So you guys remember when James Franco joined the cast of General Hospital?

The blogosphere was abuzz in speculating why James Franco, fairly well respected actor and hunk, would be on a soap opera.  I decided that he just has an awesome sense of humor and was cool enough to try different weird things, and I applauded him for it.

Turns out I was wrong.

Franco wrote an essay in the Wall Street Journal explaining his choice thusly:

I finally took the plunge and experimented with [performance art] myself when I signed on to appear on 20 episodes of “General Hospital” as the bad-boy artist “Franco, just Franco.” I disrupted the audience’s suspension of disbelief, because no matter how far I got into the character, I was going to be perceived as something that doesn’t belong to the incredibly stylized world of soap operas. Everyone watching would see an actor they recognized, a real person in a made-up world… My hope was for people to ask themselves if soap operas are really that far from entertainment that is considered critically legitimate. Whether they did was out of my hands…

Ummm, I think I speak for everyone when I say “Shut up James Franco”.  Also, memo to the cast of General Hospital: it turns out you guys are performance artists.  So call home and tell your parents.  I’m sure they’ll be proud.

Go read the whole essay here.  It’s a real self-indulgent piece of art.  Thanks to Jos for this gem.

Dear James Franco,

Kindly get over yourself. You’re pretty cute, but you’re not actually all that and a bag of chips.

Love,
The Soap-Viewing Public (who did actually possess the ability to distinguish reality from fiction long before you showed up)

p.s. What she said.

ART

A is for actor

James Franco = one of my favourite actors. MILK.PINEAPPLE EXPRESS.JAMES DEAN.

Adam Lambert = subject of much controversy lately – conveniently around the time of his album release. Just let the guy be already…

P.S. I’m still bumping “Broken Open”

A is for award

The prestigious Grammy Award Nominations were announced last night and Queen B is heading the pack with 10 nominations. I’m not one to disagree with this stat as it has most definitely been her year!

Click here to see the full list of the nominees/award categories

A is for

AMERIE

I think she is so beautiful

A is also for ASOS…Rachel Bilson appears on the cover of the December issue of ASOS magazine…

THE O.C. BELLE

A is also for

CLICK HERE

Anticipation has a habit to set you up

For disappointment in evening entertainment but
Tonight there’ll be some love

Afternoon

ARCTIC MONKEYS. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. ALICIA KEYS.

ANDRE 3000 = insane = amazing

ARETHA. AUDIO BULLYS.

Aaliyah

Such a beautiful, wonderful woman, who is truly missed. I still bump her tunes.

She will never be forgotten.

Some new stills have just been released from James Franco’s new movie “Howl” where he stars as poet Allen Ginsberg.  I’m super excited for this movie, although I’m confused as to why it can’t be released in time for the Oscars this year.  It’s just not going to be the same without Franco at all the awards shows this season.  (Mostly because I’m not excited about half of the films possibly getting nominated this year) Click away for a few more caps!

And on a side note, who’s watching him on General Hospital??

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

Jason Segel–we love you, man.

APPEARANCE: 3.5

L: I have a big crush on Jason Segel’s face (and tallness)! He looks fun and boyish, and totally presents himself as the (tall) guy best friend who I never realized I should love until now. I appreciate his smiley ways, and how he can look goofy but still good looking. He wears scruffiness well. He should show up at the Ultimate Party wearing a suit with his tie half undone, his hair half mussed and his face unshaven for a few days, and looking slightly sheepish. It’s a good look on him. I also appreciated his wacky, laidback scrub look in I Love You, Man—he coupled it with floppy, curly hair!

I: He is a large man! And I agree, he has boyish qualities that make him crush-worthy. But he’s almost got like, this mushy face. I never saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall and doesn’t he show full frontal in that? I guess that will be the true test of whether he gets a “5” from me! Har har. Oh! And I hate him with a goatee like in Knocked Up. Ugh.

PORTFOLIO: 4

I: Well, much like Seth Rogen, Jason Segel has been riding the Judd Apatow train for a bit too long. It’s time to break out into something that will surprise and impress us! Woo us, Jason Segel! I need him to show me that he can act successfully without his security blanket of cast members. Of course, I enjoyed Freaks & Geeks and thought he really did a good job on that show. He was more complex than most of the other characters!

L: Yes @ J.Seg being on F&G and showing more depth than the others by doing a rendition of “Lady”! Although I wonder if he never did the show, if he would have met J.Franco and Seth Rogen, thus Judd Apatow… I think he needs to lean away from doing gross boy movies and try to score some John Cusack-esque roles. When you can’t be Brad Pitt, be John Cusack, who’s a thousand times more awesome anyway. But I think he’s on the up and up, giving that he’s actually going to scribe the next Muppets movie, do some voice acting and act in Gulliver’s Travels. I’m glad he’s experimenting.

CHOICES: 3

L: J.Segel was Frenching Chloe Sevigny in public like a couple of French people at a Frenching festival. How do you feel about that?

I: That is such a RANDOM couple! Are they a couple? Does he have a significant other? He seems earnest about his work so I guess that’s nice. His Wiki page claims that he’s a “musician.” I hope he doesn’t try to pull out any bullshit music career on us.

PERSONALITY: 4

I: I hope J.Seg would mix and mingle well with the Ultimate Party crowd and not just huddle in a corner with SR all night! I worry that he wouldn’t demonstrate interest in others; he would just blab on about himself and his hopes and dreams all night. SNOOZE!

L: Yes, we’ll have to encourage Seth Rogen and J.Segel to mingle with the other guests. Maybe we can give them doctored invitations, showing them when to show up and when to leave so they’ll never be there at the same time. They don’t need to be startin’ no Flip Cup and getting noisy together. I don’t think that J.Segel would be self-absorbed and chat about himself. I think that he would be interesting and chatty, but leave you wanting more because he has the attention span of a gnat and gets pulled in multiple directions—basically the J.Mraz problem.

ROMANTIC POTENTIAL: 3

L: It might be fun to be his girlfriend. I like that he’s got a lot of varied interests and is dabbling in all sorts of things. He seems like he’d always be entertaining, and he’d be useful at retrieving things from atop high shelves for me. But what about long-term potential? Would he do something awesome for your birthday? Would he take an active interest in what you’re up to despite his busy schedule?

I: This is why I fear he’d only be interested in chatting about himself and his MYRIAD projects! Anything you’re doing is lackluster in comparison. I worry about how tied down he is with other projects. I need a dude who just has one awesome job (like John Krasinski!) and then we can chat equally in the eves. Also, he seems like he’d be sloppy in bed, y/n?

L: Yeah, I guess I could see that. He’d hurry through it then jump right up while zipping up his pants (which he never really took off all the way), rushing off to his next project.

SUGGESTIONS

I: Hm.. I don’t know. I’d really have to hang out with him for a while, like on a date maybe, to see if he’s worthy. I suggest Jason Segel woo me!

L: Agreed, a date’s in order. I want Jason Segel to take me mini golfing.

FINAL GRADE: 17.5/25 B

In November I had the opportunity to rent the complete television series of Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000). I watched all eighteen episodes in a week and was pleasantly surprised with what an amazing show it turned out to be.

The story takes place primarily on the grounds of William McKinley High School in a suburb in Michigan (Glee, anyone?), focusing on the lives of two outcast groups of students in 1980: the freaks and the geeks.

The show had an all-star cast including Linda Cardellini (ER), John Francis Daley (Bones), James Franco (Milk), Seth Rogen (Funny People), Samm Levine, Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Martin Starr (Adventureland), and Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) as our lovable outcasts, as well as veteran actors like Thomas F. Wilson (Back to the Future) as the school’s gym teacher, and Dave Allen as the guidance counselor; it also featured surprise guest appearances by Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation), Kevin Tighe (LOST), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), and even Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder).

You may wonder how this show ever got canceled after only its first season. What douche-of-a-network had the balls to drop such an achievement of comedic genius? UGH, I’ll tell you that NBC put it on Saturdays at 8pm so nobody watched it! So blame them for bad scheduling.

From my point of view, Freaks and Geeks is a refreshing take on the now so popular high school genre that seems to have taken over network television in the past few years; whether it involves blood-sucking vampires, sex-addicted rich kids, or ballad-singing losers.

Although the show takes place more than a decade before I was born and aired while I was still in grade school, I still found it incredibly relatable to my own experience in high school.

