CliqueClack

Crackle’s Chosen is a web series worthy of your time

I was a quasi-fan of NBC’s Heroes for its first season, but for me it quickly went downhill and into territory I just didn’t care for … but I digress. The reason I’m bringing Heroes up at all is because of Milo Ventimiglia, who you may know or remember starred in Heroes as Peter Petrelli, one of the primary characters of the series. What I found while watching Chosen was that I almsot didn’t recognize the guy. Gone (just about) was Milo’s usual Sly Stallone-like lower-lip curl, and he’s noticeably older looking — though that could just be due to the role he played, that of a young defense attorney. But Milo owned this role, and it fit him perfectly.

The series consists of six 15-minute webisodes, making up what Crackle considers a “season” of the series. Then again, whether we’re meant to see more remains to be seen. As a whole, the series could be chained together to make a very worthy effort as a feature film, as it taked place within a very short time period and consists of pretty much non-stop action throughout. Ventimiglia stars as Ian Mitchell, who one day finds an odd delivery at his door: a wooden box with his name on it, containing a gun, a photo of a man, and some odd clockwork that starts ticking away as soon as the box is opened. The photo, as it turns out, is of a doctor (played by Diedrich Bader, formerly of The Drew Carey Show), who Ian must kill or else find his whole world turned upside down.

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USA’s Suits returns tonight — here’s a giveaway to celebrate!

Have you been keeping up with Suits? Then it may be no surprise to you that the show returns to finish off its second season tonight at 10PM on USA. And for those of you who are fans — or those who want to be new fans — we’ve got a prize pack to give away, containing:

– Suits Custom Messenger Bag
– Suits Season One DVD
– Suits Character 6 piece Magnet Set
– Suits T-Shirt Set
– Suits Can Opener

All you need to do is leave a comment to this post saying something cool about the series or why you want the set — more than just “I want it.” We’ll pick one commenter amongst the comments to this post, completely at random, and alert them after the giveaway ends on Thursday, January, 24 at Midnight ET (make sure your spam filters aren’t blocking mail from @cliqueclack.com!). Only one entry per person per method and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents of 18 years of age or older only. Not following these guidelines voids your entry. Good luck!

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The best and worst dressed of the Golden Globes

Let’s be real – anyone who watches awards shows for the actual awards is probably a masochist, because as Ron Swanson has so rightly pointed out, they never go to the right people. But there is one reason I think we can all agree we watch awards shows – to judge what people (and by “people” I mean “women”, because suits are boring) are wearing.

I always, when judging, like to start with the good, though I’m unsure about Michelle Dockery‘s dress, which I have saved and labeled as “horramazing.” The gold I-think-it’s-lace is gorgeous, but it’s odd. First of all, it’s too high, and no one looks good in a turtleneck. (See also: what Kristen Bell was wearing.) But then it also doesn’t go down far enough on her body.  It should either end just above her bust or at her waist, and instead it floats in a weird rib nether region. It should be horribly unflattering and I should just put it away in the bad section, except… she looks gorgeous in it. Which is hardly a fair metric on Michelle Dockery, who would look gorgeous and poised in a potato sack, but she looks especially lovely. So who am I to judge, really? (I ask rhetorically as I prepare to continue to judge for the rest of this column.)

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Why does The Big Bang Theory hate nerds?

Once upon a time, there was this show called The Big Bang Theory with very obscure nerd references and over-the-top nerd stereotypes as primary protagonists. Sure, the show also had Penny, a female character that primarily served as three roles: 1) the straight, “normal” character who didn’t get the references, 2) the object of lust by everyone except the not-interested-in-sex Sheldon Cooper and 3) an idiot who struggled to keep up. At first, Leonard was the main character, utterly boring and milquetoast, basically an average version of the stereotypes inhabited by the other characters.

Sheldon was the “Asperger’s without explicitly calling it that” amoral, overly rational one, only concerned with science and obsessions. An exaggeration in some ways, but in others the most consistently realistic and consistently funny character.

Howard was the offensive self-hating Jewish nerd stereotype, smart but not as smart as the others, lustful and perverted to nonsensical degrees. But the only endlessly unfunny aspect was the inclusion of his off camera mother, never seen but with a horribly, ludicrously offensive portrayal of an overbearing Jewish mother. I will never forgive the show for that.

Raj was the token nerd of color, eschewing the more predictable East Asian (meaning Japan, China, and Korean primarily) for an Indian nerd, albeit one literally unable to speak to women without being intoxicated. At first this character quirk was amusing, albeit cartoonishly unrealistic, although the idea of a shy nerd is certainly a real thing. But it became literally a psychosomatic disorder, as Raj could speak to women when he merely thought he was drunk (but had only consumed non-alcoholic drinks). Continue reading 'Why does The Big Bang Theory hate nerds?' »

Of course you’ll be interested in season 12 of American Idol

I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit I regularly enjoy drama within my day. (Have we met? I do work with the CliqueClack staff, after all. *sidelong glances at An and Jeremy and Ivey as they walk down the hall*)

Now, many people enjoy drama … so long as they’re not dropped smack dab in the middle of it. Some like a little drama: gossip about a neighbor or co-worker, someone making a scene at Starbucks because their half carafe of soy free latte venti monkey mocha isn’t mocha-y enough. Others enjoy something a little more meaty: drama that drops the jaw, drama that turns heads, drama that makes you shake yours back and forth and exhale at the pointlessness of it all.

Something more or less in the middle of the dramas noted above is about to rear its head for a 12th season. Touted as “the most important reality singing competition on television,” American Idol returns with three of its five cast members fresh and unseasoned, with a completely unknown dynamic (let’s face it: we’re really not going to know the true chemistry of how this line up works until we get down the road some on the show) and hauling in a cadre of hopefuls certain to push buttons just as soon as win hearts.

Me? I’m ready for that kind of drama right there.

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Smash season 1 DVD review: lights, camera … and development

Season one of NBC’s Smash was an interesting animal. It started strong as one of the network’s most promising pilots, but like many Broadway shows, had its trials and tribulations before it got to its finale. As season two is just around the corner on February 5th, the first one is now out on DVD. The DVD set for Smash is as good as the actual season itself: it has its strengths but it, too, has some room for improvement.

If you didn’t catch the series when it aired, a quick evaluation: season one of Smash is very much a first season; you can see the cast settling into their characters and the writers trying to come up with the next idea, perhaps moreso than other TV shows. There are some things which are great, and as we know now, there were a lot of things that didn’t quite work, because the show got a new showrunner and a cast overhaul during its hiatus. (Which makes watching this DVD set a little different – you’re looking at a version of the series that doesn’t much exist anymore.)

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Green Lantern’s Razer and Aya is love done right

I’m a sucker for romance. OK, scratch that — I’m a sucker for good romance. And while that definition can be very subjective, for me it’s about couples with a slowly developing relationship. It starts with building trust and growing into something special. Most of all, it’s about respect as well as romance. So imagine how happy I am that not only is a pretty cool romance happening on one of my favorite shows, but one that’s happening on a show aimed at adolescents – Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Yes, while Young Justice is my favorite cartoon out there right now, GLTAS has really captured my heart and much of that has to do with the relationship between the show’s two original characters — Razer and Aya. This newest episode “Blue Hope” focused on the two of them for the first time this season and really highlights why this only-really-just-begun relationship is so refreshing. Continue reading 'Green Lantern’s Razer and Aya is love done right' »

The Real Husbands of Hollywood is right on time

Whenever I hear the word “ratched” — a slang term that essentially means pathetic or awful — I tend to think of bad reality television shows. Oh, who am I kidding? Every reality TV show is pretty bad. It’s a shame, really. Try as I might, I just can’t seem to get into them. I just feel that if I wanted to be subjected to trash, I could easily visit the local dump … or schedule a casual date with Lindsay Lohan. Okay, that wasn’t nice. I take that one back.

Anyway, I think you guys get my point. Reality TV equals rubbish. So, imagine my joy at discovering that the folks at BET Networks have teamed up with funnyman Kevin Hart to put together a reality show that is fundamentally a spoof of other reality shows. Can you say genius? Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to the debut of The Real Husbands of Hollywood tonight (Tuesday) at 10. How awesome is that title? And speaking of awesome, did you hear about the show’s cast? Prepare to laugh, people.

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Help! My life is a Lifetime movie

Remember Lifetime in the ’80s? It was laughable. It looked like it only existed to keep Meredith Baxter-Birney’s career alive with movies of the week dedicated to terrible crimes committed against women. Lifetime’s ability to boil down the worst actions in society into two hours of melodramatic triumph didn’t exactly appeal to the masses. Instead, it made it pop culture fodder. However, Lifetime movies weren’t created for the masses; they were created for half of the population that typically finds themselves victims the other half and speaks to those experiences. My mother practically watched Farrah Fawcett’s Burning Bed on loop, and I know that my childhood babysitter subscribed to Lifetime when she didn’t care about other channels. However, in 2012, Lifetime took advantage of the reality documentary trend. Rather than create movies that seem laughably unrealistic, despite the incredibly truthful underlying story, they’re creating stories that speak to women’s specific experiences based on individual women’s difficulties.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s the film isn’t the novel, and that’s OK

When I recently read the original Truman Capote novel, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and discovered its underlying difference from the George Alexrod-written and Blake Edwards-directed film, a lot of things clicked into place for me. The original Holly isn’t the idealistic 1961 figure Audrey Hepburn embodied; she’s an utter slapper and a racist. However, the novel explained what I unconsciously questioned about the character concerning her optimistic attitude and ability to care for herself. Despite learning the real Holly is more of a Snooki than an Audrey, I still love Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in fact I almost love it more.

So, what are the main differences?

1. Novel Holly is like a Reality TV star – Opportunistic and Self-Oriented

Discovering the novelistic Holly had more in common with Paris Hilton, Amanda Bynes, Kim K and Lindsay Lohan didn’t decrease my enjoyment in the character. Although I loved the idyllic elfin figure Hepburn inhabited, her idealism didn’t feel as real as novelistic Holly’s utter crassness. Continue reading 'Breakfast at Tiffany’s the film isn’t the novel, and that’s OK' »