BlogHer - Entertainment & Culture - Comments

Lifetime let us down

dcarnes — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:43:04 -0600

I agree with you that this was the weakest finale in a long time. Where was the drama, the catfights, the tension? I suppose Irina should have won, but really, an entire collection in black. I wanted Carol Hannah to win, maybe because she seemed so home grown, no real schooling to hone her skills, at least that's what she led us to believe. Overall, it was a real sleeper.

The most drama seemed to be when Tim got his hair in a ruffle over the models not being ready. And the greatest fashion don't was the that updo thing on the British woman's head. I can't believe she put herself on TV looking like that. But even then, it wasn't enough.

I really think Lifetime needs to step it up next season. Throw in some bizarre contestants, or at least one that really doesn't play well with others. I love this show, and I really want to keep loving it. Lifetime, don't let us down.

Debra C.

http://noerasers.com

If you had asked me about Dawn Powell

sassymonkey — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:17:28 -0600

A few weeks ago I probably would have said, "Huh?" But her collected works are part of the Rory Gilmore reading challenge so I've been looking at them.

Scarlett was a mean girl...but you still had to admire her feistiness and determination.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Totally dull season

DebbieB — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:04:02 -0600

I'm not big on reality shows. This one, American Idol (which is kind of tiresome at this point) and So You think You Can Dance (which I may never tire of) are the three I watch (3 too many according to my husband). In any case, this one may just fall off my TV viewing next time around. It was painfully dull this season. I don't know how Lifetime took a fun, creative, exciting show and turned it into a dull, sleepy hour of TV. Bring back the clothes made from a romp at the produce market! I may give season 7 a chance but they really need to spice things up.

Makes sense that Irina won but that doesn't make it good TV.

Hope they graduate from high school literally and figuratively.

Bailey Alexander — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:53:44 -0600

This might be a bit of a digression but your post was interesting and made me think in another direction.

Do you read Dawn Powell? She was arguable America's greatest comedic writer, our finest satirist. Hemingway and Gore Vidal agreed to this fact, some compared her to Evelyn Waugh. It was argued Dorothy Parker got credit for her quotes and she probably ghost wrote 'The Women' for Clair Booth Luce.

Point is, she wrote about women in a less than glamorous, romantic light. You'd have to read her to get at where I'm going, if only because she had a particular kind of curiosity and she was most definitely a genius. No one disputes that, even though she was out of print for years and may only stay a cult religion for avid readers.

Dawn Powell was prolific, she was the literary doyenne of Greenwich village in the 40's even though the 'establishment' and 'The New Yorker' wouldn't give her due credit because of two things; she didn't write about the war and she wrote about women as they were, almost as much on the make as the men. Everyone was on the make, sort of like today, but she came from the mid-west and applied that same common sense, humble, 'gosh aren't the middle class the funniest of them all' kind of mentality.'

That's really ticked people off. But when you read DP you can't deny the intellect and curiosity that goes into all her characters. One of her quotes comes to mind "Satire is people as they are; romanticism people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out.

When I was 13 I read GWTW, Scarlett O'Hara made a a greater impact on me than any teen literature but she was certainly a mean girl, but she was also deeply complicated, fighting against women's subservient attitudes towards sexuality, etc.

I have no issue with teen lit, mean girl lit, whatever it's called, as long as it keeps the girls reading and as long as they graduate from high school, literally and figuratively.

One of the reviews I saw on television

sassymonkey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:15:48 -0600

Said something I thought was interesting. I mean, he seriously critically panned it but he also said that whereas the first one had a female director the second one didn't. The first was romance, the second is melodrama. He thought that the romance, which is really the core of the story, suffered because the director of the second one had never been a teenaged girl.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Hmm, I actually liked the first one . . .

Kalyn Denny — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:06:58 -0600

Now I don't mean to say liked it as in "This is a great movie and should win an academy award" liked it, but liked it in "This movie is a lot better than I thought it would be" liked it.

New Moon is pretty much getting slammed by everyone.

I'm slow, barely finished reading New Moon, but I'll probably read the other two books just to finish off the series.

Kalyn Denny Kalyn's Kitchen

There wasn't a lot of screaming in our theatre

sassymonkey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0600

But we did go to the 10:30am screening on a Saturday morning and the theatre was blessedly less than half full. (Yay for teenagers who can't get out of bed before noon!) There was a lot of giggling and a bit of commentary here and there but not a lot of screaming.

I felt much less inclined to call Jasper "Jasper Scissorhands" this time around. He's growing on me...possibly because he tried to eat Bella. I was disappointed in not being able to yell "Stalker" at Edward as I do consistently through the first one.

And I still think that Edward looks like a discoball and would look lovely on a Christmas tree. Is there a discoball Edward christmas tree ornament? I think I need one.

Oh, and the fake husband liked Dakota Fanning and thinks that Edward is a wuss. I think he's #teamvolturi.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Teachers’ Campaign for Oprah’s Final Book Club Selection

EarnanAGradeToday — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:02:44 -0600

Sharon Rose Sugar is the the author of the “The Silent Crisis Destroying America’s Brightest Minds”that was chosen as the “Book of the Month” by the Alma Public Library in Wisconsin. She understands the importance of Oprah’s gratitude journal. Educators have to develop the
mind, body, and spirit of a child.

This book encapsulates Oprah’s vision of a world ruled by spiritual maturity. This is why Oprah should choose the “Book of the Century”as her final book club selection. It is a befitting choice that recognizes Oprah’s core values and central mission of her life, and her devotion to education and world peace.

She cried, I cried harder...

womenonthefence — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:13:06 -0600

It was a classic moment. My hubby and I away for the weekend. It was 4:51PM yesterday (we get Oprah at 4PM EST), and in he walks. He shouts, "What's wrong???" I am hysterically bawling my eyes out. The minute Oprah lost it, I lost it even worse! lol!

She is a huge inspiration to many, and I find it amazing how she keeps things fresh day after day, for all these years. Kudos to her.

Oprah, you'll be missed. I'll be tuning into OWN!!

Erica Diamond

www.WomenOnTheFence.com

Very Good Point

Megan Smith — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:01:59 -0600

Hi Paula,

You make a very good point. The number was supposed to have been choreographed by someone who doesn't use a wheelchair so it would make sense if it didn't look very authentic.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

My Personal Entertainment Blog: Megan's Minute

Twitter:@MeganSmith

Wow

EdibleMarie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:40:20 -0600

A beautiful photograph of your grandmother's hands.

http://ediblemarie.com

Thanks for this post

dampscribbler — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:50:55 -0600

I'm remembering Dewey this week, so many tragedies seem to be striking families these days, and I find myself concerned for them and hoping that Dewey's husband and child (son, I think?) are doing okay as they approach this sad anniversary. I looked for her blog today (it had been up for some months) to try to communicate my sympathies but alas, it's gone now. I'll just be saying a prayer for them, hoping they have some comfort.

I hate movie tie-in covers!

sassymonkey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:51:50 -0600

I hate them and will do everything possible to avod them - including ordering the British edition if I can't find a decent copy without the movie cover. Though, Viggo on a cover doesn't sound so bad....hmmm...nope! Still hate it!

And while I agree it is sales driven I think it's more of a recognition factor. People don't need to wonder if they are buying the right book if it has the actor(s) on the cover. Without it people will argue with you in bookstores that it's not the right book. (Used to work in a bookstore, I've seen it happen.)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Some authors like to bang you over the head

sassymonkey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:47:59 -0600

With the tragedy, oh the utter tragedy. I can understand it sometimes, there are times when it just works. But when an author does it every single book I'm with you.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

The ages thing

sassymonkey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:45:48 -0600

It hate it when a characters ages spontaneously. And it's usually a "minor" character in a series. Like a niece or something that was 11 in one book, 16 in the next and 21 in third yet the main character has only aged two years.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.