OH WAIT.

In other news, Loreal Telescopic Lash Blast Mascara. I thought I would hate it because of the little ball-shaped brush. But OH WOW. That does AMAZING stuff to my eyes. Seriously. Looking a little cross-eyed in this photo but hey.
Anyway. It's awesome. :) VERY VERY PLEASED. I only need to buy two more makeup things before I'm set like... forever. Pads to wipe makeup off with - it gets all over my washcloth and it's nasty - and french tip nail thingies. I know that's not makeup technically. Okay, not makeup, cosmetic things.

AND LOOK Another one.

I bought this new makeup recently and I'm actually trying to go on a clean-face regime... to actually fully clear up my skin. More details on that later. I've got class pretty soon.

Fresh. Clean. Start.

Maybe I'll actually use this as a blog now. Woop woop.
That's a happy sound, by the way.

Of Twilight and Psychotic Pre-Teens (and Middle Aged Moms)

Okay, so I'm finally breaking my TV show review/critique streak and moving on to movies. And what better way to start than with the craze that's swept the nation for the past 5 years?? The 'Twilight' books were first published in 2005... and since then, it's been like a fever sweeping much of the female and some of the male population worldwide. Here's a link to the official site for the movies and the books.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)

Vampires and werewolves have skyrocketed in popularity. Several (not spinoffs, but with similar content) TV and book series's have sprung up since the books and movies started gaining popularity, and those have been immensely popular as well (examples: The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and many others). There's something Stephanie Meyer, the author, quickly rocketed to fame, and with the advent of the Twilight movies (created by Summit Entertainment), the craze has spread even more. 

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)

The story centers around Isabella Swan, known to her friends as Bella, who meets a fascinatingly handsome and mysterious boy named Edward Cullen. Edward turns out to be a 108 year old vampire, who will forever appear as a 17 year old, because he was turned into a vampire in 1918. This sounds silly, and when you think about it, it is. But even I go through phases of being obsessed with the books. Thankfully I regain my senses after a short while. 

Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner)

Notorious for it's hopelessly romantic content, lots of mentions of true love and soul mates and such things, the book appeals to many girls between the ages of 10 and 53 (I know this for a fact; My 53 year old aunt dressed up for the premieres of the most recent two movies and avidly discusses both the films and the books once a week with her colleagues from work). 

There have been countless parodies and critiques of both the books and the fans of the books. Known as 'Twihards' (a combination of the words Die-hard and Twilight), these fans are some of the most notoriously over-obsessed in a long time. Edward Cullen has become a symbol of perfection for young girls and older women alike, and if Edward isn't your style, you can always go over to 'Team Jacob', the other drool-worthy male in the series. He's a werewolf, just by the way. 

The movies have sent all the young actors and actresses involved to a very sudden and unexpected state of stardom. I'm glad for their success. Though Robert Pattinson does admit to feeling quite stifled from all the attention. I can understand where he's coming from, but he shouldn't complain about success. He's gotten starring roles in other movies because of his success as Edward Cullen and he's set for life on money, as are the other top-billed cast members. 

Of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Inventive Camera Work

So, going back to my Doctor Who theme, the actress that played Rose Tyler has of course gone on to other projects since her work on the show. After finishing her role as the first Companion in the new Doctor Who series, Billie Piper (link to the main fan site for her) went on to play the starring role in ITV2's 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'.

The show follows the story of Hannah Baxter, who leads a double life; Her family and friends think she works as a night time legal secretary, but in reality she works as Belle, a high-class London prostitute. Throughout the show, the problems that come up revolve around keeping the job a secret from the people she knows. Later in the show, the problem becomes telling people about what she does, not wanting to lie to them, as she tries to mesh her profession in with her actual life. Revolving around secrecy and sarcasm, the show has a brilliantly snarky feel, and makes no apologies for the amount of sexual references and innuendos, all approached with a humorous air. It's a different lifestyle, and the show makes that very clear. (Because of it's cavalier approach to sexual material, it's been compared to 'Sex and the City'. But myself, and other reviewers for the show, disagree. You can read about that here.)

The show started in 2007, the first acting job Billie Piper did after leaving Doctor Who. It's such a drastic change from her portrayal of Rose Tyler that she's barely recognizable at first. But you quickly get used to it, as she completely owns the role, playing up every bit of it and making it a phenomenal performance. The character of Belle is unapologetic, brassy, and confident, and Piper plays it brilliantly.

One unusual factor about the show is that Belle often breaks the fourth wall, as in she talks directly to the audience. Usually to tell us what's going on in her mind, or to add some ironic comment about whatever situation happens to be going on at the time. Here's a link to an example.

The last thing I want to point out about this show is that, while filming season 2, Piper was pregnant with her first child. Playing a prostitute in a very adult show, you may wonder how this was possible. But with some inventive camera work and a couple of body doubles, there are only two shots where the pregnancy is blatantly obvious, and even then you have to work to catch them. I didn't even realize this fact about season 2 until after I'd seen the entire thing and read an article on it.

If you don't mind the (vaguely) uncensored sexual content, it's definitely a show worth checking out. The fourth and final season is premiering in January on ITV2.

Of Torchwood and Spinoffs

My first post in this blog was on Doctor Who, the infamous TV series that's something of a national treasure in the UK because of it's longevity and versatility. HOWEVER, there's another show that the BBC had broadcasting a year back or so, and it's a spinoff series from Doctor Who. Named after the British alien investigation agency in Doctor Who, the series is called Torchwood. You can get to the official site here.

Gwen Cooper

The show follows the lives and stories of the five members of this organization, but primarily Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles). She gets involved with Torchwood almost by accident; nosing into a police case that she has no business in and sneaking around till she finds out about the secret organization. There she meets the other members, who I'll talk about next.

Cpt. Jack Harkness

The show is much more adult than Doctor Who. The situations are more adult, the monsters and aliens are more disturbing, there are blatant sexual innuendos, and A LOT of sexual tension between multiple characters.

Owen Harper

Captain Jack Harkness (a recurring character in Doctor Who, played by John Barrowman) is a man who can't die. His character is shrouded in mystery, and he's hugely charismatic. (It's because of this character that the show was even thought of. People wanted to see more about him. He's many people's very favorite character. As you can see here.)

Toshiko Sato

There's also Owen Harper (Burn Gorman). He's the primary medic for the team, and when you first meet him, his character seems boorish, crass, and unfeeling. But as you get to learn more about the characters, you find out that there's a lot more underneath his angry exterior.

Ianto Jones

Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) is a technological genius. She's in love with Owen but too shy to say anything for most of the series. She cares a lot about the rest of the team, though she doesn't show it as much as she'd like to. (Many fans love the Owen/Tosh pairing, though it wasn't shown much in the show. Here's a fansite.)

And finally there's Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). He's very quiet in season one, primarily seen as a butler type character. But in season two the writers gave him a lot more to do, and I'm so glad they did, because he rapidly became my favorite character. He and Jack are in a relationship for most of season two (which is considered one of the more adult themes of the show. I think it's brilliant how open they are with it). It's one of the most-loved gay relationships on TV thus far. Here's a link to a fansite.

Defending Cardiff, Wales from aliens coming through a rift in space and time, Torchwood stays in the shadows. The show has a big following, which isn't surprising, seeing as many fans of the already-popular Doctor Who tuned in while it was still airing. Here's a link to one of many fan communities.

Lastly, I'm going to expel a moment of rage about the ending of the show. Characters died that didn't need to die, and it made me very upset. I cried. A lot. I hate you, writers. The end.

(left to right) Ianto, Gwen, Jack, Toshiko, and Owen in all their badass-ness

Picture Sources:
http://doctorwho.neoseeker.com/w/i/doctorwho/a/a3/Torchwood_Logo.jpg
http://lisapaitzspindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cooper_gwen1.jpg
http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/profiles//burn-gorman/915-burn-1b.jpg
http://lilcocky.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/toshikosato.jpg?w=495
http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/09/28/550x_torchwood_iantos03.jpg
http://blogs.popzara.com/media/14/20100120-torchwood.jpg

Of Glee and Gleeks

When I first saw previews for Glee, I had no interest in the show. Being from a ridiculously small school, I didn't know what a Glee club was, and the character that they seemed to be highlighting looked abrasive and annoying. But somehow I was convinced to give it a try. And that's how I got hooked. Click here to go to the official site for the show. It's classified as a 'musical drama'... very different from anything else currently on the air. 

Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch)

Once I finally started watching, I realized that this was the point of the character. Sue Sylvester is abrasive. She's bitchy. So much so that once you get used to her, it's actually hilarious. The character is played by Jane Lynch, and she does it brilliantly. Despite her technically being the villain of the series, she is a favorite of many characters and she keeps getting more and more outrageous as the show goes on. Here is a video highlighting some of her more memorable moments. 

Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison)

On the other side of the spectrum, Will Schuester, who is the director of the Glee club, is sweet (albeit insecure at times) and focused on the kid's futures instead of on personal gain (like Sue). Played by Matthew Morrison, the character is convincing, relatable, and has an incredible voice. (Plus he's adorable. Personal opinion.)

Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer)

The cast of the kids in the glee club is different from other shows, because they're primarily hired for their voices, not their looks like it would be for other shows. The casting directors found people to fit every role they needed, with one exception; The character of Kurt. Chris Colfer originally tried out for a different role, but the casting directors and the creator of the show liked him so much that they created an entirely new role for him. Here's an article on that particular story.

The show just started it's second season the Tuesday before last. It's got a huge fanbase. There are fansites everywhere, and the official term for a glee fan is a 'Gleek' (obviously a combination of the words 'Glee' and 'Geek'). Here's one of the more popular fansites that focuses on the show and the characters, and here's another that focuses on that along with the impact Glee is having on the world today. 

The Glee cast mid song in an episode performance

Picture Sources:

http://www.watch-glee.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/glee_logo.jpg

http://www.culch.ie/images/2010/June/SueGlee001.jpg

http://www.e4.com/media/F7EAD488-7726-4E0B-AC4D-BB29ED9ECC7E_extra.jpg

http://thefaust.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/chris-colfer1.jpg

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/37478803/Glee+Cast+PNG.png