Vetting the back-up brigade for Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter

Out of the three big movies opening up this weekend,only one of them has any connection to politics and that semi-historical epic is called Abraham Lincoln,Vampire Hunter. Based on the monster mash-up novel by Seth Grahame-Smith,this re-imaged journey through the life of one of our most popular pop culture presidents seems to have plenty of vampire slaying action to please any popcorn movie audience.

Yet one does have to wonder what sort of administration a POTUS dedicated to the destruction of the undead would need to assemble in order to get the job before reelection time kicks in. After all,even an eliminator of evil who fights like an army of one should have someone watching his back,especially if his day job is running the country:





To that end,here are my candidates for the various positions on the staff of this rather specialized presidential cabinet:

VICE SLAYER:BLADE Now,I know most of you will be saying "Whoa,what about Van Helsing?" Since our VP must be an American citizen according to the rules of law,our best bet for a true blue battler in this category is Blade,a man who like Abe Lincoln shares a family related reason for taking on this momentous task.

Not only are his warrior skills and loyalties unquestionable,Blade knows how to handle himself in any sanguinary situation,whether it's a formal occasion or an underground club full of blood bathing vamps:





SECRETARY OF STAKE:BUFFY SUMMERS

While this legendary slayer is not quite old enough for the second in command spot,she more than possesses the required field time to qualify for a spot in this administration.

Her vampiric body count is most impressive(despite a couple of fanged fellas that were granted amnesty in exchange for their cooperation)but Buffy also has experience in dealing with other supernatural menaces and a band of trusted allies who bring a mixture of magic and bravery into the fold.

In addition,Buffy is no stranger to infighting and to mounting a major force of action when faced with a serious threat to the public good. Plus,her connection with the British based Watchers' Council could prove useful for overseas operations:





CHIEF OF SLAYER STAFF:VAN HELSING Here is the perfect place for this world renowned monster hunter to be,as a chief adviser and organizer of Lincoln's inner circle of slayers.

Despite his lack of official citizenship,Van Helsing's amazing record earned in Europe should be enough to land him such a key position. His knowledge in this field alone makes him a valuable asset,plus his ability to persist in achieving the immediate goal of the moment has proven to be useful in accomplishing the primary objective of any mission:





SECRETARY OF HEARTLAND SECURITY:SELENE

This former Death Dealer has spent most of her existence defending vampires but she has proven to have a change of heart,so to speak,when faced with an enemy that did threaten the greater good for all citizens.

Her tracking abilities and detective skills would serve this administration well,particularly when it comes to infiltration. While Selene's experience has mainly been geared towards Lycans(aka,werewolves),those techniques are easily adaptable to rooting out the vampire nation in our midst:



While there may be others just as qualified,the majority of vampire fans would agree that this band of well staked warriors would protect our nation from conquest by those who live by night and sleep by day.

Hopefully,Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter will do our country proud at the box office by Monday,yet it is a pity that a certain school teacher from Mystic Falls is no longer amongst the living to serve at Lincoln stake/ax swinging side. Perhaps some of his cohorts listed in the Vampire Diaries might be persuaded to do their paranormal patriotic duty:

The True Blood troubles just keep on coming,The Next Food Network Star tries an Iron Chef twist and The Aquabats Super Show!

The second episode of this season's True Blood had Sookie and Lafayette doing the best they could to calm down new risen vampire Tara,without much help from Pam(other than commanding her new charge not to feed on them).

Tara's feral state lasted for at least a day,with Sookie seeking a little home protection and Lafayette having second thoughts about bringing his beloved cousin back to life this way. Those regrets and precautions were all well and good,but there is no turning back now:





Meanwhile,Eric and Bill are prisoners of the Vampire Authority,who believe that our blood drinking boys may be part of an extremist group called the Sauginistas. The true reasons for not speaking up involve protecting not only Sookie but Eric's vampire sister Nora(they had the same Maker),who didn't want to expose her connection to her blood brother.

The three of them were brought before the inner circle,where Roman(an excellent evil turn by Christopher Meloni)opened up the debate on whether or not to give the guys the True Death. The vote was not going their way but Bill was smart enough to offer them up as bait to capture Russell,who has emerged from his concrete grave.

That bought them some time,which I hope they use wisely as Roman is most definitely not playing around about ending them both here:





The star challenge on The Next Food Network Star this week was for each team to run a stand in a mall food court. They were given a certain type of cuisine to prepare,with Team Giada thinking they had a smooth ride with Mexican food,since Martika specializes in that.

However,Linkie was in trouble from minute one,when she confessed to the group that she had "no idea what they serve in Mexico for dessert." Seriously? Even I know about flan,for goodness sake!



The challenge was given an Iron Chef level by guest judge Geoffrey Zakarian,who brought in the secret ingredient that at least one of the contenders had to put in their dish:chicken livers,yum!

