What's My Thoughts

The Prominent Female

blazsox — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:28:37 +0000

Women have come a long way. Whether it be in life in general or more specifically, roles in entertainment, they have certainly proved to those ancient thinkers that gender determines nothing. I will be the first to admit, if you were to ask me who are my top three or five favorite actors, they’d likely all be male. Is this because there isn’t a female actor out there that I don’t find riveting? Absolutely not, it correlates more with my favorite movies. A good majority of my favorite films that pop into my head star either Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise; so with that there’s no doubt that both of them would be considered two of my favorite actors.

Females like Jodie Foster and Angelina Jolie prove that they can take on roles that men normally take on. Jodie Foster won over America’s viewership at a young age, just see her character on Taxi Driver opposite Robert De Niro. Angelina Jolie is similar to that of Tom Cruise. A very outspoken and semi-controversial public figure, but when it comes to judging her on screen, she can steal the show. An example of this is one of her latest movies, Salt. Upon first impressions I’d thought I would hate the movie. Then having watched it, I loved it. It had its flaws but Jolie was fantastic in the film. It was certainly a role that would normally be given to a male actor.

Are Jolie and Foster the only two leading ladies to consider? Absolutely not, though both are two of the more prominent ones to consider. Supporting roles, though being labeled as such, are just as vital to a film or a TV show as is a leading role. One example that comes to my mind instantly for a supporting role that was just as vital as a leading role was Rinko Kikuchi’s character of Chieko on the 2006 film Babel. That is a film that I would say had no leading characters; despite Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett getting top billing. Each story arc in that film was equally portrayed in both length and importance. The character of Chieko I found to be the most interesting. It shows us a different culture but similar situations for a teenage girl. The same issues that plague American teens are present for those who live in Japan.

An example of strong female leadership in a TV role is easily noticeable in TNT’s drama Rizzoli & Isles, based off the novels from author Tess Gerritsen. Crime dramas normally have two males as their leads, but more and more shows tend to go with a male and female partnership. Rizzoli & Isles bleeds estrogen, as both leads are female (Angie Harmon as Det. Rizzoli; Sasha Alexander as Dr. Isles). The same situations you see on shows like NCIS, Law & Order: SVU, and even fellow TNT-drama SouthLAnd are present here, the only difference is that you have two female partners working on it for the most part. Perhaps Rizzoli & Isles took a page out of what The Closer has accomplished for the network.

In the age of openness that we are in, we are seeing huge changes to television roles. With that being said there is still that “criticism” towards banking a show with female leads. If we had a show like 24 but with a female playing a role like Jack Bauer, would it have been as successful? Likely not. There is always that one role that a woman can perform, but viewers may not tune in for. Look at a show like Chase, the cancelled NBC drama. Here you have a female leading a group of males. Was the show cancelled because of the stereotype that a female couldn’t portray that role? No, it was cancelled for other reasons. It just wasn’t a show that clicked, but should not be considered as a show that portrayed the wrong gender in the wrong role. In fact, Kelli Giddish (the star of Chase) has recently been hired to take over the female lead in Law & Order: SVU opposite Danny Pino (Cold Case).

I have no issues when it comes to female actors playing the leading role. I “judge” only on entertainment value, not on what sex is playing what role. Rizzoli & Isles breaks this “barrier of entry” and will only help open more doors for female actors to be taken more seriously.

See the reason why Rizzoli & Isles won Best Drama at the 2010 Women’s Image Network Awards. The first season is now available on DVD.

Rizzoli & Isles follows Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals. Growing up at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, the two remain strikingly different from one another in many ways. Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother and is better at basketball than her brother. Maura, meanwhile, is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she is working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases.

Order your copy of Rizzoli & Isles Season One on DVD here today and catch all 10 ‘must see’ episodes! Share your love for the show on Facebook now.

Disclaimer:
I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Rizzoli & Isles Season One on DVD.

‘United States of Tara’ Review: Train Wreck

blazsox — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:22:36 +0000

Unlike her other alters, Tara has no control over Bryce and his actions. While she can claim all she wants that she knows what’s going on and it will eventually be controllable, Bryce has done far too much in such little time. With three alters “dead” – he is coming ever so close to his desire to kill Tara. Last week we saw a change of plans. Hattaras was nearly killed after Bryce instigated an allergic reaction, which caused the doctor to say no thanks to further study. For what it is, their relationship is over. Max and Marshall went to NYC to watch Marshall’s film, which made Max upset on the way he was portrayed. Kate and Evan are at a stand still in their relationship and Char is trying to find ways to relax.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

