Tag Archives: television

2013 SAG Awards Favorites

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Last night, the SAG Awards provided some genuine laughs, some fabulous fashion, and some big surprises. In the spirit of the feel-good nature that accompanies this annual celebration of actors honoring their own, I wanted to share a few of my personal favorite things about the ceremony—from the dresses to the speeches.

Favorite Photo: Alias Reunion!

TNT/TBS Broadcasts The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Show

My inner teenage Alias fangirl has been waiting for a photo of Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, and Bradley Cooper since the 2013 award season began, and last night we finally got one (also featuring Garber’s very handsome partner Rainer Andreesen)! What a beautiful and talented cast that was.

Favorite Couple: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

Source: Access Hollywood

Source: Access Hollywood

If this award season has taught me anything so far, it’s that no married couple in Hollywood seems more normal and adorable than Ben and Jen.

Favorite Hair and Makeup: Anne Hathaway

Source: Pichaus

Source: Pichaus

I wasn’t a huge fan of her see-through dress, but I thought Hathaway’s hair and makeup were absolutely stunning. She looked soft, elegant, and the very picture of Hollywood glamour.

Favorite Fashion Comeback: Jessica Chastain

Source: NY Daily News

Source: NY Daily News

After a big miss at the Golden Globes, Chastian hit a grand slam with this stunning Alexander McQueen gown. It was bold but classic, and just daring enough considering that old (and clearly incorrect) “redheads can’t wear red” adage.

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Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards

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Tonight marks another important stop on the road to the 2013 Oscars: the SAG awards. This is one of my favorite award shows of the year because I love actors; I love acting. Everyone has their criteria for judging the merits of a film: Some make cinematography or direction their first priority; others care most about the merits of the script. For me, I’m always drawn to performances. The actors—the way their voices break, the way their eyes light up or go dark, the way they are able to create chemistry just by standing next to each other—are the ones who draw me into a film and make me care about it. So naturally, I love the award show that is all about my favorite aspect of moviemaking.

Just like I did for the Golden Globes, I’ll be live tweeting the red carpet and the ceremony starting at 6 p.m. on the NGN Twitter. And I’ll have a recap of the ceremony along with my best and worst dressed stars tomorrow.

Now it’s time to make some picks for tonight’s winners. (Hopefully I’ll be a little bit more accurate than I was for the Golden Globes.)

FILM

Male Actor, Lead
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Denzel Washington, Flight

My Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis. DDL’s triumphant march to Oscar glory will continue tonight. There’s almost no doubt about that.

Male Actor, Supporting
Alan Arkin, Argo
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

My Pick: Robert De Niro. While I think the award could definitely go to Tommy Lee Jones, I think De Niro is going to be rewarded by his peers for his nuanced, beautiful return to form as a father struggling with his son’s bipolar disorder and his own demons. His performance was heartfelt, layered, and very honest, which is something I think his fellow actors will appreciate more than any other voting body.

Female Actor, Lead
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

My Pick: Jennifer Lawrence. This is the race I’m most torn about. While Jessica Chastain has huge amounts of critical acclaim and a lot of respect from her peers on her side, I just think Lawrence’s performance is too emotionally gripping to ignore. What she was able to do with the character of Tiffany—the maturity, the powerful stillness, the believable but intense range of emotions, the total vulnerability, the surprising humor—is acting at its finest. In Silver Linings Playbook, she did what great actors are supposed to do; she made me feel for this woman in a way that made me forget she was a fictional character.

Female Actor, Supporting
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

My Pick: Anne Hathaway. Her dedication to this role is something no one can deny, and her passion for making Fantine feel like a real woman rather than just a tragic symbol of the downtrodden gave her performance a raw edge that has become many viewers’ lasting impression of Les Mis. Hathaway—like Daniel Day-Lewis—is on her way to well-deserved Oscar glory this year, and tonight’s results will almost surely confirm that.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.12 and Castle 5.12

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After a much-needed “Treat Yo Self” day yesterday (featuring shopping, Starbucks, and a TON of inauguration coverage), I apologize for being a bit behind in my recapping duties. In order to catch up, I’m going to combine my thoughts about this week’s Once Upon a Time and Castle episodes. And remember, you can always catch my thoughts as they’re formulating on our shiny new NGN Twitter.

ONCE UPON A TIME 2.12

Title In the Name of the Brother

Two-Sentence Summary Dr. Frankenstein’s past comes back to haunt him as the residents of Storybrooke struggle with whether or not to kill the stranger whose car crash brought him into their world. Rumplestiltskin and Regina each face struggles of their own as they deal with fallout from Cora and Hook’s appearance in Storybrooke.

Favorite Line “Keep smiling buddy. You’re chained down. He’s on his feet, immortal, has magic, and you hurt his girl. If I were to pick dead guy of the year, I’d pick you.” (Emma, to Hook)

Five Fast Observations
1.) The cinematography in the flashback portions of this episode was incredible. I loved the choice to film Victor’s world in black and white because it works on multiple levels: It’s a nice homage to the original Frankenstein films, and it also reflects the fact that this seems to be a colder world, a world without the vibrancy that magic gives to Fairytale Land. That was reflected in the brilliant decision to keep Rumplestiltskin in color even in Victor’s world.

2.) I love the idea of Red and Victor forging a close friendship, if not a romance somewhere down the line. Before this episode, I had never really thought of how similar they are, but now I really like that these two “monsters” have each other to lean on. For as much as Snow loves Red, she could never fully understand her guilt and her dark side. Victor can understand that, and he also gives her an outlet for the side of her that wants to take care of someone, to be someone’s support system. Red is such a beautifully complex character, and this episode showed me that Victor is also incredibly complex. They both want to make a fresh start, and I’m definitely behind the idea of them making a fresh start together (and not just because their chemistry was already so rich in this episode).

3.) Speaking of chemistry, it doesn’t get any more fun than what’s going on between Hook and Emma right now. I love that Hook is so blatantly attracted to her, because we know that a huge reason for the attraction is the fact that Emma bested him and got under his skin with her cunning and strength. Colin O’Donoghue is so fantastic in this role; he’s so charming but so broken, and I love that he plays both facets of this character in such a real way. And I love that he brings out so many facets to Jennifer Morrison’s Emma, too. The scene between them in the hospital was flirtatious, contentious, and surprisingly warm. I love that Emma feels compelled to protect Hook even while fighting against his advances, and I’m excited to see what becomes of their relationship as the season progresses.

4.) I’m really happy that finding Bae is how Rumplestiltskin wants his debt repaid by Emma. I was fearing it would be something much worse. I’m looking forward to seeing these two characters interact through this storyline because Morrison and Robert Carlyle have always had a fantastically antagonistic kind of chemistry. Also, how amazing was it to see Charming spring to his daughter’s side as soon as Rumplestiltskin showed up asking for his favor? I loved seeing him go into “protective dad mode” because Josh Dallas plays that paternal side to the character so well, and we haven’t gotten to see much of it yet. The image of Emma being surrounded by her father and her son as she faced Rumplestiltskin made me emotional because she finally has the protective, loving family she’s been living without for her entire life.

5.) Once Upon a Time is a show filled with heartbreaking moments, but I think Belle throwing the chipped cup against the wall may have been the most heartbreaking moment yet. To know everything Rumplestiltskin went through in “Skin Deep” to get that cup back—to know everything that it means to him—made that scene almost unbearable to watch. I’m a sucker for symbols, so to see such a beautiful symbol of him and their relationship (imperfect but still worth saving, damaged but not lost) destroyed right before his eyes was so painful. And Carlyle was once again devastating in that moment, especially as he walked away from the cup without using his magic to put it back together (because why fix something that isn’t worth anything anymore?).