However, Freaks and Geeks is not necessarily suited for fans of shows like Vampire Diaries or Gossip Girl or High School Musical; it portrays a more realistic version of life as a teenager were no one bursts out into song, nobody is a vampire, and there are no threesomes (have you seen that commercial?). In fact, I’m happy to say that throughout all eighteen episodes there is not one sex scene. Unlike Gossip Girl which has sex scenes in order to distract from how horrible the entire show is, the story in Freaks and Geeks just does not need it. They decided to let the audience dive deep into the emotional and social issues of each character instead of deep into their pants.

The show’s main focus are the lives of Lindsay Weir (Cardellini), a sophomore math-genius and daddy’s little girl turned burnout, and her younger brother Sam (Daley), a socially challenged freshman. In the first episode Lindsay crosses over from her boring existence as a mathlete to the dangerous and exciting life of a freak. Cardellini’s character’s change from golden-girl to freak is brought upon by witnessing the fearful revelation from her dying grandmother that there is nothing on the other side except utter darkness, igniting Linday’s life altering thought: what is the point of it all? Throughout the season Carellini does a great job of portraying a confused teenager struggling to deal with the pressures from her parents, and peer-pressure alike.

Initially Lindsay is not altogether accepted by the freaks, which include the math-test-cheating Daniel Dosario (Franco), his bitchy girlfriend Kim Kelly (Philipps), chronically-sarcastic Ken Miller (Rogen), and pot-smoking drummer Nick Andopolis (Segel). Although it takes a while for their emotional layers to unfold, each of them has a depth that allows them to accept Lindsay as one of them, and gives their characters a significant arc.

I was really happy with the changes in the freaks. By the end of the series Daniel is playing Dungeons and Dragons with the geeks, Kim goes from bitch-of-the-year to Lindsay’s best friend, Ken’s caring side is brought out by his relationship with the cute tuba-player, Amy Andrews (Jessica Campbell), and Lindsay (this is just what I think since  the show didn’t have a chance to resolve what actually happens), gives a final goodbye to her “straight-A” past and ends up ditching a summer academic program for a road-trip Grateful Dead tour with Kim and some “death-heads.”

I was similarly pleased with Sam Weir’s band of geeks, Bill Haverchuck (Starr), Neal Schweiber (Levine), Gordon Crisp (Jerry Messing), and Harris Trinsky (Stephen Lea Sheppard). My favorite geek is definitely Bill, whose awkwardness is ultimately overshadowed by his deeply emotional relationship with Mr. Fredricks (Wilson), the gym teacher. At first, Bill is the only geek strong enough to protest against the jocks always choosing teams and positions for baseball because he “might be great, but they’ll never know.” And when Mr. Fredricks starts dating Bill’s mom, moves in with them, and is watching football on the TV in their living-room Bill still hold pride for his love of the prime-time soap, Dallas. One of my favorite scenes in the entire series is when Bill finally accepts Mr. Fredricks into his home and he explains what’s going on as the watch the show together in a heart-wrenching father/son kind of moment.

Although not as great as Bill, fellow geeks Sam, Gordon and Harris were also pretty cool. I was happy when Sam finally realized that it did not matter how pretty his crush, Cindy Sanders (Natasha Melnick), was when she turned out to be such a bitch and had to break up with her. Harris’ wisdom concerning bullies and girlfriends reminded of the guru kid from Recess, and Gordon was a lovable addition to their group of misfits.

The only two characters I really had a problem with were Nick Andopolis (Segel) and Neal Schweiber (Levine). I found Nick’s obsession with Lindsay disturbing, and Neal’s delusion of being an expert with girls was just plain annoying. But it did make it all the more hilarious when Bill ended up making-out with the head cheerleader, Vicky Appleby (Joanna Garcia).

Overall, Freaks and Geeks is an incredible show. I quickly found myself caring about every character, and it was easy for me to relate to most of what they were experiencing. It’s rare to find a show with such interesting characters, as well as an intriguing plot, and it sucks so much that NBC ended up canceling it. No matter how under-watched it was, Freaks and Geeks is one of those shows that appeals to people of all types, so if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s time to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

]]> http://kimberlytsao.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/movie-trailers-you-have-to-see-to-believe/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:32:29 +0000 kimberlytsao http://kimberlytsao.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/movie-trailers-you-have-to-see-to-believe/

1. “Date Night” is a comedy featuring Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) and Steve Carell (“The Office”). They try to revive their marriage by going out on a date. Hilarity ensues after they are mistaken for another married couple who owe people money. If, like me, the comedic veterans aren’t enough to convince you to watch the movie, “Date Night” also stars rapper Common, Mila Kunis (“That ‘7os Show”), Mark Wahlberg (“Four Brothers”) and James Franco (“Pineapple Express”).

2. “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” also centers on a marriage on the rocks and a married couple on the run. This time around, though, Hugh Grant (“Notting Hill”) and Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and City”)  are placed in the witness protection program after seeing a murder. I’ve seen this trailer in theaters several times and every time, someone reacts to the last part of the trailer. Indeed, the laughs start once they relocate to Wyoming …

3. “Kick Ass” follows newcomer Aaron Johnson as he decides to become a superhero even though he has no powers. The tone of the film is similar to the humor in several Owen Wilson movies, such as “The Darjeeling Limited.” Christopher Mintz-Plasse, of “Superbad” fame, also stars. Johnson can also be seen in the John Lennon-film, “Nowhere Boy.” Its trailer is over here.

4. Acclaimed actor James McAvoy can next be seen in “The Last Station,” which focuses on the life of famed author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). The trailer doesn’t reveal much else, but the film does have a 7.3 star rating on IMDb.com. The film’s early release is supposedly a ploy to secure Plummer an Oscar nomination in next year’s weak Best Actor race. McAvoy’s real-life wife, Anne Marie Duff, as well as Oscar favorites Helen Mirren and Paul Giamatti co-star.

5. Focus Features is set to release “Babies,” a documentary which chronicles one year in the lives of different newborns around the world, namely Tokyo, San Francisco, Mongolia and Namibia.

Edward Norton, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Robert Pattinson, Vanessa Hudgens, “Toy Story 3,” romantic comedies (Amy Adams! Nicholas Sparks!), potential Oscar nominees (George Clooney! Emily Blunt!) and more after the jump.

6. Hollywood takes another stab at “Beauty and the Beast” with the adaptation of Alex Flinn’s novel, “Beastly.” The teaser trailer is so abrupt that I’m not excited to see it in theaters. Relative unknown Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) star.

7. “Season of the Witch” reteams Nicolas Cage with “Gone in 60 Seconds” director, Dominic Sena. This heart-pounding action movie takes us with a band of knights who are tasked with moving a powerful witch to a monastery. Ron Perlman from “Hellboy” co-stars.

8. Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia”) sure knows how to pick movies — at least, chick flicks that I want to see. First, there was Nicholas Sparks’s “Dear John.” Now, there’s “Letters to Juliet.” Seyfried stars as a girl who’s engaged to Gael Garcia Bernal (“Science of Sleep”) but goes on an adventure with Christopher Egan (“Eragon”) and Vanessa Redgrave after she finds Redgrave’s letter to a long lost love.

IMDb.com states that Hugh Dancy was originally cast in Bernal’s role but dropped out, which is a shame. Anyone who’s seen him in “The Jane Austen Book Club” knows that Dancy would have been perfect in this movie albeit in Egan’s role. Oh, well. Cue Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.”

9. Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”) once again gifts us with his zing-damn-oh snap (!) dialogue in “Greenberg.” Ben Stiller tries his hand at drama as a man in a mid-life crisis. Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Single White Female”) and Rhys Ifans (to be seen in “Harry Potter 7″) round out the cast.

10. “Crazy Heart” is another film with an earlier-than-scheduled release date. Again, the movie studio is trying to nab its star, Jeff Bridges, a Best Actor nod. Bridges (“Iron Man”) stars as a country music star who’s down on his luck until his path crosses with a journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

11. According to IMDb.com, “Remember Me” is up by 658 percent in popularity this week. The most probable reason? Robert Pattinson (“Twilight”) is the star. He is joined by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”), Chris Cooper (“The Kingdom”) and Emilie de Ravin (“Lost”).

12. In “Leaves of Grass,” Edward Norton plays twin brothers who plot to kill their small town’s drug lord. The supporting cast includes Susan Sarandon (“Stepmom”) and Keri Russell (“August Rush”).

