Greek Wedding. We also got Yanni, John Aniston, and Frank Stallone. Okay, we got awesomely Greek actors and one awesomely Italian actor who could easily pretend to be Greek. And yet, even with all of that, this show just could not do what the movie did.
I think many people who watched the first few episodes did so because they were hoping it would give them the same entertainment and feeling as the film. Of course, once they realized that it was not going to happen, they stopped watching. That led to the series being aired for a mere seven episodes. Looking back, I think that was something of a blessing. Whilst the show did have all the same "We're Greek, You're Not" jokes that we loved from the film, it, unfortunately, had all the same "We're Greek, You're Not" jokes. My point is that things like this are perfect for a two hour movie, not a series you want to last for years. I'm not saying that there weren't a few moments of funny, but these jokes would have gotten old, even to the point where we may have begun to no longer want to watch the beloved film anymore. Thankfully, that did not happen.
So, the question is, did it deserve a second season? No, it didn't. Sorry. Again, it really should not have even had this season. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was too special, too "one moment in time"-ish to be stretched to the point where its loyal fans would have gotten sick of the hilarious novelty of it. It was the whole quirky, Greek family element that made the film great and the jokes funny. If you were to take that out of the series, you would be left with kind of a generic family sitcom. It just didn't work in that way.
Look, I am going to end this on a positive note by speaking quickly again on the movie. I love My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I own it. If it's on TV, I'm going to watch it. It's really a brilliant film in the most beautifully simple way, and after more than a decade, it has not lost any of its charm or value. Maybe if they could have foreseen that it would not have lost its freshness, even after all these years, they would have realized that the film was more than enough. So, whilst this series is there as a not good blip on the radar, we still have the wonderful movie to make us smile.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Our Dear Annette
Greetings,
By now, I'm sure you all know that we sadly lost one of our greatest treasures in entertainment, Annette Funicello. This news truly breaks my heart, because I really loved this woman. Still do. In fact, she was one of those rare people who everyone loved. And I don't even mean that as a cliche. I honestly don't think there was anyone who wasn't crazy about her. It's no wonder she was dubbed one of America's Sweethearts. She didn't even have to live up to that persona, because it was not a persona. It was who she was. A wonderful young girl who grew into a wonderful and unbelievably strong woman. It's a huge part of why her death is so sad, though we had all been preparing for this day for a while.
In 1992, Annette told the world that she was unfortunately suffering from multiple sclerosis and had been for about five years. Her decision to do so came after rumors were spreading that she was suffering from alcoholism, spawned by her walking being impaired. An outpouring of love and support was bestowed upon Annette from everyone. She certainly deserved it, and it was obvious that she was incredibly overwhelmed and grateful.
Each time I would see her in a subsequent interview, you could see that, though her health was slowly getting worse and she knew it continue that way, she still always had so much hope. She was so inspiring. I was touched by the way that her spirits seemed to be so elevated despite her suffering, and it devastated me to see a woman who was always so full of light and life be stripped of so much of it. There are certain things that we say we wouldn't wish on anyone. Well, I certainly would not wish any kind of disease on Annette Funicello, but especially not this disease.
I remember in an interview she did years ago, she struggled as she said that she just wanted to dance again. I cried each time I saw that. Now I have no idea where her heart was when she passed on. Only she and God truly know. I just hope that it was in a place where she now can finally have that dream come true. I hope that, right now, she is dancing again. Dancing and smiling. And let us remember her in that beautiful way.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
By now, I'm sure you all know that we sadly lost one of our greatest treasures in entertainment, Annette Funicello. This news truly breaks my heart, because I really loved this woman. Still do. In fact, she was one of those rare people who everyone loved. And I don't even mean that as a cliche. I honestly don't think there was anyone who wasn't crazy about her. It's no wonder she was dubbed one of America's Sweethearts. She didn't even have to live up to that persona, because it was not a persona. It was who she was. A wonderful young girl who grew into a wonderful and unbelievably strong woman. It's a huge part of why her death is so sad, though we had all been preparing for this day for a while.
In 1992, Annette told the world that she was unfortunately suffering from multiple sclerosis and had been for about five years. Her decision to do so came after rumors were spreading that she was suffering from alcoholism, spawned by her walking being impaired. An outpouring of love and support was bestowed upon Annette from everyone. She certainly deserved it, and it was obvious that she was incredibly overwhelmed and grateful.
Each time I would see her in a subsequent interview, you could see that, though her health was slowly getting worse and she knew it continue that way, she still always had so much hope. She was so inspiring. I was touched by the way that her spirits seemed to be so elevated despite her suffering, and it devastated me to see a woman who was always so full of light and life be stripped of so much of it. There are certain things that we say we wouldn't wish on anyone. Well, I certainly would not wish any kind of disease on Annette Funicello, but especially not this disease.
I remember in an interview she did years ago, she struggled as she said that she just wanted to dance again. I cried each time I saw that. Now I have no idea where her heart was when she passed on. Only she and God truly know. I just hope that it was in a place where she now can finally have that dream come true. I hope that, right now, she is dancing again. Dancing and smiling. And let us remember her in that beautiful way.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, April 8, 2013
Popstars / Eden's Crush - Album Review
Greetings,
I've noticed something about a lot of reality shows, specifically the ones where producers want to create stars and contestants hope to spawn an overwhelmingly successful career, it's that they rarely succeed. I mean, sure, the winners occasionally do well, and even more so that is the case with some non-winners. This is certainly how it has been with American Idol, and no doubt, will also happen with The Voice. It just seems like these shows are there to be more television entertainment as opposed to musical entertainment. That's not always good if your goal is to be a singer. Now as much as those shows have done and are doing that, there were some that came before, and it went even deeper into the world of "Let's make a TV show that happens to be about finding singers". One of those was Making the Band, where we got the likes of O-Town and Danity Kane. But another one is buried in there as well, and it was called Popstars.
