Daytime Dramas: "Soap Operas" Are they Dead? Can they be Fixed? Will Online Work?

Today I read that Hayley Ripa and Mark Consuelos are making a reality television series for soap stars including General Hospital's Kelly Monaco and Kirsten Storms Days of Our Lives' Nadia Bjorlin and Galen Gering, One Life To Lives' Farah Fath and JP Lavoisier.  My thoughts are that a reality show can bring popularity back or increase popularity for stars.   Can a reality show increase the popularity of an entire genre of popular culture?  If I were asking the magic eight ball for an answer the dice in the ball would read "Outlook not so good."As a young child I remember my mom used to be home during the day (work at night); she would be cleaning and taking care of the house and at lunch time The...

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Adele Fat pictures

Adele  Fat pictu...

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Cougartown: Time for a Name Change

While at lunch with my co-workers we were talking about everything pop culture (like we always do) and I don't remember exactly how it came to be but I thought in my mind about Cougar Town and uttered the words "Cougartown really needs to change its name."  I remember at the end of season one series creator Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) had debated changing the name of the show, and word on the street was that it was going to happen, but in the eleventh hour the show stuck with Cougartown.I have watched a few episodes of the show, and it is pretty funny.  I watched the pilot, and hated the show, so I gave up, then watched towards the end of the first season and was pleasantly surpised the show had become so much more than what originally...

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August Movies: Movies to See and Movies to Avoid

Back a couple of months ago I talked about movies to avoid during the months of June and July.  I was right on some, and and wrong on others, it happens.  I will also add that many of the films I told people to avoid I ended up seeing like Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which is the highest grossing domestic film right now (scary)!  After seeing Captain America: The First Avenger this past weekend I heard a young woman outside the theatre state "I hated it.  What was the point?  I wanted some struggle from the main character.  I did not want to see a film where the main character just plows through villain after villain.  I wanted some struggle."  My personal opinion is that this girl's emotions are...

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Captain America: The First Avenger: The Last and Admirable Piece of the Puzzle on the Way to the Avengers

Captain America: The First Avenger (3 out of 5 stars)Directed by: Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji, and October Sky)Written by: Christopher Markus, Steven McFeelyStarring: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Hugo WeavingIn the most recent comic book adaptation we have "America's most patriotic hero" Captain America.  The story starts with the discovery of Captain America's shield in the ice and then a flashback America during World War II.  While hoping to join the military a scrawny Steve Rogers is constantly rejected because of he is not "fit" to be a soldier like his best friend whom he calls 'Bucky.'  Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) sees how much pluck Rogers has and offers him an opportunity...

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In Memoriam: Amy Winehouse

It was announced today that musician Amy Winehouse passed away.  The cause of her death is unknown at this moment, and I know without watching the news media or reading the blogs everyone will talk about or assume her death was an overdose.  This may be true, but I want to pay tribute to the wonderful music Ms. Winehouse left behind.In 2008 Winehouse was nominated for 6 Grammy awards and won five of them, including Record of the Year (Rehab), Song of the Year (Rehab), and Best New Artist, three of the highest honors a musician can win; she was nominated for Album of the Year as well for Back to Black.  This is one of my favorite CDs, and I think of the best CDs of the 2000s.  Winehouse had soul and an incredible knack for...

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The Best Television Cliffhangers

I must admit that as a young child I used to watch All My Children with my grandmother, and when I heard this year that it would end I was pretty sad.  Daytime dramas are a huge cultural part of television history.  More on the demise of this genre later, the real story is that All My Children may pay homage to one of the "best" cliffhangers in television history, Dynasty.  At the end of the season five there was an attack at a wedding, gunfire, and a pile of bodies left on the floor.  At the start of season 6, 60 million people tuned in to find out who lived and who died in the "massacre." 1-Dallas/The Simpsons (Who Shot....) In Dallas the patriarch of the Ewing family was shot.  This story had everyone buzzing...

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MTV VMA Nominations: Does MTV still even play music videos?

I have been bad with my blog this month, between starting a new job, getting to meet and hang out with new people, being bad about keeping touch with friends etc...this has suffered.  One of the things I have thought about is how much pop culture I consume (not just film) so I want to make sure I start to cover things that are a part of the different avenues, specifically more music and television.  So what better way to move in this direction than to discuss something that involves music television. While I was on a work retreat, I came back to find that MTV had announced their Video Music Award (VMA) nominations.  This has become a yearly tradition for this network since the year I was born 1984.  During the eighties into even the very 2000s MTV actually played music...

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Harry Potter Finishes with Strength, Dignity, and Tears

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars)Directed by: David YatesWritten by: Steven KlovesStarring: Danielle Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, Alan RickmanThe film opens as the Deathly Hallows Part 1 ended, Voldemort gains the elder wand, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on the beach by Fleur and Bill Weasley's safe house.  The rest of the story is for the viewer.  The final chapter in this series of films is about the epic battle of Harry vs. Lord Voldemort.  The journey of these films has been interesting.  The films have captured the general elements of the books (some better than others) but there have been a lot of plot points and specific things that fan...

