Heyo, the Sloanes are back! I've been playing a lot lately, so things have really picked up! May I present to you the fifth generation of Sloanes, starting with...
Here's Christine, the first-born to Vivienne and Andrew. Truth be told, I'm 90% sure this is a picture of her as a teen, but it's the only one I have. But anyway, yes. I was so excited to see her with red hair, which she got from Andrew and possibly Austin as well. I forget. Her brown eyes are from Andrew, that's for sure.
I debated for a while whether or not she would be heir, but I was a little disappointed by the fact she looks exactly like her mother and grandmother, but with red hair. I wanted a little variety in my future Sloanes, so Christine had to go. Plus, unfortunately, she got a little eclipsed by her siblings. But fear not, she's still a lot of fun to play! I was sad to see her go.
Christine married their maid, Darron Kane. She is in the journalism career, and it's her LTW to be a star news anchor! She and Darron had a baby named Irma (clearly not my choice). Yay, Christine!
Onto baby #2! Meet Emmett Sloane - the heir of generation five! Much like gen four, Emmett is the second-born and the only boy sibling. Heir was an unusally tough pick, but Emmett won me over with his adorable charm. I liked him a lot as a child and teen, but it was when he aged up that he really did me in. I can't even put my finger on it, but he's just a really likeable Sim. He is currently pursuing the politics career, and doing pretty well at it! I think one of the reason I like him so much is because he stands around giggling to himself, despite being hot-headed. It's pretty cute, as are his childish traits (childish seems to be the dominant one!). Plus, he was the best big brother to his younger sister - even though she's moved away now, they talk/visit every day, and it's pretty adorable.
Emmett married his high school sweetheart, Jada. Unfortunately, things aren't going so well, so we'll see what happens next...
Miss Stella Sloane! I apologize for the weird face she's making. But here she is! I wasn't too crazy about her at first, but she really grew on me, especially since she and Emmett did their homework together every day and became BFFs. Stella gave Emmett a serious run for his money, but the reason she ultimately lost is because she looks too much like her mother. She even has the green eyes and blonde hair, and as gorgeous as she is, I kinda would like my next gen kids to not look exactly like the previous generation. Sorry, Stells! We're trying to take good care of your garden.
Stella got a job in the education career (because a total whackadoo is exactly the person you want teaching your kids, am I right?). She married her high school sweetheart, Ray(mundo). They just had a baby, Cruz (again, not my choice!). Since she and Emmett are such good friends, I expect to see a lot of Stella during gen 6!
So there's generation five - halfway there and we're still loving it! I'd say I love this gen the most, for lots of reasons, but mainly because the kids were so great!
Other Updates:
*I bit the bullet and moved the Sloanes - I just couldn't take their house anymore! Considering how big it was, there just wasn't enough space for everyone. So I built them a place across the street - and yes, I remembered to bring along all the graves and paintings by Jon. I plan on moving the last generation back to the original house, but we've got a way to go.
*Vivienne and Andrew became vampires, but Andrew took the cure potion, so he's back to normal. Being a vampire seems to suit Viv.
*Christine and Darron somehow became 4-star celebrities. I have no idea how this happened!
*Andrew and Viv are, at this point, at level nine of their careers (Rock Legend and Emperor of Evil, respectively). One more promotion each and they reach their LTWs!
*Morgan and Lee died :(
*Rosie died :(
*Jon went back to the netherworld, or whatever you want to call it. I AM SO DEPRESSED! Jon can never come back, and I missed the whole thing! It happened sometime during Christine and Darron's wedding/move out of the house. I sent Jon down to the bistro with Andrew, since they were both hungry and were BFFs, but Jon never came back. They screen never shifted automatically to Jon, like it does when Sims die the first time around, and I never got a pop-up saying anything had happened. I suddenly realized he was missing, and when I saw a gravestone at the bistro, I wanted to cry. RIP Jon, we'll miss you!
I don’t normally watch Private Practice, the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. But Thursday’s episode dealt with the immediate aftermath of one of the character’s attack and rape. A few days have passed since the episode ended, and for a show I don’t normally have an interest in, I haven’t been able to shake it off.
Show creator Shonda Rhimes made a good point when she stated that most TV rapes are seen from the law enforcement’s point of view; rarely, we see it from the other side, from the victim’s side. The Private Practice episode was beautifully written and acted, but the last few moments where the rape was portrayed will haunt me for a long time.
I could barely watch the episode. If I wasn’t feeling sick to my stomach, I was near – or in – tears. The power behind the situation was palpable, and it’s hard to let go. Kudos to the show for showing what I imagine is a realistic – if sickening – portrayal.
I visited RAINN.org, the organization that worked with Rhimes and KaDee Strickland (Charlotte, the character who was raped). There’s tons of information on the site, including some horrifying statistics such as 1/6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. ONE out of SIX.
As difficult as it was to watch the show, I hope it raises awareness about rape and sexual assault. I always hope there’s a movement that removes “rape” and all forms of it from our casual vocabulary. We’ve all heard someone say something along the lines of “I was raped by that mid-term today!” THIS IS NOT OKAY. Likening a tough exam to such a disgusting, life-changing violation IS NOT OKAY. I’m starting the movement, and I hope you’ll join me.
For more information rape and sexual harassment, please visit RAINN.org
The lastest EP from The Sims came out recently, and here's what I have to say about it!
The Good:
• Overall, I’m really pleased by the game! I like how it combines elements of The Sims 2 Nightlife and The Sims Superstar, two great games of the past.
• The addition of celebrities: this is a big one for me, since I loved Superstar, despite finding it frustrating. However, it’s a little easier this time around, at least with the Sim I created to test the Late Night waters. It’s still enough of a challenge, since you have to “impress” celebrities higher than your star rating before you can chat to them like regular acquaintances. But if you join the film career, it shouldn’t prove to be too difficult. (This was a major problem I had with Superstar. Maybe I was doing something wrong or missed something major, but I played a Sim with every skill maxed out, sent him to Studio Town all day, every day, yet never managed to get above 2.5 or possibly 3 stars. Grr!)
• Great new additions to clothing! I love the sexier look of the game overall as well.
• A lot of new objects to make the game a little more fun, such as keyboards, cello and drums, among other things.
• Hot tubs! They’re awesome.
• I like the feel of Bridgeport, a true metropolitan city. Hitting up to Hot Spots every night is actually pretty fun!
• Bands. I haven’t explored this option yet, but I like the idea of starting up a band and possibly getting to do it full time, if you’re good enough.
• Maxis has added a few new features in CAS. There’s a muscle definition and breast size slider, which is pretty awesome. They’ve added two new traits (I was hoping for more, but oh well): shy and star quality.
• Apartments are back. While I don’t completely love them, I’m glad to buy a place and have lots of money left over. I can buy more skilling objects without having to cheat or wait forever to save up for them, which is cool.
• Food carts in the park! Awesome!
• I love how people begin treating you differently the more famous you get. My Sim is always getting her picture snapped by fans, and she’s gotten a few freebies/discounts. Sweet!
• Swimming pools are more versatile. I haven’t explored this option too much yet, but you can now have them indoors, on the roof, etc.
• You can read about which place will be the “hot spot” de jour in the newspaper. Since my Sim has the aspiration to max out her star power, I find this handy.
• I’ve noticed a lot of new wishes, which is always good since it adds variety. A lot of them have hilarious icons, too!