The first season of Popstars aired in 2001 and, like American Idol, was based on a show from the UK. Their goal in that first year was to form an all girl group consisting of five singers. They would be picked and taught by some important people in the industry, including David Foster of all people. Let me give you a brief rundown of how this particular show worked. Now for the first few episodes it was a basic cattle call, where girls would step up and sing and, if they were good enough, they got a callback. Then, they would get another callback for singing, then another for dancing, until they were shaved down to twenty-six girls. At that point, they would go to L.A. for a workshop, where six more were cut, then five more, then they performed in groups at The Viper Room (seriously), then they had a final ten. After that, the girls were sent home, and finally were visited by one of the judges to give them either the good news or the bad news. Of course, we need drama, though, so after two girls dropped out, they found a replacement. And, finally, we had our official group, consisting of Ana Maria Lombo, Ivette Sosa, Maile Misajon, Rosanna Tavarez and Nicole Scherzinger. Yes, that Nicole Scherzinger.
But that's wasn't the end of the show. Oh, no. We then had to follow the girls through the recording of their album, shooting of videos, and et cetera on the road to stardom. P.S. That's where we got even more drama. Try putting five girls in a house together and not getting any of that. But, by May of 2001, they managed to put out their album, aptly titled, Popstars. Yeah, that quickly. Now you may be wondering how I know all of these things about the show. Well, because I did, in fact, watch it. So entertaining it was that I also went out and bought said album. What can I say? I was young. And, thus, we are brought to today's review.
I don't think the Popstars album by Eden's Crush was one met with a lot of high expectations. I doubt anyone thought that a CD recorded by a reality show girl group was going to be anything legendary. They would be correct for thinking that. However, I must be honest and say that it's not that bad. I mean, I had spent the duration of this show watching and listening to these songs being recorded, and I was curious to hear the final result. What I heard on the show, I thought was pretty good. This album is good enough for being a basic, but catchy pop CD. So let's discuss some of the songs.
The first, and most known, single was a song called, "Get Over Yourself". This was the one that the show focused mainly on, of course, showing us the recording as well as the video shoot for it. It's a decent song with even a bit of an edge to it. It seemed to me like a great song to introduce the girls. Then, they had a lovely ballad called "Love This Way" which, frankly, I think should be covered by Taylor Swift. Because they refer to wanting to "feel just like Juliet", and that seems like something she'd like . . . a lot! One song I really like is called "No Drama", albeit more for the music than the lyrics, and they also do a cover of "Glamorous Life" by Sheila E. And, while "Get Over Yourself" got most of the show's attention, another song, "You Know I Can", was prominently featured, and it happens to be the closing track on the album. Or is it? No, for some reason, they give us a hidden track called "Promise Me". I do not know why it is hidden, since it is one of the best songs on this thing. Now keep in mind that, due to the schedule of the show's airing times, they had to record the whole album in like two months, while also keeping everything secret until the winners were revealed on the show. That's a lot of pressure, and I have to commend these girls for being able to pull it off.
So, like I said, this album is good, and it is also lone. Yes, this is the only album that Eden's Crush released before breaking up in 2002. The girl's went on to other things, most notably, as I mentioned, Nicole Scherzinger. She was in the Pussy Cat Dolls, and on The X-Factor, where she was not so well received, to say the least. She did win Dancing With the Stars, and I liked her as a judge on The Sing Off. So she has had her ups and downs. And besides her, some of the non-winners did well, too, like I was talking about before. From this show we got Kerrie Roberts, who is now a successful Christian singer, and Camille Guaty, who has done well for herself as an actress. Now the show, Popstars, did not fair much better than its first group. After one more season and forming the group Scene 23, it went off the air. Again, we did get a star from that as well, namely Josh Henderson, now seen on the new Dallas.
Wow, I just realized that this turned into more a review of the Popstars show than the Popstars album, so I better wrap this up by speaking about the music. Okay, if you like fun, catchy pop music, and something that isn't too heavy, then there is a chance you will like this album. The songs were great pop tunes, it was well produced and the girls were really talented and even likable. Again, this probably won't be on any "greatest albums of all time" lists, but sometimes you just want music with which you can have a good time. If that was part of their goal, they succeeded.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I've noticed something about a lot of reality shows, specifically the ones where producers want to create stars and contestants hope to spawn an overwhelmingly successful career, it's that they rarely succeed. I mean, sure, the winners occasionally do well, and even more so that is the case with some non-winners. This is certainly how it has been with American Idol, and no doubt, will also happen with The Voice. It just seems like these shows are there to be more television entertainment as opposed to musical entertainment. That's not always good if your goal is to be a singer. Now as much as those shows have done and are doing that, there were some that came before, and it went even deeper into the world of "Let's make a TV show that happens to be about finding singers". One of those was Making the Band, where we got the likes of O-Town and Danity Kane. But another one is buried in there as well, and it was called Popstars.
The first season of Popstars aired in 2001 and, like American Idol, was based on a show from the UK. Their goal in that first year was to form an all girl group consisting of five singers. They would be picked and taught by some important people in the industry, including David Foster of all people. Let me give you a brief rundown of how this particular show worked. Now for the first few episodes it was a basic cattle call, where girls would step up and sing and, if they were good enough, they got a callback. Then, they would get another callback for singing, then another for dancing, until they were shaved down to twenty-six girls. At that point, they would go to L.A. for a workshop, where six more were cut, then five more, then they performed in groups at The Viper Room (seriously), then they had a final ten. After that, the girls were sent home, and finally were visited by one of the judges to give them either the good news or the bad news. Of course, we need drama, though, so after two girls dropped out, they found a replacement. And, finally, we had our official group, consisting of Ana Maria Lombo, Ivette Sosa, Maile Misajon, Rosanna Tavarez and Nicole Scherzinger. Yes, that Nicole Scherzinger.