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The Emmy's Can't do Sci-Fi or Quirky Comedies

Drama Categories:  Well I predicted the six nominees in this category.  I love Dexter, but don't think it belongs here for this season.  I would have replaced it with The Walking Dead or Justified (don't watch Fringe).  The Emmy's have nominated shows that have a sciene fiction feel (Lost, The X-Files) but it appears The Walking Dead was too much for them.  Justified recieved nominations for all of its actors, but not the show?  Does not make much sense, but overall I'd say this category is great.  I am for Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife, and Mad Men.With regards to acting, Hugh Laurie needs to go, his character is more a charicature than developing depth.  Mariska I love ya but "You gotta go!" ...

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Emmy Nomination Predictions: My Predictions and Stats After

Outstanding Drama SeriesBoardwalk EmpireDexterGame of ThronesFriday Night LightsThe Good WifeMad Men6 for 6: This was an easy category to predictOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesSteve Buscemi-Boardwalk EmpireKyle Chandler-Friday Night LightsMichael C. Hall-DexterJohn Hamm-Mad MenHugh Laurie-HouseWilliam H. Macy-Shameless x-Timothy Olyphant5 for 6: I am glad they went with Timothy Olyphant instead of of Williams H. MacyOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesConnie Britton-Friday Night LightsMariska Hargitay-Law & Order: SVUJulianna Marguilles-The Good WifeElisabeth Moss-Mad MenKatey Segal-Sons of Anarchy x-Mirelle Enos-The KillingKyra Sedgwick-The Closer x- Kathy Bates-Harry's Law4 for 6:  Giving Sedgwick the award last year was their way of pushing her away apparently.  Kathy...

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Army, Politics and Angst...oh my!

In the fifth film Voldemort has returned and the Order of the Phoenix starts to assemble once again.  Fourteen years earlier the Order was comprised of people like Lilly and James Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Peter Pettigrew (turned traitor) and some of of our current characters like the Weasleys, Siruius Black, Remus Lupin, Dumbldore, and many more.  This film sets up for the younger generation to learn to defend themselves and be able to fight back. There were several scenes in the films, in which first time Potter director David Yates, used to help make this film visually stunning.  The scene were Harry and the rest of the Order fly through and over London, and the epic battle at the end where the wizards and witches...

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Voldemort is Back!!

Well it only made sense that since I finished the Prisoner of Azkaban that I start watching the next Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  In this film Hogwarts is visited by two other schools for witchcraft and wizardry Beauxbatons (located in France) and Durmstrang (have Russian and Bulgarian students).  This is also the film where Voldemort returns in full force.Beyond the new details of  the plot there is some thing interesting about what JK Rowling has done with the invention of the villain Lord Voldemort; she has created someone so terrifying that characters refer to him as "he who must not be named."  Voldemort is such a complex villain with a dark and twisted past.  The books do a much better...

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: My Favorite Film and Book

The third film is where the darker tones really start to sink in within the books.  Sure the second film had Ginny under a spell of the diary and writing on the walls in blood for Voldemort, but the third book. is where  JK Rowling sets it it all in motion.  In the third book we are introduced to the Dementors who are normally prison guards at Azkaban, but have been tasked with protecting Hogwarts from another new character, Siruius Black.  The Dementors "kiss" makes a person feel as though there is no happiness in the world, everything goes cold, and they suck out your soul.   Remus Lupin the the new defense against the arts teacher (and secretly a werewolf) helps Harry battle his fear of the Dementors and teaches...

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Harry Potter According to Chris Columbus: One Week Until the End

Yesterday I finished my first week of work and Orientation at my new job at Northeastern University.  The week was great but I needed some down time at night just to sit back and relax.  My friends have planned to watch all 7 Harry Potter films before the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is released next Friday.  Last night we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.This series (in book format and film) has been a huge part of my young adult and adult life.  I remember my sister got a copy of the first book when my grandparents returned from their vacation to Cape Cod when I was in the seventh grade.  My sister is not much of a...

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Top Ten Highest Paid Actresses-Is this a Joke?

While reading perezhilton.com today I stumbled upon his listing of the top ten highest paid actresses and they are:1-Angelina Jolie-30 million-I think I get why she is one of the highest paid actresses; she is hot and people go to see her in movies.  Jolie also makes some good films, and although not the best actress has done a great job in some films, but 30 million?! Really?!  This woman's films do not earn that much money.  Only 5 of her films have made over 100 million dollars.  These films were all action films, and she is a central character.  Having a female driven action film make over 100 million is a feet, so I give her credit.  I do not think anyone is worth 30 million dollars!2-Sarah Jessica Parker-30...

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