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.

TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.02

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Katie

Title Chaos Rising

What Happened? Derek, Isaac, Scott, Stiles, and Peter try to figure out where Boyd and Erica are being kept and how to save them, while Allison researches the symbol that is formed by the bruises on her and Lydia’s arms. Their efforts lead them all to a closed down bank in Beacon Hills, where a showdown occurs that will change things for everyone.

Favorite Quotes
“What do you think you’re gonna do, Derek, you gonna punch through the wall?”
“Yes, Stiles, I’m gonna punch through the wall.”
“Okay, big guy, let’s see it, let’s see that fist. Big old fist. Make it, come on. Get it out there, don’t be scared. Big bad wolf, yeah, look at that.” (Stiles and Derek)

“Do I have to remind you what we’re up against here? A pack of alphas, all of them killers. And if that’s not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant alpha.”
“Can someone kill him again please?” (Peter and Stiles)

“I can’t take waiting around like this, you know, it’s nerve-wracking. My nerves are wracked, they’re severely wracked. Wracked.”
“I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it’s over?” (Stiles and Peter)

“Why did they wait for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to.”
“Maybe they think it’s poetic.”
“They already had three full moons to be poetic.”
“And here you’ve only had one full hour to be so annoying…” (Stiles and Peter)

“They’re the lions. They’re the starved lions and you and Derek just stepped into the colosseum.” (Peter to Scott re: Boyd and Cora)

My Thoughts Wow, was this an intense episode! I really, really enjoyed it. It brought not only the intensity and tension that Teen Wolf is so good at, but it also brought the sass and the funny moments as well as some big twists.

The first main plotline was that of Derek, Scott, Stiles, Peter, and Deaton trying to help Isaac access the memories hidden from him by his encounter with the Alpha Pack, and then all of them (except Deaton and Isaac, who is probably recovering) coming up with a plan to get Erica and Boyd back.

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Just Keep Swimming: My Favorite Pixar Movies

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Katie

As my Disney World journey continues, I felt it was only right to follow yesterday’s countdown of my favorite Disney movies with a countdown of my favorites from Pixar. I shortened my list from a Top 10 to a Top 5 because Pixar is still a relatively new studio. Though it may be new, it continually produces animated films with both exceptional visual artistry and incredible emotional depth. If you can find an adult who hasn’t had tears in their eyes during at least one Pixar film, I’d be shocked.

5. Wall-E (2008)

Wall-E is such a quietly powerful and visually impressive film. It’s such a bold, brave movie; it’s a “family film” that spends nearly the first half of its runtime without dialogue and doesn’t suffer at all for it. Instead, the film achieves a level of intimacy that wouldn’t have been reached had the subject matter been approached in a “normal” way. Besides the big risks and big rewards of its first half, the film itself is simply a beauty—especially the gorgeous scene of Wall-E and EVE in space. Wall-E is Pixar’s greatest love story and one of the sweetest cinematic romances to come out in recent years.

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TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.01

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Katie

This summer, the lovely Leah will be sharing her thoughts on this season of Teen Wolf with us.

Hi everyone! It is finally the start of summer shows season and I could not be more excited for Teen Wolf to be back on my TV screen! I am delighted to say that this summer I’ll be covering Teen Wolf Season 3 here on Nerdy Girl Notes, with some occasional help from the wonderful Heather, and I can’t wait to hear all your thoughts as we go through this undoubtedly crazy journey that will be Season 3! As we’ve seen from the opening episode, this might hurt, indeed.

Sorry for the delay this week – I had my last week of college finals ever starting Monday, and so I’ve been quite busy focusing on school, but for the rest of the season (barring any unforeseen issues) I should have the recap up on the Tuesday or Wednesday following the episode’s airing! And now, let’s talk about the premiere!

Title Tattoo

What Happened? A mysterious girl is in Beacon Hills and appears have quite a bit of knowledge about not only our favorite werewolves and their friends, but also the Alpha Pack, as we see her fighting with the Alpha Pack, helping Isaac, and attempting to reach Scott to tell him something. Meanwhile, animals are starting to go crazy around town while the Alpha Pack begins to cause more trouble for everyone. Scott seeks Derek’s help in getting a tattoo, and Derek tells Scott and Stiles what he knows about the Alpha Pack that’s in town – that they can only mean one thing: trouble.

Favorite Lines
“And seriously, an American werewolf in London? Like that’s not going to be a disaster.” (Lydia, talking about Jackson – A reference to the movie “An American Werewolf in London.”)

“Do you have any other emergency werewolf contacts?” (Melissa McCall to Isaac)

“Since the amnesiac in 215 can’t tell us anything, I need the girl with the modified military stun gun in 216 to answer a few questions.” (Sheriff Stilinski)

“Prada bit me.”
“Your dog?”
“No, my designer handbag. Yes, my dog.” (Lydia and Stiles)

“I know you’re afraid of him.”
“Of a teenage boy?”
“Of the man he’ll become.”
“I’m aware of a certain potential threat. But then someone once taught me a very smart way to eliminate threats: get someone else to do it for you.” (“The Girl” and Deucalion)

My Thoughts I thought this was quite an enjoyable episode, and as usual with an episode of Teen Wolf, gave us more questions than answers.

“The Girl”

For me, she is the most interesting new character so far. She clearly knows a lot about this town and about our favorite characters – she knew that Allison, at least, knows Scott well enough to likely know where he was – and she appears to be familiar with not only Scott, Derek, and their friends, but also with the Alpha Pack. I don’t know whether she is time-travelling somehow, or can see the future through magic, or something else we don’t know about yet, but her obvious knowledge of the group surrounding Scott and “the man he’ll [Scott] become,” as well as the bruises she left on Lydia and Allison’s arms, tells me that this girl is definitely more than just human. I hope that she is not actually dead and that we get to see more of her, and I hope she gets a name soon!

Meet the Alpha Pack

We got our first look at the Alpha Pack this episode, and they were suitably menacing! We have seen that the pack appears to be made up of five members, and that they have a leader, Deucalion. I love that Deucalion is blind! (Or at least he appears to be.) I can’t describe how awesome I think it is that the show has the leader of the Alpha Pack having a disability and still being incredibly terrifying. The Alpha Pack will definitely be a formidable opponent for our characters this season as they seem to have not only strength, but strategy and smarts as well.

Sidenote: I think I could listen to Gideon Emery (who plays Deucalion) talk all day in that voice and I’d be happy.

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Tales as Old as Time: My Favorite Disney Movies

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Katie

To celebrate my current Walt Disney World adventure, I thought it was fitting to count down my Top 10 Disney animated films for you. Do you agree with my choices? Which movies make your list?

10. Cinderella (1950)

There’s something so quintessentially magical about this film that I smile just thinking about it. Even though Snow White was the first Disney princess, Cinderella will always be the epitome of a Disney princess to me: elegant, beautiful, kind, hopeful, and strong in her own way. The scene where Cinderella’s torn dress is transformed into her iconic gown will always be a Disney classic, and the image of the prince trying that glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot will always fill me with renewed belief in “happily ever after.”

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/26 – 6/2)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Katie

With most of my favorite shows painfully absent from my weekly TV viewing, it could have been difficult for me to make my pick for the best moment of the week. The Bachelorette‘s premiere left me with no strong impressions about any of the guys—or at least no strong positive impressions. (I definitely felt strongly about “hashtag guy” and “fantasy suite guy,” but those feelings were decidedly unkind ones.) So You Think You Can Dance is still in the audition stage. And it’s usually impossible to classify anything from the Real Housewives franchise as the “best” thing on TV.

But thankfully not every high-quality TV show is on hiatus yet. In fact, one of the best shows on television aired perhaps its most anticipated episode this week.

