I totally paused!

Starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, & almost every other young star in the book

My Review: To an extent, I had somewhat high hopes for this movie.  It’s a bit crazy on my part, since Scream 3 was so absolutely horrible that the only thing I can think about it is how I liked Sidney’s jacket, the rest is just a blur of blah.  But I knew that Kevin Williamson was back as the writer for this one, and I trust him since the first two movies were so good.

I don’t want to go so far as to say that trust was misplaced, but this movie was definitely NOT as good as Scream and Scream 2.  The opening scene in these movies is crucial to me, and they opted to take the fake openings of the supposed last two Stab movies (the movies within the Scream world that are based on what happened, sooooo meta) before they show their actual opening scene.  I think this was simply so they could throw in some cameos from people like Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell.  Obviously since I don’t know Kevin Williamson, I don’t have the opportunity to ask him if he thought this would be awesome, or if he was taking the chance to mock some of the conventions of horror movies that are out now.  I’m hoping it’s the latter.

The next thing that got me was that holy cow is this a big cast.  You’ve got Sidney, Gail, and Dewey obviously.  But the whole premise is that Woodsborough is happening all over again, so you’ve got your entire high school cast again.  For me, none of them managed to reach the same level as the original cast in that particular situation – the boyfriend wasn’t as annoying or charming as Billy Loomis, which is saying a lot because I don’t find Skeet Ulrich to be attractive at all.  The new version of Randy wasn’t as fun, throwing in a gay character simply for the sake of having one bored me, and I didn’t really buy Hayden Panettiere as the quirky best friend as much as I did Rose McGowan.

Everything in this movie just had to be BIGGER & CRAZIER than in the original.  Maybe my reaction is a sign of me having just moved on from the target market for this movie, I definitely don’t watch the popular horror flicks of today like I did back when I was in high school.  The original Scream has a soft spot in my heart, I probably still watch that movie at least once a year, and it never gets old for me.  But hey, at least they seem to have moved past the idea of Sidney ever having a good relationship!  Actually, I bet if Patrick Dempsey hadn’t gotten so popular in the years since Scream 3, they would still be together.

All that being said, this is the third best movie in the series, because almost anything is better than the previous one.  I read that the ultimate idea was to possibly start a second trilogy if this movie did well enough, which would be interesting but I’m not sure how it would go.  Would they essentially retire our beloved Sidney & Co?  Or would those people continue to have smaller and smaller roles?  As a fan of the series overall, I would still see those movies and I’m curious as to what they may come up with.

See this movie if: So I don’t NOT recommend this movie, but I don’t exactly recommend it either.  It was okay.  Since it’s out on DVD now, you may want to rent it, or wait until it’s on cable.  I plan to rewatch once it finally hits HBO.

My Rating: 3/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

Six Degrees of Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Obviously, since Sarah Michelle Gellar was in Scream 2, this is an easy link.  The nice thing is it adds a link for a whooooole bunch of people that I see in other things!

I was recently watching The Graham Norton Show and Jessie J was one of the guests.  BTW – if you don’t watch Graham Norton, I highly recommend it.  I’ve become a huge addict of late.  Anyway, Jessie being on there reminded me of how much I love it when I hear her single Domino:

I really think it’s a hugely fun song, and I’m also kind of mesmerized by that video.  All those different outfits, and wow does she have looooooong legs.  Which makes me super jealous.  The only thing missing is actual glitter raining on her during that particular lyric.  Enjoy!

I recently discovered, and subsequently ordered, a pair of these adorable heeled tennis shoes.

They are available at Zappos.com if you’re lucky enough to find a pair in your size!

One says “ROCK” on the back, and the other says “CANDY”.  They are so cute!  I’m going to love them this summer!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

Instinctively Elizabeth had moved forward to help but Lydia thrust her aside with surprising strength, crying, “Not you, not you.”  Jane took over, kneeling beside the chair and holding both Lydia’s hands in hers, gently murmuring reassurance and sympathy, while Bingley, distressed, stood impotently by.

~ “Death Comes to Pemberley” by P.D. James, p. 55

I’ve added quite a few TV programs to my schedule since the start of the fall television season, and it’s really become impossible to actually do a synopsis for each episode.  So I decided I’ll just start doing roundups of the programs I want to mention, which is much easier and will still help me keep my thoughts up to date on my favorite shows.  And for the record, there will probably be spoilers, so if you want to avoid any of those for your favorite shows, don’t read that section!

Castle
I absolutely adore this show, though I get a little bit frustrated with these intermittent storylines popping up, like the continuation of the murder of Beckett’s mother, the 3XK killer (or whatever they’re calling that dude).  I think my frustration is that I want to see MORE of these, not just the occasional one.  Don’t get me wrong, I love pretty much every episode, just would like to see more balance.  Nonetheless, this is a show I will stay up late to watch if I can.

The most recent episode was about Castle’s friend, the Mayor of NYC, being caught up in a murder investigation.  Castle believes the whole time that his friend is innocent, and tension heats up between he and Beckett over the whole thing.  But there’s also a little bit of involvement from the person who wants to keep Castle in the NYPD to keep a leash on Beckett regarding her mother’s murder.  And that dude is obviously Captain Matthews from Dexter, who isn’t trustworthy, so I really think someone should warn Castle about that!

Revenge
I know I stumbled upon this one from a preview that came on during Castle, since they’re on the same network.  What a great show!   The premise is that Emily Thorne is really Amanda Clarke, who’s father (David Clarke) was wrongfully convicted of assisting terrorists and died in prison while Amanda was likewise institutionalized.  Emily is taking revenge on those who were responsible for the demise of her father.  The central couple to this is Victoria and Conrad Grayson, who are now going through a divorce.

In recent episodes, Emily has lost some of her allies, gotten engaged to Daniel Grayson, convinced Amanda (who used to be Emily, they switched names) to leave, and discovered Charlotte is her half sister by her father and Victoria Grayson.  Victoria also lied to her son Daniel and said David Clarke had raped her, rather than the truth which was that they were having an affair.  The show is now on hiatus for a few weeks, sadly.

Ringer
Due to my obsession with alumni of BTVS, I learned about this show because it’s starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Which amuses me in itself because when she left BTVS, she said she didn’t want to do TV anymore, but I guess that’s beside the point.  In this show, she plays both Bridget and Sioban (pronounced Shivon), who are twin sisters.  Bridget is on the run from the FBI and was supposed to testify against a guy for a murder she witnessed.  She took off for New York where Sioban was located, and thinks Sioban committed suicide by drowning when they went out on a boat.

In reality, Sioban is living it up in Paris, trying to tie up the loose ends she left behind.  Because Bridget decided to take over Sioban’s identity, which Sioban didn’t anticipate when she faked her death.  In the meantime, Bridget has been trying to clean up the mess of Sioban’s life, including mending her broken relationships and ending some unhealthy ones.  Most recently, Sioban’s best friend Gemma was murdered, so Sioban has come back to NYC and ends up killing the guy she had originally hired to help tie up her life.  Bridget discovered she’s falling in love with Sioban’s husband, Andrew.  We’ll see what happens next week when the show comes back!

The Vampire Diaries
Despite the fact that I didn’t like this show at first, it’s become one of my favorites.  So much so that I don’t even want to make fun of it anymore, although I think we managed to go one episode without some sort of dance or town party.   At the end of the second season, Klaus was going to die at the hand of his brother Elijah, but then Klaus told Elijah he would reunite him with the rest of their family…and then stuck a dagger in his heart.  Klaus continues to be the villain this season, although Elena herself is safe because he discovered that her blood is the only thing that will keep his hybrids alive when he turns them.  Stefan, in the meantime, has gotten kind of mean (and therefore more likable) and kidnapped Klaus’ family in return for him leaving everyone alone.  I think anyway.  I can’t actually remember what Stefan is ultimately bargaining for.  In any case, Klaus discovered where the family was being hidden, but Damon managed to get the most important coffin out and hidden elsewhere.

Bonnie has been having dreams about this coffin, and the group thinks it’s the key to killing Klaus, which they all want because then they’ll all be free of his overall menace.  No one can get the coffin open at this point, Bonnie thinks it’s sealed shut by magic.  Currently the only way to get him out of their lives would be for Elena to become a vampire, which I’m actually in favor of because she annoys me and really, I’ve seen enough of these kinds of things to know that unless you are the Slayer herself, you’re probably going to end up turning vamp to stay with your beloved.

Anyway, my current theory on the mysterious coffin is that it’s Klaus’ supposedly dead mother, who is the original witch that put the curse on him.  I’m thinking it also contains her grimoire which will in turn tell the gang how to kill Klaus for good.  But, it’s hard to say at this point what will be the final outcome, because Damon took the dagger out of Elijah’s heart and I have a hard time telling where his loyalties lie anymore.  And sadly, VD is on break for a couple of weeks.

This is a weekly meme run by Book Journey!

Post the books completed last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish this week.

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).  It is hosted at At Home With Books for the month of January.

*****

Things weren’t too busy this week, although I spent a lot of time catching up on some TV shows that I’ve been wanting to watch for awhile.  I still finished a fabulous book that I’m hoping everyone will want to read, though.

Books completed last week:
Out of Oz – Gregory Maguire: I absolutely loved this book, my only complaint is that it’s the final book in Maguire’s Oz series and I so wish there were more.

Books I’m reading this week:
Death Comes to Pemberley – P.D. James: I received this one for Christmas and have been wanting to read it ever since.  Very much looking forward to it!

Books ongoing:
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte ~ Page 162: I don’t know how the week got away from me, but somehow I didn’t read any of Jane Eyre this week.  I’m going to double up this week!

Books I acquired this week:
No new books this week.

What I watched this week:

• Fashion Police, The Soup, Chelsea Lately,  The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, 1 girl 5 gays, The Ellen Degeneres Show
• Castle
• Six Feet Under
• Keeping Up With the Kardashians
• Kourtney & Kim Take New York
• Ringer
• Revenge

Review & Giveaway!!!
Title: How To Be A Best Friend Forever
Author: Dr. John Townsend
Publisher: Worthy Publishing
Genre: Relationships/Self-Help
Pages: 144
How I Read It: ARC received from the publisher – The views expressed in my review are mine alone and I have received no compensation for these opinions.

Synopsis: Friend.  It’s a word whose meaning is confusing, and whose usage is often overdone in our fast-paced, digital world.  Increasingly, our circle of “friends” are a mile wide, yet the relationships are paper-thin.  Even so, there’s nothing like the sustaining strength and life-enriching power of true-blue, forever friends.  And we need them now more than ever.

Enter Dr. John Townsend, the best-selling coauthor of Boundaries and one of America’s foremost authorities on relationships.  How To Be a Best Friend Forever is a guide to shattering relationship barriers, bringing you eight vital skills necessary for building long-lasting, resilient, rewarding friendships of the very best kind.

In this insightful and practical book, you’ll discover the thrilling truth – and open yourself to the awesome reality – that one of life’s greatest joys is the joy of having a best friend forever.

My Review: I was intrigued by the title of this book when it was offered to me for review, so I decided to take it on during this blog tour.  The concepts and guidance provided in the book can be interesting at times, and I can absolutely see them being useful for people, especially people in a slightly older generation who may have trouble with their close relationships.  Personally, I fit more into the demographic the author describes as a group that is very connected to their friends, so I didn’t feel the book spoke to me as much as it will to others.

I did like the points the author brought up about the influence of Facebook and other social networking on our friendships.  I think that Facebook can be useful for keeping up with people I no longer live near, but it can also be a huge pain when it comes to relationships I want to keep maintaining.  Fortunately, all the people I care about are also interested in staying in touch with me in other ways, which is another benefit of my generation, in my opinion.

The tactics discussed in this book are mostly beneficial, and things I’ll keep in mind when thinking about my friendships.  I’m lucky enough that I have a handful of deep friendships where I feel we’re already practicing things from this book, we just didn’t necessarily realize it.

There’s also a nice study guide at the back of the book, which would be helpful in evaluating any friendships you wish to take a deeper look at.

One thing I will mention is that the book is billed as Christian Life/Relationships for the genre, and there are a lot of references to the bible in it.  This isn’t a bad thing, but something to keep in mind if, like me, you’re not a bible kind of person.  As a result, Christianity is a theme of the guidance and something you may not identify with.  I think you could still use these guidelines in your friendships, just with your own value system or religion in mind instead of the one the author is familiar with.

Read this book if: You’re interested in bettering your friendships and would like some assistance with that.

My Rating: 3/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

GIVEAWAY INFO - I am giving away one copy of this book, which will run from today through next Friday, January 27, 2012!  To enter, leave a comment with your email address so you can be contacted if you are the winner.  Being a follower and/or posting about the giveaway will get you one additional entry per mention.  Winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

It would take Dorothy Gale and her relatives three days to reach the mountains by train from Kansas, the conductor told them.

No matter what the schoolteacher had said about Galileo, Copernicus, and those other spoilsports, any cockamamie theory that the world was round remained refuted by the geometrical instrument of a rattling train applied to the spare facts of a prairie.  Dorothy watched eagles and hawks careering too high to cast shadows, she watched the returning larks and bluebirds, and she wondered what they knew about the shape of the world, and if they would ever tell her.

~ “Out of Oz” by Gregory Maguire, p. 1

This is a weekly meme run by Book Journey!

Post the books completed last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish this week.

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).  It is hosted at At Home With Books for the month of January.

*****

I was feeling much better this week, although not quite 100% yet.  This means I had more social time, and less reading time, so I didn’t get through as much as I did last week.

Books completed last week:
The King’s Mistress – Emma Campion: This one seems to have gotten mixed reviews all around, but I found myself liking it.  It was my first foray into the court of Edward III and I felt it was a good introduction to the time period.

Books I’m reading this week:
Out of Oz – Gregory Maguire ~ Page 51: I’m reading this one both because I’ve been dying to see how the series ends, but also for fantasy week on Royal Reviews.

Books ongoing:
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte ~ Page 162: Oh Jane Eyre, how you capture my heart!!!

Books I acquired this week:
No new books this week!

What I watched this week:

• Fashion Police, The Soup, Chelsea Lately,  The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, 1 girl 5 gays, The Ellen Degeneres Show
• Modern Family
• Castle
• Six Feet Under
• Keeping Up With the Kardashians
• Kourtney & Kim Take New York
• Merlin
• The Secret Circle
• Revenge
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• The Golden Globes

Yesterday while watching the Broncos/Patriots game, the topic of how hot Tom Brady is came up.  I’m sure this happened because someone got mad about the Patriots scoring, and I said I’m a bit obsessed with him.  I even got a straight man to say he’s pretty hot!!!

If I was in high school, I would totally want to find this picture in a magazine and hang it up in my locker.