Happy Halloween!

Hello blogosphere! Sorry I've been kinda MIA for what feels like my entire life, but I had my stupid school camp, and now I have exams coming up, and things have just been all round cray. Anyway, today's halloween! So, you know, happy halloween everybody. I just thought I'd do a little blog post to let you know that I'm still alive (yay), and celebrate the awesomeness that is the 31st of October. My super delayed reviews will also be coming soon, but for now, let's just forget that I'm totally lazy and go on with the post . . .

Weirdest Halloween Costumes

Okay, so this one was kind of hard to narrow down (because there are some seriously cray things on the internet), but I've managed to compile some of my favourites. Who knows, perhaps you could find something to quickly whip together for this year's round of trick or treating. 

1. Car Seat Costume

I don't know what would be running through someone's mind when they made this costume. It's just super weird. I have to say, I am a bit tempted to go as a car seat next year, just to see people's reactions, but then, well, I realised that I'm not mentally unstable (yet). 

2. Facebook

I actually think this one's kinda cool. Though, as if you could be bothered to go to all the effort of just staring at your Facebook page for hours and preparing your own detailed, home made costume (although of course, you are taking advice from someone who is completely and utterly useless in the world of visual arts). 

3. Popcorn

Did anyone else find this creepy? I feel like that mother is encouraging random people to eat her baby, and I may be an accepting person, but I think taking a pro-canabalism stance (especially in relation to your own children!) during a family friendly celebration is not okay. 

4. Nuns

Oh no, these are not just any nuns, these are the one and only canine nuns. This is absolutely the funniest thing I've seen in my life. Dog nuns! Come on, that is the awesomest thing ever. Seriously, ever. 

Must watch Halloween television

Now, some of these (all of these) aren't strictly sticking to the spooky, Halloween theme (as I'm not really a big fan of horror, or a fan at all), but here are some of my suggestions for awesome things that you absolutely must watch in the next 24 hours. 

1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Yes, yes, this is kind of a cliche. But everyone must watch it at some point, and what better time to start then on Halloween? Spoiler alert, it'll be the absolute crayest thing you've ever seen in your entire life! I'm actually serious. And just when you think it can't get any crayer, there's a whole bit at the end that will actually have you questioning your ability to comprehend any storyline whatsoever. So yeah, go watch it now. Men dressed as women, that screams halloween to me!

Wait, wait for it.

2. The Addams Family

Whether you choose the movie or original series is totally up to you (or musical if you're cool like me), but the only requirement is that you must watch something vaguely Addams Family themed before Halloween is over. Doesn't a good, dreary tale of a masochistic family always get you in the spirit?

3. The Haunted Mansion

Yeah, sure it's a Disney movie, but that doesn't mean it can't be awesome! I remember watching this over and over again every Halloween (yeah I was about 10, so what). It's fun, and it doesn't make you want to crawl into a ball and hide for the rest of your life. Sounds like a win to me! Don't worry, it's cool to watch Disney Channel, it is! 

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Well personally, I think you should watch this all the time, but if Halloween is what it takes to get you to start, then so be it. Of course, I'm not talking about the flop of a movie (and if you were considering watching that, leave right now), I'm talking about the awesome TV show. And yeah, I'll be nice, you don't have to get through all 7 seasons in one day, so I guess that means you'll have to just keep watching it . . . for a while . . . until you've seen every single episode. Is it scary? Not particularly. So if you're looking for a great horror series about no-mercy vampire killings, well, let's just say this isn't your show. But if you're normal (no offence horror movie buffs), then you'll find it just as awesome as I do. 

So yeah, I've pretty much run out of things to blog about now, so I'm going to leave you to have a spooky night by yourself and stop hassling you. I hope you get into the 'spirit' of things (#toofunnyforlife). Happy Halloween! Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

5 Lies Disney Told Us

Hello again my readers! Today I, as you can probably already tell, will be reviewing some of the lies that disney told us when we were young. I guess we all just have to put aside our bias for a while and face the facts. Here we go . . .

5. We can all communicate with animals

Sure, we probably don't believe this now, but I can honestly tell you that I spent days on end trying to communicate with my gold fish when I was younger. Nothing but disappointment. Seriously, somehow Cinderella managed to turn her animals into personal slaves and professional seamstresses, and I can't even teach my dog to sit on command. How is this fair? I sometimes still half expect the ibises looking for scraps of food in the playground at lunchtime to break into song and help me unload the washing machine. Overall, I basically now just have unrealistic expectations of life. 

What I think people who try and communicate with animals should look like

What they actually look like

4. If you think 'happy thoughts' you can fly

Again, luckily I don't really believe this anymore, but I can't honestly tell you that I've never tried to think about pancakes while jumping off the coffee table. And I really think (hope) I'm not the only one. Unfortunately, there is no secret portal to Neverland, and I'm pretty sure that the only way you can fly at the moment is inside an aircraft. I can just imagine kids all around the world walking into medical emergency rooms, and using the excuse of 'Peter Pan told me to' when the Doctor asks why they decided to jump off their furniture. Maybe it'll be possible in the future? One can dream. 

