Skins

Okay, I admit I'm a little late to jump on the British bandwagon (you wanker), but with MTV promoting its new version of the UK classic SKINS I had to see what the bloody 'ell this teenage soap opera was all about.

I have to admit, other countries do teen dramas way better than America. Sure we have those winy but gorgeous SoCal brats on the O.C. and the silver-spoon fed, Upper East side Gossip Girl fashionistas... but where is the real dirt? The shows that reveal the true grit, expose the real unpleasant truths about growing up - you know, without all the glitter? Apparently we import the real drama, clean it up, put an American accent on it and call it our own. When in reality, the originals are much more scandalous and yummy.

Case in point: Degrassi (The Next Generation obvs). Our Northern neighbor's tv hit had more issues and baby mamma dramas than the number of people I thought lived in Canada. But besides introducing us to Jimmy aka the extremely sexy rapper Drake (he was crippled kid in a wheelchair - after being shot, naturally) Degrassi gave us a killer intro song and the best Canadian accents around. Sooooorry. Maybe more importantly, the show featured actors who were actually young enough to be in high school (I'm pointing a finger at you here, 30-year old Ryan Atwood.)It was real drugs, real sex, which lead to real abortions (Oh Manny!) - Basically real life, or what I thought was real high school life as a 15 year old with few mischievous experiences of her own addicted to The N.

Six years later, Skins entered my life. Even though I'm 21 now, and I like to think I know a little more about the world now - Damn, this show, it still gives it to me! Yes, it follows the same formula of a group of misfit friends, from the overdosing anorexic to the popular smooth talking badass to the goody-good clarinet player. But more than that - this show is dirty. I'm talking like teenage boobs (are they even allowed to do that?) I think I even saw balls once. The sex scenes are cray-cray and they smoke, drink and pop more pills than... well, let's just say they put Marissa Cooper to shame.

But what this show really achieves is getting to know the characters on an extreme personal level. Each episode is dedicated to a specific individual storyline, with smaller subplots interweaved together to create a seriously engrossing story. Free on Netflix instant streaming, I finished Seasons 1 and 2 in the matter of about a week. And I felt like I really knew these people, even if I didn't always understand what they were saying. Which is why I am deeply, if not deathly concerned when it comes to Season 3.

In the end of Season Two the gang graduates and we're left with ALL NEW KIDS. Now I understand that this is how the real world works - but not in TV land. In fantasy TV teenage dramas you get at LEAST 4 seasons out of the high school years and then maybe even a couple more with the awkward college days. Sure its not real, but everyone does it - Saved By the Bell, Boy Meets World, Even the OC. A hit's a hit, no way you're going to mess that up with an entire new cast. So why is Skins ripping apart my new best friends after only spending two years with them?

Well for starters, if you think about it - realistically, only so many crazy things can happen to a person before it just starts getting ridiculous (There's your cue again Marissa Cooper). And while Marissa's OC death was cheap and kinda cheesy, with Ryan carrying her dead body in his arms after her fatal crash on graduation night, seriously what else was there for this girl to do? Her boyfriend got it on with her mom, she was rapped on the beach, she shot a guy, became a lesbian there for a hot second, had a crazy stalker... all before her 18th birthday. So we said so long to Marissa Cooper (and Mischa Barton's acting career) while we struggled to watch the OC for two more very painful seasons all the while asking ourselves WHY?

So maybe SKINS has the right idea here. Keep the drama going, but spread it around a little bit. Although I'll miss Tony and Nips, Cassie and Sid, Jal and Chris ... some of them are bound to show up here and there next season, right? It's not like they all died - they just went to college. I am excited about Tony's little sister Effie though and if that crazy Pandora girl shows up soon I will not be mad at all. So maybe the UK has the right idea with this. The creator of GLEE sure seems to think so. He recently announced that he'll bring in new characters when it's time for those old balls to graduate (except possibly Rachel Berry, she seems to think she's staying forever.)

So watch SKINS. Tell me what you think. Are you excited for MTV's version of the hit? Scared? Emotionally unprepared? I'll let you know what I think when it premieres in January. Until then, try to remember the good days from your former teenage dramas. Christmas break is a great time to break out The OC Seasons 1 - 3 :)

Hollywood's Sexy Supporting Men

So I was thinking about celebrity crushes today, as I often do, and I realized I might have a type: Tall, scrawny, a little awkward. Not as socially challenged as Michael Cera per say, but funny and cute nonetheless. Maybe not the lead guy, but the best friend or the sidekick.

And considering I called Shia LeBeuf's hottness way back in the day (think Even Stevens a la Disney Channel) I wouldn't be surprised if these guys blow up in the near future either.