It was time for another wedding on Game of Thrones, and this time it was a red one. I’ve been waiting for this episode with an odd mixture of excitement and dread since I finished that horrible chapter in A Storm of Swords late last year. I’d never read anything like that before—a scene that literally turned the whole story on its head from both a plot perspective and a thematic one. The Red Wedding took the common heroic myths and stories we’re used to and stabbed them in the chest. It broke my heart, but it made for some of the most compelling literature I’ve ever read.

I also knew it would also make for some incredibly compelling television. And I was right.

Warning: If you don’t know what you’re about to watch, this is EXTREMELY violent and disturbing.

The way this scene built from revelry to dread was utterly perfect—a masterpiece in creating tension that is almost as powerful as it was on the page. Each death was horrific to watch, and you got a real sense that this wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre, which needed to be established in order for this event to carry the weight it needs to carry as the series goes on. But no mention of this scene could ever be complete without acknowledging the absolute brilliance of Michelle Fairley’s performance. The way her voice and her face completely transformed when she’s pleading for Robb’s life gave me chills, and I’ve never heard a scream as purely guttural and agonizing as hers after Robb was killed. And then in those horrifyingly quiet moments after she slit the throat of Walder Frey’s wife, you can see that she is already dead; everything but her body died with her son. I’ve never seen acting like that—so visceral, so utterly destroyed and broken. It was even more haunting for me than the final image of Catelyn in the books—because we can actually see the moment when she’s no longer a human being; she’s simply a body existing despite everything in her soul being dead.

I know this is a horribly depressing pick for the best of TV this past week, but sometimes the best is better than anything else because it makes us feel more deeply—even if those feelings are heartbreak and horror. This scene is what great media is all about—it makes us feel; it makes us care; it makes us react.

Heather has a great post over at TVexamined about why Sunday’s Game of Thrones is an example of how great television is as a medium, and I agree with every word. The reactions to this scene are part of the reason why it was so good. If something can make you feel that strongly about people and events you know are fictional, then it must have done something right. The best fiction makes us think, but it also makes us feel. And the Red Wedding certainly made everyone watching feel something—and feel it intensely.

What was your reaction to the Red Wedding (either onscreen or on the page)? Do you think it was the best thing on TV this week?

Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Katie

A week from today, television’s best will be in the spotlight as the fabulous Retta hosts the 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards. I was incredibly pleased with the nominees chosen by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA); I feel like they’re a strong representation of what has been an outstanding year for television.

As is usually the case in the world of television awards, who I’d like to see win is often different from who I think will win—although that isn’t always the case. My predictions for these awards will include both the actor or show I feel is most deserving and the one I think the critics will most likely honor. However, I know practically nothing about the nominees in the “Mini-Series or TV Movie” categories, so I’m just going to pick who I think will actually win those after doing some intense research (aka going on Google for a couple of hours to read reviews from critics I trust).

Without further ado, here are my predictions!

BEST COMEDY SERIES • The Big Bang Theory – CBS • Louie – FX • The Middle – ABC • New Girl – FOX • Parks and Recreation – NBC • Veep – HBO
Should Win: As much as I love Parks and Rec, New Girl was both the funniest and most emotionally honest comedy on television this year.
Will Win: Louie is loved by critics and fans alike, and I don’t see it losing to any network comedy. Veep is the only show I could see giving it a run for its money as far as awards go.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES • Don Cheadle (House of Lies) – Showtime • Louis C.K. (Louie) – FX • Jake Johnson (New Girl) – FOX • Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS • Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) – NBC • Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) – ABC
Should Win: Jake Johnson was one of the best actors on television this year in any genre. Whether he was dancing to Taylor Swift, delivering an emotional eulogy for his father, or kissing Jess “like a man” on more than one occasion, Nick Miller surprised me as a viewer every week, and thanks to Johnson’s charming, hilarious, and surprisingly sexy screen presence, it was always a pleasant surprise.
Will Win: Louis C.K. is hilarious, and he’s a critical darling. While this category is stocked with some great names (Adam Scott’s inclusion makes me especially thrilled), no one’s beating him.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES  • Laura Dern (Enlightened) – HBO • Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) – FOX • Lena Dunham (Girls) – HBO • Sutton Foster (Bunheads) – ABC Family • Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) – HBO • Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) – NBC
Should Win/Will Win: I’ve been burned with this prediction many times before, but I think it’s finally Amy Poehler’s time to win. Parks and Rec is loved by so many critics, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near as entertaining without Poehler’s sunny and smart presence at the center of it. This was a big year for Leslie Knope—she became a city councilwoman, got engaged, and got married—and Poehler made us laugh, cry, and smile along with this character through all of it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES • Max Greenfield (New Girl) – FOX • Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS • Alex Karpovsky (Girls) – HBO • Adam Pally (Happy Endings) – ABC • Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC • Danny Pudi (Community) – NBC
Should Win/Will Win: There’s no character on TV right now like Schmidt, and I really think critics are going to find some way to reward New Girl for its excellent sophomore season. These two factors should combine to give Max Greenfield some well-deserved love from the BTJA. Greenfield’s talent for playing the world’s most lovable douchebag has made him a critical darling even when the rest of the cast was struggling to gain recognition. While I think he had less to do this season than last season, his unique combination of quirky overconfidence and genuine vulnerability were still put to excellent use.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY  • Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) – ABC • Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS • Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) – ABC • Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS • Eden Sher (The Middle) – ABC • Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) – ABC
Should Win: Sarah Hyland has always been an underappreciated force to be reckoned with on Modern Family, and I’m so happy to see her getting the recognition she deserves.
Will Win: It wouldn’t be a TV award show without The Big Bang Theory winning something, so my money’s on the charming Kaley Cuoco to take home the show’s obligatory award.

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES  • Melissa Leo (Louie) – FX • David Lynch (Louie) – FX • Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS • Patton Oswalt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC • Molly Shannon (Enlightened) – HBO • Patrick Wilson (Girls) – HBO
Should Win/Will Win: Molly Shannon is always a treat whenever she shows up onscreen—and I think most critics would agree with me. ‘

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Save the Last Dance for Me: My Favorite SYTYCD Performances

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Katie

It’s that time of year again—dance recital season! As a dancer and a choreographer, this is one of the most exciting times of the year, and it’s not just because of what my students and I are getting ready to perform this weekend. It’s also because So You Think You Can Dance is getting into the home stretch of audition episodes before finally revealing its Top 20. Once the performance shows begin, SYTYCD becomes must-see TV for me every week. It’s so exciting to see one of my biggest passions displayed on national TV for others to fall in love with the way I fell in love with dance 20 years ago.

In the spirit of sharing my love of dance with everyone I meet, I decided today to share links to my Top 10 So You Think You Can Dance performances. These dances continue to inspire me, motivate me, entertain me, and move me long after I first saw them.

10. Danny and Lacey’s “Hip Hip Chin Chin” Samba (Season 3)
This dance is still one of the sexiest dances to ever be performed on SYTYCD. The choreography was exciting, the musicality was perfect, and both Danny and Lacey gave star-quality performances. At this point in the season, everyone knew Lacey was a fantastic performer, but this was the dance that really showcased Danny’s stage presence. He looked like he was having the time of his life out there, and those moments of pure joy are my favorites on this show.

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Love What You Love: Some Thoughts on Guilty Pleasures

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Katie

We all have our guilty pleasures.

For some people, it’s Nicholas Sparks novels. For others, it’s romantic comedies. From the high school melodramas of ABC Family to the sexiest scenes on Scandal, everyone has a secret indulgence programmed on their DVRs, sitting on their bookshelves, or waiting for them on Netflix. We can claim to have the most discerning taste when it comes to media. But each of us—no matter how astute we pretend to be—has a guilty pleasure.

What’s my guilty pleasure? Reality TV.

Yes, I love the competitive reality shows that actually do earn some critical acclaim. I obsess over So You Think You Can Dance every summer. I thoroughly enjoy The Voice and used to thoroughly enjoy American Idol as well back when it was in its heyday (which has long since passed). Top Chef is one of my favorite shows on television.

But I also love the “trashy” stuff. I will watch any Real Housewives series (except Atlanta and Miami), including the marathons Bravo is so fond of airing. I will also watch basically anything else Bravo throws at me—from Most Eligible Dallas to Don’t Be Tardy. I religiously watch Dancing with the Stars every season for reasons beyond the sparkly costumes and shirtless male dancers; I actually like the performances. And I adore The Bachelorette.

Yes, you heard that correctly: I adore The Bachelorette. I watched and re-watched Meredith’s season back when I could only do that on a VHS tape. I cried when Ashley married J.P. last year. I fell in love with Jef probably even more than Emily did. And I watched the season premiere last night ready to spend my summer Mondays with Desiree and her suitors. Monday nights are one of my favorite nights of the week in the summer. I curl up on the couch, open some Starbucks ice cream (preferably Java Chip Frappuccino), and watch one lucky girl be romanced by a bevy of beautiful gentlemen.

I don’t want you to think that I believe I’m watching great television. I know The Bachelorette and The Real Housewives of New Jersey aren’t exactly comparable with Game of Thrones or Parks and Recreation. But that doesn’t mean I have to look at everything on TV the same way. I like some shows because they make me think; I like others because they allow me to turn my brain off for a little while.

And I’m not so sure I should feel guilty about that.

Why should we feel the need to add “guilty” to some of our pleasures? Does everything that makes us feel happy, relaxed, or emotionally invested have to be critically-acclaimed? Can’t we just like something because we like it, because it’s fun?

Yes, I consider The Great Gatsby my favorite book, but Bridget Jones’s Diary is also high on my list. Yes, I love watching Casablanca and The Empire Strikes Back, but I also love The Wedding Planner and Tangled. My iPod has Mumford and Sons on it, but it also has One Direction. And I don’t feel particularly guilty about loving any of those things.

The media we enjoy—whether it’s reality TV, romantic comedies, sappy county songs, or anything else—should be celebrated, not hidden away in case someone judges us for loving what we love. If something makes you happy, it shouldn’t be a guilty pleasure; it should just be a pleasure.

Grab your ice cream, your wine, or your chocolate. Open your romance novel, turn on E!, or grab your DVD of Dirty Dancing. Let’s all take some time this summer to enjoy media that makes us happy—critics be damned.

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/19 – 5/26)

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Katie

As this TV season continued to draw to a close, this week gave us more finales and episodes featuring big moments that will surely be remembered for a long time. Game of Thrones featured the first of many important weddings as Sansa married Tyrion, reminding us why Tyrion is such a great character, why Joffrey is such a hated character, and why Sansa is more than deserving of our sympathy and even our admiration for surviving amid such horrid circumstances. Dancing with the Stars ended with perhaps the strongest final four ever. Modern Family ended its season on a high note, with big laughs and big emotional moments. And Nashville‘s finale featured more cliffhangers and dramatic scenes than most shows have in one whole season.

While there were more than a few fantastic television moments this week, my favorite came from the finale of Dancing with the Stars. As someone who’s been a dancer for 20 years, I watch shows like this (and So You Think You Can Dance) and wait for the one dance every season that moves me to chills and tears because of the raw emotion that mixes with sheer talent to create a truly wonderful example of the best that dance can be on national TV. For this season of DWTS, that dance was Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s freestyle performance. While the other choreographers chose to make their freestyle routines loud and splashy, Derek stripped this freestyle down to simply focus on Kellie’s gorgeous lines and wonderful technique. It was a gamble that paid off; the two of them created a true moment of beauty and grace that put tears in my eyes and made me feel proud to be a dancer.

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

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Author Archives: Katie

About Katie

TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.02

Just Keep Swimming: My Favorite Pixar Movies

TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.01

Tales as Old as Time: My Favorite Disney Movies

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/26 – 6/2)

Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards

Save the Last Dance for Me: My Favorite SYTYCD Performances

Love What You Love: Some Thoughts on Guilty Pleasures

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/19 – 5/26)