Jersey Shore VS Geordie Shore

I am a big fan of the new phenomenon that is the Jersey Shore. Since two new programmes have sprung into our existence I have been mesmerised by fake tan, extensions, huge glistening jewellery and amazing accents.The two programmes have been on my Sky planner since the beginning and I have religiously watched them in fascination and pure drama-loving!

They have been such a hit that the terms 'Guidos/Guiedettes' are common knowledge now and everyone knows who these reality TV stars are. They have been an over-night success but it is the likability of the characters that have made it such a phenomenon.

The two shows I am referring to are 'The Jersey Shore' and 'Jerseylicious'.

                                                       Jerseylicious -

- Jersey Shore

Both these programmes are based in New Jersey, America and follow the lives of young people and their inevitable dramas. 'Jersey Shore' is focused on a group of housemates looking to party, 'smush', get girls/guys but stay away from grenades! 'Jerseylicious' is based around The Gatsby Salon and the dramas and love lives of the girls who work there as well as the rivalry with The Glam Fairy. Both are highly entertaining and show us a culture we are not familiar with here in England. Both programmes have coined their own tag lines and put their stamp on this kind of reality show. Their antics do not get boring as they are individuals who like the way they are and do not care about being judged.

Unfortunately we have had to remake these programmes into something that relates to the British which doesn't really do the American versions justice. For some reason the programmes I have mentioned above have been translated into shows that reflect less intelligent and narcissistic men and women who have nothing to give a reality show.

I have barely watched 'Geordie Shore' or 'The Only Way is Essex' but what I did see of it did not make me want to press that series link button. I found them less attractive, less intelligent and honestly just in it to be on TV not to actually reflect their honest lives. They both seem very scripted and staged and there isn't much likability for the characters. They have clearly tried to make Essex and Newcastle seem as glamorous as New Jersey but to be honest, I find the girls of the jersey shore have a lot more class and edge than any of the girls in these new spin offs. The same goes for the boys, I find them to be lovable characters that have a lot of charm in the jersey shore.

                                        The Only Way is Essex -

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

-Geordie Shore

I love Essex for a night out and Newcastle is one of the hot spots in England but the people they chose for these shows are not who I would of chosen to represent the youth of today! I believe in having a good time; drinking and partying but I also believe a person should have substance and that is what these characters lack. In fact the term characters is perfect for them, they are 'playing' themselves and coming across as fake as their tans.

The only characters I like in Geordie shore are Vicky and Sophie as they at least add something to the show, they have a funny but relatable element compared to the other guys and girls and are wasted on this programme. Vicky is the best looking and has the most extensive vocab and is intelligent. I don't see how she fits in with this group considering she doesn't 'bang' but I will be watching more of this programme while I wait for Jersey Shore to come back onto my screen. Geordie Shore is the best of a bad bunch on British TV.

A new instalment has come out with 'Made in Chelsea' and I can safely say I will not be tuning into that. The new spin offs seem to be for audiences to make fun of these young people rather than watch it for genuine enjoyment. I feel the programmes based in the Jersey Shore have played on the looks and bodies of the characters to their advantage without jeopardising the plot of the series and the substance of the show. They show more about family, dining together and working together.

All I see on these other programmes are a quick snippet of work but partying constantly and then they act like they are a family but they all slag each other off. That isn't a family at all. Made in Chelsea only seems to focus on rich and pompous young adults who have nothing better to do.

I am looking forward to the new series of 'Jersey Shore' with a new location: ITALIA coming soon to MTV. Also Series 2 of Jerseylicious is still on The Style Network with the finale getting closer!

TUNE IN

COMING SOON

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Director: Michael Bay
Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

I am sad to see that Megan Fox is not in the new Transformers installment but her replacement is sexy English born Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 24, model  >>>

                                      



I still think Fox has the advantage. Replacing a well liked character is hard but I will be very dissapointed if she does not do the part (and Fox) justice. She is a model first and foremost so this will be interesting. I am happy LaBeouf is still holding this film, he is the main reason these films have made a success, his charm and charisma draw audiences in. The mixture of action and comedy is brilliant. Excited for the third film!

The film is due to be released 29th June in 2D and 3D

Check out the trailer >>

REVIEW COMING SOON

Top 10 Horror Movies

1. Halloween (1978)
I find this film gets to my core. Knowing a person can inflict such torment is more terrifying than most thoughts. The scenes where Myers is waiting for laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) outside school and on her way home scared me as a child and are creepy beyong words.

2. Amytiville (1979)
Reading the book is possibly scarier than the film. The thought of the little girl and her imaginary friend at the window still sends chills down my spine. The film is well realised and based on a true story - even better! The remake in 2005 with Ryan Reynolds is just as good in my opinion. It is hard to do a remake of such a well known plot. The thought a house can hold the memories of the past always makes me think twice about my house!

3. Grudge (2004)

Excellent remake of the original. My friends and I were terrified to go to sleep alone. The storyline of rage being transferred to the house and spreading to new victims shows how negative emotions can be contagious and destructive. The sound she makes was re-enacted so many times and I pranked quite a few people with this >>>

4. Scream (1996)

A film that combines the rules of the horror fiilm, comedy, gore and truly scary and intense moments gets my vote! It has lived on until 2011 and still worth seeing which is an achievement. Horror movies love to have sequels but this film has ones worth seeing.

5. The Orphan (2009)

The Omen-esque. Any film that portrays children as evil tend to be the scariest as they are supposed to be the essence of innocence. You associate children with purity but this film goes beyond that and the twist is ironically twisted!

6. The Thing (1982)
The effects were brilliant for the time. Better and more believable than most alien-based films. Nothing is scarier than being isolated in the middle of nowhere and there is something taking over your camp - who can you trust?

7. The Others (2001) and The Sixth Sense (1999)
Subtle and original. The other side to the ghost realm. Massive twist that once you have seen you can't watch it again and it have the same effect on you. Shocker! Had to put both films in here as they have the same effect and similarities but are both worthy of a spot and still scare me, just don't shock me as much as the first time.

8. The Shining (1980)
The music is intense, the film is slow but chilling and the acting is one of the best I have seen. Isolation is key in horror films and particularly in this film. Having one of you own family members turn on you is a horrible thought. Isolation, possession, haunting and madness makes this film epic as there are so many elements to contend with. ''All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy''.

9. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
What makes this film a good horror is that it taps into the one part of your life you can't control and you are at your most vulnerable - your dreams. The thought of someone penetrating your vulnerability in your sleep and the potential for your dreams to become reality is the most important aspect of this film. A classic! ''1, 2, Freddy's coming for you, 3, 4, better lock your door...''

10. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
A strange choice but this was a planned documentary. The actors had a basic script for the day but had to follow a route and improvise when necessary. They were told things would happen but could not control their natural instincts. Genuine fear is displayed in some parts of the film and these brief moments are what make the film. Swearing aside, the concept was genius.

Ayia Napa and More

A holiday to Cyprus; this phrase comes with mixed views in recent years. Most people see it as a 'party island' now with the focus being on the town Ayia Napa which now rivals that of Ibiza or Malaga. People may think turning a once rather religious town - with a monastery and church nearby - into a party central destination is wrong but with the 21st century comes some changes Cyprus has had to make to keep tourism alive on the Island.

From personal experience Ayia Napa is the best destination for letting your hair down and having some fun. There is something for everyone. There are water sports, bars that sit on Nissi beach that provide a mixture of music, foam parties and English DJs. Then on the other hand there are churches and museums to visit. There are traditional Greek taverna’s for food and bars open just as late as the pay for entry clubs so everyone can have a good time. The bars also offer one free drink per person with entry so you don't have to tighten your purse strings in Cyprus.

The hospitality in Cyprus is renowned and never allows for an empty glass, as most offer a complimentary coffee or Zivania at the end of the meal. If you are looking for sun, sea, sand and fun, Ayia Napa has to be your destination. Whether you are going with family or friends you will find something to suit you. If you are travelling with children there is one of the best ‘Luna Parks’ – or fun fairs – on the island as well as the brilliant WaterWorld which never fails to keep children interested for an entire day.

There are a mix of people, young and old, tourists and locals in Ayia Napa. It is close to other nightlife hotspots such as Protaras and Larnaca which both have excellent open bars, taverna’s and ice cream parlours. The most famous being Haagen dazs in Larnaca which has excellent deserts. They in turn also have great beaches and in Larnaca there is also a shisha bar that has become very popular in recent years. With a little bit more of a drive you can reach Limassol and Paphos. Paphos has a good nightlife and the hotspot has to be ‘Bubbles’ which is a bar run by a London born Cypriot who co-owns one of the best Greek Taverna’s in Gants Hill – ‘Apollonia’. Limassol has a slightly higher class feel to it in the clubs but ‘Rumours’ is recommended highly as it has some excellent British DJs as well as themed nights.

Cyprus is now becoming one of the best family destinations as it has so much to offer, don’t let the party atmosphere worry you – JOIN IN. There is so much more than partying, eating, tanning and having fun but who would want anything else? Take a note out of the local’s book, sit back, relax with a Greek coffee and enjoy the surroundings. You’ll be happier for it.

Here are some of my photos from Napa 2011:

Sunbathing on Nissi

On the beach with my cousin, Nissi Beach

At a bar in Napa town centre

Having fun in the clubs

In Club Sin - amazing music!

An Epic Love Story

Titanic (1997)



Photo Credit



If I had to choose a film that has affected my life or changed my perspective I would find it difficult. Many films provide us with a false sense of reality. We watch them to escape our own lives for the running time, to imagine a world without our mundane problems. We get to relive something great through the eyes of others, with bigger problems than our own. A film that has changed my perspective and has affected different stages of my life has to be one of the biggest blockbuster films, ‘Titanic’. James Cameron provided a film based on the events on the night of April 14^th 1912 when the Titanic sank. He combined actual footage of the Titanic and a subplot of a missing diamond with a romantic storyline on the night of the sinking.

What makes this film epic is not just the long awaited special effects but the romance element that captivated audiences. Many would think that the cliché storyline is the least important aspect of the film but I think otherwise. The plot and the love interests are what affected me the most growing up and throughout my life have made me think about my own problems. I have watched this film so many times now but at each stage of my life it meant many different things to me.

Photo Credit

When I first watched this film I went to the cinema for my birthday. I was too young to appreciate the storyline and only went to see the effects of the ship that so many people were talking about at the time. All my friend and I could talk about was the character of Jack Dawson played by Leonardo DiCaprio. This ultimately led us to disliking the character of Rose played by Kate Winslet through pure jealousy. Naturally we cried when Jack met his fate which most girls admit to.

Nowadays Titanic is underrated as people do not share the same romantic weakness as I have. I see the love between these two characters as an escape from my own life. The pendant Rose wears signifies their love as she holds onto the ‘heart of the ocean’ all her life until she is finally reunited with Jack once again at her death. These types of strong bonds give us hope in our own lives that there is something more to life and something worth living for. Jack tells Rose to ‘never let go’ and throughout her life in the story she follows this message by never letting go of Jacks spirit and memory.

The poignant end to the story that Rose is finally reunited with Jack at the clock on the Titanic never fails to bring tears to my eyes. There is a little part of everybody that hopes that in the afterlife we can re-live our fondest memories with the people that made the most impact on our lives. The fact Rose is reunited with Jack after all those years shows the everlasting love which inevitably makes this a film for only true romantics.