3. Stepmothers are always evil

From Snow White to Cinderella, it seems that if your father remarries, you're in for a wild ride. For years, whenever someone mentioned their stepmother in conversation, I would cringe and instantly expect the worst. Most of the time, I was wrong. Truth is, most of the time they're perfectly nice people. But will kids ever think that? Probably not. I have to say, still the first thing that comes to mind when stepmothers are mentioned is being forced to clean the house and serve my stepsisters night and day. 

2. If you're pretty, you don't need a job

Wouldn't it be great, to just get a major makeover and ta-da, you don't need to work again. All you need to do is find yourself a prince and live happily ever after, where working is a thing of the past. Yep, all it takes is slapping on some lipstick and you've got yourself a stress free life free from responsibility of any kind (besides maintaining your appearance of course). Sure, this might've been the case back in the 1800's, but ever since that pesky feminist movement, women actually have to work for their riches. To be fair, the majority of Disney movies have dated quite a bit overtime, but that doesn't stop little girls from dreaming of a duty free life. When I was about 3, my major life goal was to live on a couch and eat grilled cheese sandwiches while getting money from the government (admittedly a little less glamorous than the life of a Disney princess, but still). Talk about false hope. 

1. You'll live happily ever after

Ah yes, happily ever after. The dream of little girls across the globe. It's quite a broad term, and it's not like there's a council that can determine that yes indeed, your life is officially awesome. Does it always happen? One would like to think so, but that's not always the case. Sometimes people just have to face the cold hard facts and realise that this is as good as it's going to get. Just look at some of the people in my 'Weird Ways to Die' post, do you really think they lived happily ever after? I don't think so. And if the conventions of living this blissful existence are that you ride off into the sunset with your prince and wear frilly dresses all the time while living in a castle, then I'm pretty sure about 99% of the population will be sorely disappointed.  

So there you have it. I hope I haven't shattered too many of your childhood dreams, and that you still have the will to live. Here's hoping that in the near future we'll all be flying off tables and talking to birds, and live out our happily ever afters. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Glee-cap: Season 5, Episode 2, PLUS info on 'The Quarterback'

Hello again gleeks! As you may know, the new episode of 'Glee' came out last Friday. And yes, I am aware that this recap is super super late (so much so that the next episode has already come out). There are a lot of reasons for that, like I've been getting really caught up watching 'Smash' (which I've only just discovered). Also, I started this post once, but then it didn't save, and I had to start again. But anyway, you don't want to read about my personal life. Let's go . . .

Now officially into the second segment of the 'Glee' Beatles tribute episodes, this one begins with Sam musing about gayness with Blaine in the auditorium (and yes, you read that right- the blam is never ending). Cutting their conversation short, Mr Schue enters and announces that this week, they are going to focus on some of the later Beatles music. He starts to go on his little soliloque, but is cut short when Sue announces over the PA system, that McKinley will be mushing all of the year's proms together and creating a 'brundle prom', before going on to announce the 2013 candidates for prom king and queen. And the nominees are (drumroll please)  . . .

Blaine Anderson
Mohammed Omar (random)
Artie Abrams
Stoner Brett Bukowski (he has a last name now!)

Kitty Wilde
Amy Ryan (random cheerio)
Jordan Stern (neck brace cheerio)
Tina Cohen-Chang

Tina seems to be the most excited of everyone, jumping out of her seat and flailing her limbs around like a seal. Sam, ever the graceful loser, says although he didn't get nominated for prom king, at least he can attend with a candidate for the prom court. But despite the little intervention in last episode, diva Tina is back, stating that she can't possibly got to prom with Sam, as she needs to go with a group of single girls to secure the 'dejected wallflower' vote, and become 'bigger than Jesus' (a reference to the Beatles, or Madonna, whatever floats your boat). In her glory, she then breaks into a rendition of 'Revolution'. This doesn't last long however, as about 30 seconds into it, the glee club bell goes and everyone swiftly exits, making this the third time a song of hers has been cut off (but I sort of hate her now, so I don't really care).

Now we're in New York, as Rachel and Santana are working through their shifts at the diner. Rachel has come to the conclusion that she hasn't got the part of Fanny Brice in 'Funny Girl' because it's been ages since they've contacted her, and she feels as if she's let everyone at McKinley down. Santana tries to lift the mood by announcing that she got a part in a commercial for a yeast infection medication called 'Yeast-I-Stat'. I have to warn you now, this may be the most hilarious thing you'll see in your entire life. So just watch it now, over and over again, until you can quote it, I'm actually serious, go. Anyway, Rachel tried to keep her jealousy at bay as she congratulated Santana, but I think we both know this won't last long.

