Kill Your Darlings or The One With All The Spoilers

Some people think it was Whitman, others Stephen King...but I think William Faulkner said it first. "In writing, you must kill all your darlings." And that's what this blog is all about, kind of...TV Deaths.

Such a darling, they had to bring him back.

I will be giving away spoilers. Lots of them. I will do my best to label each section of the blog with what shows I am discussing in order to spare you in case you are not caught up.

If killing your darlings makes for good writing, these next shows did it up right. Some deaths were shocking, others we saw coming, but all of them were devastating.

Who Died 

Spoilers for The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey (Season 3), 90210, Six Feet Under, Game of Thrones, Dexter, Desperate Housewives, ER, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

ER-Dr. Green-He was the heartbeat of the show, and I stopped watching ER when he died. Consequently, I can never hear that version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" the same way again.
Game of Thrones-Eddard Stark-I thought the entire show was going to center around him! And it did. Until it didn't.
LOST-Charlie, Sun, Jin-A lot of people died on this show (eventually most of them). But these three deaths were particularly tough to watch. Charlie's heroic death showed the evolution of his rock star character beautifully. While losing Sun and Jin was just sad because of how their love grew and changed while on the island.
Grey's Anatomy-Lexie, McSteamy, Denny, Henry-Gosh, the list of deaths on this show is a little alarming. I didn't even name them all. But these were a few of the "darlings." We've discussed in detail the most recent deaths, but two of the most shocking for me were Denny and the more recent, Henry. Both were so loved and both came as kind of a surprise, keeping true love and happiness away from both Izzie and Teddy.

This was seriously shocking.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer-Tara, Buffy's Mom-Tara's death in this show made me cry harder than any death I've ever seen on a show before. It is maybe one of the most shocking deaths I've ever seen. And the way the show explored grief in light of Buffy's mom's death was brilliant and heartbreaking. Way to go Joss Whedon!
Downton Abbey-Sybil- Yep. Talk about killing a darling. I won't give more details, since this is not even common knowledge in America yet...but it's a tough one.
The Walking Dead-Lori-I knew either Lori or the baby had to go, and no one wants to see a baby die, so...naturally it had to be her. The way it happened was pretty rough and will no doubt have a lasting effect on Carl, and even Rick who has been an asshole to her all season.
Six Feet Under-Nate-A death has never angered me as much as this one. I think because of who he was with when it happened...I always held out hope for him and Brenda. Thank God he reincarnated as Adam Braverman.

There's a lot of death represented in this picture.

Dexter-Rita-I didn't see it coming until Dexter was walking into his house. The episode should have been over. And then it hit me....Rita. And it was just so horrifying.
Desperate Housewives-Mike-Why on earth couldn't the writers let Mike live! When he was shot on that porch, I couldn't believe that Susan was going to end up alone again. I mean...so much angst!
90210-Scott-This might be the first death that surprised me on TV. Scott wasn't a main character, but he was innocent and sweet and David's friend. When he accidentally shot himself, I couldn't believe it had actually happened. Of course the episode was agenda driven with a gun safety message, but it was still pretty eye opening for my teenage self at the time.

These next shows tried to trick us. Maybe they came to the brink but chickened out, maybe ratings plummeted, whatever the reason, these are some shows that almost killed someone off.

Who Almost/Seemingly Died

Spoilers for Glee, Dallas, Revenge, Grey's Anatomy, Lost

Glee-Quinn-Texting and driving isn't always fatal.
Dallas-Bobby-Turning entire seasons of TV shows into dreams.
Revenge-Victoria-So the plane crash that supposedly killed her, didn't.
Grey's Anatomy-Meredith-She did technically die, but aside from giving us some insight into her dark and twisty brain, this moment mostly served the show by jumping the shark.
Lost-Juliet-This woman had 9 lives. She kept getting in situations that should have killed her, but managed to hold out for a while before actually biting the bullet.

Oh, I thought I was watching Grey's not Lost...oh, wait, what?

These next shows have/had potential to rock our worlds. Here's a few ideas of how I think they could/should do it.

Who Needs To Die/Should Have Died

There are no spoilers here, only speculations.

Glee-Quinn-For all of Glee's hard hitting agendas, they sure did let up on this one pretty easily. Think about it. It wouldn't have been that horrible to kill her off. I mean, I like Quinn, I actually like her a lot. Which is THE WHOLE POINT. She's a darling! If you want to teach kids not to text and drive, do more than put her in a wheelchair for a few weeks. Let's see how Mr. Shue comes up with the appropriate funeral songs...or better yet, let's just all be silent for a minute and reflect on the seriousness of Quinn dying because of a stupid text message.
Revenge-Nolan or Jack-If you really want to kill a darling, these two need to go. Raise the stakes a little here and let's see what happens to Emily and Amanda with Jack out of the picture. Who has Emily's back once Nolan is dead. It's time for something drastic to happen. I don't want Victoria dead because if that ever happens (and it has to with a title like Revenge), it has to be at the hands of Emily.

Like this, only at the end.

