Drunk, drunk, drunkity drunk.
Sep. 17th, 2009 11:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypsosOkay, I didn't actually get TOO drunk last night at Jess's flavored vodka party -- you guys, there's ICED TEA FLAVORED VODKA, and I need it like burning -- but I had a couple of cherry limeades and a Jager bomb and then spent most of the rest of the night hanging out with Jess and her new boyfriend (who is too adorable and perfect for her, let me tell you).
It totally made up for her three-hundred pound brother not letting me watch SYTYCD because ... his friends who weren't there would think it meant he sucked cock or something? I don't know, I seriously couldn't dig up the reasoning past all the stupid.
It only took me all morning to get caught up (for the most part) on last night's fannish stuff.
*
A few points:
-- Aw, I felt bad for Jarvis. He obviously wasn't going to make it but he had such an adorable spirit.
-- The deaf girl (Caitlin? Her name escapes me at the moment) was lovely. I worry about her chances in Vegas, but I'm hoping, if only because I think it would be really great to see how someone who's deaf handles the competition.
-- This same-sex couple is sooo much better than last season's was. Fantastic lines and GREAT chemistry. That said, AfterElton had a point about the pauses between Nigel's words being cavernous ... he was certainly avoiding the mess he made out of his critique last season, that was for sure.
-- Legacy is amazing and if he holds up that level of talent in Vegas, I can't see why he wouldn't make the top twenty.
-- Cat Deeley: Still cuter than everything.
And you know, watching the show this morning reminded me of what irritated me about a lot of the answers to yesterday's Writer's Block question, because it seemed like a lot of people dismissed the entire reality genre as solely for "attention whores."
Let me use the Emmy nominations for best reality competition to show why that sort of lazy dismissal pisses me off. Three of the nominees -- Project Runway, Top Chef, and American Idol -- require their competitors to have talent, drive, education, and training. Calling them "attention whores" completely dismisses the fact that these people are not the average rubes straight off the street. You can't just drag someone in out of the nearest supermarket and have them cook fine dining, or haul in the first person who crosses your path and have them design a dress or sing on key. It's the same with SYTYCD.
Dancing With The Stars is another one of the nominees, and while the contestants aren't trained professionals, they're all already famous, in their own ways.
In fact, the only nominee in that particular Emmy category that doesn't feature people with special training or people who are already famous -- or both; Top Chef has quite a number of competitors with great credentials in the industry this season -- is The Amazing Race, which -- even at its worst -- is still better-produced, better-edited and more interesting than the majority of scripted television. Take away the games and competitions and it's still a fantastic travel show that presents some exciting parts of the world, people and cultures you may never have gotten a chance to see otherwise.
Reality TV's just like any other genre -- there's some good apples, some bad apples, and a bunch of apples in between. Not every show is Rock of Love, for fuck's sake.
(I feel like doing a reality-television-recommendation post for people who claim not to like reality TV, but I also feel like nobody would bother listening anyway because they're too eager to dismiss any reality TV as cheap and tawdry without giving anything a chance first. Le sigh.)
*
Speaking of ...
Aw, Mattin. Granted, I'm not surprised he left after Tom spit out his food (that WAS his food, right? I caught the first rerun halfway through the episode and only saw the Quickfire in the one after it) and I didn't think he was long for this world from the very beginning, but he was sweet.
Mike Isabella's still pissing me off simply by existing. Ugh.
Also, the brothers' competitive streak is getting old fast. And it makes me appreciate Kevin and Jennifer more, because they're both doing as well as the brothers and Mike and they're not constantly patting themselves on the back about it. I also find Kevin more adorable by the minute just for being so low-key and awesome at the same time. I'm rooting for him and Jennifer the most.
*
Oh, and also, Kevin Skinner the country-singing chicken catcher won America's Got Talent.
I'm not the least bit surprised. I'm also not particularly thrilled by the win, either, but what can you do?
*
-- At least they seem to be giving Sue a motive that isn't simply "Glee sucks! Aaaaand ... that's all I've got!" Although the budget neediness IS a bit ridiculous, but then again, this show doesn't exactly exist on this plane of reality, does it?
-- I thought I'd lost it at "Poison" but then "I Wanna Sex You Up" appeared out of nowhere and I *died*.
-- Puck in the Acafellas! HEEE.
