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popculture-fix · 9 years
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My intention was to only write one post about the Oscars, but there was one more part of the night that I could not ignore.  Did you see Lady Gaga’s stunning performance of a Sound of Music medley?  Did you see how great she looked?  I won’t write a lengthy post, but it is certainly worth mentioning.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music, Lady Gaga was given the honor of performing “The Sound of Music,” “Do Re Mi,” “Edelweiss,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” before the audience of celebrated actors and filmmakers.  One audience member in particular was Julie Andrews, who starred in the iconic film.  She greeted Lady Gaga on stage after the performance and looked so proud.
Rather than applauding Gaga’s performance, many viewers instead made comments like “Where’s the meat dress?” or “Looks like she finally got some talent.”  Of course Lady Gaga is one of the most eccentric artists around, but she is clearly such a talented performer.  She is in fact a classically trained vocalist.  I know she is currently on tour with Tony Bennett, but I would love to see her take on more performances (possibly roles) like this.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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To begin my recap of pop culture events from the last few weeks… The Oscars!
Social justice was quite a movement at this year’s Oscars!  From the Selma performance, to Patricia Arquette’s wage gap mention, to the Citizenfour documentary.  However, what I would like to discuss is Graham Moore’s speech because it can apply to everyone, regardless of race, orientation, political stance, etc...  It moved me.
“When I was sixteen years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt like I did not belong.  Now I’m standing here and so I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere.  Yes you do.  I promise you do.  You do.  Stay weird.  Stay different.”
Perhaps the reason this stood out to me more than the other things was that this was not so much a call to action as it was a call to love yourself.  We hear time and time again from Oscar winners that they struggled with the same problems, but no one has really addressed it on such a platform.  Oscar winners often start out as Oscar viewers so Moore may have reached and inspired the future of the entertainment industry with his brief speech.
His speech is what I would consider the most humble and selfless speech of the night.  He gave his moment to those who need it most.  I have not yet seen The Imitation Game, which Graham Moore won Best Adapted Screenplay for, but I am so pleased he won because I was able to witness this.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Apologies that I haven’t posted for a couple weeks.  I had a vacation and you know how work piles up when you’re gone… I woke up early this morning to write some posts that will recap some events since the last time I posted.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Is Jessica Williams just what the Daily Show needs?
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The Daily Show is in need of a replacement since John Stewart announced he’d be leaving the show after over 15 years of hosting.  Daily Show veterans have already endorsed one person for the job: Jessica Williams.  She is currently a correspondent for the show.
Some people are concerned Williams does not have enough life experience because she is only 25.  She has been working on the Daily Show since 2012 and has covered many serious stories (in a humorous way, of course) with strong insight.  She would bring an entirely new perspective to the show and would certainly shed light on social justice stories that currently receive little attention.
This would be a good move for Comedy Central.  They could use another female host after losing Chelsea Handler.  Williams would certainly attract viewers, even if just to settle curiosity.  They are currently serving the female audience by airing Broad City, but perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to add just a little more estrogen to their line-up.  Not only would Williams grab the interest of women and African Americans, but also young people.  At 25, she is far more relatable than John Stewart, 52.
It doesn’t really seem as if Comedy Central could go wrong with offering Williams the job… Another promising woman to make the list of possibilities is Amy Poehler, who is on the market after the end of Parks and Recreation.  She does have experience delivering news and getting laughs from co-hosting SNL’s Weekend Update.  She would be no disappointment, but it seems as though Jessica Williams has won the viewers’ hearts.  Comedy Central says they have made a short list, but will not comment on it.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Yesterday, Drake surprised fans by “pulling a Beyonce” and releasing If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.  It’s Too Late raises a lot of questions.  Did Drake do this for the shock factor or to release himself from his legal obligations to his record label?  Is this an album or a mixtape?  Is this what was supposed to be Views From The 6 or will he also release that this year?  Will the lack of promotion hurt his sales?
Lil Wayne, friend and mentor to Drake, has been having legal issues with Cash Money who he has been with for decades.  He says when his legal matters are taken care of, he will be taking Drake, as well as Nicki Minaj, with him.  Rumor has it, the two are on board for the departure and this album may have been Drake’s way of saying good-bye to the label.  Could the title of the album be a message to Cash Money?
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On the debate of whether or not this is a mixtape: Although the record had no promotion and isn’t as polished and produced as previous records, it was released on iTunes for $13.  Mixtapes are typically free.  About a month ago, someone close to Drake let it slip that he was planning on releasing a mixtape before his previously announced fourth album, Views From The 6.  Is this the mixtape he spoke of?