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 5.10

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Title Two Parties

Two-Sentence Summary Leslie spends the first half of her bachelorette party attempting to use the strained relationship between the Wamapokes and the people of Pawnee to halt construction of a new Paunch Burger where Pawnee Commons is supposed to be, and then she spends the second half trying to undo what she did. Ben’s bachelor party is far more successful, with each of the men (Tom, Andy, Jerry, Ron, and, of course Ben) being treated by Chris to the bachelor party of his dreams.

Favorite Line “Maybe it’s April. Maybe I die—skydiving explosion—and then you go marry April. And it makes me sad, but if she’s gonna be with somebody, I’d like it to be you…Only I didn’t really die. I was faking it. And I come back. I spy on you from my red Corvette, and I’m planning to kick your ass. But I see how happy you make her. And I have to walk away, I have to. And I do…slowly, in a rainstorm…But as time goes by, it eats away at me—you’re out living it up with my wife and I’m alone in a cave training…I thought you were my friend! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!” (Andy, telling Chris that someday he’ll find the girl of his dreams)

My Thoughts I am in love with this episode. More specifically, I am in love with half of this episode and in a state of pleasant “like” with the other half. Seriously, if the half of the episode dealing with the bachelor party was a man, I would ask it to be my Catan-playing, vodka-flash-consuming, Colts-loving, ice-cream-dropping, steak-eating husband right now. I want more than an extended episode, more than deleted scenes. I want to petition whoever I need to petition in order for there to be a full-length movie of nothing but these fantastically rich supporting characters having fun together, toasting each other, and singing in Chris’s car.

The half of the episode dealing with Leslie was fine, but it paled in comparison to Ben’s half of the storyline. I loved that a sexy Abe Lincoln is one of Leslie’s fantasies, and I loved everything about both Donna and April in this episode, but there was something too predictable about Leslie’s arc.

I would have much rather had an episode that featured the girls having just as much fun as the guys, but I know that’s not possible. Stories don’t exist without conflict, and this episode needed Leslie’s conflicts. I guess it all just felt a little rushed to me. And because of that, the emotional connection to this half of the story felt relatively nonexistent (but maybe that’s because I was so busy tweeting and flailing like an excited kid over the other half of the episode).

Ultimately, I actually liked that we got to see someone else take on Leslie’s role as the emotional center of a group, and I loved that it was Chris. We’ve seen Leslie at the center of so many familial-feeling moments on Parks and Rec, so it was refreshing to see this episode take the time to show that men can have those familial bonds with their friends, too. Group hugs aren’t just for girls.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.11

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As I slaved away (aka enjoyed every single second of) watching and recapping the Golden Globes, Leah took the reigns and offered to share her thoughts on this week’s Once Upon a Time.

Hi everyone! Hope you all survived the craziness of the Golden Globes and Once Upon a Time airing on the same night this week! (For some post-Golden Globes thoughts, check out Katie’s post here.)

This week’s episode was a bit of a rollercoaster, and there’s a lot to talk about. Here we go!

Title The Outsider

What Happened? In Storybrooke, Hook does all he can to thwart Rumplestiltskin’s plans to leave town and find his son Baelfire, while Belle does her own investigating and discovers Hook’s ship. In flashbacks to Fairytale Land, we see Belle and Mulan work together to kill a beast called the Yaoguai, which turns out to be Prince Phillip, cursed by Maleficent into the Yaoguai in order to separate him from his true love Aurora.

Lines to Remember
“So we shouldn’t think of today as goodbye. Just as a way of saying, ‘Archie, we’ll be listening.’” (Snow White, giving the eulogy at Archie’s funeral)

“I’ve always wanted to dissect a cricket.” (Hook, interrogating Archie)

“I think it’s safer to stick to my books. They’re the only adventures I know that have happy endings.” (Belle)

“Enjoy the lake!” (Belle)

“I just imagined a bigger roof. With turrets.” (Snow White)

“Oh, I know this ship like the back of my…well, you know.” (Hook)

What I Thought This episode gave us a good look at more of Belle’s backstory, and set us up for a great episode next week, which will undoubtedly deal with a lot of the events we have been anticipating for most of this season. Before I get to the ramifications of this week’s events on the future episodes, however, let’s discuss Belle.

Belle has been one of my favorite characters since we first met her in Season One ‘s “Skin Deep,” and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see more sides of her in this episode. Over the course of the show so far, we have seen Belle deal with mostly emotional situations and with her relationship with Rumplestiltskin, but we haven’t really seen Belle in action on the battlefield. In this episode, we got to take a look at how she reacts in stressful situations.

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TV Time: Castle 5.11

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Title Under the Influence

Two-Sentence Summary The death of a DJ at a release party for a pop star leads Castle, Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito to a teenager named Joey “Monster” Malone, a kid who’s under the thumb of a powerful criminal and works by stealing for him. Esposito takes the orphaned Joey under his wing and, in the process, reveals some secrets about his own troubled past.

Favorite Line “I know you ain’t a cop with that fancy shirt and poofy hair.” (Suspect MC Thug, to Castle in the interrogation room)

My Thoughts Confession Time: I fell asleep about halfway through the episode. The combination of staying up until 2 a.m. after the Golden Globes (Award show coverage never sleeps!) and a subpar Castle episode made it all too easy for me to drift off. But never fear, Castle fans—not even a 10:30 p.m. nap would keep me from writing about the show. I got up at 1 a.m. and finished the last half-hour, but I did find myself nodding off again at points.

In summary: tired Katie + filler Castle episode = sleep

It wasn’t that I didn’t like this episode. In fact, I really liked some things about it (learning more about Esposito, to be specific). However, the episode as a whole felt like something out of a different show. It was good, but it didn’t really feel like Castle.

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Best and Worst of the 2013 Golden Globes

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I love the Golden Globes. It focuses on both television and film; it features nearly all of my favorite celebrities; and it features nearly all of my favorite celebrities drinking copious amounts of alcohol. If that isn’t a recipe for success, I don’t know what is.

I was generally happy with the way these awards turned out. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t give me everything I wanted (cue my angry “Amy Poehler was robbed!” cries), but all in all I was pleased with the winners, especially in the film categories.

There were plenty of memorable moments from the 70th Annual Golden Globes, so, without further ado, let’s discuss the best and the worst of the night.

Best Hosts to Ever Host: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I knew these two would be amazing, but I had no idea how hard they would make me laugh within the first few minutes of the show. From zingers directed at James Cameron and James Franco to a joke about Meryl Streep that’s still making me laugh today, their opening monologue was everything a fan of these two could have hoped for and then some. And the jokes just kept on coming, from cuddling with Clooney to advice for Taylor Swift and a perfect closing line about going home with Jodie Foster, these two women kept the show moving and did it with a style that is completely their own and completely perfect. Can they take Seth MacFarlane’s place at the Oscars? Pretty please?

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Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2013 Golden Globes (TV)

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This Sunday ushers in one of my favorite seasons of the year—awards season! And here at NGN, I’m prepared to cover the major award shows (Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Oscars) for you with the well-trained eyes and finely tuned opinions of a girl who’s been watching these things since she was in elementary school. Expect predictions, reactions, fashion opinions, and more live tweets than a sane person should probably expose themselves to. (Seriously, I’ll be live-tweeting on Sunday from the start of red carpet coverage at 5 p.m. until long after the ceremony is over. To say I’m excited is the understatement of the week.)

To kick off NGN’s Golden Globes coverage, it’s time for some predictions! Today I’ll tackle the television nominations, and sometime before the ceremony I’ll have my movie predictions for you, too.

Best Television Comedy or Musical:
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
Girls
Modern Family
Smash

My Pick: Modern Family. This show continues to be a critical darling as well as a consistently funny, mainstream hit. That seems to be a recipe for Globes success. However, the critical hype around Girls could end up making it a dark horse in this race.

Best Television Drama:
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Homeland
The Newsroom

My Pick: Homeland. This seems to be about as sure a bet as there is at these awards. Though it seems to have fallen from grace this season to some extent, when it’s at its best it has a reputation for genius, compelling storytelling that goes beyond any of the other nominees.

Best Miniseries or Television Movie:
Game Change
The Girl
Hatfields & McCoys
The Hour
Political Animals

My Pick: Game Change. The attention around it, the subject matter, and the cast of famous faces make this a fairly easy pick based on what the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been known to gravitate towards in the past.

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TV Time: Castle 5.10

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Title Significant Others

Two-Sentence Summary The death of a divorce attorney leads the team at the 12th precinct to the unsolved murder of a pro golfer’s wife. Meanwhile, Beckett moves into Castle’s loft for a brief stay while her apartment is being fumigated, but things get a little more crowded when Castle’s ex-wife Meredith comes to visit.

Favorite Lines
Martha: This isn’t a flophouse, darling. You’ve got to stop letting freeloaders just live here.
Castle: Please tell me you see the irony.

My Thoughts I’ll get this out of the way now, so you can decide right away whether or not you want to keep reading: I didn’t love this episode. In fact, I thought it was the weakest link in what has been a very strong fifth season so far. It wasn’t “Heartbreak Hotel” or “The Limey” levels of bad, but it certainly wasn’t one of the show’s stronger efforts. I wanted more: more Meredith, more comedy, more romance, and more certainty at the end about where this show is going for the rest of this season. I know it seems like I’m being greedy, and maybe I am. But I know what this show is capable of, and I get frustrated when it falls short of that.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.10

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Title The Cricket Game

Two-Sentence Summary The joy of Emma and Snow’s return to Storybrooke soon disappears after Archie is found dead after a supposed visit from Regina, who turns out to be Cora in disguise. In flashbacks to Fairytale Land, Snow saves Regina from execution but the final pieces to the curse are set in motion.

Favorite Line “It’s impressive that we can still provide her with a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage of the game.” (Charming, after Emma walks in on him in bed with Snow)

My Thoughts I found myself alternately fascinated and frustrated by this episode. There were some moments that made me incredibly happy as well as some good plot development. However, I found myself angry with the central plot of the episode. Sometimes dramatic irony is a beautiful thing (which Once Upon a Time proved over and over again last season), but sometimes it’s almost painful to watch characters make incorrect assumptions and do the wrong thing because they don’t know what we as an audience know.

Let’s begin with the good stuff, shall we? The scene with Charming and Snow being interrupted by Emma and Henry was played to perfection by all involved. Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin’s bright, joyful chemistry leapt off the screen. Goodwin’s smile was especially luminous; she made me feel every bit of Snow’s giddiness at being reunited with her husband after 28 long years. The brief moment where Charming stole a kiss at the end of the scene was the perfect touch. If these two in that moment are what “happily ever after” looks like (both on and off-screen), then sign me up for my own fairytale.

I also have to give credit to Jennifer Morrison for her perfect reaction to walking in on her parents in bed together. What could have been cringe-worthy was instead hilarious because Morrison played Emma’s shock with the subtle humor I have come to love from her as an actress. All three characters are in such a strange situation, and this was the best possible way to introduce the complications of their relationships with humor (while the end of the episode, with Charming talking about his insecurities about being a parent, was the perfect way to introduce it with heart).

I loved Emma’s emotional arc throughout the episode—from her open support of Regina to her crisis of faith, culminating in their showdown. It was nice to see someone finally invite Regina to dinner! And I loved that Emma initially saw a lot of herself in Regina’s quest for redemption. They are more similar than it would seem at first glance—both closed off to love until Henry came into their lives.

But the difference between these women is that Emma has a mother who is the epitome of noble while Regina’s mother is as evil as they come. I love how evil Cora is; there’s something deliciously dramatic about the sight of her walking around with her black parasol in the dead of night. It fits well with the flourish Lana Parrilla gives to her performance as the Evil Queen. Evil runs in the family, but so does style.

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