Demons Meet Law & Order in Lucifer

Me and my brother loved watching Law & Order SVU when we were in middle school. Law & Order SVU is the show I watch when doing chores or I want to have a distraction from a tough day. Lucifer is a Law & Order inspired show with demons thrown into the mix.

Lucifer is the literal king of hell played wonderfully by Tom Ellis. He’s the owner of a nightclub and finds amusement having sex with beautiful women and drinking copious amounts of booze. After one of Lucifer’s friends is shot and killed, he meets Chloe Decker, a LA homicide detective who’s assigned to this case. Chloe, played by Lauren German, is unique because she’s immune to Lucifer’s gifts. His “gifts” includes being able to persuade people to reveal their deepest darkest secrets. Chloe uses this to her advantage to solve crimes throughout Los Angeles.

Each season of Lucifer has a larger subplot intertwined throughout the season. The first season involves Lucifer getting shot by Chloe and he starts to bleed. Lucifer is immortal, so why is he bleeding from a simple gunshot wound?. Meanwhile Chloe is trying to build a case surrounding a supposed corrupt cop. The plot twists in the first season were shocking.

Lucifer is a favorite show of mine because of the characters. Lucifer can be an asshole, but he also has good intentions despite being the retired ruler of hell. Chloe is sassy to Lucifer while also using her cunning investigative techniques to seek the truth. I cannot forget to mention Trixie, Chloe’s cute daughter. Trixie adores Lucifer which is hilarious since Lucifer hates kids. His apparent hate for children doesn’t stop Trixie from giving him hugs throughout the season.

I wanted to give a special shout out to the fans who utilized the internet to save the show. Lucifer originally premiered on Fox until it was cancelled. Fans were irritated and created a petition to save the show. Netflix realizing they could make money off of Lucifer fans, swooped into renew the show at the last minute. I wish I was apart of this legion of fans, but I only discovered Lucifer a week ago.

Lucifer is a fabulous show featuring demon drama in downtown LA. I finished season one a couple days ago and I plan on watching season two either today or tomorrow. I’m trying to slowly get through the show as I don’t want to wait for new episodes.

If you’re a fan of Lucifer, let’s talk about the show in the comments!

 

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Hot Date Realistically Chronicles Sex, Dating and Marriage.

I have been stuck in a TV watching rut. I tried watching both Castle Rock and Homeland this year and I couldn’t get into these shows. Whenever I watch a show I can’t get into, it puts me in a funk. Thanks to Hot Date, I found an amusing show filled with sketches that realistically depict sex, dating and marriage.

Originally, I discovered Emily and Brian after listening to Not Another DnD Podcast. I don’t normally listen to DnD podcasts because I find if I “zone out” a little bit, I’m lost in the DnD story. However, Not Another DnD Podcast, is hilarious and I have no trouble listening to the voice actors for a two hour episode. At the end of each episode, the hosts usually plug their current books or other projects they have been working on. This is where I discovered Hot Date. 

Hot Date centers around Emily and Brian’s relationship and how it evolves through social interaction and taking on responsibilities. Each episode is roughly twenty minutes long with numerous sketches occurring in between Emily and Brian’s bits. One of my favorite sketches is where Emily and Brian feel they need to “spice up their relationship”. They visit a sex store where they purchase a sex swing. Things go awry when they don’t read the instructions and get stuck in the sex swing. This sketch sticks with me because I feel there is a stereotype for couples in long term relationships to try and “spice up their relationship.” I am perfectly content with my relationship, but I feel this insecurity every now and then.

Regardless if you’re single, in a relationship or married, I think anyone could find this show entertaining. I like that it’s not a huge commitment to watch the show as there are only ten episodes in season #1. Before watching Hot Date, I would recommend listening to Not Another DnD podcast because then you can get an idea on Emily and Brian’s humor to see if Hot Date would be for you. As far as what to watch next. . . I’m thinking about re-watching Doctor Who or I heard Good Omens was good. I’m glad to be out of my TV watching rut.

 

Star Wars Canon Timeline

The Star Wars universe encompasses so many various media including the movies, TV series, books, comics and board games. There’s so much to devour that if you stick with the movies, you miss out on other stories. Kristin at Super Space Chick made a pact to try and read more “Star Wars Canon” in between the release of episodes VIII & episode IV. I made a decision that I wanted to read more “Star Wars Canon”. I also want to take another stab at watching Clone Wars because even though I have tried to watch it twice without continuing on, I have heard too many good things about the show to completely abandon it. I plan on posting my Star Wars Canon Project which I did adapt from Kristin’s list, so credit goes to her for putting it all together.