So enjoy the hottness and be sure to tell me what you think. Do you agree with my type of sexy man list or are you one of those people who actually likes big muscles? Anyway, here they are, in no particular order:

1. Jake Hurwitz, known for his College Humor sketch Jake and Amir, I basically want to jump his hot face everytime he comes on screen. My obsession has even gone borderline-stalker after several unsuccessful attempts for a friend approval on his personal Facebook account. Really, it's fine. But really he needs to marry me.



2. Joseph Gordon Levitt, or as I affectionately call him - Jo Go. You may recognize him from the adorable movie 500 Days Of Summer or that other small film, Inception, but as long as he continues to slick his hair back I couldn't care less how he does at the box office.



3. Aaron Staton. He's Ken. Cosgrove. Accounts. The sexiest and one of the best womanizers at Sterling Cooper on AMC's Mad Men, Cosgrove has yet to make an appearance in season four. I have to admit, I'm getting a little nervous. I miss my smooth talking ad man. He doesn't look too bad out of the office either.




4. Jim Parrack. Hoyt! Okay, so maybe I'm breaking my normal "no muscles" rule here but one look at that boyish smile and I really can't resist. Although he plays a vampire lover on HBO's True Blood, he sure knows how to get my blood pumping. (Okay, that was a really bad joke but I had to.)



So there you have it! Watch out for these sexy supporting men. They'll either all end up making it big or wind up with me (win, win really.)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Murder. Mystery. Family Secrets. Corruption. Sex. Rape. Nazis. Journalism. Investment Banking. It doesn't get much more intense than that.

And with a movie in the works for release in December 2011, you only have about 16 months to finish this 590 page thriller (although it only took me about a week). So enjoy! But don't be disappointed with the ending... this is the first book in a trilogy. They're bound to get together in the end.

Twenty-One. It's like I'm finally a legal immigrant.

Birthdays. Illegal immigration. Okay, go with me on this. I'm about to blow your mind with this anology.

So twenty. We've all been there (or most of us have - sorry to any of you youngins out there)... but really any age under 21. You wanna go out, you want to go to the bars have fun with your friends or maybe just have some drinks in a basement somewhere. Whatever. The law says you can't. Bummer.

So you sneak alcohol into your purse. You party when your parents aren't home. You carry false identification to get into the clubs. Sure you might be breaking the rules, but you're bringing something to the party. You're bringing your energy, your jokes, your dance moves, your drinking abilities, your all around sluttiness - whatever it may be, you're making the party a better place just for being there (whether you're supposed to not).

So isn't illegal immigration kinda like being underage? But like, forever? Forced to sneak across the border, avoid the police and take on false identities... sure, maybe you're not technically supposed to be at the Party in the USA, but you're bringing forth your talents, work ethic and traditions to make the county a more happening place. I say party on.

Except no one wants to be 20 years old forever. And no one like getting ID'd by cops in bars (Como). So back off Arizona. You're really a buzz kill.

The Maine - Black & White

"With eyes like a sunset, baby and legs that went on for days"

After being serenaded, not once but by two different boys to The Maine's "Into Your Arms" I fell for The Maine... sorry boys. Neither of you quite made the cut.

So I was very excited when I heard they released a new cd this week. Called Black & White, I likes it! Give it a listen. One of my favorites: "Right Girl" - The Maine always seems to find the lyrics that might as well be your life (or at least my life. And I'm not trying to sound conceited - I do have really long legs.)

Download for free here and enjoy The Maine!

Now if only their skinny jeans weren't tighter than mine...

Thought of the Day

Do blind people who use eye-seeing dogs have to pick up their crap? That just seems cruel.

That probably could have just been a tweet. Oh well.

I love lace

If I've learned anything from watching countless episodes of TLC's Say Yes To The Dress - other than I don't want to get married, I just want to have a wedding - it's that I love lace.

These beautiful pieces have been brought to you from American Apparel. And yes, I might have seen the ad from the Text From Last Night homepage. No judging.






Pretty, soft, elegant and a little bit sexy. Seriously. These high-waist lace panties? If you think grandma, think again.




So throw on some lace to make an outfit more feminine, soft, sexy, however you're feeling. Just make sure you wear a cami with an all lace top. Nobody wants to see your boobies - and if they did they would just check out the American Apparel website - plenty there.

Perfectly Lonely

Yes. I'm alone. In my large empty house. For an entire week. (Side note- if you are a murder/rapist/burglar, I have an extremely vicious dog named Franklin protecting me. Umm sure... Well, he is rather large.)

I'm not usually good at being alone. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I was left home alone when growing up. Living with six other loud, tall, boisterous people I didn't find peace and quiet very often. But when I did I savored it- people didn't get it. Maybe they saw too many scary movies or just thought I'd be scared in an old creepy house by myself. But seriously people, ME time is me time - and we're talking about ME here (I really like me).