The team that did the best work was Alton Brown's(about time there!)and they won this round,which meant that one person from Bobby's team and one from Giada's had to face off on the Producer's challenge to stay in the game.

It was between Nikki and Linkie,with Nikki softening up her "Girl on Grill" approach by being "The Grill Next Door" and Linkie making a solid dish but fumbling on her camera presentation. Team Giada lost another member but I don't think their mentor minds all that much. From the grimaces she kept throwing in Linkie's direction,you could tell that she wasn't thrilled with her(Giada is not subtle in her body language at all).

Next week,the remaining teams have to meet the press and hopefully they handle that better than say a certain 30 Rock star(what a maroon,in the worst sense of the word):





One of my favorite new guilty pleasures has been to watch The Aquabats!Super Show! on the Hub network. Yes,this is a kid's show with a mixture of live action and animation that follows the zany adventures of a crime fighting rock band.

The band has actually been around for quite some time and garnered a cult audience and plans to turn their act into a TV show have gone on for several years. It was well worth the wait,as this series is a nice throwback to the days of Sid and Marty Kroft,with it's own unique touches of wacky whimsy.

The first season of Aquabats has finished up already,but you should be able to catch it in reruns over the summer. Look for it and taste the burger rain:



RANDOM NOTES:

JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK: Caught this little gem on the SyFy channel a couple of weeks ago and it is as awfully awesome as you might expect. Best line of dialogue:"Joey Fatone just got eaten by a shark!"-priceless:

A diversity debate amongst the TV debutantes

The new ABC Family series Bunheads got a bit of unexpected attention after their premiere episode aired,thanks to a Twitter comment. Shonda Rhimes,the creator of such popular programs as Grey's Anatomy,Private Practice and Scandal,chose to add her two cents about the casting choices of the show with this tweet:

"Hey @abcfbunheads: really? You couldn't cast even ONE young dancer of color so I could feel good about my kid watching this show? NOT ONE?"

This criticism was seen as an attack on BH creator Amy Sherman-Palladino(best known for Gilmore Girls) and she has responded to it by saying that it's been her experience that most women in her profession are not very supportive of one another to begin with and that she had a limited amount of time to pull Bunheads together,which may explain her choices regarding the cast:





Similar complaints have arisen around the new HBO series Girls which,unlike the small town locale of Bunheads,is set in Brooklyn,NY. While many critics did applaud the strong female focus of the show,many found the lack of ethnic characters disturbing.

That's not the only fault to be found with this dramedy that comes across to some as just a hipster version of Sex and the City, yet it also came upon the heels of it's debut episode. Even after a few episodes,folks are still divided upon the merits and failings of Girls,with creator Lena Dunham promising to work on these issues in season two:





On the opposite end of the social spectrum, Michael Patrick King received a lot of flack for the humorous content of his new CBS sitcom,2 Broke Girls,a show that rightly has a diverse cast since most of the series action takes place in a greasy spoon diner in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and is female centric to boot.

A good portion of the critiques were about the ethnicity jokes,something that other programs on the same network also indulge in without so much as a raised eye brow. It's enough to make a TV viewer wonder if the whole cliche about damned if you do and damned if you don't is really that much of a cliche:



While it is important to have diversity in TV and films,there are those who dislike placing a "token" character in the mix just for the sake of looking more open minded than the show creators may be. I also find it interesting that a lot of this criticism has been tossed at female friendly shows,a genre that's had it's own tough row to hoe in pop culture.

Personally,I'm more interested in watching something like Bunheads or 2BG than Girls and yes,some of the points raised about all three are worth discussing and dealing with. However,it would be nice to see a little unity on what matters most with any fictional format and that is the reality being presented here.

An urban setting would naturally demand that a through blend of different races,creeds,sexual orientations,etc be represented while a small town or remote part of the world may not. That doesn't excuse anyone from excluding whole pockets of humanity from their storytelling circle but the criteria for this should be what is best for the main theme of the show in question,not to simply fill an agenda or use one group as the punch line for the other.

We may someday see a pop culture world where these issues are a true thing of the past,yet for now the wise choice might be to let the good stories take us as close to that realm as possible by allowing their characters to show us the world in their own way:

MTV2 Legit - Full Episodes

Some merry modern romps with Jane Austen

The love for Jane Austen related entertainment may not always appear to be in vogue but as they say,it never dies,it only multiples. To that end,let us look at a few of the latest displays of Austenmania that possess a decidedly modern twist.

The biggest sensation of the moment is The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,an online series in which a certain Miss Bennet is filming entries in a video diary of her life and times,with particular interest in seeing her big sister Jane hook up with a fellow named Bing Lee(who,of course,is in possession of a large fortune).

Other P&P characters are featured here,such as Lizzie's good friend Charlotte and pesky younger sister Lydia(Kitty and Mary are not included,directly into the story at least)who I suspect will demand a spin-off series of her own soon:



Also,more and more clips from Sex and the Austen Girl,based on Laurie Viera Rigler's Jane Austen Addict novels,are now arriving at YouTube,giving more Austen fans the perfect opportunity to view them in all of their amusing splendor.

