My Beef with Reality TV

According to BBM Canada, here are the top 10 English television shows in Canada, with viewer numbers, for the week of March 22-28.

1 American Idol (CTV, Tuesday)–2,896,0000

2 Grey's Anatomy (CTV, Thursday)–2,796,0000

3 Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Global, Wednesday)–2,646,000

4 Amazing Race 16 (CTV, Sunday)–2,470,0000

5 American Idol (CTV, Wednesday)–2,370,0000

6 Dancing With the Stars (A-Channel, Monday)–2,058,0000

7 Two and a Half Men (CTV, Monday)–1,954,000

8 Big Bang Theory (CTV, Monday)–1,939,000

9 C.S.I. Miami (CTV, Monday)–1,895,000

10 Undercover Boss (CTV, Sunday)–1,658,000

Sadly, 6 out of these 10 shows are reality TV. I just don't get the fascination with it, especially these reused and recycled shows like American Idol and Survivor. When is this crazy obsession going to be over?! No wonder in the grander scheme of things, quality programming is all on cable TV (HBO, Showtime, AMC). I'd much rather watch well-acted and intricately developed story lines that keep me constantly entertained and stimulated, but I guess, according to the above numbers, I may be the only one.

Top Five Movies about Music

So, in honour of watching High Fidelity again tonight for the umpteenth time, I thought it would be fitting to write down my own TOP FIVE list combining my two favourite things: Movies about Music.

So without further ado, here’s My Top Five Movies about Music.

Honourable mention goes to Selena. There’s something about talented people dying before their time that creates a sense of sadness unlike anything else. When people die without living up to their potential, you get to thinking about what if? What would the world of music be like if artists like Selena and Kurt Cobain hadn’t died? Would there even have been a Britney Spears? Would the cookie-cutter, test-tube American Idol artists exist? It’s like that whole domino effect thing where one action moves you down a certain path. So, did these significant musical losses change the course of music forever?


#5 – Pulp Fiction. You know I just had to put a Tarantino flick on my list. Using an eclectic mix of rock and roll, pop, and surfer music, the music in the film only enhances the storyline and makes it more memorable. And every time you hear the song ‘Girl, you’ll be a woman soon’, tell me you don’t picture Mia Wallace, prancing around her living room, just about to snort Vincent’s heroin. I mean, he even takes a traditional greek melody, the Misirlou, and makes it rock and roll.

Favourite Tracks:
"Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"- Urge Overkill
"Misirlou" – Opening theme

#4 - Moulin Rouge. Technically, this movie’s not exactly about music, but it gets on the list for its stellar song-choices. The soundtrack brings together the best pop songs across generations. What other movie puts together a musical spread made up of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, Elton John’s “Your Song” and Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit”.

Favourite Tracks:
"Your Song" – Elton John
"Elephant Love Medley"

#3 - Brown Sugar. Bringing together the greatest hip hop of our time, the movie features music that is untainted by the masses, with artists like Common, Erykah Badu, and Mos Def. Staying far away from the Crap-hop that drowns our radio stations today, Brown Sugar poetically unfolds a lifelong When Harry Met Sally –style love story, personifying hip hop as a metaphor for the love the two characters share. It’s about not selling out in life, music, and love, and for that reason, it’s #3 on my list.

Favourite Tracks:
"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" - Erykah Badu & Common
"Used to Love H.E.R." – Common

#2 High Fidelity. The movie opens with John Cusack going through a bad breakup, following his character as he revisits past relationships through music, trying to figure out what went wrong. It’s not the end point that matters in this movie, which is the inevitable make-up, so much as the journey. And, along the ride, we get a kick-ass road-trip mix in the form of ‘Top 5’ lists about everything and anything. High Fidelity gives us the most extensive and diverse playlist in a movie to date. Eclectic and alternative, it’s highly self-righteous about what is and isn’t cool, but it seems to work.

Favourite Tracks:
"Baby I Love Your Way" – Lisa Bonet
"Dry the Rain" – The Beta Band

And my #1 all-time favourite movie about music is Almost Famous. This gets #1 because it’s all about loving music and how it can literally change your life. Based on writer Cameron Crowe’s experiences travelling with bands like the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin, we get a backstage pass to the musical scene of the 1970s filled of course, with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. What makes it stand out as a film, is Kate Hudson, as Penny Lane, leader of the Band-Aids – a group of girls (traditionally known as groupies) who love music and musicians so much, they dedicate their lives to following them around. Patrick Fugit’s character’s innocent and naive look at his pure love for music is corrupted by the commercial aspect of music – and it literally shows that fame and popularity are the root cause of the downfall of bands.

