As September lazily turns from a humid summer into a cool fall, television follows suit as the tide turns from reruns to the premieres of all the shows we missed during the summer. I don't know about you guys, but TV watching for me has turned from catching the latest episode of my favorite series every week to holing up in my room hermit-style every once in a while and watching an entire season of a series start to finish on my computer. This may or may not include cuddling with chips, cupcakes and a variety of other munchie foods while in bed. Technology at it's finest, no? I have pretty mainstream taste: everything from the standard chick fare like Gossip Girl (for the clothes and Chuck Bass, strictly) to standard boy fare like Entourage (hoping they don't screw up the movie..) and everything in between. I've noticed over the past few seasons, the number of shows I've been addicted to has upped in numbers...and it's for one lovely little reason: the return of good old fashioned heart to television.
Don't roll your eyes at me now...if you're reading this and don't value all matters dealing with the heart, then you, my darling, have wandered onto the wrong blog. I'm talking about warm fuzzies, gooey sentimentalism, or "tender" moments as my sister calls them, all making their way back into prime-time popular shows. Much of this can be attributed to the comeback of the sitcom. After Friends ended and Seinfeld went off air, there was a loll where similar shows were coming on, and failing fast. It's not that Friends lacked heart, and as a big fan of the show I wouldn't of changed a thing, but it was more about quick laughs and romance than anything else. And Seinfeld was a show famously about nothing. The typical mid-90's sitcom situation of a group of single people living in a city has made way for different types of plots; families, and the search for love, not just fun on the singles scene.
My favorite of the bunch, and a favorite of critics and fans alike it seems is Modern Family. Hysterically funny, just the right mount of awkward and heartwarming at the appropriate times, it's sweet while still being hilarious and of course, modern. It also helps that Manny is my soul mate. Yes, the 11 year old son of Jay and Gloria not only write poems for girls he likes, reads Hemingway and wears meticulously coordinated outfits, but also turns his nose down on all activities that should be age-appropriate for a fifth grader. A hopeless romantic who hasn't even reached middle school? No wonder why I love this show! A close second is the character of Phil, who is endearingly dorky at its best. Because the show is just that good, I will overlook the fact that for the new season they've replaced the adorable Asian baby Lily with an obviously mixed-race child who is neither cute, nor funny. I mean come on, we can all tell she's half white. For a show that's so against tradition in a lot of ways, it's slightly insulting for the creators to think no one would notice.
Even when a show is about a group of singles living in the city, the warm undertones are what make me happy to see what they're up to. I've come to love How I Met Your Mother; a show where we follow Ted and his group of friends as we retells the story to his kids of how he met their mother. I mean, there's family love and tenderness written right into the title! It allows all the conquests he embarks seem not just for sport, but part of a grand journey where, if they had not occurred, he wouldn't ultimately meet his true love. It's a singles show for the romantics out there, and one where we follow along with our own tumultuous love lives knowing every fight, heartbreak and stupid mistake happens for a reason. (Even if you're not as on board the sappy bandwagon as I am, HIMYM is worth watching for Neil Patrick Harris alone in all his sociopath, lady-killing, musical glory.)
The kinder, gentler, but no less funny sitcom is prevailing and love addicts like yours truly are binging on all the gooey television moments we can get. Mind you, this is prime time, and all the edgy stuff is still available on cable (I'm just getting hooked on Damages). But the dominance of heartwarming ideals in mainstream television makes for a nice sentiment: that collectively, it's what audiences are seeking out. And what a lovey feeling it is to know we all may be all the same page after all....well, according to Nelson's ratings at least. Sit back, watch, love and enjoy!
x
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
OMFG...TIFF, TIFF, TIFF!
TIFF. The one acronym synonymous with arguably the best week of parties in our fair city of Toronto. The one week where A-list celebrities cram themselves into every available hotel and restaurant in Yorkville, and trendy spots of the downtown core. The one week where Toronto gets more international exposure than it does all year. The one week where networking at a party might lead you to an actual producer, not just some one who says he is. And finally, the one week where the city extends it's liquor license to 4 a.m. and we all know we have to go hard. There is no halfway when it comes to the film festival, and anyone who has done it before knows there's a strategy....unless you want to end up a waking corpse by the end of it. (I'll save you the been-there-done-that trouble: being a walking zombie is never fun.)
TIFF has a different purpose for everyone. When I was fifteen, my best friends and I ventured to Yorkville for our first fest with the sole goal of seeing as many celebrities as possible. For a young teen it seemed absolutely magical to see Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins and Denzel Washington to name a few waltz by us...we even talked to some of them. (She was unearthly stunning, he was intimidating and Denzel must have been having a bad day because he was a total ass. I forgive you Denzel. Being approached by three wide-eyed tween girls sputtering incoherently wouldn't exactly thrill me, either. ) As I got older, chasing down stars lost its appeal and it was more about the partying. I'll admit that during more than a couple TIFF's I would come own each night no earlier than 7 a.m. I solely blame the annual Nikki Beach pop-up. Nothing keeps a girl out for late nights like a schmoozy St. Tropez atmosphere and an abundance of bubbly!
However, I know for many TIFF is about networking their faces off. A logical decision given the caliber of industry personnel who are in town and out and about during the fest! I've never been one to get whipped into a frenzy about the possibility of meeting a Hollywood director or whatnot, but my interests have always been in fashion and events. I do however see the value in meeting not just big time producers, but film makers of all kinds since the possibilities and opportunities are endless. Any meeting with passionate people serves you well at the end of the day, in my opinion..."it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it well." are wise words.
For the next ten days, the power is in the party. No matter if it's day time industry gatherings, cocktail hour receptions, evening lounges or full-on 4 a.m bangers, each and every TIFF event if over-flowing at the brim with people just waiting to provide you with interesting opportunities in the future. You can almost see the sparks of collaborative ideas as they bounce between individual to individual. As a promoter, my two partners and I will be throwing a plethora of 4 a.m. bangers of which I'm positive will reap benefits for business. (...and pleasure. I'm only human, and a party girl at that.)
When it comes down to it, networking, partying, and a love of film aside, what makes TIFF so great is the energy it brings to the city. There's a united feeling of pride in our venues, our people and our atmosphere that has provided Hollywood with refuge for a week in the Great White North. There's a reason film fest here is second only to Cannes! (And Cannes being in the stunning south of France, where exclusivity is built in and the birthplace of Diddy's all-white party...well, we're happily second) So no matter how many douche-bag faux-stars you see strutting around the city with their sunglasses on at night hoping to get mistaken for Ryan Gosling, remember that they're just excited to be part of something great. And that's what Toronto is during film fest -- nothing short of just fantastic.
x
TIFF has a different purpose for everyone. When I was fifteen, my best friends and I ventured to Yorkville for our first fest with the sole goal of seeing as many celebrities as possible. For a young teen it seemed absolutely magical to see Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins and Denzel Washington to name a few waltz by us...we even talked to some of them. (She was unearthly stunning, he was intimidating and Denzel must have been having a bad day because he was a total ass. I forgive you Denzel. Being approached by three wide-eyed tween girls sputtering incoherently wouldn't exactly thrill me, either. ) As I got older, chasing down stars lost its appeal and it was more about the partying. I'll admit that during more than a couple TIFF's I would come own each night no earlier than 7 a.m. I solely blame the annual Nikki Beach pop-up. Nothing keeps a girl out for late nights like a schmoozy St. Tropez atmosphere and an abundance of bubbly!
However, I know for many TIFF is about networking their faces off. A logical decision given the caliber of industry personnel who are in town and out and about during the fest! I've never been one to get whipped into a frenzy about the possibility of meeting a Hollywood director or whatnot, but my interests have always been in fashion and events. I do however see the value in meeting not just big time producers, but film makers of all kinds since the possibilities and opportunities are endless. Any meeting with passionate people serves you well at the end of the day, in my opinion..."it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it well." are wise words.
For the next ten days, the power is in the party. No matter if it's day time industry gatherings, cocktail hour receptions, evening lounges or full-on 4 a.m bangers, each and every TIFF event if over-flowing at the brim with people just waiting to provide you with interesting opportunities in the future. You can almost see the sparks of collaborative ideas as they bounce between individual to individual. As a promoter, my two partners and I will be throwing a plethora of 4 a.m. bangers of which I'm positive will reap benefits for business. (...and pleasure. I'm only human, and a party girl at that.)
When it comes down to it, networking, partying, and a love of film aside, what makes TIFF so great is the energy it brings to the city. There's a united feeling of pride in our venues, our people and our atmosphere that has provided Hollywood with refuge for a week in the Great White North. There's a reason film fest here is second only to Cannes! (And Cannes being in the stunning south of France, where exclusivity is built in and the birthplace of Diddy's all-white party...well, we're happily second) So no matter how many douche-bag faux-stars you see strutting around the city with their sunglasses on at night hoping to get mistaken for Ryan Gosling, remember that they're just excited to be part of something great. And that's what Toronto is during film fest -- nothing short of just fantastic.
x
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