The entertaining compare and contrast between what was available in Jane's day and ours in practical terms such as clothing,hygiene and make-up alone is enough to warrant repeat viewings,in my humble opinion:





For those who more inclined to reading than viewing Jane Austen themed delights,Cecilia Gray has an E-book series for teens entitled The Jane Austen Academy which has six heroines attending an all-girls school that is about to admit boys.

This allowance of young men in their scholarly midst is causing a bit of an uproar,not to mention prime opportunity for romance. Each book will focus on one Austen leading lady,with the first book Falling for You,beginning with Lizzie Bennet naturally and I am happy to see Fanny and Anne included as well:





If your school days are far behind you,Lori Smith's The Jane Austen Guide to Life may be your cup of sensible tea.

This tidy little tome offers up some interesting insights into the morals and morays of Austen's time and how they might be applied to our internet searches for love and reality show role models for proper behavior.

The Regency era that Jane took her cues from does have some disadvantages from a modern perspective but on the other hand,I would rather follow the examples set by Elinor Dashwood and Anne Eliot for dealing with potential disasters than Snooki or any of the "Real" Housewives:



So,until the next wave of Austen TV/film remakes,we do have a good number of alternate Austen fare to fulfill our need for elegant entertainment. Not to mention the next season of Downton Abbey,which is just as inspiring despite not holding the distinction of being adapted from a book. Yet,that hardly diminishes the pleasure of any parody which charmingly combines both sides of that English pop culture coin:

A fresh drop of True Blood,a Mad Men medley and tastes like team spirit on The Next Food Network Star

The new season of True Blood picked up right where they left off last time,with Bill and Eric looking to make tracks after offing Nan,Arlene and Terry dealing with an unwanted guest and Jason learning that not only is Rev.Newlin a vampire,he also has a thing for him.

However,the biggest plot point to me was the fate of Tara,shot dead in Sookie's kitchen by a vengeful Debbie(who met her own violent end at the hands of Our Miss Stackhouse). Pam happened to pop in as Lafeyette discovered the tragic demise of his cousin and he begged her to turn Tara.

Pam had some serious doubts about doing so,yet upon the promise of a favor or two from Sookie,she reluctantly agreed to give it a try. At first,it seemed as if the transformation had failed but soon enough,Tara rose from her vampire grave in what appears to be a feral state:





Since this new twist is far and away from the books,I'm anxious to see how this addition to Tara's character development works out. Unlike some folks,I like her a lot and am happy to see her back in a potentially more powerful position than ever before.

There's quite a bit to anticipate this season and starting by the next episode,we'll have Christopher Meloni on board as Roman,a major player in the Vampire Authority who isn't too thrilled with Bill and Eric at the moment:





The team challenge this week on The Next Food Network Star was for each group to appear on a TV special with Guy Fieri and demonstrate a few themed recipes. Team Alton had Halloween while Team Giada was given a football party and Team Bobby got kid meals.

Only one team had to face the Producers' Challenge and that was the Alton Brown crew. A map of the U.S. was used as a dartboard and each person had to make a dish that represented the state they landed on,plus a camera presentation.



Then it came down to Judson and Martie for the judges to decide who to send home and Judson was handed his walking papers. That was such a shame for many reasons. First off,Martie has yet to control her babbling brook of speech problem(which cut into one team mate's time during the main challenge)and she pretty much copped out when it came to the Producers' segment.

She wound up with Pennsylvania and wasn't happy to not have a southern state so the best that Martie came up with was a mushroom stuffed with cream cheese(due to a couple of suggestions from her mentor Alton). *sigh*In any competition,you can not always expect to be able to play to your strengths,sometimes you have to roll with the choices given to you. Martie totally dropped the ball,no question about it.

Judson may have had some presentation troubles,but he was finding his way and I truly believe that,allowed the opportunity, he could have made his weight loss POV work. Judge Susie really seemed dead set against Judson but Alton showed a lot of empathy towards him. Maybe Judson will get a show,someday because I'm not the only one that feels he deserved another shot:



Next week,the chef contenders have an Iron Chef style challenge with a very Chopped quality guest judge,so things should definitely get heated in more ways than one:





Mad Men wrapped up their fifth season as most of the characters tried to tie off loose ends as well. Don did his best to ease his guilt over Lane's death while Pete saw the end of his brief affair with poor doomed Beth and Megan struggled to figure out how to make her acting dreams come true.

It was good to see Peggy run into Don(hopefully that will happen often next season) and Joan get more pro-active with her new partnership position. As for what the future may bring,it seems as if Don will go back to his former philandering ways which is not a great progression for him but I'd rather watch a Don Draper tryst than check out Roger Sterling's acid trip end game:



RANDOM NOTES:

BUNHEADS: I watched the debut of ABC Family's new series,helmed by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino,about a Vegas showgirl(Sutton Foster) who ditches her less than stellar lifestyle by marrying a male admirer and possibly getting a gig teaching in his mother's dance school. Kelly Bishop plays her mother-in-law(who is a tad wackier than Emily Gilmore but just as entertainingly intimidating)and the two of them alone are a real treat.

The pilot episode was pretty promising and GG fans as well as folks into dance related tales should like this series,which feels as cozy as a good beach book only it has a beat you can really get up and dance to:

Not ready to roll with Rock of Ages

The big movie release this upcoming weekend is Rock of Ages,an adaptation of a successful Broadway show that uses a variety pack of songs from the eighties to thread together a story about the music scene of that time period.

The tunes chosen here are tried and true numbers such as "Paradise City" and "Wanted,Dead or Alive" and the cast is a mix of singers(Mary J. Blige,Julianne Hough),actors(Catherine Zeta-Jones,Paul Giamatti)and celebrity types(Tom Cruise,Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand).

Now,I know the stage musical has a strong enough following that caught the attention of Hollywood and earned it a greenlight,yet I have serious doubts regarding how well this is going to do at the multiplex. Part of my problem with it is too many celebrity faces in the cast,by that I mean an actor or actress who is more well known as themselves than any character that they've played over the years.

That distinction is crucial because it can break the suspension of disbelief that an audience needs to truly engage in whatever story is unfolding before them. Let's be real,folks;are you going to see Stacee Jaxx singing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" or Tom Cruise pretending to be a rock star?:



Another problem is the music,which has been plucked from various artists like Guns N' Roses,Bon Jovi,REO Speedwagon and Journey. Each song comes from people who were contemporaries in that field around that time,it is true,but that doesn't mean that the music from each of them will blend well automatically. For most musicals to work,it helps to have one vision and one voice that unites both the story and the songs in plot point harmony:





A good example of what I'm talking about is Mamma Mia!,which came out in 2008 and did great at the box office despite having to compete with The Dark Knight that summer. First off,all of the music came from ABBA and since that group tended to connect love and pathos(not to mention party time spirit)in their whole range of songs,the unity was there right from the start.

It was also a boon to the production that the entire plot was in your standard love story/comedy of errors genre and that most of the cast was made up of newbies and character actor types. Yes,Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth are typical leading men but the biggest star power in this film belonged to Meryl Streep,who is able to go beyond the surface and then some.

The level of nostalgic love for this music is just as high as it is for the songs selected for Rock of Ages,however Mamma Mia feels like a fully composed five course banquet while ROA comes across more like a self serve buffet whipped up at the last minute:





To be fair,I haven't seen Rock of Ages in any format so my instant dislike of the film may be way too harsh. However,it's hard to ignore that tingling from my storyteller sense that is screaming out loud,"Danger Will Robinson!" big time whenever I see a ad for this one. The ultimate decision will be up to the fans and the ticket buyers this weekend,not to mention the critics who will have their say.

In a way,I sort of wish that director Adam Shankman had chosen something more like his last big music based film,Hairspray,a movie turned into a musical and then back into a movie. Granted,that twisty turn subgenre does annoy me at times but it can work. Imagine Legally Blonde;The Musical hitting the theaters instead this year. That sounds so much better,even to a jaded pop culture gal like me:

The case of The People Vs. George Lucas

Last week,I read a review at Saturday Night Screening(a blog that covers the best of the worst in film)that intrigued me so much that I had to go out and rent this flick for myself(via Netflix). It was a documentary entitled The People Vs. George Lucas and as someone who owns both Trekkies and Trekkies 2,my curiosity in seeing Star Wars fans on film was rather peaked.

The People Vs. George Lucas is not as fan friendly,however,as the film explores the love-hate relationship between Lucas and a large portion of his fan base who have grown discontented with him over the years.

Most of that anger sprang from the trio of prequel films(Phantom Menace,Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith)released more than a decade after the last film in the original trilogy,Return of the Jedi,with some hatred left over for the fourth Indiana Jones movie that Lucas had a hand in:





Faithful fans are more than miffed over the weakness of the prequels and the persistent presence of Jar Jar Binks(who hold the distinction of most hated character in the series),they are also not happy with Lucas' remastering of the original films and his efforts to keep them out of the hands of future generations.

Plus,some of the tweaks given to both the new films and the old(the "who shot first,Han or Greedo?" argument and midi-chlorians)have offended the story telling sense of many a viewer. Some,of course,argue that Lucas is a prisoner of his fame and fortune,not to mention the high expectations of his followers and business partners.

While he may be a frustrated artist at heart,Lucas also played well to his strengths as a marketeer which helped him to amass the pop culture empire he now has,which is quite the feat in the pre-internet world that he had to work in and you can't help but admire him for that. However,a little humility would serve him well in reviving some of that former spark,perhaps a few viewings of that infamous Star Wars Holiday special could do the trick:





I must admit that many of the fan debates are pretty legitimate complaints to me,although I do not subscribe to the "George Lucas raped my childhood" screed which I do find offensive. Folks,if you want to be taken seriously in any argument,it helps to expand your vocabulary and use the appropriate terms to express your outrage-"decimated" for example,may be a bit much yet is far more reasonable than the R-word in this instance.

That aside,part of the problem with Lucas and his fans is underestimating their collective intelligence. To Lucas,the Star Wars saga may just be simple
popcorn fare but the reason that science fiction and fantasy resonates so strongly with fans is that it challenges their imaginations and encourages deep thought about life and the consequences of choices along the way.

That might sound silly to some who only see space wizards and laser swords in the hands of the debaters,however,if you look beyond the surface of special effects,there are plenty of savvy schools of thought in session there:



The People Vs.George Lucas does give both sides a fair shake and the one thing that everyone agrees upon is that George Lucas make an indelible mark on pop culture history that,for better or for worse,can never be erased. There is hope for the better,still,with Lucas putting his clout behind Red Tails,that his time to dazzle us is not yet done. With any luck,that will happen before we're stuck in another Death Star with two Chewbaccas:

The other side of Ray Bradbury's pop culture coin

Readers worldwide are mourning the loss of Ray Bradbury,the brilliant science fiction/fantasy writer who passed away earlier this week. Mr. Bradbury has been cited as the inspiration for many authors such as Stephen King and Neil Gaiman and his novels such as Fahrenheit 451 are considered some of the best genre literature of the modern age.

While many of the tributes to his life and times will rightly include his best known works,I thought it might be interesting to check out some of his other film and TV adaptations that either drew many folks to read his books or charmed those already familiar with them:



Bradbury's volumes of short stories made him the ideal writer for any anthology and during the 1980s,HBO started a series entitled The Ray Bradbury Theater which had the man himself on board as host. It ran on HBO for two seasons and then switched to the USA network until 1992.

The casts of these episodes included a number of interesting faces like Peter O'Toole("The Banshee"),William Shatner("The Playground")and Hal Linden("Mars is Heaven"). Some of the stories had been partly taken from Bradbury's novels and a few had been adapted prior but this was a wonderful showcase for more than one talent:





Speaking of prior versions,NBC aired a mini series based on Bradbury's collection of short stories called The Martian Chronicles back in 1980 with
a screenplay by Bradbury contemporary Richard Matheson. It was quite an ambitious undertaking for a major TV network to bring a big science fiction saga to life on screen.

The interlocking tale told of the repeated attempts by Earth men to colonize Mars,first with resistance from the original inhabitants and then
later at the expense of any possible life on Earth. Bradbury wasn't impressed much by the mini series,calling it "boring" yet it did attract a good number of viewers who become readers of the original book like me:





Bradbury was a noted screenwriter,who penned episodes of The Twilight Zone,Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well as adaptations of his own work such as The Electric Grandmother,Halloween Tree and The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Film buffs,however,are well aware of his collaboration with director John Huston for a major motion picture version of the classic American novel,Moby Dick,back in 1956.

Huston and Bradbury had horrible clashes during the production that provided Bradbury with material for a novel and a couple of short stories about the experience. Despite their infighting,the movie is considered an artistic success(it failed to make back it's increased budget upon first release)and many film makers consider it to be highly influential.

Part of the reason for that later appreciation is due to Bradbury using as much of Melville's florid language as possible to keep the dialogue authentic and true to the book:





Flash forward to 1983,when Disney decided to turn Bradbury's dark novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes,into a live action film. That was seen as a bit of departure from their regular family fare in that forum and while it didn't do big business at the box office,SWTWC does have a nice little cult following.

It's more of a horror story,as a sinister carnival visits a small town with plans to lure some of the more vulnerable locals into their clutches. A pair of young boys stumble onto this devious den of delights and try to stop their reign of terror but the only adult who believes them is Will Holloway(Jason Robards),the aged father of one of the boys.

The elder Holloway happens to be a librarian and therefore some of the best sequences take place at the library,including a dangerous showdown with Mr. Dark(Jonathan Pryce),the ringmaster of this creepy circus:



Ray Bradbury was a remarkable man and a great writer,whose like we may not see again. His legacy goes beyond the wonderful stories that came out of his head,however,as his thoughts about the creative process and love of books should provide plenty of food for thought to future authors and scholars. We sing the body electric because of you,Mr. Bradbury. Fare thee well:

GOT's second curtain call,The Next Food Network Star gets fashionable and a sad departure on Mad Men

A lot of plot lines were tackled on the season two finale of Game of Thrones,with Theon's reign at Winterfell coming to a quick end,the Lannisters gloating over their victory at Blackwater,Brienne giving Jaime a reason to shut up and Jon Snow's recruitment into the Wildings circle. However,I'm just going to focus on my three favorite characters for this wrap-up,starting with Dany.