While Beyonce had no problem reaching the top of the charts as soon as her surprise album was released, Drake may not be so lucky.  It has been 24 hours since the album was released to iTunes and it has not reached the top 200.  However, his other albums are all performing very well.  I have to wonder if the record sales have to do more with the lack of promotion or, perhaps, the quality of the album.  It has been 24 hours after all… The songs are doing okay on the individual tracks list, which tells me people know it’s available, but for some reason the album just isn’t performing.
As for the album itself, there are a handful of pretty decent songs.  I would personally recommend Energy and 6 PM in New York.  The album doesn’t really hold much weight as a body of work… Some bad decisions were made here.  For example, Legend may have been one of the worst choices as the opener.  It didn’t make me want to keep listening.  The album may have even benefitted from withholding some of the tracks.  In this case, less is more.  
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Are Netflix and Nintendo Teaming Up to Produce a Legend of Zelda Series?
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Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal announced that they have a source that says Netflix and Nintendo are in talks to bring a live action show based on the classic video game to your screen.  Neither company has confirmed this.
Gamers are some of the most passionate fans, which has led to quite a discussion about whether or not a Zelda series would be a good idea.  It seems as though there is not a single fan saying maybe; it is either very promising or the worst idea ever.
Some fans would love to see this game come to life, but others are doubtful for a number of reasons.  Many fans believe Zelda is awesome when it comes to gameplay, but does not provide a strong enough story or complex enough characters to be adapted into a series.  These fans do not realize that a team of skilled writers could be just what the show needs to overcome this problem.
As I predicted before ever doing research, fans are bringing up the miserable 1993 adaptation of Super Mario Bros.  Obviously, the fact that Nintendo has refused to allow another live action adaptation for decades, would mean that they are not willing to let another abysmal production see the light of day.  If Netflix does indeed release a Legend of Zelda series, you can bet it will be far superior to Super Mario Bros.
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Super Mario Bros was not the first franchise to have trouble appealing to audiences.  Most video game adaptations perform alright at best. Some of these adaptations include the Lara Croft movies (average Rotten Tomatoes score of 21%), the Resident Evil movies (average Rotten Tomatoes score of 25%), and Prince of Persia (Rotten Tomatoes score of 36%). Netflix may struggle to break the curse of live action video game adaptations, if they decide to follow through with this project.
The source tells us that the pitch for this series was “a family-friendly Game of Thrones”.  If Netflix can pull that off, they’ll probably have another hit on their hands.  It will be something that kids can watch with their parents who may have grown up with the game, and something that fans will watch, whether out of excitement, curiosity, or to prove their doubts right.  It sounds like it would be Netflix’s first original show to be fit for a large audience… Orange Is The New Black and House Of Cards, family friendly? Ha!
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Ashley Graham: First Plus Sized Model in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Congratulations to Ashley Graham for making history.  She will appear in an advertisement for Swimsuitsforall, which offers swimsuits in sizes 10 – 34.  Graham is proud of her size 16 curvesand isn’t afraid to flaunt them.
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Many people are excited to see this from a magazine that has previously made headlines for featuring Brooklyn Decker and Kate Upton, size 4 and 8 models respectively, which is typically considered too big in that field.  You can find comments on any article proclaiming that SI is finally showing “real women”.
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This leaves me with two fears.
1)   The publicity Graham’s ad is receiving is due to the fact that this is a novelty.  She is an unconventional model that the advertisers and the magazine knew would draw attention to the issue.  As we know, print media is declining rapidly, so there is a need for tactics like this.  This is a problem because the use of diverse models will not become a trend because of this, but on the contrary, will continue to be seen as something that is not normal. 
2)   “Real women?”  What exactly defines a real woman?  The average size of American women today is a size 12-14, but are women who stray from the average less real?  Of course the typical model portrays somewhat unrealistic and often unattainable standards, but why should they be torn down in order to uplift larger women?  Women of any size can be attractive and beautiful.  If more women would stop comparing themselves to other women, they would likely become happier with their bodies.  We must also remember that there are different strokes for different folks.  Not everyone is attracted to plus sized women, but not everyone is attracted to the typical model either.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Commercial Bowl 2015
There are four things to look forward to on Super Bowl Sunday: the food, the game, the halftime show, and the commercials.  The food is gone, the game is over, the halftime show is done, but the commercials live on.  Some of this year’s commercials were funny, some were dark, and some just didn’t quite hit the mark.  Here are the best commercials of the night:
Fiat – This commercial is about a little blue pill and has the tagline “Bigger. More powerful. Ready for action.” Nuff said.
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Loctite – Watch the most unconventional dancers break it down for some funky beats.
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Bud Light – A real life game of Pacman happens and you should be jealous it wasn’t you.
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Budweiser – The puppy is back. Brace yourselves.
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McDonald’s – This was the sweetest commercial.  Through Valentine’s Day, McDonald’s will run a campaign called Pay With Lovin’, where customers will be randomly selected to do something sweet in exchange for their meal. I’m lovin’ it.
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Always – A girl’s self esteem plummets during puberty, but the #LikeAGirl campaign is empowering young women to think highly of themselves. This commercial reminds us that doing anything “like a girl” shouldn’t be an insult.
(see here)
Coca-Cola – After yesterday’s blog, I couldn’t forget about the #MakeItHappy advertisement… The commercial encourages us to spread love instead of hate.
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The NFL notably made an effort to send positive messages to women, certainly because of the domestic abuse cases that have occurred recently.  Despite the fact that this was done for PR, it was an important step to make.  The NFL wants to increase female viewership and commercials about empowering young women, fighting domestic abuse, and discouraging bullying could be its first step to making that happen.
Another trend of the night was hashtags.  While hashtags are not new, Super Bowl Sunday seemed to officially mark the new era of advertisements that heavily depends on consumer interaction.  This leaves me wondering how much of an impact consumers will have on how and what will be produced in the future… Only time will tell.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Although I was looking forward to that W from the Pats, the main event of my night was the Katy Perry halftime performance.  I was not disappointed on either account.  For as long as I’ve been a fan, Katy Perry has been quite the performer, so I thought she was a wonderful choice for tonight’s headliner.  While the decision was confusing to some due to the fact that Katy’s fans don’t necessarily fall into the same demographic as the typical football viewer, theNFL is continuing to reach out to female audiences and younger viewers by choosing her to follow Bruno Mars and Beyonce as halftime performers.
Staying true to her Prismatic World Tour lineup, Perry opened with Roar.  This song never fails to pump up the audience, so there was so much energy in the arena.  Katy rode a metallic lion during Roar, but many people were more interested in what she was wearing.  She is known for her eccentric taste in clothing, so her flame inspired costume shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.
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Perry transitions from Roar into Dark Horse, the portion with the best aesthetic of the night.  Katy, still in her flame attire, contrasts from a sea of silver back up dancers in chess piece costumes.  The stage was designed to look like a chessboard come to life, and the dancers interaction with it was thrilling.
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Suddenly Lenny Kravitz appears to assist with I Kissed A Girl.  Kravitz on guitar and the pyrotechnics in the background give this song a bit of an edge.  As Kravitz sang, I started to wonder if the NFL had him sing this particular song to avoid homophobic backlash because they have been trying to avoid controversy since that infamous wardrobe malfunction of Janet Jackson’s.  Eventually Perry joins Kravitz in the song, though her most notable contribution was the White Snake-esque hair flip.
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Once again, the stage changes.  It becomes a beach and the dancers are dressed as palm trees, beach balls, surfboards, sharks, and waves.  Katy begins to sing Teenage Dream in a new outfit, a primary colored dress-swimsuit hybrid.  The only change from this song and the next, California Girls, is that she brings in polka dot bikini-clad back up dancers.  These two songs perfectly embody the vibe from her Teenage Dream era – young, fun, and colorful.
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This point of the performance came as a pleasant surprise.  No one saw Missy Elliot coming until the background for Get Ur Freak On started playing and she walked on stage.  Katy can now be seen wearing a black oversized jersey-like costume. Elliot provided Perry a chance to rest by having her dance around Missy and the back up dancers.  Best choreography of the night.  Missy briefly performed Lose Control while Katy ran to prepare for the closing of the halftime show.
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Katy cooled the crowd down with the last song of the night, Firework.  She rode through the air on a shooting star wearing a silvery dress.  The best part of this song was the pyrotechnics.  The fireworks shooting throughout the arena were certainly something to see.
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Fun sets, awesome guests, pyrotechnics, oh my! Katy Perry had a great performance and it will surely pay off for her! Both Beyonce and Bruno Mars saw a major spike in sales after their halftime performances. However, Katy is probably more concerned with the girl scout cookies she has been waiting until after tonight's performance to eat!
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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#MakeItHappy
About a week ago, I watched a video by Kaelyn (from YouTube channel Kaelyn and Lucy) discussing the trend of cyber bullying and its consequences. I loved seeing this video because I rarely see YouTube personalities actually addressing this issue. As we know, ignoring a problem is not a solution.
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In Kaelyn’s video, she makes a comparison between cyber bullying and an episode of Derren Brown: The Experiments, in which anonymous audience members are given the opportunity to make decisions on whether positive or negative events will happen during an actual person’s night. The majority of the audience chose the negative events every time, even when the choices escalated to the extreme event of being kidnapped by a group of thugs. I’ve never understood the point of anonymous negativity because it won’t do the sender any good and can only hurt the receiver. Why do people seem to enjoy making other people feel bad? Do they think it’s funny? Does it make people feel powerful?
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Kaelyn extended a challenge to the haters. The next time they feel the urge to leave a nasty comment, instead find something they really like and leave a positive one. OR if they could not deny the urge to leave that nasty comment, take responsibility for it by revealing themselves and being open to any retaliation that might come their way. Both of those are amazing solutions because it would either spread love instead of hate or make the person realize what they are doing to others when they inevitably get a dose of their own medicine.
Today, I watched another video addressing the same issue by Hannah Hart (from YouTube channel MyHarto) in which popular YouTubers read mean tweets about themselves. The personalities seemed to take the negative comments in stride, after mentioning how many they receive. I loved that following the negative comments, Hannah had them read a positive tweet. It is easy to only think about the negativity, but we should all remember that so many people just want to encourage and uplift others.
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In Hannah’s video, she advertises Coca-Cola’s new movement #MakeItHappy. This campaign will appear during the Super Bowl commercials tonight, which I think is amazing after last year’s controversial America Is Beautiful commercial.
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The advertisement(s) tonight will probably look something like this adorable video featuring the Kid President. 
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Let’s be thankful for the direction some people and companies are headed. Don’t forget to think twice before sending something hurtful and check out popculture-fix tomorrow for a recap of tonight’s Super Bowl ads.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Tonight marks the return of TGIT! Shondaland left us in a pit of despair during the mid-season hiatus with questions like:
How will Jackson and April deal with the news about their baby?
What does Derek's decision mean for MerDer?
So... War?
Huck, Quinn, and Jake?
What will Annalise do next?
What's in store for Wes, Connor, Laurel, and Michaela?
Check out popculture-fix next week for a recap of tonight's episodes!
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
I'm sure by now, most of us have heard about the upcoming Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but for those of us who have not.. The Office actress Ellie Kemper stars as the title character along with former 30 Rock cast members Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess. This series was created, written, and produced by the amazing Tina Fey. My assesment is that if you are a fan of comedies like 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, and The Office, you might love this too. It doesn't appear that it will rely as heavily on a strong ensemble, but if the people involved indicate anything, it will be worth watching.
The series revolves around Kimmy Schmidt, who was part of an underground doomsday cult for the past fifteen years.  She is released from her underground home, and upon discovering the world never ended, decides to part ways with her cult members in order to become a member of society in New York City.  Along her journey, she meets colorful characters and adjusts to life as a young woman in 21st century NYC.
I’m reminded a little of Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23.  Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has the young, naïve woman giving New York City her best shot and is not afraid to include some clever, satirical, funny-because-it’s-true, offensive humor.  The difference to me looks like Kimmy Schmidt will make New York City mold to her, rather than becoming the stereotypical newcomer who learns to blend in with the fast-walking, taxi-stealing, cold and unforgiving crowd.  I loved the line Kimmy delivers about her attitude: “Life beats you up.  You can either curl up in a ball and die or you can stand up and say, ‘We’re different and you can’t break us!’” 
Another thing I truly appreciate about the trailer is that the main character’s love life does not seem to be anywhere near the most important part of the storyline.  Of course that will be included in the series, as they included a couple brief shots of possible love interests, but who’s mad about that?  It is very important for young women watching this show to know that it’s perfectly normal to date, but it isn’t the only thing worth worrying about. 
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt looks like it will be very relatable for anyone, particularly women, who knows what it’s like to move to the Big Apple after growing up anywhere else.  There is no city like NYC, so she is bound to see unusual characters on public transportation, questionable actions from strangers, performances unlike any she has ever seen before, and meet people from literally everywhere else in the world.
This series was originally set to air on NBC, but Netflix acquired two seasons, showing great confidence by the video streaming company.  I’m quite sure Netflix will deliver, and we’ll get the chance to find out for ourselves when the first season of the series is released on March 6th.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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SAG's Bad Decision
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On Sunday night, Viola Davis was presented with the Screen Actors Guild Award for her Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series.  She stars in ABC’s newest hit, How To Get Away With Murder.  I love this show and Davis definitely deserves praise for her part in it, but I was left unsatisfied with the decision made by the Screen Actors Guild.  The nominees were:
Claire Danes – Homeland
Viola Davis – How To Get Away With Murder
Juliana Margulies – The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany - Orphan Black
Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey
Robin Wright – House of Cards 
Tatiana Maslany should have received this award for her massive contributions to Orphan Black.  This seems to be the show that you should be watching, but you’re probably not.  Whenever I mention Orphan Black, the following conversation tends to be me recommending the show, rather than two people discussing how amazing it is. Fortunately for me, those same people tend to watch (and love) the show based on my description, leaving me with real people to talk to, instead of the faceless internet people. The point is, the only possible excuse I can think of for not choosing Tatiana Maslany is the comparatively smaller audience than How To Get Away With Murder.
