"Twilight" the TV Show?

Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Yes, for sure. As someone who once ate through an entire box of Golden Grahams in one sitting and then regurgitated every last golden-y graham-y bit within minutes of digestion (I was 6 years old for chrissakes!) I know that some appetizing meals are best served in moderation, and unfortunately the Twilight franchise is no exception to the rule.

R-Patts and T-Lauts (who decided that this sort of name hyphenation system was cool anyways?) are still hotter than a pile of pancakes fresh off the skillet but could a television adaptation of the film adaptation of the book series be enough to squelch their meal ticket or will it continue to kick up some more royalties for the profiteering writer, Stephenie Meyers?

Yes, it’s true we may potentially be seeing a Twilight TV spinoff in the works. According to “ContactMusic Magazine”, Pattinson stands to make nearly 1.8 million dollars an episode for the series that Summit Entertainment is discussing bringing to the small screen as early as mid 2010.

If this is true that would put the release of the show, sometime shortly after the film release of Eclipse. How convenient. However, with the final installment of the film series yet to actually be filmed, Breaking Dawn, how exactly would the TV series fit in with the books/movies? Would it completely divert from the books, a true spinoff, or perchance could we see where the ever awkward and utterly inappropriate romance between vampire-hybrid, and daughter, Renesmee and Jacob goes... (Eck!) Details of the actual content of the show has yet to be released to the public.

Even with the 1.8 million dollar price tag could reprising this role on the small screen mark a crucial misstep in Pattinson’s film career? Some would wager a big fat YES.

Some would also wager that perhaps with the addition of The Vampire Diaries series added to the CW’s lineup, primetime television might already be inundated with enough teen-vampire drama. I mean does Twilight really need to monopolize every avenue of Vampire-centric entertainment? How about we let a show based on a book series written 15 years before Twilight have a chance at the market? (i.e. The Vampire Diaries).

Anyone? I guess I should wait until rumors are confirmed first before getting too fired up [sigh].

‘I’m Pregnant And….” TV Show Puts the Blues in Baby Blues

Discovery health has just added a new show to their Tuesday night primetime lineup, and it rivals some of the ever-downer television shows of A&E. People sure do love their train wrecks, and with a market inundated with plenty of semi-scripted reality shows, docu-reality programs such as Intervention and Hoarders on A&E have gained mass attention and Emmy-recognition, as poignant and evocative programs with a hardcore story to tell.

Discovery Health takes this concept to a new level, with its newest series that premiered last night, Tuesday, December 1, at 9:30 PM (ET/PT) I’m Pregnant and…This series documents the final stages of pregnancy and some time shortly after the birth, of a pregnant woman dealing with seemingly indomitable emotional and physical obstacles that go way beyond a really bad case of morning sickness. Some issues that will be touched upon in the series include homelessness, imprisonment, and eating disorders. That’s right, eating disorders on a pregnant woman, hmmm…wonder how that works.

Well, last night’s episode featured a women who was pregnant and addicted. Yep, pregnant and on drugs. This young woman, Colette, deals with pregnancy while nursing a serious addiction to heroin. The upside, is that Colette quits using the lethal drug while pregnant but the downside is that she, like most recovering addicts, weans herself off the drug and staves off withdrawals with the use of Methadone. Which means that her unborn child will more than likely be born with an addiction to methadone.

While it’s inappropriately comical to imagine a preemie stomping out of the womb demanding some smack, the truth of the situation is heart wrenching and Colette’s story is one that too often goes unrecorded and unrecognized.

Even though this brief glimpse into the heart of a heroin addict still drummed up feelings of resentment and often caused me to mutter “dumb biotch” at the tv screen, (especially when Colette’s monotonous and stoic tone of voice made her sound heartless), I still got a sense that this was a woman who wanted so desperately to change for her child and overcome the situation she had long been too overwhelmed by.

While I still feel the editing style, and production value of Intervention makes it a more dramatic portrayal of the human condition, the shock-value of the condition that these women find themselves in while pregnant is plenty to draw in viewers week after week, [train wreck after train wreck].

New Moon has landed!

So if you’re going to jump on the bandwagon you might as well go all the way. A fan of all four Twilight Saga books, I have been highly anticipating the film release of the second installment of the series, New Moon, even despite the disappointing performances as provided by Kristen Stewart and the hunky Robert Pattinson in the first film.