Back in the halls of McKinley High, passive aggressive Bree stalks over to Kitty with her cheerio minions in toe. Seeming to have dropped the passive altogether and just opted for aggressive, she goes on a long, verging on psychotic rant about how Kitty must win the title of prom queen, because for the past two years, the winners have been members of glee club and not the cheerios. After some excessive googling, it seems that this entire monologue was a reference to some letter that a deranged sorority girl sent out that went viral April this year (the beauty of the internet). Anyway, long story short, it was made quite clear that Kitty must win prom queen, and forget about the 'Asian girl from glee club'.

Now in the choir room, Mr Schue and Sam are having a bro-to-bro chat about Tina's rejection, when Sue waltzes in and announces that she is instating mandatory polio vaccinations to all students, starting with the glee club. Of course, some conflict breaks out after that, but because Sue's principal, whatever she says goes.

At NYADA, Rachel and Kurt are both participating in Carmen Tibideaux's annual piano tuning and discussing Santana's latest achievement. Just like we did, Kurt saw right through Rachel's faux joy, and said that she needs to get her mojo back asap. And how do they go about that? By dancing around a couple of pianos while singing their own version of 'Get Back'.

Still freaked out by the thought of getting vaccinations, Sam heads over to the nurses' office and watches as Nurse Penny (played by Phoebe Strole- officially making it the 4th Spring Awakening alum to be on the show) practises her needle-ing skills (for lack of a better term) on a sausage. He finally gets the courage to walk in, do an impression or two, before getting down to business. Just before he's about to get needled, he discovers that she's not actually a qualified nurse, and just a Sophomore in college. Whether it's that, or just the fear of the needle itself, Sam bolts from the room immediately.

In the hallway, Tina is getting super cray as she yells order at her lackey Dotti Kazatori (who's been mysteriously absent for a while), when she spots posters for Kitty's prom campaign in the hallway. Of course, being the mega-diva she is, Tina confronts her and demands and explanation. Although Kitty makes it clear that she didn't put them up, and that the posters weren't even of her, but rather her face photoshopped onto Olivia Munn's body, Tina, nor the rest of the glee club believe her. So you're probably thinking, who could possibly be campaigning for Kitty? You don't get time to question this for long, as the camera zooms into Bree looking on at the scene in the hallway.

Back in New York, Santana is filling tomato sauce bottles (or ketchup bottles, whatever) with fellow waitress Dani (played by none other than Demi Lovato). Having established their stance as a lesbian within the first few minutes of conversation, Santana gets nervous and leaves with the excuse of 'getting the salt shakers', before having a sidebar with newfound BFF Rachel. After some encouraging words, Santana seems ready to get back in the game.

At McKinley, Sam seems to have faked a large amount of injuries to spend time with new school nurse Penny Owen, including a snake bite and getting a bandaid for his hangnail. After a pep-talk from Artie and Blaine, Sam decides to stop hiding behind his 'injuries' and just have an actual conversation with her, following the Beatles mantra to 'charge forth fearlessly' (even though I'm pretty sure they never said that). Filled with zeal, Sam breaks into a rendition of 'Something', as he fantasises about dancing with Nurse Penny at prom, and being a volunteer for her tutorial on resuscitation.

However, in the next scene, it seems as if Sam's dreams are crushed, as when he finally enters Nurse Penny's office, she's packing up her things. He then learns that Sue fired her for incompetence because she may or may not have accidentally injected a Cheerio with urine. Stepping up to the plate, Sam then says that if she gives him a vaccination, it is proof that she is competent at her job, and Sue will have no choice but to re-hire her. Next thing we know, Sam is running into Principal Sue's office begging her to give Nurse Penny another chance. Strangely, Sue agrees, stating that the day before she accidentally gave her steroids instead of aspirin, and now she doesn't have to negotiate with her shifty suppliers (whatever that means).

Back in the hallway, Tina's minion Dotti is handing out campaign posters for her, before she is cornered by Bree and the Cheerios. Playing on her secret hatred of Tina, Bree offers Dotti a spot on the Cheerios in return for her assistance in their plan to bring said girl down.

Now we're in the diner once again, as Rachel is flicking through some alternate roles that she can star in, including the role of Annie Sullivan's land lady in the play 'The Miracle Worker', now casting at the New Jersey Theatre for the Deaf. She then decides to leave her shift early in order to give Santana and Dani some alone time, opting to play 'lesbian match maker'. It seems to work, as the two sit down together and watch the sun rise, conveniently singing an acoustic version of 'Here Comes the Sun'. By the end of the song, they've arrived at Dani's place, where they go separate ways. Cue the initiation of the ship Dantana.

Back at McKinley, it's officially time for the prom to begin. The crowd goes wild, as various members of New Directions break into 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. Everything seems to happen during this song- everyone gets their prom photos taken, Tina walks in with her crowd of 'dejected wallflowers', and Sam bonds with Nurse Penny at the punch bowl. By the end of it, Sam even gets enough courage to ask her to dance with him. So it seems to be all going smoothly, that is until Bree grabs Dotti and fills her in on the plans of the evening. Just when it seems that she's going to back out, Bree blackmails her with all of this personal information, revealing that she knows that Dotti 'wet the bed until she was in seventh grade'. It was only then that we really figured out what was going on. Dotti had made an off-hand comment about slushies, and we saw that there was a bucket positioned over the centre of the stage, and a rope off to the side.

As all the candidates made their way onto the stage, Sue finally announces who won prom king and queen. And winners are . . .

Stoner Brett and Tina Cohen-Chang

And that's officially when things get cray. The entire scene that comes next is a big homage to the 1979 film 'Carrie' (making this the third prom they've referenced the movie), everything pretty much happening exactly the same way as in the film. Even the background music is the same. Tina and Brett are waving to the crowd, and on the side of the stage, Dotti is prepared with her bucket of slushy. Kitty can see what's about to happen, but all she can do is let out a dramatic 'no!' as Dotti pulls the rope, and Tina is covered in red slushie while Stoner Brett is hit with the bucket that held it. Only differences between this and 'Carrie'? Stoner Brett didn't die from the impact of the bucket, there was no pig's blood in sight, and Tina didn't spaz and set the gym on fire with her telekinetic powers. But of course, she was rather upset. Fleeing the stage, Tina made her way to the choir room, the members of New Directions in toe. They'd all come prepared with towels and a bundle of support, but Tina wasn't hearing it. Instead, she chose to wallow in self pity for a while, before getting a pep-talk from Blaine. Empowered to be 'that girl' (although I'm still not entirely sure what that means), Tina got cleaned up and slipped into Kitty's prom dress, as she made her way back into the hall with the New Directions as they sung 'Hey Jude'.

At McKinley the next day, Coach Roz Washington is pulling Bree by the ponytail into Sue's office after discovering she is responsible for what went down at prom. She is trying to get her to understand that pulling 'top notch, hilarious pranks' has consequences, suggesting suspension as the appropriate course of action. However, Sue goes in a completely different direction, promoting her to head cheerio and buying her one of the famous 'le cars'. And why you may ask? Turns out, Sue thinks that the glee club works at its best when competing against a common enemy, and now that it can't be her, it's up to Bree to 'get weird' and pull something 'so psychotic that they can't help but start crying'. Flawed logic for the win.

Back in New York, Rachel and Santana are once again back at the diner, discussing the lifetime supply of 'Yeast-I-Stat' that she just received, when Kurt bursts in decked out in a spotlight diner uniform. Turns out, Kurt's little job at Vogue didn't pay anything at all, and he needs some money. It doesn't seem to faze anyone, Rachel exclaiming that it feels like 'Smash season 1' (which I've now seen, yay me). Once again, the topic of conversation turns to Funny Girl, although Rachel is still certain that she hasn't got the part. However, she is looking at it optimistically, as they all are on their respective situations. All three of them make a pact that they're going to stick together for 2 years and try, come hell or high water, to be successful. Gunther, the owner of the diner, interrupts their bonding session, stating that someone in booth 14 is requesting 'the short one'. Rachel makes her way over, to discover that she indeed, is the next Fanny Brice. People in the diner are excited, we're excited, everyone's excited!

The time has come for the end of the episode, and there's one last song to go. Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Dani are all in the apartment as they begin to sing 'Let It Be'. Coincidentally, everyone back at McKinley is singing it too, all gathered on the stage in the auditorium dressed as weird looking hippies. And then, as the final note is sung, the episode comes to a close.

And that's a wrap. I think that this episode was really super awesome, and I seriously can't get over the fact that Rachel got the part. Sorry again for the massive, massive delay. Of course you know that the Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson tribute episode came out yesterday, and because it was just super sad, I'm not going to recap it. But, you can read one here. Plus, here are all the episode performances:

Seasons of Love by New Directions Past and Present (originally from 'Rent')

I'll Stand By You by Mercedes Jones/Amber Riley (originally by The Pretenders/originally covered by Cory Monteith aka Finn Hudson)

Fire and Rain by Sam Evans and Artie Abrams/Chord Overstreet and Kevin McHale (originally by James Taylor)

No Surrender by Noah Puckerman/Mark Salling (originally by Bruce Springsteen)

Make You Feel My Love by Rachel Berry/Lea Michele (originally by Bob Dylan/originally covered by Adele)

Because of the hiatus that we're all in now, there won't be another glee-cap until after November 7th. Of course, you can watch the promo for the next episode entitled 'A Katy or a Gaga', or just hold out for 4 weeks. Hope you enjoyed my little recap and a half. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

New Girl Recap: Season 3, Episode 3

Hello again my readers! As you can guess, this is my little recap of what went down on the latest 'New Girl' episode (and yeah, it's super late again). Pleasantries over, let's get cracking . . .

So the episode began with Schmidt (still currently dating two women) walking out of his room with Cece in toe. Turns out, Nick and Jess had the same idea, arriving in the kitchen at the same time. The two couples get to chatting, and decide that it would be an awesome idea to go on a double date. As they make these arrangements, Winston overhears, and struggles to keep his jealousy at bay. He kind of ends up inviting himself along, in order to stop moping around with his new pal Ferguson the cat over his recent break up with Daisy (which happened last episode). He then takes it upon himself to get them a reservation at 'the best restaurant in town', and despite protests, he is set in his ways (look on the bright side, at least it's better than cat murdering).

We're back after the (full length!) title sequence, as Cece bursts in on Nick and Jess and starts discussing her worries about Schmidt. Apparently, she feels that he has turned to drugs, as that can be the only possible explanation for his recent 'weird energy' and 'non blinking eyes'. When the conversation turns a little more personal, it is quickly defused and Cece leaves relatively reassured that everything is a-okay.

We now see Winston entering his restaurant of choice, and walk straight up to the lady in charge of taking reservations (skipping the queue in the process- because that happens in real life). He tries to be all charming and what not, but fails miserably, upon being told that the next available booking is for 8:30pm in 7 weeks. The only suggestion she has is to 'try his luck' at the community table (whatever that is). When his bribing doesn't work, he is left with no other alternative.

Back in the loft, Nick approaches Schmidt and asks him about his supposed 'drug problem'. Forced to finally admit the truth, Schmidt tells Nick that he never in fact broke up with either girl, and that he is currently seeing both Cece and Elizabeth. It seems that Nick is in some kind of denial, because he keeps rejecting Schmidt's answer and trying to make sense of everything. He then, obviously, freaks out when it all sinks in, and seems to have a massive dilemma on his hands. Nick doesn't quite know what to do, tell Jess and clear his conscience, or keep his best friend's secret?

Now with Winston, it seems that he has not given up in his quest to secure a table for five, calling up the restaurant posing as famous authors in order to acquire a booking. As he's on the phone, we switch back to Nick, who is having a crisis of conscience in his room. He tries talking out the situation, which just ends up confusing him (and everybody else) more. As he's in the middle of this, Nick hears Jess enter the loft, and swiftly pulls a helmet on so he isn't forced to make eye contact with her. Strangely, she seems to think it's some kind of role-play, and saves Nick from having to make a decision (for now).

Back at the restaurant, Winston seems to have given up on getting a reservation, and tries to secure a seat at the community table. Sitting down, he manages to be so socially awkward that everyone else leaves, making him victorious (and alone for several hours until dinner).

We're now with Nick and Jess, and the time has come for him to choose between two people he cares about. Jess brings up the subject of Schmidt, and Nick instantly clams up. When she asks what's going on, we don't have to wait long until we see Jess storming angrily out of the room in search of Schmidt. In her rage, she warns him that he has to tell Cece the truth or she will before he gets the chance. Conceding, Schmidt says that he'll tell Cece as soon as he sees her next. Of course, the girl in question strolls into the apartment, pumped for their double date. As Schmidt prepares to tell her the truth, he chickens out at the last minute, and flees the scene, ushering her into the car as soon as possible, closely followed by a livid Jess and Nick.

Meanwhile, Winston is still at the community table, just ordering heaps of food for each empty seat, coming up with different excuses as to why the people he's dining with seem to be missing, simply stating 'bathroom'  or 'phone call'. It seems to be enough to satisfy the waiter, however the lady working the door (whom he has previously spatted with) doesn't seem to buy it. She confronts him, and states that he's clearly alone, and that other customers will be needing the table. That's not enough to deter Winston however, as he says that it is highly unlikely that over the past two hours he has ordered 8 separate entrees and taken bites of different sizes from each of them to keep up the charade (when of course, we all know that it is something he would totally do- and most likely has). With a 'God I hate this job', she seems to accept it and leave him alone for the time being.

Back in their car, Schmidt is driving Cece speedily (speedily being the operative word) towards the restaurant, as he tries to get away from Nick and Jess. Cece seems to pick up on the weird vibe, and (sensibly) asks what's going on. In his haste, he quickly says that Nick is cheating on Jess with a much older, 'deeply Korean' woman he met at a gas station (how someone can be deeply Korean, rather than just a little Korean, I do not know, but whatever). In a total rage (much like Jess was in earlier), Schmidt starts dissing Nick and questioning how he could be doing this (who smells a hypocrite?).

Now, we see Nick and Jess following (not so closely) behind. Their entire conversation during this time is basically one massive non sequitur. It ranges from talking about Nick's involvement during the altercation at the loft, to how much both of them are afraid of. Trying to prove that they are not afraid of anything, Jess and Nick both (stupidly) stick their finger in the cigarette lighter and commiserate together in pain. Not long after, we're back in Schmidt's car, as Cece demands that they turn around so she can have it out with Nick. Of course, he is reluctant, and only does so after a heated argument, as Jess and Nick watch on bemused.

Schmidt and Cece pull up at the restaurant (not after several phone calls from a distressed Winston), as Cece immediately (and unsuccessfully) sets out in search of Nick. Schmidt opts to stay in the car a little longer, much to the chargin of the valet. Upon seeing the disturbance, Nick gets out of his car (having finally arrived at the restaurant as well) and has a bro to bro with Schmidt. Finally searching for Jess, Nick enters the restaurant, only to be physically abused by Cece. Twice.

Schmidt, however, steps up to the plate and finally finds some much needed courage. He tells Cece the truth in front of Nick, Jess, Winston, and the entire restaurant. It's all a tad dramatic, but I guess that at this point, it's a long time coming. As expected, she reacts badly, and (obviously) ends things, before leaving the restaurant all together.

So, after all that, Schmidt asks for $12 for the valet and heads home, meaning that after all his trouble, Winston never actually got to have the dinner after all.

Back in the loft, Nick and Jess talk about what all went down. It seems that they are split in their responsibilities, both having to take care of their best friends. In the end, they (somehow) seem to take from all this a stronger relationship. Everything's all lovey dovey for a while, until they hear a disturbance in the kitchen.

Turns out, Elizabeth's shown up after having heard the truth from Cece, and once again (rightfully so) takes it out on Schmidt by literally rubbing it in his face (you'll just have to watch and see). However, her goodbye seems to be ten times less dramatic, her final words being 'You broke my heart, mail me my mouth guard' (almost as legendary as Merritt Wever's Emmy speech). As expected, Schmidt's not exactly happy about all of this. And who does he have to blame? No, not himself, but Nick and Jess. He decides that if it's the last thing he does, he is going to break the both of them up as some kind of revenge when they least expect it.

However, the episode does end on its usual comedic note, as Nick and Jess try and keep ahead of the game, guessing how Schmidt will plan to break them up. Quite a few ideas were thrown around, including using Jess's 'fear of pears' and Nick's belief that the moon landing is 'obviously fake' to cause a rift between them.

 










So yay, you've made it to the end of this week's recap. I think this episode was really awesome and funny, despite its turn for the dramatic towards the end. And good news, you only have to wait 2 more days until the next episode (praise my complete and utter slackness). To tide you over, feel free to watch the promo for next episode, or just hold out for 48 hours. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

TTYL September

Hello everybody and welcome to the fabulous month that is (or will be) October! It's going to be a pretty awesome month- halloween's here, summer's getting closer, and yet more shows resume on TV. Before we officially say goodbye though (despite it already being October 5th today, but whatever), let's just remember some of the things that were awesome about September, and like I did at the end of last month, rate the top 3 memorable moments. Let's get cracking . . .

3. The birth of Heather Morris' baby

Okay, okay. Everyone may not consider this to be a 'most memorable moment' (which is why I've only put it at number 3), but I certainly do, and so do other gleeks around the globe, so I think it's only fair. Just to fill those in who may not be aware, Heather Morris gave birth to her baby boy Elijah on the 28th of September with her longtime boyfriend (and soon to be fiancé maybe?) Taylor Hubbell. Who knows, this may mean that she could (hopefully) be returning to 'Glee' pretty soon? One can dream. 

2. Emmy Awards

Having already done a post about this, I won't go into too much detail (for once in my life). But, the Emmys are still a pretty big deal. I mean, people around the globe tune in to watch the celebration of one of their favourite things (admitted or not)- television. How could it not be awesome? Especially when you have super-host Neil Patrick Harris to help you out. So yeah, September 22nd this year, pretty awesome day.

1. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth Split Up

Finally, after all the rumours and predictions, the awkward couple have actually split up. It's apparently because of her performance at the VMA's this year (that'd be enough for anybody), but I'm not really sure. Whatever the reason, it's about time. They got engaged ages ago, and still a year later they'd made no plans? Doesn't sound like either of them were very confident that it was going to last between them. And just imagine the criticism that Liam would've been copping, I mean I myself cannot have a conversation without slipping in a joke about the former Disney star, so having to marry her? All a bit much I say. 

So yeah, that's it. I know, it's been super short, but at least we can officially immerse ourselves in October now that we've given September a proper goodbye. Have an awesome month. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Inside the X Factor



Hello and welcome back my devoted readers! Today, I will be uncovering my inner journalist and writing about what really goes on when filming hit television show (or the Australian version of it) 'The X Factor'. Before we start, I'll give you a bit of background info. My friend kindly offered me a free ticket to go and see the show being filmed live, and of course, how could I not accept (despite having never seen an episode before in my life). So today, I can proudly give you the inside info regarding the making of the show, the crazy fans that watch it, and the process that goes in to acquiring poll position in the studio.

Waiting (and waiting, and waiting)

After officially being prepped by my friend (the night before via Facebook) who comes to watch the show being filmed every time it's on (how she gets all these free tickets I do not know), I arrived at Fox studies at 11 am on Monday the 30th of September, eager and ready to begin my journey to 'The X Factor'. I had no idea what to expect. I had accepted her offer for a number of reasons, one being that I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to see how genuine the glitz and glamour of television really was, another being the fact that I have been tempted to audition for the show for several years now, and the final being that I thought it would make a pretty cool blog entry (which I hope it does). However, I had no idea what I would be walking into. Turns out, I also had no idea where I was walking at all. As I was trying to get my head around where the studio was, I ran in to a bunch of kids who told me to go in the opposite direction. After walking around completely lost for half an hour, I finally swallowed my pride and called my friend for help. As I found out soon after, I was waking in the right direction originally before I ran in to those children (damn them). Despite being half an hour late, I still managed to get a spot third in line (thanks to my friend arriving at 10). I wasn't really sure what I was expecting to happen next. Turns out, nothing really happened at all. We sat and waited, and waited, and waited. For the first couple of hours, the line didn't get any bigger at all (having only about 10 people in it, making me question why we had to be there so early in the first place, but whatever). The only things I were able to do to pass the time was help my friend make a banner (glitter and all) for her favourite act (which was Jai Waetford), and check my Facebook notifications (or lack thereof) on my phone over and over again. We stopped for a lunch break at around 12:30 (Oporto veggie burger here I come), and the other fans kindly let us back in line where we were originally. At that stage, the line had expanded quite significantly, and I could now see the logic in my friend's arrival time. 

At around 1, my friend asked if I could accompany her to the bathroom to charge her phone (our spots in the line already being saved). We did this, no hassles whatsoever, until she then asked if we could go around the back of Fox Studios. Of course, I was super confused, but I went along with it because hey, what's the worst that could happen? Once we got around, my friend met up with a bunch of people she'd met, just from waiting in line for 'The X Factor' (I thought it was weird at first, but then realised the same would probably happen to me surrounding anything related to 'Glee', so I decided to put my hypocrisy to rest for the day). I had absolutely no idea who these people were, and they made no attempts to find out who I was, so I just went with it and sat down with them in a park across the road. Turns out, they were waiting for Jason Derulo to arrive out the back (as he was a guest performer on the show) in hopes of . . . I don't actually know what they were expecting. I felt as if I was inspecting test subjects or something, and learning about a whole new species. I hung around for a little while, failing to go along with it as they talked about contestants I'd never even heard of, before finally just walking back across the road (like a loner) and sitting down in the line (alone, 'cos I'm cool like that). I was there for a couple of hours, just sitting around and feigning interest in something on my phone (which was actually turned off), before I finally saw my friend and her little 'X Factor' pack com back over and sit down. Turns out, as soon as I left, they got to meet Jason Derulo (of course- I'm now officially the blitz). It was now nearing 5pm, which meant that the security guards were officially allowed to let us in . . . to another queue. This time, as the masses were being herded in, we were offered free products by some of the sponsoring companies (which in this case were the new line of 'popped' Thin's chips, Nescafe instant coffee, and a sample of foundation from Rimmel London). Being the groupie that I am, I of course accepted all of these (before disposing of them in the nearest garbage bin).

The excitement was thick in the air, as everyone in the crowed was buzzing with anticipation of the big event. Everyone was taking photos with Jai Waetford (one of the contestant)'s girlfriend (why, I cannot answer that), and absolutely everybody, no matter whether they knew them or not, was talking to each other. As expected at events like these, there were quite a few, shall I say, odd, people there. Some of the most enthusiastic fans ended up being the parents. One woman, the mother of two 10 year old girls (despite the required age of entry being 12), was swearing like a trooper, and complaining about . . . pretty much everything. She was talking to my friend about how it was unfair that a group of people were let in who are apparently put up for harassment chargers for (and this is the kicker) stalking the contestants inside their hotel, before turning to me and complaining that she won't be able to get her photo (not her kid's photo, her photo) with Omar (a contestant I'd never heard of before in my life) until the Grand Final. Unsure what to do, I just smiled and awkwardly turned away to avoid any more trouble. But that was not the end of the weirdness, oh no. There was also another mother who was constantly trying to (not so) discreetly push her way through the barrier and get ahead of everyone else (who had been waiting around since 10- or 11:30 in my case). I don't know what kind of lesson she was trying to teach her kids, but obviously, it was a bad one. Anyway, after all the waiting around we were finally allowed through the gates and began the long walk to the 'X Factor' studio. And that's when the trampling started. 

Showtime (almost)

After nearly being crushed to death by a bunch of teenage girls (and their parents), I made it inside (relatively) unscathed. Finally, after hours and hours of hanging around, I was there, inside an actual television studio surrounded by actual television cameras. And just for the record, that 'actual' television studio- way smaller in real life (the magic of television).

I made it to the second row of the left mosh pit (my first mosh pit ever!) with no idea what was going to happen next. Though what did happen was super weird- a random man dressed as a biker slash homeless guy named Dave popped out from behind the screen and began to 'warm up' the crowd. After asking my friend, turns out, he's been using the same old, stale jokes since 2011.

Next thing we know, the actual judges begin to walk out onto the stage (including LMFAO's very own Redfoo) with no fanfare whatsoever (I myself almost missed it). At this point, it was only about 6:30, so I was confused as to why they were coming out so early.

Turns out, it wasn't really early at all. You know that great 'live' performance from Jason Derulo you thought you saw at about 8 o clock? It was actually filmed at 6:45. However, turns out, Jason's a pretty charismatic dude. It was quite an enjoyable performance, and he was able to get out of there by 7. Next up was Australia's own Jessica Mauboy, performing her new single. This was also pre-recorded (not that anyone watching at home knew that), but she was awesome in real life, so it wasn't a total lie. Next up were the contestants. Yes, you read that right. They even pre-recorded the contestants (although only the opening number). Everyone came on and the crowd went wild, as I tried to see if I could pick out anybody that looked vaguely familiar (which I really couldn't). Honestly, because everyone was screaming so loudly (louder than for Jason Derulo and Jessica Mauboy which I found really weird), I couldn't actually hear any of the contestants, so was absolutely mesmerised when watching it back at home to realise that they all sounded professional (thank you audio enhancements). So, now that all the pre-recorded performances were over, it was time for . . . more pre-recording. This time, it was ex Home and Away star and current X Factor host Luke Jacobz's time to shine. He was filming these short 30 second promo things that were set to be shown just before the program started. Turns out, Luke's a little bit of a diva. He seemed to get super upset because he had to film the promo more than once (because the audience may have been laughing at him just a bit). But then, finally, all of the filming was over with for the time being, and I was able to take a selfie with Redfoo.

 

 

Lights, Camera, Action

Finally, at exactly 7:27pm, the show was about to begin. Dave, the 'warm up' host, signalled to the crowd to start cheering, meaning that we were forced to scream at the top of our lungs for minutes before the show even began. And then, the cameras were rolling, and the viewers at home were watching live. Luke did his signature introduction, every word mapped out for him on the autocue, as he welcomed the opening act involving all of the contestants (which of course, was pre-recorded). As you guys were watching it at home (or not, depending on whether or not you've actually seen the show), we were watching the play-back on the massive screen in front of us. Again, I was blown away at the vast difference between the recording and the live performance. However, it was over soon enough, and it was announced who would be staying, and who would be performing in the bottom two. I honestly didn't really care, but the audience seemed to react wildly. This was side-tracked soon enough, as it was announced that both Jason Derulo and Jessica Mauboy were 'in the house' (despite the fact that they'd left over an hour ago), and their performances were played back. To be honest, I cannot for the life of me remember the order of these events (because I didn't care), but they were once again played to us on the screen before going into an ad break.

I have to say, what happened in the ad breaks was sometimes more entertaining than what was happening live. The group I was with had managed to befriend a security guard (shout out to Vince), so we chatted to him for a while. But the cray began when some man pushed his way to the front of the mosh pit and began to randomly shout 'Redfoo, you're my idol!'. I don't even think he was anybody's father, just a really enthusiastic (creepy) man.

Not long after, filming was ready to once again commence, and both groups went head to head against one another (and this was actually filmed live, achievement). Admittedly, I couldn't here either group whatsoever, so when it was announced that JTR were going home, I had no reaction. Personally, I'm quite offended that I hardly made it on TV (besides the neon orange glow from my top). Oh well, it's their loss. That pretty much summed up that part of the night.

When all was said and done

After the excitement had finally died down, everyone left the building mourning the loss of JTR from the competition and headed home. However, this is not what my friend and I had planned. We discretely made our way out the back to Gate D in order to see the contestants drive past on their way to the hotel. It was obvious what everyone else's intentions were, but mine, well I wasn't entirely sure myself. I guess I just got swept up in the excitement of the night. I didn't have long to ponder however, as soon enough, we saw the van headed towards us. Other fans had made their way outside as well, copping on to their location. We were all excited, unsure what was going to happen next. None of us were expecting however, for the van to just drive off without even a wave (talk about an anti-climax). Some people were madly running after the bus and trying to shove in their specially made posters, while I just laughed at their eagerness (before realising my hypocrisy once again and awkwardly shuffling away).

As my friend and I were preparing to leave (her mum's car pulling up conveniently outside), we saw not just any contestant, but the one my friend was absolutely obsessed with. He was on the phone playing with a football, just watching everyone crowd around him. At this stage, I'm pretty sure my friend was verging on a cardiac arrest. Finally, he'd hung up, and everyone pounced. He told us all he was Jai's twin Josh (which really sadly, the majority of people believed), before leaving us with a quick 'Vote for Jai' and hopping in his car and driving off.

So, with that, the night was over. What did I take from this experience? The inside knowledge of what happens behind the camera, a massive sunburn, and some confetti that I managed to steal from the side of the stage.

I hope you enjoyed my little splash in journalism, and found it sort of informative and entertaining. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx