Reality Show Challenge Episode 4 Part 2

The Bad Girl's Club

The last episode left off in the middle of what looked like a pretty serious altercation. I think Ashley (the newest girl) had another girl by the throat not to mention she also had pulled a chunk of Kori's hair out. All the screaming led the neighbor's to calling the cops. I'm pretty sure the police department should just set up a special squad car for these insignificant calls so they don't have to waste the time of competent police officers who should be out helping people who actually need it. After the huge blow out I expected Ashley to go home but after spending the night at a hotel she returned and so did Sydney (familial issues apparently resolved)

Ashley and Sydney have formed an alliance much to the chagrin of the other girls. The writers decided LA didn't provide enough drama so the Bad Girls packed up and moved to San Francisco which is apparently where Bad Girl's go but I always thought it was about the sixties and rice-a-roni. Everyone is having a good time sailing and clubbing (which I'm pretty sure you can do in LA) except Sydney. Everyone is complaining about her complaining but ironically Sydney's complaints did not annoy me nearly as much as the griping of everybody else. I mean she just had to deal with a family trauma. No wonder she doesn't want to go out and party 24-7. Maybe the other girls in the house just can't empathize because they don't give a crap about their family. I wouldn't be surprised. In the end, Sydney went home (voluntarily) Although I think it was the right thing to do, I'm going to miss her. I liked her hair.
Characters: 2.5 These characters really annoy me. I wish they understood that their is more to life than partying and/or getting drunk. My least favorite character is probably Lauren who isn't a Bad Girl. She's more of a Wannabe Bad Girl. I mean getting "(Insert expletive) You" tattooed on your inner lip? Real mature. I've warmed to Nicki though. She's done a good job of making amends with her housemates. It's amazing to see how fast someone can go from being the pariah of the house to being on the in with everyone.

Emotional Intensity: .5 After a while drunken fights and hissy fits kind of lose their emotional impact (not that they ever had much in the first place)
Conflict: .5 Been there done that.
Class: 2 I admire Sydney for making the decision to leave the house. No good can come of it (I mean she's already cheated on her boyfriend twice) But the way the rest of the girls like to find fault with everything not to mention the less than appropriate tattoo gave the episode a 2.
Overall Rating: 5.5/20

                                                 The Biggest Loser

So here are the stats: the White Team is down to two people (Pam and Danni), the Red Team is down to four people and the Blue Team still has all the the members of their team. This week the teams were mostly left on their own when their trainers decided to visit Sunny, Lindsay and Bingo (the kids that were chosen to combat childhood obesity) In this episode we got to know the kids better but back on the ranch some of the contestants were floundering with the help of their instructors. Note that I said some. There were some contestants who stepped right up and exercised consistently and vigorously. "Stepping up" included running a 5k (which is the equivalent of 3.1 miles. Doesn't it sound like more? I think the k just makes things sound intimidating) My girl Danni came in first and Pam came in third so they split the $15,000 prize (for once having two people on a team is a good thing) Pam's excitement lasted until she was sent in by the dreaded red line at the end of week weigh-in leaving poor Danni on her own. Which just makes her even more likable in my opinion.
Characters: 3 I enjoyed getting to know the kids better especially Lindsay. Lindsay was bullied by her fellow cheerleaders at her old school until she quit cheer leading so her trainer arranged the local high school cheer leading team to give Lindsay a confidence boost by performing a routine for her (Don't Give Up! Never Give In! Fight! To Win!) And Danni just gets better and better. It's going to be interesting to see her on her own from now on. Well not completely on her own. She has Jillian. And really that's all she needs.
Emotional Intensity: 2.5 It was really encouraging seeing Danni cross the finish line. And not only did she do it. They all did. And we're talking about people who were (and some who are still are) seriously out of shape. But they all managed to finish (which is more than I can say for some girls in my class attempting the mile during the physical fitness testing) And no one needed an ambulance. Progress.
Conflict: 2 I liked seeing the tension between Jillian and Jeff. Not gonna lie, I expected Jeff to be the one going home (or any member of the Blue Team actually) I'm guessing Jeff is not a fan of negative criticism but you would think if you were on the Biggest Loser you would be willing to try anything. And I don't blame Jillian for getting impatient with Jeff because I sensed he had a bit of an attitude problem.
Class: 4 These guys are dedicated, hardworking and focused even when they didn't have their trainers around to keep them in check. I really respect Jackson for stepping up and guiding the Red Team. I think starting next post I should start handing out Classiest Character, to be awarded to one character from every show who demonstrates classiness.
Overall Rating: 11.5/20

Beauty and The Geek

The episode started where the last one left off- Tara choosing between Joe the "Cowboy" and Jonathan "Mama's Boy" Unsurprisingly, she chose Joe (I mean Jonathan was accused of groping someone in the last episode. Even if he hadn't done that does he really expect the girls to keep him around?) which means all the beauties are now paired with the geeks that they chose. This week, the beauties were given the assignment of creating a science project for the Beauty and the Geek science fair. The geeks were allowed to hep the beauties with their projects as well as explain the (pretty basic) science concepts but the beauties were on their own during the science fair when they were asked questions about their projects (the beauty that had the best project and the best presentation would be safe from elimination along with her geek). The judges decided that Cara had the best project/ presentation and she and her partner, Chris were safe from elimination. I agreed that Cara did have the best presentation (which was surprising since I always thought she was hands-down the ditziest) But I guess that's the whole point of show- people surprise you. The Geeks also were given an assignment. They were put on Dr. Drew's radio show and asked questions regarding romance and sex. The guy who answered the questions the best would then be safe from elimination along with his beauty. Alot of the guys gave what I thought were surprisingly insightful answers (well not alot. But more than I expected) but Dr. Drew picked Tom saving him and his partner Amanda from elimination. The two couples that were safe from elimination then selected the two couples that would face elimination. Tom and Amanda picked Jim and Tiffany and Cara and Chris picked Matt and Leticia. In the end Jim and Tiffany were sent home (they were unfortunately the couple I was rooting for. I really wanted Jim to stay on the show long enough to shave his beard) ( upper left) 

Characters:3.5 I am now seeing Cara in a new light (right). I always thought she was an airhead but she's a pretty fast learned and does well under pressure. Her and Chris are my favorite couple. I liked Tommy but I don't like Amanda. Then again I am always wary of blondes.