Dexter-Dexter or Deb-I'm less than thrilled with this season of Dexter, I always thought the show should END with a confrontation between Dexter and Deb, which would be awesome and terrifying and just...epic. But here we are. I believe that either Dexter or Deb must die, and preferably one will kill the other. I know that's pretty hard hitting, but if you want us to take it seriously, then it has to be serious.
Criminal Minds-Reid or Garcia-The thing about crime shows is that they can just keep going and going. But this one actually has a good character arc within the week to week case solving. Reid and Garcia are the ones we love the most and their deaths would no doubt shake up the show. I think Reid could be on the chopping block for this season...
SVU-Olivia-Without Olivia, there is no SVU now that Stabler's gone. But statistics alone show that being the primary officer for 14 years on 304 cases (and those are just the ones we get to see on TV) Olivia would probably be hurt if not killed by now.

Which TV death made you cry, shocked you, or made you relieved? Who would you like to see killed off?

Stop the Hate: Otherwise Known As, "Did We Even Read The Same Book?"--By Carmen

If you are not a fan of the Twilight novels, stop reading this post now.  No really, stop, go do something else.  Come back tomorrow for some non-Twilight related Weekend Fat.

Now, everybody who's still reading should either like Twilight or be on the fence.  Okay….  

I am not a hater.  I can usually find a redeeming quality in almost anything.  I think it comes from being a teacher.  A kid can be a failing terror in the classroom but you still have to come up with something positive to tell the parents.  So I don’t understand how people can be so against something and only see the bad in it.

I saw a pin on Pinterest of a blog post entitled 10 Books you must read to your daughter (or How to keep your daughter from ending up like that horrid girl from Twilight) Here is an excerpt:

“What if someday she wants to read Stephanie Meyer’s literary atrocity, the Twilight series? You know the one, the books featuring a non-descript female protagonist who, in addition to having no interests or talents of any kind (other than smelling delicious to a sparkly 100-year-old vampire), is helpless, boring, and basically suicidal when her 100-year-old sparkly vampire boyfriend breaks up with her? Yeah, those books. So, I’m coming up with a reading list containing female characters that could put a smack down on Bella Swan any day of the week and reveal what a real woman looks like.”

Wow! This lady clearly did not like Twilight.

It is no secret that I liked the Twilight novels.  It wasn’t the great American novel, but it was a fun read with interesting characters. I really think this write was so clouded with hatred she missed some key points.  Here they are.

1. Bella was her mom’s emotional caretaker even in childhood; she had to grow up fast because her mom was basically a flake.
2. Bella came to live with her dad after years with her mom.  It was the right thing to do to help her mom’s new marriage. 
3. She was a caretaker for her dad too.
4. Bella kept an important secret to protect Edward’s family. 
5. When Bella flees to Phoenix it is apparent she cares more for her parent’s safety than her own and in the end her friends also. (This is seen in Twilight and Eclipse)
6. She worked a job to make money for herself, even though her boyfriend would have taken care of anything she needed or wanted, any whim she had.
7. After being heartbroken she picked up her life and moved on the only way she knew how. She made new friends and had new experiences. She even got her grades up in school.
8. Bella flew halfway around the world to keep Edward alive in Italy, even though she believed there was nothing in it for her.
9. Bella took her punishment from her father for leaving the country without complaint.  And continued to keep Edward’s family’s secret.
10. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save Edward in his fight against Victoria. Cutting her arm was the only choice her mortal body allowed her and she took it with only Edward in her thoughts.
11. She seriously considered the validity of marriage before saying “Yes”
12. Bella maintained her virginity until marriage (whether she really wanted to or not).
13. Bella continued a hard pregnancy she could have easily aborted.
14. She stood by her husband’s family when they were attacked
15. Bella fought for her child’s future against an unstoppable enemy.

And to answer the no interest or talent comment.  

1. Bella was an avid reader (and of the classics no less).

I know Bella oddly passed out the first time Edward kissed her. And I know that she fell apart when Edward left.  It is tough to lose the love of your life.  I had a tough breakup once too.  I cried a lot.  But eventually you move on.

Now, here is why I think people don’t like Twilight.  There is no moral point, or deeper meaning.   It is just a fictional story.  Believe it or not everyone in life is not a “strong” person.  That’s life.  People looking for a role model in all their stories, can’t even turn to the Bible for that.  There are flawed people everywhere (yes you who don’t like Twilight and are still reading, you are flawed, you didn’t follow directions). And Stephenie Meyer was a mom of three young children who hadn’t written anything in years.  She was inspired by a dream and wrote a best seller.  I wish I could turn some of my crazy vivid dreams into a best seller.  Don’t you? She created a whole new mythology.  If you don’t like Twilight or Stephenie (which all of you do because you are still reading this) don’t spend your money and time on it.  Leave everyone else alone. Stop the Hate.

So, sorry unnamed blog lady…. If my daughter wants to read Twilight or (gasp) turns out like Bella, I’d be just fine with that.

Downton Abbey: An Education

I’ve written before about my distaste for British Period Pieces, British Drama, and pretty much anything in line with that genre outside of the ever-sacred Sense and Sensibility. But when the majority of my closest friends are watching a show, it stands to reason I should check it out. Especially when my friend and fellow blogger, Romelle, wrote this letter to me concerning my disinterest. Being in China it’s easy to find pretty much any kind of movie or TV show you are interested in online. So, the other day I decided to watch just to see if it would put me to sleep or if I would get hooked. This was my second attempt at watching by the way, the first failed miserably. I just wasn't "in the mood."

