Summer Shows So Far: The GOOD

Quick Update: And how is everyone doing? Yeah, yeah, I know "no blog, no blog, blah blah..." But I'm back...for now (muhahaha).

Song Stuck In My Head: "We Are All On Drugs" by Weezer. Lovely song.

Ah, summer. Speaking as an Arizonian…it sucks and I hate it. However, when it comes to entertainment, summer usually means either a) syndicated repeats and b) brand new, shiny shows that we haven’t seen all year. This can either be great or bad.

Welcome to SUMMER SHOWS SO FAR: THE GOOD, THE OKAY, THE BAD, and THE UGLY with SSF. So let’s go to the new stuff playing on the major networks (as in, not cable shows but shows available to everyone) that doesn't make us want to cry or rant on message boards (yet).

America’s Got Talent.
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 8/7pm. on NBC.

Oh yeah. This season, while the acts are as randomly wacky as always, is by general opinion the best yet. And we all know why: Howard Stern. Going back and forth between channeling Simon Cowell with sharp, to-the-point critiques and having a boatload of heart and empathy for the acts, he is more or less the perfect judge.

Even better, Howie, Nick, and Sharon have to be funnier than usual just to keep up with him, making the show better than ever.


LA Complex.
Tuesday 9/8 pm on the CW.

A show I blogged about during A-Z blogging, the LA Complex is a Canadian-turned-American drama about being a nobody in Hollywood. It uses a mixture of irony and self-deprecating characters with fun situations and glimmers of hopes and dreams. Every character, and every wild decision or action they take, feels real, which is a nice change.



And it’s wild: a comedian wannabe ends up using a story of S&M gone bad in his act; a script-carrying actress attends AA meetings to “network” with producers and actors. In the end, it’s just entertaining.

Unfortunately this show wasn't made to be, and even though CW might air some episodes of season two and season one during the summer, don't expect to last longer than that. However, it's a nice show to have a great run with and then maybe watch online for a while.

Well, that's all for now for the good. What shows on major TV networks or any network do you consider "good" right now? What do you hope is good?

Okay, lat - Oh, right. I've been away for a while, I owe you guys a LOLcatz-style apology. I mean, I guess it isn't getting a little overused and I probably shouldn't but -

BAM.

And since we did talk about America's Got Talent and all...

There. You're welcome. NOW later.

K for Kittens (Rock and ROLL Kittens)

Quick Update: As you can tell, I got a “F” for last week’s participation grade. My K post, my L post, annnnd my “M” post got jumbled up into nothingness. My blog will have to accept late work, I guess.

Song Stuck In My Head: Or I could just tell you what I'm listening to. Songs from very, very, very old videogame. Nintendo 64 old.

So as you can tell, my "K" post fell through. So I decided to make it up to everyone the old-fashioned, SSF way. And since one of my MIA posts was a "K" post, Lolcatz (er, kittens) it is! I had a theme going on though - rock and roll cats. If you haven't noticed, my new blog wallpaper has two of them haha! We got some Nirvana, Joan Jett, Beatles and then some guitars and drums!

Have fun. :)

A for APOLOGY (Also Known as...Return of the Fangirl!)

As you may or may not have noticed, SSF has experienced yet another hiatus. Call it puberty (well, since this is blog is only about two years old…toddlerhood?)

For all the people who have been following me or started following me in the past recent months, despite my depressing lack of blog posts, first off I want to thank you. My junior year of high school went from calm to ridiculously chaotic before I could even think about it. Not that we’re in final quarter though, and with my journalism class slowly learning how to survive on their own, SSF is back bi...er... female dogs.



And just in time too – I’ve recently found out about this amazing A-Z Challenge (check it out a’here: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ ) for bloggers, where everyday you write a post based around a letter in the alphabet. Which works out for me, because I can participate in this exciting blog-bonfire AND *drumroll* introduce the new features for the SSF blog.

As you’ve all known, I’ve always been an entertainment blogger specializing in writing about YA from a teenager’s perspective. And though I sure as hell am going to keep doing that, SSF is about to expand into a lot more pop culture, especially music, themed blog posts. More monthly features, instead of random posts, and hopefully more consistency.

So, to make up to the peeps who’ve been here for me throughout the chaos, I got a surprise for you! And…well, did you expect anything but the classic LOLcatz apology? (And for anyone new to SSF…that’s how I do apologies around here after being MIA from the blogosphere: by finding the best cat pictures out there! Enjoy.)











Thank you all for not un-following this thing. If for reasons beyond me I never got to following you or one of your new blogs (which happens - I’m actually dedicating a day this week to reviving my Twitter) holy skittles, TELL ME! I will not only follow you, but I will comment on one of your blogs with praise and glitter and smiley faces! I’m even hoping to do a promotion campaign of my fellow bloggers in a little while, so watch out for all that to occur.

Hope you guys have been having an awesome week. Oh, and since it’s been so long, did you enjoy the Hunger Games? : )

Later.

What I Learned in My High School Library Club Today…

Quick Update: Awesome news, friends. I entered YATopia’s contest and just won my first query critique, by author/blogger/former literary agency employee Jodi Meadows. Woot! To keep up with the spirit, I included a link to her website with her name. Check her out. She’s badass.

Song Stuck In My Head: “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani. Orchestra class is learning songs from movie Fiddler in the Roof, including the original “If I Was a Rich Man”, so not too random. Maybe. :/

So, I went to my high school’s fourth Library Club meeting this week. There’s only four regular members and monthly, if even that, meetings. Our purpose: to provide input on which books get ordered. Rather neat power. For instance, I got one of my favorite bloggers Tahereh Mafi and her first novel, Shatter Me, on the top of the list. However, since today was our biggest turn-out, I made some keen observations for my fellow YA writers out there. Some common sense, some interesting. Check it:

1. Power of a Name

Series AND author brand names are still big. Most of our orders were sequels to books we already had, or popular authors like Cassandra Clare and Rick Riordan. While stand-alone novels are always good, most modern teen readers seem to enjoy riding a story beyond one book. As long as the concept is fresh, that is. (Translation: PUT THE VAMPIRE IDEA DOWN! STEP AWAY FROM THE WEREWOLF LOVE STORY!)

2. Get Out the Popcorn

Movie adaptations don’t have to be Harry-Potter size to have an effect. While The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s success led to us ordering its sequels, I Am Number Four and Beastly didn’t exactly blow up at the box office. Yet, not only is Beastly one of the most checked out books, but I Am Number Four’s sequels made our list. They also make books easier to recommend - I’m proud to say I successfully convinced a girl to at LAST check out the Hunger Games. Muhahaha. Only took how long before the movie? Pssht.

3. Not Too Feminine After All

The boy-girl ratio of YA readers isn’t too dramatic at my school. Out of our eight members this meeting, three were boys and five were girls. They were also mostly seniors, but I’m guessing that’s more because freshman and sophomores are afraid to join clubs than anything else. However, there is somewhat of a time period (around fourteen to seventeen) where a teen reader might slow their reading intake. That age is also usually when they start transitioning from young books to more adult material.

4. Find Your Niche Audience

Tastes vary here. A bunch. For instance, one girl admitted to being a fan of old, archaic and even foreign versions of stories. Then another girl is big on the author Tamora Pierce. And then there’s me, the weirdo who drifts back and forth between the random vampire series and music-themed indie novels. While bestsellers might attract both avid and fair-weather readers, don’t hold back from writing in an odd genre if that’s where you thrive. Your audience is out there somewhere.

5. Standing Out

Word of mouth is valuable. A lot of authors and book/series names were shared, and I know they’ll get checked out, even bought. So don’t be afraid to get yourself out there and make your name known. Today’s writers need more than just a kick-ass story to survive in this publishing world. You never know when or how your future fans will hear about you, so make everything count.

Okay, peeps, that’s all for now. But stick around later this week for a blog on CW’s version of the “Secret Circle”, as part of my series on TV shows. I had one last week on Napoleon Dynamite. Hopefully journalism class will die down enough that I can continue next week too.

And since my blog has been a tad bland as of late…time for LOLcatz apology! (Man, it seems every one of my posts has these now...)

Later!

The REAL Truth About Teen Lit (Post-Simpson's Style)

Quick Update: Oh, hey. Hi.

Song Stuck in My Head: You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates (yep, all thanks to Glee, I started listening to it like crazy.)

So, I watched an interesting Simpson’s episode whilst watching the American Music Awards. The episode - for anyone who has better things to watch than twenty-year old cartoons I suppose - talked about the young adult literature industry in a very new way.

Basically in this episode, entitled "the Book Job", our favorite feminist/nerdy/bookworm Lisa finds out that her favorite tween book series (the Angela Button books, which has shown up in previous episodes and strongly but innocently resembles Harry Potter) is a scam. Instead of being written by one author with an inspirational underdog backstory, it was a commercial scheme and produced by a team of business gurus for cash money.



While Lisa is enraged, her father and brother seek their own team (which includes Moe the bartender, Principal Skinner, one of the Selma/Patti twins, and the crazy scientist genius whose name I keep forgetting) and create their own masterpiece.

They figure out the formula is orphaned hero plus magical school plus hero finds out their supernatural. They almost go with a vampire hero before realizing every shelf is covered with bloodsuckers. And so they create a story about two troll twins who go to an academy under a bridge where the pixies are popular and the gargoyles are the stoners. Lisa decides to prove them wrong and says she’ll write her own novel - which ends up meaning she’ll organize all her CD’s, play Boggle on her computer, visit book fairs to see the competition, and go to coffee shops to be a “real writer!”



Though the episode did have some merit value - despite airing less than two weeks after the release of the final Harry Potter movie, when everyone is still suffering Post-Potter Depression - it’s time to set the record straight. Especially since my favorite screenwriter Diablo Cody has the movie Young Adult coming out this year and I’m crossing my fingers it’s more realistic.

THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT TEEN LIT

1. It’s one writer (usually). While the occasional book is co-written, it’s usually by best friends who share a love of literature and can actually work together. Writing a book, not just a YA book but ANY book, is such a solitary process at first. You’re stuck with your own mind and imagination and emotions.

Writers will spend months, years, even decades on a story because of its personal meaning. Novels are probably the least commercial part of the entertainment industry because they always start with one person. Movies have crews. Music have a production team. Fashion have designers. And etc., etc..

2. Sometimes, writers are going to have cheesy-cool back stories. Much like J.K Rowling, authors aren’t always the richest people at first. While a lot do have side jobs, especially in this economy, there are many who sacrificed careers and money to write. And when they get successful, you know we’re going to pat them on the back for it. They get to make a living on writing. What’s wrong with that?

3. The publication process is COMPLICATED. In the Simpson’s episode, they go to a literary company business executive. He takes the manuscript, flicks through the pages in two seconds and says it’s great. The team get a first copy what seems like a day later. Later on, they merely puts a flash drive with the manuscript on it into a computer. A screen comes up that says “Publish”. One click and it goes into print, and one week it’s in stores.



It’s not like this at all. There are agents who pour over manuscripts all day long to find a beautiful story; there are editors that seriously consider all the books that are sent to them by these agents; there are copyeditors who find mistakes and revise it to perfection; publishers that make sure the print version is flawless. It seems simple but lately this process takes one to two years for a book to appear on a shelf.

4. No, completely original books didn’t get changed last-minute to vampire books. Spoiler: that nearly happens to their beautiful troll story. It also apparently happened to Stephenie Meyer, whose originally wrote Twilight with a human girl and a golem (Jewish monster and no I’m not kidding look it up) boy love story.



I’m sure all the authors who penned the many, many, many, many (you get my point) vampire books chose that path beforehand. As did the werewolf authors. And angel authors. And dystopian authors. And mermaid authors. And what could be the next authors of leprechaun or teen sci-fi stories for all I know.

And lastly…

5. Neil Gaiman probably knows how to read and is not a scam artist. Long story. Just watch the episode.





It was a funny show though, and Lisa’s procrastination syndrome did portray us a bit too well (thankfully, most of us do get past typing up “chapter one”). The point is to prove stereotypes wrong though, isn’t it? And for all the writers out there who are underdog stories waiting to happen, we believe in you anyways and can’t wait to cry over your Lifetime movie.

And if there isn't anything truer than this emotion portrayed right here:



Later alligators.

Oh, right…the obligatory sorry-I-haven’t-posted-in-forevah-LOLcatz….

(Psst. The last one's my fave. :) )

HOPEFULLY see you next week and have a delicious Thanksgiving! Me, mine will consist of waking up early on a vacation day to see my favorite singer perform in the Macy's Day Parade. Thus is the curse of a fangirl...

Not-As-Exciting Update Post (as well as a catch-up with my followers

Heyo, guys. As you know, I've been pretty much absent from the internet world. Let's call it a "hiatus". And while I will make up for it with the most epic cat pictures in the world (as always), how about some small news?

SSF's SEVEN HIGHLIGHTS OF SUMMER

7. HELPING TEACH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Okay, so my church is miniscule. It used to be the minister's house, until she moved across the street. I live in sort of a small neighborhood, so it's a church for that sort of people. However, since there is a lot of little kids there, we officially started a Sunday school for them, with me as the only assistant. Which is pretty cool. It's weird seeing how toddler/kindergarden-aged kids think.

6. FALLEN IN LOVE WITH TALK SHOWS

I recogized that just watching primetime and sitcom junk would drive me insane, so I decided to give both morning and late-night talk shows a chance. Now I'm addicted - especially to Jimmy Fallon, who completely rules - and will probably have a hard time getting un-addicted once the school year approaches.



5. FINALLY SEEN SOME NEW MOVIES!

Growing up, even as a kid, whenever I had a movie I loved, I would end up watching enough to memorize it. But for once, I finally gave more movies on TV and such a chance! What movies, you ask? Among the many teen comedies and dramas, I finally, FINALLY got to watch "I Am Sam" and "Silence of the Lambs", as well as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "The Karate Kid" (original one, too!). There's others, but my mind is currently blank. An unexpected bonus: many culture jokes make sense now..."it rubs the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again"...

4. BEAT LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

No, not the cool 3-D version that came out, the original, on my good ol' retro Gamecube. But I still beat the crap out of it, bringing my video-games-I've-destroyed total up to...eight! Of course, three of those games are more little-kid games and one is a super-easy Harry Potter game (Chamber of Secrets, haha). I'm not exactly on the path of being videogame-extraordinare here.

3. KITTENS!

One of my cats - Em, short for Emma - popped out kittens two months or so ago, right when I was taken away from the outside world. Since this was her first litter not all of them lived, but the three survivors are the most beautiful critters I've ever seen. Their names: Duck, Rabbit (both part of an inside joke) and Swarley, a reference to a "How I Met Your Mother Episode" (anyone seen it?). Would post some adorable pics, but sadly, they already have homes. Next time!

2. MY BEST FRIEND IS OFFICIALLY MY ILLUSTRATOR....SORTA

So, my BFF, and the only person who gets most of the inside jokes mentioned here, happens to be a kickass drawer. Her drawing is like if someone took Tim Burton designs and mixed in a little anime. Since she draws a lot of sorta monster/demented/dark stuff, I asked if she could draw the monster in my WIP (work-in-progress). Now, I just need to find a way to get an agent and publisher who will be willing to have her be the actual cover designer/illustrator person when and if my stuff gets published. Once I can, I'll post a picture of the "monster".


1. HARRY POTTER!

However, despite being someone who dressed up as Hermoine three years in a row, dressed up as Luna Lovegood for the final book release party, read the first HP book I ever picked up (Prisoner of Azkaban) in one week, and read the last one within two days, and pretty much became a writer because of J.K Rowling... I have not seen the new and final movie. *cue audience gasp*. Let's just say that the aforementioned BFF has parents that aren't too happy with letting her go off and see movies. It wouldn't be friend-like to go see without her, so I'll wait until it comes out on DVD if that's what it takes. Though I hope it doesn't! BTW, can someone please explain the whole jumping-off-the-tower-with-Voldemort sequence? It was most definitely not in the book, though it looks cool.

Okay, okay, now that the updates are up, time for my apology. As always, here are some pics straight from the mouth of Google! That is right...LOLcatz!







And my personal favorite...



So hopefully you guys forgive me. And now I can ask you about you guys! Any exciting summer news? Funny moments? Watch any good movies? Don't be afraid to speak up! Besides, I miss people! I miss you guys!!! My Twitter followers come and go, but my few blogger followers are the ones that I adore!

Well, that would be it. For a more formal goodbye, you might wanna check out my actual, more exciting post...here.

So...later?