But that's wasn't the end of the show. Oh, no. We then had to follow the girls through the recording of their album, shooting of videos, and et cetera on the road to stardom. P.S. That's where we got even more drama. Try putting five girls in a house together and not getting any of that. But, by May of 2001, they managed to put out their album, aptly titled, Popstars. Yeah, that quickly. Now you may be wondering how I know all of these things about the show. Well, because I did, in fact, watch it. So entertaining it was that I also went out and bought said album. What can I say? I was young. And, thus, we are brought to today's review.
I don't think the Popstars album by Eden's Crush was one met with a lot of high expectations. I doubt anyone thought that a CD recorded by a reality show girl group was going to be anything legendary. They would be correct for thinking that. However, I must be honest and say that it's not that bad. I mean, I had spent the duration of this show watching and listening to these songs being recorded, and I was curious to hear the final result. What I heard on the show, I thought was pretty good. This album is good enough for being a basic, but catchy pop CD. So let's discuss some of the songs.
The first, and most known, single was a song called, "Get Over Yourself". This was the one that the show focused mainly on, of course, showing us the recording as well as the video shoot for it. It's a decent song with even a bit of an edge to it. It seemed to me like a great song to introduce the girls. Then, they had a lovely ballad called "Love This Way" which, frankly, I think should be covered by Taylor Swift. Because they refer to wanting to "feel just like Juliet", and that seems like something she'd like . . . a lot! One song I really like is called "No Drama", albeit more for the music than the lyrics, and they also do a cover of "Glamorous Life" by Sheila E. And, while "Get Over Yourself" got most of the show's attention, another song, "You Know I Can", was prominently featured, and it happens to be the closing track on the album. Or is it? No, for some reason, they give us a hidden track called "Promise Me". I do not know why it is hidden, since it is one of the best songs on this thing. Now keep in mind that, due to the schedule of the show's airing times, they had to record the whole album in like two months, while also keeping everything secret until the winners were revealed on the show. That's a lot of pressure, and I have to commend these girls for being able to pull it off.
So, like I said, this album is good, and it is also lone. Yes, this is the only album that Eden's Crush released before breaking up in 2002. The girl's went on to other things, most notably, as I mentioned, Nicole Scherzinger. She was in the Pussy Cat Dolls, and on The X-Factor, where she was not so well received, to say the least. She did win Dancing With the Stars, and I liked her as a judge on The Sing Off. So she has had her ups and downs. And besides her, some of the non-winners did well, too, like I was talking about before. From this show we got Kerrie Roberts, who is now a successful Christian singer, and Camille Guaty, who has done well for herself as an actress. Now the show, Popstars, did not fair much better than its first group. After one more season and forming the group Scene 23, it went off the air. Again, we did get a star from that as well, namely Josh Henderson, now seen on the new Dallas.
Wow, I just realized that this turned into more a review of the Popstars show than the Popstars album, so I better wrap this up by speaking about the music. Okay, if you like fun, catchy pop music, and something that isn't too heavy, then there is a chance you will like this album. The songs were great pop tunes, it was well produced and the girls were really talented and even likable. Again, this probably won't be on any "greatest albums of all time" lists, but sometimes you just want music with which you can have a good time. If that was part of their goal, they succeeded.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Goodbye, Roger Ebert
Greetings,
So it's a pretty sad day. I just found out that Roger Ebert passed away. I was always a big fan of Roger as a movie critic. In fact, I always got his opinion about a film if I was on the fence about going to see it at the theater. I did tend to agree with him most of the time. At least, I did when it came to movies.
Now, outside of that, I have to say that Roger Ebert and I disagreed a lot. Mostly having to do with things political and spiritual. I am, of course, a Christian, and, from what I've heard, he was not . . . at all. He did have some strong opinions about the things that I and many people in the world choose to believe. And that's fine. We all have free will. Though he did feel this way, that certainly didn't stop me from praying for him when he started to get sick. I did admire his resilience through it all. And I hoped that he could feel the prayers that we were sending his way.
Regardless of what he chose to believe or not believe, I do think he had a gift. As an amateur reviewer, I certainly learned quite a bit from him where this was concerned. I just hope that, as his life drew to a close, even if it was down to the last moment, he realized how much love was bestowed upon him from every direction. And I will definitely continue to pray for his friends and family in this difficult time. Sometimes that's all you can do, but it's worth a lot.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
So it's a pretty sad day. I just found out that Roger Ebert passed away. I was always a big fan of Roger as a movie critic. In fact, I always got his opinion about a film if I was on the fence about going to see it at the theater. I did tend to agree with him most of the time. At least, I did when it came to movies.
Now, outside of that, I have to say that Roger Ebert and I disagreed a lot. Mostly having to do with things political and spiritual. I am, of course, a Christian, and, from what I've heard, he was not . . . at all. He did have some strong opinions about the things that I and many people in the world choose to believe. And that's fine. We all have free will. Though he did feel this way, that certainly didn't stop me from praying for him when he started to get sick. I did admire his resilience through it all. And I hoped that he could feel the prayers that we were sending his way.
Regardless of what he chose to believe or not believe, I do think he had a gift. As an amateur reviewer, I certainly learned quite a bit from him where this was concerned. I just hope that, as his life drew to a close, even if it was down to the last moment, he realized how much love was bestowed upon him from every direction. And I will definitely continue to pray for his friends and family in this difficult time. Sometimes that's all you can do, but it's worth a lot.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The One Seasoner's Club - Saved By The Bell: The College Years
Greetings,
I certainly always considered myself a very precocious child. I was always attracted to things far beyond my years, be they movies, books, or television shows. But I can admit freely that, every so often, I could fall into certain traps. One of those was a little show called Saved By the Bell. Yes, I was a very big fan of the show in my youth. What can I say? I fell for the idea that what they showed me was what high school actually was, and I couldn't wait until I was old enough to go because, of course, it was going to be exactly like Bayside. Spoiler Alert! It wasn't!! No, no, my high school experience was nothing like that of the kids on Saved By the Bell. I mean, we never stole another team's mascot or got addicted to "drugs" to pass our geometry tests or lost our pet duck to an oil spill. Oh, and, as crazy as this may sound, our principal was actually smarter than us kids. Weird, I know. But like I said, I got sucked in. And I got sucked in enough to follow this group of kids all the way to college. Thus, bringing us to our subject today, Saved By the Bell: The College Years.
