akwardlyuncool

[akwardlyuncool]

Akward Class Favorites: The Playlist 2024

Every time I get to the end of Akward Class Favorites I feel 2 things. The first is that I've won/accomplished something and the second is that of thankfulness or gratitude. This blog is for me to use as a visual and written journal/scrapbook of my life, among many other things, but it's also pictures and feelings and words and opinions, that I get to share with other people and that is cool to me. I appreciate anyone who takes a moment to consume any of this. That being said before I can officially close out ACF 24, I got one more kinda phat playlist for y'all. It's smaller than other years, but there's still almost 3 hours worth of music here, which is more than enough to find something you'll enjoy, so put in the work.

Notes On How To Consume This Playlist:

The song that came out in 2024 will be clearly marked.

There is a story/flow that I tried to create once again, but you do not need to know any of that to follow along with the playlist. You can listen in order, shuffle, pick and choose, do whatever you want.

That being said if you’re following along from the beginning and reading along, the anecdotes that follow many of the songs aren’t really apart of that story, they’re just extra pieces of sometimes “personal” information that I include because it’s fun for me and I talk/share too much.

When I’m collecting YouTube links for these songs, I’ll often find a live or alternate version that I really like and will share that instead, or in addition to, the original/studio version. I will note when I do this, however the full Spotify playlist will have the “correct” version.

Tumblr formatting is still not great, so I'm sorry it doesn't look as neat or as pretty as it used to.

Key:

⭐️ = Songs that came out specifically in 2024 🕚 = Songs that came out in November/December of 2023. (You know the late babies.) ✊🏾 = Songs by/featuring Black Artists.

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⭐️ ✊🏾 Paying Bills At The End Of The World - Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties

Aaron West is traditionally a solo project of Dan Campbell's, however for this entire record the man playing the saxophone is a Black man named Chiemena Ukazim. He's also apart of the full touring band. I wanted to acknowledge his presence and give him his flowers.

2. ⭐️ The American Dream Is Killing Me - Green Day

3. 🕚 AMERICAN.DREAM - Not My Weekend

I think this one came out before Green Day's, just sayin.

4. ⭐️ ✊🏾 Recipe For Disaster - Honey Revenge

5. 🕚 LIGHTING ft. Brian Butcher - Not My Weekend

6. 🕚 We Need More Bricks - Neck Deep

I'm terribly sorry for not making this one of the top 12 songs of the year, it was a late 2023 release as a single and I usually make exceptions for those.

Also this is one of the main bands out here really putting the Punk in Pop-Punk, so if you need a band about it, this is one of my recommendations.

7. ⭐️ ✊🏾 Sticky ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne - Tyler The Creator

8. ⭐️ Year Of The Vulture - The Wonder Years

9. ⭐️ Swear To God That I'm (FINE) - Winona Fighter

10. ⭐️ My Body’s My Buddy ft. Brye - Tessa Violet

My Body’s My Buddy (Gender Neutral Version) ft. Brye and Corook - Tessa Violet

I included both versions, cause I believe this is the song everyone needs on their self love playlist.

11. ⭐️ Machine - Scott Helman (10 Year Anniversary edition)

I made a whole display at work based on this song because that's how much music is apart of my everyday life.

12. ⭐️ feel alright - Gestalt

13. ⭐️ Happy - Something Corporate

14. 🕚 SHUT.UP - Not My Weekend

15. ⭐️ Clueless - State Champs

16. ⭐️ Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter

17. ⭐️ Niki FM (Behind The Tears Version) - Hawthorne Heights

18. I Woke Up In A Car - Something Corporate

Hearing this song live was EVERYTHING.

19. ⭐️ Lock & Key - Anella

Shared the On The Radar version as the YouTube link, cause that's the version I fell in love with.

On a separate note though, On The Radar needs to watch who they let share opinions on Black music and culture, y'all ain't removing yourselves from the association of that one.

20. ⭐️ Bobby Sox - Green Day

Hasn't made it to my top Green Day songs yet, but it is still a hella cute song and really good live.

21. Watermelon - John Q + Jane Q. Public

Made this into a fake book for a work project because just like y'all I was influenced. The song really is good though. Check out my review for Dinner In America on ACF 24 movie rank part 1.

22. ⭐️ Loud - The Home Team

Do not play aloud at work.

23. ⭐️ wont let go - Gestalt

24. ⭐️ The Older You Get - Daniel Seavey

25. ⭐️ Walk This World With Me - The Home Team

26. ⭐️ Ohio Is For Lovers (Behind Tears Version) - Hawthorne Heights

27. Choke - Teamnonexisent

They have a new album that I need to spend more time with as well, so here is me telling you to check out the newer stuff as well.

28. 🕚 KNOCK.ME.OUT ft. Kellin Quinn - Not My Weekend

29. u turn me on (but you give me depression) - LOLO

30. ⭐️ I, VIBRATOR - Say Anything

We listen and we don't judge. We also don't listen to this out loud at work.

31. ⭐️ Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter

32. ⭐️ Austin (Boots Stop Workin') - Dasha

33. 🕚 *Snow In Berlin* - Snow in Berlin

34. ⭐️ Watch The Fire - Dashboard Confessional and Boys Like Girls

35. Really Big Shrimp (Cover) - Arm’s Length

36. Half A Man - Dean Lewis

37. 28 (With Dean Lewis) - Ruth B. and Dean Lewis

28 is what I believe gave Half A Man a resurgence, which mean I may have heard Half A Man years ago and didn't realize.

38. Twenty Eight - Taylor Acorn

39. Me And The Moon - Something Corporate

40. 🕚 Bleu - Broadside

They've been a feature in a lot of things lately, so I think I need to really take a dive into them beyond the features and the 1 or 2 songs of theirs that I already know.

41. ⭐️ Lonely Whatever - Backseat Goodbye

It's a good year when bands/artists from my early iTunes curation days come back with new music and it's still good.

42. ⭐️ Letterman - The Story So Far

43. 🕚 Middle - Have Mercy

44. ⭐️ ✊🏾 In Lieu Of Flowers - Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties

This is also one of my favorite songs of the year, I just chose not to give them 2 spots on the top 12. Side Note: I need to listen to this album like a reading a series, so I want to listen to all 3 records in order, which is why I haven't fully listened to it yet.

The saxophone player on this song/album is a Black man named Chiemena Ukazim.

45. Monsters - James Blunt

46. Monsters - Iam and James Blunt

Still so in love with this song and if you haven't heard it before, fair warning you might cry. The link is to the American Idol performance they did together, Spotify will have the studio version.

47. Days Like This (Cover) - Dermot Kennedy

48. I've Been - MNYS

This was the song that was shot out to me on the morning I got my license. I had never heard of it before, but now it's part of my life's soundtrack.

49. ⭐️ Too Late To Say - State Champs

Listened to this song right before an interview and then mentioned it in said interview, so I guess you can say I'm serious about this Pop Punk ish.

SPOTIFY LINK!

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Artist Of The Year... Green Day

I thought fairly hard about who my artist of the year was gonna be. For a while I was just gonna combine two artists, something that I've done in the past. At the end of the day however, I had to just say the easy and most honest answer, which is Green Day. Shout out to Something Corporate and The Home Team though, the choice actually was difficult.

I will never stop talking about the importance of Green Day in my life. Dookie was the first album my dad ever bought me. I was the kid walking around with the American Idiot chain wallet from Spencers or was it Hot Topic, I can't remember but that was me. The reason I wanted to go Warped Tour was because I heard Green Day played once. The closest I ever got to my Degrassi fandom in person, was seeing seeing Jake Epstein (Craig) in The American Idiot musical. I'm saying all of that because 2024 was the year that I got to give my younger self her dream of seeing Green Day live.

I thought the closest I was every going to get, was the American Idiot musical and then seeing a Green Day cover band. We resign ourselves to what is "good enough." It's being in the pit with your best friend, well he's in the pit and you're standing in the vicinity encouraging him, while a cover band who had to borrow a guy from another band played your favorite album. I'll take all forms that I can get and I don't think this is more important than any of those other wonderful moments, I'm just really geeked I got to have this one at all.

Now this isn't just about getting to see Green Day in concert, it's about all the time I spent before and after that moment, with them because of it. It's the albums I binged and them being my top artist on Spotify. It's the really cool collage I made for the American Idiot 20th Anniversary. I am not the biggest fan out there, I am however a hella sentimental person who got to spend time with one of their favorite bands this past year and that's why it's easy and super honest to name this as Artist of The Year for 2024.

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Top 20/Mini Introduction Playlist

Every year to go with the Artist of The Year, I make an introductory playlist to that artist. Back in 2015 when they got inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, I listed off my top 10 favorite Green Day songs of all time. I've been using that list as the introduction ever since. This year I'm gonna revisit said list and see if I want to make any changes and bump it up to 20 in honor of the 20th anniversary of American Idiot. After that, this is what I'll go with until I'm ready to update it again. The playlist has never been more than 10 songs, cause it's mini but this is a special occasion, so let me do what I want.

PS: I know I'm doing this without having listed to the American Idiot 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition yet, so to future Jai, I apologize if that listening experience makes this list wrong.

*In loose ranking order.

Give Me Novocaine - American Idiot

Extraordinary Girl - American Idioy

21 Guns Cast Version ft. Green Day - American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording

Wake Me Up When September Ends - American Idiot

Macy's Day Parade - Warning

Whatsername ft. John Gallagher Jr. - American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording

Coming Clean - Dookie

Brain Stew - Insomniac

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Nimrod

Sassafras Roots - Dookie

Poprocks & Coke - Warning

Geek Stink Breath - Insomniac

Pulling Teeth - Dookie

Christie Rd. - Kurplunk

Dominated Love Slave - Kurplunk

Amanda - ¡TRE!

Last of the American Girls - 21st Century Breakdown

The Grouch - Nimrod

¡Viva La Gloria! - 21st Century Breakdown

King For A Day - Nimrod

Spotify Link!

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Rooting For "Everybody" Black Year 5

For the last 5 years I've made a mini playlist featuring all of the Black artists that were in the mix with me during the year. 2024 was a short year across the board, so I apologize for how mini, this mini playlist is. That being said, it's mostly good stuff in there and I think you should give them a try if you haven't already.

Note: Everybody is in quotation marks because not all skin folk are kin folk. That was proven after this playlist was already made, when not-our-boy Nelly and CO. decided to preform at certain presidential parties. Essentially I didn't remove anybody, but know that I don't rock with that behavior, I think they're goofy for doing it and I am not rooting for them at this time.

Edit: I added one more track to this playlist as I was wrapping up the big playlist, to acknowledge someone's presence.

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Sticky ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne - Tyler The Creator

Recipe For Disaster - Honey Revenge

Daydreaming - Corinne Bailey Rae

Crazy Things I Do - Sammie

Lost In Translation - Johnnyswim

Mother Never Told Me - Eagle-Eye Cherry

Pimp Juice - Nelly

In Lieu Of Flowers - Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties

Aaron West is traditionally a solo project of Dan Campbell's, however for this entire record the man playing the saxophone is a Black man named Chiemena Ukazim. He's also apart of the full touring band. I wanted to acknowledge his presence and give him his flowers.

Spotify Link!

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Top 12 of 2024

Every year I dwindle down my favorite songs of the year to the size of my standard mix cds, which is 12 tracks. Every year I have to make harsh cuts and every year when I'm typing up the final listing I question if I made the right choices. Anyway here's my Top 12 (Mostly Sure) Tracks of exclusively 2024, in a rank order I think I agree with.

PS: Tracks 4 and 5 are obviously 2 versions of the same song, 5 is just the gender-neutral version. I'm counting both as 1 song, so it's still my top 12.

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Walk This World With Me - The Home Team

Paying Bills At The End Of The World - Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties

Swear To God That I'm (FINE) - Winona Fighter

My Body's My Buddy ft. Brye - Tessa Violet

My Body's My Buddy (Gender Neutral Version) ft. Brye and Corook - Tessa Violet

Year Of The Vulture - The Wonder Years

Letterman - The Story So Far

Too Late To Say - State Champs

Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter

The Older You Get - Daniel Seavey

Really Big Shrimp (Cover) - Arm's Length

wont let go - Gestalt

Watch The Fire - Dashboard Confessional and Boys Like Girls

SPOTIFY LINK!

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Albums

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State Champs - State Camps

This album came out in October, so I wasn't sure that it would even kinda qualify, that was until I spent the whole end of the year with it. I 1000% believe that this record deserves the Self-Titled name. It does them all of the justice, produces hit after hit, and even the tracks that I thought aren't as good as the others during single time, turn out to be favorites when paired with the whole record. (I'm looking at you Light Blue.) Y'all know that I love my State Champs and I kinda slacked on their last album when it first came out, but this one I didn't wait to be proven right. My only soft regret is that they were on tour a week after the album released and I didn't go because it was set to be cold and I didn't know the album yet. Mistakes all around, cause even if I didn't know much from this one, I would have known just about everything else on that set list and I still would have gotten to hear my new faves. But hey there's always next tour.

This album is some of modern Pop-Punk's finest. If you've been following State Champs and if you haven't, I'll tell you that they keep getting better. Their first album The Finer Things will always be top tier, but they've consistently worked to be their own best competition and this album just furthers proves that. Don't sleep on it.

Top 4 Tracks: (This was harder than I thought.)

Clueless (Track 3)

Too Late To Say (Track 5)

Hell Of It (Track 6)

Light Blue (Track 4) - I'm just so in love with that opening bit.

PS: Trust me I hear you on the song Sobering and if I wasn't so in love with the first part of Light Blue, it would have made top 4.

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The Crucible of Life - The Home Team

If you didn't catch what I said about this album in one of my Sitting To Know Your Collection roundups for 2024, I'll just let you know that it's a really groovy album. You're gonna dance and get a little spicy at the same time. It has the heavy elements many of us want as well. There are a few songs that I'm still fully learning, but I wasn't going to let the year pass without giving this album it's proper shout out. I spent so much time catching TikTok teasers and playing Walk This World With Me on repeat until I got the CD and really sat with it. The Home Team had a really great 2024 and I was actively paying attention. Like with State Champs I didn't get to see them live, so that's a bummer, but singing in my car had to have been some sort of show if you ask me.

PS: To whoever made the album artwork, your placement of "The" in The Home Team irritates me to no end.

Top 4 Tracks:

Walk This World With Me (Track 8)

Love & Co (Track 3)

Brag (Track 2)

Somebody Else's Face ft. Broadside (Track 7)

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SHIMMER.SEASON- Not My Weekend (Released November 2023)

I placed this as a secondary album in 2023 because it came out super late.. Fast forward to 2024, I felt it deserved to be moved up a notch. Lightning was my most listened to song on one of my Spotify's and I just kept going back to this album and finding pockets of time to have it on repeat. Similar to the last time I talked about SHIMMER.SEASON, I rarely if ever listened to it in order. I either play all the songs I have saved and then go search the ones I'm "missing" or just have it on shuffle. It's only playing in order as I'm writing this review. Regardless though, I think I've grasped the vibe enough and if I haven't, I still have, because almost every song has had it's full day in the sun and them some. I'm not tired of this thing and I'm actually a little upset because they won't give it to me on CD. If you need something fun, something you can jump and dance to, Pop-y Pop Punk, this is definitely for you.

They did release a deluxe edition in 2024, but that no CD deal still bothers me, so I haven't checked it out yet. Maybe in 2025 I'll get with the program.

Top 4 Tracks:

LIGHTING ft. Brian Butcher (Track 7)

AMERICAN.DREAM (Track 8)

SHUT.UP (Track 9)

KNOCK.ME.OUT ft. Kellin Quinn (Track 4)

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: I'm Sorry I Haven't Listen To You Yet.

American Idiot 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

In years past I've talked about the albums that didn't quite make it to the Albums Of The Year category, for whatever reason. Normally there's a handful of albums I'll name off, but today I'm only really talking about one and I'm here to make an apology.

Honorable Mention goes out to The Story So Far's "I Want To Disappear" cause I listened to several tracks, but didn't check out the full album, I know it's great.

Green Day put out a special 20th anniversary edition of American Idiot, something they've done for other albums in the past. Since American Idiot is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time, of course I spent the big bucks to get the really cool, shinny, deluxe edition. I was so excited about this thing and even braved a mostly empty IG live to do an unboxing of the whole experience. (That picture of me is from said live.)

I went to the anniversary tour, bought this fancy deluxe copy, spent a whole lot of time in the Green Day subreddit and still haven't managed to listen to this album; I'm such a fake fan. I caught the demo singles when they first came out, but haven't yet sat with the whole thing. I'm gonna chalk that up to there being so much content and wanting to give the whole release the attention it deserves, and not my feeling of overwhelm because of all the content inside of this boxset. There's a cd full of demos, one full of b-sides and another with live concert tracks. Add the 2 Blu-Ray's and you'll understand why it might feel like a daunting task that I might just need to knock out in a weekend.

So I'm here to apologize for not having listened to the collection yet and will try to make it a priority to listen to the whole thing in 2025.

Recommendations:

I feel like the whole collection is gonna be something I'm into, but since I haven't sat with any of the tracks long enough, I'm gonna recommend 2 tracks, one of which is from the American Idiot Musical and the other is just one of my favorite songs from the OG album.

Favorite Son

2. Wake Me Up When September Ends Demo

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Stay Tuned for my Albums Of The Year and the rest of Akward Class Favorites 2024.

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Masks and Concerts

Essentially I put on a mask like I do every time I leave the house and went to a few concerts this year. This was a really special year for me and concerts, so I won't necessarily be ranking them this go around, I'll just be speaking a little bit about each one, in the order of which I attended each show. And yes I did create each of those faux concert tickets. They're my babies and I love them so much. I do apologize for not making official concert posts for any of these, but best believe I will make a post for every concert I've missed sharing on this blog, in the future. Can't promise when, just know they will exist here at some point.

Note: KN95 mask by Honeywell

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Gig For Gaza

Line Up:

Time/Calm, Church Fire, Stay Tuned, Team Nonexistent, Damn Selene and The C0 Palestinian Coalition as the Speakers.

When this event came across my feed, I was like this is perfect cause I have no general problem going to a concert, but have been nervous about going to in person protests and had been wanted to find ways to show up in person for Palestine. (Anxious Black woman alone in those spaces, I won't get into it.) I didn't know any of the lineup, but all the proceeds were going to the PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) and after months of feeling like I was crying by myself (sans a wonderful person from work) I just wanted to be in a room full of people who were feeling the same way I was. I was also nursing a work injury at the time, so that was really my only reservation about going. The bill had a wide mix of artists and genres and speakers, some of which are even featured in this years playlists because of this show and how great they were. I wish I would have made more friends, but that's still difficult for me. Anyway the show was great, I met some great people/artists and supported something I really think is important. Free Palestine.

The Saviors Tour (Green Day)

Ft: The Linda Lindas, Rancid and The Smashing Pumpkins

I got to see essentially my favorite band of all time, play 2 of my favorite albums of all time; I can die now. This is what I call my go big or go home moment. Me and my mom, mostly my mom did this really cool red and black hairstyle on me, I brought out the OG merch and spent the most I've ever spent on a singular ticket, all just to have this one moment. If I never get to see Green Day again, I will be okay. The show felt too perfect and that's what is assumed I guess from arena tours, but maybe GD is just that good. The only "downside" was watching them mostly through mega TV's and feeling like I was being sold something, but beyond that I had a fantastic time. The Linda Linda's were really fun and Rancid was cool as well. I was getting merch and food when The Smashing Pumpkins played, sorry. Again, if this is it I'm good.

Out Of Office Tour (Something Corporate)

Ft: Zac Clark and Mae

In 2024, Something Corporate decided to get back together, make new music and give us a tour, the gift just kept on giving. The day I bought my tickets, I was putting in my test order to see how much tickets were actually gonna be and ended up telling myself just to do it. An hour or so later they were all so sold out, so it's a good thing to spend money when you're not sure if you should or not.

There is something special about getting to hear your favorite songs from a band live and I will never not appreciate that. If You C Jordan is just as good, if not better, in a crowd with everyone screaming all of the curse words at the same time. I met some really cool folks and just had a fantastic time overall. The only let down was the fact that immediately after the show my body decided to revolt against me and give me all of the sneezes and runny noes and watery eyes and I had to wait outside for my Lyft feeling miserable. I promise you I didn't go to the show feeling that way, the only thing I kinda felt was a little on the allergy side with some regular nose blowing that morning, but nothing that I thought would have prevented me from going to the show. I even took an Alka-Seltzer before the concert just in case. Anyway despite the sick, it was such a great show and I would go again a million times over.

Side note for something yall can't even see: I do apologize to myself for the outfit. Not saying saying I hate it, just that I felt like I was dressed to see ICP and not piano rock lol. I think at the end of the day, I just wanted to not be the physically hottest person in the venue, so I went with the shorts. I also kick myself because I own a pair of maroon low top converse, if you know, you know how much that one hurts. What's done is done though and I at least got to see the show.

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Hope that was a fun read, stay tuned for more ACF 24 fun.

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Television Show Ranking

1) Good Trouble Seasons 6 & 7

First off f*ck Hulu for spoiling future episodes in the commercials, while I was actively watching the show. RUDE and I'm still mad. PS: Their customer service was so unhelpful, in case you were wondering.

Second I'm bummed it's over. Almost every episode in these last 2 seasons had me crying, they knew how to hit you where it hurts. If I took a break or came back the next week and forgot about what took place the previous episode, my heart would start breaking before the current episode even began. As for the series ending I didn't know I was watching the finale at the time, I just thought I was watching the next episode, but was very mistaken on that one. That being said, was one of the better series finale's I've seen in a while. Things didn't feel rushed or ran through and they also didn't feel the need to give us every detail of what happened to each character, they simply treated us to an overview of everyone's assumed lives/endings and that wasn't a shortcoming at all. At least not for me.

I think the show was well worth getting into and not a waste of time. You may not like all the characters or how they behave, but I don't think you'll be turned off my how things end up.

2) Good Trouble Final Season (Season 5 Part 2)

I've been 5 minutes away from finishing this show for months now, but since I hated that I was watching the ending, I put off those last 5 minutes until right before I came to make this post. I know it's February of '25, but I'm counting it as a finish for 2024 anyway.

I am sad. In general I'm not great with endings and goodbyes and feeling empty. There was a lot happening this season and it kept me so engaged that I didn't want it to end. I did want to know how they were going to give us a worthy enough ending based on many years of build up though. The first half of the final episode felt like they were not done telling this story that had been climbing pretty high and then they did a weird jump in the middle and said now we say goodbye, here's the sunset.

I know the writers strike put a big wrench in this show and many others, but I'm glad we got any closure at all. The whole season was good, it just felt a little like they were told 5 more minutes or we're turning off the lights on you, at the end there. My OTP's did end up together and I'm not disappointed with where our coterie family ended up, but I will say I would have personally made a few tweaks. Again I know we hate endings, but see this one through. It's not the most vital finale, but last season is worth the watch.

3) Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV

TW/CW!!!

If you're not aware of this viral docu-series, let me share a little bit of the madness with you. Quiet On Set specifically looked at the abhorrent behavior of many adults during the early to mid 2000's era of Nickelodeon live action sitcoms, towards the minor actors. Drake Bell among others bravely told their story of abuse, mistreatment, racism and many others terrible things.

During the time this series aired, so many people in my life were glued to their screens, disturbed and not okay. We had all heard of how gross Dan Schneider was in the past, but man was he not an island. To be clear Schneider wasn't accused of sexual assault, but he was accused of other horrible things and people that he had a part in hiring were accused of that types of assault. This series sparked many conversations surrounding child actors, children on the internet and who was really out here protecting these kids.

Now I will say that Quiet On Set as a series, despite it being a conversation starter, had many mixed reviews, especially from people featured in the show and others connected the production. I don't remember all of the controversy, but I believe you have to be extra careful with the telling of these stories, getting consent and making sure that you're being extra sensitive with this information. "Fans" were also demanding these former child stars react to something many of them were watching for the first time, as the rest of us and that was not okay. I remember pulling back after it finished because my anxiety was high, not being 100% sure about how this show actually came to be and how the many viewers were behaving at the time. It was all just too much.

The series did help shine a light on some painful atrocities and I hope it will lead to positive change in the future, I just ask at what cost? These are real people's lives, not simply entertainment for the masses. It did seem like a follow up season was rumored to take place featuring Disney stars, but I've heard nothing in a long time regarding those rumors. This is one I'm sure you catch the Cliff Notes for, as I don't think you do not need to subject yourself to all 4 episodes, if you didn't already.

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Look out for more ACF 2024 coming soon.

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Movie Ranking Part 2!

And we're back for part 2 of the 2024 movie ranking. If you haven't seen part 1 and would like to, feel free to go check it out.

Notes:

Some reviews are longer than others, that's okay.

I'm trying something new with the Trigger/Content Warnings. This time I'm just going to mention that there is a warning and if you want to go look into what's up, you can do what's necessary for you. A few exceptions may apply.

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26) I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 teens decide they want to "bury" the evidence of the accident they were in, however nothing stays secret forever and someone is gonna make sure these kids never forget.

I am not smart enough for horror movies. I was confused for a ton of the movie and even had to ask my coworkers, the ones who are into horror and slasher films, if I ended the movie knowing the WHO of the whole movie. I struggled less with that during the sequel, so that's the reason I'm giving for ranking that one over this one. Again it's a lot of blood, but if these types of movies are your thing, I don't think you'll mind so much. I Know What You Did Last Summer is a what many would call a must watch in what I call the Pop Horror genre and after having seen it, I believe it works well among it's peers. I've also never met a Freddy Prince Junior that wasn't at least decent.

27) Outside Providence (1999) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tim Dunphy is going nowhere fast or that's what his dad believes. After a run in with the law, he's sent off to a Connecticut boarding school for a second chance. That second chance is made all the more sweeter when Tim meets Jane and contemplates a different life. *TW/CW

This is another movie I've watched the trailer for on VHS tapes and decided I needed to see it. When I finally found a copy on tape, the box made it seem like the funniest movie alive. Based on the trailer, I thought it was gonna be a romantic comedy with a fall air around it and some giggles of the cute kind. The reality is that it's a for sure a romance and a little bit on the funny side, but it was not the hilarity piece some claimed it to be. Outside Providence is cute and has a decent rock soundtrack, but it's downside is that it's also riddled with a ton homophobia and ableism. So yes it is cute, there's just some rough spots in it.

28) My Daughter's Disgrace (2016) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Peyton Harris is a high school senior who thought she was taking private pictures for no one else's eyes but her own. Now those once private pictures have been uploaded to a revenge porn site and shared with just about everyone she knows, and many she doesn't. Upon hearing the news her mother decides it's her personal mission to take down whoever did it. *TW/CW

I feel like the intention was for this movie to lean feminist, but still found itself rather shame-y despite it's efforts. Like yes you can do this private thing as a way to celebrate your body, but it's still your fault if they become public, even by no fault of your own and even if we're gonna fight to figure out what happened. The shame, along with the unrealistic ending made this one rank a bit lower on list, even with all of it's drama and lots of internal conversation. Works in Lifetime land, but could have stuck its landing better.

29) Cheaper By The Dozen (2022) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another remake of a popular classic. How two blended families came together to make a total of 12, navigate changes in their lives as their family business grows and they figure out what's important.

It was alright for what it was, however I thought it tried really hard to be progressive. A lot of it just didn't feel as easy or natural as it could of been and I think that's what ultimately hurt it. Some of the commentary and jokes were hella real though. There were a few moments that were geared towards the parent/adult watching, which was funny to me and aided in giving the film that fuller family vibe I didn't hate from older family films. If family movies are your thing and you make ironic woke jokes about yourself, this is your kind of movie night.

30) Valentine's Day (2010) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3 different couples and many other people in their orbit navigate the world on supposedly the most romantic day of the year.

It's a mega ensemble mash-up romantic comedy, that went on to get an unofficial sequel for New Years Eve in 2011. These types of movies feel cheap and easy lol. I think they're supposed to seem grand and give you feels and make you want to believe in something called love. I don't want to give this movie too much credit, yes it is cute, but I won't put it in my top rom-com list.

31) Prom (2011) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

For high school seniors graduation isn't the big day, it's actually PROM and these students will do what it takes to make the night one to never forget. Add in bad boys that aren't bad and good girls that are constantly told they need to relax and you got yourself a classic.

An almost 2 hour long movie about saving prom, with the most 2010's soundtrack ever, yeah that 3 is way too high.

32) Perfect Addiction (2023) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

When your champion boxer boyfriend decides to cheat on you with your sister, you decide to cheat on him as your trainer and start training with his #1 rival. What could possibly go wrong? Or right depending on how you think about it. *Based On A Book by Claudia Tan.