13. “Extraordinary Measures” is based on the true story of John and Aileen Crowley who race to find a cure for their dying child. Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”), Russell (“Felicity”) and Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones”) star.

14. “In Ireland, women can propose to men on the 29th of February.” This is the premise of “Leap Year,” in which Amy Adams (“Enchanted”) takes it upon herself to propose to her longtime boyfriend. Fate intervenes when she lands in Wales instead and runs into Matthew Goode (“Chasing Liberty”).

15. In “Grown Ups,” five childhood friends reunite after 30 years. The movie’s cast is a who’s who of comedy, namely David Spade (“The Benchwarmers”), Chris Rock (“Down to Earth”), Adam Sandler (“Spanglish”), Kevin James (“Hitch”), Rob Schneider (“Hot Chick”), Maya Rudolph (“Away We Go”), Salma Hayek (“Frida”) and Maria Bello (“Coyote Ugly”).

16. After failing to impress the girl of his dreams, Michael Cera (“Superbad”) decides to rebel in the comedy, “Youth in Revolt.” Justin Long (“Accepted”) and Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) also star in the movie. Trailer no.1 and trailer no. 2 follow:

17. Soon there won’t be another Sparks’s novel to film, and the world as we know it will come to an end. “The Last Song” is Hollywood’s latest try at the author’s romantic novels. Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”) stars as a rebellious teenager who, along with her younger brother, is sent to spend the summer with her estranged dad. Cyrus, also a musical prodigy, falls in love and makes amends with her father.

I guess that means two things. 1) We can look forward to Cyrus-filled soundtrack. 2) Supposedly, the studio thought Mandy Moore in two Sparks’s adaptations would have been too much. Nonetheless, Greg Kinnear (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and Kelly Preston (“Jerry Maguire”) lend the movie some credibility.

18. Maybe you’ve heard of James Cameron’s (“Titanic”) latest venture, “Avatar.” An adventure in another world and another time pits  human soldiers against an entirely new species. Sam Worthington (“Terminator: Salvation”), Sigourney Weaver (“Alien”), Zoe Saldana (“Star Trek”) and Michelle Rodriguez (“Girl Fight”) star.

19. It’s just a teaser trailer, but “Clash of the Titans” looks pretty amazing. Whoever created the score is some kind of genius. Liam Neeson (Batman Begins”), Ralph Fiennes (“Harry Potter”) and Worthington  are all part of the remake.

20. Catch the “Toy Story 3″ teaser and full trailers below:

21. Emily Blunt is “The Young Victoria.” From the looks of the trailer, Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”) will give another powerhouse performance as Queen Victoria. She is paired with Rupert Friend (“Pride and Prejudice”) as her Prince Albert. The ensemble cast includes Paul Bettany (“The Da Vinci Code”) and Jim Broadbent (“The Chronicles of Narnia”).

22. Clooney may have cinched another Oscar nomination with his performance in “Up in the Air.” In fact, director Jason Reitman (“Juno”), actresses Anna Kendrick (“Twilight”) and Vera Farmiga (“The Departed”) all have Oscar buzz surrounding them. Clooney is the guy that companies hire to travel all over the globe and fire people for them.

The film was originally meant to be a satire like Reitman’s “Thank You for Not Smoking,” but the recession called for a revamping of the movie. The first trailer below tells you more about the story, but the second trailer is by far the better one. Fasten your seatbelts …

Personally, I’m looking forward to “Up in the Air,” “The Young Victoria,” “Leap Year” and “Letters to Juliet” although I’d probably watch some, such as “Avatar” and “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” if my friends want to see them. What about you? Sound off in the comments!

//

Confession: It’s the week before finals. Not only am I still enrolled in two classes (the last two classes of my LIFE) but I’m also conferencing with 60 students concerning final papers. And giving a final. And packing up my entire life to move to Walla Walla, WA for the semester. So we’re going to have a few guest posts to tide us over — including the following, from the uber-talented Racquel Gonzales, a graduate student in the RTF Department and soap opera (and soap fandom) expert extraordinaire.

James Franco on GH (credit: ABC/Medianet)

In case you haven’t heard, James Franco of Freaks and Geeks, Spiderman, and Pineapple Express fame officially started his guest star stint November 20th on General Hospital, the long-running ABC soap.  If you are scratching your heads, you are in great company with news outlets, gossip columnists, and arguably many Franco fans who just saw him in the Oscar-winning film Milk with a guest star appearance for 30 Rock.  I’m not going to focus on James Franco’s reasons for temporarily showing off his acting chops in Port Charles because it has been exhaustively scrutinized, investigated, and rumored by almost everyone covering the story (including soap sites and fans in comment sections): Why is Franco acting on GH, a [insert dismissive, snarky comment regarding low budget/bad acting/cardboard sets]?  Was it a bet gone wrong with Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow?  Is he on drugs?  Is it a school project?  Why Franco why?  Everybody wants justification as to why Franco, a movie star, would want to be on a soap opera, a supposed vast, vapid, bottom-of-the-barrel wasteland of entertainment and acting talent.  I’d like to point out Franco has received ridiculously massive attention and publicity over this decision, possibly even more than garnered with previous projects.  Ask not what Franco can do for GH, but what is GH doing for Franco?

I’d like to shed a little light on the other side: How did/do GH fans react to James Franco coming onto their soap?  People not engaged in soap opera discussion or fandom may assume that viewers were verklempt and moon-eyed that a famous movie star came down from the heavens of Hollywood to guest star on their lil’ daytime show.  While some were, I found other reactions a bit more complicated.  As a media scholar, one of my research concerns is the negotiations between the contemporary daytime industry and fan communities online.  I am still grappling with the potential differences between online and offline soap viewers, so I am speaking specifically about those fans that engage online.  There were and continue to be varied reactions to the news.  Understandably, there was a lot of confusion and dismissal of the news as a hoax because the story spread on soap message boards days before there were official blog entries confirming it on entertainment sites.  How?  A little tweet by Jillian Michaels about Franco coming on for two months.  Who is Michaels to the soap world?  Besides being a trainer on The Biggest Loser, she is also best friends with Vanessa Marcil.  Some of you may know her from Beverly Hills 90210 or Las Vegas. If you’re a gossip follower, she is Brian Austin Green’s ex and mom to the little boy frequently accompanying Megan Fox in paparazzi pictures.  However, GH viewers know her as Brenda Barrett, half of arguably the biggest supercouple of the 90’s and a third of the most popular soap triangle.  A GH fan tweeted Michaels about Marcil coming back to GH, Michaels responded, and then the investigation started across several soap boards and on Twitter (including several tweets to a clueless Bob Harper, one of the other trainers of The Biggest Loser).  Officially confirmation occurred after Steve Burton, aka GH’s Jason Morgan, spilled the beans on Twitter.  The contemporary gossip industry is always in a fight over breaking the news first.  And in this case, online soap communities spread the story with each other even before soap gossip sites picked it up.  I find this particularly interesting because calculated or not, it was a very successful way to get online fans invested in the news by way of a scavenger hunt.

Franco’s first day on General Hospital

Understandably, there was wide spread excitement and anticipation because there are Franco fans who are GH fans  and vice versa.  The lines between soap viewing, primetime show viewing, and film-going aren’t as strongly demarcated as they may appear though barriers are placed there.  Based on some comments, Franco’s presence actually hooked lapsed GH fans into watching again—undoubtedly one of the goals of the ABC Daytime executives (Did I mention his character is named “Franco”?  Just so there is no doubt about Franco and GH’s mutual exploitation of each other).  However for others, there is annoyance and dismay, because Franco follows many recent guest star appearances on GH (see Bruce Weitz and Vincent Pastore) that typically result in stalled storylines across the canvas, a centralized focus on violence, and little to no long-term effects because these casting stunts are quick attempts to boost the ratings.  Franco’s star power is more widely known than Weitz or Pastore, which prompted apprehensive considerations about how his character would affect other characters’ airtimes.  Surprisingly, indifference seems to pervade fan debates about whether or not Franco is really that big of a star to merit such attention.  He may be a good actor, but is he a star?  On various forums, early shorthand for Franco was “that Spiderman guy” or “the dude from Freaks and Geeks,” which raises questions about how stars are defined in particular communities and points to a potential hierarchy in fan star-making.

