... this blogger gave to thee...
...eight days of Netflix...
... seven shoes to choose from...
... six party frocks...
... five gold rings!..
... four filmic covers...
... three low light lovelies...
... two sassy sweatshirts...
... an ode to 2016.
Happy New Year and again good riddance to 2016!
(Edit: Yeah, so, I'm officially running behind by two days, this post essentially being from New Years Day but I hadn't finished writing/editing and failed to post, getting myself off track by a couple of days, so just suspend disbelief and make it two days ago. I've been having a down couple of days since the New Year started. This time last year I was feeling incredibly positive about the future and this year, this year it's the opposite, I'm pretty sure I'm just going to continue to fuck everything up and I'm only three days in! But anyway, I'm determined to catch up with the twelve days and by Thursday - day 12 - I will be back on track at least with posts!)
Last New Years, Netflix came into the house. I'm now not sure I watch any proper television or DVDs, as apposed to just all Netflix. Thus as an ode to the deliverer of an obscene amount of excellent new fodder and to give you a few options for the New Year, here are eight of my favourites*...
Shameless (U.S.)
(2011 - present)
(Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Emma Kenney, Justin Chatwin, William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey and Emma Greenwell)
Shameless (U.S.) is a relatively new favourite, having only just finished series five in the weeks before Christmas. Revolving around the incredibly dysfunctional Gallagher family and how six kids cope with caring for themselves as their alcoholic father Frank (William H. Macy) both accidentally and intentionally makes it all that bit harder. Relocated to Chicago, the series is based on the British Channel Four series set in Manchester, running from 2004 to 2013, which while I initially enjoyed, quickly for me because more and more unseemly to watch, whereas the U.S. version is believable, hard hitting and while there are unpleasant moments, they've stayed away from the outright grotesque, which is nice. It's a great show and the sooner seasons six and seven upload the better.
Marvel's Jessica Jones
(2015 - present)
(Starring: Krysten Ritter, David Tennant, Carrie-Anne Moss, Rachael Taylor, Mike Colter, Wil Traval and Eka Daville)
Marvel, is everywhere. Countless films, multiple television shows and of course the original comics, and for me, they've been hit or miss, quite often falling into the uninspiring sequel trope, but don't get me wrong, I love the Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America and Netflix has certainly brought me my favourite television series in Jessica Jones. Unlike a lot of Marvels superhero stories, Jessica Jones begins after the events of the first Avengers movie, after the old gang have saved New York from Loki and the Chitauri but have left a big old mess and forced anyone with powers into hiding. People like Jessica (Krysten Ritter), who has turned from short lived superhero to private eye with post traumatic stress caused by a brief period of mind control at the hands of David Tennant as Kilgrave.
These two, Ritter and Tennant, are honestly my two favourite Marvel TV characters and Tennant as Kilgrave, who actually spends relatively little time on screen, makes an amazing villain, partly because he looks like he's having so much fun! This is one of the mistakes I feel is often made when writing villains, they're too serious and surely if you're trying to take over the world and be a total bad ass, you should be having fun. Also, sorry to those across the pond, but in the Marvel world Brits make the best villains. Give me Hiddleston and Tennant over the rest any day. Fingers crossed Season 2 is just as good!
iZombie
(2014 - present)
(Starring: Rose McIver, David Anders, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Aly Michalka and Robert Buckley)
The general premise of this show is Olivia "Liv" Moore is a medical resident who is all work, no play and certainly no partying... then she goes to a party, which turns into a mini zombie massacre and accidentally gets scratched and turned. She then becomes a doctor in a morgue and solves crime by eating pilfered brains and pretending to be psychic. I will admit, Liv is not my favourite character (that goes to Ravi), and the show errs on the side of overly procedural, however, I love it, the surround cast are funny and it has a theme tune which I get stuck in my head for good reasons rather than irritating ones.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
(2005 - present)
(Starring: Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito, Glenn Howerton and Roby McElhenney)
These are bad, terrible, awful people. Genuinely, there is nothing really redeemable about any of the characters other than possibly Charlie, who is the lovable idiot who invented kitten mittens, but on the whole they're all despicable and immoral and that's what makes them so funny.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows "The Gang" consisting of twins Dennis and Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds (Howerton and Olson), their friends Charlie Kelly (Day), Ronald "Mac" McDonald (McElhenney) and Frank Reynolds (DeVito) Dee and Dennis's non-biological father. They run Paddy's Pub in South Philly and each episode takes us through a day in the grubby and depraved lives of a group of lazy, dishonest, egotistical, selfish, unethical and often criminal people. I honestly don't know why or how you could like any of these characters, but I do and the program is incredibly funny and each episode you just wait to see how what more they could possibly do!
American Horror Story (Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show and Hotel)
(2011 - present)
(Starring: Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Denis O'Hare, Lily Rabe, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Emma Roberts, Wes Bentley, Kathy Bates and Lady Gaga... to really name a few!)
To try and explain American Horror Story: Murder House/Asylum/Coven/Freak Show/Hotel, would honestly be ludicrous, so I will merely say, other than it being excellent, American Horror Story is an anthology series where each of the seasons is a self contained miniseries which take place in different eras with only rare character cross overs as of the fourth season (Freak Show). Each mini series is full of murder, ghosts, witches, vampires, traditional horror tropes and stories loosely inspired by true events...
I admit, I watched the start of the first series (Murder House) on TV and turned my nose up at it as being irritating. How wrong I was! And a lot of that is down to Evan Peters and the fact that that boy cries and I cry. I also have a massive crush but that's by the by. So far, having seen seasons 1-5, I have my favourites including Murder House, Coven and Hotel, (Asylum and Freak Show I felt were a little disjointed) but each is amazingly well done, the cast and guest stars are impeccable and even with its flaws, it is a great series and totally worthy of the hype!
Garfunkel and Oates & Garfunkel and Oates: Trying To Be Special
(2014 & 2016)
(Starring: Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci)
This one was a battle of the musical comedy shows alongside Crazy Ex-girlfriend. Both of which I really enjoyed this year, however in Crazy Ex-girlfriend, one of my favourite characters and half of the couple I ship, has left, and it doesn't look like he's coming back. So sorry, I'm not happy and so they lost points and Garfunkel and Oates grabbed them by putting out a special the week of Christmas.
Garfunkel and Oates (Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci) have a direct line to my funny bone with their often dirty and satrical musical comedy, the series basically follows the duo through their lives as they try to make it in Hollywood. It's only a shame the series was cancelled after eight episodes and a subsequent special in 2016. This is a very very sad fact, but I thank Netflix for bring it into my life and maybe we'll get more eventually.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
(2016)
(Starring: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Milo Ventimiglia, Liza Weil, Keiko Agena, Sean Gunn, Matt Czuchry, Melissa McCarthy and Jared Padalecki... and a lot more of the original cast, yay!)
I really couldn't leave this one out. I am a die hard Gilmore Girls fan. I have watched the complete series (which is also on Netflix, so watch that first if you never have) more times than I would like to confess and I find something increasingly comforting about the ridiculous antics of the residence of Stars Hollow and the lives of Lorelai an Rory Gilmore.
So I was counting the days for the arrival of the four part special following the ladies over Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall of one year culminating in four final words which the creators had always planned to conclude the story with. Really, I tried so hard to pace myself and only watch an episode a night but you know that didn't work and I subsequently watched the whole lot in two nights staying up late and really forcing myself to switch off at the end of that second episode. It was like having a hug from an old friend, it was comforting and while not perfect, it was lovely to have them back and hopefully lead to more episodes given the giant cliff hanger they left us on! Seriously if they don't at least do more specials I may riot.
RuPaul's Drag Race
(2009 - present)
(Starring: RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Sharon Needles, Jujubee, Raven, Alaska Thunderfuck, Raja Gemini, Bianca Del Rio, Jinx Monsoon, Latrice Royale, Alyssia Edwards, BenDeLaCreme, Adore Delano, Katya, Chad Michaels, Detox, Milk, Violet Chachki, Miss Fame and many, many, many more!)
RuPaul's Drag Race is the guilty pleasure I'm not guilty about. And other than it being a reality show and generally I avoid those bar Master Chef, The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great British Bake Off (*sob*), what is there to be guilty about?
The "fundamentals" of this show is fourteen drag queens start the show and within each episode compete in mini challenges from comedy, acting, sewing, catwalk, dancing, "reading" (where each contestant makes insulting observations about their fellow contestants for comic effect.) and my favourite, Snatch Games, in which each contestant impersonates a different celebrity in a Blankety Blank style contest. Each weeks sees one girl go home as a result of their performance throughout the challenges and the final runway, the episodes end with two contestant having to lip sync for their life and their place in the contest.
I don't know why I love it, but I do. Initially I watched part of season two years ago when it was on TV, then it never reappeared. So when I saw Netflix had it, it was pretty much the first show I watched, then twitched until they uploaded Season 7. It's fascinating, fun and bitchy and I definitely always favour the comedy queens such as Jinx Monsoon, Alaska and my favourite Bianca Del Rio, who makes my sides hurt with her acerbic insult comedy, mostly because her alter-ego Roy, seems to be such a complete sweetheart, I love her and him. So here's hoping 2017 will seen the most recent series arrive on Netflix along with both seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, because I need more!
So with Miss RuPaul I finish this list I hope you had a wonderful New Years, I wish you good luck in 2017 and...
Happy New Year! Part nine tomorrow...
Fuck you 2016!
*all series were still on Netflix last time I checked and no I'm not sponsored for anything I post, least of all Netflix. Seriously, I wish!
Link || Shameless (U.S.) | Official | IMDb
Link || Marvel's Jessica Jones | Official | Netflix | IMDb
Link || iZombie | IMDb
Link || It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | IMDb
Link || American Horror Story | IMDb
Link || Garfunkel and Oates | Official | IMDb
Link || Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | IMDb
Link || RuPaul's Drag Race | Official | IMDb
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Listening: The New Year - Deathcab for Cutie
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