Emotional Intensity: 2.5 I really felt bad Tiffany went home. I found her refreshing and down to earth. Now I guess I will have to pin my hopes to Cara. Please don't disappoint me! 

Conflict: 3.5 I liked the idea of having separate competitions for beauties and geeks in the areas of their weaknesses. Double the competition, double the drama.

Class: 3.5 Everyone worked really hard on their respective assignments- there were no shortcuts, no lies, no backstabbing. It was all above board. And when it came to elimination, everybody was being a pretty good sport about it. Not everyone can handle disappointment well.

Overall Rating: 13/20

What did you think?Agree or disagree? Leave a comment, subscribe to my blog and please check in for more posts. 

Worst of Gossip Girl Season 2 Episodes 11-20

Oh God, if I thought some of the plotines in the beginning of Season 2 were bad they weren't anywhere close to some of the stupid, irrelevant and pointless stories of episodes 11-20 (which I've listed below) 

Jenny Wanting to Become Emancipated

I kind of ignored Jenny for the first part of Season 2 mostly because I find that's the best thing to do when it comes to Jenny (ignore her and she'll go away?) but when she started the process to file emancipation papers I really couldn't look the other way any longer. Jenny is the epitome of ungratefulness. The fact that she is even willing to consider tearing her family apart for some stupid fashion line especially when her dad was already so generous with her, letting her drop out of school and staying at Agnes's house. Can we please just kill Jenny off in a yacht accident? Or maybe Agnes could turn from dress-burner into murderess. Now that would be a Jenny  plotline worth watching. 

Vanessa Interfering with Jenny and Nate

Vanessa needs to grasp that the guys she likes prefer blondes (First Dan with Serena, not Nate with Jenny) and nothing short of dying her hair will get them. Just kidding. But honestly Vanessa why are you so comfortable with being the second choice, the fallback plan, Option B? Maybe if she stops spending so much time making coffee and interfering in other people's relationships, she would be more appealing and guys would want to be with her in the first place. 

Jenny and Her Trick on Vanessa at the Snow Ball

Jenny's "revenge" on Vanessa was pretty tame compared to the usual Upper East Side vengeance. Giving Vanessa a transparent dress? I mean most girls wear dresses that are more revealing anyway. Not to mention if I liked a guy I wouldn't want to show him his ex girlfriend in his underwear. This particular trick of Jenny's felt way too middle school- remember those kids that would run up behind some unsuspecting loser and pants them? Apparently Jenny never grew out of that phase. Anyway, the trick backfired (as you can see below). Wonder why that is. 

Serena and Dan

Every time Dan and Serena share a moment I get worried since I'm terrified the two of them will get back together and we will have to deal with another round of the same old problems that plagued us during Season 1- Serena never tells Dan anything important nor can she face up to her mistakes and accept responsibility and Dan can't get over the fact that some people are more privileged than us and life is not fair. But now we also have the fact that they share a sibling. So we can add borderline incest to the list of reasons that Serena/Dan is never gonna work. 

Jenny Practically Stalking Jonathan and Eric

I've noticed that Jenny really can't be self sufficient for that long. Example One: Season One Jenny trails Blair at her beck and call and catering to her every whim. Example Two: Jenny dates Asher who is gay because the idea of being single is apparently so horrifying. Example 3: Jenny is always third wheeling with Eric and Jonathan. And then when Eric (very tactfully) points it out, Jenny gets all defensive. I think Jenny is one of those people who isn't satisfied until she has alienated every single one of her friends. 

Miss Carr

Dan seems to have a habit of falling for girls who have mastered the "Good Girl Act" but in reality are ten times more deceitful than Serena ever was. Rachel Carr is no exception. She's a teacher so you know that's going to end well. On the premise of discussing Dan's story, the two of them have breakfast together (which in any other school is probably enough to get a teacher fired) And even though she physically was not having an affair with Dan, I do feel like her actions were out of line and she should have been fired. And her last petty shot at Blair by making sure she didn't get into Yale was just really immature. I'm glad Dan finally sees Rachel's             true colors even if he does see them a bit late.

Blair Not Getting into Yale

Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. Not one deserved Yale more than Blair. But I think the writers planned this out so she would have to stay in the city (notice that every single character ended up staying college in the city no matter what their plans for college had been)

Chuck's Mysterious Escort Girl

What was the point of this storyline? It was like a bad thriller. Chuck's mysterious "friend" is going to get killed because she was with the wrong man. Gossip Girl, do us a favor and fire the writer that wrote this storyline before he comes up with something equally as stupid. Even Chuck couldn't pull this off. Save the mafia plot elements/ missing call girls for shows like Breaking Bad or CSI because they aren't doing this show any favors. 

Serena and Julien

I think this was the only guy Serena liked who didn't reciprocate which was refreshing because I was beginning to feel that she was a siren or something. Of course the only reason he didn't like her was because he was gay which I'm surprised Serena didn't spot. But I'm also surprised that Serena lowered her standards to this conceited know it all. It's like going from Prada to Payless. Yes, I just made a shoe metaphor. That's how hot it is in my room.

Nate and His Grandfather

The old family pressures plotline and a classic example of the two O's (Overrated and Outdated) We've already seen the dysfunctional relationship with Nate's father and his mother- do we really need to add the stereotypical grandfather to the mix?

Serena/ Jenny Party Drama

Classic case of two spoiled girls going up against each other over something only spoiled girls get to fight over- a party. For once in her life, Jenny wanted to do things the simple way- just board games and family. Of course, Serena didn't want to miss the opportunity to throw The Party of the Year (although what makes it different from every other party on the show I'm not sure) Why Serena couldn't have just thrown a party for herself and not a birthday party for someone who didn't even want one is beyond me. But this is does mark the beginning of the Jenny/Serena clashes- I think it's because you can't have two gorgeous blondes in one a blended family. It just doesn't work (and that's the second blonde joke I've made today but come on they both look like barbie dolls. Except as Blair pointed out Jenny sometimes look like Gothic Barbie instead) 

Chuck and Vanessa Trying to Make Blair and Nate Jealous

Vanessa is never going to make Blair jealous. Not when it comes to boys anyway. I'm surprised Chuck would stoop to such a desperate move. Tsk, tsk Chuck. I expected better (I didn't really expect anything from 