Okay, if you don't know this, Saved By the Bell . . . The High School Years aired originally on Saturday mornings in amongst a boatload of cartoons and was, therefore, aimed at a very young audience. Probably an audience younger than the characters. I'm not sure if a ton of actual high school kids watched this show, most likely having developed a taste for something more mature, like Beverly Hills, 90210. But after Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jessie and Lisa graduated from high school, they decided to spin off the show and move it to prime time. Unfortunately, when writing the episodes, I think they often forgot that they were no longer on Saturday mornings. More on that later. Let's get to the actual set up of the show.
After graduation, Zack, Slater and Screech decide to go to college together in California, despite Zack getting in to Yale, Slater getting a full scholarship to Iowa State and Screech being accepted to pretty much every Ivy League school, as it was told to us on this show's predecessor. Yeah, I doubt their parents would have allowed that, but, whatever! The plot of the show says they have to be here. They all attend the fictional California University, which is extremely obviously U.C. Berkeley. In the pilot, we see the three guys we already know, as well as three new girls: Leslie Burke, a tall, intelligent blonde who Zack is immediately interested in, Alex Tabour, a drama student who is, well, very dramatic, (dramatic, in this case, being code for slightly annoying) and Danielle Marks, a girl who clearly comes from a well-to-do family and who has a bit of sass to her. We also meet Mike Rogers, the dorm adviser who is also an ex-football player. I'd tell you to not forget that aspect of his life, but they really never let you. Like ever. EVER!
So, that is the set up of the pilot. In that first episode, of course, Zack tries to pull some shenanigans, but he actually gets punished pretty harshly for it. Mike does remind him that he is not a kid anymore and is no longer in high school. I wish he would have told that to the writers.
After the pilot, they decided to get rid of the character of Danielle and bring back a familiar face, Kelly Kapowski. Oh, I wonder if this might cause some upheaval when it comes to Zack and Leslie's burgeoning relationship. Spoiler Alert again! It does. Yeah, that is a plot point for a little bit of time, but not as long as you'd think. Also, later in the series, they brought in the character of Dean Susan McMann who was miraculously played by Holland Taylor. I say, "miraculous" because being able to get that fantastic actress in this show must have required nothing short of divine intervention. Safe to say, she was the most entertaining person on this thing. And about those aforementioned plots, let's get to some of the ones that were tackled during this series' short run.
Like I said, this show did not try that hard to transition into the more adult audience of prime time. They tried a little, but not much. I think the edgiest thing they did was having Kelly be "involved" with one of her professors. I see a little Valerie Malone was getting awakened at that point. And, then, there was that episode where Slater met a girl who told him he was Mexican, because, I guess he didn't know. Okay...how? And, of course, we got an obligatory "date rape" episode, which really wasn't that at all, but they tried to pass it off as one. Oh, show, you were in WAY over your head on that one. You are so not A Different World. Believe it or not, I think the original Saved By the Bell probably tackled heavier issues than this. Granted, it was on the air longer, but still. And I suppose it was slightly an adult thing that the series ended on a cliffhanger of Zack and Kelly running off to get married. I guess I'm using the term "adult" a bit loosely. As we all know, that led to the TV movie wherein they eloped in Vegas. But that thing is a whole other can of worms that I just cannot open today.
Okay, I guess this leaves us with the one question I always ask. Did this show deserve a second season? I'm going to say no. Although, to be honest, I feel like I should be saying that Saved By the Bell did not deserve a sixth (or possibly seventh) season, because, when you think about it, this show was less of a spin off and more of a continuation of the original. A really inferior continuation at that, and considering the quality of the original? Yeah. I almost feel strange putting this in The One Seasoner's Club, since it barely feels like a standalone series, as many spin offs were able to become. But technically, it is, so I can. Like I said, giving this even one season seems like too much, especially when moving it to the night schedule. It just did not translate to an adult audience. Maybe it could have if they would have put more of an effort into it. Or not.
Look, Saved By the Bell was a high school show for a young audience to air on Saturday mornings, and it should not have left that comfortable little cocoon. It was fine for what it was and should not have attempted to go further. But for us and Bayside and all of the fictional students therein, we will always have the 90's.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I certainly always considered myself a very precocious child. I was always attracted to things far beyond my years, be they movies, books, or television shows. But I can admit freely that, every so often, I could fall into certain traps. One of those was a little show called Saved By the Bell. Yes, I was a very big fan of the show in my youth. What can I say? I fell for the idea that what they showed me was what high school actually was, and I couldn't wait until I was old enough to go because, of course, it was going to be exactly like Bayside. Spoiler Alert! It wasn't!! No, no, my high school experience was nothing like that of the kids on Saved By the Bell. I mean, we never stole another team's mascot or got addicted to "drugs" to pass our geometry tests or lost our pet duck to an oil spill. Oh, and, as crazy as this may sound, our principal was actually smarter than us kids. Weird, I know. But like I said, I got sucked in. And I got sucked in enough to follow this group of kids all the way to college. Thus, bringing us to our subject today, Saved By the Bell: The College Years.
Okay, if you don't know this, Saved By the Bell . . . The High School Years aired originally on Saturday mornings in amongst a boatload of cartoons and was, therefore, aimed at a very young audience. Probably an audience younger than the characters. I'm not sure if a ton of actual high school kids watched this show, most likely having developed a taste for something more mature, like Beverly Hills, 90210. But after Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jessie and Lisa graduated from high school, they decided to spin off the show and move it to prime time. Unfortunately, when writing the episodes, I think they often forgot that they were no longer on Saturday mornings. More on that later. Let's get to the actual set up of the show.
After graduation, Zack, Slater and Screech decide to go to college together in California, despite Zack getting in to Yale, Slater getting a full scholarship to Iowa State and Screech being accepted to pretty much every Ivy League school, as it was told to us on this show's predecessor. Yeah, I doubt their parents would have allowed that, but, whatever! The plot of the show says they have to be here. They all attend the fictional California University, which is extremely obviously U.C. Berkeley. In the pilot, we see the three guys we already know, as well as three new girls: Leslie Burke, a tall, intelligent blonde who Zack is immediately interested in, Alex Tabour, a drama student who is, well, very dramatic, (dramatic, in this case, being code for slightly annoying) and Danielle Marks, a girl who clearly comes from a well-to-do family and who has a bit of sass to her. We also meet Mike Rogers, the dorm adviser who is also an ex-football player. I'd tell you to not forget that aspect of his life, but they really never let you. Like ever. EVER!
So, that is the set up of the pilot. In that first episode, of course, Zack tries to pull some shenanigans, but he actually gets punished pretty harshly for it. Mike does remind him that he is not a kid anymore and is no longer in high school. I wish he would have told that to the writers.
After the pilot, they decided to get rid of the character of Danielle and bring back a familiar face, Kelly Kapowski. Oh, I wonder if this might cause some upheaval when it comes to Zack and Leslie's burgeoning relationship. Spoiler Alert again! It does. Yeah, that is a plot point for a little bit of time, but not as long as you'd think. Also, later in the series, they brought in the character of Dean Susan McMann who was miraculously played by Holland Taylor. I say, "miraculous" because being able to get that fantastic actress in this show must have required nothing short of divine intervention. Safe to say, she was the most entertaining person on this thing. And about those aforementioned plots, let's get to some of the ones that were tackled during this series' short run.
Like I said, this show did not try that hard to transition into the more adult audience of prime time. They tried a little, but not much. I think the edgiest thing they did was having Kelly be "involved" with one of her professors. I see a little Valerie Malone was getting awakened at that point. And, then, there was that episode where Slater met a girl who told him he was Mexican, because, I guess he didn't know. Okay...how? And, of course, we got an obligatory "date rape" episode, which really wasn't that at all, but they tried to pass it off as one. Oh, show, you were in WAY over your head on that one. You are so not A Different World. Believe it or not, I think the original Saved By the Bell probably tackled heavier issues than this. Granted, it was on the air longer, but still. And I suppose it was slightly an adult thing that the series ended on a cliffhanger of Zack and Kelly running off to get married. I guess I'm using the term "adult" a bit loosely. As we all know, that led to the TV movie wherein they eloped in Vegas. But that thing is a whole other can of worms that I just cannot open today.
Okay, I guess this leaves us with the one question I always ask. Did this show deserve a second season? I'm going to say no. Although, to be honest, I feel like I should be saying that Saved By the Bell did not deserve a sixth (or possibly seventh) season, because, when you think about it, this show was less of a spin off and more of a continuation of the original. A really inferior continuation at that, and considering the quality of the original? Yeah. I almost feel strange putting this in The One Seasoner's Club, since it barely feels like a standalone series, as many spin offs were able to become. But technically, it is, so I can. Like I said, giving this even one season seems like too much, especially when moving it to the night schedule. It just did not translate to an adult audience. Maybe it could have if they would have put more of an effort into it. Or not.
Look, Saved By the Bell was a high school show for a young audience to air on Saturday mornings, and it should not have left that comfortable little cocoon. It was fine for what it was and should not have attempted to go further. But for us and Bayside and all of the fictional students therein, we will always have the 90's.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Top Ten Stevie Nicks Songs
Greetings,
There are a lot of things I love in life. For example, I love songwriting, because it makes me feel content, and wearing black, because it makes me feel thinner, and adorable short people, because they make me feel tall. So is there an adorable short, songwriter who wears a lot of black anywhere out there to make this day superb? Why, hello, there, Ms. Stevie Nicks! How are you?
As I made it clear when I reviewed her latest album, I am a great admirer of Stevie Nicks. She has taught me so much as a writer, and I love the honesty she conveys in her work. She also has always seemed to really love what she does, putting so much passion into it that you can't help but feel that through everything she writes. And she looks overwhelmingly good, not just for her age, so I figured if I flatter her enough, she may share with me her secret.
So, naturally, I had to do a top ten song list for her. Now, when it comes to someone like Stevie, who has been in a band and done solo work, I really had to focus and decide what I wanted to do here. Therefore, I have chosen to not include any of her work with Fleetwood Mac, since that will one day, most likely, garner a list of its own, unless it's something she recorded at some point as a solo artist. Speaking of which, I could have also only focused on her solo work, but since, in the days of Buckingham/Nicks, she and Lindsey had a mere one album, I thought I could include some songs from that time, as well. As usual, some of these will be obvious, and others, not so much. But these are my favorites, so here we go.
#10. "After the Glitter Fades" - I normally am not a fan of celebrities talking about how hard it is to be one, but, though there seems to be a taste of that here, I am much more forgiving. I think that is because what she wrote here can be about anything that takes you away from personal things, like love. It just so happens that her "thing" is being famous. And it reminds us that what is important will somehow last.
#9. "Edge of Seventeen" - I'd say this is one of Stevie's most famous solo songs and with good reason. I love a song that has great music, but doesn't rely on that so much that the writer lets the lyrics suffer. This song is stellar in both music and lyrics. Being that she was inspired by the deaths of both John Lennon and her uncle, you can really feel how personal it is, even with the driving beat. It takes a gift to do that.
