Tricky Business

Advertising: it's a tricky business!

Our whole lecture in class today was about advertisements and the way in which they capture our attention and get us to do things and remember things without even realizing it. 

I was curious, so i Googled "clever advertising." The results were interesting. Lots of sexual images, lots of beer ads, but there were also some pretty brilliant ones! 

I'm seriously looking forward to the new SuperBowl commercials that will be coming out this weekend. It's literally the only time I ever WANT to watch the commercials more than the actual program. 

I hope we can all be a little more conscious of what we're seeing in print and on television and more aware of its effect on us.

My TV Childhood

To this day, I believe that my generation grew up with the best of television, from Barney to Disney Channel, it was all fabulous. We talked a lot in the past week about programming for young children, so I thought I'd take a look back in time and reminisce about my favorite TV programs growing up!

Up first, Book Mice! I have never heard of ANYONE else ever watching this show. EVER! Which is such a shame, because I thought it was incredible! And I'm not ashamed to admit that I watched some old episodes of it while writing this very blog post...It is a Canadian TV program aimed at preschool children that only ran from 1991-1992. Book Mice follows Norbert, Zazzy, and Leon, the mice who live in the library and roam around it at night. I have no idea what channel I used to watch this on or how my mother found it in the first place, but it's a classic for me!

 

Next, we have The Elephant Show, a Sharon, Lois, and Bram production. It ran from 1984-1988, just a few years before my time. I don't remember much about this show at all...except they were always singing and there was a massive elephant-costumed person...I suspect that show is why I am so in love with elephants.

Third, Barney. This big purple dinosaur has always been a favorite of mine. I was so in love with Barney that I would watch the Christmas film "Barney & The Backyard Gang: Waiting For Santa" (1990) every single winter up into high school on VHS. It was my favorite movie. "Three Wishes" was also a favorite Barney movie. Barney taught kids how to be friends and how to act around others. I think it may be one of the most brilliant shows I've ever seen. If you're in the mood for some nostalgia, watch for a little while, it'll make you smile.

Barney has always meant a lot to me. This little guy right here? I've had him since I was tiny tiny tiny. I think my grandma gave him to me and although he is not Barney brand, he looked enough like him that he became Barney to me :) So this tiny stuffed animal has made the journey all the way from home to college, and currently resides on my window sill in my apartment. I couldn't not take him with me! You'll notice he only has one arm. His other arm is sitting in my dresser at home....I may have gotten very enthusiastic while playing with him...we always meant to sew his arm back on, but alas it never happened. I like him better this way.

"Barney can be your friend to, if you just make believe him."

Next up, The Big Comfy Couch. I loved this show so much that my parents almost painted a massive clock on my floor. 

And then there was the classic Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. I totally wanted to be his neighbor. He had a train! 

Ah yes, Captain Kangaroo. I don't remember a darn thing about this show, except that I watched it! But I had to include it none the less! 

 

So that's that. I loved growing up with these shows, and I will defend them until the day I die! In my opinion, they are so much better than what is on TV today. 

And don't even get me started on the terrible shows for pre-teens and teens these days (i.e. JONAS and Sonny with a Chance and Wizards of Waverly Place)--however, I do understand that my tastes have changed since my early teen years. I grew up with the fabulousness of The Amanda Show, Boy Meets World, Brotherly Love, Even Stevens, That's So Raven, and Lizzie McGuire.  Good times.

So what shows did you grow up with???

It's Kind of a Big Deal

I woke up this morning and the first thing my roommate said to me was: 

"You know what I wonder about? Why didn't Rafiki just tell Simba that Mufasa was shipping Kiara with Kovu?"

Needless to say, that was not what I was expecting out of her mouth at 8am. But I guess it makes a tad bit of sense; we did watch The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride yesterday and she had never seen it (believe it or not). 

 So it's had me thinking all morning about our interactions as roommates (and with others in general) with the media. Now that I thought about it, I realized that every night, we have a different show (or multiple shows) to watch. And then afterwards, we theorize like crazy! All night and sometimes into the next day (see above example). 

As another example, the Haven (Syfy) season 3 finale was last week. Our apartment was quiet and dark, lit by only the glow of the television. The popcorn was popped. The pillows and blankets were all over the couches. And there we were huddled there, just trying to comprehend the amazingness that had just played out on screen. 

We thought of the most ridiculous conclusion to this ending (and this will only make sense, if any, to those who know the show): Duke and Audrey come out of the barn 27 years later and introduce someone to Nathan. "This is our son. We named him Nathan." .....Yeah, it's a wild theory and almost completely implausible, but we had fun thinking it up! Which is part of my point.

Theorizing and talking about our shows is what we do. It's how we originally bonded as roommates. AT LEAST 1/2 of our conversations involve something about media. We quote our favorite movies. We rock our to our favorite songs. We talk about the couples of Glee. We talk about Pelant, the serial killer on Bones. We discuss the implications of a secret getting out on Beauty and the Beast. We laugh at the terrible singers auditioning on American Idol. We listen to each other drone on forever about the books we read and the couples we ship. We argue Team Duke or Team Nathan. We try to figure out the killer on Castle. We follow the adventure of New Girl and Ben & Kate. We squirm over the medical procedures in Emily Owens MD or Grey's Anatomy. We talk about the attractive qualities of Sam and Dean on Supernatural. We read spoilers. We read fanfiction, for goodness sake.

Last night, we FINALLY had our apartment Christmas, where we opened all of our presents from each other. I couldn't help but notice that almost every single one of our gifts had something to do with the media. I got two Castle calendars, we got one roommate a Darren Criss (Glee) poster, another roommate got a Haven poster, and our last roommate got a Detective Conan (Japan) action figure. Media has infiltrated our entire lives.

And if you didn't realize it already, it's kind of a big deal.

Think about it. What did you get/want for Christmas or your birthday? A book? A movie? A season of your favorite TV show? An iPad? A Kindle?

I thought about the things that are around me and I noticed, yet again, how immersed I am in media, without even realizing it. Right now I am sitting in my bedroom in front of a laptop with multiple tabs up (Facebook, Blogger, Learning Suite, etc), my cell phone just alerted me of a text, my bookshelf has more DVDs than books, my Kindle is charging, my iTunes is blaring, my walls have TV show posters covering them, my current reading endeavor is on the bedside table....

It's everywhere.

I try to imagine a life without these things, a life with just books perhaps. Strange, isn't it? I almost can't even wrap my mind around it. Can you? The more I think about it, the more I realize that I could be a lot happier and a lot more focused on the important things if I ditched the MacBook and grabbed an actual book for a few hours. I would have quiet. I could actually think without distractions. I could save on my electricity bill. I could actually get my homework done in a timely fashion. I could sit myself in a library and never leave. I'd discuss Jane Austen and William Shakespeare instead of Taylor Swift and whatever boyfriend she happens to have at the time.  I eventually talk myself into thinking I'd be perfectly happy staying in something akin to the Beast's library for all eternity.

And then my phone alerts me of a text, effectively breaking me out of my daydream. That's all it really is, a dream. There's almost no going back to the time before iPads and laptops and Hulu. But thankfully, every once in awhile, I can get a glimpse of that time and read a book in the quiet corner, surrounded by warm blankets and fluffy pillows.

So my readers, I ask you, any personal realizations lately? What would you do without your usual media?

x j

Part of Me

I was so close to tears on Tuesday night. 

Why?

The Private Practice series finale.

Every time one of my shows ends, a part of me dies.

Yes, I'm very dramatic, but it's true!

I've developed this thing called a "parasocial relationship" with characters on TV, which basically means I think of the characters as friends, they mean something to me and I care about what happens to them. It's the "Friends Effect," in my mind. For the longest time, Jennifer Aniston was everyone's best friend because Friends made her a part of our lives.

So yes, I care that Naomi and Sam FINALLY got back together. 

I care that Addison finally got the life she wanted: a baby and a husband.

I care that Amelia got over her drug addiction and finally found a man who loves her regardless.

I care that Cooper and Charlotte's triplets survived and that Mason so easily accepted Charlotte as his step mother. 

I care that Violet's husband died and she's now left alone with her son and writing a second book (conveniently and cheesily called Private Practice).

 

And all these feelings are for a show I'm not entirely attached to! I can only imagine the grief I would go through if/when Castle comes to an end. I may go into a deep depression!

I also got sad news that they cancelled freshman comedies Ben & Kate (FOX) and Emily Owens, MD (The CW). I mean, first of all, who in their right mind cancels a show starring Meryl Streep's daughter!?! That's just wrong!!!

I'm not only so attached to the character on the show, but I usually care about the actors themselves! I mean, they're out of work now! 

Anyway, on Tuesday, Caterina Scorsone (Amelia Shepherd on Private Practice) sent out a letter to the fans. I thought it was really nice of her to write it and it seems to me that it could apply to almost any actor in any show. This letter is what I hope all of my favorite actors are like. I'm grateful to watch their shows, but they're also humble enough to be grateful for their viewers as well. Here's an excerpt of her letter:

"When I was kitted-up as Amelia Shepherd, I got to embody the desires, triumphs and brokenness felt by an audience of which I was still a member.  

"The point is -- I totally get the fan thing. And as an actor I want to take a few hundred words to acknowledge the debt I owe to you guys for being the reason I got to run around carving up brains and dancing on tables, falling in love and acting out, getting high, grieving and growing as Amelia Shepherd. I got to be Amelia because you guys are Amelia. You are the stuff she's made of. You know what it is to win and lose and to battle pride and shame and grief and acceptance, and you kept tuning in to watch us play out your drama. You unwound from your pain and celebrated your pleasure by watching your lives pumped up in neon kaleidoscopic technicolor and spoken back to you through the doctors on our show. In fact, often there was no exaggeration necessary. I received countless letters from fans who had lived stories shockingly close to the scenarios we played out on screen.

"As the dear friends that I've made while working on Private Practice scatter to the winds to find new jobs and new stories to play, I want to say thank you on behalf of the whole cast for being as beautiful and messed up as the characters we had the privilege to play for the last clutch of years. Without you there would have been no us. Yours were the heartbeats we were fighting for; yours were the tears we shed and the jokes we told.

"As Private Practice comes to a close, I'm comforted to know that the characters we so lovingly built won't end with the new spring television schedule. They'll keep right on trucking out in the world as you guys go about your lives and study up at the Neverending school of life.  

So from the actors on Private Practice, you made all of this possible. Thank you for watching. We are your biggest fans.

Gratefully,
Caterina Scorsone"

**************

 

So who are you "friends" with on TV? 

 

Lorelai Gilmore, perhaps? Or Meredith Grey? Cristina Yang? Kurt and Blaine? Mary Richards? Rose Nyland and the other Golden Girls? Julia Sugarbaker and the Designing Women? Sherlock and John? Lucy Ricardo? Sam and Dean? Barney Stinson? Sheldon Cooper? Doctor Who? Castle and Beckett? Addison Forbes Montgomery?

I think you'd be surprised how you'd feel if one of your shows, even a show you only watch occasionally, were to be taken off the air forever. It's a part of you. And it'll stay with you.

And you want to know why I know it'll stay with you? Because of the stories I've heard from my parents of the good ol' days of television--Andy Griffith Show, That Girl, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Leave it to Beaver, and many, many more.

x J

Generation of Deluded Narcissists

First off: FANGIRL MOMENT!!!! Lauren Graham just got a Twitter and I almost fell off my bed in excitement!!!! She's been my favorite since the second I first turned on Gilmore Girls (and now Parenthood). Go follow her if you're a tweeter too!! @thelaurengraham

Now, back to the topic at hand! 

I had to read an article this week in my BYU Sociology class about the social forces put on adolescents. It was featured on FoxNews.com on January 8, 2013, written by Dr. Keith Ablow, and entitled "We Are Raising A Generation of Deluded Narcissists." Here's an excerpt:

*****

"I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents, and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities--the equivalent of lead actors in their own fictionalized life stories.

"On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of 'friends.' They can delete unflattering comments. They can block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves (dozens of albums full, by the way), 'speak' in pithy short posts and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they 'like.'

"Using Twitter, young people can pretend they are worth 'following,' as though they have real-life fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and false fame.

"Using computer games, our sons and daughters can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters. And while they can turn off their Wii and Xbox machines and remember they are really in dens and playrooms on side streets and in triple deckers around America, that is after their hearts have raced and heads have swelled with false pride for 'being' something they are not.

"On MTV and other networks, young people can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the 'real-life' characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life.

"These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed."

*****

When I first read this article, I felt offended! Like this Dr. Keith Ablow was one of those grumpy old men who sat on his porch and yelled at kids all day for walking on his lawn...

And then I thought about it. And he's totally right!

And I'm caught up in it myself. 

I'm actually never logged off of Twitter or Facebook...it's up on my laptop or my phone at all times. I only post photos that I find acceptable. I only post status updates that I think will get "likes" or "retweets."  I follow celebrities on Twitter, get their tweets sent to my phone. And I've got 1,053 followers of my own! I watch The Biggest Loser while I eat pizza--because I can and it makes me feel just a tad bit better about myself. I watch Dance Moms--because I can't help but watch the train wreck. I only play Mario Kart because I know I usually win. I even have this blog (while it is for a class) and just assume people are interested in what I have to say. I'm even one of those people who occasionally Instagram's pictures of their food for goodness sake...

I am the deluded narcissist Dr. Ablow was referring to. And that's a dagger to the ego.

So, I'm actually going to log off Facebook from time to time. And possibly forget Twitter for awhile. If I can restrain myself that is. Someone should really just take my phone and lock it in a hidden safe somewhere. But yes, I'll try to get myself back to books, books that are uplifting and worth reading rather than celebrity gossip of some sort. Get back to the basics.

And you reading this, I'm willing to bet you've got a little deluded narcissist in you too if you look close enough.

Thoughts?

This is...American Idol!

The time has come for American Idol to yet again take over the television airwaves...

And my favorite part: the auditions. It's the only part of American Idol that I watch...or even just stand watching.

And this year, Season 12, is the worst.

Reason #1: Nicki Minaj

She's the definition of obnoxious. I mean just look at her hair. Last night, it matched the New York City skyline at sunset...that's just not right. And what on earth was that terrible British accent she put on for no reason whatsoever?! I seriously wanted to reach through the TV screen and smack her until she shut up. I'm surprised I didn't change the channel.

Reason #2: Nicki and Mariah Carey in the same room.

Whose idea was this?!? When I tune in to American Idol I expect to hear singing. Not the superficial fights between two overrated celebrities, who should be grown up enough not to be doing so. And poor Keith Urban stuck in the middle. It was 20 minutes into the premiere last night before we actually saw someone sing. It was all "Nicki stop talking," and "Mariah is just old news," blah, blah, blah...

Reason #3: The Sob Stories

Now, some of the stories I hear aren't all that bad, some of them actually truly inspiring. But when you stretch out the sob story telling longer than the person's actual audition, there's a problem. In my mind, these people are not their problems, it's just a part of them. While the stories are sometimes interesting and inspiring, this is a singing show. Your acceptance into the next round should have nothing to do with the sob story you've given to the judges to make them feel for you in a certain way... I will give them credit though for not accepting the dancer with one leg just because he was hurt. He did need some work, but with his singing, not his disability. I think they did him a good service, actually.

Reason #4: Judges can be just plain RUDE.

This poor kid last night...bless his heart. He came in and didn't even have a clue who these four judges were. While he did sing a song from Phantom of the Opera terribly, I don't think he deserved to be laughed at the way Nicki Minaj laughed at him. She just couldn't stop. At least Mariah and Keith attempted to hide their giggles and keep straight faces. And then they had the nerve to patronize him into believing that he could be very good in time. I'm not saying that this kid couldn't get better, but it would take A LOT. I just feel bad for the kid...

And then the kid who believed he would be Justin Bieber in another life...and sang some very strange (and frankly non-recognizable) version of One Less Lonely Girl. He was, yet again, met with laughs. 

I do find these things amusing, but their reactions, as mentors, are just rude at times.

But then again, American Idol does have it's saving graces.

Saving Grace #1: Ryan Seacrest 

This is a beautiful man. Julianne Hough is a lucky woman. I might go so far as to say Ryan is the reason I keep watching.

Saving Grace #2: Keith Urban and his Australian accent

It's a beautiful thing.

Saving Grace #3: Entertainment

Auditions can be down right hilarious. Yes, I did just complain about rude reactions from judges, but they are actually in the room with these people, I'm at home on my couch. That may be hypocritical of me, but there's no way that some of these people are this bad on purpose, just to get laughs. I mean, one guy was wearing a Michael Jackson-esque leather outfit that literally squeaked in very awkward ways whenever he moved. And the infamous "Turbanator" that matches his turbans to his outfits...it happened to be a purple turban with a plaid purple shirt. He made me smile.

Saving Grace #4: It won't be on forever

And hallelujah for that. There's only so much reality TV I can take. And in my mind, so much of reality shows, including American Idol, are actually scripted and don't reflect reality AT ALL. It paints the picture of an idealized world, or an exaggerated world, as the case may be.

So what are your opinions on reality TV??

What Type of Twitter Fan Are You?

I guess I was extremely naive and oblivious to the true world of television fandoms before I finally broke down and got a Twitter account two years ago. I had no idea the madness that was awaiting me! In my mind, I was only there to essentially stalk celebrities and annoy them enough to get them to respond to me. Surprisingly, I got a reply from my favorite TV actress, Stana Katic (Castle), within only a couple weeks of joining the social network, and only bugging her maybe twice (that was a realllllllllly good day for me)! I was happy in my little world, chatting with Amy Brenneman (Private Practice) about deep fried kool-aid at the county fair and going back & forth with authors of a few of my favorite books at the time. I got to see fun behind the scenes shots of actors filming in the August heat, the setup of cameras along a Hollywood street, and the cutting rooms of film editors. The madness hadn't struck yet.

And then September came.

Most of you know that September brings with it the new season premieres of television shows. It's a very happy time of year for me. My shows, my (fake) friends if you will, return to me for another 9 months of fabulous storytelling. 

But Twitter exploded!

It was this everywhere, all the time:

Twitter fans are the most intense, the most opinionated, and the most viscous fans you'll ever meet. They just tell it as they see it, some of them not even seeing things objectively. If they don't see what they want, they lash out. However, when they see what they love, they fawn over it for days, and send thanks to the creators and writers of their magical show. And after that, they turn to Tumblr or FanFiction to fawn over it some more (those are topics for another day). 

Now, Mondays are my nights. My beloved Castle is on at 9pm on ABC (go watch it. like seriously.). Twitter on Mondays is ridiculous. I mainly "follow" Castle fans on Twitter, so it's pretty much all I read about on there. Depending on the episode on tap and the time of day, you'll get very different reactions. 

For example, this was some of what I read on Twitter today:

7am: HAPPY CASTLE MONDAY!!!!!!

9am: ONLY 12 HOURS LEFT PEOPLE!!!!!!

Noon: is it castle time yet? school sucks.

3pm: loooooooooongest day evvvvvvvvvvverrrrrrrr.

6pm: oh you lucky Canadians seeing it early!

6:30pm: ooooo look! i found illegal links! **goes and downloads**

7pm: this episode does not have enough romance in it! where are Castle and Beckett?!?!

(*mind you, this is a crime procedural show, but people have been groomed to only want to find the romance in it between the main characters*)

8pm: EAST COAST WATCHING NOW!!!!!

8:15pm: it was okay i guess, not the best episode, i wanted more Caskett...

8:15pm: BRILLIANT EPISODE

8:15pm: eh, it's okay.

9pm: (West Coast person's name insert here) please tag your spoilers! i still have another 2 hours!

11pm: i hope the ratings were good....

Midnight: is it monday yet?

As you may be able to tell, tonight's episode of Castle didn't have exactly what all the fans wanted, at least on the surface. This was an episode more focused on one of the supporting characters, Detective Javier Esposito, and his back story. Typically, at least ever since Castle and Beckett finally started dating, we've been given a few adorable moments of them together. Not tonight...well maybe one or two....but it was mainly all Esposito, which I LOVED! Especially since this show is considered a crime procedural, not a romance, I enjoy when they allow the other characters some screen time. It's enough for me to just know, and not see, that Castle and Beckett are a couple. But I'm getting away from my point....

It is just a TV show. I recognize that. But I also recognize the fact that people don't only watch it out of boredom. They know what they want in a show. They know what they want to see and what they don't. 

However, Twitter is a mad world. One person loves the episode to no end while another person would have rather they completely deleted that episode from the series. The point is that we all have opinions and we are allowed them. But I feel like occasionally, people forget that hundreds of people are working incredibly long hours to bring them the 43 minutes of showtime they see every week. It costs thousands of dollars and has cast and crew up all hours of the night running on only coffee and 3 hours sleep. And what ends up happening to their hard work? Thrown in the garbage by fans who forget that they are lucky to even have a show to watch in the first place.

I'm not trying to condemn anyone, I know I am guilty of this same thing upon occasion. However, the complaining drives me insane to no end. Be grateful you have a show to watch, be grateful that those actors and crew are passionate enough about their work to produce something that you ever came to love in the first place. There is no need to tweet your showrunner asking for more romance in his crime show...the only thing you should be tweeting them is Thank You.

So anyway, enough with that rant. 

There are four types of Twitter fans. Those who come by occasionally and say "oh hey, great episode." Those who are very passionate and protective, but also sane. Those who are demanding and constantly unhappy. And those who love whatever is given to them. So which are you?

Lesson learned: The Twitter fandom (of any show or what have you) is intense. Don't cross them the wrong way. Most are amazing people and very insightful and funny. But there's always a couple crazies thrown in.

**************************

For those interested in Castle, please check it out on ABC! 

************************

In the words of Zachary Levi (Chuck, Tangled), "I don't mind being called a nerd. Nerdy just means passionate."

Note: this blog post was written before my personal viewing of the new Castle episode and purely based on the early Twitter impressions of early viewers and the things I saw broadcast and discussed on Twitter. Not meant to be offensive in anyway. Don't take it as such, por favor. Comments welcome!

I Coulda Been a Producer!

In the slightly edited words of Marlon Brando (as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, 1954), "I coulda been a producer!" At least that's what I feel I would be in a second life. If not a television producer, a cameraman (woman? person?) perhaps. Or set design. Maybe even writing. Who knows...but if the amount of dreams I've had in the middle of the night about living and working in Los Angeles, working side by side with Hollywood's greatest, attending award events, and living next door to Meryl Streep are any indication of the life I would like to live, I'm sure I'd be a California girl in another life. 

My earliest memories of watching television (other than Barney and the like) was the wild antics of Lucille Ball and her Cuban husband Desi Arnaz in the beloved classic I Love Lucy in reruns on TVLand. Lucy and her best friend Ethel made me want to stomp grapes, pack chocolates from a conveyor belt, and try Vitameatavegimen. They made me want to hang out with them and be their friend. From Lucy, I moved on to the town of Mayberry protected by the forever ridiculous Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) and Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), as well as town adventures with little Opie (Ron Howard) and Aunt Bee (Francis Bavier) in The Andy Griffith Show (reruns also on TVLand). 

 And then when I was old enough to choose my own television shows to watch, I latched on to a show I still have yet to let go of: 7th Heaven. For years (1996-2007), I followed the lives of Reverend Eric Camden (Stephen Collins), his wife Annie (Catherine Hicks), their seven children Matt (Barry Watson), Mary (Jessica Biel), Lucy (Beverley Mitchell), Simon (David Gallagher), Ruthie (Mackenzie Rosman), and twins Sam & David (Lorenzo & Nikolas Brino) as they battled every problem from sibling rivalry, to drugs, to teen pregnancy, to religiosity, to marriage. I snatched them up on DVD the second they were released.

I think what really drew me into 7th Heaven were the characters. I was very much like Lucy Camden; shy and scared of disappointing her parents and friends. She did well in school and never disobeyed. She followed in her father's footsteps and became a pastor soon after marrying police officer Kevin Kinkirk (George Stults, he makes me melt).  Mary, on the other hand, was an example of what not to do. Originally, I had identified with her as well. We both played basketball, we both had strong opinions, and we both thought we knew what was right. But as soon as Mary was arrested for vandalizing the school gym with her teammates, she went down hill. I learned from her what I should not do and how I should not allow my peers to influence me so much. 

I guess throughout the years, I identified with each character multiple times. It was my obsession for years. I had to know what would happen next and how these people would end up. When the show was cancelled by the CW (formerly the WB), I was crushed. Yes, it had been ten years, but I still wanted more--I tend to obsess easily and I'm apparently prone to addiction, so much so that my roommate jokes that if I didn't have TV, I'd be laying in some alley somewhere with drugs. Luckily for me, I've obsessed and gotten addicted to relatively good TV shows instead of the more dangerous alternative!

And then came another classic, Gilmore Girls. I've seen every episode at least 20 times. I have full series marathons on DVD at least once a year. It's a tradition. To me, for all 7 seasons, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) were my go to women. I didn't start the series from the beginning. It started in 2000, but for the longest time, my mother refused to let me watch it. I think she had a misconception of what the show was about but who knows. But sometime in 2006, just as the series was coming to a close, my mom had a change of heart. And then just as Lorelai is addicted to coffee, I became addicted to the Gilmore girls and their Connecticut town of Stars Hollow. From Kirk to Miss Patty to Luke, there was someone for everyone to relate to. 

Rory was so me. Or at least I viewed myself to be Rory. Studious, ambitious, happy, loving. She ended up at Yale (I didn't, however BYU's "Y" is the exact same as Yale's...plus our school colors are the same...that counts right?). She majored in journalism and ran the school newspaper (I switched majors from journalism, but I did run a school newspaper...in 8th grade). She had crazy Paris as a roommate for almost her entire college career (and unfortunatly I had a stint with a psychoroommate as well). She was successful and smart and exactly what I wanted to be. We had everything in common (except the single parent thing...and the caffeine addiction thing...and the turning down a proposal thing...and the stealing a boat and getting arrested thing). I cried when I finally reached the last episode. Like literally cried. I still do too. Rory is off to do amazing things. Lorelai is back with Luke. Lorelai and her parents are back on good terms. Crazy Paris finally landed her man and her dream school. Lane had twins. Sookie and Jackson had their little munckins. And even Kirk, of all people, found love in Lulu.

Stars Hollow is still my "happy place," where I escape into their world for an hour. And if I ever get REALLY desperate for a peek at Stars Hollow, I turn on Pretty Little Liars, where they have slightly adapted the set used as Stars Hollow. They may have changed Luke's Diner into some preppy sandwich place, but in my eyes, it will always be Luke's Diner, where Gilmore Girls literally began and ended.

TV Obsession #3: Grey's Anatomy

Now this one my mother was right to keep me from for so long. I even thought it was ridiculous when the previews came on ABC. I thought there would be no way on Earth I would ever subject myself to that show...but, through the power of advertising, I snuck a peek when my parents were out of the house. And then I couldn't stop watching. I was initially attracted to the show because I love Katherine Heigl, and of course, who doesn't love a little Patrick Dempsey in their lives!?!

