The Tooth Fairy: I’m a Believer

Now, I admit, when walking into the Tooth Fairy I had my trepidations. Come on The Rock; in a tutu; flying? Um, no. But there are two things that I didn’t’ take into account when walking into the theater. The Rock is utterly charming, and that can make all the difference.

The Tooth Fairy stars Dwayne Johnson as Derek Thompson, a former major league hockey player banished to the minors because of an injury. With his popularity and career on the decline, he revels in the new surge of admiration he gets from bashing his opponents in a move that always knocks their teeth out, earning him the aptly given nickname ‘The Tooth Fairy.’ Whimsical nicknames aside Derek is just as much a killer of dreams off the ice as he is on, as he crushes the dreams of young children surrounding him. For the particularly heinous crime of telling the daughter of his girlfriend (girlfriend played by Ashley Judd) that there is no Tooth Fairy he is called to the fairy court and sentenced to spend time as a tooth fairy. With his wingless fairy mentor Tracy, played by Stephan Merchant, and the hopes of two young kids, Derek struggles to rediscover the magic in dreams.

This movie is simply heart-warming. And yes, we’ve seen it all before. The disbeliever thrown into a world of impossibility; the has-been struggling for fame; the child with a secret talent yearning for the faith to believe; there is nothing new here. And yet, the innocent and beautiful performances given by a few of the stars are just captivating. First there’s Johnson, who brings such honesty to his role. Just to look in his eyes takes you to the heart of this character; and this is astounding, truly a joy to behold. And though you may not like this character at times, it remains true. Merchant does a great job in the role of mentor and fairy underdog. And his awkward performance brings much relief. Another notable performance includes Chase Ellison as Randy, the aforementioned talented kid who looks to Johnson for faith.

This movie seems to be billed as a comedy, but in truth there are not that many funny parts. Don’t get me wrong it’s entertaining, but there are no moments that knock you back in your seat bringing tears to your eyes with laughter. There is enough to make you chuckle and to keep the kids content. But all-in-all the hi-jinks are at a low. And even Derek’s misadventures as a fairy are not pushed far enough as he reaches no impossible situations or major foul-ups that could be a chance for comedic exploration. For a non-believer he’s pretty good, and that’s pretty lame.

In fact, Derek’s time as a tooth fairy takes a back seat as he muddles through his real life, and it is here where Johnson really shines. It is here where his charisma and personality come through making Thompson such an engaging, lovable character. Johnson brings the heart and warmth to a role that in far less capable hands would have left this film floundering in mediocrity.

And speaking of mediocrity, Ashley Judd’s by the book performance as Carly was completely forgettable and not worth mentioning (but unfortunately I have to.) Ryan Sheckler brings absolutely nothing to his role as up and coming phenom Mick Donnelly. Billy Crystal and Julie Andrews are passable, though not inspired.

But aside from all that, The Tooth Fairy is still a really sweet movie. If you’re a Johnson fan or a sucker for heart-wrenching movies, I’d suggest you check it out. If not, you can wait for the DVD.

The Spy Next Door: Secret Agent Man

Jackie Chan’s legacy as a martial arts guru of the silver screen — famously Westernized with 1995’s Rumble in the Bronx and solidified with the Rush Hour series and 2008’s The Forbidden Kingdom — has sadly found him riding the tattered coattails of Vin Diesel a la The Pacifier in The Spy Next Door, a romp of groan-inducing proportions filled with hackneyed family entertainment clichés and stale humor that, to my amazement, apparently took three screenwriters to create.

Chan plays Bob Ho, an in-demand CIA agent posing as a pen salesman (okay) to his girlfriend Gillian (model Amber Valletta — okaaayy) and her three moppets. Bob has had enough of the life of espionage and is ready to retire and become a family man, but unfortunately the kids can’t stand him. Gillian finds Bob “dependable,” unlike previous men in her life, thus rendering him excruciatingly dull to the children. Bob aches for a real relationship with them, but I have a feeling the pen salesman front – complete with thick-framed Clark Kent-type glasses — doesn’t help his efforts. Did I mention Gillian and her clan live next door? Indeed.

On the cusp of his retirement, Bob nabs longtime nemesis Poldark (the writers clearly consulted their trusty Evil Russian Espionage Thug Handbook to carve the depths of this guy) and, upon completion of his swan song assignment, bids adieu to the Ethan Hunt half of his persona and trusted colleagues Colton and Glaze (Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez, respectively, laughing all the way to the bank).

Bob prepares to confess the truth about his real profession to Gillian, but before he can she receives sudden news about her ailing father and abruptly leaves town to care for him. Bob find this as the perfect opportunity to bond with the kids, and Gillian reluctantly agrees to let him baby-sit.

Cue the hilarity as Bob flails about in attempt to complete menial parental tasks like a “normal” dad – making breakfast proves to be an especially challenging undertaking – while falling for the youngsters’ endless pranks. What ensues is a stupefying montage of typical pratfalls and hijinks thinly veiled as a humorous, yet tender, attempt towards achieving a narrative regarding Bob’s evolving relationship with the kids. Mercifully, the youngest, Nora (a precocious, sugar-adverse four-year-old – groundbreaking), catches an exasperated Bob as he finally channels his Chan and whips out some sweet moves in a last-ditch effort to rescue the roof-loving family cat. Perhaps Bob isn’t ready to hang up his secret decoder ring after all.

Meanwhile, Poldark is broken out of the clink and stewing up a new plot for Russian world domination (via control of the Earth’s oil supply, natch) with his cronies. The plan involves a top-secret chemical formula dubbed GBH (Growth Bacteria Hybrid), known to the CIA and subsequently sent to Bob’s home computer from his former associate Colton. Unfortunately, Ian, sci-fi loving middle child and perpetual wedgie target, intercepts the file under false pretenses – to him, GBH is referring to Gratuitous Bodily Harm, an underground, sordid European bootleg concert only an adolescent boy could love – and downloads it to his iPod, all unbeknownst to Bob. It doesn’t take long for the Russians to discover their formula has hit cyberspace, and they trace the location to Bob’s computer. This aspect of the plot seems to flagrantly bask in its vagueness, and to only serve the direct purpose of getting Bob back in the spy game.

The third act of the movie predictably follows suit and has Nora, Ian and the oldest child, bratty, sullen teenager Farren, join forces with Bob to bring down the Russians and discover the real meaning of family after all (actual spoken line: “Family isn’t whose blood you carry, it’s who you love.” Uh-huh.). The Spy Next Door isn’t offensively awful – although a couple of Cyrus’ quips raised my eyebrows– but I’m certainly hard-pressed to think of a trite, formulaic storytelling tactic not put to palpable use throughout the film, and for some of us that’s offensive enough. The biggest crime, however, is the inexplicable stifling of the physical and comedic talents of Jackie Chan, save for a few muted scenes of dexterity involving escalators, bicycles and the collection of pots and pans hanging in Gillian’s kitchen, among other things.  The implementation of Chan’s skills as a martial artist is the highlight of Jackie Chan movies, and, frankly, the whole point of the production. Next time, I hope Chan leaves the kids at home.

Legion: Hark! The Angels Sing In Horror

It’s not often that the villain of a religious movie is God. (And no, I really don’t mean A god. I do mean God with a capital “G”.) So I wasn’t sure what to make of Legion, an apocalyptic tale, where Michael has defected from God’s army in an attempt to save mankind by protecting a pregnant waitress and her soon-to-be-born son. Yes. I know that is a lot to swallow. And such a premise raises the immediate questions of why has God chosen to smite all of mankind and what’s the kid got to do with it. Legion doesn’t try with any visible effort to answer the big questions and focuses more on entertaining it’s audience with sweet special effects, gun fights, egregious swearing and some deadpan humor.

I really wanted to hate the film, and almost did, but Scott Stewart pulled off such stylish (if cheesy) fare that it at least, had some entertaining moments and a ton of silly action. Stewart is best known for his special effects work on such visually splendid movies like Sin City, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Superman Returns and the last two Pirates of the Caribbean. You can tell he understands the best ways to blow things up and blow guys away. Add a solid cast, and the film is actually watchable, and that’s a true compliment given writers Peter Schink and Stewart put to paper a whole lot of nothing supported by weak dialogue. A cool concept was present, and the tools were ready to be used, but the backbone of Legion was never put in place. And that is its greatest detriment.

At the onset, we see an archangel fall (obviously, Michael), but we don’t get to see how and who for some reason. Michael reminds us that the last time God was angry with man, he sent a flood, yet this time he chooses to zombiefy the weakest to do his bidding, a plan that’s clearly not as grand and takes way more effort. Then, there’s the idea that an unborn child’s chance to live and be the next messiah will save everyone, but we get no explanation to how and why, and no one has the right mind to ask either. There are so many gaping holes, it’s like watching Swiss cheese.

Most of the action is centered at a diner (aptly named Paradise Falls), in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere, around a ragged bunch of common archetypes who are stuck there and forced to join the good (or is it bad since it’s against God) fight. Dennis Quaid plays the gruff diner owner Bob, who doesn’t get his son Jeep’s (Lucas Black) devotion to ready-to-burst waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki from Friday Night Lights), who doesn’t return his affection. Percy (Charles S. Dutton) is Bob’s one-armed sidekick and diner chef. The passerbys are Kyle, a mysterious, gun-toting stranger, played by Tyrese Gibson, and the rich family with a broken-down car, including Sandra, Howard and their wild daughter Audrey, played by Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh and Willa Holland respectively. The film culminated in a predicable battle between Michael and Gabriel (Kevin Durand), toting a suped up, spiked mace and bullet-deflecting wings. Who knew angels were up on the newest technology?

The cast executes what their given, and pretty well, since they were given very little to work with, but are, truly, elevated by Paul Bettany‘s portrayal of the stoic Michael. Out of all the unbelievable mush, he’s the one thing I really believed, as he fully commanded every scene he was in and word he was given.

And if Bettany gets the best performer award, the best guest appearance would go to Jeanette Miller, who portrayed a sweet, old lady turned potty-mouthed, ceiling-scaling neck chomper. Her turn elicited the most laugh and gasps of the entire film.

Watching Legion is like watching Supernatural after drinking a bottle of scotch, jumping in after missing the first 20 episodes and skipping straight to the two-hour finale. While, if I had a time machine, I would never pay $11.00 to see the film in the theater again, I would recommend it for rent, especially if you like horror-action hybrids and/or are an atheistic. Not to offend, but clearly, portraying a vengeful God isn’t going to drum up too many Christian fans. But it’s worthy enough to fill a rainy, boring Sunday afternoon if only to revel in all the machine gunplay.

Jone Dome: Jay-Z’s Name Change and The Booty Pop, Two Disappointments

Season 2 Episode 6: Shamed into submission by his name change, the fellas finally hate on their once idol, Jay-Z (Sean Knowles Carter).   They also jone on the new infomercial, the Booty Pop.  It is truly the end of Hip Hop!!

Show Credits:

Written & hosted by: Ference and Double Edge
Produced & Edited by: Zuberi B. Williams
Venue: Austin Grill (Silver Spring)
Intro: Jay-Z (H to the Izzo)

Leopold Bros. Distillery

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T. Dubb is a lover of the arts and enjoys drawing, listening to music, and watching movies in her spare time. Originally from Los Angeles, she currently resides in Davis, CA.

Real Housewives of Orange County: I’m a Cool Mom!

This week really highlighted the poor parenting skills of Lynne and made me go from tolerating her to hating her.

Let’s start out with Gretchen’s Tupperware party, since that’s where the episode started out, getting weird right out of the gate. First of all, what is a Tupperware party? Gretchen was talking about throwing a party like “back in the day.” Is there a generational gap that I’m missing here? Anyway, Gretchen had this odd housewife-Tupperware party that Vicki couldn’t come to because, haven’t you heard, she has a job, and Tamra couldn’t come because, haven’t you heard, she holds a grudge. So Lynne decides to bury the hatchet with Gretchen from the other week’s weird Alexa intervention and comes to the party with hubby in tow, and Alexis shows up with her husband while looking like a hooker as per usual. So yeah, I don’t know what was supposed to happen here, so a drag queen coming out of the woodwork to actually sell the Tupperware didn’t seem that odd. What did seem odd was how insane Alexis got when she thought Gretchen’s friend Mel was hitting on Jim. I think Mel was on the train to blackout judging by her slight slurs and teetering, but Alexis lost her ish when she thought someone was hitting on her man. Instead of handling it rationally or subtly, she caused a big commotion and Jim was just, well there, until he decided his woman was running her mouth too much and took her outside to tell her to be quiet after referring to the evening as a tequila party, which was a more appropriate label than a Tupperware party.

Tamra was so boring and predictable this episode she is hardly worth covering.

Now Lynne provided the most entertainment this week. And by entertainment I mean it was really just an opportunity to judge another person. Harshly. As we all know, Alexa has been having a rough time at home with no one listening to her, her being depressed etc. etc. Her parents don’t listen to her and Gretchen had as much grace as Amy Winehouse in the situation. This episode we learn that Alexa has no discipline in her house, and Lynne flip-flops between saying that Alexa is a good kid and doesn’t do anything bad to saying that she can’t sleep at night not knowing what her daughter is doing. Alexa says she likes not having any boundaries, but then claims she sometimes wishes her parents would react and set some rules, so she is pretty much testing them. Test fail.

Alexa has some issues. She went to the beach and told her sister that she feels excluded and that she just wants to move to LA to party, because she loves partying, but then she says she doesn’t do anything bad and when she comes home late one night after partying, she says herself that she isn’t slurring her words or anything, so I’m confused. Is she just really good at hiding it? Doesn’t she want to get caught? Lynne acts like it is the hardest thing on the planet to discipline a teenage girl, but she doesn’t make annnnnnnny effort. She sits on the couch bitching about Alexa but has absolutely no follow through.

Since apparently no one in this family can “deal,” the Youthologist is called back in to help and makes Lynne even a bigger joke as a mother. Alexa is very late for the meeting and texts on her phone the whole time and cries and makes this the first time I have ever actually disliked her. The Youthologist is no help and everyone points the finger at the other family members and whines while being very monotone. Alexa claims she just can’t wait until she is 18 to have freedom, but without mommy and daddy’s money it’s not like she is going to have real freedom, other than the freedom to buy whatever kind of porn she fancies.

Vicki got Botox and spray tans for her office as a reward for doing such a bitchin’ job lately. Nice Vicki just isn’t as interesting, but she seems to be doing very well, so a tip of my hat to her.

Next week it looks like things get realllllllly tense for the Alexa-Gretchen-Lynne story line. I don’t think we are going to see a table flip, but I think I saw Lynne hit a table while screaming expletives to try and get across the fact that she is trying to emote since her face doesn’t work anymore. Yahoo!

Season 5, Episode 9: No Boundaries (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more on The Real Housewives of Orange County, click here.

Thursdays at 10/9c on Bravo

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Mitchell Haaseth

Grey’s Anatomy: Surgery vs. Love

Last week, Cristina made the shocking announcement that she chose surgery over Owen by offering to give him to Teddy. This week, the decision between surgery and love is on many of the doctors’ minds. There was a lot of relationship drama plus the Chief faces a serious consequence for falling off of the wagon.

Throughout the episode, Meredith and Derek fought about the Chief’s drinking problem. Derek wants to report Richard to the board but Meredith questions whether Derek wants to be chief. She also tells him “McDreamy is being a McAss” (my favorite line of the episode)! When she calls “post-it,” he finally agrees to keep the secret. Derek offers to help the Chief who turns him down and instead signs up for a “Whipple surgery.” However, this concerns Derek since Richard hasn’t operated in a long time and it is a complicated seven-hour surgery to which he gave the hardest part to Meredith. Bailey admits to Derek that “the Chief’s judgment is not clear and rational…Richard is gone.” Finally, Derek confronts Meredith and states if he goes to the board about Richard, the first thing he will do as the new chief will be to hire Izzie back. After hearing about Izzie’s positive PET scan results, Meredith tells Derek he can go to the board. In bed that night, Meredith accuses Derek of doing this for the job…in the choice between surgery vs. love, he chose surgery. However, Derek throws it right back at her, she chose surgery too because she wanted to take part in the “Whipple surgery” even though she knew the Chief wasn’t ready.

Izzie’s back and wants to repair her relationship with Alex. During lunch, when faced with the question of surgery vs. love, Izzie responds, “Surgery is just a job. If you lose your job, you get another one, but if you think you’re losing your love, suddenly nothing else matters.” Alex’s cold response, “love comes and goes. Surgery doesn’t.” During her PET scan, Alex confesses that he slept with someone else but Izzie is positive they will get past it. All seems to be going well with Alex and Izzie, especially when she shows him her great scan results and he tells her how much he loves her. However, then Alex thanks her for helping him realize that he is a good man but he deserves someone who will stay. Alex explains “I’m happy you’re okay and I’m happy about your job and I want you to go and be happy and not come back.” Ouch!! Back at Meredith’s house, Izzie is packing while Meredith attempts to convince her to stay. But Izzie says she needs to start over.

Cristina and Teddy talk, with Teddy saying the Chief asked her to finish out her contract and Cristina telling her that she didn’t mean what she said–she’d give up Owen for her. Although Cristina keeps asking everyone what would you choose: surgery or the person you love? During surgery on a patient who is a singer and has a tumor on his lung, Teddy does everything she can to save his lung so he can continue to follow his passion, singing. This proves to Cristina that Teddy understands why she would choose surgery over a guy. Cristina tells her, “I want to be great and I want to learn from you. I choose my gift.” Afterwards, Owen meets Teddy, who’s had a few drinks, at Joe’s and confesses that Cristina would trade him to get her to stay. Owen immediately goes to confront Cristina and says, “You don’t get to toss me aside. I won’t let you.” As she begins to tear up, you can tell she loves him and they kiss.

While making out, Arizona discovers Callie has chickenpox. A contagious Callie is then secluded in a hospital room with Lexie taking care of her. Lexie unsuccessfully tries to distract her from the desire to scratch with work and then confesses she had sex with Alex but regrets it because she is in love with Mark. Mark returns from L.A. and tries to comfort Callie but he must also come clean—he slept with Addison. Towards the end of the episode, we see Arizona (who had lied about not having the chicken pox) crawl into bed with Callie to keep her company. While leaving the hospital, Mark and Lexie run into each other and they both reveal that they had slept with Addison/Alex. Lexie is relieved because she thinks they are even but Mark doesn’t see it that way and is really angry!

My thoughts on this week…I am sort of sick of the Izzie issue of will she stay or leave again. I love her as a character but please make up your mind—either stay or go! Also, if she does stay, I hope she works it out with Alex. To use Meredith’s line, Mark was a major McAss! Both he and Lexie screwed up by sleeping with someone else not just Lexie! I can’t help but wonder if Teddy thought by tattling to Owen, about what Cristina said, they would break up and then she could have him. More Jackson Avery in episodes please! Not only is he nice to look at but I thought he fit in (even though he was a Mercy Wester) during the lunch scene!

In two weeks (2/4): Derek begins his new role. Mark is not speaking to Lexie and Teddy refuses to put Cristina on her service. Alex is tested in pediatrics and Bailey and Meredith deal with a patient who awakens during a surgery.

For more on this episode, check out True Confessions by Tanya Lane.

Season 6, Episodes 12: I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Michael Desmond.

The Vampire Diaries: Georgia On My Mind

Are you ready, my die-hard Diarists? It’s been a long wait, but Vampire Diaries is finally back with “Bloodlines.” Let’s do this.

It opens where the last episode left off, with Elena trapped inside her flipped vehicle, staring in upside-down horror as the shadowy figure she just ran over picks itself up and starts shambling menacingly toward her. Just as she starts screaming uselessly, Damon appears and carries her to safety.

Elena wakes up to find herself in Damon’s car, en route to Georgia, which Damon claims will loosen her up and teach her to “step away from her life” for a few minutes. Isn’t it more important to, I don’t know, check her for internal bleeding? That was a pretty serious accident. Elena’s all angry-mouth that she doesn’t have her magical necklace to protect her. Even worse, Damon has her phone! Whatever–road trip!

Meanwhile, in Mystic Falls, Stefan can’t take a hint when Elena won’t answer his calls and asks Bonnie to track her through the magic necklace. Why are vampire boyfriends always so controlling? Bonnie’s ju-ju is all juiced out, though, and she confesses that her powers haven’t been working lately. Grams tells her to hit up the cemetery, where Bonnie immediately falls into a pit with a mysterious, pentagram-etched door. Seems to me like a cemetery full of zombie vampires is the last place I’d want to visit alone if I were a witch whose powers weren’t working, but okay.

Damon and Elena finally arrive at their destination, which turns out to be a bar run by Bree (Gina Torres from Firefly). Turns out she’s a witch and an old girlfriend of Damon’s to boot. She is also a terrible bartender, because she spends most of the episode pouring tequila shots for herself and Damon. All’s not as it seems, though, because while Bree seems happy to see Damon, she makes a sinister phone call later ratting him out to a Mysterious Listener.

Back home, Stefan shows up at Gram’s, who pointedly doesn’t invite him in and lets him know that she knows that HE KNOWS where Bonnie is. Now that’s ju-ju, y’all. He runs over to the cemetery and rescues Bonnie, who tells him that she can hear the vamps trapped underground.

The Mysterious Listener on the phone turns out to be Lexi’s formerly-human boyfriend, who uses Elena to lure Damon out of the bar so he can go all Misery on his legs. It’s Brandon Quinn from Big Wolf On Campus! Oh man, junior high flashback. Elena convinces Lexi’s undead ex to be a good vampire and spare Damon’s life. Damon uses his second chance at existence to go back to the bar and rip out Bree’s heart—literally this time—after she tells him there might be another way to resurrect Katherine. Feel free to make your own Firefly/early death jokes here.

Home at last, Damon and Elena seem to have developed a grudging mutual respect to go with their super-hot chemistry, Jeremy meets a creepy home-schooled girl who helps him with his vampire-Civil War project, and Stefan tells Elena that he saved her from the car accident that killed her parents back in May and has been following her ever since. Oh, and she’s adopted. I swear to God, if Stefan turns out to be her great-great-grandfather or something, I am never watching this show again.

Season 1, Episode 11: Bloodlines (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more on The Vampire Diaries, click here.

Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW and Guy D’Alema.

Grey’s Anatomy: True Confessions

If confession is good for the soul, the gang at Seattle Grace should be in good stead with the Man Upstairs.  Last week I disapproved of all the bed-hopping, and this week the guilty parties have come clean.  Izzie and Alex seemed to be over.  I’m no fan of Izzie’s and thought she threw in the towel on her marriage.  Alex still shouldn’t have slept with Little Grey last week, but I don’t blame the guy for assuming his marriage was finito.  When Meredith warned Izzie last week that she was losing Alex, she was surprisingly spurred into action and returned pretty much acting as if nothing had happened.  She offered a quick apology for blaming Alex for getting fired, and thinks they can pick up where they left off.  She plans to find a position at a hospital in Tacoma and hopes she and Alex will remain together.  Accompanying her while she undergoes an MRI, he blurts out that he slept with someone else but doesn’t say who it is.  She says they will get through it and doesn’t miss a beat.  It’s great that she can forgive him so easily, but Alex has been in turmoil for the last few months, and she doesn’t seem to understand that.  Alex doesn’t seem to feel particularly guilty either, delivering his confession with a “let the chips fall where they may” attitude.

The biggest mess that’s been brewing is the way the Chief has become unglued at work while falling off the wagon.  Meredith had been keeping his secret but finally divulges it to Derek, who promptly says he’ll go to the Board with the news.  Meredith pleads with him to keep the secret because she shared it with him as a spouse, not a colleague.  “Post-it!” she yells, referencing the way they got married. What? “Post-it!” she repeats.  Derek relents, promising he’ll keep quiet but warns Meredith that the Chief’s judgment is suspect.  His erratic behavior hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bailey, who is shocked to learn that he is allowing Meredith to perform an extremely difficult surgical procedure for which she is not ready.  At the last minute Bailey intervenes, and Meredith’s willingness to knowingly bite off more than she can chew is further proof of the residents’ blind ambition…which leads me to the biggest Type A of all, Cristina.  When we last left her she was giving Owen away like yesterday’s lunch.  Teddy is still at the hospital finishing out her contract, but the fact remains that Cristina would rather be able to perform surgeries than be with the man she claims to love.  Feeling appropriately shamed by Teddy, she quizzes everyone else about which one they’d choose if they had to: your gift or your love?

Abandoning your passion was a recurring theme, continued by the storyline of an obese professional singer who would rather die than lose a lung to cancer, effectively ending his career.  The man’s partner bemoans how demeaning it is to “love a man who thinks so little of you.”  These words seem to strike a chord in Alex and play a part in his ultimate decision regarding Izzie.  Meredith finds out Izzie won’t get the job in Tacoma, one for which she wanted Derek to recommend her.  Derek tells her the hospital passed on Izzie, but that if he were named new Chief (after turning in Richard), his first act would be to reinstate Izzie.  Trying to protect her friend, Meredith tells Derek he can spill the beans.

The episode ends with the offending parties coming clean, but all is not well.  Alex explains to Izzie that he’s happy her health has returned to normal, but that he doesn’t want to be with her.  For the longest time he thought he wasn’t a good person, but now knows that he is, and it is because he is good that he deserves better than her treatment.  Bravo Alex!  I couldn’t have said it better myself.  When Mark and Lexie cross paths, he tells her about Sloan’s successful surgery and admits to sleeping with Addison while in L.A.  Lexie sighs with relief, assuming that his infidelity cancels out hers.  Not so fast.  In truly hypocritical fashion, Mark finds Lexie’s dalliance with Alex more distasteful, apparently because he was dealing with personal family business while she did the deed? So what? Both of you indulged in extra-curricular activities: it’s a wash.

I enjoyed this episode because certain characters received a much-needed reality check.  Selfish immaturity was stopped cold by Alex and Owen as well, who told Cristina she wasn’t getting rid of him that easily.  It’s nice to see some people preserve a love worth having, while others are freeing themselves of dead weight.  I can’t wait to see how the writers test the boundaries of love and friendship even more.

For another take on this episode, check out Surgery vs. Love by Allison Toner.

Season 6, Episodes 12: I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Michael Desmond, and Scott Garfield.

Project Runway: A Step In The Right Direction

In another episode to prove this season is miles apart from “that which must never be mentioned,” Project Runway’s latest combines the great characters (ie: contestants) introduced last episode and adds an innovative and extremely (might I say) fabulous challenge. Truly this episode blew my mind! And while it is far too early to completely deem this season a success, the promise that it shows could put it on par with earlier seasons.

This week the designers challenge is, in Heidi’s words, “a little out there” geographically speaking as the designers leave the comfy nest of New York City and travel to the farm.

They are met with their models attired in… potato sacks and mud. The challenge: transform these sacks into a party ready design that the models will wear to an industry event. And because of the stakes, it’s the model’s choice. All of the designers look suitably baffled except Seth and Jay who actually seem to be excited. Yes, they’re either weird or like testing themselves, but this can only be good.

In model’s choice, Mila takes umbrage when her model decides to go with Anthony instead. She quickly moves from questioning her skill to demeaning Anthony’s. Whatever helps you feel better. But perhaps it does help to know that Mila’s former model turns out to be quite a demanding client for Anthony. Somebody lucked out. Not Anthony, nor a few of the other designers whose models proceed to make demands which are at the least, questionable. Then comes the part where the designers contemplate how to address the desires of their clients without jeopardizing themselves of their chances in the competition.

Tim arrives to check out the designer’s work so far. He is impressed with Ping’s top, but feels the skirt is too short. What with the elevated platform, the poor girls behind would be showing. Ping agrees to make it longer. At Jesus’ station Tim has a problem with the fact that Jesus decided to completely get rid of the burlap and instead focus his design on ribbons, layered and layered. Tim feels that the dress is not in the spirit of the challenge and I agree that it’s such a cop-out. Jesus disagrees, but what else can you do when confronted with your own inadequacy and lack of imagination. He keeps the ribbons.

In the final fitting, Seth worries about Ping, Pamela’s dress is ill-fitting and Jay Nicholas hates his skirt. Jesus tells his model of Tim’s critque and instructs her to sell the design to the judges.

At the runway the guest judge is Lauren Hutton, model/actress. At the top are: Amy, who Michael said made the fabric (sack) look fun and flirty; Jay Nichols who Heidi complimented for making burlap look expensive; and Mila whose dress Nina calls fantastic. The winner: Jay, and while I loved Amy’s dress I can’t find too much fault in this. At the bottom of the pack are: Jesus whose approach to the challenge Heidi questioned; Pamela whose dress, Michael thought, looked worse than the potato sack; and Ping whose booty flashing dress (it was too short, WAY too short) made the judges wonder if she understood the challenge. Going home: I would love to say it was Jay, but unfortunately it’s Pamela who gets the axe.

I’ve got to say, I was impressed with both this challenge and the designers approach to it. So many pieces came down the runway that were beautiful, you could not see their humble beginnings. It’s great to see what these designers can do when pressed to it. Keep it up.

For another take on this episode, check out Hot Potatoes by Dianna.

Season 7, Episode 2: The Fashion Farm (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more on Project Runway, click here.

Thursdays at 10pm EST on Lifetime

Photographs courtesy of Lifetime and IMDbPro

Project Runway: Hot Potatoes

This week, instead of your regularly scheduled episode of Project Runway, we will be relocating to the countryside to do some farming. Wait, this is the episode? You mean there’s actually a challenge on a farm? Oh, well in that case, let me just grab my straw hat and sunflower seeds…

So this week’s challenge was based off of the quote “A beautiful woman can look good in anything – even a potato sack.” Designers were to create a party-worthy look from a burlap potato sack. Not exactly the best medium. But as the saying goes, you have to “Make it work!” As if that weren’t enough of a challenge, the models got to act as clients for the designers. And we all know how crazy those models can be with their demands.

After a brief stocking of supplies – quite possibly my favorite Tim Gunn moment: “You have fifteen minutes to shop on the farm” – the designers return to Parson’s to begin doing what they do best, using techniques like dying, dipping and even potato printing. As to be expected, problems ensue. Tension’s already built between two designers when whiny Mila’s model chooses to work with Anthony over her. Personally, Anthony is one of my favorites. His flamboyant and confident attitude makes him a memorable contestant. Seth Aaron, the rockstar among the designers, is another favorite particularly because of his edgy style and demeanor.

Back to the issues. Jesus, who you just can’t help but want to believe in, decides to cover the burlap with ribbons, which unfortunately defeats the purpose of the task. And Jay’s skirt winds up being navy blue instead of black. Whoops. On the other side of the room, in a galaxy far far away, resident crazy Ping is suffering from a miscalculation in measurement. Her garment not only has a strangely wide and unflattering look, but doesn’t even cover the model’s rear. Talk about being “bummed out”!

At judging, we’re introduced to Nina and Michael – yay they’re back! The guest judge this week is fashion icon, model, actress, and adventurer Lauren Hutton. (Did I miss anything Heidi?) The show begins with Anthony’s cute, short, red party dress. And, no, Alexis, blue buttons would not have looked good. Favorites included Seth Aaron’s futuristic sci-fi look, Jonathan’s very elegant and classy look, and Amy’s simple, but pretty and flowy look. Jesse also caught my eye, having been the only one who’d done a pant suit. Props, Jesse!

Top three were Amy, Mila, and Jay. Bottom three were Pamela, Jesus, and Ping. The judges question whether or not they want to see more of Ping’s work, but eventually they decide they do. For the love of all mankind, why couldn’t they just let her go? I guess Ping’s eccentric style amuses them. Mila’s almost flawless construction kept her spot in the competition. Her dress was beautiful, aside from the gaping neckline. I just hope in the episodes to come she tones down the annoyance factor. Jay’s adorable feathery dress was the challenge winner, giving him immunity for the next one. Boiling down to Jesus and Pamela, I can’t say I was sorry to see Pamela and her poorly made dress go. Giving a tiny model such a big rear is a no-no, my friend.

With the first team challenge coming up next week, it’ll be interesting to see how all these different personalities work together. I pity the designer that gets stuck with Ping! But as always, they’ll have to MAKE IT WORK.

For another take on this episode, check out A Step In The Right Direction by Keshaunta Moton.

Season 7, Episode 2: The Fashion Farm (originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more on Project Runway, click here.

Thursdays at 10pm EST on Lifetime

Photographs courtesy of Lifetime and IMDbPro

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