Vanessa) 

Give me your opinion. Let me know what you think!  Please comment or subscribe and check out my next post. You know you love me. XOXO Bernadette

Self Help Review June 2013

Yes, I am adding self help books to the long litany of items that I review. If you feel inclined to skip this post,  go ahead but if you have never read a self help book then I think you should give them a shot. They don't work miracles but they are usual for helping you put things in perspective and offering solutions you might not have spotted otherwise. These books deal with a range of topics from time management, and goal setting to romantic relationships and unhealthy addictions. Find a book that seems to address your needs- I have provided the name of the book, the author, what the book deals with and the overall rating (out of 5). The overall rating is a combination of how helpful the book was as well as how entertaining and enjoyable it was to read

Self Compassion

By Kristen Neff

Deals With: Self-Esteem, The Difference Between Self Esteem and Self Compassion,  Insecurity, Improving Self Talk, and Developing Self Compassion

Includes: Exercises that help the reader learn more about themselves ( http://www.self-compassion.org/test-your-self-compassion-level.html), the three elements of self compassion (common humanity, mindfulness and self-kindness) and suggestions to on how to develop self compassion

Overall Rating: 2.5 

Must-Read: No

The Soft Addiction Solution: Break Free of the Seemingly Harmless Habits that Keep You From the Life You Want

By Judith Wright

Deals With: Identifying Your Soft Addictions, Breaking Bad Habits, Identifying Spiritual Hungers,  

Includes:  Examples of soft addictions (such as surfing the net or gossiping), a quiz to help you determine if a habit is a soft addiction or just a bad habit (http://www.softaddictions.com/quiz.php), how to pinpoint the spiritual hungers that lead to soft addictions and effective strategies to break free from soft addictions.

Overall Rating: 4

Must-Read: Yes

Raising Your Emotional Intelligence

By Jeanne Segal

Deals With: Emotional Intelligence (What It Is and How It Is Defined), Listening to Our Emotional Reactions, Raising Our Emotional Intelligence, Getting In Touch With Our Feelings

Includes: Exercises, step-by-step instructions, examples, and practical suggestions
Overall Rating: 3
Must-Read: No

Emotional Resilience: Simple Truths for Dealing with the Unfinished Business of Your Past

By David Viscott

Deals With: Three Main Ideas (Natural Therapy, Emotional Debt and Toxic Nostalgia), Handling Past Emotional Hurts

Includes: Suggestions on how to deal with past emotions, and do's and don'ts for handling your emotions in a healthy way
Overall Rating: 1
Must-Read: No

Excess Baggage:            

               Getting Out of Your Own Way

By Judith Sills

Deals With: Five Blind Spots That Can Stand In Our Way to Happiness (We Need to Be Right, We Need to Feel Superior, We 

Can't Handle Rejection, We Cause Drama and We Hold Onto Our Anger), 

Includes: Personality profiles (that are eerily accurate) for each of the five blind spots, identifying your blind spots and realistic and helpful suggestions to help deal with each your blind spots.

Overall Rating: 3.5

Must-Read: No but enjoyable and helpful

 I decided keeping my self help reviews more concise than my other reviews would maximize the impact on the reader. The bottom line is that if the book scored a 3.5 or above, I think it would be an enjoyable and helpful read. But what do you think? Subscribe to this blog, like this post and check out my next one! 

Best of Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode 1-10

The second season of a TV show always faces the difficult task of living up to the expectations set by the first season. And Gossip Girl did just that. In fact in many ways, Season 2 exceeded expectations with unexpected plot twists, scandalous new secrets and interesting characters. Here are some of my favorites:

Better Characterization of Nate

Season 2 was really when we started to get to know Nate better. Instead of seeing Nate as an indecisive party guy who hops from Serena to Blair to Vanessa, we start to see Nate as someone who is really struggling to keep his family together and someone who is feeling the full repercussions of his father's criminal actions. In Season 2, the Gossip Girl writers decided to introduce yet another girl for Nate but this time she is A) older and B) married. And unlike alot of Nate's relationships which just fizzle, this time Nate tries to get out of the relationship and Catherine manages to manipulate him into staying with her. Manipulation and blackmail in a relationship are always good for storylines. It becomes somewhat overused in later episodes (in my opinion) but for now it is effective. 
                                                                    Catherine and Marcus

Gossip Girl has a lot of relationships that are really pushing the boundaries and the relationship between Catherine and her step-son Marcus is definitely one of those. I know that they are techinically not blood related but having a romantic relationship with someone who is in the role of your mom is just wrong. 

(www.justjared.com) 

Tiny Gossip Girl Fans

These tiny Gossip Girl fans ( who are like mini versions of the Upper East Side girls) are so adorable. I'm not sure if they were meant to be used as representations of the audience or if is just used for entertainment purposes but I found it to be a good source of comic relief. 

Chuck Trying to Seduce Blair at Her Party

Seduction always intensifies the drama and when the guy is as boring as Marcus and the guy is as attractive as Chuck, a seduction is practically required. Plus I love Blair's transparent protests that she dislikes Chuck when she is clearly only staying away because he has hurt her. However, when it comes to TV a dangerous love is the best kind. 

Blair's Blackmail of Catherine

There is no question that for all the backstabbing and double crossing everybody does, Blair is hands down the best at revenge and/or blackmail. So watching Blair take down Catherine was satisfying and inevitable. Until Vanessa had to come along and screw things up. Vanessa really needs to leave the blackmail to Blair and stick to filming documentaries or making coffee or whatever it is that artsy people like her do. 

http://www.videogum.com/24751/gossip_girl_charlie_trout_don/tv/soap-operas/

Dan Trying to Establish Himself as a Writer

Dan's battle to become a writer is a distraction from all the interpersonal relationship drama just like the SATS and college applications were in Season 1. From his struggles to find mentors and receive letters of recommendations to his story about Charlie Trout (aka Chuck) and his journey to add more excitement into his life, Dan's adventures and misadventures are extremely engaging not just to potential writers but for anyone looking to make it big in this world. 

Chuck's Background

There is no character without a backstory- a family history, a childhood trauma or even just hopes and experiences that make a character who they are. In 

Season 2, Chuck's history is revealed- that his mother  

died during childbirth and this (he believes) is why his father hates him. It doesn't justify Chuck's actions but it does help explain why he is so screwed up and why he does what he does. I feel like out of anyone on the Upper East Side, Chuck has it the hardest.