-- I loved how game Josh Groban was for anything on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, so I'm not the least bit surprised he had no problem saying he's got a thing for blowsy alcoholics. *snickers*
-- I was very thumbs-up when it came to Mercedes pointing out that just because Kurt behaves the way he behaves doesn't make him gay -- even though he is, but STILL. That said, I thought it was sort of lovely that Kurt's been going through life being who he is, regardless of the fact that he's never come right out and said, "I'm gay." And how heartbreaking it was to see him say it, knowing just how huge a step that was for him. It's one thing for everyone to assume you're gay, it's another thing entirely to confirm it.
-- And on a completely superficial note, Kurt's got a crush on Finn! Well, of COURSE he does. Finn is a sweetheart.
It totally made up for her three-hundred pound brother not letting me watch SYTYCD because ... his friends who weren't there would think it meant he sucked cock or something? I don't know, I seriously couldn't dig up the reasoning past all the stupid.
It only took me all morning to get caught up (for the most part) on last night's fannish stuff.
*
A few points:
-- Aw, I felt bad for Jarvis. He obviously wasn't going to make it but he had such an adorable spirit.
-- The deaf girl (Caitlin? Her name escapes me at the moment) was lovely. I worry about her chances in Vegas, but I'm hoping, if only because I think it would be really great to see how someone who's deaf handles the competition.
-- This same-sex couple is sooo much better than last season's was. Fantastic lines and GREAT chemistry. That said, AfterElton had a point about the pauses between Nigel's words being cavernous ... he was certainly avoiding the mess he made out of his critique last season, that was for sure.
-- Legacy is amazing and if he holds up that level of talent in Vegas, I can't see why he wouldn't make the top twenty.
-- Cat Deeley: Still cuter than everything.
And you know, watching the show this morning reminded me of what irritated me about a lot of the answers to yesterday's Writer's Block question, because it seemed like a lot of people dismissed the entire reality genre as solely for "attention whores."
Let me use the Emmy nominations for best reality competition to show why that sort of lazy dismissal pisses me off. Three of the nominees -- Project Runway, Top Chef, and American Idol -- require their competitors to have talent, drive, education, and training. Calling them "attention whores" completely dismisses the fact that these people are not the average rubes straight off the street. You can't just drag someone in out of the nearest supermarket and have them cook fine dining, or haul in the first person who crosses your path and have them design a dress or sing on key. It's the same with SYTYCD.
Dancing With The Stars is another one of the nominees, and while the contestants aren't trained professionals, they're all already famous, in their own ways.
In fact, the only nominee in that particular Emmy category that doesn't feature people with special training or people who are already famous -- or both; Top Chef has quite a number of competitors with great credentials in the industry this season -- is The Amazing Race, which -- even at its worst -- is still better-produced, better-edited and more interesting than the majority of scripted television. Take away the games and competitions and it's still a fantastic travel show that presents some exciting parts of the world, people and cultures you may never have gotten a chance to see otherwise.
Reality TV's just like any other genre -- there's some good apples, some bad apples, and a bunch of apples in between. Not every show is Rock of Love, for fuck's sake.
(I feel like doing a reality-television-recommendation post for people who claim not to like reality TV, but I also feel like nobody would bother listening anyway because they're too eager to dismiss any reality TV as cheap and tawdry without giving anything a chance first. Le sigh.)
*
Speaking of ...
Aw, Mattin. Granted, I'm not surprised he left after Tom spit out his food (that WAS his food, right? I caught the first rerun halfway through the episode and only saw the Quickfire in the one after it) and I didn't think he was long for this world from the very beginning, but he was sweet.
Mike Isabella's still pissing me off simply by existing. Ugh.
Also, the brothers' competitive streak is getting old fast. And it makes me appreciate Kevin and Jennifer more, because they're both doing as well as the brothers and Mike and they're not constantly patting themselves on the back about it. I also find Kevin more adorable by the minute just for being so low-key and awesome at the same time. I'm rooting for him and Jennifer the most.
*
Oh, and also, Kevin Skinner the country-singing chicken catcher won America's Got Talent.
I'm not the least bit surprised. I'm also not particularly thrilled by the win, either, but what can you do?
*
-- At least they seem to be giving Sue a motive that isn't simply "Glee sucks! Aaaaand ... that's all I've got!" Although the budget neediness IS a bit ridiculous, but then again, this show doesn't exactly exist on this plane of reality, does it?
-- I thought I'd lost it at "Poison" but then "I Wanna Sex You Up" appeared out of nowhere and I *died*.