James Franco as "Franco" the avant-garde artist (Credit: ABC/Medianet)

Believe it or not, the most talked about soap appearance within the last few months for GH was actually not James Franco, but the return of Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer.  This news was released days before Franco’s yet dominated conversation for several weeks.  Why would this news rival the appearance of Franco?  First, Lucky is the son of Luke and Laura, the soap supercouple whose 1981 wedding still holds the Nielsen daytime ratings record.  They were not just a soap phenomenon, but a significant part of American popular culture.  If you think Franco is a big deal for the soap world, keep in mind that Luke and Laura’s wedding featured Elizabeth Taylor as the guest star.  Therefore, there are strong historical connections between GH fans and Jackson, who played Lucky from childhood to a young adult, allowing the audience to see him grow up on screen from 1993-1999.  Some have been hoping for his return to soaps though he has moved on to larger projects like playing Kyle Reese in the now cancelled Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles.  While Franco is a huge star, he and his character have no ties to the GH canvas like Jackson and the character of Lucky Spencer.  The daytime soap industry has traditionally used viewing memory and nostalgia to reward (and exploit) fan loyalty and tap into their textual investment.  The “return” has always been an important narrative choice in the serial medium because of its emotional resonance with fans who have long viewing histories with a show.  You’ll find really memorable soap episodes often feature guest returns by former actors and utilize flashbacks like One Life to Live’s 9,999th and 10,000th episode celebration in 2007.  Nathan Fillion endeared himself to the entire soap community by reprising his role as Joey Buchanan for these episodes as a way of honoring his show business start, rather than trying to hide it.  For many viewers, watching Fillion’s Joey reunite with old cougar flame Dorian in the 2007 episodes during his grandfather’s funeral conjures up their viewing memories of a relationship that began in 1994 (do check out Fillion’s adorable early 90’s ‘do)

I bring up Fillion’s case because it highlights the complicated negotiation between soap operas and its stars like having multiple actors in a single role.  Though a fan favorite, Fillion was one of six different actors to play Joey Buchanan on OLTL.  His tenure was from 1994-1997 and the aforementioned 2007 return episodes, however he was the fourth Joey and not even the actor to have played the role the longest.  But he is seen as the quintessential “Joey” and soap fans followed him to his subsequent TV and film projects.  However, other roles occupied by multiple actors can end up being a site of contention among soap audiences.  This division of fan loyalty is often referred to online as being a character fan first (characterFF), an actor fan first (actorFF), and even a couple and show fan first, delineating where your loyalities lie.  Due to the long, serialized nature of soap operas, recasting is a necessity since characters can exist for decades on the canvas and sometimes outlive their portrayers.  Fans often have hierarchies in their loyalties towards particular actors or to soap characters regardless who is currently in the role, though preferences are made known.  Quite common, fans follow their favorite soap stars when/if the actors migrate to another soap or even primetime.  Soap stars may make daytime their permanent home like Susan Lucci (Erica Kane on All My Children) or move from soap star to primetime TV or film stardom like Josh Duhamel (ex-Leo on AMC).  There is cultural caché that circulates around soap message boards about “discovering” a star first or being a fan before an actor makes it big since soaps comprise the early careers of many actors.

Jonathan Jackson back as Lucky (Credit: ABC/Medianet)

This division is the core issue over Jackson’s return as Lucky and a central reason why the news overshadowed Franco’s appearance.  Plain and simple, it was old fashion drama behind the scenes.  Jackson’s return was announced while Greg Vaughan, the third actor to play the character, was still in the role and starring in episodes.  Likewise, Jackson made his premiere while Vaughan’s face was still in the opening credits of the show.  This is not the first time ABC has switched between the recast and original portrayer.  For example, AMC’s “The Real Greenlee” ad campaign celebrated the return of Rebecca Budig, the role’s orginator, while the recast Greenlee was still occupying the role.  While that campaign garnered a lot of online fan criticism, the Jackson casting news was particularly angering to some GH fans because Vaughan had played Lucky the longest (from 2003-2009).  Soap loyalty is cultivated with an actor-character’s constant presence on a show.  But on the flipside, there are fan loyalties for the actors who originated the roles.  And of course, many fans were caught between their love of both Jackson and Vaughan’s Luckys due to viewing memories with both.

Adding fuel to the fire, Vaughan tweeted shortly after the news broke that GH had decided to go in a different direction, thus letting him go to hire Jackson.  In contrast, GH and ABC’s official stance was Vaughan asked to be let out of his contract.  Soap forums erupted in various heated conversations: which actor was the true/real/only/most soulful Lucky?  Are you a LuckyFF or a GVFF or a JJFF?  Is ABC telling the truth or Vaughan?  And possibly the most curious, was Jackson told Vaughan was leaving or getting fired so Jackson could return?  Twitter remained part of these discussions as current GH actors tweeted their personal reactions to Vaughan’s departure.  In regards to Vaughan’s truthfulness, countless posters defended him by pointing to his steadfast performance of Lucky during what many fans claim to be the worst period in GH writing history.  During Jackson’s years, Lucky was a core character and written in a completely different light than under the current tenure, where Vaughan’s Lucky was written as a low-level antagonist to the mobster heroes currently central.  If what partly makes a star is the role or roles he/she plays, how do we deal with multiple actors in a single role?  These debates about the true Lucky brought out comparisons of fans’ viewing histories and their personal attachment to Jackson, Vaughan, and occasionally Jacob Young, who played Lucky #2 from 2000-2003.  While recasting upsets are prevalent in the entertainment industry, comparison is difficult due to the shifting in-and-out of actors in a constantly moving, decades-long story.  I would be curious to see the online reactions if the next Bond film had an accompanying “Sean Connery: The REAL James Bond” ad campaign while Daniel Craig got booted.  Though I wouldn’t be surprised if a “Who is the true James Bond?” discussion hasn’t already taken place for many fans of the franchise.

Greg Vaughan as Lucky (Credit: ABC/Medianet)

Throughout, Vaughan and Jackson’s personal lives and personalities were central to conversations.  Fans shared personal anecdotes from meeting the actors and from reading about each from soap magazines and soap gossip websites.  Soap stars are produced and consumed for and by soap fans in very similar ways to those of film stars.  At the grocery store checkout, the soap magazines are right next to In Touch, US Weekly, and People.  There are soap gossip sites (and some “hidden”) that deliver rumors, casting decisions, behind-the-scenes antics, and industry practices for fans to devour or refute.  Historically, the boundary between soap fans and soap stars has been purposefully collapsed in many ways to foster personal relationships (or feelings of one) to ensure viewers.  Fan investment is the key to a soap opera’s success and this is one way to achieve closeness to the text—through its stars.  Soap magazines typically talk about an actor in contrast or comparison to their on-screen counterpart, blurring the lines between character and actor.  Furthermore, news about former soap stars (like Duhamel getting married to Fergie) always make the soap gossip circuit as do blind items.  With the exception of The Young and the Restless, opening sequences that feature character montages don’t display actors’ names so that character identification is priority.

The daytime industry, ABC especially, promotes fan interaction with soap stars at events like Super Soap Weekend.  Every year, the official GH Fan Club holds Fan Club Weekend in Southern California where fans can meet their favorite GH stars and other fans for a healthy piece of change.  These events allow fans to take pictures, get autographs, and talk with soap stars as well as enter auctions to visit and tour the GH set.  Most uniquely, the Fan Club Weekend event and smaller meet-and-greets throughout the year allow fans to Q&A with their soap favorites about future storylines, their personal likes and dislikes, and voice their frustration or admiration about the direction of the show.  In fact, myriad online defenses for Vaughan became personal fan accounts about his cordial nature at these events and his honesty about Lucky’s unfortunate story direction.  Thus, it’s important to note that relationships cultivated with soap stars are both an emotional investment of time and viewing loyalty, but also an economical one as these fan events are not cheap when factoring in travel arrangements and club dues.  All these situations work primarily to keep fans invested in the soap opera text regardless of whether or not they are currently happy with the show.

Looking at soap fandom can provide another layer to the question “how are stars made and disseminated amongst fans?”  As an on-again/off-again soap viewer and soap scholar, I find that the internet has made the negotiations among soap fan, soap star, and soap industry quite muddled and dynamic especially with star identification.  If you are curious for extra reading, I highly recommend C. Lee Harrington and Denise D. Bielby’s Soap Fans: Pursuing Pleasure and Making Meaning in Everyday Life and Nancy K. Baym’s Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community.  Both are great pieces discussing soap fans as well as core texts used in academic conversations about the fan-star relationships in general.  Also, check out the upcoming The Survival of the Soap Opera: Strategies for a New Media Era (University of Mississippi Press, 2010), a collection of various scholarship on contemporary soap issues in the digital age, including a personal article about GH nostalgia, industry-fan negotiations, and critical discourse surrounding General Hospital: Night Shift.

Much appreciation and thanks to Annie for providing me the space and opportunity to talk about James Franco, Lucky Spencers, and General Hospital.

Oh, Franco…I could ALMOST believe anything that tumbled off your oh-so-perfect lips! Like Maxie, whether I believed you or not, I’d still want those lips on mine! Whew! You are one HOT psycho! Is THAT what it takes to shut you up? Hmmm…

Well, GHers, I dare you you to find a storyline this fun to watch. The Mad Hottie is…well, mad! I mean really, what kind of games is he playing? (Other than sex games, I mean) That whole heartbreak story about Vanessa and converting to vegetarianism? What kind of mind can fabricate stuff like that so easily? (By the way, my daughter’s name is Vanessa, and she screamed when she heard him utter her name. His appeal transcends age groups, which should be great news for ratings!)

Franco is a deranged, twisted, dangerous individual, and I think Maxie knows that, but all that mattered in the heat of the moment was how incredibly sexy and intense he was. Hearing her talk about how Spinelli loves her and watching her struggle with the enormity of the consequences (albeit very briefly) if she went through with it, made me realize that Maxie was about to learn another SECRET TO LIFE…WHEN YOU PLAY WITH FIRE, YOU WILL GET BURNED. Sometimes, those closest to you also get burned, and I predict some melancholy moments ahead for the Jackal. I can almost guarantee that in those moments when Maxie sees what her actions really cost, she is going to have a really tough time reconciling the two. Just another SECRET TO LIFE…EVERYTHING COSTS SOMETHING…BE PREPARED TO PAY.

Today’s episode was riddled with SECRETS TO LIFE. These were the SECRETS TO LIFE I recognized:

~ THE BEST KIND OF LOVE IN UNCONDITIONAL  Sometimes I get caught up in how sexy and fun to watch Jason and Sam are, that I nearly forget their foundation; the reason I fell in love with them long before they knew they were in love with each other. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. As a mom, I try to teach my kids that we can’t become what everyone else wants us to become or we won’t recognize ourselves at the end of the day. BE YOURSELF, I tell them, and those who are really your friends, or those who profess to love you, will accept you as you are…or they won’t. Either way, you win, because the decision about whom to share your life with will be much clearer. Through the process of elimination, we have seen who accepts Jason and Sam as they ARE, and of those very few, the only true love possibilities they have are…EACH OTHER. While like Maxie and Franco, you don’t NEED honesty in order to share a night of passion, or even to create life, you cannot build a relationship while lying to yourself about the person you’re planning to share your life with. OOH! ANOTHER SECRET TO LIFE: ~DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL…DON’T WORK FOR LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS (grammatical error used for effect) Jason and Sam know who they are, and they know each other; and still, they can accept each other…flaws and all. It may be among the most honest relationships in Port Charles!

~ THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS I’m sure Maximista believed she was doing the best thing for Crimson and her career when she decided to follow Franco out of the gallery. I’m sure she still believed it when she chose to wear the blindfold rather than get out of the limo. She must have had to choose to believe it when she was lying face down on a cold, filthy cement floor while being photographed. And while I’m sure she thought she experienced HEAVEN while inspired to experiment artistically with the Artist Known as Dark & Delicious, Maxie is in the fast lane to experiencing HELL ON EARTH.  Spinelli loves Maxie…also unconditionally, and once she got a taste of that, she wanted to hold on to it. Unfortunately for Maxie, here’s our next SECRET TO LIFE…

~ IN ORDER TO GRAB SOMETHING NEW, YOU MUST FIRST LET GO OF WHAT YOU’RE HOLDING  In order for Maximista to grab hold of her big future at Crimson, she had to let go of Spinelli. Sometimes we can let go of something and not lose it. But other times, the wind picks just that moment to rip past and carry it off, or someone comes by and snatches it away from us. It’s a chance we take. We’ll see how it plays out for Maxie. Other PC residents are testing this SECRET TO LIFE: Johnny – he’s willing to let go of his love for Olivia in order to grab some revenge on Sonny and Dominic. Lucky – has let go of loyalties to Luke in order to grab the possibility of a better life for his boys. Spinelli – is trying to let go of his insecurities to grab the role of biggest supporter of Maxie’s career. Jason and Sam – are willing to let go of past hurts and mistakes in order to grab hold of love and happiness. Then there’s Sonny…who’s about to let go of his biggest fear in order to hold on to the son he didn’t even know he had.

Sometimes the biggest SECRET TO LIFE is just that…a secret. We must make mistakes and screw up and blow big opportunities in order to uncover the SECRETS TO LIFE. If we knew them all upfront…life would be incredibly boring.

Don’t you think?

Self still sending stories out, stubborn to the last.

In her message “In” box today was a message from Apple. Apple Online Store will have a sale starting 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 27. It will continue for 24 hours.

Veeery tempting!  But  –  stop it, self! Have you forgotten that you have no money?  Nada, zilch!  So just stop it right now!

Self watched more of the silky-smooth James Franco on “General Hospital.” (More drool. Couldn’t there be a role somewhere for Tom Wisdom? Alas, self, you are beginning to sound too, too much the broken record)

She watched Oprah and it was a sort of “Tribute to Heroes” episode because there was Capt. Sullenberger of The-Jet-That-Landed-in-the-Hudson. No one does these things better than Oprah. Even though by now it may seem like old hat — the formulaic praise, self means — she still found herself shedding a grateful tear or two.

Today self paid a bill that had been mouldering on her desk for two months. And she took the two li’l crits to be groomed. And she bought Frontline flea and tick medicine. And she bought milk and manggo juice and baking potatoes and avocados and bacon from Safeway. And she e-mailed all her friends about her sad run-in with the camera at the intersection of Millbrae Ave and Rollins Road, and told them that she was swearing off all party events, readings, and what-have-you. Even swearing off a tree!

And now self is actually quite, quite content and happy. Son has gone off to see some friends, and self is all alone in the darkening house (alone except for Oprah, that is!). She’s still stuck on page whatever of Blue Shoes and Happiness. OMG, at this rate, it’s going to take her a month — no, more! — to finish this book.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.

Le Film: Une comédie de buzzé qui sort des sentiers battus.

Synopsis: Dale Denton et Saul Silver n’ont vraiment rien en commun, sauf le Délire Express, une variété très rare de marijuana que Saul vend à Dale. Une nuit, ce dernier est témoin d’un meurtre commis par une redoutable baron de la drogue et sa complice dans la police. Sous le coup de la panique, il abandonne son herbe sur la scène du crime… Alors que cet indice conduit directement à eux, Dale et Saul n’ont pas d’autre choix que de s’enfuir pour sauver leur vie.

Critique: Ayant découvert ce film au cinéma, je m’y étais rendu avec un ami mais avec un peu d’appréhension tant ce genre de comédie est habituellement un peu trop prédictible et au final pas si drôle.

Mais force est de constater que cette production Appatow remporte son pari : une comédie de buzzé surprenante, qui détend, fait rire, passer le temps bien qu’une durée relativement longue (près de deux heures). Mais cette comédie est portée principalemet par ses deux acteurs principaux et leurs dialogues.

A un Seth Rogen énorme, dans son type de rôle habituel, répond un James Franco (Les Spider-Man’s) surprenant et tout aussi énorme en dealer d’herbe, 100% dans son rôle complètement déluré. En revanche, la flic incarnée par Rosie Perez, elle, est le point noir du film, tant elle semble tantôt surjouer, puis sousjouer, toujours a contretemps et au final, bien mauvaise.

L’histoire délurée est donc accompagnée d’excellents dialogues, que ce soit Seth Rogen seul dans sa voiture, lors de l’échange avec sa petite amie et un « concurrent » ou encore en compagnie de James Franco et la magie opère, chaque réplique fait mouche et tellement vraie, avec en arrière-plan une belle histoire d’amitié.

Bref un film qui surprend et à voir, au moins une fois pour se faire une idée, en ayant en tête que certes, ce genre de film pourrait ne pas plaire à tout le monde de part son concept, mais qui justement dépasse et surpasse ce concept de base pour laisser de biens bonnes surprises.

82/100

L’image: Un transfert très sympa !

Pour commencer, un léger grain est présent tout au long du film, donnant une impression « cinéma », mais sans gêner le moindre du monde le plaisir de visionnage, au contraire !

Cote colorimétrie, les couleurs sont un peu chaudes, dans le style du film, mais respectant les teints de peau. Les contrastes sont superbes, respectant les noirs et les couleurs plus claires.

Le transfert révèle un bon voir très bon niveau de détails, ainsi qu’un très beau piqué. Les personnages se détachent bien des plans sans êtres trop détourés, pas d’Edge Enhancement ou DNR à regretter et chaque plan est parfaitement visible. Les nombreuses scènes de nuit sont très bien aussi, pas de bruit a relever et une clarté étonnante.

Du tout bon pour une comédie, certes récente avec pas mal d’action, et rien n’était gagné par avance, mais on est bien ici à des années lumière du DVD.

85/100

Le Son: Une piste sympathique, qui suit bien le film

Comédie, donc principalement utilisation de dialogues sur la scène frontale, mais ponctues d’effets d’ambiance intéressants. Les dialogues sont parfaitement clairs et intelligibles, même lors des scènes d’action. En revanche, les musiques n’utilisent pas ou peu la scène arrière et restent principalement frontales sur les enceintes gauches et droites.

Comédie donc, mais avec pas mal de scènes d’action, qui utilisent assez bien la scène arrière et le subwoofer, et si les basses ne vous fâcheront pas avec vos voisins le caisson est assez bien utilisé. La dynamique n’est pas aussi folichonne.

Au final, une piste-son pas folle, mais qui accompagne bien cette comédie déjantée.

72/100

Genre: Comédie
Durée: 1h57
Vidéo : 1080p AVC 2:40:1
Zone: All
Doublage: Aucun
Langues: Anglais Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Anglais Audio-Descriptif 5.1
Sous-titres: Anglais / Hindou

I cannot express how weird it is to see General Hospital popping up in my RSS feed from non-soapy sources. NPR is covering this. NPR!

THE UNIVERSE HAS INVERTED ITSELF.

Tenillypo: It kind of feels like people rooting around in my underwear drawer, you know? It is strangely intrusive. This show is my dirty little secret, people! Stop looking at it!
Incandescentflower: That is funny. I really couldn’t care less. Except that I find the reactions amusing.
Tenillypo: I don’t know how I feel. You know how your instinct is to be defensive of the things that are yours, even when you slag on them yourself? But in this case, there really is no defense. So I’m all torn.
Incandescentflower: Yeah, I really don’t feel possessive of GH one bit. Feel free to rag away, general public!
Tenillypo: It’s like… I’ve done my time. I’ve watched this craphole for years! I’ve suffered for it! You posers who just showed up, where the hell have you been?
Incandescentflower: I guess I would feel that way if I didn’t believe that my commitment to this show is nothing more than self-punishment.
Tenillypo: You don’t get to just sit down for one hour and think you have the skills to mock this show. You have to earn it! This is the hard stuff, man. It’s like the crystal meth of bad tv!

ANYWAY. James Franco is here, and apparently it has been the slowest news week ever, because the whole entertainment world wants to talk about it.

I should probably confess that while I adored him as dreamy Daniel Desario, I’m not really a huge Franco fan. But the spectacle of it all has been kind of hilarious, I’ll give him that much.

On Friday’s much-anticipated debut, he had about four lines (and one AWESOME wave), so it was hard to judge exactly how good/bad/cheesy/ridiculous/all of the above his performance would be. But yesterday we got to see him interacting with the “big guns” of Port Charles. (Pun intended!)

Sadly, this includes Maurice Bernard:

SONNY: I would imagine a lot of research goes into something like that.
FRANCO: I read a lot.
SONNY: Gotta be careful, you know, because you read too much, it clouds your thinking.

I would accuse Sonny of many things, but “reading too much” is definitely not one of them. On the other hand, his thinking is usually pretty cloudy. Damnit, now I’m all confused!

Rumor has it Guza took personal charge of all the Franco scenes. I have to wonder if there is any tiny sliver of his brain even the slightest bit aware of the irony in having his fake pussy-cat mobsters handing out lectures about artists who think they understand death or violence because they’ve read about it. It’s all so meta! Guza just basically called himself a poser!

My personal verdict is that Franco seemed to be holding his own and having a good time. I appreciate the soapy flare he’s putting into his line readings. He has clearly embraced the cheese! I also thought he and Kristin Storms sparked well together. I’m not sure where this is going, since the likelihood of the writers breaking up her and Spinelli seems sadly and vanishingly small, but I’ll enjoy Franco’s cat and mouse game with her as long as it lasts. And any story that has Jason flipping his shit like he did yesterday is at least a nice change of pace.

If only we didn’t know Franco was guaranteed to lose! Oh, well. Can’t have everything.

The only other thing I cared about these past few days has been Johnny and Olivia’s big fight. You might recall I was a little bullshit about the anvils they’d been dropping about Johnny going over the edge. So it was a great relief to see this confrontation proceed without any overt nastiness, flung barware, or whore epithets.

I’m also glad that although Olivia was clearly upset about having hurt Johnny, she stuck to her guns and didn’t grovel or beg for forgiveness. So refreshing! Unfortunately, it’s probably also another sign that she and Johnny are doomed as a couple, but I’ll take what I can get.

For Johnny’s part, I liked that his sense betrayal over her lack of trust in him came through above all else. And his disgusted reaction to her mentioning Dante’s fears of him hurting her was perfect.

Hey, look at that, writers! It is possible for a man to be angry with a woman without calling her a bitch/slut/tramp!

Jason asked the question…but really, allow me to provide the answers on what makes GH Art.

WHAT MAKES THIS ART?

1) FRANCO – Sweet Heaven! That smile alone is a work of art, but when you admire the whole package: the sexy voice, the bedroom eyes, the intensity…you realize that James Franco is a freakin’ MASTERPIECE! We have been counting down the weeks, the days, the hours…and OHHHHH boy, was he ever worth it! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIS EVERY SCENE! In fact, I was smiling, giggling, screaming, or forgetting to breath throughout the whole episode! IF THAT ISN’T ART…WHAT IS?

2) ORIGINALITY – I’m a lifelong soap watcher, which means I’ve seen just about every possible SWEEPS storyline ever written. I’ve gotta tell you, this hasn’t been done. I have to give the GH Writers  a whole lot of credit. Bob Guza, Headwriter, has written each and every Franco scene himself, but the show ALL AROUND has been quite the backdrop for Franco’s story. The writing team has done an excellent job of not allowing the stories surrounding Franco’s scenes to fall flat. I thought yesterday’s episode was OUTSTANDING! Franco and Maxie’s scenes were RIVETING! The moment of hesitation when Franco asked Maxie to wear the blindfold? My pulse was racing a bit! Yet, when Maxie asks Franco to wear it, it took on a much different feeling. I LOVED THAT CONTRAST IN INTENSITY! And what about how Franco makes the little hairs on the back of our necks stand up one second, like when he was photographing Maxie in the chalk outline, and then makes us want to run our fingers through his hair the very next, like when he apologized to Maxie so seemingly repentant! Bravo, Mr. Guza! This oh-so-sexy Jekyll and Hyde spin is HOT! But I’d be remiss if I didn’t clarify that ALL of the other scenes yesterday were equally engaging. Franco and Sonny – sooooo good, and oh so original to the characters. Franco and Luke – comical! Franco and Max and Milo – c’mon! That was good stuff! And when Jason and Sam walked in and got Franco’s attention, I could feel his obsession. I couldn’t look away! Props to Ms. Michele Val Jean for her contribution yesterday! THIS IS WHAT WRITING EMMYS ARE MADE OF!

3) WORKING RELATIONSHIPS It’s always a step in the right direction when you tune into LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON! Lately, GH has turned it completely around and has given us couples to root for again. It’s sublime! Case in point: Jason and Sam are the cutest they’ve ever been while still being so sexy I find myself blushing, Luke and Tracy are so dysfunctional that they just work, Patrick and Robin remind us that “old married couples” can still have a night out that doesn’t include the baby section at Costco, and even Lulu and Dominic seemed to be having a good time once Lulu stopped talking about his COVER! Everything that’s old seems new again, and it’s truly a THING OF BEAUTY! I LOVE ROMANCE ON GH! Am I the only one?

4) PORT CHARLES FIVE-O Maybe all Lucky needed was a new look, I mean OUTLOOK, in order to get his detective skills going. He has been all over crime scenes like white on rice, and I think he may singlehandedly turn the PCPD around! If I were Jason, I’d step up my game a little bit. This isn’t the same Lucky Spencer…yes, that pun was totally intended; couldn’t help myself!

There is so much to love on our treasured General Hospital these days! Call up your friends and share the good news! Make sure everyone’s witnessing THE BEAUTY OF GH!

Tell me what you’re enjoying most!

Please let me go! I need to leave! I just can’t take it anymore.

These are probably some of the things that prisoners of war said to themselves while they endured captivity during wartime.

For me, these were the things I was muttering to myself as I endured the 133 minute war-melodrama “The Great Raid”.

“The Great Raid” tells the story of America’s most successful military rescue mission of all time. For the history books, this is a great story but not always do great stories make great movies.

The film stars Benjamin Bratt stars as Lt. Colonel Mucci, the leader of a crack group of Rangers who must infiltrate a Japanese prisoner of war camp and liberate over 200 America POWs. Bratt’s Mucci is flanked by Captain Prince (James Franco) and 1st Sgt. Sid “Top” Wojo (Max Martini). Inside the camp, Major Gibson (Joseph Fiennes) struggles to survive as he yearns to be with his lady love some day. His beloved is Margaret Utinsky (Connie Nielsen) who runs the Filipino underground in Manilla.

There are a lot of things about “The Great Raid” that really bugged me but I will get into those later. The minor successes that I liked about the film were the way the film was able to incorporate archive footage into the film and that we finally got to see what the real people who went on the mission looked like including Nurse Utinsky. I also liked from a historical aspect that the film included how a Filipino unit aided in this mission.

But as for the acting, direction and cinematography I was just so bored. It was like watching one of those horrid made for “History Channel” movies that they show at like 1 am. Then there was the romantic subplot that felt like I was forced to flip to “Lifetime” or “Women’s Network” television when a commercial came on.

This film feels and looks like a bad TV movie and has no real merits to rise above that stigmatism except at its core which is the film’s true story. But maybe because the mission was such a success, the film suffered from a lack of emotion and gripping suspense.

Not for one moment did I feel that anyone was in danger or that the mission was going to fail. Well this especially evident when Bratt and Franco basically sleep walk through this film.

There is emotion in the performances from Fiennes and Nielsen but they seem very forced and almost the kind of emotion you feel on a soap opera.

As a historical story, “The Great Raid” may have been great but as a movie the only greatness I felt was the end credits.

1.5 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

I have spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out how I was going to write this post.  I find I often have this problem when I can’t sum up the events in short paragraphs.  So as usual instead of trying to recap/review in typical fashion I simply post my thoughts on that particular episode.  Which is exactly what I am going to do this time.  If I miss anything or you disagree with any of view points please feel free to point them out.  Either way I hope you enjoy it.

Franco – Um why is Franco on the floor?  Wait I know he probably threw his back out when he was positioning Joey Limbo and he is trying to stretch it out.  No?  Oh well it was a guess.  Oh he was trying to picture how a murdered guy would fall!  Why didn’t I see that?  Stupid me.

Jason – “Where too?”  The first of many moments that just made me chuckle.  Surprisingly enough this won’t be the first time Jason makes me smile just for being his self.  They really should allow Steve Burton to be the funny straight man more often.  I picture him as a Felix man.

JaSam – Why will no one believe that you are going to an Art show simply because you want to and not because you need an alibi?  Well, and I am just pointing this out, it may be because by the time you show up there the shooting will have occurred at least an hour before your alibi is established.  Just an observation on my part.

Lulu & Dante – “Let me guess you need an alibi?”  I just love them two.

Olivia – Do I tell?  Don’t I tell?  I need guidance.  Sonny to the rescue.  I think that is an oxymoron but I am not positive.

Maxie & Franco – “Pompous Twit”  Leave it to Maxie to put her foot in her mouth.  If this scene is a shape of things to come I have a feeling I am going to love these two together.

Scrubs – So Franco was big in Paris 5 years ago.  So we are expected to believe he has been a famous artist since I am guessing his early 20s.  Oh yeah that’s realistic.  Pretty sure Robin & Patrick were only in Monday’s episode to point out the obvious fact that no one would be able to believe Jason & Sonny would be there willingly.  I hope we get some more Scrubs action soon.

Lucy – I wonder if my new nickname for Luke & Tracy will catch on?  Of course Luke would like any one who he thinks is twisted.

Sonny & Olivia – “I’m the victim”  Sonny you make me laugh so.

Lulu & Dante – “Do you get a headache from all that over thinking?”  I love it when GH instills a little comedy into the scene and so far we are hitting gold.

Sam & Lucky – Now Sam is a good girlfriend because she actually thinks she can get Jason out of questioning.  Foolish girl. 

Jason & Lucky – “Why not you always do”  Uh duh because you always are the shooter, stupid.

Maxie & Franco & Luke – Yes Maxie that is the weird artist you have been freaking out about.  I never knew Tic-Tac-Toe was considered art.  Well it is in the eye of the beholder.  Tony enough with the over acting.  He gets it you are a big star.  Tone it down some.

Franco & Maxie – He is looking at Maxie like he wants to gobble her up.  Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing in his case.

Dante – I wonder how long it will take him to figure out the photos are reenactments of past crimes. 

Lucky & Jason – Some one out there is more Stone Cold than Jason is.  That should make him feel good about himself.  I probably shouldn’t hope that Lucky will actually get to solve this case.  Because I know they will just have Jason do it.  Maybe they should just go ahead and make him a cop.

Luke & Franco – Violence sells & look at Luke he is trying to act all big and bad.  He’s so cute.  Still over-acting though.  Someone get him away from JF now before he busts a blood vessel.  Good thing KS can hold her own and isn’t acting like a nervous twit. 

 Max & Milo – I shouldn’t find it funny that they are discussing how the guy was murdered, right?

Franco – Really seems to be enjoying all the assumptions being made about him & his “art”

Tracy – “Dreary, blood soaked, & pretensious”  you just gotta love the way Tracy just says exactly what she thinks about people.

Spinelli & Lulu & Dante – “Ouch” my sentiments exactly.  Who wants to hear that their gf didn’t even realize they weren’t there.

JaSam – “You gonna leave me?”  There Jason goes being funny again.  He can handle bullets flying at him, but an art show?  No way!

Franco & Maxie – Damn Franco is hitting on Maxie hardcore.

Franco & Sonny – Are hitting it off like gang busters.  Well of course he reads you well, Franco, he has killed before.  Why is JF squinting so much?  Does he need glasses or does he think it makes him look more sinister?

 Franco & Maxie – “I love coffee, introduce me”  and then maybe you can go out and toss a football around with your muse you lucky guy you.

Maxie & Jason & Sam – “Can you go with him in case he does something stupid like act like himself”  See Jason not everybody thinks you are a god to be worshipped.

Franco – Who in the hell came up with that lame ass wave?

Luke & Sonny – Poor Luke his friend (that no one knew he had) was killed.  Sonny you may not want to piss off Luke. 

Franco & Maxie – Girl when a strange man who thinks murder is art it might not be a good idea to let him blind fold you.  ”Creeps with blind folds” KS just throws those funny lines away like a pro. 

Jason & Sam & Spinelli – Oh no he’s waving!!!

Maxie & Franco – Ew is she a part of a fake crime scene?  Now that’s just creepy.  I know the slap was fake but damn it looked like it hurt.

Dante & Lulu – I wonder if the one photo is a recreation of the cop from his childhood?  If it is damn that is frakked up.  You just know that Lulu is starting to get a bit irritated that every time she turns around Dante has left her side.

Maxie & Franco – “You called me a sick freak and a pervert” “In a respectful way”  I know JF won’t be on very long but I am really loving these two.  Watch out Franco it’s Maxie’s turn to play games.