But this time around, I loved it.

In fact, I am almost done with the 3rd season which hasn’t even premiered in America yet! (Thanks China!) 

So here’s a crash course in what made me fall for Downton Abbey.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary.

1. Literature

Maybe it’s my background in literature combined with my love for relationships, but if a show is going to hook me in, it’s usually going to be on the character level first. Plot is important, but if I think the people are interesting, I will usually watch something in spite of a boring or even stagnant plot line. (Which is why I am still watching Grey’s Anatomy) Downton offers some great characters with some real depth and even mystery. It’s easy to assume you’ve seen how a lady of the house would act or how a maid might respond to a certain situation, and yet, each and every time Downton has pleasantly surprised me by giving characters unpredictable yet feasible actions. My favorite character hands down is Mary. (I bet you thought I’d say Anna or Sybil.) I like them both a lot, but Mary surprises me the most on the show. I love the balance (or contradiction) of confidence, arrogance, vulnerability, self-protection, dignity, and even humility she somehow manages. I love her sense of right and wrong and how it grows and changes. I also love Cora. I LOVE to watch her talk, I love her voice. True confession, I try to imitate it sometimes. I like her complexity. Bates, while seemingly wonderful is a tad TOO mysterious and TOO good to give into crushing on him. And don't even get me started on Thomas. I could go on and on about who I like and who I don’t but the bottom line is that I am caught up in these people.

And Lord help the sister, that comes between me and my man!

2. Design

My history in design is limited. I worked at an Antiques and Gift shop in New Orleans for a little over 2 years, and during that time the owners taught me everything they could about interior design. My mother has a natural eye for arranging wall hangings and flowers and furniture, so I like to think some of it has passed on to me too. But when it comes to the Fashion part of design, I am close to clueless. I know what I think looks good, but I don’t know why. And yet when it comes to Downton Abbey, I cannot get enough of the colors and fabrics and the look of things. From the rooms to the gowns to the hats and hair, I am hypnotized by the beauty of this show. It’s not that it’s flashy, in fact sometimes it’s muted and subtle. The characters each have distinctive style, and I mentioned Mary is my favorite, so are her clothes. I want to wear more deep reds and gray’s!

A true lady indeed.

3. Chemistry

The way the characters relate to each other is fascinating. There are loyal pairs that you would never suspect. Cora with O’Brien, Carson and Mary, Bates and Robert, and more. But the chemistry between the people IN the house and the people OF the house is wonderful. No one ever forgets their place, even if they do choose to ignore it from time to time. The blending of these two classes that live under one roof with all of their various situations is something I love to watch unfold. 

She's having a baby...or is she?

4. History

The show takes place during the early 1900’s and the writers are good to bring in historical events and work them into the show. Now, I know Downton has been criticized for not being totally accurate or situated rightly with language and lingo, but I can get past all that simply because it’s clever. I actually enjoy the segment of time the show explores because it is right before technology really begins to take over. Watching them adapt to a telephone was brilliant. This is also when women are beginning to speak up for themselves, which I enjoy watching of course. But chivalry is still alive and well, so that’s nice too. I think the most interesting thing to watch in relation to historical implications is the way that the family in the house tends to criticize the “the help” for being....well, “the help.” When in truth, should there be no help, life for the family would change tremendously. And yet, jobs are available and making one’s way in the world is becoming more easy every day. I love watching the family accept, judge, and rely on the maids and footmen. 

Bros before bows.

5. Psychology

The problems of the Crawley family are largely the same as other families. Robert has 3 daughters he doesn’t know how to control, who run all over him. His staff gossips and gets sick and moves to other jobs. Cora has two beautiful daughters who are often sought after and yet must ask herself if the other will be happy in love someday. Money doesn’t solve all problems, and the show proves that. There is also the push and pull of relationships. The betrayal of sisters, the undermining of staff, the unrequited (or at least postponed) love. And lastly, I adore the questions of integrity/honor that come up during the show. There are obviously rules in a house like this, and yet everyone in the house will break them for various reasons, some noble, some not. I like to watch the fluctuating  ethics that often depend on the strength of relationships. 

Oh, and it also makes me cry almost every episode. 

So I think I just laid out a pretty good course schedule, or at least a few decent arguments as to why I am impressed and pleasantly surprised by Downton Abbey. For those of you NOT across a pond, but firmly planted in America, I can tell you that the Season 3 does not disappoint, though it does raise the stakes emotionally. Maybe I should add a few courses to prepare you... ;)

Are you watching Downton Abbey? 

Who is your favorite character? 

What do you love the most about it? 

If you don’t love it, please share! I’d love to argue with you!

My Team-By Vicky

You’ve probably played it at least once.  We may call it something different, but I refer to it as “My Team.”  It may have been a Facebook game, you might have pondered it when you were watching Zombieland or considered the situation when debating whether or not to read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies .  Who you would want around you during a Zombie Apocalypse?  Who would you trust?  This hypothetical group usually consists of people you know and characters from movies/TV shows.  

I’ll give you an example, my example.  If the Zombie Apocalypse happened, I would want the following people on “My Team.”  

