Catching Up Pt. 1

Of course the inevitable "I forgot I even had a blog" time has come and gone. That's right I recently remembered I had somewhere to discuss pop culture and vent about my life. But now I am back!

So let's discuss the end of 2014 so we can get it out of the way. I was way more into TV this year and so my film knowledge is small and almost insignificant. I didn't even get to go see St. Vincent. I am still heartbroken about that. However I saw some of the big ones. Boyhood for instance is  really great and people should watch it. The Lego Movie is getting snubbed in the animation categories which I am upset about. Really Golden Globes? The sequel to How to Train Your Dragon  was better then Big Hero 6 and the Lego Movie?  This is just not true. Of course the Oscars didn't even bother with it. No surprise there. Anyway, children everywhere know the truth as well as I do.

Onto 2014 television, Jane the Virgin came out and rocked my CW world. So freaking good. Gotham is still going strong but I have stopped watching. It is good and I love Benjamin McKenzie, but it's not my type of show. I absolutely have to mention You're The Worst. This show is amazing and easily my favorite new show of 2014. I have already watched it all the way through three times and I make everyone watch it. In a close second place is of course, Silicon Valley. I cannot wait until April. I am still pulling for Constantine and Marry Me. Constantine is surprisingly good and Marry Me is on the cusp of being something really funny and great. It isn't there yet but I have faith. #saveconstantine

Music, probably the most disappointing category of the year, was typical and kind of bland. Charli XCX is now mainstream and so is Iggy Azalea who I feel is a tad overrated. Hilary Duff had some new singles this year which was awesome. A new DJ came out of Brooklyn named SOPHIE and by new I mean I found out who he was. He is certainly worth checking out. Tay Tay had some good singles while reminding me that she is my age and has already done more with her life than I ever will. Thanks buddy. Tove Lo surfaced with a great EP and a crappy album in comparison. Then of course Lilly Allen returned with Sheezus, my favorite album of the year. However that doesn't say much since I am all about that single. No albums. (Meghan Trainor who will be the talk of 2015.)
Feel free to check out my Top 40 of 2014 here.

With every year that passes there is more and more film, tv, and music coming out and there is less and less of it I have time to peruse as I get older. So this is clearly condensed and whatever I didn't mention didn't stick in my mind enough to remember. Since I did do more reading this year I will suggest two books. Amy Poehler "Yes, Please" and Rainbow Rowell's "Landline"

So now looking into 2015 what am I excited about? Well that post will come out later this weekend. You will have to stay tuned for Catching up Pt. 2.

New Year's Resolutions:
Get a job
Stay Alive
Be Nice

Stay strong it's only January,

-Emy

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the color change in nature, the cooler temperatures, football, and new movies and television.

 Of course, new films and tv shows can come out any time of year, but the fall lineup is the most fun for television. It is a battleground for my primetime attention and I love it. Some years fall short and sadly I don't find a new show to love. But last year I found Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Super Fun Night, though sadly Super Fun Night was cancelled.

This year brings about a bunch of new shows and I am happy to say I am excited about more than one of them. Last year was all about Brooklyn Nine-Nine, this year it's all about Gotham. I discussed this shows in a previous post in May. That is how much buzz this one has been getting. It makes sense though, with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Series over and people still anxiously waiting on the new Superman and Batman movie we have to get out Batman fix somewhere right?

However, there are so much more than I am excited about. Katherine Heigl is back and on a new drama. Which is nice because I enjoy watching her, although apparently working with her is the worst. But It will be nice to see her acting again. This is what I believe is NBC's answer to Scandal. I honestly don't have any idea how good this will be. It looks cliche but it could work you never know.

This next show is a comedy on ABC and apparently it is the first Asian American Family sitcom since This American Girl. Never heard of it? That's probably because it was offensive and only aired for about 5 episodes. This new comedy is called Fresh Off The Boat.

The last show is another one from drama Queen Shonda Rhimes. Known for over the top addictive dramas such as Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, she is coming out with a new series called How to Get Away With Murder. Another powerful woman working in a powerful job who tries to always do right but when sex and scandal get in the way she is forced to make tough decisions. I feel that is the tagline for all of her shows.

The final new show I will discuss today is a love story. It looks a little like How I Met Your Mother, but maybe that is because The Mother is in this show. With the angel from Drop Dead Diva as the Ted character and a love interest with the name Zelda I can't really get super into this show. When you watch the trailer you will feel all warm inside and then you will realize that this is going to go on for too long and they will get married at the end of season three or four and have kids by season 6 when all shows go to hell. I feel I have already seen it but I will watch it again anyway. Why? Because it looks super cute.

I am going to watch all of these shows and then some more like the Mysteries of Laura (God I love Debra Messing) and I might catch an episode or two of Bad Judge (Most likely not though) But enough of the new stuff Who knows if we will even be watching it in the next couple of months right? Let's talk about some favorites that are coming back this fall.