The Bad
• I really, really hate the subways. Majorly. Instead of taking a cab somewhere, my Sim will hop in a cab to a subway station, take the subway to another stop (which is admittedly fast), but then hop in another cab for the duration of her destination. It’s fine when your destination is attached to a subway stop, but usually the scenario I just described is what ends up happening. It’s immensely frustrating. I highly recommend buying your Sim a car if this sounds tedious to you (which it is). I live in a big city myself and have to rely on transit, so maybe this hits too close to what I have to deal with every day. I’m considering editing them out in Bridgeport and see how that goes.
• Elevators have returned, and while I like the possibilities of making out or woohooing in one, I find them too slow. You have to wait around for one, and since some of these buildings are huge, it can take a while for it to get to you.
• Among those lines, I find it a little annoying how some of the community lots are within high-rises. For instance, you can’t just walk into the gym and have that be that, you have to take an elevator up dozens of floors. It doesn’t seem worth it.
• Another big problem I have is everything seems to take a lot longer. Getting around takes a lot longer than it used to, even with a car, and there’s the elevator problem I mentioned above. I have to have my Sim leave for work when I get the “the carpool will be here in an hour” popup or she’s late for work (and really late – like 45 minutes late). I moved her to a building across the street from work so this isn’t a big problem anymore, but I can see it being annoying if there are no places to live right by other professions.
• While I don’t mind the apartments, I really wish we had a say over which unit our Sim gets when they move in. I don’t think my Sim had any neighbours at all, yet she ended up on the 11th floor in her first building. After I moved her, she was on the fourth floor, which wouldn’t be too bad if she wasn’t insistent on taking the damn stairs (really! Four flights of stairs?! I know I just complained about the elevators taking a long time, but in this case, I’m thinking the elevator would be faster).
The Others (Things that are neither good nor bad):
• Vampires are back for this EP, but I haven’t played as one yet. I didn’t care too much about vampires in Night Life, and my feelings of indifference haven’t changed yet. Someone on Amazon.com commented on how they think Maxis designed the vampires after Twilight, which I can sort of see, but whatever. I do like how you get a negative moodlet when you’re around an unfamiliar vamp.
• More building options! Woo! I’m not much of a builder, but I’m sure this will please many people.
Happy Halloween from Sweet on the Lips! To celebrate the holiday, I thought it would be fun to share some cool Halloween trivia!
*Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
*Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
*Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
*Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
*The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
*Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
*Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
*Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
*Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
*Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
*If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.
And for an additional treat, may I present to you a mini Top 5 - The Top 5 Best Halloween Specials!
5. Double Double Toil & Trouble
Okay, so I can't deny that this is a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie. And it's from, like, 1992 or 1993 or something, so it's pretty old school. Yes, it's cheesy, and terribly acted to boot (not to mention predictable). Maybe it's the nostalgia factor, since I loved it as a kid, but even to this day, I enjoy watching it.
4. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
When I was a kid, I had a Halloween party, and we watched the Disney cartoon version of this movie. It scared the ever-living crap out of us! Admittedly, it's been a while since I've seen this one, but it's still pretty creepy. The Tim Burton version is pretty good, but this particular installment is the real deal. (Click here to check it out!)
3. The Simpsons Treehouse of Terror
I look forward to The Simpsons' annual Halloween episode every year. I enjoy them at any time, really, but nothing gets me in the mood quite like these episodes. I can't name a favourite episode, since there are so many, but some favourites include the Harry Potter parody, the Hansel & Gretel story, the one where Marge turns out to be a witch, and the "Hell Toupee" story. There are so many more, which makes me glad The Powers That Be released a DVD with just the Halloween episodes (I need to get my hands on it!). True, most of these minis were more funny than scary, but they're always a treat! (To find a favourite, click here!)
2. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Ah, yes, the quintessential Halloween special. We grew up with it and we still look forward to it every year - after all, which one of us hasn't, at one point, maybe this year, the Great Pumpkin will actually show up? There's something about this special that just screams Halloween, and even at the ripe old age of 25, I still get excited when I watch it.
And the #1 Halloween Special is....*drumroll, please*
1. Garfield's Halloween Adventure
I remember being TERRIFIED the very first time I saw this special. When Odie and Garfield get to the creepy old mansion in the middle of nowhere, I could barely watch. Even watching it now, there's a definite sense of forboding when the furry pals step foot in the abandoned house. As much as I love the misadvertunes of the Peanuts gang, Garfield and Odie's trick-or-treating trek into the unknown will always be my favourite. It embodies the spirit of Halloween in every way, from Garfield's "Candycandycandycandycandy!" shout to the genuinely scary moments towards the end. It isn't Halloween until I watch Garfield's Halloween Adventure!
They're baa-aaack! With a new Sims 3 Expansion Pack comes a new born-again obsession for the game. Since I'm bored and unemployed, and since I haven't really played the Sloanes in a while, I thought I would finally get around to uploading the rejected children of the Sloane family. That's right, you'll be seeing the rest of gen 2, from way back when. I'll give you a minute to let this amazing news sink in.
Feel better? Good! Here we go!
To begin, we have the very first baby born into the Sloanes. I know nobody cares, but I've been playing for five generations, so it's neat to go back to the beginning. May I present to you...Lea Sloane!
The Lovely(ish) Lea. She looks a lot like her dad, Jon Lessen. I actually think she's pretty in a unique, non-conventional way. I was definitely way too fast in writing her off, especially as a toddler. Lea grew up to marry Skip Broke, and they had two daughters, Gillian and Lydia (I'll try to find them, but I have no idea if they're still alive or not). I don't recall Lea working; if she did, she didn't get very far into her career. Gillian eventually married Bob Newbie, and had two boys named Jamie and Collin. I don't really know much about Jamie and Collin, except that Collin seems to pop up every once in a while. I also don't remember what happened to Lydia, other than she never married. Oops.
For the loveliness that is Lea, click here to download!
May I present to you...
Darcy! Darcy is something of an enigma shrouded in mystery. Ish. Well, she's interesting because she was the first baby born as the result of an affair. At any given moment, Georgina had two lovers on the go, and one of them was Hal Breckenridge. And thus, Darcy was born. Jon took it like a champ and raised her like one of her own - in contrast to Hal, who maybe met her once.
The strange thing about her is her body type. As you can see, she's an athletic type, yet her body suggests otherwise. I find this odd because none of the children have been chubby, and she was way more athletic than her brother and sisters during her childhood. I'm not sure what the heck happened.
Darcy never married or had kids. She ended up living with her brother and best friend, Lee.
Do you like Darcy? Then click right here to download!
And finally...
The one and only male born into Gen 2, Lee! Now, you can pretty much guess what's up. Yeah, G had another affair - this time with George Dean (yes, that means Georgina slept with George. Teehee!). Unlike Darce, Lee's birth caused some discord in the Sloane household, as Jon had to finally realize that this was not in fact his son. Their marriage almost crumbled, but they pulled through out. True, Lee and Jon were never super close, but Jon at least tried to be a good sport about it. Sadly, Lee never got to know his real father, since George wasn't exactly welcome at the Sloanes.
Like Darcy, he never married or had kids, though today he's known as a minor celebrity (for some reason) around Riverview. Yes, Lee is still alive and kicking!
If you want him, you got him: click here to download.
Since my old links seem to be deactivated, here's where you can download any of the Sim's I've uploaded previously.
As for other updates:
Logan got married to a woman named Esther, and they have a son, Wallace!
Annabelle married a woman named Michele. They live in a big house with Logan, Esther and Wallace.
Gen 5 consists of 3 kids, and again, only 1 boy. The eldest is now a teen.
Rosie's an elder, probably not too far from death's doorstep *tear.* Sadly, I had to kick her out since the house was too crowded, and my computer wasn't happy about it.
Jon is engaged to Martha, a maid, but he formed a band with Andrew (Viv's husband), so he's kinda preoccupied at the moment. He's still around, but not for too much later. You have no idea how sad I'll be once he's gone for good.
That's all she wrote! I have a few fun Halloween ideas planned, so keep an eye out for that over the next few days!
Guess what - season four is coming to DVD on December 7th! And what's more, seasons 1-3 have been re-released and are currently selling for about $14 each. I feel like such a bad fan for not knowing this, but how exciting!
Well, in a manner of speaking. Matthew Lawrence will make a guest appearance on brother Joey Lawrence's show, Melissa and Joey, on November 2nd. Matt is reportedly playing Joey's brother which I'm sure will be a big stretch for him! I kid, I kid. They look too similar to be anything but. It actually kind of annoyed me how Fred Savage's character on Boy Meets World - you remember, Stewart? - looked and sounded SO much like Cory, yet no one even mentioned it. Strange, because they were all about the self-aware jokes.
I digress! As mentioned, the show airs on Tuesday, November 2nd at 8 pm on ABC Family. We'll mark out calendars!
No, you're not seeing things. I'm updating my blog twice in one day. But I've had this one sitting around for a while, so I might as well post while it's on my mind.
There have been fictional groups of friends since the beginning of, well, fiction. I’m sure most of us have read a book, seen a movie or watched a TV. show that featured a group friends and have thought, “Man, I would LOVE to hang out with those guys!” It’s happened to me, that’s for sure. Without further ado, I present the (fake) people I’d love to chill with.
5. Boy Meets World This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given the way my blog originated. In all fairness, Cory and the gang were sort of square. They didn’t advocate underage drinking or premarital sex. They had strong moral compasses and tried to right every wrong. And their lives seemed a little rife with drama as they got older – they didn’t really have much fun.
So why do I want to hang with them? Well, for starters: Jack Hunter. I’d so date him. But in all honesty, these guys are tried and true friends, always there for each other. The friendship between Cory and Shawn is particularly wonderful. And another thing: they aren’t mean to each other. Maybe they pick on Eric a bit, but for the most part, they treat each other with respect. Maybe it’s not truly reminiscent of real high school/university friends to never really rag on each other, but it’s nice to see a group of friends that don’t treat each other like crap and call it comedy.
4. The Baby-sitters Club If you’ve ever actually read the books, you would probably wonder why this particular group of girls would make the list. They fight every couple of books, they will shun you if you dare to make friends with someone outside of the clique, they alienate you if you dare to do something like cut your hair without consulting them, and Kristy Thomas will give you THE LOOK if you are almost late for a meeting. So again…why?
Call me a nostalgic. When I was a wee lass, I didn’t notice how crappy their friendships were. Maybe I was stupid; I prefer to call it the innocence of youth. Either way you label it, I didn’t see it. All I saw was a group of older girls who had awesome hair, wore cool clothes, went on dates with older guys, had boyfriends and could stay out until 10 on weekends (9:30 on week nights). They were the clique to end all cliques, but I wanted in, shunning and mind-control ling be damned. Plus, now that I have pierced ears, I would be so dibbly fresh, especially in the eyes of Mallory Pike. I might not have a fluffy perm (I’m looking at you, Stacey!), but I can stay out past 10 on week nights! Suck on that, O Sophisticated One! 3. The “Friends” Friends This one is pretty obvious. They’re pretty much the embodiment of fictional friends. Who at any given point during the show’s 10-year run didn’t want to hang out with this crew? They’re funny, they’re sexy, they have fun adventures, and no matter what, they’ll be there for you. (Sorry, I had to go there.)
2. The That ‘70s Show Gang I love this show. Always have, always will. I was there when it first debuted back in August 1998, and I was still watching it when it ended in 2006. (Well, mostly. I had to pretend the majority of season 8 didn’t exist, for my own sanity.) There are many reasons why I love the show, but one of them is the friendship s between the characters. The cast had fantastic chemistry, and it was obvious that they were close off-screen as well as on.
These guys seem like so much fun. Even when they’re just hanging out in Eric’s basement, they’re having a good time and are always making each other laugh. Sure, they thrive on ragging on one another, but when push comes to shove, they support and care for one another. Even unlikely pairings – like Eric and Jackie – support each other when times get tough. Plus, they make the circle look like the most fun thing, ever.
And the number one group is... 1. The How I Met Your Mother group The thing the seals the deal for me is that these characters genuinely feel like friends. Sure, all of the other groups on this list do too – but Ted, Lily, Barney, Marshall and Robin seem the most authentic. They know each other inside and out, they have their little group obsessions (like interventions) and inside jokes (the “general knowledge!” salute thing). They do silly things like slap bets and “Haaaaaave you met Ted?” They’re always having a blast. I’d so love to join them at McClaren’s for a pint. And they’re all pretty cool people, too. No one is really an asshole or a bitch.
Since the show is so well written, they have realistic conversations. They make fun of each other the way real-life friends do. They laugh at each other’s and their own jokes, unlike many other sitcom characters. Maybe they remind me of some of my friends; maybe they’re just awesome characters played by fantastic actors working with great material. Whatever it is, the HIMYM gang is probably the best group of fictional characters, ever.
Honourable Mentions include:
-Harry Potter and friends – It would be cool to BE ABLE TO DO MAGIC but I think constantly putting/having my life be in danger, not to mention watching everyone around me dropping like flies, would grow tiresome quickly.
-Grey’s Anatomy: Not only would I develop a massive inferiority complex from constantly being around people that attractive, but my life would probably be depressing and dramatic. Very dramatic. Because according to the Shonda Rhimes philosophy, you can never have it all. Well then. At least I could have sex with McSteamy or Karev whenever I wanted.
-Gossip Girl: Very similar to the above. I would be so fashionable (and hopefully filthy rich) if I hung out with these people. The drawback? I think the constant stress of dealing with on-going high school drama and worrying about people posting shit about me online or dealing with the latest scandal would get to me. And having to put up with Blair Waldorf’s crap? No thank you. Serena and I could hang out before I go off to make out with Nate. Or Dan. Really, either one is fine.
After reading this article, it got me to thinking about how seriously people take Facebook. Sure, Facebook has become so ridiculously popular that a movie has been made about it. And yeah, I bet the few people out there who don't have it feel left out. We all know people who swore off Facebook in the beginning, who refused to sign up but eventually caved (and in some cases, ironically became obsessive Facebook users later on). Okay, so everybody and their mother uses Facebook - but what's the big deal?
In the first link I posted, there's a story about a 16-year-old boy who wants to delete his Facebook account when school starts to "avoid distractions" (which is a pretty mature decision for a 16-year-old boy!). While the article is mainly about the hassles of quitting Facebook, I wondered why people go to these extremes.
I have a friend, C, who is one of those people who constantly deletes and re-activates their accounts. He'll be on it and add 50 people, then wittle it down to 16, then delete it entirely, then show up again six months later - only to repeat the process. Another friend, A, is infamous for deleting and re-activating his account every other month.
I asked C why he was doing this, and his response was "it's all just too much." Um...what? Not to be rude, but it's just Facebook. It's not the be-all, end-all to our existence; it's just for fun! I know that people take it way too seriously - some of us get offended when someone else deletes us as a friend, or ignores our friend request. Some of us don't truly our new relationship official until we make it "Facebook official." Some of our relationships consist entirely of Facebook interaction. The list goes on, but you get the idea. Some people just put way too much stock into Facebook. Yes, it's a social network, but when you really boil it down, it's not real life, and I think a lot of people forget this.
The kid in the article ended up cutting down his friends list to just the important people, which is a fine solution. There are alternatives; you don't necessarily have to go from one extreme (keeping up with your active Facebook account) to the other (deleting it permanently). Getting rid of a bunch of people you never talk to is a good idea (probably one all of us should consider; do we really need our friend's friend that we've never talked to on our list?). However, there is another possibility: spend less time on Facebook. Pretty simple, huh? It does require this thing called "self-control" that we, as a society, seem to be forgetting about more and more. But it's do-able!
And just for fun, check out this list of the 12 most annoying type of Facebookers. If you're like me, you can name at least one friend for each type. Also take a look at Failbook.org for some of the biggest and most hilarious Facebook blunders. Enjoy, and if you liked this post, don't forget to link my blog to your Facebook page!
It's been way too long since my last VotW, so I thought I'd post a good one for ya. I'm on another BSB kick, having seen them in concert last Saturday (they were AMAZING btw). This video just cracked me right up. They're silly, silly boys.
El oh el. They're such goofballs, and that's why I love them so much. Who wouldn't want to hang out with these guys?
You're simply trembling with anticipation, I know.
Yes, folks, I'm back with another semi-update - a Sloane update! I made my way through gen 4, picked my heir, and now have the first baby of gen 5. In other words, I'm half-way there! Woo!
First, let's take a look at our first-born of generation four: Vivienne!
Viv is evil, a daredevil, athletic, a snob and clumsy (now there's an interesting combo - especially the clumsy, athletic daredevil). I was SO HAPPY when she popped into toddlerhood, because she finally, finally brought some new genes into the game. Georgina, the founder, was dark-haired, as was Jon Lessen, her husband. Which meant Lea and Kylie, their children, had dark brown hair. Kylie married Asa, who naturally had black hair, but I changed it to blonde after they got married to add some new genes. When Rosie and Morgan were born, I was disappointed - and confused - to discover they, too, were dark haired. Finally, Rosie married the red-headed Austin, and had...the blonde Vivienne. Yeah, I don't quite get how genetics work in this game. Did Rosie and Morgan's black hair come from Asa himself, and the game didn't recognize the hair colour change until later? Or was it from Asa's family, who were all black haired? I really don't know. For her blonde hair and bright green eyes (courtesy of Austin), Vivienne was chosen heir.
I really wish I changed his hairdo before uploading him, especially because he's on the exchange with the others. He's got one download to Vivienne's 12 at this moment, oops. Sorry, Logan.
Logan is good, never nude, a daredevil, a loner and a natural cook. He, too, has a rockin' personality, in a different way from Vivienne. He was a lot of fun to play as a child. Because he's a loner, I built him his very own basement bedroom. I even gave him a toilet, sink, play oven and dining area, so he could enjoy some alone time. With a family like the Sloanes - big, invasive (hello, there are four toilets! No need to all use the same one at the same time, people!) and obsessed with throwing parties, I felt that Logan would probably feel suffocated at home. Surprisingly, we only had one incident of a family member coming down to use his personal toilet while he was hanging out. Considering there are 7 people in the house at any given moment, that's a small miracle. I almost picked him to be heir because I've had, like, 3 males born to the family, but Viv won me over with her genetic lotto win (blonde hair! green eyes!). Logan has a strange, almost green quality to his brown hair (arrgh) and he inherited Asa's golden eyes. Yeah they're nice and all, but so far, Viv is the only child of gens 3 and 4 to escape the golden eye curse. Frig. I'm still pissed Geegee's eyes died out with Kylie. Especially when you consider I've been playing Kylie's descendants. But alas - gen 5 has just begun. I'm sad to report that the first baby of gen 5 has Asa's eyes too, but it's a young generation. There's always hope.
And our final contestant...Annabelle Sloane, come on down!
Annabelle was not quite an oops baby. More of a panic baby. I was worried that, despite her fresh genes, Viv wasn't going to be quite...heirish enough for the Sloanes. So, I made Rosie and Austin have baby number three, even though I was really sick of babies by this point in the game. And I'm so glad I did, because Annabelle is gorgeous! I think she's the prettiest Sim I've had in my game - definitely the prettiest that's been born to one of my own Sims. It was really hard not to pick her at the last moment to be the heir, because I think she will make some pretty-looking babies! But alas, with her dark brown hair (sigh) and Asa's golden eyes (sigh), she got cut. I suppose I could have changed her hair colour, but I prefer keeping my Sims as natural as possible. I didn't even streak her hair funky colours for her teenage years like I did with Morgan because I was scared I wouldn't be able to get back to her natural colour later on - I don't think this shade comes as a default. I think I'll start calling it Sloane Brown. Anyway, for those interested, Annabelle's stats: neurotic, genius, insane (hoo boy!), unflirty and a kleptomaniac. Naturally, she's a ton of fun to play - I'm pretty sure she lives happily in her own little world.
So that's it, my fourth generation of Sloanes! It's pretty crazy, actually, when you think about it. I usually lose interest by generation three at the latest. When I played my Shiz family back on Sims 2, I halted at gen 3 because I didn't like any of them. Gen 1 was cool, gen 2 was amazing, but everyone in gen 3 was a douche. Maybe I got lucky this time around and had a fantastic gen 3, with Rosie and Morgan. Gen 4 has been great, especially because all of the kids really like each other, and everyone was close to all of the adults, except for Austin (so Jon, Kylie and Rosie). In fact, the entire family gets on really well, almost too well. There's hardly any drama. If the first born baby of gen 5 is any indication, it's gonna be a good one.
Side bar: I have a shot of Jon holding the newborn gen 5 baby. How cool is that? Yeah he's a ghost, but gen 1 still with gen 5? Pretty awesome. Jon's going to up and die on me, again, at any day now, and I'll be heartbroken. Once they die as ghosts, which Jon is right now, they don't come back. Once that happens, I'm very tempted to bring back Georgina and have her around for a while. I might do that later, say around gen 8 or 9, so she can be there when the last generation, gen 10, is born. I also have plans to name the first born gen 10 baby George or Georgia in honour of GeeGee, who started it all. But that's still a way's away.
Next up, a brand-new family tree, and a link to download Lea, the very first baby of gen 2. I'm trying to find a screenshot, but I might have to go into the game and take her picture from CAS, since I have over 2600 screenshots in my folder. Ugh. I reallly hope I saved Lee and Darcy, because Darcy died the last time I played (i.e., tonight). I don't think I saved them to upload, but I remember doing something with them, so I'll have a look around CAS. I'd like to upload every single Sloane from gen 2 on, if I can. Fingers crossed!
Hey all. I fail at life, I know. And this isn't quite a real update, more like a way for myself to keep track of one of my favourite Sims ever, Rosie Sloane. I've been doing my own version of the Sims 3 legacy (the difference is that I cheat like there's no tomorrow). I'm currently on my fourth generation (woo, go me!) out of ten. Gen 3's heir, Rosie, has been one of my favouritest Sims ever, she's so adorable and I love her muchly. She's about to age up, so I went into the game to save a copy of her, so I can play her again even after she dies.
Here she is!
Cute, no? If you want to download Rosie for yourself, go here:
Clicky to download Rosie!
Updated: Now you can get Morgan Sloane, Rosie's younger sister. It was a tough call, picking my Gen 3 heir. At first it was going to be Rosie, since she was the best toddler, ever. She cried maybe twice. Morgan, on the other hand, wasn't so easy to please. But she does have an awesome personality, and she grew up to be quite gorgeous. It was a very tough call, indeed. But in the end I chose Rosie, because Morgan looked a little bit too much like Kylie, their mother. Rosie does too, but Morgan and Kylie are almost deadringers, and I wanted a bit more variety. It was tough saying goodbye to Morgan, so I always make sure she stops by to visit.
She's a looker! She's a lot of fun to play, so if you download her, enjoy!
Also for your downloading pleasure, I've uploaded Kylie, the girls' mother (see picture below my babble). Comparing the three of them, you'll notice how much Rosie and Morgan look like their mom. I considered uploading their father, Asa, as well, but he's actually a Maxis-made Sim, so there's no point. The remainder of the Sloanes - Georgina the founder and Jon Lessen - aren't my creations, either. You can find Jon Lessen in Riverview, and you can download this Sim to get your very own Georgina. (I tweaked her appearance slightly - I think I changed her eyes to bright blue and her hair is more of a reddish-brown than the original, but everything else is the same)
I'm a little sad that this isn't the best picture of her. Trust me, she's freaking adorable. And as you can tell, she makes very pretty babies! (Though I'm sad neither of the girls got her eyes - the trademark Sloane eyes have thus far died out in Gen 2, which is a little depressing).
Clicky for a Kylie to call your own - link temporarily unavailable! But I'm working on it!!
I'm going to upload the less fortunate-looking Gen 2 spares, Lea, Darcy and Lee (yeah, you can tell I wasn't thinking when I named these children). And if you care, Kylie was born after Lea. She and Lea are the only two "real" Gen 2 kids, since Darcy and Lee were born to different fathers (each, lol). I'll probably upload Vivienne, Rosie's daughter, once she gets older. She seems to be taking after her mother, which is a good thing, but she's got different hair and eye colour (YAY! For two generations I had six Sims with pretty much the exact same hair colour, since Georgina and Jon have similar hair, and Hal Breckenridge, Darcy's father, also has the same hair colour as GeeGee and Jon. Rosie and Morgan's black hair was a nice change, although I don't really know where it came from. Once you see Viv, it'll make even less sense).
The season six Grey's finale is just around the corner, so I want to make my predictions now. Afterwards, I'll compare my predictions to the real deal - let's see how I do!
Sorry this is spaced so weirdly but blogger can be a piece of...well, you know. It's sort of either huge spaces between paragraphs or no space at all. Because, yeah. That's makes sense. There's no point of a happy medium, right??
Anyway...
The shooter in the episode will be the guy whose wife died, and he tried to sue Derek recently. Why else would they keep bringing it up?
Derek will be the one to "go down" or whatever the ad said. Not only did they show Meredith screaming and crying and freaking out, but it gives the opportunity for the writers to wrap up Derek being chief.
No, Derek won't die. Duh. I hope Shonda's not so delusional to believe the show would shrivel up and die if he left. No, Derek's going to get shot and stuff, but he'll live. This will make him have to step down as chief to recover, but he'll want to go back to surgery anyway after this incident.
Owen and Cristina will break-up. There's no way they won't.
Lexie will turn down Mark's proposal at first out of guilt for Alex, but they'll get engaged (barf, I hate them together. Also, last week Callie said that because Sloane left with the baby, Mark and Lexie's problems are over. Except for the part where...Mark still wants to start a family and I don't think Lexie is ready for that). OR
Lexie will say no. Depressed, Mark and Callie decide to have a baby together though not as a couple, just as friends (a la Will & Grace). Then Lexie will change her mind, ruhroh!
If anyone dies, I'm putting my money on Bailey's boy. He's going to be on a Shona show next year (that isn't Grey's) so he might be leaving the show.
Hello world! I’m about to do it. I can’t hold out any longer – the moment has finally come. I’ve finally broken down.
I’m going to watch New Moon.
And as I do so, I’m going to type my thoughts and reactions. I’ve read the book, and if the movie is anyhwere near as craptastic as the book, well, this is going to be a doozy. So sit back, relax, and hopefully, laugh. Wish me luck; here I go.
-Oh god, the opening sequence. The music and the moon...frig, we get it. New moon. I’m getting bored already and we’re only about 25 seconds in. Crap.
-The opening dream sequence could’ve been cool if K-stew didn’t suck at acting. Or if Edward could stop freaking sparkling.
-Jesus, Bella. Way to always be such a Debbie Downer.
-I’m pretty sure Edward just parked his car across 3 parking spaces. Dick.
-Could you imagine being that tense every time you kissed your significant other?
-It’s true; Kristen and Taylor have way more chemistry than she and Robert do.
-“You give me everything just by breathing.” Barf.
-“You can’t trust vampires. Trust me.” Har har har.
-I was just about to write how fucking rude Bella and Edward were being as they talked through the movie when the teacher called them on it. Haha.
-Moving photographs? When did we get to Hogwarts? And why can’t we stay there?
-“You are my only reason to stay alive.” –Um, that’s not healthy. It’s sure as hell not romantic.
-Bella is so fecking ungrateful. Jesus, just shut up, they’re throwing you a birthday party, bitch!
-Who bleeds that much from a paper cut?
-You know it’s a bad movie when the lead actress has more chemistry than her movie-boyfriend’s father than her actual movie-boyfriend. She talks normally to everyone else; why can’t she talk like a normal person to Edward? Why must she pause after every second word when they have a conversation???
-“DON’T WORRY ABOUT[ MY SOUL]”? WHAT IS THIS I DON’T EVEN
-Awkward make-out scenes are awkward. Especially for two people who are so in love they decide to kill themselves when they break-up.
-Speaking of, the break-up scene is one I wish I could’ve seen in the theatre with the Twitards. That would’ve been so amusing!
-Okay, okay. “IF THIS IS ABOUT MY SOUL, TAKE IT, I DON’T WANT IT WITHOUT YOU.” Again, I think that “WHAT IS THIS I DON’T EVEN” is kinda appropriate. Because I really don't know what to say. I'm literally speechless. Maybe my blood is boiling too much to be able to comprehend anything.
-“Please. Don’t.” That was the flattest I’ve ever heard anyone’s voice go and I don’t mean that as a compliment. I’m sure conveying numbness on screen is a difficult thing, and if you’re like K-Stew and can’t do it properly, it comes off as monotone.
-I realize we’re only 25 minutes in, but that scene in the woods was the worst, most poorly-acted scene ever.
-And like a whiny little bitch, Bella collapses in the woods. Look honey, we’ve all been dumped. It sucks, I know. But stop being a drama queen, go home, and cry your eyes out in the comfort of your own bedroom like any normal person would.
-Look, I know heartache – espeically the first one – is awful, but trust me. Even the most heartbroken peson eventually gets bored of being heartbroken. And why does Bella remind me of some creepy old crazy person sitting in her rocking chair by the window watching the kiddies play outside?
-Screaming in your sleep because your boyfriend dumped you? I’m actually getting physically angry at how god-damn stupid this fucking movie is. Holy shit. GET THE FUCK OVER IT ALREADY YOU STUPID LITTLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU’RE THE FIRST PERSON THE GET DUMPED AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR GODDAMN LIFE ALREADY! FUCK!
-Thank you, Billy, for having the good sense to realize Bella’s behaviour is downright scary. Don’t send her to Arizona; send her to a psychiatric ward.
-Poor Anna Kendrick. Poor Academy Award-nominated Anna Kendrick, being in this shite.
-BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA not to just Fantasy!Edward, but to Bella’s reaction to seeing him the first time. She was staring right at him/it before she reacted, and it was glorious. (Looks at Edward...pause...”Ahh! Edward! You frightened me even though I’ve been staring right at you this whole time!” hehehe)
-There’s a fine line between “reckless” and “ridiculously retarded.”
-Thanks, Jess! I knew I always liked you for a reason. She and Billy are the only sane people in this whole franchise, methinks.
-Oh, goody, another one of Bella’s dreams. *rolls eyes* Not only is this the stupidest thing EVAR but my god, the acting. It makes me uncomfortable to watch.
-Please, Bella, for the love of god, listen to Billy! “Learn to love what’s good for you.” Seriously, take his advice.
-“Are you doubting your...mad skills?” Oh Bella. I realllly hope that was supposed to sound as akward as it did.
-“You have some kind of...beef with them?” WHY DOES EVERYTHING SO UNNATURAL COMING FROM YOUR MOUTH, BELLA???
-WTF to the random Edwards floating around as she drives by. It looks like some sort of 3-D racing game from my darkest nightmares.
-LOLOLOLOL to Jacob casually taking off his shirt to dab at her cut. Yeah, that was so necessary, guys. (Especially cause it did ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY NOTHING!)
-D’aww, Mike is kind of adorable. Clueless, but adorable.
“Love spelled backwards is love.” First of all, love spelled backwards is “evol.” Secondly, was that supposed to be funny? Because...it really wasn’t.
-God Bella, stop being a cocktease. She basically tells Jake to wait for her to like him back, even though she knows she never will. Biiiiiitch. Bitch bitch bitchity bitch I said bitch bitch bitchity bitch!
-Also, every guy in the history of the world says “I’ll never hurt you/let you down.” Chances are this isn’t true. Nope, I’m not bitter that my ex-boyfriend said that to me then turned out to be a lying prick. Not bitter at all...
-Oh lordy. Bella confronting Jacob in the rain...any time K-Stew has to convey emotion or raise her voice above a monotone, it’s hard to watch.
-Frig stop writing to Alice! Clearly she isn’t writing back.
-“Lie better.” Bahaha, even imaginary, fantasy!Edward knows she’s a shitty actress.
-Holy cow. Worst. CGI. Ever. Well, for a 2009 movie. Considering how much these movies make at the box office, you’d think they’d get a bigger budget for CGI effects.
-Again, much more chemistry between Bella and Jake than between Bella and her one twu luv.
-Yeah right, Bella is not badass enough to slap someone, especially someone she doesn’t know.
-“Guess the wolf’s out of the bag!” Har har har. The comedy, it kills me.
-Seriously, stop writing to Alice. It’s getting annoying. After the 75th billion no response, you'd think she'd give up. Can't she just be writing in a diary like a normal teenage girl?
-“I have to jump off a cliff to make-believe see my boyfriend! That’s so logical and normal and healthy!”
-Even fake Edward’s pleas are so unenthusiastic. “Bella. Please. Don’t.”
-Bet you feel like a dumbass now for "recklessly" jumping off a cliff when people are actually dying, eh Bells?
-Bella planned to jump off the cliff, so why did Alice think Bella was going to committ suicide? Wouldn’t her vision also show that Bella’s alive? She even says her vision didn’t show Bella getting pulled out of the water, but how come? Alice’s visions aren’t effective if someone makes a sudden decision about whatever Alice has her vision about (if that made sense), but Bella clearly planned on jumping, so why didn’t Alice know that? Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. Plotholes don’t matter in Twilight!!
-LOL to Bella flying Virgin. It's the only funny joke in the movie. (No, seriously.)
-Always the drama queen, Eddie. Waiting until the sun is at its highest? C’mon. If you really wanted to die, you’d step outside ASAP, not wait until the most dramatic moment possible.
-I like how Bella is conveniently not clumsy or klutzy as she bolts through Volterra. She runs through a water fountain for crying out loud, how did she not slip or fall or anything?
-“I lied. You believe me so easily. Because I’m such a douche and have no qualms taking advantage of how much you trust me!”
-Oh, Dakota Fanning. I’m all for actors taking on roles just for fun – in fact, I actually don’t respect actors who only take on Academy Award potential material (hi Angelina Jolie!) but this is a huge step down for you, sweetheart. You actually can have a respectable career.
-The only way I can describe Aro is “fruity” and it’s kind of awesome. No, seriously.
-R-Patz, you’re looking a little rough during these Italy scenes. I’m guessing that’s the point, sincehe’s tortured or some shit like that, but yiiiikes. Ease off the whiskey between shots, bro. (Not that I blame you.)
-Annnnd yet another person who can’t read Bella’s mind. Know why? IT’S BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T HAVE ONE! This is not something to be proud of or amazed by.
-“She confounds us all.” Yes, she’s such a special little snowflake, our Stephenie Meyer Bella Swan, isn’t she?
-The fight scene was the only slightly not-boring part of the whole movie, and it was still a little lacking.
-How does galloping through the woods in olde timey clothes = becoming a vampire?
-The bit with Bella taking a vote for her vampirism is sooo boring. And I like how Rosalie is supposedly such a bitch for saying no, even though I completely understand her reasoning behind it.
-“You don’t get to speak for her!” Thank you, Jacob, for at least trying to be sensible.
-What a lame ending. Movies in a series should still work as stand-alones, but clearly Twilight doesn't have to play by the rules.
Overall thoughts & comments: It's weird, because while in some ways it was worse than the first movie, it was also somehow better. I think it really comes down to the fact that you sort of feel like you're watching two movies in one: the Edward-Bella bookends with the Jacob-Bella middle. I personally felt that the Jacob-Bella middle was the better part of the film. As I mentioned twice before, Stewart and Lautner have way more chemistry than Stewart and Pattinson. Bella is way more relaxed and actually comes close to being likeable (doesn't actually reach it though) when she and Jake hang out. Plus, her conflicts with him - and his conflicts with the pack - are way more interesting than watching her twitch and screech in her sleep after getting dumped. I couldn't help but notice that as the film went on, Bella's OMG I miss Edward! e-mails to Alice started to become more of an after-thought, like "oh shit, we gotta remind the audience that Edward's around!" instead of coming across as Bella genuinely missing Edward. And how come Jacob, as Bella's friend, treated her better than Edward, her boyfriend, ever did?
Naturally, I still think this movie is a bag of crap. The acting is terrible, the storytelling is implausibly worse, and it just drags on and on. Watching heartbroken!Bella is way worse than reading about her, and she quickly crosses the line from feeling sorry for her to wanting her to just shut the hell up. Like I said above, the only semi-decent parts of the film involve Jacob, so knowing that Bella is predictably going to get back together with Edward is just annoying. The Volturri aren't entirely bad either, but considering how little they're on screen, they don't add all that much to the overall film (unlike Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies - his presence, while short-lived, always leaves a huge impact on the movie). The scenes with Victoria were unnecessary - she doesn't say a single line, pretty much just runs around the woods and yet we're supposed to feel threatened by her. This is supposed to set up the conflict for the next film; unfortunately, it just falls flat.
I'm glad I didn't spend a single dollar seeing this movie. It was so bad it wasn't even entertaining in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. Eclipse is coming out in the fall (I think), and I can't wait to see how much worse these movies could possibly get.
Hooray! It's finally here - my 100th entry! Almost sad considering how long I've been blogging, but I'm going to focus on my accomplishment instead.
To celebrate, I'm posting some of my Boy Meets World icons. If they look familiar, then you may have seen them on my LJ. I promise you, they're mine. I haven't been stealing.
Disclaimer: I don't have Photoshop and I'm no photo editing expert.
From the BFF Collection:
And from the Showcase Collection:
Hope you like them! Go ahead and take them, all I ask is that you credit me, either this blog or my LJ accout (which you can figure out if you've seen the icons there). And feel free to mess around with them - if you come up with a better creation using my icons - or if you have some awesome Boy Meets World icons, please share! I'd love to see them!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Side bar: this is my 99th entry! Yahoo!
Unfortunately, this post might be a little bitchy. I apologize for that, but there are a couple of things in the media that's been pissing me off lately.
1. Perez Hilton's Obession with Outing Celebrities
You probably know that I read Perez's blog daily. Yes, it's junk food for the soul, but it's entertaining. Or at the very least, a good way to procrastinate. I'm fine with that.
One thing that's starting to grate on my nerves, though, is his obsession with outing celebrities. He's out and proud, and I think that's terrific. He recently tweeted, though, his thoughts that while there are many actors who gain success playing gay characters, there are few openly gay actors out there. Fair enough question, but two things: one, fictional character =/= actor. Two, your sexuality is your own business. It doesn't matter which way you swing - deciding to come out of the proverbial closet is your own personal choice. No one - and I mean no one - has the right to force you out of it.
What I don't get is why Perez is insistant on outing people. Maybe he doesn't want to feel alone? (Even though there are several openly gay entertainers in Hollywood - Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen Degeneres, Elton John, T.R. Knight, David Hyde Pierce, just to name a couple.) Maybe he thinks it's his right as a member of the gay community to do so? God, I hope not. Maybe I don't really get the right to say this, since I'm straight, but I reiterate: announcing your sexual orientation is your choice.
Also, not announcing it to the whole world =/= being closeted. Take T.R. Knight (formerly of Grey's Anatomy fame). From my understanding, he was openly gay before announcing it to the whole world. I'm guessing his real friends and family members knew this. He only announced it publicly because of the Isaiah Washington incident (which he handled very gracefully, I may add). Why do people think they deserve a public statement from every gay actor/singer/whathaveyou in Hollywood?
So, in conclusion: Perez, STFU. If someone isn't comfortable coming out of the closet, leave them be. Let them come to terms with it, and if they don't want to make a world-wide announcement, leave them be. It's not your job to do it for them. No, really, Perez. It isn't.
2. People Bitching About How So-and-So Got Voted Out of American Idol...
...but they didn't vote. This one is a no-brainer. If you go over to the comments section on EW.com, you'll see comments such as "OMG I can't believe so-and-so got voted out this is so stupid I'm done with this show. I didn't vote but GOD this is so stupid!" No really. People bitch about their favourites getting voted out and then admit to not voting for them. Um...that's kind of how the show works. It's obviously a flawed system - does the name Taylor Hicks ring a bell? - but it's the way it goes. You like someone, you vote for them. They stay on.
One person was sane enough to comment that she gave up her right to complain since she didn't vote. Thank you, sane person! I was going to liken the situation to how I didn't vote in the last election, but realized it wasn't the same thing. I didn't vote because I vote Liberal, but there was no freaking way in hell I wanted Stephan Dion to become PM. And I didn't vote NDP because that's essentially the same thing as not voting at all. (Come on, guys. Sorry. But it really is.) Since I will never vote conservative, I didn't vote. And that's not quite the same thing as voting for someone to win on American Idol.
But anyway. People just love to complain, don't they?
3. Katherine Heigl's Diva-tude
I used to love her. She was my favourite on Grey's, and I still think she is in the top three of the best actors on the show (along with Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh). But now, I can't stand her. I find it really unfortunate that she is so instant on biting the hand that feeds her. Without Grey's, no one would really know who she is. Sure, Knocked Up was a successful film, but a) anyone could have played her role; b) people were talking about Seth Rogen, not her, when the movie came out and c) she has insulted the film, calling it sexist. Again with the biting of the hand that feeds!
It's too bad that she already quit the show in pursuit of her film career, because if you want my opinion, her best work as an actress has been on Grey's. True, I haven't seen all of her movies - I skipped over 27 Dresses - but I have seen every episode of Grey's Anatomy, and she has been nothing but phenomenal. To quit a successful show (that gave her an Emmy, no less) in order to do crappy romcom after crappy romcom is ridiculous. I'm sure she'll go down the Jennifer Aniston route - do a couple of dramas here and there, but really only find success in romantic comedies - but I honestly don't see her career blooming beyond becoming the next Sandra Bullock. Sans the Oscar (which, let's face it. I love you Sandy, but really? An Oscar?).
Interestingly, her final episode has apparently already aired, with this devastating scene:
True, they didn't intend for this to be her last scene, but allegedly it is. Funny because there was that 2-hour, most traumatic episode ever dealing with George's death - but for Izzie, nada. Yes, it's quite an organic leave, and it makes sense for her character - makes more sense for her to leave at this moment and be gone for good than to have her come back and then leave again real. But still.
Among similar lines, Heigl could have gotten herself another Emmy had she not been such a biznatch about the show. Her taking herself out of Emmy considersation for her work in season four was plain stupid. Not just because it disrespected the show, its creators and writers - you know, the people who hired her - but because it was so presumptous. As in, "I'm clearly going to get nominated if I put my work up for consideration, so for the sake of others who would have lost the nomination to me, I'm taking myself out." No, that's not the direct quote, but that's what it sounded like. That pissed off the academy a lot, and as such she wasn't nominated for her splendid work last season. Oh well.
In all, though, I'm quite disappointed with her. Yes, it's her life and her career, but I loved Izzie a lot. She kind of ruined the character for me. At least with T.R. Knight, I could see where he was coming from - not only was he not around much in season five, but when George was actually on screen, he did dick-all; he had no storylines of his own at all beyond the first few episodes. I could see getting annoyed and feeling underappreciated. I get that, and as much as I wish he had stuck around, I can understand feeling like you want to get out of a place where you're not really appreciated or wanted. But it seems like Heigl got too big for her britches. Such a shame.
Well, that's all for now! For my next 100th entry I want to do something fun, so stay tuned!!!!
A very quick update. I've been playing the Sims 3 and doing my own little legacy challenge (not the official one, it's too stuffy and rules-y for me). At first, I was going to go with the Fox family, with founder Melanie, her husband Holden, and their kids, Oliver and Cristy (the latter of whom I didn't name). Holden, a Maxis-made Sim, is kind of weird looking, so I started to worry about their having ugly children as heirs, so I started a new legacy - the Hendersons. I forgot about the Foxes more or less, and today, I decided to finally age the kids up to teens. This is what I got:
Oliver's not so bad, but Cristy! Oh, lordy. Look at that hideous face! Ahhh! She is kind of the female version of Holden - you can see why I was worried, can't you? And you can't really blame me for switching legacies.
Enter Sophie Henderson, who married George (who is based off of George O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy). They had three children: Stella, Autumn and Violet. Violet finally grew up to a teen, and for now, all three girls are teenagers after quite some time being different ages. Let's see how they turned out.
Whew, so much better! They're all kind of making weird faces, but you get the idea. They're also much prettier in the game. Stella has George's head shape, so I think she looks the most like him, though Autumn got his hair colour (it's a subtle difference, I know). None of the girls really look like Sophie, but I'd say Stella is the closest - her eyes and lips are the closest to Sophie's. Which is weird considering Stella looks more like George than the others. Interesting (to me), Violet looked a lot like George when she was a kid, and I thought that would continue as she aged. But I was wrong! I'd say out of the three of them, Autumn looks the least like either of her parents. Oh, and I love that they all have different eyebrows! Heh!
Sophie's pregnant again, and apparently it'll be a boy, finally! I'll post his picture later.
But anyway, go back and compare the two families. The Foxes have a very misleading last name! And I was hoping for Oliver to get with Autumn or Violet, depending who he got along with better, but now, after seeing his sister, I'm not so sure.
ETA: I have the parents! And the newest Henderson!!
Let's start with the ironically named Fox family:
Melanie (my creation) and Holden (Maxis-made). I don't think that Melanie is all that pretty - there's something off about her - but Holden! Ack! Why didn't I get a better look at him before they got married and started to reproduce?!
Also, you can't really tell, but they're wearing matching shirts! Heh. Melanie's shirt is CC and Holden's is Maxis-made; they just happened to be wearing the same fabric. It was funny, so I kept it.
Now, onto the Hendersons...
Sophie and George. Sophie is really pretty, and George - my creation - is adorable. I love him! He's becoming one of my favourite Sims.
And introducing...
The littlest Henderson, Brodie! He looks a lot like his papa, at least for now - and he's the first of the children to get George's eyes! Finally! Brodie and Sophie are BFFs after spending an afternoon playing video games together. I consider this an accomplishment, considering how neglected he was as an infant and toddler. I'm excited to see how he's going to turn out. And Stella's birthday is around the corner, when she turns into a young adult. There will be pictures. Oh yes, there will be pictures.
Welcome to week two of HvV! It was a pretty interesting episode, but for me, one of disappointment. The Heroes lost, again. Come on, guys, get your shit together! But let me backtrack a bit.
Boston Rob nearly got evacuated last night as the Samoa flu hit him hard. He passed out on the jungle floor (yikes!) and had to be examined by the medical team and my love, Jeff Probst. He was in pretty bad shape, and according to Jeff's blog, he was actually worse than they showed on TV. But luckily, after some rest and H2O, he was able to stand up and get back to the game.
The challenge was one that JT, among a few others whom I can't recall, had done before. As usual, the Heroes started off with a huge lead that was quickly diminished when it came time to do the puzzle. Despite initially agreeing to let JT be the tribe's "one voice," the other Heroes, namely Stephenie, started chiming in and deciding what to do. Over at the Villains tribe, Boston Rob screamed at them to shut up and listen to them, which they did, which caused them to gain the lead and eventually win. Yes, my Heroes were heading back to tribal council.
Back at camp, James laid the smackdown on everybody, reminding everyone that they had agreed on a "one voice" policy that was quickly abandoned. Nobody wanted to speak up for a fear of getting targeted, but they were all pretty pissed. Meanwhile, there was a scramble around camp to get Candice and Cirie, who smartly decided to stick together, to vote for Amanda and Steph.
Tribal council was a doozy, with James, Steph and eventually Colby and Tom really getting into it. In the end, Steph got voted out.
This was a huge mistake. I mostly like Steph. She's physically strong, and to vote out someone like that on the sixth day is a huge, disastrous mistake. Sure, she's a whiner, but put with that a bit more so you can, you know, avoid losing again. Between her and Amanda, I would have preferred the latter to leave. Amanda's kind of annoying, with her constant dopey, doe-eyed expressions that she probably thinks make her look innocent, but in reality make her look spaced out. Stephenie all the way.
I also love James, but he needs to shut the hell up, or else he's history. Please, James, stay quiet. I love you and your big muscles. Let me enjoy them a little while, okay?
The Villains were boring tonight, with the exception of Boston Rob's health scare. Tyson has been really quiet, to the point that I forget he's there until I see his scrawny body in his too-tiny bathing suit. I'd keep my eye on him, that's for sure. He may just slip under the radar long enough.
I really want the Villains to go to tribal, not just so the Heroes get a break, but because I'd love to see the dynamics and the alliances to really come into play for the first time. Fingers crossed!
Last night was the premiere of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and it was awesome! I really enjoyed last season, and feel that overall, the last few batches of Survivor have been pretty good. But if last night's episode was indicative at all, HvV is going to go down in history as one of the greatest seasons of the show.
They brought back an interesting bunch of people. For the Villains: Coach, Courtney, Boston Rob, Tyson, Danielle, Sandra, Parvati, Jerri and Randy. The Heroes: Amanda, Cirie, Rupert, Stephenie, Colby, Sugar, JT, James, Candice and Tom. Both have their strengths (Boston Rob, Parvati and Sandra; Tom, Colby, James and JT); both have their weaknesses (Danielle and possibly Randy; Sugar). In sheer brute strength, the Heroes have the advantage - James could snap Courtney in half like a twig without any effort - but don't count the villains out at all.
Russell is back, much to my mostly dismay but part amusement. On the one hand, listening to his twangy voice going on and on about how he's the best player to play the game made me cringe. I got enough of that last season, thanks. But it was quick to see that Russel was up to his bag of tricks in no time flat. Interestingly, Russel went on to film HvV without finding out who won in Samoa. He has know idea that his strategy actually isn't the best. That his strategy actually cost him the title of Sole Survivor (which he tried to buy from Natalie at the reunion, if you'll recall) and the million dollars.
Russel not accounting for the social aspect of the game was his biggest downfall. Lying/making promises to people, only to turn around and stab them in the back will not make you friends. Especially when it comes to the jury. I pointed this out to my dad. He dismissed me, saying that the jury is stupid to take those things personally and that they shouldn't bring emotions into the final vote (I don't really need to point out that my dad is a Russel fan). Maybe he's right. Maybe emotions shouldn't play a role in the voting process, but when push comes to shove - they do. And you won't do well to forget that.
Think back to the All-Stars season, which for me was a big let-down. The reason why Boston Rob lost to Amber was because of - yep - emotion. The circumstances are a little different in this particular season, since as All-Stars, they'd played together and partied together before. But when Boston Rob stabbed Kathy and Lex in the back - that right there, that's why he lost. I defy you to watch the final tribal council of that season and watch Kathy's speech to Rob without getting a little emotional yourself. Maybe that's not the way the game should be played, but it is. It is.
If his tribemates are smart, Russel will be the first to go. They didn't get to see him in action on Samoa, so they don't know how strategic he is. But if I were on that tribe, he'd be my number one target for that very reason. Sure, he's surprisingly strong and useful in challenges (which, I have to admit, initially blew my mind in Samoa), but not knowing his strategy is a huge downfall, and a huge advantage he has over everyone else. My thinking would be: hey, this guy was clearly a great player, since he's fresh off the boat from Samoa, and he's obviously bad news, since they cast him as a villain. So boom, gone. 'Bye, 'bye, Russel.
Personally, I will do a little dance if Russel gets voted off. As early as possible would be ideal, but I cannot tell a lie - he would make for an intriguing jury member!
Moving on...
A Jerri/Coach "showmance" would pretty much be the greatest thing to ever come out of Survivor. That is all.
It's really hard to say what's going to happen next. Survivor has usally been unpredictable, but this season, it could go in any direction. I'm pulling for the Heroes, because with the possible exception of Cirie, I'd be happy with any of them winning. Among similar lines, I'd hate to see Randy, Russel, Courtney, Danielle and Tyson win. And because she'd be so obnoxious about it, I wouldn't want to see Jerri win, either. But I think Tyson and Randy really top my list, because they're such jackasses. Not in the cunning and clever and you have to begrudgingly admit entertaing way that Boston Rob is a jackass. Genuine, real, unpleasant jackasses.
On the flipside, I'd love for Colby or Tom to win. Tom is a wonderful player who showed everyone that you don't have to be a manipulative asshat to win this game. And Colby? I've never gotten over the fact that he didn't win in Australia.
If next week's episode is as anywhere near as entertaining as this week's, then a Survivor post will become a weekly thing around here!
ying goodbye to Morgan, so I always make sure she stops by to visit.
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