1. My husband, Paul.  He and I have discussed extensively about what would go down if one of us were bitten and we know what to do.  Say goodbye, I love you, and then it’s a bullet to the brain.  Don’t even let me turn.  We agree on this 100%.
2. My dogs, Chance and Reese.  They would protect us and keep us warm.  
3. My best friend, Natalie.  I would want her around at the end of the world.
4. My friend, Gary.  He’s a badass.  Enough said.
5. Another friend, Greyson.  Doctor and lifelong friend, check.
6. The group from Zombieland.  They are all awesome and hanging out with Emma Stone/Wichita wouldn’t suck.  
7. A few people I don’t care much about as bait.  (You know you need it, don’t judge me).
8. Daryl Dixon

Yup.

For those of you who don’t know, Daryl Dixon is a character on AMC’s The Walking Dead.  This is a show about zombies and the people who are left behind after the infection.  It is intense to say the least and though I am not a fan of gore and horror, the stories of the living are compelling.  I am absolutely obsessed, waiting all week for Sunday to roll around so I can found out what the hell is going to happen to my misfit band of zombie survivors.  

Daryl Dixon is my favorite character.  Warning, some spoilers ahead.  He started out with as a smaller role in Season One, but by Season Two he had become a part of the group and worked his way into my heart.  He is a badass, he cares despite himself, and he protects people who left his brother cuffed on top of a building for goodness sake.  He’s a southern boy who knows how to handle a crossbow and his determination to find Sophia was downright heartbreaking.  

Daryl has grown from the annoying little brother of bad-boy Merle to an important and intricate member of the group.  He has become Rick’s right hand man; he has taken on some of the burdens that have plagued the group and Rick relies on his skills and instinct more than anyone else in the group.  He had an intense moment in the woods during the search for Sophia, but came out better for it in the end.  I adore him and I would want him on my team, even if he was having a broody moment.

Truer words have never been memed.

So if you haven’t watched The Walking Dead and think that maybe you wouldn’t be interested, let me just tell you as a person who doesn’t like zombies and gore, it is a show worth watching.  The makeup alone is amazing, but the characters, storyline, and relatable fantasy really make it worth the watch.  So go on, it’s available on Netflix, On Demand, online.  Jump on the bandwagon and don’t be afraid, Daryl Dixon will protect you.

Just had to throw in one more picture...

Who would you want on “Your Team” for the Zombie Apocalypse?  Who’s your favorite character on The Walking Dead?  

Secret Pinterest Boards I Have Been Waiting To Make

I am a huge fan of Pinterest. I remember learning about it in early 2011 and slowly discovering how it works. I wrote blogs about it and got lots of other people hooked. In no way do I consider myself to be cutting edge, but I do like to think on some things I'm an early adopter. Pinterest was one of those things. By the summer, my boards were set up and titled, all beginning with the letter "w." I do it cause I can. Here is a screen shots of my current boards:

I think they are mostly pretty self-explanatory, but sometimes even I get confused between "wishes" and "wanting." 

So recently Pinterest has offered a new feature. Secret boards! I think it's brilliant in light of Christmas right around the corner. And most people will use this new feature for just that. Pinning gift ideas for their friends and family. It's really a great idea.

But gifts are not the first thing that came to mind for my secret boards. Here are a few more realistic secret Pinterest boards I will probably make:

Pictures Of Zac Efron

All The Food I Want To Eat When I'm Out Of China

Women I Say Are Too Skinny But Wouldn't Mind Looking Like

Clothes I Will Never Be Able To Afford

Clothes I Will Never Fit Into

What I Really Want To Say To People
Lies I Tell Myself

3500 Uses For Binder Clips

Why No One Will Ever Marry Me

Quotes That Are Not Bible Verses But Should Be

Kristen Stewart Faces

Spelling Errors My Friends Make That I Can't Bring Myself To Correct To Their Faces

Tattoos I Like But Don't Want My Mom To Worry I Will Actually Get

Horrible Design Mistakes In My Friends' Homes

Horrible Parenting Mistakes My Friends' Make

How To Silently Judge Your Friends With Secret Pinterest Boards (maybe that's more of a blog)

Place I Have Never Been But Say That I Have
What I Really Want Out Of Life

My Private Pity Party

Now....to rework those so that they all start with the letter "w." 

           What boards will you be making in light of the new 

                                 Secret Pinterest Feature?

TV That Surprised Me

Every once in a while I get surprised by a TV show. Usually you can tell by who the creator/writer or who stars in it what it will be like. But sometimes you just can't know until...you just know.

BAD surprises:
When I was in college I took a bowling class. I am a pretty good bowler. So imagine my surprise at midterm when I had a low B in the class. I asked the teacher why, and he said that I hadn't shown any improvement. I was nailing strikes left and right but when you start strong, it's hard to have anywhere to go. That's what happened with these next two shows. Revenge and Once Upon A Time both came out of the gate with amazing first seasons. When I took a screen writing class, the teacher told us that the first thing you have to know about any character in order to care about them is to know what they want. We knew that Emily wanted to avenge her Father and Henry wanted Emma to believe him.

They really jumped the shark balcony early on this one...