#8. "Alice" - There are a bunch of references to Alice in Wonderland in this song. And the song is written by Stevie Nicks. Do I have to say anything else as to why I love it?
#7. "Stand Back" - I would never consider myself a fan of Prince, but I am certainly glad he exists. See, if he didn't exist, he wouldn't have written "Little Red Corvette", and then Stevie would not have been inspired to write "Stand Back". That's right. She loved Prince's song so much that she wrote her own that kind of sounded a little like it. To say the least. Don't worry. Prince was cool with it. Apparently, he even played the synthesizer on the recording. Nice guy. Lucky guy. I mean, who wouldn't want to work with Stevie? (Spoiler Alert! I would!)
#6. "Crystal" - This is one of those songs from the Buckingham/Nicks days and it is just so beautiful. It's one of those songs with which I love to harmonize. Now some of you may have heard a version of this on a Fleetwood Mac album or on the soundtrack for the movie Practical Magic. Yes, she has recorded this one numerous times. That's fine with me. I'll take this lovely tune as many times and as many ways as she wants to present it to me.
#5. "Two Kinds of Love" - So, Stevie is certainly a lady who likes a duet. She has done some fantastic ones, and here is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's as well known as others, but it does have Bruce Hornsby. And that is more than good enough for me.
#4. "Long Distance Winner" - Here's another from Buckingham/Nicks. I think I first heard this song on Stevie's 1998 box set, Enchanted, and I fell instantly in love with it. The music is amazing, and the lyrics are some of her best ever. Between this song and the other I mentioned, I really don't know why Stevie and Lindsey weren't more successful on their own. I guess everything happens for a reason.
#3. "Leather and Lace" - And another duet, this one with Don Henley, who I think has one of the best voices ever. Now I could go into all the stories, true and rumored, about the relationship between these two, but today, it's all about the music. And this is easily one of the best duets of all time. Love these two voices together so much. I still hold out hope that they'll give us another song someday.
#2. "Italian Summer" - This one is the newest entry on the list, being from Stevie's most recent album, In Your Dreams. I'm sure that the hardcore fans have already heard this masterpiece of a song, but I suggest even the most casual of fans to give this a listen. This is, hands down, one of the best things Stevie has ever done. I know that even some of our greatest artists can get complacent or just run out of good material, but this proves that there can always be a gem left to be created, no matter how long someone has been going. The song is phenomenal.
#1. "Has Anyone Written Anything For You?" - I cry. I cry a lot. And, every now and then, something makes me cry because it is both devastating and beautiful all at once. This song is exactly that. I could tell you the story behind it, but I almost feel unworthy because it is so incredibly personal for both Stevie and the person for whom she wrote it. But you can find out the origin for yourselves; it's worth it. Still, though she has been overwhelmingly honest in her work, I think no other song has been closer to letting us see Stevie's heart and soul than this one.
And those are my favorites from Ms. Nicks. I have to say,again, that she has been a huge inspiration for me as a songwriter and as a woman. When I listen to Stevie's work, it makes me want to better my own. That is what a true artist does. Stevie Nicks is certainly one of those.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
There are a lot of things I love in life. For example, I love songwriting, because it makes me feel content, and wearing black, because it makes me feel thinner, and adorable short people, because they make me feel tall. So is there an adorable short, songwriter who wears a lot of black anywhere out there to make this day superb? Why, hello, there, Ms. Stevie Nicks! How are you?
As I made it clear when I reviewed her latest album, I am a great admirer of Stevie Nicks. She has taught me so much as a writer, and I love the honesty she conveys in her work. She also has always seemed to really love what she does, putting so much passion into it that you can't help but feel that through everything she writes. And she looks overwhelmingly good, not just for her age, so I figured if I flatter her enough, she may share with me her secret.
So, naturally, I had to do a top ten song list for her. Now, when it comes to someone like Stevie, who has been in a band and done solo work, I really had to focus and decide what I wanted to do here. Therefore, I have chosen to not include any of her work with Fleetwood Mac, since that will one day, most likely, garner a list of its own, unless it's something she recorded at some point as a solo artist. Speaking of which, I could have also only focused on her solo work, but since, in the days of Buckingham/Nicks, she and Lindsey had a mere one album, I thought I could include some songs from that time, as well. As usual, some of these will be obvious, and others, not so much. But these are my favorites, so here we go.
#10. "After the Glitter Fades" - I normally am not a fan of celebrities talking about how hard it is to be one, but, though there seems to be a taste of that here, I am much more forgiving. I think that is because what she wrote here can be about anything that takes you away from personal things, like love. It just so happens that her "thing" is being famous. And it reminds us that what is important will somehow last.
#9. "Edge of Seventeen" - I'd say this is one of Stevie's most famous solo songs and with good reason. I love a song that has great music, but doesn't rely on that so much that the writer lets the lyrics suffer. This song is stellar in both music and lyrics. Being that she was inspired by the deaths of both John Lennon and her uncle, you can really feel how personal it is, even with the driving beat. It takes a gift to do that.
#8. "Alice" - There are a bunch of references to Alice in Wonderland in this song. And the song is written by Stevie Nicks. Do I have to say anything else as to why I love it?
#7. "Stand Back" - I would never consider myself a fan of Prince, but I am certainly glad he exists. See, if he didn't exist, he wouldn't have written "Little Red Corvette", and then Stevie would not have been inspired to write "Stand Back". That's right. She loved Prince's song so much that she wrote her own that kind of sounded a little like it. To say the least. Don't worry. Prince was cool with it. Apparently, he even played the synthesizer on the recording. Nice guy. Lucky guy. I mean, who wouldn't want to work with Stevie? (Spoiler Alert! I would!)
#6. "Crystal" - This is one of those songs from the Buckingham/Nicks days and it is just so beautiful. It's one of those songs with which I love to harmonize. Now some of you may have heard a version of this on a Fleetwood Mac album or on the soundtrack for the movie Practical Magic. Yes, she has recorded this one numerous times. That's fine with me. I'll take this lovely tune as many times and as many ways as she wants to present it to me.