-- Puck in the Acafellas! HEEE.
-- I loved how game Josh Groban was for anything on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, so I'm not the least bit surprised he had no problem saying he's got a thing for blowsy alcoholics. *snickers*
-- I was very thumbs-up when it came to Mercedes pointing out that just because Kurt behaves the way he behaves doesn't make him gay -- even though he is, but STILL. That said, I thought it was sort of lovely that Kurt's been going through life being who he is, regardless of the fact that he's never come right out and said, "I'm gay." And how heartbreaking it was to see him say it, knowing just how huge a step that was for him. It's one thing for everyone to assume you're gay, it's another thing entirely to confirm it.
-- And on a completely superficial note, Kurt's got a crush on Finn! Well, of COURSE he does. Finn is a sweetheart.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:01 pm (UTC)Also, next week on Top Chef? Penn and Teller. *Kermit!flail*
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:07 pm (UTC)I cannot WAIT for Penn and Teller. I'm almost as excited as I was to see Neil Patrick Harris on there for the Masters edition. :D
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:01 pm (UTC)I am so very much in love with Finn. It is ridiculous. That little lovestruck look he gives Rachel when she does something he likes. It's almost but not quite the same melting that the Piemaker produced.
Oh Ned. I miss Ned.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:10 pm (UTC)Finn is like an overgrown puppy. And I adore how he's taken on Will as a mentor he respects, because Will sees talent in him doing something he loves.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:14 pm (UTC)I mean, srsly - I know radio/tv probably overplayed the hell out of that single, but how AWESOME was that number? GOOD CHOIRS MAKE EVERYTHING NEW AGAIN. :D \o/
I reallyreally want good Glee fic, man. Kurt/Finn or Glee/Glambert crossovers would just, like, make my MONTH. ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:25 pm (UTC)I don't think Sue gives a damn about the budget per se, my take has always been that she's an insane dominating force that will not allow anything else to rise that she's not in direct control of. The money is just a symbol. She *took away the teachers lounge's coffee* -- it was chump change to someone who sends her dry-cleaning to Europe -- but she wanted to rub the other teachers' noses in her power.
I used to think the best "Poison" scene ever shot was Turk dancing to it on Scrubs, but now it only runs a very close second. The Acafellas are #1!
Much love for Kurt and the tear that ran down his cheek when he confesses that he was gay... I wanted to take him home and make him cookies and let him give me a makeover, anything to raise his spirits at that point.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:57 pm (UTC)Yes! I completely agree. Her whole spiel about the high school hierarchy? She feels good about herself because she's involved at the top of the pyramid. She is - quite literally - still stuck in high school. The money means nothing to her except as a signifier of her position.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:28 pm (UTC)A lot of reality TV degrades and humiliates the participants. I'm not saying all of it does; but I'd say better than half. Some shows exist solely to showcase proverbial train wrecks.
American Idol has a show every season just to humiliate the worst entrants. Other than that, I don't think it's a bad show.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 06:18 pm (UTC)If an actor is made to look like an idiot in a role though; it doesn't affect him personally. Some of these shows set people up to crash and burn. It has an effect on them personally and emotionally.
Sadly, with reality TV (and a lot of TV in general), the bigger the train wreck; the bigger the ratings.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:49 pm (UTC)I want to set Mike Isabella on fire. That dude is a douche and the I'm rooting for Kevin the Red Haired Friendly Viking guy. He looks like Mario Botalli's brother and kind of cooks like him too.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 05:55 pm (UTC)This was the first time I thought that they dealt with the wheelchair with any elegance. Someone *finally* stood up for him! The first two eps really grated on me for how they dealt with disability. So glad they came through on it.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 06:15 pm (UTC)In my case, at least, you're right: I wouldn't listen. I, personally, don't watch any of it. I refuse, for a variety of reasons. The biggest of which is I like my scripted TV. When I watch TV, I like fiction. I don't like watching things about "real life." I don't watch news, I don't watch the Discovery Channel or the History Channel or anything like that. TV is my fiction happy place land, and I prefer it to have superpowers and vampires and quirky detectives. I hide in TV, and I don't want it to be real life.
So, I don't dismiss those shows all as bad television. I just don't want to watch them. I don't want to watch people be themselves.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 11:45 pm (UTC)Glee *flail*
no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 05:19 am (UTC)Kevin is AWESOME. I want him to win so bad. Eli is hilarious as well, but unfortunately he doesn't seem to be a contender.