I've followed this show and seen every episode into its currently running 9th season (as well as its spin off Private Practice). Now, after thinking about why I like this show for awhile, I've come up with no reasons. I really honestly can't think of a reason why this show is good. There's ridiculous inter-office affairs, gross medical procedures, and every character I get attached to gets killed off. Yet I still watch. I assume its just another instance of the fact that I just HAVE to know what happens to these people. The earlier seasons were exceptionally better than they are now, but I can't bring myself to quit watching. I've invested too much time and money into this show to stop watching now. So yeah, I have no concrete and believable reason as to why I love this show. But I do. Sue me. 

And finally this brings me to the show I love most of all. A show my mother actually tried to get me to watch for years before I FINALLY turned it on one Monday night less than 2 years ago: Castle. 

It's got everything I love. Mystery. Novels. Adorable side characters. Romance. Angst. Perfection.

Castle follows the life of mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) as he shadows Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and her team of Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito (Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas) to base his next set of novels on them (mainly her--he's infatuated with her from the first second they meet, she's not so happy with his existence).
Rick first starts following Detective Beckett when a serial killer in New York City starts basing all of his murders on the murders Castle writes in his book. And thus begins the story of the most beautiful partnership I've ever seen on TV. **sigh**

 

And inevitably, although after waiting a very loooooooong 4 seasons, Kate and Castle FINALLY get together. And all is right in my world. Like seriously, I'm a very happy camper. 

Castle has thrust me into all different types of media. First off, the Twitter world of "fangirls" (and fanBOYS as well), where the crazies like myself gather to discuss the amazingness of what we just saw. It gets a tad intense. Twitter is so cool that you can actually talk to your favorite actors (I've gotten replies from the main actors!) as well as the people behind the scenes (cameramen, writers, set designers, creators, etc), getting a special type of sneak peek that is just so incredibly awesome! And that lead to the second type of media....fanfiction. Yes, you read that right. Fanfiction. Now, I was ridiculously hesitant to jump into the world of fanfiction after hearing so many rumors and creepy things about it. However, I think some of it is pretty darn good! I don't know whether to be completely ashamed or proud of the fact that my inbox is overrun with new story update emails and that I have stayed up a little too late into the night reading it. I think this means I've officially been deemed a "fangirl" and a member of the "fandom" and the "shipping" of these characters together (you invest in the relationSHIP of the characters--get it?). Yeah...still hesitant to claim fanfiction as one of my guilty pleasures in public, but it is. 

Thirdly, if I wasn't already completely obsessed, they introduced a new dimension to my television viewing media. They released the actual books that the TV show talks about, under the pen name Richard Castle. So yes, I actually read the books written by the fake author Richard Castle about his fictional character Nikki Heat, based on the fictional Kate Beckett and friends, in a TV show....yeah, talk about being meta! So before you ask, yes I've read Heat Wave, Naked Heat (the name is deceiving, its not bad I promise), Heat Rises, and Frozen Heat.

 

Now although all of these extra things could classify me as completely insane, I have my reasons. I've been thrown back into the world of books and re-fallen in love with the written word because of this show. I've learned about myself through this show (mainly by identifying somewhat with Kate Beckett). Everyone needs their happy place. And everyone needs an outlet. So don't judge.

So yes, in another life, I'd be a Hollywood girl, I'm almost sure of it. The film world fascinates me. Writing, producing, designing sets, filming, acting (not so much)...all would be things I could see myself doing in another life. My Lost Los Angeles Life.

While I am writing this for an assignment in my college course on media and human development at Brigham Young University, I am really excited to explore every type of media from television, to news, to print, to commercials, to music. Really any type of media that I come across is fair game. And you'll be sure to hear more about my obsessions :) Please feel free to comment and discuss as much as you'd like!