Aaron- At First

Like I've mentioned before, Serena always gets the most interesting guys. Like Aaron. A sexy, mysterious artist. At least at first. I liked the way he had more than one girl and didn't try to cover it up. After a while of being monogamous with Serena, I kind of got tired of his insecurity regarding Dan. What happened to that cool, confident guy that caught my interest in the first place? Apparently Gossip Girl felt the same way because Serena and Aaron broke up after being exclusive for a few episodes. 

Blair and Emma

I felt that Emma was a younger, less sophisticated version of Blair (more of a Blair wannabe) I love the facade Emma presents to her mother (the innocent school girl willing to stay home and read a Harry Potter book while her mother goes to yet another social event) when in reality she is desperate to lose her virginity. It's nice to see Blair's soft side come out when it comes to Emma (I think she recognizes alot of herself in Emma) I feel like she and Blair should continue to have a relationship after this episode because Emma is a walking contradiction (ex. she acts like she's ready to be a big girl when she only wants the attention of her mom) and therefore makes an interesting, 3 dimensional character. 

So what did you think? Do you agree? Please comment or subscribe and check out my next post. And you know you love me. XOXO Bernadette

Disclaimer: I take credit for none of these photos- they all come from results that I've got from Google Images. 

Reality Show Challenge Episode 4 Part 1

I'm running out of things to say when I introduce each new episode so let's just get this challenge started.

The Bachelor

In this episode, the bachelor and the 13 remaining girls packed up their bags (yet again. Or perhaps they never unpacked in the first place) and moved to Utah. This week saw three dates- a one on one date with Rachel, a group date and a one on one date with Jennifer. Jennifer and Rachel both made connections with Ben and got roses. The group date didn't go as smoothly- it started off with horseback riding, then segued into fly fishing. Courtney established herself as the Girl I Cannot Stand when she gloated about catching the first (and only fish) and quoted Charlie Sheen. Then in the evening she played the victim card (cheap but effective) and Ben (obviously in the running for the Biggest Sucker) gave her the rose. Before the rose ceremony, Emily made an enemy of Courtney when she told Ben that Courtney seemed fake. I was pretty sure Ben was going to send her home after that but he sent Monica home instead (and Samantha went home in the middle of the group date because Ben felt like she wasn't taking things seriously) 

Characters: 3.5 Finally Emily, pictured on the bottom right, called Courtney, pictured on the bottom left, out on her crap. That earned her major respect points in my book. Poor girl is going to have to watch her back since Courtney's painted a target on it. In a way I sort of felt bad for Courtney when she found out what Emily said about her. Maybe she doesn't try to be mean she is just socially awkward?

Emotional Intensity: 1.5 I felt Emily's frustration when she told Ben about Courtney and he wasn't exactly receptive. I hate it when girls undergo a complete personality change whenever guys are involved. Although when Ben told Emily that he kept Courtney around for reasons I couldn't help but wonder if it was because she made good TV. Sometimes I have a feeling that the producers will give Ben a nudge towards the more dynamic girls versus the quieter ones that we usually forget about. 

Conflict: 3.5 Obviously the real conflict in this episode (for me anyway) was between Emily and Courtney. When Courtney called Emily out on the stuff that she said, I found the tension suffocating. If I was on the show, I would have chosen that moment to get up and use the bathroom. I hate confrontation (obviously it's a different story when it's on a computer screen)

Class: 3.5 I thought all the women did a pretty good job of being classy. Aside from the Courtney-Emily drama, there was hardly any gossiping or complaining. The girls that Ben had his one-on-one with both seemed really sweet and genuine especially Jennifer who was a good sport about rappelling into a crater. I'm pretty sure not every girl would have been down with that. 

Overall Rating: 12/20

16 and Pregnant

Meet Lindsay from Nevada another teenager who learns the hard way that they invented protection for a reason. Not only does her mother want her to get an abortion but her boyfriend, Forest, does as well. In fact he actually yells at her then breaks up with her when she refuses to get one (probably just acting out against his less than masculine name) Even though they do get back together (then break up, then get back together) it doesn't really matter either way since he doesn't do anything remotely helpful like...I don't know get a job? One lesson I have learned from this show is that the boys irresponsible enough to get a girl pregnant in the first place usually are not responsible enough to become dads.
Characters: 2.5 While Forest spent most of the episode either justifying why he could not get a job or complaining about how hard things were for him, I really had to admire Lindsay. She got a job, she kept up with her school work and she raised her baby. So I have respect for her for stepping up to the challenges of being a teen mom. That being said she is really the only character I actually liked (aside from her sisters and they weren't in the episode all that much) I already explained why Forest got on my nerves but I also found Lindsay's mom to be somewhat unsupportive. I'm not just saying that because she wanted Lindsay to get an abortion but once Lindsay made the choice to keep the baby she was convinced Lindsay had made a mistake and seemed to be hypercritical of everything her daughter did. For example after Lindsay gave birth and she was in the hospital, she asked her mom to fill out some paperwork for her and not only did her mother refuse but they got into a fight that culminated in her mom angrily leaving the hospital. Aren't parents supposed to be the mature ones? If my daughter just had her first child (even if she was only 16, actually especially if she was only 16) I would stand by her every minute because I know that is when she would need me the most.
Emotional Intensity: 3.5 This episode scored such a high rating because I felt like Lindsay was pretty much on her own when it came to raising the baby. Sure she had her mom, her sisters and (to a certain extent) Forest but when it came to doing the work I think she ended up doing 99% of the work. Not fair when she was only 50% responsible for the actual baby.
Conflict: 4 Probably the main conflict (besides the obvious being-pregnant-thing) was the fact that getting Forest to help at all was like pulling teeth. In the previous 16 and Pregnant episodes, I've seen the guys withdraw emotionally or physically from their girlfriends but they are usually their to offer support when needed- like getting a job or changing diapers. In this episode, Lindsay needed to drag every ounce of support out of Forest's body and I have a feeling that pretty soon she'll realize that having him out of her life is a lot simpler than nagging him to step up and take responsibility.
Class: 3 I found Lindsay's responsibility to be really admirable (hence the Class 3 rating) but Forest and Lindsay's mom certainly need to learn the meaning of standing by the people you love through thick and thin.
Overall: 13/20

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

And we are still harping on the same old drama from Episode 1 namely the Melissa/Joe vs Teresa/ Joe conflict. Basically the events of the episode include Teresa complaining to her husband about Melissa and Joe and Melissa complaining to her husband about Teresa. There is some stuff with Jacqueline feeling like she is caught in the middle and a bit about Caroline's 27th wedding anniversary plus her daughter makes some questionable comments while buying a car with her brothers and the episode ends with yet another party. These people party too 

much. Maybe that's why they are always fighting- cuz the parties are just getting boring. Kathy wondered why none of her kids friends showed up to the party (maybe their parents wouldn't let them be on TV) but then her husband told the cameras that he told his kids not to bring friends since he didn't want them to be embarrassed. It's a nice thought but since the party is going to be broadcasted on national television I don't really see the point. At the party Theresa and her brother have yet another fight (left) about the same stuff from episode 1. The way these two fight reminds me alot of divorced parents fighting over custody of their kids. They really need to step up the maturity if not for the sake of their dignity than for the sake of their kids (although I am wholeheartedly on Joe and Melissa's side here. Teresa is almost impossible to deal with)  Characters: 1.5 As I have mentioned in previous posts, I don't dislike Teresa all that much I just feel bad as she misguidedly tries to become the most important person in her brother's life (I'm such Freud has alot to say on the subject) However, I hate Teresa's husband, Joe Guidice. I love how he has the nerve to call Melissa "Horseyface" when he resembles a smushed meatball. It's borderline infuriating the way he believes that he is superior to everybody else (his wife, his wife's brother, his wife's friends) And he thinks he's so tough when he manages to get a black eye from a guy who probably doesn't spend an hour a day beating up a punching bag. The kids are cute though. I wish we could see more of them.

Emotional Intensity: 1 The old drama of Melissa vs. Teresa has been dragged out so much that it doesn't inspire any kind of emotion. I feel like I've been watching the same episode four times.

Conflict: 1.5 The conflict becomes more tedious with every episode. If they do not find something new to fight about in the next episode, they are getting a 0.

Class: 2 Ahh, Joe Guidice. The opposite of classy if there ever was one (namely for the reasons I outlined earlier) However, I really like Melissa (right)- not only does she seem to have social graces but she also is a good mom and for all of Teresa's complaining, she seems to be a good aunt too. Of course I can't exactly keep track of who are her children and who are her nieces but she seems to get along with all the children (even acknowledging the existence of children is exceeding expectations for a housewife on reality TV)

Overall Rating: 6/20

So what are your thoughts? Leave a comment, subscribe to my blog and please check in for more posts. 

Worst of Gossip Girl Season 2 1-10

And the drama continues. More characters, more lies, more storylines. And with those storylines, come plot aspects that are annoying, irrelevant or just downright lame. So here I am to point them out. 

Marcus

I am currently in the middle of watching Gossip Girl Season 5 and I've realized that throughout the series Serena usually ends up with the interesting guys. With the exception of Chuck and (later Dan) I don't think Blair has been involved with any interesting guys. Marcus is no exception. When he revealed to Blair that he was a lord, I did not become any more interested, I just got annoyed because this meant he would be sticking around longer since no one would get rid of a Lord after only one episode. 

Serena and Dan

I have never understood what attracted Dan to Serena in the first place. Sure she's pretty but in a boring sort of way. Not to mention she's flaky, unreliable, irresponsible, self centered and dishonest. So all the crap at the beginning of the episode with "Should we get back together-should we not get back together" just annoyed me. Either get back together or don't but can't we move on to a more interesting problem?

 Vanessa Is Boring

At least in the first few episodes. All she really does is hang around at the coffee shop (I say hang around because she never seems to be doing all that much work) and give her friends advice. Vanessa is your stereotypical liberal social activist but her personality is like a blank canvas. Can we please develop her character as something other than Nate's Brooklyn Girlfriend? Plus she sucks at blackmail. 

Rufus Dating Claire

Irrelevant. What's the point of introducing a character if she's only in one scene? We already knew Rufus had started dating so there was really no point. 

                                                                           Amanda

Amanda was some random girl that appeared at the beginning of Season 2 and grabbed Dan's attention making Serena realize she's not as irreplaceable as she likes to think she is. She disappears after a few episodes because like everyone on the the show she has a secret agenda. Amanda was hired by Chuck to date Dan and make Serena jealous therefore pushing Serena to reclaim her rightful place as Queen Bee and take the throne from Blair. Chuck has too much spare time on his hands. Actually they all do. Don't they realize that Blackmail and Shopping are not extracurriculars that you can put on your college resume?

Jenny Skipping School

Jenny has this false sense of invisibility and this belief that rules do not apply to her. When she begins to skip school to work at Eleanor Waldorf fashion's company, Jenny acts as though she will never be caught because  Jenny can just do whatever she wants and expects to get away with it. How long did she expect that to work out? Plus her dad works hard to pay for her education and she's just throwing it away. 

Serena Trying to Sabotage Blair and Yale
Serena is another one with a false sense of entitlement. Dan may complain excessively about it but he has a valid point when he says that Serena gets everything handed to her. I'm not sure if I could name one thing that she's had to work for. And college is no exception. The dean of Yale accepts Serena's subpar application over Blair's excellent one just because Serena is the Britney Spears of the Upper East Side. As if that's not enough Serena tries to sabotage Blair at the dean's dinner party. I understand that her and Blair are in the middle of a future but she needs to stop screwing up Blair's future and start getting one of her own. 

Serena's Problems with Her New Family Rules

When Bart tries to impress rules on his new family (yeah, good luck with that) Serena is horrified at the idea of a curfew and more time with her family. Honestly if Serena had a curfew in the first place maybe she wouldn't have been out to all hours watching her friends overdose on drugs and accidentally starring in adult videos. I understand that her underlying issues are with her mother's whirlwind of husbands but that doesn't mean she has a right to come home at eight in the morning. Classic case of parenting gone wrong.

Vanessa Trying to Blackmail Blair

Does Vanessa really think she can blackmail Blair and get away with it? Blair brings new meaning to the word "devious" as well as "underhanded" "deceitful" and "ruthless" Blackmailing Blair in order to save an old building is not only stupid, it's downright suicidal and of course it's going to backfire. What annoyed me even more is that later in the Season when Vanessa tells Dan about what happened, she leaves out the fact that she was the one who instigated the conflict and paints herself as a victim. If you are going to blackmail someone, at least take responsibility.

 So do you agree? What did you think? Please comment or subscribe and check out my next post. In the meantime, you know you love me. XOXO Bernadette

Young Adult Fiction Review June 2013

Here's the way my young adult reviews are going to work. Every few weeks I will go to my library and check out five books at random that are shelved under "New Young Adult Books" I use the term "at random" loosely because the books have to fit some basic requirements like no vampires, no fantasy, no werewolves, no anything remotely Twilight-y. There are plenty of other blogs that cover those books if that is what you are interested in. I am going to review the books in three basic categories- plot, character, and satisfaction (which basically means how enjoyable a read it was) I'm going to try to keep these reviews on the simple side since I feel like I've made some of my other reviews unnecessarily complicated.

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

Characters: 1.5 I found the main character Kate to be a refreshing change from the girls I see on the reality shows that have engaged in every vice known to man. But I also found her judgmental and hypocritical. If she hadn't met Matt and encountered temptation herself, part of me doubts she ever would have changed. Plus, she was all over the place- one minute she's condemning boys and girls for sleeping in the same room and the next she's inviting Matt to sleep over. Her past characters (Parker and Jordan) seemed alot more interesting and a big part of me wishes I had chose read those instead.

Plot: 2 Extremely predictable. The book started out on an interesting note (an extremely religious girl had just helped her best friend get an abortion) but then it spiraled into the usual girl-meets-boy same ole same ole. I wish authors would do their homework and read some other books to make sure that the story they are writing hadn't been told already in about twenty other books. 

Satisfaction: 2 The book had its merits but it was also really cliche and predictable (it is very challenging to write a realistic fiction book that isn't especially a book about the summer but some books do pull it off. However, this was not one of them) However it proved to be a lighthearted book while dealing with some tough issues (religion, abortion). The best part about the book was probably it's ability to juggle the light and the heavy.

Conclusion: If you don't like books with religious overtones or cliches then this book definitely isn't for you. If you like realistic fiction about summer camp or the classic should I lose my virginity now or later debate, then you might enjoy this book. It isn't one of my favorites though and to be honest I will probably forget about it soon since ultimately I found it to be kind of forgettable. 

Overall Rating: 6.5/15

The Look by Sophia Bennett

Characters: 3.5 The book revolves around gangly 15 year old  Ted (short for Edwina) and her gorgeous older sister Ava. But the book is about more than a younger sister envying her glamorous older sister. Because when Ava gets diagnosed with cancer and Ted gets recruited by a modeling agency. Both of these characters were likable and had a lot of depth. I liked both sisters in this book and their interactions in the book but my favorite character was Nightmare Boy. Nothing is more attractive than a boy with mystery.

Plot: 3 Cancer and modeling? An interesting mix. Combine that with the usual high school crap(being picked on for the way you look, having other girls jealous of you) and the theme of finding yourself and you have yourself an intriguing read. 

Satisfaction: 3 This book had potential to become cliche but managed to avoid it. I totally saw the ending coming but there were several plot twists along the way that I didn't. Ted's humorous tone really moved the book along and made it read more like a conversation and less like a novel. 

Conclusion: Another book that manages to balance the light and the heavy. It also manages to cover the issue of being true to yourself without becoming overly corny. I recommend this book for people who want a laid back book that is about more than clothes and parties and guys. 

Overall Rating: 9.5/15

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

I've been eagerly anticipating this book for months now. When your hopes are that high disappointment is inevitable.I honestly wasn't too impressed by this book- I just didn't find it as powerful or engaging as her earlier works. Of course those are high standards to live up to. 

Plot: 2.5 This book deviates from Dessen's usual boy meets girl-boy changes girls life story line. In this case the girl (Emaline) already has a boy (Luke) when Theo comes into the picture. And even though there are two boys in this story, it is less about the romance and more about the girls relationship with her father and her mother. I know that was what some people liked about the book but I honestly felt that it was lacking and that sometimes the pace of the novel was somewhat on the slow side.

Characters: 2 I also think another reason I didn't like this book as much as her others is that I didn't really have a connection with any of the characters. In the Truth About Forever, I enjoyed the catering crew. In This Lullaby, I was amused by Dexter's band. In Along for the Ride, I was happy to get to know the girls from Clementines. But in this book it was too much about Emaline and her family and they weren't even all that interesting. Also I got excited reading the blurb because mysterious new boys are always attractive. But not only did I not find Theo attractive, I just found him somewhat annoying (and a bit inconsistent. Was he that irritating to begin with or did he get worse further on into the novel?) Finally, I can't say that I've liked every one of Dessen's protagonists but I usually understood their motives and sympathized with them. In this case, I found Emaline kind of confusing and not all that interesting. She just seemed kind of bland and unlike Dessens other books this one seemed more plot driven than character driven.

Satisfaction: 2.5 It was a Sarah Dessen book so of course it's going to score above a 2. Not to mention that it did have it's merits (No Sarah Dessen book could ever be bad) This book is living proof that Dessen writes well enough to salvage a book with a limping plot and a somewhat awkward cast of characters:
Conclusion: I recommend this book for only hard core Dessen fans. If you are new to Dessen, plllleasse don't read this book- there are better options. Nevertheless, I will keep my eyes peeled for her next book and let you all know what I think.

Overall Rating: 7/15

The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik

Note: This book is loosely based on Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Except I never actually read Mansfield Park so I can't say how it stacked up. 

Characters: 4 This book had a large cast of characters (pun intended. And it's a pun because the story takes place at a summer acting program) which some people might find distracting or confusing but I loved it. Keeping track of multiple characters is one of my favorite things to do when reading a book (and no that is not sarcasm. I actually enjoy it) Unless they have long complicated names and I tend to confuse them with each other. Which is not the case in this book. The main character was Franny Pearson, who arrives at the program not as a camper/student but a worker. Her aunt is in charge of costumes and Franny's job for the summer is helping her. But Franny is also able to get to know the campers which include the The Flirt (Harry) and Former Crush (Alex) I found Franny to be completely relatable as a character (she's the kind of girl that goes to the beach and immediately steps in glass. In other words, me). I will admit that the characters weren't all that well developed but their interactions with one another were amusing and fun to read about. 

Plot: 3 As I explained before, Franny is at the program helping her aunt but she does make sure to get her fair share of socializing done. There are trips to the beach, trips to town, dances, dinners- basically a great time. The campers are also busy preparing four plays to be performed at the end of summer so there is also casting, costumes and remembering one's lines. But the story is driven more by the characters than the plot.

Satisfaction: 3.5 This book was so enjoyable. A distraction from my problems, a quick and amusing read.
Conclusion: I devoured this book.  It's a bit of a fluff book. But a pretty good fluff book  I found it a fun and relaxing read and I recommend it if you want something light that avoids the heavy issues and entertains.

Overall Rating: 10.5/15

The Fame Game by Lauren Conrad

This book is not really the kind of book I had in mind for two reasons: A) it's a book in a series and I really didn't want to take on a book in the middle of a series and B) It's about reality shows which I already get enough of (as you know) But I have this thing- once I start a book I feel really guilty about not finishing it.

Characters: 1.5 What saved this book from getting a 1 (or less) was that the book was told from multiple points of view which always spices things up. Unfortunately I only found one of the characters (Madison) interesting so I actually wished that the book was told from her point of view the entire time. I felt like Madison actually had some depth (a past, an agenda, a plan for the future) whereas I felt like Carmen and Katie had little to no personality. Not because they were nice but because they were just so boring! Kate was just like any other girl who comes to Hollywood with a dream to make it big and Carmen was just a sweet but overly privileged budding starlet. My eyes glazed over a little when I read their chapters.

Plot: 2 I took an interest in the plot just because I wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes with a reality show (The book was written by Lauren Conrad who was on a reality show herself so she should know) But my favorite aspect of the plot was Madison and her family (the romance storyline was a little too cliche for my taste) But I find it somewhat tricky to judge the plot of this book since not all loose ends were tied up by the end of the book since it's in a series which is another reason I prefer to review books that are not part of a series.

Satisfaction: 2 The reason I got so much satisfaction out of this book is (as I mentioned before) because this book gave me an idea of what filming a reality show was like since I honestly had no idea. It was a fiction book but since it was written from someone with firsthand experience on the subject, I learned alot. 

Conclusion: Unoriginal, cliche, superficial (for the most part) This book wasn't that great even for a trashy novel so unless you're pressed for reading materials I don't recommend it.

Overall Rating: 5.5/15

And that concludes my literary review. Check out my recommendations and let me know what you think. Please comment, subscribe and check out my next post!

Best of Gossip Girl Season 1 Episodes 11-18

So much to choose from. The last episodes of the season were even juicier than the first ones so I had to be choosy when it comes to picking what I enjoyed the most. Here they are in no paritcular order- the best things about Gossip Girl episodes 11-18. 

Serena's Christmas Present

Usually I find the whole what-should-I-get-my-boyfriend-for-Christmas question boring. But of course Gossip Girl had to add it's own twist to things by creating a little competition. Not only does Serena have to find the perfect gift for Dan but her present has to measure up to Vanessa's (submitting Dan's story to the New York Times) I found it extremely sweet that Vanessa helped Serena out with her present (almost as sweet as the actual Christmas present itself) Guys, if you're out there I hope you are taking notes. Your girlfriends will appreciate it. 

 Chuck Blackmailing Blair

I know blackmail is wrong. But with Chuck it is somewhat sexy (much as I hate to admit it). Especially when he is in a lifeguard chair, wearing a whistle around his neck. And I like that he wants to fight for Blair even though his methods are unconventional. Really anything that has them interacting is a plus. 

Vanessa Helping Blair

This was when I really started to warm to Vanessa. She finally figured out that even though she is from Brooklyn that doesn't automatically mean she has to hate all Upper East Siders. Plus I really like when girls stick together (even though it rarely happens on Gossip Girl since it doesn't make good TV) Another nugget of wisdom is that being nice doesn't make you weak. It just makes you smart (after all Vanessa got a years worth of rent on her apartment out of it)

Serena's Secret "Admirer"

I use the term admirer pretty loosely here. More like stalker because the gifts she receives are sort of perverted- handcuffs, alcohol, you see where this is going. Nothing like annonymous gifts to keep things interesting. Sort of like a reverse Secret Santa. And who doesn't love presents? 

SAT

I sometimes forget these kids are still in school- they never have homework, they spend more time in the courtyard than in class, and usually the biggest concern on their mind is the latest Gossip Girl post. So it's nice to be reminded once in a while that they are actually getting an education and they have to go through things as trivial as SAT. Not glamorous at all. But even the Upper East Side does SATS with a flair- Blair treats her friends to massages as a way of relaxing, Serena decides the best way to study is getting drunk and Chuck just avoids the whole thing and pays someone to take it for him (left)

Georgina

Ahhh, the girl we all love to hate. This girl is scary. She's a master of manipulation and almost as devious as Chuck and Blair. Plus multiple identities are the most dangerous. Georgina's coke addicted, flirtatious, party girl is actually less terrifying than her goody-goody persona, Sara. If there is one thing I've learned from Gossip Girl, its that new girls are always trouble. 

Everyone Taking Down Georgina Together

I love when a good takedown- when it's justly deserved of course. And no one had it coming more than Georgina. I also love when everybody ends up in one place- I think it's great when characters feed off each other's personalities. And everyone teaming up against Georgina reminded me that even though the characters may scheme against each other, when it comes down to it they have each others backs.

Chuck Seducing Someone Else in the Finale

The relationship between a TV show and its audience is alot like the relationship between a girl and a boy. The girl needs to play it cool, she needs to always leave him wanting more- at least at first anyway. Same with a TV show and its audience. You can't give the audience what they want. You can tease them by having characters kiss and interact- but you can't have them get together, at least not until the end. Otherwise the audience loses interest. It's all about the thrill of the chase. So Chuck seducing someone else in the final episode of Season 1, just when you think everything between him and Blair is fine, throws the audience for a loop and makes them want to keep watching.

So what do you think? What am I missing?  Please comment or subscribe and check out my next post. In the meantime, you know you love me. XOXO Bernadette

Reality Show Challenge Episode 3 Part 2

It's a good thing I'm keeping detailed notes otherwise I'm sure all these shows would blur together. In fact they are starting to do that despite of my notes. But I promised you a challenge and a challenge I will deliver.

Bad Girl's Club

Episode 2 left the the Bad Girl's house in a state of discord with five of the girls annoyed with Nikki. Maybe annoyed is a bit of an understatement. In-her-face-furious is more like it. So after the last episode I expected them to lift Nikki's body and forcibly remove her from the house kicking and screaming. Instead one girl dumped Nikki's stuff in the pool. Not the most mature of approaches. But Nikki decided to call the police anyway. Really, out of everything that's happened so far you call the police because your pillowcase ended up in the pool? Not to mention I just found it to be disrespectful like calling 911 for a papercut. The police should be out keeping the public safe not taking inventory of which of your belongings got wet.  When the drama with Nikki seemed to be petering out, the show decided to bring in a new bad girl named Ashleigh (left).

As always everyone was quick to judge the new girl and the episode ended with a physical fight (a pretty nasty one from the look of it) between Ashleigh and her friends and the girls in the Bad Girl's house. Gee, a fight. Never saw that coming.

Characters: 2 I liked Ashleigh although I can understand why other girls might not (and I do think she is one of the prettier girls in the house) but at this point I feel like some of the girls are just picking fights for no reason at all. I do admire Sydney for returning home once she found out that her uncle had been bombed in Afghanistan. I didn't expect that from her (or any of the other girls) I knew there was a reason I liked her.

Emotional Intensity .5 When people are fighting over nothing its difficult to muster up the emotion to care. 

Conflict: 2 The fights are getting boring. It's the same thing every time. One girl makes a comment to another girl, then they go head to head, then one of them shoves the other, then the other girl shoves back and a third or fourth girl gets involved (in this episode a fifth and a sixth as well as a random guy who happens to be standing in the kitchen) It's just not interesting the fifth time around.

Class: 1.5 Wow. I never thought I'd see this show score above a one. I was impressed with Sydney leaving the house to be with her family and I was glad Nikki and Char managed to form a truce and prevent another round of sabotage. As for the score, I guess there is something to be said for having low expectations. 

Overall Rating: 6/20

The Biggest Loser

Quick recap of the last two episodes: the white team is down to two people having lost two contestants to the dreaded red line of elimination during the last two weeks. Meanwhile the blue and red teams both have five people. But the white team which now consists of Pam and my favorite Loser Danni isn't giving up without a fight (I mean of course not. They have Jillian as a trainer). And as usual every week begins with a challenge. This time it was a trivia competition on the subject of childhood obesity. The Blue Team lost which doomed them to four hours a day locked in a room with a TV and every fast food/sugary drink/ candy known to man. The host said it was because the average American kid spends 4 hours a day in front of the TV so their punishment was to spend 4 hours a day "like a kid" Hey, I somewhat resent that! But anyway I was never really clear if they were locked in that room and banned from exercising or they just didn't. Because they definitely could have pushed all the couches to one side of the room and made the most of it. Later in the week the teams were split in two and participated in another challenge, this time competing for a years worth of groceries. This time the challenge involved dragging a 10 pound gumball across a pit of gum. I actually thought it looked fun but then again I wasn't the one plodding through it. At the end of the week the rest of the Red team voted to send Catie home.

 Characters: 2.5 Not much going on character wise but I am happy we got to know Sunny, Lindsay and Bingo better (they are the three kids that are helping the Biggest Loser combat childhood obesity) They're the ones who inspire me the most.

Emotional Intensity: 2 Instead of a red line elimination, this week the team that lost the least amount of weight had to choose to vote one team member off. This week it was the Red Team and they chose to eliminate Catie since they felt that she had the support of family back home. Disappointing but I can understand their logic (sort of) I couldn't imagine having to vote off one of my own team members. But at the end of the episode we got to see Catie and she seemed to be doing well on her own (she's on her way to run a marathon which is more I can say for myself)

Conflict: 3 Who knew that gumballs could be so heavy?

Class: 4 Even when the Blue Team was locked up all week with an obscene amount of candy, they kept it classy- no stuffing their faces, no diet cheating. One girl even poured orange juice over everything so that no one would eat it which I thought was a smart idea. But as I was saying willpower is the definition of class.

Overall Rating: 11/20

Beauty and the Geek

I'm really not sure where I stand with this show. Just when I think I have it all figured out, it switches things

up. Literally. This episode involved the girls and the boys swapping a team member (Jillian joined the boys team while Chris became part of the girls team) for this weeks challenge which was flag football. To make a long story short, the girls won if that gives you any indication of the athletic prowess of the guys. Losing the competition meant the guys had to send Jillian home which is weird because even though the Beauties won the competition they still lost a member. Then the show turned it from Beauty vs. the Geek (girls vs. boys) to Beauty and the Geek where each beauty pairs up with one geek and competes against the other pairs. Since there was an extra Beauty, the Geek that was not picked would be sent home. Of course I never found out who would be sent home since the episode ended on a cliffhanger.
Characters: 1.5 These girls are all the same. They all seem very nice but just bland. I know the point of the show is for viewers to see that beautiful girls have substance but I'm not getting that. More like beautiful girls are  kind of boring. I'm sure they aren't but that's the way the show makes it seem. Plus, they are all so similar. I can't even match a name to a face since I find them all somewhat indistinguishable from one another.
Emotional Intensity: 1 The only reason this episode scored above a .5 is because it ended on a cliffhanger. Unfortunately that's a trick that could get old really fast so you have to be careful how many times you use it. Alot of people started crying when Matt fell down and injured his shoulder but...um that's what happens in sports. None of those guys should ever play in a real football game. They might kill themselves.
Conflict: 1.5 You know you're in trouble when the only thing really propelling the story forward is a football game.
Class: 3 The girls were pretty nice when it came to picking their partners. Most of them said something nice along the lines of "You're such a great friend" or "I am so glad to have you as my partner" And the look on the Geeks faces? Like a puppy that had just been given a little TLC. Well nothing is so classy as innocence.
Overall Rating: 7/20

So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, subscribe to my blog and please check in for more posts. It's been a pleasure as always.