iamjsm

[iamjsm]

Fall TV 2017

Fall has officially started today and so are all the new and returning shows. It was nice to take somewhat of a break during the summer. Still had plenty to watch though.

Monday

 I’ll be watching: Dancing with the Stars, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Me, Myself & I, Supergirl, The Gifted and The Good Doctor. I got kind of tired of TBBT and haven't watched it regularly the last couple of seasons. I thought nothing new was happening. I think it’s progressing there’s a new baby, a proposal, different living arrangements. At first I didn’t plan on watching Young Sheldon but I’m going to give it a try. The previews look good for it. I already watch a lot of superhero shows but I thought I’d give The Gifted a chance instead of Marvel’s Inhumans. Me, Myself & I is a show I’ll definitely watch, i like the plot of the show. Takes place in present day with a middle-aged man and shows flashbacks when he was a teenager and flash forwards to when he’s retired. I’ve liked Bobby Moynihan from SNL and an added bonus is the teenager is played by my favorite character on IT. Lastly is The Good Doctor. The previews really hooked me. I don’t really watch any medical shows so I think I will try this one out.

Tuesday

I’ll be watching: This is Us, The Middle, Fresh off the Boat, The Mayor, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and AHS: Cult. This past year I’ve seen reruns of The Middle and I enjoyed it, I thought I would watch this season since it’ll be their last. This is Us was my favorite new show from last season, so I’ll know this season will be just as good. I liked the plot of The Mayor, it’s only a 30 minute show so I’ll try it and see if it’ll get a season pass. I’ve only watched one episode of AHS: Cult and it didn’t really grab me. I’ll continue to watch it because I like the cast this season and I’m sure it’ll get better.

Wednesday

Set to record are: Riverdale, The Goldbergs, Designated Survivor, Speechless and American Housewife. I really enjoyed the first season of Riverdale. This time we will be getting a full season. I like the dark take on the Archie comics. I binge-watched Designated Survivor this summer and it was so thrilling! I am a little nervous they switched so many show runners and they said it won’t be edge of your seat season like last. That bums me out a little because that’s the part I really liked. The rest are comedies I’ve been watching. ABC has really done a good job with their comedies lately.

Thursday

On the list are: Will & Grace, Superstore, Arrow, Mom, The Good Place, Scandal and How to get away with Murder. I remember watching Will & Grace the first time around. I thought the last couple of seasons weren’t as good and the earlier seasons. They spent too many times with guest stars. From the reviews the new season is going to be what we loved. Same characters, nothing new except they’re older now. Can’t wait! It took me awhile to watch the first season of The Good Place, but wow I was impressed. Way different plot from other comedies and what a twist at the end. Last season of Scandal so I’m ready to finish that series. Great acting and storylines. I can’t wait to see what the mystery will be on HTGAWM. Sad that Wes won’t be back I guess he’ll be featured in flashbacks possibly. This is another show with great acting and so much drama! 

Friday

Just two of my favorite shows on The CW: Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Love that they both are female lead. Love all the drama, comedy and sadness on Jane the Virgin and it seems like every episode ends with a cliffhanger so it keeps you hooked. 

Saturday

Just SNL. Cool it’ll be live in all time zones

Sunday

The Last Man on Earth. Fourth season and it takes so many twists and turns it keeps you hooked. Only problem is how FOX airs it. It’ll air a few episodes then goes on hiatus, comes back and then it doesn’t show for months! Very annoying

Shows I might watch

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders and Dynasty. Good thing about True Crime is it’s only 8 episodes so I’ll probably binge watch it. I love me some soaps so I may give Dynasty a chance. Didn’t watch the original, I’ll wait and see the reviews for it and ratings. Don’t want to start a show that may get cancelled.

First show to be canceled

9JKL definitely. Possibly Ghosted or Kevin (probably) Saves the World.

[iamjsm]

Pet Peeve #11

Another Facebook pet peeve I can't stand is when someone writes a post with vague news like “I can’t believe that happened so soon, I guess I have to move on” and then people comment on the post asking what they are talking about. The thing that’s annoying is the poster doesn’t explain what the post is about. If you're not going to explain yourself, don’t post it!

[iamjsm]

Pet Peeve #10

I can't stand when people tag their loved ones, friends and family on Facebook posts. I’m pretty sure they follow you on Facebook, they will see your post.No need to tag.

[iamjsm]

Dark Places (Book and Movie Review) With books turned to movies, I like to read the book first and then watch the movie. With “Gone Girl” I watched the movie and didn’t read the book. I’m horrible! After loving the film I knew I had to read Gillian Flynn’s other books. It made me sad to find out she only had two. I decided to read “Dark Places” first because the movie was about to come out. I downloaded it on iBooks (that was my first digital book I’ve ever read) and enjoyed it. Gillian Flynn sure can write dark, mysterious and riveting works of art. The book is about Libby Day who, when she was 7, her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered by her older brother. Libby is 31 now and has been living off money she received when she turned 18 by people saddened by her story who donated money. She is running low on her funds and since she hasn’t worked a day in her life, doesn’t want to start now so she gets involved with this group of people who follow true harrowing mysteries. They’ll pay her cash to hear her side of the story. The thing is they don’t believe that her brother committed the murders so Libby has to speak to people from her past, including her brother which she hasn’t seen since she was seven. This book had a lot of twists and turns and the way the book is cleverly constructed you get the point of view of Libby’s mother and brother the day of and the day before the murders to find out what actually happened that horrific night. After reading the book, and after watching “Gone Girl” I was super excited to see the film. I was a bit disappointed. I thought Charlize portrayed a great Libby Day. She really brought the character to life. I love Chloe Grace Moretz ever since “Kick-Ass” but I didn’t believe her as Diondra. Diondra was this mature party animal and I just didn’t see the character that way in the film. I don’t know if because I read the book and knew how it ends it made the last act a little bit of a let down. In short: I enjoyed the book very much and I thought the movie was just ok. Book: B+ Movie: D+ #review #bookreview #moviereview #foryourentertainment #darkplaces #gillianflynn #charlizetheron #chloegracemoretz

[iamjsm]

Telenovela This was another show I wanted to check out. Out of Superstore and Telenovela, I like Telenovela a little more. It’s a show within a show. Eva Longoria stars as Ana Sofia Calderon, the star of a telenovela. She goes ballistic when she finds out they want to add her ex husband as a love interest for her character. While I think the silly falling downs and gasps are a bit much, it’s an enjoyable show if you can get past those things. I think I like this show for a couple of reasons. I used to watch soap operas when I was younger and this show kind of makes fun of the infamous stare-downs, the wind blowing your hair around and the silly dialogue of soap operas. I also watched Gross Pointe on The WB many moons ago and it was basically the same premise. I laugh out loud on each episode. Eva Longoria does a great job as the lead. I never watched Desperate Housewives so I really wasn’t a fan of hers until now. This is another show that isn’t the best thing on TV, but still enjoyable. If you’re a fan of soaps/telenovelas and like slap stick comedy I would recommend this show. Monday's on NBC at 8:30/7:30 central. Side note: I think it's fantastic that NBC put two shows back to back with Latina leads. Progress!! #telenovela #evalongoria #nbc #monday #soapopera #grosspointe #latina #review #foryourentertainment

[iamjsm]

Superstore I already watch too many shows but I decided to check this one out because I like the two leads. Fell in love with America Ferrara when she starred in Ugly Betty and I became a fan of Ben Feldman from his short-lived series A to Z. The show resolves around the employees of Cloud 9, a Costco type store and the crazy antics they get into. Is it a must see show? No, but it is worth checking out. The thing I like about this show is it’s called Superstore for a reason, it all takes place in the store. The viewers gets small peeks into these characters personal lives to find out more about them, which is something I like. It makes it easier to invest in these characters because of this. It also helps that is has some funny one-liners. The one where Matteo says Jonah looks like a villain on The CW cracked me up. The series premiered mid-season and will have 11 episodes. The ratings have been decent, so I have a good feeling it’ll be renewed for a longer second season. It airs Mondays on NBC at 8/7 central. If you want a show to binge or something you don’t have to totally invest in, this is a show worth checking out. #superstore #americaferrera #benfeldman #nbc #cloudnine #foryourentertainment #review

[iamjsm]

Ready Player One I remember about a year ago stumbling upon this book at Barnes and Noble. The summary of the book sounded very interesting but I never picked it up. I finally decided to get it about a month ago, and boy am I glad that I did. It’s my favorite book I’ve read in a very long time. It’s the year 2044 and cities all across The United States are in terrible condition. Technology has made a great leap from what we are accustomed to now. People spend most of their lives in virtual reality. They can work, go to school, travel and do all sorts of thing in the OASIS, the virtual utopia. Wade Watts is an orphan who lives with his aunt who treats him like garbage (deja vu to Harry Potter). His hero, Halliday, created the OASIS with his friend and colleague. After Halliday died he made this virtual scavenger hunt where a winner will receive his fortune. It’s up to Wade, err Parzival, and his friends (who he makes along the way) to try and solve all the riddles and puzzles before the Sixers (evil corporation of people led by Sorrento) will do whatever it takes to win. Ernest Cline debut novel is a riveting, addicting and a thrilling adventure. I tried to limit myself to reading too much too soon, I didn’t want the book to end. Best way I would describe this book is Harry Potter meets Willy Wonka + 80s pop-culture all mixed in. I definitely recommend this book. I’m not a gamer by any means. My idea of gaming is playing Just Dance and Lego Dimensions and although I was born in the 80s, I wasn’t familiar with all of the 80s pop culture in this book. The good thing is you don’t have to be familiar with these things in order to enjoy it. Start reading it today, you won’t be disappointed! A+ #review #bookreview #readyplayerone #ernestcline #foryourentertainment #mustread

[iamjsm]

#selfie

Anyone else have the same issue as me? I think I’m a rarity in this day and age. I don’t take that many selfies. Shocking, I know! I don’t know if it’s good or bad thing but the top 9 photos on my Instagram last year contained no selfies. Does that mean people don’t care for the photos of me, or is it because they liked the photos I took of other things?? When I decide to take a selfie I end up taking a lot trying to find one that looks half way acceptable. It’s not a conceited thing, more of a self-esteem issue. I think I’ve only told one person this but I do not like using the front facing camera. I hate the way my face looks when I use it. One of my eyes is lower than the other and I think my pictures look jacked up because of it. I really never paid attention but a lot of the pictures I take with or without people I’m almost always tilting my head in the pic. I think I would do this sub-consciously because tilting my head slightly makes me eyes even. When do you start feeling comfortable in your skin? I’m 31 and still feel awkward af. 

[iamjsm]

It sucks being a 31 year old who is short and skinny. Shopping for clothes is a chore when it’s supposed to be fun. Hate going to a store and finding a shirt that I really like and knowing that the small is still going to be too big. Shopping for jeans? Forget about it. I have to shop in the boys department on occasion. Luckily for the most part I can find shirts in mens small or extra small that fit well. I have to look in the boys department for jeans. There are some pros and cons about this. A big pro is boy clothes are typically cheaper than mens. A con is the styles are different. I don’t need an elastic waistband :/. I’ve been needing an extra pair of khakis for work and stumbled upon a pair that looked like they would fit in the boys section of H&M. I’ve already tried on some shirts in the dressing room so I didn’t want to try the khakis on. They looked like they would fit, so I bought them. They ended up fitting great, the problem was there were no back pockets. Ugh, really?! Now I guess boys who wear size 12 pants probably don’t have the need for a wallet but why would you make pants with no back pockets?? What would be great if clothing stores had a petite section for men. Not all men are six feet tall and weigh 175 pounds. Women have a petite section, why can’t the men? We have big & tall sections, heck there’s a big & tall store. Why isn’t there a short & tiny one? I really think they would have a market. I know I can’t be the only short and skinny man out there. 

[iamjsm]

Pet Peeve #9

I can't stand it when artists announce a tour that won't happen for 6+ months and you have to buy tickets now. If I'm spending money, I want to be able to enjoy it right away.

[iamjsm]

Fall TV!

My picks for best new shows and my guess on which show get canceled first!

Seasons are changing, students are going back to school and pumpkin spiced lattes are back on the menu. This must mean it’s time for a new season of television. This is my favorite time of year. I intend to watch 20+ shows this fall and that’s not including new series I plan on checking out. Among the many new shows premiering this fall, I am most looking forward to Supergirl and Scream Queens. Superhero television shows have mostly done well and it seems like CBS wants to jump in on the bandwagon with Supergirl. Surprisingly, this is the first female superhero show in 40 years when Wonder Woman premiered in 1975. What has taken so long? One of the executive producers of Supergirl is Greg Berlanti, who is the creator/producer of Arrow and The Flash. Melissa Benoist, best known from Glee, will play the titular character. A great thing this show is doing is casting an African-American actor to play Jimmy Olsen, who in the comics and movies, is played by a Caucasian male. CBS is taking a gamble with this show since most of their shows targets an older audience. The pilot reportedly cost $14 million, so we know they aren’t skimping on the special effects. The show will be going against The Voice, Dancing with the Stars and Fox’s own superhero show, Gotham. I have high hopes the pilot will have huge ratings (even though the pilot was leaked earlier this summer) and will do well this season.

Scream Queens is another show I’m looking forward to watching. Created by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk who are the masterminds behind Glee and American Horror Story. Ryan Murphy created one of my all time favorite shows, Popular, and I’ve been a fan of his shows since then. Scream Queens takes place at a college sorority where someone is wreaking havoc on the 20th anniversary of a mysterious death. The series stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts and Lea Michele. What I’m most looking forward to is the snarky dialogue I’ve come to love from Glee and the horror from American Horror Story. There has been some hesitation from fans about this show thinking they’ll pull a Glee by starting off strong and then slipping on the storylines, but I don’t share that sentiment. I think with this show being an anthology series, they shouldn’t have any issues. Another thing I like about this show is it’ll only have 15 episodes instead of the regular 22. This will allow the writers to really deliver in each episode. I think the show will have huge ratings and will be a massive hit for Fox.

Sadly, not every show premiering this fall will attract viewers and some will sadly get canceled. My picks on which show will get canceled first goes to either Truth be Told, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or The Player.

What shows are you looking forward to?

[iamjsm]

San Andreas in 3D Rated PG-13 1 hr and 54 movies To me, I think during the summer, people want to see a big-budget movie, popcorn eating with their 3D glasses on. All I know about the film is that buildings are going bye-bye. The film starts with a girl who is clearly not paying attention to the road, but nothing happens until her car goes off a cliff. It's up to Ray and his team to get her out of her car and into safety. I was bummed this was the only scene for Colton Haynes. Then there is word that the Grand Canyon is getting destroyed. Soon after its San Francisco where Ray's daughter is out with her moms new bf. There is an amazing scene when Ray gets Emma so they can get their daughter. So the whole movie is basically about Ray getting his family back together. I haven't watched a destroy the world 3D flick in while so it definitely kept me entertained. I thought the special effects were great as were the actors. If you see it, I suggest 3D or wait until it comes out on DVD. I give it a C+ #sanandreas #movie #review

[iamjsm]

Insidious: Chapter 3 Rated: PG-13 1 hr and 37 min Insidious: proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects. Gradual is an understatement. Man did this film move slow. The third film is a prequel. It happened before the first two films. Quinn, a high schooler living with her father and younger brother has been trying to contact her mother, who has died. The spirits that come through, however are much darker and looking to inhabit her body. I thought her accident really didn't serve a purpose throughout the film. Poor actress had to do half of her scenes in bed with casts on. Once the film picked up, about halfway through, we get to see characters from the first two films. We see Elise, Carl and the ghost hunters: Tucker and Specs. It was nice to see everyone formally meet and see how their roles in this will help mold them for future investigations like in Insidious 1 and 2. There are plenty of noises and banging on the walls and a few screams to get you into the better second half. Like I mentioned I liked how they introduced these characters we've seen before in the other films. And if it wasn't for Elise I don't think there would be no movie. She did awesome. Looking forward to how they'll do the fourth movie. I was a huge fan of the first two films, but this one fell flat for me. I give it a C #insidious #insidious3 #movie #reveiw

[iamjsm]

Inside Out Rated:PG 1 hr 42 min Inside Out is about an 11 year old girl named Riley and her emotions led by Joy (Amy Poehler) as she moves from the Midwest to San Francisco. Her emotions try to keep her happy and upbeat until Joy and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) accidentally travel deep into Riley's mind. That leaves Anger, Fear and Disgust as the emotions Riley can feel. Joy and Sadness goes on a journey to get back to headquarters and meet some special characters along the way. Pixar makes movies that not only cater to kids, but to adults as well and offers a great story with amazing animation and this film is no exception. To me, this felt more like an adult movie then a kid movie. It examines a coming of age story where a girl starts growing up and her emotions have to evolve as she is. The cast were top-notch. I think Disgust was the weakest link as in she didn't really add much to the story. If you're a fan of Pixar movies this is a must-see. Even the short before the movie was great. I give it an A. #insideout #pixar #movie #review #entertainment

[iamjsm]

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Rated: PG-13 1 hr and 45 min Based on the book by Jesse Andrews. I thought the film was just as good as the book, which is usually a rarity. Greg, a high school senior, is a part of every group in high school but also likes to be invisible as to not cause any friction. He and Earl, his co-worker and friend since childhood, makes their own version of movies they've watched as a hobby. It's not until his mom tells him a girl he goes to school with is sick that he gets a purpose. He starts hanging out with her as a chore, but it quickly changes. Greg clearly says this isn't a romantic story, and it's not. It's a story about friendship and finding your purpose in life. I thought it was beautifully acted and the movie really moved me. I suggest you bring tissues. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon really captured Jesse Andrews story and brought it to life. The three main actors were top notch and even though Greg is self-involved and whiny, he evolves throughout the film. This is a must see, even if you haven't read the book. A+!! #meandearl #meandearlandthedyinggirl #movies #review #jesseandrews #thomasmann #oliviacooke #rjcyler #alfonsogomezrejon

[iamjsm]

Pet Peeve #8

I can't stand when people go to the movies and leave their trash. You pass the trash cans on the way out, it doesn't take much effort to throw it away.

[iamjsm]

Things I don’t get #2

Maroon 5 just released a new single “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfu***r”.  Their current album, “V” was released less than a year ago on August 29, 2014.  “Maps”, “Animals” and “Sugar” were released as singles.  When the album was released they had a regular version consisting of 11 songs and a deluxe version with 14 songs.  My issue is with this new single.  It would be a different story if it was part of a re-release of their album with a few new songs and/or remixes.  This is not the case.  So far they are only releasing this new song.  I can buy it on iTunes for $1.29 but I noticed if you were to get their album now its on the album.  So the regular version will have 12 songs now and the deluxe version will have 15.  I don’t think it’s fair for someone who has already purchased their album that they have to buy the song separately now.  It should be a free download since it’s a part of the album now.  With this new song that wasn’t on the album originally as their new single, does that mean they are not going to release any more singles from the album?  I hope they do.  The album still has some great songs that could serve as singles.  I will still continue to be a fan, I just don’t think having to purchase this new song is fair.