But something strange happened when I went to college. I had tons of time to myself... probably too much time judging from some of my old facebook posts. I started to crave the company of others- all the time. I'm not sure if my friends just thought I was obsessed with them or crazy or both but I really started wanting to be around them all the time. (I mean it was kinda understandable- they are kinda amazing :)

So where am I going with this? Do I crave what I don't have in terms of spending time with myself/others? Knowing me probably. However, I am happy to report that this week has pleasantly surprised me. Sure living life as a recluse has its occasional downsides but I like to think Boo Radley was a little bit sexy. Drowning myself in text messages, dvr on my tv and redbox movies hasn't been bad either.

So maybe I've mastered it. The perfectly loneliness John Mayer sings of. Okay, so I think he was talking about being single, but let's get real, we all know I'm terrible at that. And although I've learned a lot about myself this week - don't expect any miracles.

Or maybe all my inner insecurities will build up and I'll go batshit crazy. Maybe I'll wake up at 3am unable to be coaxed back to sleep by the continuous Mad Men marathon on AMC (ps- how awesome is that?!) and need to be comforted by my cat or my mother or Mika or even our household ghost my family swears to. Maybe I'll even call you. That could be fun.

I swear haven't heard any voices yet but if I do I promise you I'll go out and find some kind of social interaction. Until then, I figured out I don't really mind being alone. And I like to think that's some kind of growth (or back-years thinking, depending on how you look at it.)

The Lovely Bones

As part of my goal to read 30, yes thirty, books in 2010, The Lovely Bones was the newest addition to my book list. This is actually my second time reading the book, but considering I first read it as a freshman in high school, I thought a little maturity and growth on my part over the last seven years might lead to a better understanding of the novel.

Well it's still a pretty weird book. Still a good book, but weird nonetheless. (And I read Chuck Palahniuk on the regs.) If you don't know the book, it is narrated by a young girl who was murdered by a neighbor and is now stuck in the "inbetween" between heaven and earth. The first half is very emotionally compelling- I didn't cry, but Jaimie couldn't stop- still, the second half seems to drag a little and get away from the focus that made the first half so unique.

The movie is interesting to say the least... although the imagery of the film is amazing, the storyline had to be altered a bit to fit a more traditional movie storyline and I found it distracting comparing book to movie (as I often do)

Still it's a book you won't come across everyday that gets my wholehearted approval (hey, after all I've read it twice - usually that feat is only reserved for Harry Potter novels.) But unless you don't have a soul (like me) you might want to invest in some tissues. Tear jerker alert.

Sidenote: This author also wrote a book about matricide (killing your mom). I bought the book for my mother for Christmas without knowing what it was about. Fun times.

Parisian Perfection

So simple, so chic. I could just see walking aimlessly through the streets of Paris or maybe picking up a fresh baguette from a local cafe. Oh Paris, when will I see you again? Until then I can dream of my future European wardrobe.

July Playlist

July is a great month isn't it? To me July means jumping into lakes, birthday cake, sparkly things, popsicles and cute flats. I'm not sure you can get more random than that.

So I tried to keep the same scattered theme for this month's playlist - a little upbeat excitement (because it is Summer afterall) paired with chill, relaxing beats for those long Summer Nights - sorry all your musical theater lovers, no Grease here... at least not for now anyways.


1. Animal - Neon Trees
2. Dream City - Free Energy
3. U + Me = - Dan Black
4. I Don't Wanna Lose You - Rooney
5. Take it Easy - Sufer Blood
6. Baby (Justin Bieber cover) - Neon Trees
7. Electric Feel - Katy Perry
8. Bang Pop - Free Energy
9. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles
10. White Night - The Postelles
11. Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
12. Passes and Passports - Reverie Sound Revue
13. Stars and Stripes - Rooney
14. The High Road - Broken Bells
15. From the Morning - Nick Drake
16. Cousins - Vampire Weekend

Give them a listen... and let me know what you think. Until further notice I'll be working on my (lack of) a tan. And eating popsicles. Obviously.

Welcome to One Thirty Seven!

I know you've missed me. It's been many a days since the myspace blogs and facebook notes so I thought I'd give this a try.

I promise to write longer entries for your tickled enjoyment from time to time but mostly I'll use this to share random pieces of my life - music, fashion, pretty things, books, my favorite people and places and other various addictions.

I promise not to get too girlie or emotional (that's what's tweeting if for after all - that and keeping all your secrets...) and I'll try most times to be brief. Try is the main word there.

So enjoy! My first piece of randomness. An old picture I used as a screensaver awhile back.



Wouldn't it just be a dream to wake up, put on your over-sized costume jewelry and look like that? Glamorous. Timeless. My beauty inspiration for the day.