This one is better than many of it's spicy new adult peers, however it still produced several eye rolls and wishes of things I thought they could of handled better. This story featured quite a bit of talk about dom/sub dynamics, so I also wished that they would of dug deeper into the conversation they have surrounding manipulation, dominance over woman, and how improper kink can play a roll in all of that. (A far too big of a conversation for this particular post, but know I have many thoughts.) This movie could use a ton of work, but because the bar is already so low, it manages to step over it pretty easily compared to others in the genre. You'll love it, if you like these often toxic romance films.

33) Sugarbabies (2015) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What happens when your new collage roommates convinces you that letting an older man pay for your time is a positive thing, despite your obvious reservations.

Another inflated 3 stars for a Lifetime movie, typical of me. This movie would be in the gutter based on its decision to give redemption arcs to men who CLEARLY don't deserve them, but it did a halfway decent job in others areas that some of the lower made-for-tv movies fail at, so there's your ranking answer.

34) Stolen Baby: The Murder of Hedi Broussard (2023) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Two best friends with one pretending to be pregnant at the same time as the other, wind up down a scary path of secrets and murder, to uphold the lie. *Based On True Events. *TW/CW

My biggest gripe was that they did the ending so dirty with this movie. Now I don't know the real story and don't plan to look it up, but in Lifetime land, I needed way more drama and that's pretty weird for me. I wanted them to fight a little more and for the story to just be filled out more than it was. Essentially drive the point home! If you hate when they fumble the ending, then this wouldn't be a top one for you either. There is a lot happening here though, so you might still get some entertainment out of it.

35) Amish Stud: The Eli Weaver Story (2024) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

An Amish husband is tempted far too much by English women and modern technology, so much so that he may or may not have conspired with his "friends" to let go of his Amish wife, who just doesn't do it for him anymore.

Among other probably gross handlings of real people's lives, I'm not sure I want many more of these films based on actual crimes. I've said many times that I'm not a true crime girly and this movie is proof as to why. Just overall felt in poor taste.

36) Before I Fall (2017) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Life seems to be great and going rather well. You're popular and going to all the hot parties and then one day it decides to stop and repeat itself. Over and over again You now have to repeat the same day for the rest of your life, but why not try and figure out why, along the way. *Based on a book by Lauren Oliver. *TW/CW

I own this book and never wound up reading it but after deciding to skip to the movie my overall thought is that, it irritated me so much. It's essentially about giving one person Déjà vu, so you can then turn around and give the mean kids redemption arcs in the process. Here's to thinking it was going to be far more nuanced than that. Don't know if it does justice to the book or not, but if you like YA book adaptations as a form of entertainment, I think you'd find something here, just not my top pick.

37) Missing At 17 (2013) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

When Candace finds out she's adopted from someone other than her parents, she runs away and gets involved with an older man who aids in her finding her birth mother.

Tell your kids that they're adopted please and thank you. It will save your family a lot of stress and trips to the police station. This is the part of the ranking where we get into the territory of "its low because I don't remember it or it's low because it was bad," this is both.

38) Pregnant At 17 (2016) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Chelsea just wants her life back after she witnessed a violent crime. Although she dropped out of school, she is seeing a distinguished older man named Jeff who says all the right things, including that he will leave his wife when the time is right. That all changes when Chelsea finds out she's pregnant and Jeff acknowledges how illegal all of this "fun" really is. *TW/CW

The "At 17" series always ranks fairly low for me. I just have a hard time because they seem to want to play the game of legal vs inappropriate. If they make it illegal it adds to the drama and creep factor, if they make it legal but weird, to them it might not have the same bite. I don't know, I'm not here to justify the trash, I'm just here to consume and tell you how bad it is afterwards.

39) Murdered At 17 (2018) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Brooke suffered a severe head injury during cheerleading a year ago and she's still trying to find a sense of normalcy. Things are fine, but due to the injury, she suffers from fits of rage where she may also blackout. It's hard to find people who can relate to her, but her friends are solid and she's on medication. While out one night she meets a wealthy "18" year old who seems like a win, until he gets a little too attached and untangling that one poses some difficulties.

I'm not going to change my ranking here, but it seems like past me ranked it higher than several other Lifetime movies on my big Made-For-TV ranking list, so I'll just go with the idea that this one is probably better than I am remembering it, in relation to the others that proceeded it on this years ACF. Still 2 and a half stars though, that hasn't changed. Oh the things I will consume for my love of this mess and anything featuring a former Degrassi cast member.

40) The Boy She Met Online (2010) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Cami like many other teenage girls wants to find love, however the boys in her class aren't exactly it so she goes online to find that special someone. That's where she meets Jake the 23 year old college student, who's super cool and mature. Things start to go south we it's revealed that instead of being in college Jake has been serving time elsewhere and that's not his only lie.

This is where I started to dip my toes in the "met online" series of Lifetime-esk movies. These function similarly to the "At 17" series, where you take someone 17 or younger and put them in dangerous situations for entertainment. I believe this movie and it's peers try to be warning labels about the internet and to their credit will give folks anxiety (or I'm just a ridiculously anxious person) but if you already don't take them seriously, I think you'll laugh more at the message than you would actually take it to heart. PS: Teens and online dating do not mix.

41) Pretty Little Addict (2016) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Dealing with the loss of her father to cancer, Jennifer decides to drink at a party. Instead of being responsible and letting her friend drive home, she gets behind the wheel and crashes into another kid at the party. The problem is, this particular kid had dreams and a brother who wanted to see those dreams come true. Now she's in rehab trying to better herself, and that same brother kinda just wants revenge cause the justice system isn't doing good enough. *TW/CW

Not gonna lie, I don't think you actually want to watch a movie where the pretty, young, white girl drinks and drives, almost murders a person and gets what many would consider a slap on the wrist. It's not a good plot to begin with, but knowing all of that just makes it more irritating. I watch all of this stuff, but I don't think it's good.

PS: This and a movie a few ticks down are more features where the ACF ranking fluctuates from what I said in my Made-For-Tv, Lifetime List ranking. I still trust this list, but I do trust that one a little more, cause that gets updated right after I watch the film. Also if you want to see that list, DM message me and I'll send it to you.

42) Time Is Up (2021) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

After an accident that causes Vivien to loose the memory of what happened to her, she must 1) decide which boy is telling the truth and 2) who does she love?

Again it is better than it's peers, but it is still very much a WattPad story if you've ever seen or read one. Bars are set really low here and although it cleared it, it just hit too many of the cliché tropes for me to let it pass more than barely. I enjoy a good memory loss story, I'm just tired of fake bad boys and "lost potential." It might be your thing though, who knows.

43) Three To Tango (1999) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

When they guy that is considering you and your business partner for a big design project, gets the impression that you're gay, unbeknownst to you, asks you on the side to spy on his mistress, I mean girlfriend...he has a wife.... Essentially somehow you agree and get wrapped up in mess and we're supposed to believe it was an accident.

I believed there was spark in this one, for the most part. That being said there were parts of this movie that weren't great and although my brain can't remember all the details, I feel like they were probably inappropriate and just didn't age well. My notes do say that it wasn't that bad though, so maybe the "good" just didn't do the bad any favors here. Although it may rank low, trust that this would be an easier watch/sell, than some of the other films that surrounded it in this ranking.

44) Sex Tape (2014) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

To spice up their relationship one married couple decides to make a ridiculously long private adult film. At the end of it all, she tells him to delete it. He obviously says okay and to no surprise to anyone, doesn't. Eventually The Cloud gets involved and now the video is out there for all their friends, family and coworkers to see. To get back the video, they must exhaust the night and she must try not to cause bodily harm to him.

It was bad. That's the review. Sometimes the former cast of Freaks & Geeks can make a raunchy movie and you're into it and then sometimes they end up being very much trash with maybe 1 or 2 cute scenes involved. Yes, this movie does go in the pile with Zach and Miri Make a Porno and that's because they're terrible with A cute scene. Obviously there are worse movies in this list, but that doesn't make this one better.

45) Honey 2 (2011) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

To prove that she can change and do something with her life and well get back at an ex in the process, Maria joins a new dance crew and hopes to win big.

This movie gave NOTHING. I don't like to use the word boring lightly, but I was not feeling it. It's definitely getting lumped into the sequels we ignore category. Not memorable and very little spark. Not worth it, however now that I've seen number 2, I'm more willing to complete the trilogy and check out number 3... eventually.

46) A Teacher's Obsession (2015) ⭐️⭐️

A star athlete just needs a little help in class, but the teacher who ends up helping her out, decides to go the extra mile. *TW/CW

This movie was just gross and wildly inappropriate. It's hard for me to recommend something that gave me the ick the whole time. There are better bad movie night films, skip this one.

47) The Bride He Met Online (2015) ⭐️⭐️

3 teenage girls prank some guy they met online by convincing him that he's met his dream girl from another country. The girls post the heartbreak to the internet and when the guy finds out, he decides to seek revenge. *TW/CW

I think it is really cruel to prank and bully people in this way, full stop, however this was an incel movie if I've ever seen one. It goes from one extreme to another and the moral is quickly lost when you see how the end is unfolding. Not good, actually terrible. Your movie is not less incel simply because you're a woman and allowed girls to be depicted doing wrong things.

48) Beautiful Wedding (2024) ⭐️ 1/2

Travis and Abby after getting drunk married in Vegas, take Abby’s best friend and Travis’s cousin to Mexico to celebrate the newlyweds honeymoon. On said honeymoon they’ll decide whether to stay married or call it quits before the vacation has even really began. (The sequel to Beautiful Disaster.) *Based On A Book by Jamie McGuire.

This was the only movie that got a full blog review in 2024. Essentially it's easy to talk when the material is such trash. Go check out that post if you want the long version, but the condensed version is that the whole movie felt like a parody of itself and is essentially only good for bad movie nights and people who are unironically into New-Adult films, but I wouldn't even recommend it to them, because it's that bad.

49) To Save A Life (2009) ⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Jake is the big man on campus, but when his former best friend takes his life, Jake now spends his days trying to answer the looming question of "could he have saved him?" This leads him down the path of more spiritual answers. *TW/CW

I had been telling myself to watch this movie for months and after several library checkouts and returns, I finally put it on. This movie was ridiculously heavy handed. It hit all of the classic tropes including such winners as "be nice so folks don't harm themselves or others," "shame as an encouragement tactic" and we can't leave out all of the not so great "not-so pro life-pro-life" stuff either. I knew it was gonna be a little something, something, but this was far too much. The best part of the whole movie was when they played Dare You To Move by Switch Foot. It's no surprise, I like my Christian pop punk.

Side Comment: It features a Steven Crowder jump scare, which was rather funny to me. He essentially plays the younger douche bag version of himself, without his character needing to be religious. Whatever you believe about all that information, I can guarantee that you're right.

50) 0 (2001) ⭐️⭐️

The friend who can't seem to let you win, does what he can to make sure in every way possible, that you don't. *Based On The Play Othello by William Shakespeare. *TW/CW

I believe that I was recommended this movie by a coworker, but after having seen it and then questioning them about it, I may have only thought they were recommending it to me. (It probably came up in a conversation about how much I enjoy a teen sports movie.)

In 2024 we start and end things with a youth sports movie. I love Julia Stiles and will give anything of hers a shot, but this was the first one I've seen, that I can say that I've actually hated. I can't with all the race-play jokes, among other egregious things directed toward black men. I've never read Othello, which could have helped me out here, but honestly after watching this adaptation I have no desire to see what the source material has to offer. Gross, ick, insensitive, all the things that could be wrong are wrong with this film. The only redeeming factor is the cast and not even they could save it.

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That was a steep one, glad you made it to the end. Stay tuned for more ACF 2024!

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Movie Ranking Part 1!

Okay, it's time to rank all of the movies I saw for the first time in 2024. Since there are 50 movies in total, I've broken the list down into 2 parts. Also I never do these lists in descending order, because the worst always seems more exciting, but also I really just cant be bothered by the time I remember.

I will allow y'all to judge me, as long as you acknowledge that although some movies are objectively better than others, there are just more entertaining films out there. I live for trash.

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Notes:

Some reviews are longer than others.

I'm trying something new with the Trigger/Content Warnings. This time I'm just going to mention that there is a warning and if you want to go look into what's up, you can do what's necessary for you. A few exceptions may apply.

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1) Hurricane Season (2009) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one coach decides to give a group of boys something to look forward to and work hard to achieve. *Based on true events.

At 4 stars, this was the highest ranked movie I had for 2024. Y'all know I love a good teen sports movie and this year I watched several; thanks YouTube. There was crying-laughter and then just regular old tears and heartache. It did everything it was supposed to do. I hope all the boys in whatever real life event this was based on got all the scholarships and and are doing extremely well in this world. This movie is coming for my Coach Carter and I'm kinda okay with that.

2) Two Lovers And A Bear (2016) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Lucy and Rowan live somewhere near the north pole. Lucy needs to get away because her demon's are a real problem, and although Roman understands, he doesn't want to leave. Even in the cold, the love between the two of them is on fire. Question is, will love be enough? *TW/CW

I feel like I tried to watch this movie years ago, but didn't get far on it cause it does start rather slow. I'm a big Tatiana Maslany fan (She plays Lucy) and after that one Spider Man, I've been into the face of Dane DeHaan (plays Roman), so it makes sense to have been curious about the combination of the two. Anyway, this movie is a lot of nothing, but a whole lot of something at the same time, mixed with Titanic. I feel like I ranked it so high because of the parts where it was something and gave me lots of feelings. It might be too slow for some of you, so it's not a wide recommendation, but worth the check out if you like freezing, indie romance movies.

3) Girl Fight (2011) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

The cruelty of teenage girls who thrive on hierarchy, little social awareness, a video camera and access to the internet. *Inspired by true events. *TW/CW

I think I ranked this movie so high because of how intense and frustrating it is was to watch. Some teenage girls can be so cruel and it's hard to watch how they move sometimes. Obviously extra dramatized for Lifetime viewers. Note this movie was also pretty bloody and that can be unsettling to many. I'm really into dramatic Lifetime movies, as the rest of this list and the years previous will show, so this is definitely my speed and I totally get if I'm not in the majority on that one. It's not objectively better, I just liked it better.

4) Blood Diamond (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

A fisherman who was forced to mine diamonds, links up with a smuggler in hopes to get his son back from being a child soldier. A very dramatized telling of the 1999 civil war in Sierra Leone (Africa) and the humans that were exploited for the diamonds. *TW/CW

I started off by giving this movie 4 stars, but after looking into the film more and seeing what other folks had to say, I reeled myself back a little bit, to 3 stars. This movie hurt my heart and I think I'll only be able to stomach it once. There is a lot of graphic brutalization of Black bodies as well as Black men being brutal to one another in this movie and I'm always going to believe that is shown specifically for white and non Black eyes. It seems rather clear that some of them revel in showing that kind of violence too much for it to be truly necessary. This isn't a documentary. I also think the critiques about this movie are valid, it is a bit exploitative and they use the violence between Black bodies and an underlying white romance to push the story. Not saying that the story doesn't need to be told, just that this is a Hollywood movie and y'all already know what that means.

My "final" thought is that it wasn't a bad movie, just a well made film with a ton of critiques that aren't ill-founded.

5) Pearl Harbor (2001) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two best friends who dream of being the greatest pilots ever, one true love and one American government that won't listen; the dramatic story of Pearl Harbor. *CW: Lots of Racism.

Throughout the better part of my life I've watched the trailer for this movie on several of my VHS tapes and man did that trailer make for one hell of a captivating... lie. Well actual Pearl harbor wasn't a lie, but the trailer that I've been watching for years, did downplay a whole love triangle to sell us American Heroism, so there's that. (Note: the ones on YouTube aren't the one I watched, even though they claim to be VHS trailers, so I can't show you. Sorry.) I could of almost preformed the entire speech that Roosevelt gives verbatim, if given enough time, as a child. That's how many times I watched it and believed it was supposed to be about something, else.

Like I said before, this movie is propaganda for American Heroism and war in general. It gave me Marvel vibes without me thinking any of this is actually cool. I wondered the whole time about the real story of Pearl Harbor and what America's role in that whole thing was, like before the attack was even planned. (We're never innocent.) It also gave me Titanic vibes, because once again you have a group of white men who think they're more important than anyone else, not listening to the ones who might actually know something about something.

I more or less just didn't hate the movie, as a movie. That being said, I can understand why someone might not want to entertain any of it. I'm not gonna recommend y'all watch war movies, even if I chose to subject myself to some of them for "entertainment" purposes.

Side Story: The funny thing about me and this movie is that I watched it at 2 am one night because it was there and my anxiety wouldn't let me sleep. When I get to work by the actual morning, I obviously want to talk about this 3hr long movie from the early 2000's that I just watched for the first time. So I'm going around asking folks how they felt about it, thoughts, everything and eventually it was revealed that I watched Pearl Harbor on Pearl Harbor day and they all thought that's why I decided to watch it and why I was talking about it. It was all just a really funny coincidence.

6) Dinner In America (2020) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A not-so-normal girl and a punk guy cross paths and form a wild and intense relationship with one another. It's obsession, it's a little Bonnie & Clyde and whole bunch of fire. *TW/CW: The gambit of slurs, plus other weird things.

Oh the controversy that is Dinner In America. This movie was sudo-recommended to me through my Instagram by several people, so I went and checked it out. I was uncomfortable to say the least, but I was also kind of into it. At one point in all of that discomfort, it made me laugh and suddenly there was a shift that brought me around to the idea of what was happening. Things were "nice" once it officially became a punk rock romance. Well that's if you don't question whether he's actually a punk or just a pyromaniac, drug dealer who's simply no longer receiving his trust fund. That and all the slurs that were said throughout the duration of the film.

There are far too many slurs in this movie and I can understand why some people, especially Black people would be turned off after the first 10-15 minutes. (To be honest though I too heard the hard-r, but by the end of the movie I had already forgotten about it. Probably because it was only said once and it wasn't said by someone who I thought was progressive or not a bigot.) There was however frequent use of the R-word, which made me more uncomfortable because that was said repeatedly throughout the whole movie. Not saying which is worse, just that the first one wasn't so memorable in the grand scheme of things.

The TikTok discourse on this movie was a little wild when it caught a new wind this year, but there were some Black folks who helped me sit with the fact that I didn't hate it, like some other Black people did. It's a weird movie, that made me uncomfortable and maybe that was whole point. I will say though, the Watermelon song is, in the whole context, objectively good. I even made a fake book about it for a work project lol, you know cause it's good. If you're awkward and weird and can stomach some language that's not curse words, than this one might work for you too.

7) High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The third installment of the High School Musical movie series where the Wildcats are forced to address their future, but maybe put on one more performance while they do so.

I've seen bits and pieces of this movie in the past, but this was the first time watching it in it's entirety, since it's release. I binged all 3 films and can say that I think this one was rather underrated if you ask me. Now it does try super hard to be Grease in a way that I didn't exactly notice before and was for sure cringe in spots because of it. Overall though, it was sweet and fun and a decent way to wrap up the film series.

8) The Ron Clark Story (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very creative teacher joins the staff at a Harlem elementary school, where he is set planted in what was considered to be one of the harshest classrooms in America. He uses alternative methods to change their outlook on life and the drive his students in the classroom. *TW/CW

This is very much a white savior film. It paints heroes out of folks who just happen to care and makes you cry. I cried. That being said, it also did what these films are slated to do, which if they can find a spot for it, is graphically show the brutalization of Black bodies. It was a decent movie, but it could have completely done without that part of it and still come out with a similar reaction at the end of it.

9) Sunset Park (1996) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A teacher decides to coach the failing basketball team in hopes of making some extra money to fulfill her personal dreams of moving away and opening up a restaurant. Things change and the teams actually start doing pretty well, which is not what either of them expected.

Yes, another one.... I'm sorry that YouTube was just giving them out for for free all year. It was okay. I don't think I cried during this one, but just because I can't remember in this moment doesn't mean that I didn't. My biggest complaint, outside of the obvious, was that the teacher really needed to learn some boundaries and that goes for every teacher, coach, "adoptive" parent etc... in every white savior movie, since the beginning of time. Set some boundaries and know what's inappropriate, please and thank you.

10) Glory Road (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don Haskin, a white coach, leads the first all Black team to the NCAA national championship in 1996. *Based on true events. *TW/CW: Graphic/Violent Racism

I'm never gonna be chill about my disdain for how white people will sit in Black people's faces and claim they're quitters after they just experienced brutal physical violence and racism. That's why the movie is not higher than the others for me. It's a decent movie and again does what it's supposed to do, but miss me with that bs. This one just wasn't as fun to watch.

11) Little Black Book (2004) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stacy gets a little curious about her boyfriend's past and it leads her down a world of snooping, lying and televised talk show drama.

Although I love Brittany Murphy, who plays Stacy, down, this wasn't my favorite watch of hers. She has all the charm she normally does, but overall the movie was just okay. There were some parts that were too over the top and all the sneaking and lying had me kinda over them as couple by the end of the movie. There is a win though to wrap it all up, so I guess was all good. I will say though, one day I will recreate the jean mini skirt and pink hoodie outfit that she's wearing on the cover and that's the most important takeaway, obviously.

12) "For Keeps" (1988) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

High school students who at one point in their lives main thoughts were prom and college, but are now faced with the reality of pregnancy, a baby and a life they didn't exactly take the test for.

Was it heavy handed? Absolutely, it was the 80's. To be fair though, it wasn't the most heavy handed teen pregnancy movie I've ever seen, there are definitely worse. My main thoughts were that this is not a John Hughes classic, why doesn't this baby never have a car seat and are y'all two, as a couple, really worth holding on to? Worth it for Molly Ringwald alone though.

13) How Do You Know (2010) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A love triangle centered around feelings of inadequacy for a woman cut from her dream softball career, a man spiraling from his own corporate work happenings and an attractive baseball player.

Cute, but also quite a bit of nothing sprinkled in there. It's a nice rom-com, but I'm not gonna lie and tell you it fits in with the seniors of it's peers. There are far better in the genre with everyone from this cast.

14) Abandoned and Deceived (1995) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mother who after the divorce from her children's, does what she can to get what she needs to take care of her kids and make sure other single mothers in her situation, get the same legal justice.

Some will say these women just hate men, but I'd argue some men are trash and only able to thrive in boys clubs. The moral of this stort is be better men. Honestly though it's actually about fighting the system and not giving up and pushing through all the legal walls walls. For a Lifetime (Made for TV film) it does fairly well. I was rooting for the moms the whole time, even if the mom was Lori Loughlin.

15) Stronger (2017) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

How one victim of the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013 survived and helped the authorities catch the perpetrators and rebuild his life. *Based on a true story.

Sure the general story is "inspiring," but the main character Jeff wasn't the greatest of humans. Not that he was bad, just that he was so frustrating at times and I agreed with the people who sympathized with him and his struggles but didn't want to have to deal with his attitude forever. If you like everyday American hero stories, this one will serve you decently.

16) Failure To Launch (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tripp has a hard time being the adult his parents wish he would become. Since the struggle is real, they hire a professional woman to get him to make his way out the door. The problem with any job though is sometimes you like it too much and not because you're getting paid.

Another movie I might have seen pieces of in the past, but had my first full run this year. Despite the cast, which typically does well, I feel like I'm one of the only people who wasn't feeling it when it came to this romantic comedy. I didn't feel the "moment" that all romcoms have and that's a bummer for someone really into the genre. It wasn't bad, just lacking in that crucial aspect. For me specifically, you might think differently.

17) Brothers (2009) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sam is a military man off for duty in Afghanistan and his brother Tommy is seen as the screw up and staying here. When Sam is presumed dead, Tommy decides there's nothing left to do but to step in and take care of his brother's family.

I don't always watch military romance stories, but I guess when I do, I do it twice in 1 year. Watched this right before Stronger, so this was during my little Gyllenhaal binge of 2024.

I had two main thoughts during my watch of this film, yes it is propaganda and two it was missing something, I just couldn't figure out what. I feel like this is a movie for people who are in support of the American military and don't mind a little dramatization on the side. For me personally I don't really trust the angle of which America presents other countries at face value, so that's why it's lower on the list for me.

18) School Ties (1992) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Jewish teen from the Bronx (I believe) gets a football scholarship to a high end boarding school in the 50's, where he is met with a ton of antisemitism when his faith is revealed. *TW/CW: Antisemitism among other things.

This movie was so heavy handed and for some that might be a big turn off. I thought it was an decent film, but even I was like this is a lot. Don't know if I cried, but I can see if it makes you cry. (Side note: I am not oblivious to them making this movie free in this current climate, but hey that could just be a coincidence.) Other than those things, it's a fine Brendan Fraiser watch.

19) Amish Affair (2024) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hannah is sent to help an Amish father take care of his wife who has fallen ill and their children. What was set out to be professional and innocent, turned into something a bit more "sinful."

I promise I'm not a true crime girly, I just happen to like Lifetime movies and this was the year that the Amish really made a presence. Spoiler I watched 3 of them lol. Can't really give good reasons as to why this one is better than the other 2, but I can say that if you like spice mixed in with your crime, this will be perfect for you.

Note: "All" Lifetime/Made For TV movies are rated on a curve, most are never actually that good.

20) Stalked By My Amish Boyfriend (2024) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A young college girl links up with a young Amish man for a summer fling, but once it's time to get back to work and for everyone to go back to their regularly scheduled lives, things take a scary turn.

Again I'm not into true crime, because if I was, I think these last two films would have ranked a bit higher on that basis alone. It's a little intense and you're yelling at the tv a lot, which makes for entertaining viewing if you ask me. That said, I could personally do without the crime. It's funny that these were my highest ranked watches of 2024, simply because they came out this year. Not high recommendations, I promise.

21) Under Wraps (1997) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3 kids go on an adventure to save a mummy that will perish if they don't reconnect him with the love of his life.

Of course it is a crime to rank a Disney Channel Original Movie this low and for that, I accept all deserved shame and hate and whatever else y'all want to throw at me. Now since that is well understood, I liked the movie and thought it was enjoyable enough, it just wasn't a DCOM that I'd choose over many of the others. Would I watch it again, absolutely, but before a long list of others? No. I will say however that my opinions are probably influenced somewhat by me not being a spooky season girl, even though I do really like Halloweentown and snuck downstairs to watch it every year as a child. If the "scary" DCOM's were/are your favorite and you happened to miss this one too, than you'll love it. PS: It's lowkey free on Youtube or was when I watched it on there a few months ago.

22) Saving Shiloh (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The final installment in the Shiloh series where Marty (a boy who once rescued a dog from abuse) tries to answer the question "can someone actually change?" *TW/CW

If you've seen any of the films in this series, this is just Judd's redemption arc from being a not so great human. If you haven't seen any of the other movies, than this will be you also questioning who's allowed second and third chances. It was decent in the run and Jason Dolley is a better Marty than the last kid who played the character. Not for folks who even begin to cry at the mere mention of animal abuse.

23) River Wild (2024) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two siblings and a friend and some folks roped into the mess, go on a white water rafting trip and more than just a fun time is had. Secrets are revealed, lines are tested and trust is well.... did it exist in the first place? *TW/CW!

I will say that this is the better of the Adam Brody films I've watched, mainly because the bar has been pretty low. It's not the greatest either, so I don't know what to really say there. The best part of the whole thing is knowing that Adam Brody and Leighton Meester got to work together again. There's something cute about couples working together. I just know that they must of had to sacrifice at lease a little bit to make this happen, cause this wouldn't be my choice for them. Without spoiling things, I'd say go check the trigger warnings if you need to cause that might tell you why I think this is a weird couple choice.

Side Commentary: Olive Swann who plays Karissa in the film (a prominent character) is seemingly left out of the cover art. She is truly a supporting cast member, a feature on the screen the majority of the movie and to me plays a key roll in the film, so it seems odd that she's not on any of the cover art or back cover of anything I was able to see. I know she's not the main character, but overall I just think that was a rude call that was made.

24) Shiloh 2: Shiloh's Season (1999) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

After Mary saves Shiloh is the first movie he thinks things are in the clear, but Judd Travers is holding a bit of a grudge. *TW/CW

It was fine. The third movie was just slightly better. This sequel was only made to milk to the first film in my opinion. That being said we don't get a ton of "gritty" family movies these days, so I'll let it slide. Do the research before watching with your kids.

25) I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Something happened last summer and what we know about the past, is that it has a way of coming back to haunt you. I Know What You Did last summer, but on a beach vacation.

This is the one time I don't pick the bear lol. For real though, I can't fully tell you why this one is ranked higher than the first, but it probably has something to do with me being less confused this go around. Beyond that though I don't got much for you. I'm trying to dabble in what I call Pop-Horror, you know 90's pop teen films with blood lol and this is simply part of that journey. Don't know if I'm cut out for all this blood and slash, but since I'm well acclimated with good ole Freddie Prince, I pushed through.

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YAY! You made it through part one of my 50 movie long ranking for ACF 2024, if you're interested, stay tuned for the final 25. And if you just want something different, there's more Akward Class Favorite of a different variety to come.

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Online Content Creators (But Let's Be Real They're All From TikTok)

This one took me forever to make because if y'all don't recall there was that like 12 hour or some ish "ban" of TikTok and I didn't know how to recommend all these creators from a platform that was essentially set to go away. Now that it's "back," I'm going to share their TikTok accounts and maybe if they have a website and allow you to follow their trails.

Note: These people bring me joy or educate me in some way, however that does not mean I agree with everything they put out. Just saying to be respectful of these humans.

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@ Hungry4Munchies (Akkaraj)

LinkTree

Akkaraj is an indie food reviewer out in California. I don't know what caught me, but his catch phrases have kept me locked in and amused. The "GaahhhDayumm's" and "Sauce it down you do too much" lines are a joy to me. He do be giving out too many GD's though, so we gotta watch his judgement sometimes, but I trust that he knows when something tastes good. My favorite food reviewer out right now.

Note: He is not necessarily main BDS friendly, so if that is something that will turn you off, I get it and that's why I mentioned it.

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@ Lildummydev (Devin Mcnulty)

LinkTree

I don't watch everything Devin posts, but I loved her "Cutthroat Closet Cleanout" series and enjoy her fashion content in general. I know it seemed like a trend in the "influencer" space for 2024 to purge your entire closet and replace it with a minimal capsule wardrobe, but that seemed so far from her point. The idea was to have a wardrobe that she loves, will last her a long time and has purpose. There is a caveat for sentimental pieces and highly specific occasion items, but you get the point. Although I don't plan a clean-out any time soon, the way she went about it was something that I hope I'll remember if I ever want to do one in the future. ________________________________________________________________

@ Wisdm8 (Wisdom Kaye)

Speaking of fashion, if this man is not on your radar, even casually, that needs to change. Wisdom is someone who puts and styles outfits together. Of course he has style himself and knows how to put on a piece of clothing, but his real talent lies in his creativity and ability to bring ideas to life. I believe he is special. Now he does create hella expensive outfits that are wildly unobtainable, however and this might just be me, I'm not pressed about how much the clothes cost. Like I said I'm more into the creativity of it all. He's creating outfits based on fonts and whole countries, so I'm less concerned about the times people ask him to show off. Again TALENT!________________________________________________________________

@ Kuinitanga (Te Kuini)

Every time she graces my For You Page, I am met with instant joy. She frequently does a Mãori dance to the song 35 by Ka Hao. (I apologize for not knowing the name of the dace itself.) A lot of what I will share today are creators that bring me joy and I have never not felt joy with her. Doesn't matter how many of her videos come across my feed, I will take the sunshine. ________________________________________________________________

@ LaurDIY Vlogs (Lauren Riihimaki)

LaurDIY.com

This is one of the only Youtubers I got on the list. I specifically watched all of Lauren's wedding vlogs and think she did an absolutely amazing job. The color pallet was so fun and pretty and although it cost more money than I would have ever spent on lights, the tent lights (don't know what they're actually called) made the whole thing shine and look more gorgeous. Anyway if you're into wedding content, her stuff will fill that cup for you. ________________________________________________________________

@ Hasanabi (Hasan Piker)

He's on everything, so going to his Twitch will lead you to everything else.

I'm not gonna spend my time justifying him or my consumption of his content, y'all were there, you saw what was up. Also Free Palestine. Like always, I mostly just caught the "clip" channels on YouTube and some of his podcast "Fear &" thrown into the mix too. PS: If you are not aware of Hasan, he is a political streamer on Twitch with socialist views. He is not a gamer lol, but there is much fun to be had on his stream as well.

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@ JustSadeee (Sadé Elizabeth)

All her links

Sadé is someone who is rather great at questioning our thoughts about community and the ways we show up for said community. She is social worker and community worker in California and is truly out there doing the work and leading by example. Do you need to have a heart to heart about masking or want to know why everyone deserves help, even the one's who are are seemingly antithetical to the growth we want for the world, she can give that to you. A wealth of resources and knowledge, but also someone that I wouldn't mind just hanging out with. Sadé gives me real and honest and human like the rest of us. Read her work., watch her videos and be like her and get out in your community.

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@ KeeganTindall

Linktree

Dark humor isn't for everyone, but I've gotten really into his brand of particular brand of dark humor. My favorite is his skits with The Evil Gnome. I will share the Evil Gnome and his gnome bacon shenanigans with all who will take the time to watch. It's just silly and weird and I'm totally here for it. That being said you have to watch Keegan's original sketch as well as Mitch Fern's animated version, because both are fantastic and the animation does the original so much justice. Keegan is also a stand-up comedian and a film maker, so if gnomes aren't your thing, there is more to check out.

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@ Medohalimy (Medoh Halimy)

Medoh is a young Palestinian man who simply wanted to make things grow while death and destruction was all around him. Outside of the tent in Gaza where he was living, he started a garden that he hoped to keep planting in until the genocide against the Palestinians was over. Unfortunately he lost his life before seeing the end of said genocide or even the "ceasefire" that was recently announced. He was a light in the darkness and I highly encourage those who haven't experienced him yet to go watch his videos and keep his memory alive.

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I'm sure I missed someone but hopefully you found at least one person who you though was at least worth clicking on the link for.

Stay tuned for more Akward Class Favorites 2024!

[akwardlyuncool]

Knock Knock........

Somehow you and I managed to make it to a new year and to that I give you a big hug. Whether you simply survived or had the best year ever or something in between, I'm hella proud of you. It was the year I got my license and made an attempt at a slightly new job. There were babies born or getting ready to be born and hats made for each one of them. Listened to a lot of physical music and realized that it's okay if Spotify doesn't look as full because of it. Cried a lot and laughed a little bit and saw some of my favorite bands of all time live. It was a decent year.

That being said, there's still some business to take care of from 2024 and one of those things is the annual Award Class Favorites.

If this is a new thing for you, Akward Class Favorites is where I talk about what I consumed throughout the year and talk about my life in the process.

Rules That I Made Up + Their Criteria:

The time frame is that I had to have heavily consumed (insert category) between January 2024 and December 2024. October through December are such weird months for things to come out in and actually make the cut, so I tend to push those to the next year or give them small shout outs when applicable. Some of them showed out in those last few months, so they get full recognition this year.

Not all of this is or has to be current. Some of the content came out twenty years ago and that’s okay, it wouldn’t be a true “snap-shot” of my year otherwise. 

For those of you who want strictly 2024 ish, there will be some of that mixed in as well, ACF as a whole however, is simply not exclusively a current (as in only contains stuff made this year) compilation. The 2024 stuff will be easily identifiable though.

I'll be sharing posts for each category as I finish them and will conclude, like always with a BIG playlist of music recommendations. It's a good time and I hope you have fun with it all.

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*All photos that aren’t screenshots of people’s profiles for ACF 2024 were taken by ME.

Standard Disclaimer: This is all hella subjective and the main goal is to have fun. I promise no feelings outside of my own were hurt in the making of Awkard Class Favorites 2024.

[akwardlyuncool]

Spotify Wrapped 2024

In years past I would come here to compare my two Spotifys and tell y'all which one I thought was more "accurate" in representing me for the year. This year though, as you'll soon see in my own reflections, was spent more with my physical media collection and less with Spotify. As you can see that doesn't mean there was no time with streaming, just that it took a backseat.

I thought about not sharing my wrapped for 2024, but felt didn't like how future me would feel with there being a gap. On that note, I'm not gonna say much about it and put more energy in getting my own reflections out.

What I Will Say:

This year was the first year that my 2 favorite bands were also my top artists on Spotify. Relient K is always a feature somewhere in the ranking and although Green Day has never made my Wrapped I saw Green Day live for the first time in 2024, which meant they were featured everywhere. So shout out to the bands that assisted in raising me finally getting their superficial flowers.

Now as far as everyone else on the top list goes, they're all pretty predictable. I'm a Pop Punk human, who also sat with a lot of Sabrina Carpenter, like many of y'all did. The only thing not featured is my R&B/Neo-Soul stuff and although I get it, I am bummed about that. They made appearances in the playlist though, so they were around, just not as publicly known I guess.

My rational for the year not being as rounded as in years past, is simply time. I spent more time physically elsewhere, instead of sitting with Spotify for almost everything. So less rational, but more just the facts.

Here's to continuing my streak of consuming the stuff I've purchased, while also finding ways to experience new and different things.

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Stay tuned for Akward Class Favorites 2024, coming up next.

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection November (24) Round Up

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Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 45 (November 4th - November 10th)

Album: Revolution Radio (2016) by Green Day Play Count: 3 Top 2 Tracks: - Outlaws (Track 5) - Ordinary World (Track 12)

I promise I didn’t spend my whole 2024 listening to Green Day, but I did allow more than I probably would have otherwise (in regards to this project) simply because these are special times. Honestly I probably would have spun again for this week, but since I didn't know this one too well, it was okay to spin them twice this year. When I first heard Revolution Radio back in 2016, I thought it sounded the most like American Idiot, but now I think it just a progression of the band, with elements of the past. It sounds a lot like Saviors or Saviors sounds a lot like it. All that tells me is that although things can sound like the past, we shouldn’t hold bands or records to that, because then all we’d do is compare forever.

It sounds like a Green Day album and fits right in line with the rest of their discography. I think this was a good time to dive into the album anyway, because I skipped seeing them tour it in 2016 since I thought the tickets were too expensive and didn’t want to go to an arena show and now that I’ve done both of those things in the name of getting to see Green Day live, it just made sense. Anyway I liked it just as much as I’ve liked any of their other releases from the last decade, Revolution Radio us probably heading that list now.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 46 (November 11th - November 17th)

Album: State Champs (2024) by State Champs Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: - Clueless (Track 3) - Hell Of It (Track 6)

I didn’t wait for the wheel to spin this one, I bumped it to the front of the line shortly after getting my copy in the mail. This album is so good and I had such a nice time playing it during it's week, that when I ended the project for 2024 in December, it was the one that remained in my car well into January. They have the formula for solid pop punk down and the band just keeps getting better. This is the album where the binge just kept going and I imagine will continue down the line, deep into 2025.

PS: Clueless is the perfect teen movie track and I’m saving it for if I ever get to make the soundtrack for a coming of age, teen movie.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 47 (November 18th - November 24th)

Album: White Blood Cells (2001) by The White Stripes Play Count: 2 Top 2 Tracks: - The Union Forever (Track 7) - We’re Gonna Be Friends (Track 9)

Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy The White Stripes, but as I was listening, I felt like I wasn’t cool enough for this album. That happens to me from time to time, where the music sounds too cool for me, so I kinda feel out of place with it, even though I’m really into it. It has that hard folky rock sound that attracts me, so I think that just means I just need to continue listening to them and get more comfortable. It for sure sounds like a White Stripes album, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, they know what works. There are good songs on this record, but to be generic We’re Gonna Be Friends, does what it needs to do every single time. Only got a couple runs, but it was enough to catch the vibes.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 48 (November 25th - December 1st)

Album: Aquarium (1997) by Aqua Play Count: 1 and some change Top 2 Tracks: - My Oh My (Track 2) - Be A Man (Track 7)

This is the last album I listened to as part of Sitting To Know Your Collection 2024. Although it didn’t get much more than a single run, I feel like I’m okay with that because I had put it on a few weeks prior while I was cataloging things. I love this album. The whole thing is true 90’s electric, dance-pop and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of revisiting it, even though I’m not big on dance/electronica music. My Oh My hits harder now that I’m an adult, cause he’s like “I don’t want to rule, I want to be Robin Hood” and I’m like sucks for love, but I support that lol. A fun way to close out this project, challenge, whatever you want to call it for 2024.

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The Playlist!

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I really enjoyed this challenge and want to make a whole post talking about my favorite albums of the year, what I leaned and even talk about what's next. That will have to wait though, cause I got Akward Class Favorites 2024 to run through real quick first. I'm glad I saw it through and I thank you for checking it out.

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection October (24) Round Up

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Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 41 (October 7th - October 13th)

Album: Madboy (2019) by UnityTX Play Count: 2 and some change. Top 2 Tracks: - Ruckus (Track 1) - Piece Of Mind (Track 6)

This one hit the spot as soon as I put it on. Sometimes one just needs heavy music that you know was meant for the melanated hard core folks. I’m not a fighter but listening to this on my way to work really gave me the right kind of attitude. Some tracks were better than others, but overall I’m just saying that I had a good time with it.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 42 (October 14th - October 20th)

Album: Songs About Jane (2002/2003) by Maroon 5 Play Count: 3 Top 2 Tracks: - The Sun (Track 6) - She Will Be Loved (Track 4)

Say what you want about the modern version of Maroon 5, but “Letters To Jane” Maroon 5 is not the version to be mad about. (Generally speaking, I don’t know the 2003 lore and don’t want to know lol.) Anyway it’s more sensual and more jazzy than I remember it being. It’s a a solid vibe in the background, kind of album. Another one that is nice to revisit from time to time, where you’re not going to hate having it on or at least I didn’t.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 43 (October 21st - October 27th)

Album: Acoustic Volume 2 (2018) by Bayside Play Count: 3 Top 2 Tracks: - It Don’t Exist (Track 3) - I Think I’ll Be Okay (Track 10)

I’ve been trying since Steven’s Untitled Rock Show to get into Bayside and finally found a song that I really liked. When this CD was on its way to be recycled, I decided to take it and give the rest of the album a solid try. I will say that it ended up being better than I thought it would be, however I still gravitated towards the track I knew and loved, more so than the rest of the album. Overall the albim was rather decent and I’m glad I gave the band a better shot. Don’t know that I’ll reach for this one often, however it does make me want to try their Acoustic Volume 1 record to see if I’d be into that one as well. You know, just to see.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 44 (October 28th - November 3rd)

Album: Jonas Brothers (2007) by The Jonas Brothers Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: - Hold On (Track 2) - Kids Of The Future (Track 14)

I spun this album on the wheel picker right after I had just got done binging Camp Rock 1+2 a day or so prior, so it very much fit the moment. I had a lot of fun with it, granted that was before they were joking around on Twitter with the bad folks hahaha. It also works as a soundtrack for me trying to beef up my DCOM DVD collection. Just fun high school pop times, no pressure.

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The Playlist!

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection September (24) Roundup

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Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 34 (September 2nd - September 8th)

Album: Public Warning (2006) by Lady Sovereign Play Count: 1 and Some Change Top 2 Tracks: - Public Warning (Track 4) - My England (Track 6)

Fun, but you can tell she’s doing what they do currently, which is talk a bunch in hopes that someone will say something to try and get her “canceled.” Or the other more common one of the 2000’s , “I’m not like other girls.” It’s not every song, but they are themes that exist across the album. She’s just being cocky and getting a little bit in your face. It goes on my imaginary list of unofficial music that gives me UK Skins or Misfits vibes. I liked it more than I thought I would. The beats are actually pretty good and she does have some decent flows tucked in there, the album as a whole just might be much for some folks.

PS: It’s gonna be a long 4 years and if you use humor and music to cope add the song Tango to the playlist lol. 😂 🍊

TW: A lot of use of the M-word, in reference of herself.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 37 (September 2nd - September 8th)

Album: There’s A MOTH In Your Chest (2007) by Mason Proper Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: - The World Is Smaller Than You Think (Track 8) - Blue Lips Eternal Inquiry (Track 18)

I got this album from my boss in a pile of CDs she was giving away. I took the chance, not knowing anything about it and I will say it wasn’t bad. The bottom half of the album gave real indie-sleaze vibes. After the song The World Is Smaller Than You Think, I would look up and realized that I am paying attention now. Like it was background music until that point and then my ears were there and very interested. It’s a cool little album that I’m glad I took the chance on and will now check out their second album.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Weeks 38+39 (September 16th - September 29th)

Week 38 Album: North (2003) by Something Corporate Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: - She Paints Me Blue (Track 8) - Space (Track 2)

Week 39 Album: Everything In Transit (2005) by Jack’s Mannequin Play Count: 2 and Some Change Top 2 Tracks: - The Mixed Tape (Track 2) - Rescued (Track 9)

Note: I combined these two because they bled so closely into one another during their binge time.

September was my concert month and Something Corporate was the 2nd show I was going to. Since I needed to beef up my knowledge, I chose North first and added in Everything In Transit just in case they added in any Jack’s Mannequin into the setlist.

It was a great binge that first week, even if it was for a “homework” assignment. I was falling in love with the pop punk, piano rock that I had no doubts about. It just worked. That second week however took a little bit of a dive.

By that second week for EIT, I had consumed so much Something Corporate that I was a little tapped out. It was running through my Spotify on loop as well. That was also the week of the concert, so it was truly just a lot. Don’t get me wrong, the album is great and the show was fantastic, I was just ready to listen to something/someone else by the end of that two week period.

Sitting To Know Your Collection: Week 40 (September 30th - October 6th)

Album: I Wish We All Could Win (2005) by The Afters Play Count: 2 Top 2 Tracks: - Beautiful Love (Track 1) - Until The World “Theme from Beautiful People.” (Track 2)

This album was so youth group that although decent, was a little heavy handed for me. This is the second “Christian Rock” album from “the scene” that I spun this year. When I was more actively listening to The Afters, you know around high school, I was more into their MySpace stuff and didn’t realize just how religious it all really was. It wasn’t bad by any means, but if that’s not your vibe, it can feel like a lot. Not saying I didn’t know, just that I wasn’t aware of how much of it was actually a feature cause I mostly played the hits all the time. The re-listen left nothing to vibes though. Even if this wasn’t your thing, go check out the lead single “Beautiful Love” and you’ll probably be reminded of something from your past, whether MySpace or a TV show and that’s enough for me.

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The Playlist!

[akwardlyuncool]

Friday January 3rd 2025

Apparently it's 2025 and I think time is irrelevant. Jai is playing a ton of catch up with all of her projects and rather than saying we missed a deadline so forget about it, when it's my ish, my time, my everything, I'm here to say that we're gonna just keep going. All that means is I'm gonna continue posting what I'm working on, even though it's the new year, simple as that. I feel like I sound like a scratched record that keeps repeating the same line over and over again, but who would I be otherwise?

The List Of What's Coming:

The end of Sitting To Know Your Collection 2024 is chugging along, but it's almost done. Check the progress on that if you want.

As for Akward Class Favorites 2024, I'm making us a deadline and getting that completely posted this month. (She says as she just got done saying how self-made deadlines are falling short for her.)

I'm also just gonna drop my Spotify Wrapped for 2024 without a ton of commentary, cause I want to spend more time on other blog stuff.

So that's really what I wanted to come and say (like people listen lol) but I felt I needed more words, so let me just say a preemptive thank you for being around in this blogs life. I usually save these sentiments for the end Akward Class Favorites, but I don't mind saying it twice. I'm glad someone out there, even if I had to send you the link personally, to get you to read a post or listen to a playlist. I overall appreciate folks and hope that people find something to enjoy here. I also say thanks to me because I love havingthis thing exist in my life that I can reference as Polaroids of my existence, feelings and thoughts. It doesn't matter if it's on time or late, my words and art and creativity are existing and I like that. Again thank you specifically and here's whatever you see on my blog next.

Signed,

Akwardly Uncool (Someone who essentially just wants to keep going.)