Jersey Shore

So have you seen the new MTV show? It's called The Jersey Shore (website and episodes here). First off, let me explain for anyone who has never been to or does not live in NJ. I'm not from there but I lived there for almost four years and the people on this show are a NJ stereotype. They are what you typically think of when you say NJ: turnpike, factories, loud-mouth, trashy, big hair, I could go on but you know... The thing is most people are not like that (I never really met anyone like that). The people on The Jersey Shore aren't even from NJ their bio's say NY and RI (and one NJ girl).

I like the show though. Its so deliciously entertaining - like a train wreck you can't look away. It's kind of like the Bravo Housewife TV shows - I'm sure most women in the OC, NY, NJ and Atlanta don't act like those women either. Part of it is probably show and part of it is a select group of people acting the way they normally would. TV shows need outgoing, loud mouth personalities. They aren't going to film a bunch of kids sitting around drinking soda and playing board games.

The reason I'm mad about this isn't even really about the show (although there are a lot of people mad about it read here)... they were talking about it on Cosmo Radio - Wake Up With Taylor this morning. Taylor said the Jersey shore (the beach not the show) was and I quote "like gift wrapping a poop". I don't know what beaches Taylor has been to but the beaches I went to are nice (nicer than a lot of other beaches, certainly nicer than some VA Beaches I've been to). The cast of the Jersey shore are living in Seaside Heights. Which is probably not one of the classier beaches in NJ. Taylor and the crew had valid points about the cast - they are too tan, they dress slutty... I'm not arguing with that. I'm arguing with the fact that NJ people aren't all like that and the NJ Shore (the beach) is not a poop!

Second, this brings me on a side note that Wake Up With Taylor has been annoying me a lot recently (I use to love it they were so honest and funny) now they are excuse me for saying typical NYC people - snotty, self-centered and name/label droppers. "Oh my boyfriend went to such and such school... its posh." I don't really care. I don't know you're boyfriend and even if I did that is just super annoying. She also makes fun of NJ a lot - I know its one of those states like WV that its socially acceptable to make fun of... its just not that funny. It's like your mother jokes - we get it my mom's fat (not really). I get it Taylor, you and your friends are too cool for NJ - but I can guarantee you are probably one of those annoying people that camp out in a summer house on the shore and think you own the whole town. The show just isn't as good as it once was and I've been kind of hoping Cosmo will cancel it and put Cocktails with Patrick on twice a day.

Anyway... back on topic The Jersey Shore - so I think you should check it out. It's super trashy and the people are annoying but it's super funny. It's like Spencer on The Hills - I can't stand him but I can't look away either. I take it with stride - this is for entertainment not representative of NJ, the shore, Italian-Americans, etc. As I keep watching I'll post more on the subject.

Photo from MTV.com

Twilight Blah....

Ok so I was going to post a book review but on the way home Cocktails with Patrick (Sirius 111) was talking about Twilight - the books and the movie. And if I knew Patrick I would freaking kiss him (I love him anyway because he makes my ride home a little bit better) but he finally said what I've been thinking forever - Twilight is garbage. Now before all the Twilight fans throw stones at me (or blood).... let me back up my statement.

I will first off say I don't know if the movies are bad (Patrick said New Moon was a complete waste of time and I tend to agree with him because I wouldn't be caught dead in that theater) but I can't talk about the movies because I hated the books so much there is no way in hell I'd sit through those movies.

So let's discuss the books. First, they aren't my typical read. 1. I'm not a teenage girl 2. I'm not into vampires and 3. I just don't typically read sci-fiction (are vampires and werewolves sci-fi?). But since I kept hearing about how these are the best books ever and it seemed like as big of deal as Harry Potter (and I've read all of those) I figured I'd give it a try. Harry Potter books and Twilight books don't even deserve to be in the same category. Harry Potter books are well-writen, have great plots and basically are just all around better books. Think of this way - it's one thing to have one really well-written book, it's another to have seven books that not only work together but stand-alone and all have plots to them.

So let me start by saying I read all four of the Twilight books (or whatever the series is called). I thought ok I didn't like the last one but let's see it has to get better because people really like them. My reccommendation is they don't get better and it's a complete waste of time and paper.

Here are my problems with the books:

1. Bella has absolutely no life outside of Edward. And Edward for a 100's of year old vampire has little life or interest outside of Bella. Let's get real for a second - teenage girls don't need to read some dribble about how this poor girl can't live without Edward's love. Give me a break. Does she even have other friends, can she join a sports team or get a job?

2. The whole plot of all four books can basically be boiled down to this... Bella loves Edward. Bella is human. Edward is a vampire. Edward against his better judgment loves Bella. They can be together. They can't be together. Bella might love Jacob (who happens to be a werewolf who is supposed to kill vampires). Following along still? Bella gets into more scraps than anyone I know. The girl has some serious bad luck. But not to worry the good "vegeterian" vampires (Edward and his family) will save her just in the knick of time. So this drags on for four books. Before Edward and Bella get married, have a half-vampire/half-human child, narrowly avoid getting destroyed by the head vampires before they can go live happily ever after as vegeterian vampires together (Edward has to "save" Bella's life by turning her into a vampire). Ok... really? I could turn those four books into one book... or look I did it in one paragraph. This drags on and on like a bad soap opera. It's a will they/won't they of high school proportions.

3. The books just aren't that well-written. No offense. I'm sorry. I know I don't have any best-seller books published but get an editor and 1. cut dialogue and descriptions you don't need (the books could be a 100 pages shorter) and 2. edit - meaning don't repeat yourself six thousand times. I get it Bella smells good to Edward and Edward is basically this dreamy pale white hunk.

I just wish if someone is going to write a book for teenage girls it would have some kind of plot to it that they can learn from. This isn't 1955 here, girls need to know that 1. they can have a job and stand on their own two feet and 2. being in love isn't the end all goal that you should have in life. Being in love is nice but having a life outside of that is pretty good too. Besides I imagine in five years or so Bella and Edward aren't going to have much to talk about to each other since all they do is hang out with each other. Boring!

So I'm sorry if I offended any Twilight fans but I just don't get it. I've also read Stephanie Meyers other book The Host - just as a quick summary so this blog isn't too long. It's basically a rework of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Aliens take over our planet and our bodys using us as host. Humans have to fight for the right to live against the parasites but at the same time learn that the aliens aren't all bad. It was ok. I'm not going to reccomend it because out of five stars I'd probably give it two. I ended up skimming the end because like Twilight it drags.

So my title sums it up for me Twilight was just blah. Save a tree and don't even check those books out from the library.

Random Thursday: Sirius and Bon Jovi

So I was all set to write tonight about my book club and talk about our latest book and maybe I will or you may just have to wait until Friday. Because on the way home I was listening to my Sirius (have I mentioned how much I love my Sirius - I'm talking love in a way that it will seriously impact what kind of car I get when mine finally dies... no Sirius then no deal). Anyway... I was thinking about how great it is that I can get pretty much any type of music I want and I don't have to listen to commercials or really annoying DJ's (ok some of their DJ's are annoying but that's what my remote is for).

So I was listening to 90's on 9 and they started playing Bon Jovi. And that's now my blog topic because as I sang along to Always at the top of my lungs I was just thinking "Man they are an awesome band. And now that I've seen Britney they're on my list as number one band to see in concert."

They have a new album out - once I get it I'm going to review on here. I'm pretty sure I'll like it though. Their songs make me feel good. They make me want to tease my hair, get some big hoop earrings and leather pants and sing at the top of my lungs. Ok, well maybe not the outfit part but I had to throw a NJ stereotype in there somewhere. :)

I like their new song We Weren't Born To Follow (you can buy a digital copy of their new album The Circle on Amazon for less than $5). How can you not love feel good rock music? I saw them on the Today Show yesterday (they didn't sing WWBTF that I saw but they sang a bunch of other great songs) and they were really good live, too. The audience was really into it, it didn't sound like they were relying just on a track, it was a good show.

The funny thing is I didn't like Bon Jovi before I moved to NJ. I didn't hate them but they weren't a band I had on my iPod (ok on my mix CDs). I think living in NJ for any amount of time you have to start liking them - it's like a requirement to live in the state. (Sorry guys but I'm still not a Bruce fan).

Anyways, this blog post probably doesn't have a real point but then again maybe it does. Maybe there are some singers/bands that make you stop and think - man I really like them and I want to shout it at the top of my lungs. Who do you like? Who are the bands or singers that you don't care how embarrassing it is but you still love them? I don't consider liking Bon Jovi an embarrassment but I do cringe a bit when I admit to loving the Spice Girls (I mean come on who wouldn't want Posh's wardrobe).