Photo Credit

The idea of mixing the past and the present also provides the film with enough substance to last the full 194 minutes. I find it never gets boring as it has interludes of the actual Titanic wreckage[1] as well as collaborating the 21^st Century with the 1900s and brings the past to life in a sense. For me, bringing to life the characters on board one of the most famous ships in history is something that is epic and screen worthy. What Cameron does brilliantly is mix fictional characters with historical characters to get a real sense of the Titanic as it could have been. Cameron wanted the film to be like a ‘Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic’[2] and he certainly achieved this. I definitely came away from the cinema hoping there was a love story true to this on board the real Titanic.

What inspires me in this film is some of the real elements that are incorporated such as the orchestra that carried on playing until the end to try and keep the people calm during the sinking. The second half of the film is all about the sinking and how people reacted and the true colours of the characters are shown. The fact that Rose jumps off the boat that would take her to safety as she knows Cal – played by Billy Zane will not save Jack. Her feelings became so strong over such a short time that she would rather die on the ship than allow Jack to be alone. This is what makes Cal insane with jealousy as he is used to getting what he wants but when it comes to true love, the heart wants what it wants and not even the promise of safety or money can stop it.

This is when the real action begins as Cal begins shooting at the lovers and would rather see them both dead than together. His true colours show he cannot really love Rose but ultimately always saw her as a possession rather than an equal partnership. Although Rose is higher in class than Jack, love transcends all boundaries and obstacles. She sees in Jack all the honest and humble qualities that Cal doesn’t possess and this is what she has always wanted. Her life has been nothing but manners and etiquette. Her level of interest in her current life bored her and she was looking for something else, something inspiring. That was when she met Jack and he saved her from this life.

Jack’s worldliness and experience attracts Rose to him, she sees his life as the complete opposite to hers. His drawings highlight his ability to see people for what they really are. He saw through Rose and knew she wasn’t happy with her life. He saw her purity and her need for adventure and gave her the ultimate adventure for such a brief time in her life but a time that changed her significantly and for a lifetime. She lived her life in modesty but to the fullest after his death, briefly shown in the photographs she kept at her bedside. She kept true to her word and never looked back but always kept Jacks memory alive in her heart and through her life. True love should affect all of us in this way at some point in our lives, otherwise we have not lived.

Religiously I watch this film when I need to be reminded of what’s important in life or what is missing from mine. A great love is what everyone hopes for and what everyone deserves. A great love can only happen once; we always remember the one true love in our lives. At a stage when I thought I began to feel love I watched this film and realised that the love I had was not a great love, it wasn’t eternal. A great love is the kind that lives on in your heart even after your apart not only in death but even in separation. The song allocated to the film ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Dion is perfectly chosen for this film for this reason – that Rose’s love for Jack will always go on.

 Films like the ‘Titanic’ will always be epic and stay with us through our lifetime as they show how love should be or how we wish it could be. It takes us away from our own lives and allows us to escape into a true great love, just in case we never get ours.

I had to add in two of the soundtracks to this film that I just love:

[1] Actually shot on the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh and scale models and special effects used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akademik_Mstislav_Keldysh

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)

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Top 10 Comedy Films





''Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine''

                                                                                                                          - Alan

''This guy is either gonna think 'Here's another kid with a fake ID' or 'Here's McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor'.''

                                                                                                                          - Evan

''It took me like three hours to finish the shading on your upper lip. It's probably the best drawing I've ever done.''

                                                                                                                          - Napoleon

1. The Hangover (2009)
Original storyline, brilliant the way it back tracks through the night rather than showing us in chronological order. Excellent casting and character development. The wolf pack has been created!

2. Superbad (2007)
This film brought to light the new generation of young comedic actors. Funny as hell storyline and brilliant and relatable characters - the new and improved 'American Pie'. I have watched this so many times but I still find new things to laugh at. McLovin is a G.

3. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Quirky, witty, sarcastic and just weird! It's my kind of humour and the confidence of Napoleon should be injected into every Geek that has ever lived!

4. Get Him to the Greek (2010)
Russell Brand can hold a film. He and Jonah Hill make a good comedy pairing. P.Diddy is suprisingly good - ''I'm mind fucking you right now''.

5. Forgeting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Random choice but I really do enjoy watching Jason Segel. He is the brains behind this film and it really has a charm about it. Russell Brand is an asset to the film and all the characters work well together and have genuine chemistry which provide a good rom com.

6. Pink Panther (2006)
I love the original but Steve Martin does it hilarious justice - the scene with them dressed in disguise as wallpaper never fails to make me cry with laughter.

7. The Man with Two Brains (1983)
If you don't find this the funniest film ever, your a loser. It is outrageous and not physically possible but it is a classic. The scene with the brain and Michael (Martin) on the boat is epic!

8. Happy Gilmore (1996)
Adam Sandler is a genius - enough said! When he loses his temper I burst into histerics!

9. Big Daddy (1999)
Steve Buscemi as the homeless guy - legend

10. Pineapple Express (2008)

Seth Rogan has always been a favourite of mine. His pairing with James Franco seemed odd as Franco is best known for his role as Harry in 'Spiderman', generally he is in more serious roles but he has a very funny side to him. He is subtle in his humour. All the characters work well together, I love this generation of comedy.

I have to add this last one in...

11. American Pie (1999)

This will always be the original for teen sex comedies. Jason Biggs relates to so many young and frustrated boys and set the mark for this genre of film.

Death at a Funeral (2010) Neil LaBute

Actors: Chris rock, Martin Lawrence, Peter Dinklage

Last night I finally sat down to watch this black comedy. It never caught my eye when it was released. It is an American remake of the 2007 British version and sticks to the storyline with little change. Funnily enough it has one of the same actors in the remake - Peter Dinklage who plays a vital role in the film. The film is based on a death that brings an estranged family together and naturally chaos occurs.

The storyline is predictable but the delivery of it surprised me. I am not a fan of Chris Rock, I find any serious role he plays to be unbelievable and I have never found his comedy funny and I was not proved wrong in this film. He played Aaron, the son of the man who died and it is his relationship with his brother Ryan, played by Martin Lawrence, which is strained. Lawrence takes the spotlight ironically considering he is the golden child in the film. The idea that death brings a family together tends to lend itself to some truth in many of our lives. It is what people can relate to in the film. Nobody is perfect and it is the scandals and mishaps that bring any family closer.

Peter Dinklage plays the deceased fathers secret mini-lover and bringing him back into the remake provides continuity between the two films which I like. The fact that he is a dwarf enhances the comedy as the father and he are polar opposites. His character is not really developed much in the film which I would have liked, there is no explanation as to why he is looking to bribe the family for £30,000 for intimate pictures of the two lovers and only shows his character to be a low-life and not really a 'lover'.


James Marsden really surprised me in this film. He plays Oscar, the fiancé of one of the cousins in the film who unknowingly gets drugged. His acting is brilliant in this and most of my laughs came from the scenes he was in. He is a very good comedic actor and has definitely found his forte. He is best known for his role as Cyclops in 'X-Men' which he plays with seriousness the role needs. His comedic acting was first shown to me in 'Enchanted' as Prince Edward. Since then I have been a fan of his as he has a likeability factor and a talent for playing the silly aspect of quite normal men. Along with him is Tracey Morgan who plays the annoying family friend Norman. He has a fast-paced humour and always seems to play the guy that bad luck falls on and this doesn’t stop in this role. He pulls it off well and definitely stands out amongst a group of actors who are very similar.

Overall the film has some funny and unexpected moments and particular actors make it worth watching. It may not be the most original of films but it caters to the modern audiences well. It transcends both British and American humour which can be a difficult task. It's something I've watched once but wouldn’t watch again.

My First Mission

 Sequel to 'The Hangover' I am excited to post the trailer for 'The Hangover 2'. I laughed so much in the first one and have watched it so many times that even now I still find new things to amuse me. Comedic genuis. This first post is just a little taster into what I shall be reviewing first! Excited to get started :)