Favourite Tracks:
"Tiny Dancer" – Elton John
"That’s the Way" – Led Zeppelin

Turkoglu – Out sick..or just sick of losing?

Ending his record of having started 236 games he dressed for, Turkoglu was benched for Friday night’s Miami game for supposedly playing hooky from Thursday’s game in Denver. Out sick with the ‘stomach flu’, he was seen out in Yorkville on Friday night after the Denver game he missed. And today, when everyone’s part paparazzi, with our iPhones and Blackberrys, we send info at the touch of a button, which is exactly what happened. Fans spotted him and e-mailed media and team officials right away, outing him.

This brings me to an issue that’s becoming more and more current in today’s social networking environment. Recently, there have been many reports of people being exposed for calling in sick, but still being seen online. But, that’s not the same thing as being out while supposedly being sick. Even if I’m sick, I can still manage to go online and check a few things out, but I definitely wouldn’t go out partying on the town.

So, with that in mind, will Turkoglu become another Vince Carter for Toronto? Torontonian fans are extremely loyal to our teams, look at the Leafs! We haven’t had a successful season since 1967 and yet still, it’s impossible to get Leafs’ tickets. But, as loyal as we are, we’re loyal to the team sport and anyone who deviates from that, ends up on our blacklist. Hopefully, Hedo can redeem himself because otherwise, as demonstrated each time Toronto plays VC and boos him consistently, we don’t forgive easily.

Mad Barbies

Barbie and Ken have literally gone MAD! All a `buzz` across the Internet waves is the news of the `MAD MEN` inspired Barbie dolls, specifically of the anti-hero Don Draper, his depressed soon-to-be ex-wife Betty, silver-haired fox Roger Sterling (Carrie’s peeing politician boyfriend from Sex and the City!), and of course the office’s sexy secretary, Joan.

According to the New York Times, premium priced at $74.95, the dolls will be available for collection starting July, just before the highly anticipated season 4 kicks off.

As a huge fan of the show, this is actually pretty cool. MAD MEN is being solidly placed into pop culture history. I mean, nothing says you’ve made it like having a doll made after you. Unfortunately, they won’t be available with their signature ‘anytime is happy hour’ martinis and cigarettes though, so they’re not quite as authentic as they could be. I mean, come on, that’s the basis of the appeal of MAD MEN-its retro, early 60s feel complete with the cocktails and debauchery.

Also, the Joan doll is so non-proportional it’s kind of sad. Especially today, when Joan is basically one of very few women on TV today who seem to get away with a gorgeous and curvy body, her Barbie-doll is as stick-thin as ever! Would’ve been nice to see Mattel represent the characters a bit more realistically.

If you haven’t started watching, now is the time to get caught up- Especially if you have a love for fashion and advertising. You see a time where most women were still in secretarial positions, being treated mostly as eye candy, but you also get to see the very beginning of women actually mattering in the work place.

TRUE BLOOD Teaser Campaign! .. "Good to the last drop"

With about 6 weeks left till season 3 premieres, HBO's airing new 15-20 second teaser clips each Sunday night. Also, check out the teaser poster making its rounds online!

NURSE JACKIE and UNITED STATES OF TARA- Girl Power for today’s female

Two fantastic female-first shows are forcing viewers into serious submission. We’re definitely in the post-Sex and the City revolution where the forty-something leading lady is taking over. It’s hard to believe that leading ladies like the gritty and genuine, un-botoxed Jackie and Tara, exist in the same world as The Hill’s Speidi and the gang from MTV’s Jersey Shore. Maybe people only really watch these no-brain cells necessary shows because we’re secretly laughing at them. Not going to lie but I, myself, do get quite a kick out of the Jersey Shore shenanigans. The only way to explain that phenomenon is: it’s like driving past a car crash – where you can’t help but slow down to take a peek at it while passing. Must be that same sadistic part of us that is secretly fascinated when Britney Spears shaves her head and acts crazy all around LA.

If you haven’t started watching these two shows yet, you should. Just starting off their second seasons, both are dark comic genius, with some of the most entertaining characters on cable.

Basically, what Jackie and Tara do, is offer an alternative to the ‘normalcy’ that floods TV. With the same recycled story lines, how many more family sitcoms and medical dramas can we watch without the much-needed twist offered by Jackie and Tara. They don’t just offer an escape from reality, but a brutal, in-your-face kind of reality that gets you thinking – a lot more than the Gym-Tanning-Laundry routine does, no doubt.

How To Make It In America - Why is this not good?

Again, not quite sure what’s going on with this show. It’s funny at times, but like I said last week, not enough happens in each show to keep the viewer interested in the next episode. It should be good, I mean, individually, the characters are great, and it's depicting the most interesting city in America. But it's selling out - it's too commercial, and it's just not progressing.