Well that’s it for my thoughts and reactions on Monday’s episode.  As was to be expected JF’s second full episode was focused mainly around him.  I have to admit I am wondering how all this is going to play out. 

Lately, something has been keeping self up nights. Some vague worry, impossible to define.

No doubt it has something to do with Ying, who passed away September last year.

Self’s thoughts knot around this experience. Then, she says a little prayer: Let not a thing happen to son, because that would be beyond imagination. He has to drive 200 miles every time he visits. Please let nothing bad happen.

Now, self is watchful, expecting son to walk in the door at any moment. He was supposed to have arrived yesterday, but he could not get done all the things he needed to get done before leaving.

Then, self returned from the Writing Center (where she was besieged by students. But the last student she helped was so sweet, she gave self a cranberry and granola bar, after self mentioned that she hadn’t had breakfast). Then self turned on the TV, and right away she saw James Franco, a close-up. Apparently he’s already started his guest gig at “General Hospital.” Drool. Until he turned out to be playing a Ted Bundy-like serial murderer.

Then self retrieved the mail. And here was a bad thing. A very very bad thing. A ticket. A traffic ticket. Taken by photo at the Millbrae BART station. Yup, there was a close-up of self’s car, and even self behind the wheel. And there was no explanation, or at least self didn’t see one. And self didn’t see an “amount of bail,” so she had to call Millbrae. And there it transpired that the ticket was because she had only stopped two seconds — instead of the requisite five — before making a right turn on to Rollins Road from Millbrae Avenue, at a red light.

Oh boy. Self is so outraged. The amount of bail is the amount of her entire UCLA pay for one course. Can you believe it? Why don’t they pick on someone else for a change? Self’s second stupid ticket in less than two years! And it’s no use contesting it in court, because you always lose. And you wind up having to pay court fees, which makes it worse.

Right after that, self gets a call. And it is son. He is nearing home. He is famished, he hasn’t had anything to eat since eight this morning. Self decides she will never ever tell hubby or son about this outrageous ticket. She’ll just have to suck it up. Otherwise it will ruin everyone’s Thanksgiving.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.

As those of you who religeously read my blog know, Dave Franco is set to make his debut on “Scrubs” next Tuesday night as the rich, cocky medical student Cole.   And if you knew that, then you probably know I’m ridiculously excited that he’s back spreading his awesomeness on TV again (sadly “Do Not Disturbed” was prematurely cancelled).

So much to my happiness while browsing around YouTube last night at 3 AM due to insomnia and ADD, I found a just released clip from ABC featuring Davey Dave, and I’m happy to say that everything looks very promising for the series.  So click away for your first look at the new and improved “Scrubs”!

**UPDATED WITH NEW VIDEO INTERVIEW!!**

IMAGE SOURCE

image source: http://www.excessif.com/serie-tv/actu-series/news/scrubs-saison-9-premieres-images-5553827-760.html

Apparently this is not another Funny or Die endeavour featuring James Franco. He really has decided to join the ranks of the Soap Opera stars by joining the cast of General Hospital. Perhaps his appearance will snag him a coveted “Soapie” award?

What is Columbia University doing to our beloved actor?

Well, the flu made it to my house, and try as I might, getting thoughts together for my new favorite pastime (this blog) eluded me. I was, however, able to use my thumb to TWEET my excitement when I finally saw Franco in action outside of his Mad Hottie Studio. My Goodness! He is just YUMMMMMMY! I honestly started to feel better as I watched on Friday!

I am sooooooo thrilled about this storyline! The more I think about it, the more I feel James Franco deserves to “inherit” us soap fans as his fans when his run at GH is over. The buzz he has generated for the soap so dear to our hearts is really just amazing! I know I’ll be on the ticket line for his next movie…what about you?

Well, GHers, this week certainly had lots to talk about…Allow me to review the last few days so I can get it all off my chest.

Had I been able to write a post these past few days, I would have titled it…THE LIES WE TELL…OURSELVES.

Why? Because Port Charles is swarming with lies…and thus, liars. But I got to thinking as I watched each lying scene unfold, really the lies begin with the lie we must tell ourselves FIRST.

I have to begin with the(albeit weakening) pillar of Port Charles society. Elizabeth Webber is headed down a slippery slope. Problem is, she’s keeps walking back to the top of the slope to slide down AGAIN! 

The first lie Liz told herself, before telling it to Nicholas, is that she hates what she’s doing to Lucky. That’s a lie. She likes this mess she’s in. Before you disagree, understand one thing. If she hated it as much as she claims, she’d stop. She’s no longer a teenager experiencing a bout of rebellion which leads to destructive behaviors. Elizabeth didn’t recently experience a life-altering moment like illness or loss; something that would catapult her into loving one brother and lusting after another.

This thing with Nik was premeditated. Together, they fed and nurtured this beast between them and now it’s too big to fit in the cage. In fact, it’s loose and on the prowl, and in danger of consuming them. And Liz? She keeps throwing scraps at it! Stop lying to yourself Liz and perhaps then you can stop lying to everyone else, like Lucky and Nik and Sam.

Yes, Liz, you lied to Sam. Oh, you may have sounded sincere to an untrained ear (not mine, or Sam’s) but the truth is you weren’t sorry for judging Sam all those times. You didn’t want her to forgive you for all the times you slung mud down at her from your high and lofty pedestal, or told her what a piece of trash she was, or looked down your nose at her (which was quite a feat since you’re both the same size). You were feeling the need to be forgiven for behaving even more reprehensibly than her. Sam made some monstrous, ugly, hurtful mistakes. But she stopped lying to herself and owned them. Then she begged forgiveness, even grovelled at yours and everyone else’s feet, and lost just about everything she held dear as penance. What you are doing is saying, “Should you or anyone else find out that I’m not as saintly or virtuous as perceived (and I’m praying no one ever does), please don’t judge me as harshly as I judged you.”  You don’t want to lose anything…or anyone. Just a little selfish, don’t you think?

Nice try, Fallen Angel, but life rarely works out that way. Karma guarantees it.

Another liar is Olivia. She is lying to herself when she expects anyone to believe that Sonny could actually be there to make her feel “safe.” Olivia, honey, I admit I was among the first to think your son Dante was an idiot for leaving that picture with you. I knew it could only end badly. But, I get what he was trying to do now, because the whole time you were making doe eyes at Sonny, and feeling sorry for him for his awful childhood, I was screaming at you, “LOOK AT THE PICTURE!”

Yes, I know Sonny didn’t kill Claudia, but Olivia doesn’t know that.

You are lying to yourself Olivia, and that’s new, since you usually just lie to everyone else.

Lulu, your lies just make me crazy. One minute you’re worried about Dominic, the next minute you’re about to sell him down the river…make up your freakin mind! Stop lying to yourself. What you need is someone who will STAY, the way Luke didn’t. Johnny fit that bill for a while, but when he didn’t, it all fell apart. As long as Dominic was lapping at your heels, things were good. The minute you think something will happen to change that, you start acting crazy. Is Lainey back yet? My goodness, the women alone in Port Charles can make her a fortune!

Noticeably NOT on my list of liars is Nik. Say what you want…he’s a backstabber, a cheat, world’s worst brother, but at least he’s honest. He wants Liz, his brother’s one and only love…plain and simple. He knows it’s wrong, but that’s not changing anything. And, he wants to tell Lucky the truth. You’ve gotta give him credit for the little things…I can also give him credit for being incredibly hot, but that’s neither here nor there.

Other than the lies and the liars, there is something that made me feel really proud of GH this week. Johnny’s argument with Olivia. Yes, it was explosive and angry, but it wasn’t ugly or abusive or violent. There wasn’t any name-calling involved, and we were reminded that lovers can fight without wounding each other. That to me was a thing of beauty this week. Bravo to the writers! Nicely done!

My resident hottie, Jason is about to have his already Mad World turned upside down. I can’t remember a time when I was so anxious for a lunatic to come after the one I love…but who can resist, when that lunatic is so scrumptious? Mmm mmm mmm! I like crazy!

I have a feeling more lies are in the forecast for Port Charles…Franco’s arrival is going to shake things up a whole lot, and things haven’t even settled down from the last nightmare. GH is a powerhouse these days! You cannot afford to miss a single minute, or you risk missing something big and significant!

I need a cigarette! (and I don’t even smoke!)