“Twilighters” have taken the literary world by storm and now the film version of the book series is taking the film world on…again. The question is though, after the franchise endured much criticism at the direction taken in the first film, will the second film provide not only an accurate portrayal of the book but a cinematically competent film as well? Naturally, I’ve seen the film and my vote is in.

Thursday night, the 19^th, I decided to partake in the double feature event that AMC was providing as part of the midnight release of New Moon. Therefore at 8pm, one of my girlfriends and I arrived to take our seats for the 9pm showing of Twilight. Although I already own a copy of the Twilight dvd and have seen the first film in theaters twice, I wanted to fully experience the Twilight Saga and compare the progression of the film series back-to-back.

Since I’m pretty much an uber fan of the books, like most other fans, I was able to forgive the often excruciating on screen interactions between Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) in the first movie. I mean, even on a mug like Pattinson’s, the constipation-look that he adopted for the role was entirely unflattering, not too mention the pale and cakey foundation that was supposed to imitate the lack of blood circulation. But, a repeat lack-luster performance, and more made-for-tv special effects the second time would just be embarrassing. That is why I am pleased to say that after having sat through over 4 hours of what turned out to be a Twilight-extravaganza (including an opening performance in the middle of the movie theater by a local band whose songs comically narrated the plot lines of the books), New Moon definitely shows improvements to the film saga.

The dull canvas of Forks, WA and the even duller palor of the actors in the film, a la cakey foundation, has been replaced with a more rich color palette as a result of high definition and crisp filming and the proficient use of color-correction in post. And the graphics introduced with the shape-shifting werewolves is just the icing on the cake, and definitely does not ring of any sort of Smallville-esque SFX.

Unfortunately though, since New Moon is one of the more subdued and event-less books of the series these sort of improvements are somewhat lost on this installment, and the film is forced to rely more heavily on the acting of its main players. Chris Weitz, the new director of the series, fortunately seems to bring out some better acting techniques out of Stewart and company. Surprisingly her normal default setting of twitchy and awkward mannerisms is replaced with a more natural and more “Bella-ish” disposition. But, that could partly be due to the fact that most of the on-screen interaction and chemistry involves a way hunkier Jacob, as played by Taylor Lautner. The light and airy affectation of Lautner brings out an equally light and more likable side of Stewart, which is precisely what I imagined Jacob and Bella to appear like together. Lautner, and his biceps, are partly what saves this film from being just an overtly depressing profile of a stilted teenager whose only will to live stems from her vampire boyfriend.

That being said, the film possesses a degree of cinematic likability that stands a few hairs above Twilight, but with a storyline that lacks significant action and plot progression, aside from the introduction of Bella and Jacob’s potential romance, the average film-goer will find the film slow moving and just a conduit for the third film.

But like I said, I’ve already drunk the kool-aid, and even though I’ve read the books, the cliff-hanger ending still made me swoon. So, I’m sure I will still be purchasing the DVD with bonus features the first day of its release next year.

A "Fat" Olsen Twin??

I'm pretty offended. While in the checkout lane of my local supermarket, I made an earnest effort to read one of my favorite guilty pleasure mags from cover to cover, in the excruciatingly inordinate amount of time it took the cashier to ring up the one single solitary individual in front of me.
Granted, the magazine was a total tabloid rag, but I suddenly found myself outraged as I stumbled upon a small article, also featured on the cover of the magazine, blasting one of the Olsen twins--- for getting fat!!
The article was complete with a potentially doctored close-up photo of the younger twin, Mary-Kate, in an oversized black sweater (potentially to conceal said weight gain) and a caption that commented on her "bloated" figure.
As a young woman who has long since bid farewell to my Size- 3 days, it’s a bit insulting to look at the, yes, slightly fuller waif and read that this barely noticeable fluctuation in weight is being referred to as drastic and "extreme", as though she had been spotted being wheeled out onto the streets of Manhattan in an over-sized hospital bed and muu-muu, topping out at 800lbs.
Here is the photo-spread in question, along with an un-captioned version of the picture displaying her still very thin legs.
I mean is there someone out there who preferred the 2004 version of Mary-Kate when her weight bordered on Ethiopian chic?
You be the judge.