In season 2 of these shows, I'm not really sure what anyone wants. So many added characters make them both feel like Jane Austen books. All those characters so fast mean I really don't care about them that much anymore. No one is special, and I have no idea what anyone wants anymore. Both shows started out with laser focus and got too broad. A show with staying power will start broad and get laser focused on various story lines from time to time. Take Parenthood or Grey's Anatomy for example. There are broad things happening within the larger cast, but different shows focus in on different characters and then go broad again. I think Revenge will make it 3 seasons, but I'm not sure Once Upon A Time will come back. Especially with both of these shows being on Sunday which is kind of the golden night of TV this year: Walking Dead, 666 Park Avenue, Dexter, Homeland, NFL, Nova, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, House, and Storage Wars.

Who are you and what have you done with...anyone we care about?

I shouldn't say I'm surprised by Glee. You can tell Glee is slowing down by how many guest appearances are being made. Sure Kate Hudson showed up early on, but remember the 2nd and 3rd season when every celebrity around wanted to be on the show? Trying to keep one eye on NYC and other on Ohio has us confused as to what we are really supposed to care about. And keeping the stories intertwined is going to be difficult. It could so easily become Smash, except Smash does Smash better than Glee can do Smash. So the thing about Glee is that it can revive itself so easily. It still has the fan base, it still has the characters, and it still has the music. If the show lets go of the "issues" that drive it and starts to embrace the people, gets laser focused on them and their families, gets us rooting for them again, and reminds us what it is that they really want, it can thrive. If it keeps on as is, it will barely survive.

GOOD surprises:
Scary TV is IN. American Horror Story and The Walking Dead have upped the ante from the suspenseful crime dramas and launched kind of a new genre of TV. 666 Park Avenue falls into this new category. Think Gossip Girl meets American Horror Story. The characters are solid and have enough mystery to keep it going. The spook factor is good. And the protagonist is smart and has gumption. Each episode plays around with a story from the past, which is good for the haunted part of the show, but I want to see more plot movement for the overall arc. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the substance of this show.

Seriously, this show makes me laugh OUT LOUD.

By now you know I prefer drama to comedy. It's not that I don't like comedy, it's that it's REALLY hard to find good comedy. Well, I've found two this season that I love. My friend Joni introduced me to Two Broke Girls, and EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A LAUGH TRACK, I love it. The girls compliment each other well. The banter is typical sit-com banter, quick and punny, but something about it on this show seems a little more real. The sexual innuendo is less innuendo and more in your face, but the friendship between the girls and the set up of the show is brilliant. Now don't judge me for this next one. I love Jamie Gertz, and might have been the only person who felt sorry for her in the movie Twister. Her new show is The Neighbors. Yes, it's about aliens. I know, I KNOW! But you guys...it's really funny. I love all the actors and actresses. I've been showing it to my students here in China and they get a kick out of it. It's clean and funny and the writers have done a great job of creating a great culture of aliens...starting with naming them all after professional athletes!

The only thing that'd make this better is if it were Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood.

Nashville might be my most surprising show of the season. I never watched Friday Night Lights, but Connie Britton stole my heart in American Horror Story last year. So when I heard she was going to be on this show, even though I spent a really awful 10 months in Nashville, I decided to check it out. Britton is great and so is Hayden Panettiere, and they are doing their own singing. Elvis Costello and John Paul White from the Civil Wars are writing some of the songs, so the music is fabulous. I'm a sucker for a show about music, you know. But this one has rivalry, scandal, and historical music references. It's seriously good TV.

What TV shows have surprised you this season? 

Which ones bombed? Which ones are you loving?

Words I Can't Spell

My friend Melissa might remember that great day in Mrs. Cope's 5th grade class when a few selected kids of Pepperell Elementary School (for those of you who are not natives to the Opelika/Auburn, Alabama area, that's where the Outback Steakhouse is now) got to travel uptown to Martin (which might be called Northside now, but who even knows...anyway, it's the school by the Monkey Park...tell me they still call the park that name...) ANYWAY, I'm losing momentum here. The bottom line is that we got to go participate in a district wide Spelling Bee. I was the 48th kid to spell a word that day and the word was carpenter. I spelled it like this: C-A-R-P-E-N-T-A-R. I became a Christian not long after that. I think I had to make it up to Jesus somehow.

Spelling has gotten easier over the years. I love that there's the red line of the computer that suggests what I'm trying to spell might be wrong. There's also Google which is my preferred method of spell check. But all this computer assistance has also made me doubt myself a lot more in actual handwriting. Yes, I still hand write. I love nothing more than blank pages and pens and letters. I love writing letters. At least, I love them when I don't make a spelling mistake. And please understand, I am not referring to grammar mistakes, only spelling mistakes. For those of you who consider yourselves my friends and are STILL messing up you're and your...we need to talk about this. No seriously...let's talk about it right now. I'm a teacher, I have to address it.

I try not to do this to my friends because even though I love being right and I love smart people, we all mess up sometimes and I never want to assume that you don't know. Oh and also, I want friends. But this little text messaging pic below is soooo perfectly what I find myself wanting to do sometimes. Seriously, if I haven't corrected you on this, you can just know that you have gotten a total pass and I really really must love you.

If you can replace it with "you are" then it's you're. 

The best phrase I've seen to remember this: 

Grammar: The difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit. 