#5. "Two Kinds of Love" - So, Stevie is certainly a lady who likes a duet. She has done some fantastic ones, and here is a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if it's as well known as others, but it does have Bruce Hornsby. And that is more than good enough for me.
#4. "Long Distance Winner" - Here's another from Buckingham/Nicks. I think I first heard this song on Stevie's 1998 box set, Enchanted, and I fell instantly in love with it. The music is amazing, and the lyrics are some of her best ever. Between this song and the other I mentioned, I really don't know why Stevie and Lindsey weren't more successful on their own. I guess everything happens for a reason.
#3. "Leather and Lace" - And another duet, this one with Don Henley, who I think has one of the best voices ever. Now I could go into all the stories, true and rumored, about the relationship between these two, but today, it's all about the music. And this is easily one of the best duets of all time. Love these two voices together so much. I still hold out hope that they'll give us another song someday.
#2. "Italian Summer" - This one is the newest entry on the list, being from Stevie's most recent album, In Your Dreams. I'm sure that the hardcore fans have already heard this masterpiece of a song, but I suggest even the most casual of fans to give this a listen. This is, hands down, one of the best things Stevie has ever done. I know that even some of our greatest artists can get complacent or just run out of good material, but this proves that there can always be a gem left to be created, no matter how long someone has been going. The song is phenomenal.
#1. "Has Anyone Written Anything For You?" - I cry. I cry a lot. And, every now and then, something makes me cry because it is both devastating and beautiful all at once. This song is exactly that. I could tell you the story behind it, but I almost feel unworthy because it is so incredibly personal for both Stevie and the person for whom she wrote it. But you can find out the origin for yourselves; it's worth it. Still, though she has been overwhelmingly honest in her work, I think no other song has been closer to letting us see Stevie's heart and soul than this one.
And those are my favorites from Ms. Nicks. I have to say,again, that she has been a huge inspiration for me as a songwriter and as a woman. When I listen to Stevie's work, it makes me want to better my own. That is what a true artist does. Stevie Nicks is certainly one of those.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Batman: Gotham Knight - Movie Review
Greetings,
I know I give a lot of love to these DC animated movies, but, I must admit, I do have a favorite. It is that one, in particular, that I will be discussing today, Batman: Gotham Knight. And it is fantastic.
Now this one is quite unique in the way it is presented. It's not one movie/story, necessarily, but six vignettes put together by different writers, animators and directors. However, there is some cohesion that threads them all together, some more than others, so it's almost something of a miniseries. But different. I think the best way to talk about this is to go through each of the pieces, one by one, and give a very quick synopsis of their plots. I probably won't say much about that, since I would like you to all experience this for yourselves. But I will do my best to give everyone a little taste. So here we go.
"Have I Got a Story For You?" - In this opening short, we follow a group of kids as they tell stories of when they each saw the infamous Batman. Each one has a different take on his looks and his abilities. I have to say, I wasn't crazy about this one at first, but then I realized that this was actually a very good way to start. Gotham Knight, in its entirety, is different people giving their own version of how they see Batman, so why not begin with a story that does the same?
"Crossfire" - Here, a bit like the first, we get an idea of how Batman appears to others. In this case, though, we see how he is viewed by some cops. Specifically, we are dealing with Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez. They are partners who don't exactly agree on whether or not Batman can be trusted by anyone, especially their boss, James Gordon. And all of this comes to a head during a confrontation between to gangs, wherein they are caught in the crossfire, hence, the title. Now Batman is not in this so much, as the story is really about the other characters, but he arrives when he is needed.
"Field Test" - This is the first one where Bruce Wayne/Batman appears as the main character, and it is a young version of such. It seems to be how he was as he was just beginning to do the whole Batman thing. The plot is about Lucius Fox designing a device that will protect Batman from some guns, and it comes in handy when he's out taking care of some bad guys. But maybe too well. The story tends to remind us how Bruce Wayne is willing to put himself in danger, but not anyone else.
"In Darkness Dwells" - In this one, the police are called to a riot that breaks out in a cathedral where people say the cardinal was abducted by a strange creature. Batman and Gordon agree that Scarecrow may be behind what is going on. This is an interesting point since it ties this into events in the movie Batman Begins. So a ton of crazy things happen in this story culminating with Batman getting wounded and leading us into the next vignette.
"Working Through Pain" - I'd say that this piece and the previous one are the most linked together of any of these shorts. It really is just a continuation, a part two even. Here we find a wounded Batman wandering through the sewers and reflecting back on some events that took place in his past. He remembers volunteering at a relief effort where a man is operated on without being anesthetized, and he also thinks back on some time he spent being trained by a woman named Cassandra. She was an outcast in her community for trying to learn things that only the boys were allowed to learn. What she does is try and help Bruce work through his pain. Now this one here is my favorite, and it is so for a lot of reasons. But more than anything, I love the final few shots. There is this image we see that is very powerful and poignant when we think of who Bruce Wayne, and in turn, Batman, is. And I don't know if this was intentional, but these scenes do seem to hand us right over to what happens in the final vignette.
"Deadshot" - So guess which villain shows up in this one is? You'll never guess. Okay, I'll tell you. It's Deadshot. So since he is an assassin, the plot centers around the attempts to assassinate someone. But who? That, I am not going to tell you. And that is basically what the story consists of. The ending is very well done, though, and it really ties up, not only the end of this story, but the whole collection. And yet, it has a bit of an open ended feeling to it. Not in a sequel bait kind of way, but in a way that let's us know that, even though the story is over, the story isn't over. We leave Bruce Wayne as he remembers that he's Batman and this is what he does. Good ending.