The only fresh dose of funny was from Kaplan, the guy from American Pie (Finch) who plays a rich and successful business-man trying too hard to fit in, but it seems to work for him, because although everyone knows he’s a poser, he’s almost so not cool that it makes him cool. To me, Kaplan is the epitome of the show’s theme, as it’s trying really hard to depict the ‘cool’ underground life in New York City, but seems to be falling short.

Then there was the last scene where we see heaping piles of old t-shirts aka ‘vintage t’s’ used by designers alike! That just goes to show that here’s where designer clothes are born – from the dump. Then of course, you have to add a print and a label, price it at $200 and here we have the newest, over-priced, designer threads courtesy of Christian Audigier or Crisp Denim!

All other goings on in the ep were highly forgettable, and I’m losing hope. The whole Rachel/Darren road trip was so boring I felt like doing my dishes while they were on-screen. After last week’s ecstacy incident, I thought she would be done with him but it doesn’t look that way. Most of the time, I feel like Rachel can’t even stand being around Darren. The relationship is wrong on so many levels that its hardly believable, they have no chemistry and both look so uncomfortable together.

Till Death Do Us Part?

This week, we were once again shocked by the dissolution of two seemingly sound Hollywood marriages and recent Oscar Winners. According to reports, Kate Winslet, and her husband of 7 years (Sam Mendes), are calling it quits, just two days before reports of Jesse James’ infidelity leading to Sandra Bullock moving out. What’s going on in the world when two gorgeous and talented women can’t seem to keep a man? What causes a man to cheat? I mean, with the coming out of Tiger Woods as a cheater, we can never really tell what goes on beneath the surface of the ‘Hollywood marriage’. As characters we see every day in movies and TV, we assume that we know these actors, but we really have no idea what’s going on behind the illusion.

And the question is, why are so many men cheating on their wives? Are women just not doing the cheating, or are their infidelities just better at keeping secrets? Is it the lengthy on-location movie shoots away from each other? Or the thrill of the chase? Or are humans simply not monogamous anymore?

And what I don’t get is how people so much in the public eye, think that in this age of the TMZs and Perez Hiltons, that they can get away with the cheating – and that their mistresses would be so willing to keep quiet when they have an opportunity at fifteen minutes of fame.

And do the couples that don’t officially marry have it right? Look at Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn, who’ve been together for over 20 years, and Brad and Angie? Do they have it right by pledging themselves to each other without the official piece of paper? Then again, after over 20 years of non-marriage, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins officially broke it off this year.

Fierce Fashion Stills from Gaga's new TELEPHONE video

Check out Gaga's fabulous rendition of the classic Jail-stripes, with killer shoulder pads.


Loving the lit-cigarette-shades and Gaga all chained up.


According to Gaga, her mom actually did use Coke cans as curlers! Loves it.


And finally, my fourth favourite look from Gaga's Vid, her telephone hair!

Sex, Violence, Vampires, TRUE BLOOD

Not since the mid 90s (Interview with the Vampire, and of course the teeny-bopper classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer) have we seen such a Vampire craze like today. At a time where the Twilight phenomenon has taken over everything, True Blood has come along with a fresh take on the mythical creatures that have fascinated us for centuries. People are already obsessed with the dreamy Edward and Jacob, but what True Blood does, is tell a different story, without the hidden message of preaching abstinence. True Blood offers a welcome alternative, a lust-filled and seductive take on the fabled Vampire.

Taking a very interesting view, Charlaine Harris’ story deals with a supernatural world colliding with the ‘real’ one we live in, in an alternate universe where the Vampires have literally ‘come out of the coffin’ and made an attempt at integration and assimilation into society. True Blood takes a magical idea, and makes it socially relevant. The invention of synthetic blood has allowed the Vampires to be admitted into society. And them fighting for basic ‘human’ rights like voting and marriage, is a lot like when Women and African Americans were given, or more like fought for, equal rights.

I think that’s why people are so fascinated by True Blood. It depicts a type of prejudice and racism that we are familiar with, but the beings receiving the treatment are fictitious. Even looking at the ‘Fellowship of the Sun’, the Vamp and Fang-banger-hating cult or-church, as they call themselves, is very similar to the time when there was major discrimination against anyone different: coloured, homosexual, or otherwise. And so, the show is much more than popular culture fluff. It’s real, gritty, and deals with social acceptance and tolerance.

And, it does so in a stylized way that is still well-acted, well-made and enjoyable to watch, conveying the age-old message that differences among people are not bad, but make the world more interesting, and as True Blood shows us, a more eventful place.