See...the shit belongs to you. You don't want to be it. Your is possessive. It MUST own something. Your mom. Your house. Your right to think I am completely obnoxious for stopping to make this point on a pop-culture blog. You're probably right. (See what I did there?) 

Also, one more thing, so you know it's not you, it's me. When I see this mistake on legit blogs or online mags or anywhere that someone is getting paid to write, I seriously lose my shit. I have been known to reply via Twitter to places that make these mistakes with the simple phrase, "You hired an idiot, and yet I can't find a job..." By the way, that's about the most passive aggressive you'll ever see me, but it's really hard to watch such a simple errors being made and not be able to do anything about it. Kinda like watching Auburn football this season. 

Ok...now that that's been dealt with...here are some of the words/names that I frequently spell wrong. Please know I Googled EVERY SINGLE ONE to double check before writing them.

While she barely deserves to have her name spelled correctly, Scarlett Johansson is one I can never get right. I think her nickname is ScarJo, but I want to call her Boobs McWhore. Either one works I think.

Apparently I have been spelling Courteney Cox as Courtney forever. This came to me as I edited a post last night with her name in it. As I write this the suggested red line is under the correct spelling...just saying. I did finally realize that Jennifer Aniston is not Anniston, so that's progress.

Business. Where in my brain did this word try to become buisness? There's an SNL skit from a few years ago about this word in a Spelling Bee. I've attached the video, though it's not great quality. Anyway, it's one of my favorite! If you are ever around me and my friend Julie for more than...oh, a day, you will hear us use lines from this. It's funny because it's true!

The words guard, guarantee, and pretty much anything else with a gua combination...guava, guacamole, nope...no, it's just those two...that have me second guessing myself every time. The u and a have gotten reversed in my head.

Gwenyth gets me every time. In fact, her name and many others are on this quiz that I just took. I am ashamed to tell you that I got 8 wrong out of 15.

And pretty much any word with more than one set of double letters in it is going to give me fits. Except for Mississippi. I got that one. But Massachusetts...I can't spell it OR say it without cussing a little at the end.

Am I totally alone on these? 

What's your go-to method of Spell Check? 

Did I make an ironic mistake during my your/you're rant? 

Songs I Learned To Love--By Vicky

I consider myself a pretty open person. I try to approach new things with the hope that I will enjoy them.  Sometimes I fail.  Miserably. Sometimes I form an automatic opinion and decide that I absolutely hate said thing. And sometimes—sometimes my hatred turns into a weird love of a formerly despised thing. This happens most often (that I can tell) with songs.  I hear a song and I will think it is dumb or that it sounds like something else or I just plain don’t like it. I go on grumbling through these songs as they play on the radio, but don’t bother changing it because I’ll probably have commercials on some other station. So I sit through it, again and again and again. Then something weird happens, suddenly I am singing along with the chorus, looking up the lyrics, on YouTube searching for videos.  That’s when I realize with a sudden mix of disgust and acceptance that I have come to like this song. Crap!  Now I’m a faddy, someone who likes those dumb songs everyone else likes. What happened? Oh well, I decide that these songs are now a part of me and I just have to live with it. I am a fan. A reluctant fan, but a fan nonetheless.  Damn it. I’m like a classic rom-com formula: girl and song meet, girl loathes song, song pursues girl with charming persistence, song and girl are perfect for each other. The End.  Roll credits.  Maybe there’s a cute outtakes section.

So here are some of the songs that I reluctantly appreciate.  You could say that I learned to love them…

Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm
Think what you want about me, I didn’t realize this was a Michael Jackson cover when I first loathed it.  I just didn’t like it.  I thought it was loud and weird and… I mean it’s about a chick who gets attacked.  What is there to like?  Well, a punky rock vibe that insists upon being heard.  The heavy lyrics against the upbeat tempo of the song.  The persistent “Annie, are you OK?”  Is she ok?  I didn’t like it, I thought the words were dark, the music too opposed to the lyrics, it just wasn’t something I wanted to hear. But it was on the radio all the time. One day, I liked it.  Don’t ask me why, I just do. And then I realized it was MJ which just made it better. I even wrote a paper in English Literature about my change from hate to love.  Inexplicable is about all I have as an explanation.

Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
I’ve discussed this song before.  I adore it and its many, many video inspirations. I thought it was dumb at first, the bubbly melody, and the catchy lyrics.  I was annoyed. Call Me, Maybe?  Ok, but I don’t know anyone who likes to be called “Maybe.” And again, after hearing it one too many times I found myself dancing along, singing about ripped jeans and hot nights.  I looked up the video which is cute in and of itself. That Carly Rae has a good sense of humor. Then I found all the parodies and dance-along videos and discovered than even the Marines enjoy a good pop song.  So I decided that I liked it and I haven’t looked back since.  So you may or may not agree, but either way, call me…maybe?