As expected,she entered the House of the Undying and having read A Clash of Kings,I was prepared for some pretty wild stuff to go on there. The writers wisely chose a more personal tone to that sequence by having Dany transported to what appeared to be the Iron Throne room in shambles and then wandering out to a tent where her beloved Drogo and their intended child were waiting for her.

Tempted as she was to stay,Our Lady Stormborn went back to find her dragons. Those critters were set up as bait to trap all of them with the warlock in charge who wanted to feed off of their combined magical power to fuel his own.

Once again,Dany's survival skills were underestimated and she used that mystical connection with her dragon children to gain freedom for them all. It may be awhile before Dany arrives at Westeros but when that does happen,woe betide any fool in her path:





Next,we have Arya who is now back on the road with Gendry and Hot Pie. Jaquen is waiting for her and they complete what dealings are left between them.

Jaquen offers to take her with him to Braavos to learn the deadly arts of the Faceless Men(whose reason for that name becomes very clear by the end of their talk) but she still wants to find what remains of her family.

At that,he then gives her a special coin,along with the phrase "Valar Morghulis"(which means "all men must die")for the young Stark girl to use if and when she needs to seek him out again. Those two parting gifts will prove to be most valuable in Arya's future,wait and see:





And now,we come to Tyrion,whose fortunes have fallen as his family has once again tossed him aside. I so hate how he gets treated,especially having to wake up from a serious injury with a creep like Maester Pycelle leering over him.

With his powers as Hand of the King reverting back to his father,sister Cersei looking to finish him off after that near attempt during the Battle of Blackwater only succeeding in leaving a nasty scar on his face(it was worse in the books,trust me on this)and none of his previous supporters in sight,Tyrion had every reason to go along with Shae's notion of getting the hell out of King's Landing for good.

Yet,he is a true Lannister in that he won't give up without some sort of fight. That scene between him and Shae was touching and while I won't reveal any spoilers regarding their future,let's just say that the sad sweetness of this moment will rebound more than anyone can know at this time:



All in all,season two of GOT was a rousing success but I can't sign off without a mention of that last shot with poor Sam huddling in the snow as the White Walkers began their march upon the Wall. Those frosty undead looked mighty menacing there,particularly the lead rider and hopefully in the third season,we'll be treated to a full display of what they can do:





On The Next Food Network Star,teams were back to competing against each other as the theme for this week's challenge was Fashion Week.

Everyone was assigned a standard classic dish(tuna casserole,fish sticks,etc)and had to turn it into a stylish new creation. The chefs not only had to make their food look high tone,they also had to give a little intro as their plates went down the runway.



Totally have to give props to Justin,who justifiably won the challenge. His beef stroganoff was presented in such a suitable for the occasion manner that made his verbal presentation stand out even more so and earned him a nice ten grand prize.

Verbal was key this time,as both of the fella in the Bottom Two,Ippy and Eric,didn't have to cook in the Producer's Challenge. Instead,they had to make a 30 second spot for an already prepared plate. Alas,Eric did not hold up well after the second try which sent him home. I do like Ippy but Eric seemed a bit more on point with his piece. Then again,Eric's "made by hand" concept involves a lot of time management,which has tripped him up quite a lot here.

Next week,Guy Fieri has the team do some on camera teamwork with him for what looks like a football party demo. Even if some of the contenders are not sports fans,they need to gear up big time for this one:





It was only a matter of time on Mad Men that Lane's embezzlement would be discovered but his solution to the situation was far too drastic.

After being called out in private by Don,who gave him the weekend to make a graceful exit from the firm,Lane chose to end his life at the office literally. His first attempt was to die in the new car his wife gave him as a surprise gift but the vehicle had trouble starting. Such an iconic Charlie Brown moment for him.

Joan wound up finding the body,which was heart breaking to see,as her usual stoic self gave way to tears. Don had a few flashbacks to the last time he dealt with a hanged man but in this case,this wasn't his fault at all. Poor Lane,it was bad enough that you had to go but at least when Peggy left last week,we had hopes that her departure from the series wouldn't be permanent. The season finale is next Sunday but I don't know how the emotional weight of this show can get any heavier:



RANDOM NOTES:

HELL'S KITCHEN: Amongst the ladies on the Red Team this season,I recognized a former Chopped Champion in their ranks. Roshni did well in that high pressure setting but she needs to be even more steady under Gordon Ramsey's watchful eye(not to mention up on her game with the scallops there!):

Yes,Virginia,Green Lantern is gay

For awhile now,folks were speculating on which DC Comics superhero would be reintroduced as gay during the recent reboot of the franchise and now we have our answer. In the Earth 2 series(meaning an alternative universe,a standard scenario for comic book changes),it is the Golden Age version of Green Lantern Alan Scott whose new origin will be featured in issue #3.