The Star Wars Expanded Universe has had various changes as to whether or not the books were “canon” or not. When something is “canon” it means it’s existing in the same universe. When Disney acquired LucasFilm, they set out to make a standard as to which Star Wars books would be considered “canon”. On April 25th 2014, the Expanded Universe was retconned, meaning all the books published before this date weren’t technically considered canon. These books still were written, but technically are considered almost fan-fiction versus actually occurring in the Star Wars universe. This may have angered fans who fell in love with the books only for them to not be considered in the main Star Wars saga.

One summer, I had walked to a library near by my house. I spotted sitting on a shelf Maul Lockdown by Joe Schreiber. Darth Maul is easily one of the most underused characters in the Star Wars saga. I enjoyed Maul Lockdown as it adds to his story that we don’t get to see in the Phantom Menace. However, this book was released before April 25th, so therefore it’s not strictly canon.

The question becomes. . . what is considered canon in the Star Wars Universe? The movies are always going to be number one. Followed by both Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. The books help provide fans with much needed character development taking place between the movies. Comics also help to fill that void.

In the above picture, I crossed off in blue what I have read or watched already. The list is about five pages on it’s own including every TV episode, movie, comic, book that’s been created. I’m also going to include a link to Kristin’s video where she gives even more resources for fans to utilize when reading the extended universe.

Ultimately, my goal is to read as much as I can before the end of the year. That may only be one book or it can be finally finishing Clone Wars. I like this organized guide because it feels like a check list and I’m a list making person. In Kristin’s above video, she links to her original google doc which I then used to make it my own. Episode IX comes out this year and reading more Star Wars will get me excited for December.

 

Shrill is Sassy and Body Positive

Aidy Bryant.. I love her. 

I have a problem: I tend to start watching 5 TV shows at once. For example, I’m watching Queer Eye season #3, Castle Rock and The Good Place simultaneously. When I was at C2E2 with my friend, she couldn’t stop raving about Shrill and how honest it was at portraying a young woman going through her professional career. Specifically how this young, plus size woman, is facing obstacles in her personal and professional life based on her weight. It was heartbreaking at times to see how plus size women are treated today, but it’s necessary to demonstrate how we need to let plus size women exist without judgement.

Shrill stars Aidy Bryant, who recently starred alongside Amy Schumer in I Feel Pretty. Aidy plays Annie Easton, a plus sized woman working in Portland. She’s been having on / off sex with Ryan who refuses to have her meet his friends and sneaks her out the back door every time she comes over. Annie also receives off handed remarks from her boss at work and her mom about trying to lose weight. As she has unprotected sex with Ryan, she gets pregnant when she discovers that Plan B doesn’t work as well because of her weight.

Does Plan B not work as well on woman who weigh over 175 lbs.? I did research and many gynecologists say that in “woman who weigh over 175 lbs.” the morning after pill has been more likely to fail. I’m shocked because I never knew weight played a role in how the medication worked. There is even research saying some morning after pills won’t work on women who weigh more than 150 lbs. which by the way, on some days I do weight around 150 lbs. Would the pharmacologist let me know this information if I needed to purchase this pill? Probably not.

Annie decides to get an abortion which is shown to some degree on the show. I’m pro choice which means I’m for a woman’s right to choose what she wants to do with the fetus. I’m not going to debate anyone on this because my opinion won’t change. I’m glad we are representing this on TV because many woman have abortions and it’s still treated as a shameful act when it shouldn’t be the case.

Annie goes through many other experiences and slowly learns to not give a fuck. The episodes where Annie stands up for herself are my favorite because I was rooting for her. This show is based off Lindy West’s book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman which is a book all about fat representation and obstacles Lindy faced in her career due to her weight. This series is full of body confidence and features a fat woman living her truest life.

I’m someone who has thin privilege. Thin privilege is the idea that I’m thin enough in society to pass meaning I’m not approached or mocked for my weight. Except one time I was at the gynecologist and she made a comment about how I had been gaining weight. The point is that I’m not the target audience of Shrill. However, Shrill is a great show highlighting women of all different sizes, races and backgrounds. The only way these types of shows keep being made is if they are profitable. So let’s keep consuming media starring other body types to show Hollywood that beauty is found at every size.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile: Bundy Interview Tapes

As soon as I saw the first image released of Zac Efron portraying serial killer, Ted Bundy, I became invested in this movie. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile was released at the Sundance film festival on January 26th 2019. The reviews of the movie aren’t great due to the tone they decided to portray Bundy. This inspired me to watch The Ted Bundy Interview Tapes documentary on Netflix. If you’re interested in true crime, this is a thrilling show to watch. Be warned, I felt some of the details of his crimes were gruesome, so I only watched an episode a day because I felt it was all I could take.

Trigger Warning: Discussions of killings, rape, sexual violence etc.

Ted Bundy Interview Tapes: Photo owned by Netflix. 

The tapes review Bundy’s life, his romantic relationships and how he escaped from captivity twice. This man is extremely intelligent and was able to evade authorities which allowed him to kill again in Florida. It wasn’t until a day or two before his execution where he finally admitted to his crimes killing over 30 women across 6 states. Many of his victims will never be identified and I feel for their families.

Many of the details of his crimes are revealed as to how he treated these women including different markings on their bodies. What really sticks with me is the rape and bite marks to his victims. Rape and sexual violence is occurring at rapid rates in today’s society and still not being prosecuted like it should. That’s why with most types of media, if rape is included in a graphic manner, it’s extremely difficult for me to watch that media. Not necessarily because I have been assaulted, but it pains me to have to be conscious of my surroundings, so I don’t become a potential victim of sexual violence.

I have been pondering why we have a fascination with serial killers in our culture. I believe it’s the fear of the unknown chemical or nurturing environment that causes someone to commit acts of violence. We don’t have a reason why criminals do the things they do which could be applied to every killer. That scares me. H.P. Lovecraft wrote about fear of the unknown by creating mythical creatures in his stories. However in society, we have Ted Bundy who looks like a typical man, but is capable of so much more.

True crime fanatics will enjoy this documentary. It’s short with only 4 episodes and it tells a concise story about Ted Bundy. It doesn’t answer the question as to why Bundy is the way he is, but at least justice was served to prevent Bundy from killing again. I’m not going to debate the death penalty on this post, but if anyone didn’t deserve to live, it would be him.

 

Queer Eye – Which One of the Fab 5 is My Soulmate.

In 2003, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy aired on Bravo. I would watch a couple episodes with my mom and the only guy I actively remember was Carson Kressley. My mom liked watching the transformations and seeing them learn to love themselves. Now, Queer Eye has been rebooted on Netflix and I haven’t had time to watch it, until now. This show is more meaningful than giving a makeover, it’s giving someone their confidence back. Before I reveal which one of the Fab 5 is my soulmate (thanks to Buzzfeed), I wanted to share a little bit about the cast.

Image from Netflix (from left to right Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, and Tan France).

Bobby Berk

Bobby is the interior design expert on the team. Some of the apartments he has redone look incredible. One of my favorite episodes is Below Average Joe where Bobby redesigns a basement for a man who still lives with his parents. This basement doesn’t look like a basement, but more like a modern apartment once it’s finished. Bobby has impeccable taste in furniture too. Can he come to my apartment?

Karamo Brown

Karamo is by far the coolest out of the five. He’s the culture expert which I take that as teaching someone how to act, network on social media and be more confident. His connection with Cory in the episode Dega Don’t was a moving episode. Cory’s friend is a police officer who pulls the Fab 5 over as a “joke”. With all of the recent police shootings involving killing unarmed African Americans, this alarms Karamo. Cory and Karamo discuss the political nature of unarmed police shootings and how African Americans are treated by police officers in general. It creates one of the most political episodes in Queer Eye, but I’m glad Karamo and Cory were able to have such a respectful conversation with each other.

Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan is my favorite of the Queer Eye Fab 5. I can’t stop smiling every time Jonathan says “YAAAAASSS QUEEEN.”. If I had all the money in the world, I would hire him to be my daily beauty assistant. He is the hair, skin care and style expert of the group. I’m a fan of his style because he pushes boundaries without giving a flying fuck about what anyone thinks of him. Also he has beautiful hair and I’m jealous.

Antoni Porowski

Antoni is the one I have the biggest crush on because he’s so damn attractive. He has the best smile, great hair and could cook me the most delicious dinner. Being the “foodie” of the group, I would argue his expertise is most important. You can look great, but if you can cook, even better.

Tan France

Tan and Jonathan are the Ying & the Yang. Jonathan is the hair and beauty product expert where Tan is the style icon. I felt the series does a great job at highlighting Tan’s personality. I would say he’s one of the more quiet guys in the group which helps to balance them out.

So who is my soulmate??? Drum roll please…..

 

I’m not mad about this. I’m not going to lie, I was hoping for Antoni, but Tan is a great choice. When I read the description for Tan, this doesn’t sound like my personality. I wouldn’t label myself as direct, although I love going shopping for new clothes to wear.

I cannot recommend Queer Eye enough. The show is lighthearted, while also diving into some tough political topics. Tears have been shed in many of the episodes and I’m surprised at how addicted I became to the show in just watching one episode. I’m not on season #2 yet, but I’m excited to watch more stories unfold in the heart of the deep South.

 

2018 Pop Culture Year in Review

2018 became a memorable year loaded with trips, comic book conventions and everlasting memories. I wanted to write my recap post a little bit earlier before time gets away from me and I forget to publish it. 2018 was a fantastic year.

Movies I saw in Theaters:

Seeing Aquaman early! Picture taken by the boyfriend

• Black Panther *twice*
• Avengers Infinity War 
• Solo: A Star Wars Adventure
• Antman & the Wasp 
• Mission Impossible Fallout 
• The Spy Who Dumped Me 
• Venom 
• Crimes of Grindelwald 
• Robin Hood 
• Aquaman 

My Favorite Movie of 2018: This is a tough call, but I’m going to have to say it’s a tie between Aquaman and Black Panther. Aquaman was a win for DC’s movie universe and Black Panther was representation for the African American community along with the fact it was an amazing movie.

TV Shows I Watched:

Richard Madden ❤ ❤ ❤ Image by BBC

• Riverdale Season #2
• Rewatching Jessica Jones Season #1 
• Jessica Jones Season #2 
• Parks and Recreation 
• Mindhunter 
• Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan 
• Luke Cage Season #2 
• Iron Fist Season #2
• The Bodyguard 
• DC’s Titans 

My Favorite TV Show in 2018: I’m indecisive which led to me picking The Bodyguard and Parks & Recreation. The Bodyguard is only six episodes long which meant I finished it in a day. Richard Madden is an excellent actor and it also helps he’s extremely attractive. Parks & Recreation has easily become one of my all time favorite TV shows which is surprising considering I didn’t think I would like the show initially. Shout out to the boyfriend for convincing me to watch this with him.

 Video Games I Played:

This Spider-Man DLC rocks. Image from Insomniac Games

• Lego Marvel Superheroes 
• Uncharted Drake’s Fortune 
• Uncharted #2 Among Thieves 
• Uncharted #3 Drake’s Deception 
• Marvel’s Spider-Man + the DLC

My Favorite Video Game of 2018: Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best game in 2018. I probably will end up playing through the campaign again in 2019.

2018 Biggest Pop Culture Moments:

• James Gunn’s pedophile Tweets resulting in him being fired by Marvel
• The disgusting Brett Kavanaugh trial.
• Aziz Ansari and the importance of asking for consent prior to engaging in sexual activity

Biggest Pop Culture Moment: The Aziz Ansari story shocked me when it first released online. Reading through the story, Ansari crossed the line. If someone says no about wanting to engage in any sexual activity, that’s a no. It doesn’t give you a free pass to try other activity. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get consent. This incident shows how little people know about what giving consent looks like because it’s not discussed in sex education and that’s a big problem.

Podcast I Couldn’t Stop Listening To:

Anna Faris’s Unqualified Podcast was recommended to me by my best friend. In each episode, Anna interviews a celebrity of sorts and then they take questions from fans. I prefer the questions from fans because it’s interesting hearing their life problems and hearing Anna Faris’s advice. This is the one podcast I will make sure I’m caught up on.

Catchiest Song in 2018:

I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin has been on repeat every time I work out. Anytime this song beats through my head phones, I work out harder with whatever I’m doing.

Conventions Attended in 2018:

First Panel at Convergence 2019 

Planet Comic Con: Waiting for Matthew Lewis’s Autograph 

4. (Planet Comicon, Convergence, Spring MSP Comicon and Fall MSP Comicon).

Personal Memories:

Top Three Memories in 2018:

Adopting Athena:

I’m so lucky to have this kitty in my apartment. If you follow me on Instagram, I post a cat picture often. I can’t help it, she’s too adorable. Cats are easy to take care of and it’s nice to come home from work and a have a fur ball waiting for me by the door.

Driving to Boston:

My family has started a tradition of going on one major family vacation every year. This year we drove to Boston. Boston is a city I had always wanted to visit and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s colonial history combined with the East Coast environment led me to falling in love with the city.

Flying to the Big Apple

I will say, Boston has nothing on NYC. New York City was ginormous, but captivating. Central Park was much bigger than I had expected it would be. Getting lost in the subway is something I will never forget, but it taught me how to navigate around. If I were to visit NYC again, I would do a lot better with knowing where to go.

My Resolution for 2019:

Spend lots of money at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Orlando!