So there you have it. This is a very good movie to watch, especially is you are a Batman fan. It's brilliantly put together, with great animation and fantastic stories. Everyone involved did such a good job. And I have to speak, of course, about the voice over work. We get a lot of wonderful acting here from the likes of Gary Dourdan, Parminder Nagra, Ana Ortiz, Alana Ubach and Kevin Michael Richardson, one of the best voice over actors ever, just to name a few. And of course, we get the official voice of Batman, Mr. Kevin Conroy. I've mentioned him before, but I have to say it again. This guy is incredible and the only person who should ever voice Batman. Like ever!
Now one more thing. I own this movie on a two edition DVD, and if you're going to buy it get this one. You will, obviously, get the movie on disc one with a entertaining commentary, but you also get some good features on disc two. There are four episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, presented by Bruce Timm, who is a major part of the DC animated universe. Then, we get a documentary about Bob Kane, one of the creators of Batman. Finally, there is a very informative featurette about the villains that our hero has had to face. It's really good.
So, as I said, this one is my favorite. I think if you like the tone of the Christopher Nolan Batman films, you'll like this one a lot. Even if you don't, though, Batman: Gotham Knight is definitely something that should be seen.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I know I give a lot of love to these DC animated movies, but, I must admit, I do have a favorite. It is that one, in particular, that I will be discussing today, Batman: Gotham Knight. And it is fantastic.
Now this one is quite unique in the way it is presented. It's not one movie/story, necessarily, but six vignettes put together by different writers, animators and directors. However, there is some cohesion that threads them all together, some more than others, so it's almost something of a miniseries. But different. I think the best way to talk about this is to go through each of the pieces, one by one, and give a very quick synopsis of their plots. I probably won't say much about that, since I would like you to all experience this for yourselves. But I will do my best to give everyone a little taste. So here we go.
"Have I Got a Story For You?" - In this opening short, we follow a group of kids as they tell stories of when they each saw the infamous Batman. Each one has a different take on his looks and his abilities. I have to say, I wasn't crazy about this one at first, but then I realized that this was actually a very good way to start. Gotham Knight, in its entirety, is different people giving their own version of how they see Batman, so why not begin with a story that does the same?
"Crossfire" - Here, a bit like the first, we get an idea of how Batman appears to others. In this case, though, we see how he is viewed by some cops. Specifically, we are dealing with Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez. They are partners who don't exactly agree on whether or not Batman can be trusted by anyone, especially their boss, James Gordon. And all of this comes to a head during a confrontation between to gangs, wherein they are caught in the crossfire, hence, the title. Now Batman is not in this so much, as the story is really about the other characters, but he arrives when he is needed.
"Field Test" - This is the first one where Bruce Wayne/Batman appears as the main character, and it is a young version of such. It seems to be how he was as he was just beginning to do the whole Batman thing. The plot is about Lucius Fox designing a device that will protect Batman from some guns, and it comes in handy when he's out taking care of some bad guys. But maybe too well. The story tends to remind us how Bruce Wayne is willing to put himself in danger, but not anyone else.
"In Darkness Dwells" - In this one, the police are called to a riot that breaks out in a cathedral where people say the cardinal was abducted by a strange creature. Batman and Gordon agree that Scarecrow may be behind what is going on. This is an interesting point since it ties this into events in the movie Batman Begins. So a ton of crazy things happen in this story culminating with Batman getting wounded and leading us into the next vignette.
"Working Through Pain" - I'd say that this piece and the previous one are the most linked together of any of these shorts. It really is just a continuation, a part two even. Here we find a wounded Batman wandering through the sewers and reflecting back on some events that took place in his past. He remembers volunteering at a relief effort where a man is operated on without being anesthetized, and he also thinks back on some time he spent being trained by a woman named Cassandra. She was an outcast in her community for trying to learn things that only the boys were allowed to learn. What she does is try and help Bruce work through his pain. Now this one here is my favorite, and it is so for a lot of reasons. But more than anything, I love the final few shots. There is this image we see that is very powerful and poignant when we think of who Bruce Wayne, and in turn, Batman, is. And I don't know if this was intentional, but these scenes do seem to hand us right over to what happens in the final vignette.
"Deadshot" - So guess which villain shows up in this one is? You'll never guess. Okay, I'll tell you. It's Deadshot. So since he is an assassin, the plot centers around the attempts to assassinate someone. But who? That, I am not going to tell you. And that is basically what the story consists of. The ending is very well done, though, and it really ties up, not only the end of this story, but the whole collection. And yet, it has a bit of an open ended feeling to it. Not in a sequel bait kind of way, but in a way that let's us know that, even though the story is over, the story isn't over. We leave Bruce Wayne as he remembers that he's Batman and this is what he does. Good ending.
So there you have it. This is a very good movie to watch, especially is you are a Batman fan. It's brilliantly put together, with great animation and fantastic stories. Everyone involved did such a good job. And I have to speak, of course, about the voice over work. We get a lot of wonderful acting here from the likes of Gary Dourdan, Parminder Nagra, Ana Ortiz, Alana Ubach and Kevin Michael Richardson, one of the best voice over actors ever, just to name a few. And of course, we get the official voice of Batman, Mr. Kevin Conroy. I've mentioned him before, but I have to say it again. This guy is incredible and the only person who should ever voice Batman. Like ever!
Now one more thing. I own this movie on a two edition DVD, and if you're going to buy it get this one. You will, obviously, get the movie on disc one with a entertaining commentary, but you also get some good features on disc two. There are four episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, presented by Bruce Timm, who is a major part of the DC animated universe. Then, we get a documentary about Bob Kane, one of the creators of Batman. Finally, there is a very informative featurette about the villains that our hero has had to face. It's really good.
So, as I said, this one is my favorite. I think if you like the tone of the Christopher Nolan Batman films, you'll like this one a lot. Even if you don't, though, Batman: Gotham Knight is definitely something that should be seen.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
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