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift
My only problem with Taylor Swift is that a lot of her songs sound very similar to me.  I admire her for the way she’s become a star. I can appreciate her talent for writing. I just abhor watching her perform “live” (granted, I’ve only seen her on award shows or TV specials, not in concert). She is not the best singer. I watched an interview once where she admitted that she never warmed up.  It shows.  I’m sorry, it does.  I have a real love/hate relationship with T. Swift.  I enjoy a lot of her songs, as I said, her rise to fame and subsequent ability to remain humble and sweet are admirable, and I am grateful that there is a young woman out there who knows girls are looking up to her and acts accordingly. (Ahem, Lindsay Lohan).  She is genuine, kind, and talented. But she writes about all these guys who’ve wronged her and it all starts to sound a little—whiny. Despite all of that and my conflict, I do enjoy Taylor’s latest bashing song.  I found it completely immature and silly when I first heard it, but now… well, WE-HEE!

Payphone – Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa
This song was more of a gut reaction for me.  Who uses a damn payphone anymore?  Where did he find one?  Who has change to put in that damn payphone anymore?  Wait, he’s lovelorn and sad and calling her—that’s so sweet. And the melody, the lyrics are too fun and catchy not to enjoy.  Plus, HELLO! Adam Levine is a fox and I like watching him on The Voice so anything he does is good. I never got on the Maroon 5 bandwagon when they first got popular, but I have always admired their rock/pop thing.  Now I have another song to add to that list of goodness.  (Warning: This video contains the explicit version of Payphone).

50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train
Oh, this song really pissed me off when I first heard it.  It sounds like a mix between a Mariachi band and The Phantom of the Opera. Think about it. Yeah, you hear it now too.  I was so irritated.  Being a theatre person, I couldn’t help but feel offended that it sounds way too much like the classic show.  But it’s Train.  I really do like Train.  I have listened to them for a long time, been a fan for a while.  I gave it a few more chances, looked up the video, and then BAM!, I fell in love.  Now I know all the lyrics, but I can’t sing them because I’m laughing. It is hilarious and I appreciate the humor. I put this song at the end because it’s my favorite of all the songs I’ve learned to love. And this is the truth, the more I listen, the less I dislike the similarity to Phantom and just dance along like I’m at an East Side nightclub.

What songs have you learned to love?

Ch-Ch-Changes!

If you're a Weekend Fatty and keep up with this blog on a regular basis, you've probably noticed we have some repeat offenders, er, bloggers. I think it's time to introduce them and to let you know about a few changes here at Weekend Fat.

Amber (For those of you who don't know, that's me.)

I started this blog back in May for a few reasons:

1. I am living in China this year and found myself with a MASSIVE amount of free time. 

2. I am a pop-culture junkie and found myself wanting to start conversations about things I was reading. 3. I noticed that the things I wanted to talk about were being written about on other blogs, sometimes with the exact same angles I had in mind. I didn't want to stand on the sidelines anymore.

4. I have another blog that's more personal, more about me and my life. I noticed when I blogged about Glee or music or Helen Mirren, the readers for those posts were TOTALLY different than the ones who normally read. Market discovered.

5. My friend Meredith gave me a boost of encouragement one weekend that inspired me to stop talking about it and just do it.

It's been 6 months and I gotta say, I am very pleased with the results so far. The average post gets about 90 readers. The most read (my friend Julie's rebuttal/defense to me about Jennifer Aniston) has over 400 hits. The next few most popular (ringing in at over 300 hits) were the ones about Magic Mike and Honey Boo Boo. The total number of individual readers that have come into contact with the blog and stayed for at least a minute, is around 12,000 from what I can tell, though I think it's safe to say that we have a steady following of about 250. Considering I only have about 750 Facebook friends, I think it's safe to say that the Google machine is putting Weekend Fat "on the map." Of course, the world of pop-culture is big, and while I will never run out of topics, I know (hope) that my schedule will change once I go back to America. 

In preparation for that, I will be cutting down to 3 posts a week. But my friends will be contributing, and you, are more than welcomed to do the same. Just email me your post (or ideas!) at catidwell222@gmail.com and we will go from there.

Now...here's who you might see blogging in the future:

Vicky

Vicky-Timing is everything, and I met Vicky through an awesome organization back in Auburn, Alabama that we both got to be a part of, The Layman Group, before it disbanded. We hit it off. Vicky is a theater junkie and super talented with all things related to it. She and her husband now live in Tallahassee, Florida. In my mind, Vicky likes pretty things and laughing a lot. 

Julie

Julie-I met Julie through The Layman Group too, though when I was working at Starbucks in Auburn, she was a regular, so it's hard to know how we actually became friends. In all honesty, she reminded me of someone (no clue who) so it felt like we'd been friends for a while. Julie is a brilliant event planner who has an appreciation for all things Jennifer Aniston, fashion, and Greyhounds. The dogs, not the bus. I cannot imagine Julie on a bus. You can find her blog here.

Sandi

Sandi-I met Sandi in New Orleans when she was 12, but now she lives in Boone, North Carolina and works as a nanny while finishing her degree in Child Development. Sandi devours a lot of really thick books and TV, her greatest fault is that she doesn't like scary things. Her take on pop-culture is fresh and transparent. She is just as likely to be seen watching Game of Thrones as she is Ina Garten. I'm not sure how she'd do in a sword fight, but I know she's a great cook.

