Thursday, December 20, 2012

5 Reasons Gossip Girl Wasn't As Awful As You Probably Thought It Was

So, I'm not going to blame you if you've never given Gossip Girl the time of day. I didn't for years, thinking it looked absolutely ridiculous and fluffy. In a lot of ways, it's still that. There's a lot to love here though. Maybe it's not the kind of thing I should blast across the nets that I love, but meh, I'll take it.
Now that the show has run it's course, here are 10 reasons I love Gossip Girl and why I'll miss it (from a self confessed addict of the show).

1. Chuck Bass
I read a statistic once that said Chuck Bass is more known than Gossip Girl is. Which is obviously completely true, because they can't put it on the internet if it's not true, right? Seriously though, he's one of the more dynamic characters to be on television in the last ten years. Initially just a douche, he grows to be amazing complex and just interesting. There are days when I feel defeated and I just channel a little Chuck Bass to get through the day.
Also, from a strictly shallow point of view, the man is sexy. Blair even found out a prince couldn't compare.

2. I Love Playing Spot the Reference
I really do. Sometimes it's painful watching Buffy with me and hearing my reaction to finding something I hadn't caught before. Gossip Girl has both the obvious and the subtle. From Nate Archibald's initial American Psycho look (seriously, it freaks me out)
to constant references to classic films in the form of Blair's dreams, there a ton of great references to be found in watching this.

3. It's Far More Clever Than It Appears
So, trashy teen show based on trashy teen books can't have that much depth, right? Wrong. There is a bit of a scathing commentary here on the rich and privileged lifestyle, the prevalence of technology in our lives and our dependency on it for everything. It's one of the first shows to showcase this last point in a natural and nonforced way in my opinion.

4. Fashion, Fashion, Fashion
Disclaimer: I love Jenny Humphrey's fashion sense and think Taylor Momsen is adorable, so that's the image I chose. However, there is also Blair's extremely polished ladylike look, Serena's boho and HI I HAVE BOOBS look. (I think the husband was especially fond of those dresses on Serena...) The original concept behind the show was to kind of have a walking, breathing magazine. The focus point of said magazine would definitely be the clothes. And I'm a fashion whore. I'll be the first to admit it. So in all reality, I could have watched it for the designers and clothes alone, even if I hated everything else.

5. I Love a Great Love Story

Just to make this clear, I am not talking about Serena and Dan here. Even though I'm sure there are plenty of fans of the show that care more about that than I do. I'm talking about Chuck and Blair here. Their love story in all it's convolutions and difficulties is positively Shakespearean. If the world isn't trying to tear them apart, they're trying to tear each other apart. You're constantly rooting for them with a complete uncertainty if they're going to make it together. Which.......I'm not going to throw in any spoilers in case I've somehow made you want to give the show a chance, so there's not much I can say here except always root for Chuck and Blair.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Pop Goes the Culture, Because the Culture Goes Pop ~ The Intro

Wherein the blogger sets forth on a journey to expound on all things in pop, geek and nerd culture that interest her in one streamlined blog.

This is me (for the uninitiated):
For better or worse, not the hottest woman you'll ever meet, but certainly not the worst. So, nice to meet you. I am also not the most on trend person you will ever meet. Or the nerdiest nerd. I'm pretty much just into what I'm into. I'm pretty okay with that. I like what I like and I don't do it to fit into any stupid niche. Some people need those niches I suppose to feel comfortable and that's cool. I'm just not one of them.

Some of the things you can expect to find in this blog (aka things that I love):
Star Trek.
Independent comics.
Books.
Terrible TV shows.
Great TV shows.
Horror movies.
Cartoons.
Justice League of America.
Hello Kitty.
More books.
Plus a whole, whole lot more that seems like a lot of effort to list.

I like to think that I'm at least sometimes witty and sometimes funny so this will be somewhat entertaining.
If you think so, cool. Share my blogs with your friends through whatever social media fun you take part in. Or not. But I'd appreciate it if you did and someday when I make doom cookies for realsies, I'll send you one.

So, happy blogging to me, and happy reading to you.

Addendum ~ The name of this blog does not, in fact, come from a nursery rhyme, but from a 3rd Bass song, which you may or may not know. If you haven't watch this and learn:
Now, may you forever rap in your head the name of this blog whenever you see it.