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About Katie

I'm a writer and editor; a dancer and choreographer; and a passionate fan of more things than is probably healthy. I love film, literature, television, sports, fashion, and music. I'm proud to be a Nerdy Girl.

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/23 – 6/30)

This was a relatively slow week in the world of summer television, but it still provided us with some discussion-worthy moments. The Real Housewives of New Jersey provided some intense scenes of family drama once again, with Teresa engaged in passionate fights with her brother Joe last Sunday and her cousin Rosie this week. The Bachelorette featured possibly its most awkward date ever last Monday, as Desiree sat in the middle of an intense cross-examination of two-faced Ben by federal prosecutor Michael. And So You Think You Can Dance had its first real performance show of the season.

That SYTYCD performance show is where my favorite moment of the week comes from. Jasmine Mason and Alan’s Travis Wall contemporary piece was breathtaking, and it was filled with small, detailed movements that spoke to both their skills as individual dancers and the surprising strength of their early partnership. The moment when Jasmine fell backwards into Alan’s arms with complete abandon was one of the most intense representations of the trust between partners I’ve ever seen on this show, and it’s the single greatest thing I saw on my TV this week.

What was your favorite thing you saw on TV this week?

Nerdy Girl Goes to the Movies: Monsters University

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Title: Monsters University

Rating: G

Cast: Billy Crystal (Mike Wazowski), John Goodman (James Sullivan, aka “Sulley”), Steve Buscemi (Randall), Helen Mirren (Dean Hardscrabble), Peter Sohn (Squishy), Joel Murray (Don), Sean Hayes/Dave Foley (Terri/Terry), Charlie Day (Art), Nathan Fillion (Johnny Worthington III)

Director: Dan Scanlon

The Basics: In this long-awaited prequel to Pixar’s 2001 hit Monsters, Inc., we travel back in time to when Mike met Sulley as freshmen in the prestigious Monsters University Scare Program. The monsters initially clash (Mike is a hard-working bookworm while Sulley tries to get by on pure talent and family reputation), but they learn to work together when both join Oozma Kappa, a fraternity full of lovable outcasts. This colorful, hilarious, and surprisingly deep film is more than just Pixar’s take on Revenge of the Nerds. It’s a story about what happens to our goals and dreams as we grow up and learn that sometimes life doesn’t go according to our best-laid plans. While it may not be as narratively original as the best of Pixar’s films, Monsters University is still a great example of what this studio does better than any other.

M.V.P. (Most Valuable Performer): The animators on this film deserve to be singled out for their incredible achievements. No two monsters look exactly alike (with the exception of the PNK sorority sisters), and that’s no easy feat. The color palette in this film was brilliant. The vibrant colors were a great fit for the energetic and youthful tone of the film; when you first go to college, it’s like entering a bright new world filled with colorful new people, and the animators captured that feeling perfectly. Also, they did an incredible job with the amount of detail shown on each monster. From the scales on Don’s skin to each strand of fur on Sulley’s body (especially his totally in-character spike of hair), I was blown away by the care taken to make each monster look as lifelike as possible.

Scene Stealer: While the entire voice cast was stellar, I cannot get over how genius it was to cast Helen Mirren as the voice of Dean Hardscrabble. Her voice oozes class and poise but also a sense of controlled intensity that was ideal for the character. Every time her character was onscreen, I found myself hanging on every word she said, which is exactly the way students feel when addressed by such an important faculty member. Pixar always manages to surprise me with the talent they put in their films, and this was no exception.

Bring the Tissues: Monsters University may not be a sobfest like Toy Story 3 or the opening minutes of Up, but it still offers some very powerful scenes about the realities of growing up and the struggles we all face in trying to determine if the dreams we had as children are compatible with the realities of who we are as adults. To make a long story short, if you’re 18 or over, you should probably be prepared to shed a tear or two.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? If you stay until after the (very long) credits, you’ll be rewarded with a cute and funny scene referencing an earlier gag in the film. It has no bearing on the plot or any future films, but it’s fun and gives you a chance to hear Bill Hader’s voice again.

Most Memorable Scene: I don’t want to give away any spoilers for the end of the film, so I’ll just say there’s a nice twist that takes Monsters University from being a cute film about a group of outcasts overcoming obstacles to a much deeper film about one of the hardest lessons of adulthood: Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you think they’re supposed to. With that twist (involving Mike, Sulley, Dean Hardscrabble, and a scare simulator), this film joined the pantheon of great Pixar films about growing up. It has lessons for kids about honesty and the importance of working hard, but it also has an important message for young adults struggling to carve out their identity: There’s more than one way to be successful, and being unable to live up to the expectations we put on ourselves (or our parents/teachers put on us) doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It just means we get to find a new dream—one more realistic to who we’ve become. Without that plot twist, this film is just another typical underdog success story, but with that twist, it becomes so much more.

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TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.04

It’s time once again for Leah to share her thoughts on the latest episode of Teen Wolf!

Title Unleashed

What Happened? Scott, Isaac, and Allison deal with the Alpha Pack twins (Ethan and Aiden) when they start to cause trouble at school. Derek and Cora are paid a visit by Deucalion, Kali, and Ennis, who tell Derek that they want him to join them by killing his own pack and thus becoming a more powerful Alpha. Stiles and Lydia continue to investigate the recent murders along with the help of Deaton, and they realize the killings are the work of a druid who has gone down the wrong path.

Favorite Quotes
“I was gonna see if you were okay.”
“Physically or emotionally? Though, I guess that presupposes I was emotionally okay before any of this, and, according to my therapist, that—that’s been debatable for a long time.” (Derek and Ms. Blake)

“Ethan—I always forget—how many bones in the human body?”
“I don’t know; let’s count.”
[Scott arrives and punches Ethan]
“That’s one.” (Aiden, Ethan, and Scott)

“Seriously dude, human sacrifices?”
“Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glowsticks, okay, hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now it would just magically heal, but you’re telling me that you’re having trouble grasping human sacrifices?” (Scott and Stiles)

“Okay, good. So look, here’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking that maybe the murders come in threes; ancient people love things in threes, right? So maybe first it’s three virgins, and then I don’t know, maybe it’s three people who own little dogs.”
“I own a little dog. I am not getting rid of my dog.”
“Just think about getting rid of your little dog.”
“Nope.” (Stiles and Lydia)

My Thoughts The episode this week was pretty emotional for me, as well as being full of important plot details that of course generated a lot of questions, so it took me a little more time to process. In this episode, we took a big step towards understanding what exactly is going on in Beacon Hills and what our characters are up against.

In “Unleashed,” we saw Derek (and Cora) receive a visit from Deucalion, and it looks like the main purpose was to traumatize the two while trying to persuade Derek to join their pack. (Or maybe they were just trying to traumatize me—I kept yelling “Ewww eww eww why?” at my TV screen every time I saw a bit of a close-up of that pole through Derek’s chest. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen on TV. Thanks a lot, MTV. I still love you anyways.)

In order to join the Alpha Pack, however, Derek would have to kill all of his current pack, which each of the alphas currently in the Alpha Pack have already done. In killing their betas, they gained more power since that action results in the addition of the power of the one they killed to their own power. Killing the whole pack gives the Alpha the power of all of his pack combined. This, of course, means that the Alpha Pack is not only dangerous because they’re all Alphas, but because they are all alphas with extra power—super-alphas, I suppose. And according to his speech (which not only caused lightning but also cracked his own sunglasses) Deucalion is the most powerful alpha: “The Demon Wolf.” We’ll see if that comes to mean something significant, or if it’s just our current main antagonist being extremely dramatic. Teen Wolf certainly enjoys its dramatic villains (Gerard, anyone?), and I love them as well.

Another main plotline in this episode was the conflict between Allison, Scott, Isaac, and the Alpha Twins, Ethan and Aiden. I’m really excited for Scott, Isaac, and Allison to become a tag-team of awesomeness, because that scene where they set up Aiden with the motorcycle in the school hallway was genius, hilarious, and one of my favorite scenes of the season so far. The twins’ Alpha form continues to be both disgusting and very cool to me, and I think their sheer power combined with the ability we saw this episode to have at least some strategy in irritating Isaac means that they’ll be difficult to deal with for the rest of the season. The scene with Isaac and Allison locked in the closet quickly turned from cute to heart-wrenching and scary, and I love that both Scott and Allison knew enough not to blame Isaac for his loss of control. In general this episode made me feel ALL the emotions for Isaac, poor kid. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

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TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 20”

Summer generally means a slowdown in my TV watching habits, but that doesn’t mean I will be completely abandoning my recapping/reviewing duties until fall. Instead, I’m going to focus on my ultimate summertime favorite, So You Think You Can Dance. Each week, I’ll bring you some brief thoughts on the episode as a whole as well as my standout performers and favorite routine (as well as my favorite solo when we reach that point).

This week began the voting portion of the season on strong footing with some interesting pairings, a great guest judge (the incomparably charming Wayne Brady), and a fun opening number from Tabitha and Napoleon.

Were there some duds this first week? Of course (Carlos and Mariah’s labored jive comes to mind, as does Alexis and Nico’s uninspired hip hop). Was I sad to see Alexis, one of my beloved tap dancers, in a routine that was torn apart by the judges? Of course. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the praise given to her fellow tappers Aaron and Curtis (which was deserved since both were strong in their routines). I also found myself thoroughly enjoying the majority of the dances last night, which isn’t always the case with the first bunch of performances.

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The Force Was With Me

How can you make a Disney World vacation even more wonderful than usual? By adding Star Wars characters, of course!

Jango Fett did not seem impressed by my winning smile.

Jango Fett did not seem impressed by my winning smile.

If you love Star Wars, you have to get yourself to one of the Star Wars Weekends held at Hollywood Studios every May and June. It was an experience I’ll never forget and probably one of my favorite days spent in a Walt Disney World theme park (and that is high praise coming from me!).

Our Star Wars Weekends experience began before the park gates officially opened. A fantastic preshow to the day’s festivities happened along Hollywood Boulevard, with two Stormtroopers standing guard over the guests waiting to be let into the rest of the park. One of the best parts of Star Wars Weekends is the cheeky personality given to each Stormtrooper, and this preshow introduced them in a great way.

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Before entering the rest of the park, we had to pass by this guy.

At the end of Hollywood Boulevard—in front of the iconic Sorcerer Mickey Hat—there was a giant stage that was the center of the action during Star Wars Weekends. As the day began, the classic Star Wars theme music blared from the park’s speaker system and a narrator gave an overview of the day’s events—from the afternoon parade featuring beloved Star Wars characters to special interview shows with celebrities held throughout the day.

My family and I attended one of those interview shows—Stars of the Saga—which featured guest emcee James Arnold Taylor (the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) interviewing two giants of the original trilogy: Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian). Held in a special theater near the Streets of America, this is one Star Wars Weekends event I would recommend to everyone. Even if you only have a passing knowledge of Star Wars, it’s pretty cool to tell people you were in a room with Chewbacca.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/16 – 6/23)

Being back in the real world after a long vacation in Disney World means that I’m finally back to my regular summer TV schedule, too. This week, The Bachelorette visited Sandy-ravaged New Jersey and made me care much more about the older couple Desiree met there than any of her potential husbands. So You Think You Can Dance introduced us to this year’s Top 20. And there’s been plenty of great moments in sports on TV this week too, with both the NBA and NHL Finals giving us great games to watch.

The best of the best came from SYTYCD‘s “Meet the Top 20” show. Whenever tap is in the spotlight as a dance style, I’m a happy girl, and this season features not one but three tap dancers in the Top 20. Aaron, Curtis, and Alexis performed a fantastic tap routine that rocketed all three of them up my list of early favorites for this season. Their taps were incredibly clear, they were challenged with some very complex rhythms, and each one of them has a unique style that makes them stand out. I’m really looking forward to seeing them go far and be great representatives of the tap dance community this season.

 

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Where Magic Lives

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I have a lot of interests, a lot of passions. Some I’ve only developed recently (I’m looking at you, A Song of Ice and Fire), and some have been with me for most of my life (my devotion to books). But a select few have been a part of my life before my earliest memories; they are such an intrinsic part of the fabric of who I am that I can’t separate my identity from their influence—not that I would ever want to.

Walt Disney World is one of those passions.

Having some fun in the new Tangled bathroom area of the Magic Kingdom on my latest Disney World trip.

Having some fun in the new Tangled bathroom area of the Magic Kingdom on my latest Disney World trip.

I’ve been traveling to Disney World with my family since I was a toddler, and it’s beyond just my favorite place on Earth. It’s my happy place. Everyone has one—the place where you feel most like the best version of yourself. Disney World is a place where you’re taught that you’re never too old to hope for happy endings, where the possibility of magic is around every corner. And in the words of the great Rick Castle:

If you don’t believe in even the possibility of magic, you’ll never ever find it.

I found magic in Disney World when I was a little girl, and the beauty of that place is that I still find it more than two decades later. I find magic in everything from the smiles of kids meeting their favorite characters for the first time to the music they play as you exit the park at night. Magic lives in the lobby of every hotel, in the light from each firework, and in the kindness of each Cast Member.

Nerdy Girl Notes was started as a place to celebrate the unironic enthusiasm we all have for the things that mean the most to us. Disney World has always been the best example of something that—no matter how old I get or how cynical the world around me becomes—I will always be unironically enthusiastic about.

I don’t remember a time in my life before I knew what it was like to ride on Dumbo, hug Mickey Mouse, and turn the corner on Main Street to see Cinderella’s Castle in all its glory standing before me. My childhood was filled with memories of character meals, learning Spanish on the monorail, and waiting in line for Peter Pan’s Flight. My adolescence was filled with adventures on Star Tours, first times on Space Mountain and Test Track, and trying all kinds of new foods around World Showcase. And now, as an adult, I still find joy in the little moments—from the first bite of a Disney cupcake to the last drop on Splash Mountain.

I was a Disney kid, and now I’m a Disney kid-at-heart. I believe in happily ever after, the power of wishes, and that a dream can be a dream come true—with just that spark in me and you.

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TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.03

Today, the lovely Leah is back to share her thoughts on the latest episode of Teen Wolf!

Title Fireflies

What Happened? Derek, Scott, and Isaac chase after Boyd and Cora in an attempt to stop them from hurting innocent people, and, when it becomes clear that they need help, they go to the one person in town they know has experience with trapping werewolves: Chris Argent. Meanwhile, Lydia discovers a body at a nearby pool, and after learning more from Melissa McCall about all the recent attacks, Stiles figures out what all the victims had in common, leading him to the discovery that someone is using Beacon Hills as a resource for their human sacrifices.

Favorite Quotes
“You called the police before you called me?”
“I’m supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?”
“Yes!” (Stiles and Lydia)

“We need help.”
“We have Isaac now.”
“I mean real help.” (Scott and Derek, with Isaac right next to them)

“And—just curious—is there a reason the gun is still pointed at me?”
“Well, there’s probably still some part of me that wants to shoot you.”
“I get that.” (Scott and Chris)

“Let him be the hero of his morally black and white world. The real survivors, you and I, we live in shades of gray.” (Peter)

“What kind of werewolf strangles someone? You know, that’s not very werewolfy.” (Stiles)

My Thoughts This week our main plot was following Derek, Isaac, and Scott as they tried to catch Boyd and Cora before they hurt anyone. I really enjoyed seeing them work together as a team, especially the continuation of Derek and Scott working together instead of the antagonistic relationship they had last season. Also, Isaac and Derek’s interactions in the car while waiting for Scott were hilarious. Isaac is getting to show more and more snark, which I very much appreciate, and I’m hoping these first few episodes are indicative of him having lots of screen time this season!

Receiving help from Chris Argent was not surprising, as we all knew that Chris and Allison were likely going to be back in the hunting game sooner rather than later, despite their agreement to stay out of it. However, it was quite interesting to get to hear more of the techniques used by hunters to trap werewolves. If nothing else, it created a very interesting group dynamic (and a fun scene between Chris and Scott in the parking lot).

They manage to trap Cora and Boyd in the high school where, of course, there is one teacher left in the building. Why in the world Ms. Blake was still at the school grading papers at what must have been somewhere around four or five in the morning (the sun comes up while they’re there!) I have no idea, and why she goes to get a ream of paper from the supply room when she appears to be grading tests I don’t know either. While this was perhaps the most unrealistic part of the episode, I can mostly ignore it with a “because of plot and character reasons” handwave. I’m much more interested in seeing how Ms. Blake reacts to learning about the wide world of werewolves present in her new town, and I’m sure we’ll see more of her reaction in the next episode!

Meanwhile, Lydia and Stiles this week had some detective work to do. Lydia stumbles upon a body at the pool, and we quickly realize she’s going through more horrible mind games, as she had no idea she was going to the pool until she arrived. I really can’t wait to see where they take whatever is happening with her character and watch her be amazing once she has the knowledge of what her powers are. For now, I’m just hoping she finds a way to start figuring out what exactly is going on with her, and, if it’s Peter, find a way to get revenge on him for messing with her mind not just once, but twice. I’m hesitant to believe that it’s actually Peter pulling the strings this time though, as I feel like whatever’s going on with Lydia appears to be something slightly different than last season. Whatever it is, I hope we find out more soon.

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Return of the Nerdy Girl

Did you miss me?

On Saturday night, I returned home from a blissful 10-day vacation in Disney World. I’m hoping to have all of my pictures uploaded tonight so I can write a couple of fun trip recaps for you over the next few days, including one devoted to the perfection that was my Star Wars Weekend experience (Three words: Darth Vader Cupcake). All I’ll say for now is that if you’re a Star Wars fan, you should try to get down to Disney World at least once in your lifetime for one of those weekends.

I have to say a special thanks to both Heather and Leah for keeping NGN running smoothly while I was away. And thanks to all of you who read and commented even though I was so distracted by all of the fun (and all of the food) in Disney World that I am criminally behind on replying.

Here’s a little taste of the fun I had to tide you over until I have time to write something longer. Disney + Star Wars + dancing = the best party ever. I can’t think of any better way to spend a weekend.

Let the Wookie Win: Ranking the Star Wars Films

I’m a Star Wars nerd. I’ve watched the original trilogy more times than I can count. I own an encyclopedia of characters and multiple Expanded Universe novels. I’ve idolized Princess Leia since I was a little girl. And I freaked out when I discovered my family’s trip to Disney World was going to coincide with the annual Star Wars Weekends held at Hollywood Studios.

Star Wars has been a part of my life for almost 20 years. It was my first real foray into fandom, my first real taste of the nerdy life I so proudly live today. There’s something special about your first love, and that’s what Star Wars was for me. From pretending to be Princess Leia on the playground with my cousins as a kid to writing about its mythology as a college student, Star Wars has always had a presence in my life—and I hope it always will.

To celebrate my Star Wars Weekend adventures (and because it’s never a bad time to talk about Han Solo), I thought it would be fun to rank the six Star Wars films from worst to best.

phantom menace poster

6. Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Yes, there are some really cool things about this movie. As an original trilogy fan, it was fascinating to watch Palpatine’s rise and to see a younger Yoda on the Jedi Council. Darth Maul and his double-sided lightsaber are the epitome of badass. And any movie featuring both Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, and Ewan McGregor as Jedi Knights can’t be a total loss. However, this movie takes those strong points and dilutes them with a story that’s incredibly boring. Who cares about the Trade Federation? (Answer: NO ONE) It also takes one of the great mysteries of the Star Wars universe (the Force) and turns it into something that can be analyzed in blood tests (and can apparently impregnate women—or at least Anakin’s mom—in the most ridiculous “WTF?!” moment in the whole series). Finally, no mention of The Phantom Menace is complete without a mention of its enduring legacy: Jar Jar Binks. Meesa wishing he was never created.

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