Carmen

Carmen-I met Carmen while working at a camp in my teenage years, and though we might be as opposite in personality as two people can be, I liked her snark, her honesty, and the way her hair was always perfect. Now she lives in North Alabama and we have shared pop-culture interests for well over 10 years, including the summer we spent in Montana speaking in movie quotes over long distance calls across the state. She is quite possibly the biggest Veronica Mars fan on the planet, but I have heard her perfectly quote entire episodes of Friends. I pick on her about liking Kristen Stewart, but she does make a convincing case. And that's the thing about Carmen, she can always defend, justify, and explain in detail her reason for liking whatever is that she likes. 

Romelle

Romelle-Romelle is a fellow blogger/wanna be writer who lives in North Carolina. She would want you to know that she has 6 children (one who was married in May and one who will be married in a few weeks) leaving her 4 at home that she Home Schools. She errs on the conservative side of life, loves British drama, hates Anne Hathaway and other shallow ridiculous things, and is probably one of the most quickly clever people I have ever met. We are currently in a stand off about my never having watched Freaks and Geeks. (I will get to it!) You can find her blog here.

Vanessa

Vanessa-Vanessa lives in Fresno, California and is the youngest contributor to Weekend Fat. Since graduating from high school last year, she has been working like crazy on her photography. She has a brilliant eye, and I am convinced she has potential to be the next Annie Leibovitz or National Geographic photographer. You can find her photography on her Facebook page, Vanessa D. Photography. Her pop-culture tastes are black and white, meaning she either loves things or hates them. She is a huge HIMYM fan, and recently called me crying at 2am because she finally finished Six Feet Under. 

Meredith

Meredith-I met Meredith when I worked at Starbucks in Auburn, Alabama, she was a fellow Barista, relocated from New York. She was also heavily involved in The Layman Group. I knew instantly that we would be friends, but she was slower on the uptake. Eventually we found ourselves making the shifts at the 'Bucks' fly, by talking non-stop about pop-culture. She's got a unique perspective on pop-culture, usually laser focused on what she likes, but unpredictable all the same. Though she hasn't written an actual guest post yet, she promises me that there's one (or more) coming. Even if it never materializes, she gives me lots of my ideas for posts and positive feedback that keep this blog going. You can read some of her insights at Verge Pipe Media's blog.

Um, first of all, aren't my friends supermodels? Yeah, I think so too.

Ok, so from here on out, you'll be hearing from me, mixed in a little more with these gals (and possibly even my mother!). I will put a "By" line in the subject when anyone other than me writes, and they will also be tagged in the labels so you can find more of their writing if you like what you see. And trust me, you WILL like what you see.

Thanks for reading, it's been a super fun 6 months. I'm looking forward to many more!

Amber

RE: Friendship Three-ways: Handler/Aniston/Cox-By Julie

As Weekend Fat's resident Aniston promoter (I'm seriously happy with this self-appointed title), I am back to discuss Jennifer's gal-pal choices based on a previous post about friendship.

My own thoughts on friendship in my life goes like this: I am not one to have a million friends. I'm not a social butterfly. I find it hard to have surface relationships, friends of convenience, even just acquaintances. I hate insincerity. I hate snobbery. I hate any type of fake. Thus, I keep friends for a long time. If we become friends, we are going to be friends for the long haul. So, I can relate to the threesome Jennifer Aniston has going on. Let's dissect.

I'll be there for you!

Jennifer and Courteney Cox: This relationship makes everyone happy. They were on a show called Friends. I mean, you can't get better than that. This is your best friend from high school. You spent some very formidable years together. They have seen your awkward phase and love you anyway. You basically grew up together. You shared experiences that make you who you are today. These types of friends are super important. They may not be the friend you see the most these days. You are probably in different stages of life now. But, these friends are the ones that you can pick up right where you left off. No explaining needed. They just get it.

Then you hear that these two friends might not be as close as you thought (did Jenn and Courteney have a fight???). Maybe there was a tiff here or there. Well, that happens. Remember, these people know you. They have known you for a long time. If you start dating someone that isn't really great, they might tell you. And you might not like it. Then, you realize they were right to begin with and all is good again. That's how it works. BFF. To the end.

Chelsea's face says it all.

Jennifer and Chelsea Handler: This type of relationship is your later-in-life type. You both have experienced a lot of things (Jenn's divorce, Chelsea's.... ummm, whatever she has experienced) and you have lost that need to impress people. You are who you are. That doesn't mean that you make friends super fast. It means that when you find that type that cuts through the BS and is actually being real about life, you latch on to them. You laugh a lot. You probably hang out a lot. They are probably in a similar life stage. These types can be complete opposites and that is the beauty of it. They like you for you. And, I'll bet that in Jennifer and Chelsea's case, that is a true rarity in Hollywood.

To be sure, it takes a while to find the Chelsea's. I'm no celebrity, but even I am super guarded around new people. I can be nice and friendly. But, true friends? That takes time. I'm not fake at all. Just not likely to be emotionally slutty around new folks.

I can't say that I can really pick sides on this one. No Team Courteney or Team Chelsea here. Both friendships have their place. And, if Jennifer is anything like me (I like to think that we are alike), then I'm guessing that both of these friendships will be around for a while. I say, Mazel to them!


(Julie Bunkley is a wedding planner in Auburn, Ala. If you ever see her at a Starbucks with her computer, she probably isn't working. She's just looking up celebrity life photos, red carpet gown photos and celebrity wedding news. You can learn more about her here!)