Orphan Black is about Sarah, who witnesses a deadly incident involving a woman who looks just like her.  In all the confusion of that incident, Sarah manages to steal this doppelganger’s belongings, allowing her to steal the woman’s identity.  Sarah, however, discovers this brings more trouble than it’s worth.  Eventually, Sarah discovers that she is one of many clones.  Being aware of this puts her, as well as the clones she comes in contact with, in danger.
Orphan Black has aired for two seasons, with a third to begin airing very soon!  In the two seasons available, Maslany portrayed five major roles simultaneously, as well several minor roles.  There is Sarah – a rebel with a British accent and undying love for her daughter.  Then there’s Alison – a soccer mom with an affinity for crafts and a substance abuse issue.  Cosima – a hippie scientist with an interest in women.  Helena – a Ukranian assasin raised as a prisoner by religious nuts, who doesn’t know when to stop eating.  Finally, Rachel – a cunning business woman with boundless resources and no morals to get in her way.
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Maslany crafted a specific accent, posture, and set of facial expressions (just as a few examples) for each character.  She constantly sits through countless wardrobe, makeup, and hair changes while being able to keep each of her characters straight.  I imagine it must be very difficult maintaining all of these different facets while giving such stunning performances as three to five to maybe seven characters within a given storyline.  In addition, it is not uncommon for one of the clones to pretend to be another clone, and I couldn’t begin to explain how unbelievable it is to see Maslany portraying one character pretending to be another.  Her talent blows me away.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t want to discredit Viola Davis’ performance in How To Get Away With Murder.  The show is extremely well written, which takes some of the burden off Davis in the complex world Shonda Rhimes built.  However, what Maslany is doing is portraying complex characters in a complex world. This earns Maslany more points in my book. Considering this is an acting award, Maslany seems to be the clear choice.  And if Viola Davis, for some reason had to get the award, could we not have at least gotten this girl an award for Outstanding Ensemble?
I may be disappointed by SAG’s decision, but I’m happy that Maslany and Orphan Black are at least receiving the attention they deserve after being snubbed last year.  Knowing Orphan Black is returning for season 3 on April 18th soothes the pain a little too.
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popculture-fix · 9 years
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Music Video of the Month: Sugar by Maroon 5
Everyone has been obsessed with the controversy surrounding Sia’s Elastic Heart Music video this month, but my selection for Music Video of the Month is Maroon 5’s Sugar.  The premise for this video is the band crashing weddings in order to be the surprise performers at the reception.  I have to say I really liked the concept and it was executed well!
The opening of the video surprised me, as I noticed that the guys decided to go in a different direction than their signature tank top-and-jeans look.  They looked so suave dressed to the nines, riding around Los Angeles in a beautiful Dart GT Convertible.
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Maroon 5 crashed quite a few weddings in this video, but what surprised me was that they were not all staged.  Maroon 5 did, in fact, crash actual weddings, giving me hope that maybe something half as cool would happen at my own wedding.  Originally, the band was supposed to be a surprise, but out of respect to the newlyweds, they decided to inform the grooms, leaving the brides in for an exciting reception.  There is one shot of a bride mouthing “WTF” because she could not believe what was happening.
I assumed the concept for the Sugar video was inspired by Adam Levine’s recent nuptials to Victoria's Secret model, Behati Prinsloo, but you know what happens when you assume… As it turns out, Levine is a friend of director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers).  Levine made a call and Dobkin took the lead on the music video.  They took the concept from Wedding Crashers, tweaked it a bit, and the Sugar music video was born!
I liked but did not mention: The confetti cannon!  If you ask my fiancé, you will learn that I was not willing to say ‘yes’ to a proposal without a glitter or confetti cannon, so I was happy to see it incorporated into a marriage-themed video.
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I did not like but did not mention: The shameless promotion of The Voice!  We all know by now that Levine is a judge for the singing competition… I don’t want to shame him for doing this, but I can’t help it.
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When it comes down to it, I really loved this music video! The wardrobe! The car! The time lapse shot! The confetti! The feeling I got when the brides realized Maroon 5 was their wedding band! It wasn't too deep or artistic, but Sugar was certainly fun to watch!
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