‘The Killing’ Review: Missing

blazsox — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:14:57 +0000

We haven’t reviewed the series up until now but after watching this week’s episode “Missing,” I felt I wanted to give some insight on ‘The Killing‘. For the first ten episodes, the series focused intensively on how Rosie Larsen was killed, after all the tagline is “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?” One of my few complaints of the series has been that while it manages to spread out the time of events rather well, I can not help but to think it was going a bit fast for what seemed to be an unsolvable case. Each episode typically represented one full day of events, though a couple of episodes spanned on to two.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

‘Franklin & Bash’ Review: Pilot

blazsox — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:56:42 +0000

Courtroom dramas never cease to come to an existence on television (or in movies). People love to watch a prosecutor and a defendant go at it. I can relate, unfortunately most of my family are currently glued to their TVs watching the Casey Anthony Trial on CNN. While that incompetent mother will eventually fry, meet ‘Franklin & Bash‘ – two lawyers who promise you not only do they have your back, but they can provide you with services you can’t find anywhere else. What are those services you may ask? Well, I’m still trying to figure that out.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

‘The Event’ Review: Arrival

blazsox — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:40:40 +0000

Let me begin this by giving a internet round of applause to ‘The Event‘. While I hate to see a show turn out to be a disappointment, I always enjoy a show that is so ambitiously bad that we enjoy watching what pathetic plot twist they will roll out with next. With that said, I had hopes for the series. The first half started off rather average, as I expected it to, but ever since returning to the schedule in midseason, the show continually degraded itself after each passing episode. Upon first glance, one could blame NBC for the poor ratings of the show due to lack of marketing. Now having seen what they have seen, can you blame them for not publicizing this show as much as they did with Law & Order: LA?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

‘The Event’: One Will Live, One Will Die (1.20) Review

blazsox — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:25:53 +0000

Loyalty is something that cannot be bought, it is something that is to be earned. I like to think of myself as a loyal person. That’s what makes this all the more harder for me to do. To the fine folks who have worked so hard to make ‘The Event‘ be our next science fiction obsession – I am sorry, I can no longer go on. The title name is ironic in my eyes – “One Will Live, One Will Die.” I continue to live to watch out this series, however my faith has now died. The Event is a one way trip down to cancellation land, and I no longer pity it.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

‘United States of Tara’: The Electrifying & Magnanimous Return of Beaverlamp (3.07) Review

blazsox — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:59:34 +0000

Looking back throughout history there have been some very memorable bands that have decided to reunite and make a comeback. Led Zeppelin in 2007 (lasting one only show but what a show it was), the original KISS in the late ’90s, Van Halen…the nine or ten times that David Lee Roth came back, and how about the recently reunited Soundgarden? Unfortunately, Beaverlamp will never be held in that kind of high regard.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Will NBC’s ‘Outsourced’ Be Renewed or Cancelled?

blazsox — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:12:43 +0000

Last year NBC introduced the diabolical initiative to launch a four hour late night talk show block five nights a week with moving Jay Leno to 10PM in his own primetime show (since NBC refused to part with him). That was a failure and we all know the aftermath. This year NBC did something right, it launched a three hour comedy block on Thursday nights starting at 8PM with Community. For the most part, it has been well received, as long as you’re not a new series. Community, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock are all renewed for next season. The Paul Reiser Show and Perfect Couples are not (note: NBC has not officially cancelled Perfect Couples, but it’s a definite). The only show awaiting its fate is Outsourced, a comedy about an American running a call center in India.

READ THE NEWS ARTICLE HERE

‘The Kennedys’: Miniseries Review

blazsox — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:44:59 +0000

There should be a section in the Citizenship test to the United States dedicated to one’s knowledge (or in some cases, believed theories), regarding the Kennedy family. It’s a name we all know, we’ve read about it, we’ve watched movies about, and deep down we all have our own theories of “who shot JFK?” It’s also unfortunate that the Kennedy name is plagued with such controversy and surrounded by death; while comics may have a field day with it, in all reality the Kennedys are a family like you are to your own.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

‘South Park’: HumancentiPad (15.01) Review

blazsox — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:51:35 +0000

I wasn’t a big fan of the fourteenth season of ‘South Park‘ – for me it was the turning point for the show. Ironically, it was the fourteenth season of ‘The Simpsons‘ that began to turn me away from that series as well. South Park is a cash cow for Comedy Central; it’s cheap to produce, and continues to draw in audiences (don’t be surprised to seeWorkaloholics get a bump in the ratings thanks to this show). It’s only natural for the network to continue with the show until that is no longer the case. The question is – is South Park still the cultural spoof it once was or has it just degraded itself down to stupidity?

READ THE REVIEW HERE