The reactions to this development have been mixed so far,with many people welcoming the new level of diversity and others either complaining that this
was simply done as a cheap way to boost sales or looking to compete with Marvel who is planning a same sex wedding for one of their X Men characters,Northstar later this month. No doubt the Moral Majority types will be making their opinions heard about this situation as well:





There are those who would prefer that a new character had been created for this purpose rather than change an existing one. I can understand that argument,however there are a couple of flaws there in my opinion. One,it does make more of an impact artistically and socially to give such a dramatic twist to a pop culture persona that just about everyone is familiar with. Also,by introducing the concept of a gay superhero with a whole new character,it does leave the door open(so to speak)for charges of tokenism.

Granted,there's no way to please everyone and that shouldn't be the goal here anyway. What matters is does this change suit the character and I believe that it fits just right in this case. Green Lantern,unlike Superman or Wonder Woman,is an alter ego that can and has been passed on to more than one person which allows for plenty of adjustment and leeway for who wears that particular mantel.

In addition to Alan Scott,we've had Kyle Rayner,John Stewart,Guy Gardner and the best known of the bunch,Hal Jordan,all ordinary human beings who were chosen for their inner virtues as worthy of holding such great power. It's no different that Batman being able to pass on his suit to someone like Terry McGinniss in the animated/comic book series Batman Beyond or for Spiderman in an alternate reality to be a biracial young man(which caused some ruckus amongst the purists,too).



Certain superheroes are self made,determined to avenge injustice and stop the forces of evil on their own merits,which makes them even more relatable to the average person.

Some are chosen,like Green Lantern,to be protectors of our world and that distinction is what separates the nearly god like heroes from a guy or gal wanting to right what once went wrong,when the established powers of law and order can't. Both are great sources for story telling but clearly one type is far more flexible than the other in reflecting the social changes in society.

This doesn't rule out the opportunity for brand new heroes who are gay to appear in pop culture at all. Hopefully,with Green Lantern and Northstar out there to pave the way,gay superheroes will no longer be seen in the future as such a major conundrum:



It's important to note that James Robinson,the writer of this series,sees Alan Scott's sexuality as one of many components of the character's personality and wants to portray him as a strong example of heroism who just happens to be gay. That is the right direction to take this concept in and given that Green Lantern is a member of an intergalactic group of warriors,the timeliness of this change is incredibly suitable. What better way to show that love is universal than demonstrating that belief via the Green Lantern Corps?:



Once the initial surprise wears off,Green Lantern fans may be able to appreciate the revised version of Alan Scott and enjoy a great new set of superhero stories in the bargain. Even non fans may find this updated take on the traditional hero to be more engaging,making this a win-win all around.

Then we can get back to more pressing debate topics like will Ryan Reynolds stay with the GL films,after his first try failed so miserably and should there even be a sequel in the first place? Enquiring minds want to know!:

Taking a tour of Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins

The action in Jess Walter's new novel,Beautiful Ruins,takes place in various locations but it's starting point is in Porto Vergogna, a small,nearly forgotten seaside village on the coast of Italy in 1962.

Pasquale Tursi ,a young man who has returned home to run his family's hotel after the death of his father,has high hopes in turning Porto Vergogna into a resort area fit for American tourists and spends his days trying to create a beach on the rocky shore,along with plans for a tennis court atop of a cliffside clearing.

One fateful day,a boat brings a lovely blonde American girl to his hotel and she insists that her reservation is not a mistake. Her name is Dee Moray and that she is an actress who is about to make her big film debut in the Elizabeth Taylor epic,Cleopatra:





Dee's time on the movie has been cut short,due to an illness that may be cancer. She's expecting to go to Switzerland for treatment but is waiting for
a certain man to join her at the hotel first. That wait becomes long and Pasquale becomes concerned over her health,as well as touched by her forlorn nature and seeks out help from a PR man on the film named Michael Deane.

Decades later,a much older Pasquale is in Hollywood and arrives at the offices of now aging mogul Michael Deane. He stumbles into a open pitch session run by Deane's disillusioned assistant Claire and winds up attending with Shane,a wannabe script writer that happens to speak a bit of Italian. At first,Claire believes that Pasquale's story is another pitch but soon realizes that his quest to find Dee Moray is all too real:





That's all of the plot I'm going to give to you,otherwise you would be deprived of the great joy of discovering the delights of this book for yourself. I will say that Dee's condition while staying in Porto Vergogna is not due to cancer but is connected with the filming of Cleopatra in a major way.

The story goes back and forth in time while making a few necessary pit stops for other characters whose purpose in the narrative becomes clearer as events and people in this well crafted tale reach their intended rendezvous.

The most haunting character out of the ensemble arranged on the pages is Dee Moray,who changes names and goals during the course of her life and for reasons that are deeply personal yet appear remote to outsiders. The choices that she makes wind up affecting so many lives around her and yet the author does not make Dee either an angel or a devil,rather he displays this vibrant woman in all of her human glory. Dee's emotional journey is not the only one taken here but it is a very vital component to the ultimate outcome of the novel:



Other hidden gems in Beautiful Ruins include a bizarre pitch for an epic film about the Donner Party,the opening chapter of a war novel and an early draft of a hideous Hollywood insider memoir. Jess Walter balances these seemingly off the wall side notes with the ever growing story and does it with the grace and ease of a master juggler.

