Reality 101

Last week I read a comment that I should write about a reality show, which I thought this was a very good idea. As much as I wish I could hate reality shows, I just can’t. They are my guilty pleasure. I figured I would go through some of my favorite reality shows because they definitely deserve a watch. (Side note: for any new reality show watchers I strongly suggest you start with Bravo. Andy Cohen is the king of reality television).

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY -- Season:3 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jacqueline Laurita, Teresa Giudice, Caroline Manzo, Kathy Wakile, Melissa Gorga -- Photo by: Tommy Garcia/Bravo

First off, the show that started my addiction to reality shows, The Real Housewives. For those of you that do not know Bravo has, I believe, five different housewives from different cities across the US: Beverly Hills, Orange County, New York, Atlanta, and New Jersey. My absolute favorite is New Jersey because those women have soo much drama in their lives. I think the main reason that I enjoy this show so much is that it makes me feel better because I am no where near as crazy or dramatic as these ladies. It’s actually really funny because watching the housewives has become a bonding experience for my family. Just last year I finally got my brother and his girlfriend to start watching. Each of the housewives has a phrase that they say in the opening credits like “Throw me to the wolves, and I shall return leading the pack” or “I like things that are elegant and sophisticated, just like me”. Sometimes when I am on the phone with anyone in my family they will randomly quote one of these opening lines and it never fails to make me laugh. For those of you that follow the housewives, which ones are your favorite and why?

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Next up is another show off of Bravo called, Shahs of Sunset. This show follows the lives of a group of Persian-American friends who live in Beverly Hills. Some people have deemed it an Iran version of the Jersey Shore because there is a lot of partying and drinking and such, but I definitely feel like there is more substance than that. While you have to take everything with a grain of salt, it is interesting to get a look into a different culture. I always enjoy when they talk Farsi among themselves and I have picked up on a few words. If you ever want to call someone “my dear” in Farsi all you have to do is say their name and then add the word “joon” after. Now who ever said reality TV can’t be educational?

cupcakewars

Lastly, I absolutely love all cooking competitions. It is like the best of both worlds. There is the competition aspect so you have a person to root for that you want to win, and you get to look at delicious food. My favorites are Cupcake Wars, Chopped, and The Next Food Network Star. I would recommend giving any of those a try, but to be honest you can’t go wrong with any of the tons and tons of cooking competition shows on television nowadays.

yolanda

Fun Fact: Supermodel, Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Foster is on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

House of Cards

With all the political drama going on with the presidential nominations, I figured the perfect show to discuss this week would be “House of Cards”. Also because I just watched the movie “The Usual Suspects” and I’m going through an obsession with Kevin Spacey phase. (f you haven’t seen that movie I also recommend it…but let’s continue with the show! If you take my advice and watch the show you will also be able to be in the loop and fully understand what people mean when they call a certain politician a Frank Underwood.

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Although I’ve participated extensively in Model UN and I enjoy being up to date on all the latest current events and political issues, I have never been a big fan of political dramas. I do enjoy the political comedy “Veep”, but that is a discussion for another time and perhaps another blog post! If you are similar to me in your thinking that political dramas are kind of boring, I say watch the show and I promise you will change your mind. A deeper meaning I’m coming to find from this blog is that it is important to go into things with an open mind even if those things are simply television shows. Now let’s go down to it!

frank underwood

The show follows political Frank Underwood as he attempts to work his way up the political ladder by any means necessary. Trust me I mean any means. This man is absolutely ruthless and it is incredibly entertaining to watch. Underwood lies, cheats, and even does the unthinkable all in the name of gaining power. It’s also so fun to watch the dynamics between Frank and other characters. For instance, him and his wife, who is essentially a Lady Macbeth, have a bizarre chemistry that doesn’t seem anything like love, but rather simply marriage for benefit. Then there is the dynamic between Frank and his chief of staff, Doug, who is basically his servant, which is just so fascinating to see. Now don’t go into this show expecting to love any of the characters because you won’t. They are all horrible and corrupt with their own agendas, but for whatever reason you still feel happy whenever their plans come to fruition.

 

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Fun fact: In my AP Government and Politics class, my teacher shows us two video clips. One of them was from “The West Wing” which ran from 1999-2006 and the other was a clip from “House of Cards” which began its run in 2013. The former showed the politicians being just and honest and loving towards their country. The latter showed Frank Underwood being his normal manipulative self as well as insulting the United States. My teacher’s purpose in showing us how shows are reflective of culture and that just in those short amount of years our view of politicians changed so drastically. I suppose this was more of an interesting anecdote than a fun fact…so this Peachoid is an important plot point during one of the seasons! That’s pretty fun I suppose!

Avatar the Last Airbender

This week I want to talk about Avatar the Last Airbender because I’ve gotten hooked back into it recently. Yes I am aware that this show has been around for forever…pretty sure we were in elementary school when this show was on. I know some of you are probably thinking, “Oh this is just a children’s show why should I watch it?” I can say for certain, now that I am currently re-watching it for probably the fifth time, that it is much more complex than that. Of course it has its goofy moments, but trust me its worth the watch all the way through. By the end of it I guarantee you will be wishing that bending was real. Now this show is not currently on Netflix, BUT you can stream every episode on Amazon Prime for free! I would like to take the time to give Amazon Prime some love. Do not get me wrong I absolutely love Netflix, but I feel like Amazon Prime is totally underrated. I guess “Amazon Prime and chill” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

 

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Avatar is broken up into three seasons or “books” for the three elements that Aang the Avatar has to learn. Book 1 is water where you meet Katara and Sokka who travel with Aang for the rest of the show. He is just a 13 year old boy, but it is his destiny to learn all four elements and end the war that has been going on for 100 years. Book 1 is definitely the season that builds to the action, but it is still reaaally good. Book 2 is earth and we meet Toph, the blind earthbender. Book 3 is fire and is by far my favorite. This is where Aang has to meet his destiny to end the war with the Fire Nation. As I said before, I have been re-watching the show and I keep finding little details that just make the show even better. There have been so many moments where I would find subtle foreshadowing that are just wonderful. Not to mention this show has some of the best character development I have ever seen. Every character grow and its fascinating to watch.

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For those of you that have seen the show, I have two questions. First, who is your favorite character? I am a personal fan of Zuko because I am a big fan of character development and he goes through such a massive change that just made me so happy. Second, what nation do you think you would belong to? My friends and I have had in depth discussions about this and have come to the conclusion that I am an air nomad.

 

airbender

Fun fact: To fans of the animated Avatar, the life-action movie that was made in 2010 “The Last Airbender” is universally hated and most pretend that it never was made. I personally remember watching it on an airplane and lets just say I recommend sticking to the animated version.