First and foremost lets discuss Brooklyn Nine-Nine!! (again.) It is easily my favorite comedy on right now. Followed closely by Bob's Burgers, and Archer and of course Parks and Rec. But I have literally missed Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I have been super bummed that the season one DVD hasn't come out yet for me to buy and rewatch a million times. Just watch and remember how much you love these people.

I am also very excited for the return of The Mindy Project. It is Season 3 and Danny and Mindy are together! Yeah I wouldn't know what that meant either if I hadn't binged watched it this summer while missing Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But I am selling it short. It is really funny and Mindy Kaling is adorable and I want to be her best friend.

The last show I am going to talk about is an animated children's show called Gravity Falls. It might be the best thing the Disney Channel has put out since Lizzie McGuire. (That's right High School Musical you suck) It was another summer catch up show that I got hooked on.  A story about two kids who get sent away for the summer to solve the mysteries of a strange town. It is a lot of fun and Kristen Schaal does a great job. It is now on Season 2, but I wanted you to get a feel for the entire premise of the show not just what happened last season. So here is the promo from last summer.

Television is the greatest and I really hope you guys check out some of these shows. Feel free to let me know what you think. What shows are you excited for? Should we give Katherine Heigl another chance? What shows can you not stop watching? Let me know!

Hope your shows don't get cancelled,

-Emy

TV or Not TV

One common subject here at Bigger, Better, Louder is certainly going to be television.I have loved television since I can remember and some of my first memories are of Captain Planet and the Biker Mice from Mars.

Now I do not proclaim to be any kind of expert in television. I only claim to have watched an excessive amount of it. That is a nice way of putting it. Even in High school, I would stay at home and watch Will & Grace or The OC in my room rather than go out. I was very much an appointment television person and thank god for DVR or I would not have a life today. Netflix has changed my life in both bad and good ways. The point is I love TV.

Now it is May and a lot of stations are announcing their changes in lineups for the fall. Some news is good and other news is upsetting. For instance, Sean Saves the World is canceled. Now I know that I only watched this show because of my love for Will & Grace. I know this and I was aware of it even when I told myself that show would get better. But it didn't and it wasn't going to. The writing and the jokes just weren't very clever and even though it was about a gay father working for an internet site, the show felt older than the Internet. The best part was Linda Lavin as Sean's mother. However, they could have made her more raunchy and offensive. Sort of like a mix of Karen Walker and Mallory Archer.
Anyway, that is a disappointment I saw coming.

Among others, I am sad about are The Carrie Diaries, and Super Fun Night. Both shows felt like they had finally found their footing just when they left. I am gonna miss them. Also, the beloved Community has been canceled by NBC. This isn't a huge surprise but very disappointing since they were so close to 100 episodes and that coveted sixth season. However, Hart of Dixie is coming back for season 4!. I am pretty happy about that especially since it was moved to Fridays this spring. God that scared me. I honestly look forward to seeing Rachel Bilson every week. Much of my fashion inspiration and knowledge is accredited to her.

When something leaves though there is always a new show to take its place. There are definitely some new shows I will have to check out in the fall. The first and most exciting to me is Gotham. Combining Batman's back story and Ben McKenzie is a sure fire way to get me to watch it. The show itself centers around Gordon(McKenzie) when he is young and it looks like just starting to work in Gotham City. The town is clearly already corrupt and I believe the first season at least will be about Gordon trying to solve the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents.

There is also an interview with Bruno Heller, the showrunner, at Entertainment Weekly which will help give you a better feel for what they are going for. I am pretty excited really. I thin it looks pretty good and Fox has been known to have some good dramas. House anyone?

The second show I am getting ready for is a prequel series. Better Call Saul  centers on the lawyer Saul Goodman played by Bob Odenkirk from the insanely popular and awesome AMC series Breaking Bad. Now there isn't a legit trailer for this series yet. But it is the story of Saul Goodman before he meets Walter White. Still a crooked lawyer helping out the criminals of New Mexico. Created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould Better Call Saul premieres this November on AMC which I agree is still too long to wait.

The last new show I will write about today is actually an Internet series that will premiere on CW Seed. Get ready Veronica Mars fans because Dick is getting his own show!! Well maybe. The series is called Play It Again, Dick and it stars Ryan Hansen as himself trying to get an actual spin-off show for his Veronica Mars character Dick Casablancas. Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars is helping with it. It wouldn't surprise me if other members of the cast make appearances though no appearances have been confirmed.

There are several other series coming up and as we get closer to fall I will do my best to get trailers and post them so you can decide for yourself what you want to watch. But for now summer is coming, so relax and watch all of your summer favorites. Oh and you should  look into checking Girl Meets World which premieres June 27 on the Disney channel. (Whatever don't judge)

Have fun and wear sunscreen,

-Emy