He also adds in whimsy that never turns cloying,melodrama that hits the right points and avoids entering maudlin country,plus several heartbreaking moments that are a sad yet wonderful joy to behold.This is my first time in reading any of Walter's work(his best known novel is The Financial Lives of Poets)and this book is said to be a change of pace for him. Maybe so,but I have a feeling that when I check out the rest of his books,I won't be disappointed at all. Beautiful Ruins is definitely going to make my Best of the Year list for 2012.

Beautiful Ruins will be out and about on June 12 and it's the best mental vacation you'll take this season. This enticing story of worlds colliding and attempting to reconnect invites the reader to do more than sit back and watch,it demands that you climb on stage and join in the raucous song of life being performed right then and there:

How do you prefer your queen;English or Evil?

An interesting convergence of royals is taking place this weekend,as the second Snow White film of the year,Snow White and the Huntsman,debuts at theaters and over in England,they're about to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth,who has reigned for sixty years in good times and bad.

No matter how you feel about any sort of monarchy,fictional or otherwise,the appeal of being a queen holds a powerful fascination upon our imaginations
and an indelible part of our pop culture realm. With that in mind,let us look over a few prime examples from both sides of the regal coin and then decide
which type of queen intrigues you the most,English or Evil:

FURY UNDER FIRE

One of the hazards of wearing a crown is facing invading armies lead by those eager to take that shiny headgear off of you. Some bear the situation better than others,even if they're not allowed to enter the fray directly.

On Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister-Baratheon of Westeros would rather be out in the streets with a sword in hand but instead,must stay inside the Red Keep with the ladies of the court,awaiting word of their fate. Her tactic in handling this situation is to drink as much wine as she can,while giving out some less than encouraging advice to Sansa,the intended bride of her twisted son Joffrey.

While one could understand some of Cersei's complaints,her gleefully gruesome pronouncements about what lies in store for the women if the men can't keep the enemy out of the city drains away a lot of that sympathy:

When real life Elizabeth the first had to deal with the Spanish Armada threatening to hit her shores,she was able to take charge and manage things more on her own.

She did make a rousing speech to her troops,as depicted in the 1998 film Elizabeth:The Golden Age,although the actual words she spoke to them are some what in dispute. Nevertheless,Elizabeth's presence at the front was considered to be quite inspiring:

FLIRTY SCHEMERS

While Elizabeth I never took a husband,that didn't mean she disdained all men. However,none of those dalliances got in the way of running the kingdom or making plans against her enemies.

In an Errol Flynn classic,The Sea Hawk,she is seen as headstrong when plotting to outwit Spain but even Elizabeth was not immune to the charms of Flynn's rascally character. Granted,he did have a cute little monkey on hand to help soften her up:

Of course,tempting a man to go along with her plans has always been a key tool in any evil queen's kit.

Even the likes of the Borg Queen in Star Trek:First Contact had plenty of womanly wiles on hand to appease the cool logic of Data in order to claim the security codes needed to fully take over the ship.

Data did offer up some resistance but she had home field advantage in a sense,particularly with that memorable entrance of hers.When it comes to seduction,cyber chicks are not without game,especially for the geeks:

DANCING DIVAS

From Elizabeth's day,we jump to Queen Victoria for whom an entire era was named after. While she maintained a reputation for strict propriety not only
for herself but those around,the lady did possess very passionate feelings yet learned early on to keep them closed off from others.

One passion she did have was for her husband Albert,who understood her struggles to figure out who to trust all too well. Many scenes in the film The Young Victoria showcase their relationship nicely but their opening dance at her coronation ball speaks volumes without saying a word:

Not every dancing queen is safe to waltz with, such as the undead patrons of a vampire bar found out in Queen of the Damned when "the mother of all vampires" paid them a visit.

Queen Akasha was seeking her dark prince Lestat and became rather displeased when the bartender informed her of the plan to do him in. Instead of taking a moment to calmly consider her options,Akasha quickly took matters into her own hands,along with a few hearts:

So,English or Evil-it's a hard choice indeed. Perhaps having a bit of both at the proper times is what's best.

As for this weekend,most of the ceremonies for the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee will be televised,so if you can go out to the movies for Snow White and the Huntsman,chances are that a replay of the events will be easy to find.

Royal ladies may appear to have the ultimate good life,yet if you look past the glittering jewels,massive castles and mandatory bowing from all and sundry,they have a pretty hard row to hoe there.

Even a queen without any major responsibilities regarding the welfare of her realm has to adjust to the winds of change or be removed from her throne(even if it's metaphorically speaking).

I suppose that is why queens,whether based on real people or not,are going to continue to be influential figures in the pop culture world for ages to come,no matter how modern they may get: