All posts in category TV

Five things

I’ve been storing up some things I’ve loved recently to share with you guys while I’ve had my head down editing.

The first things I want to share are three fab books I’ve read:

Night School: Legacy by C.J Daugherty

Legacy-Cover-FINAL-for-website

This is the second Night School book – a YA contemporary thriller set at an English boarding school. I highly recommend reading the first book first so everything makes sense and the first book is excellent. I’m always nervous before I read a sequel in case it doesn’t match up but I enjoyed this one just as much, more secrets were revealed, there was more action and romance and the story overall felt tighter. This is planned to be a five book series and I’m looking forward to seeing where the author will take it.

Undone by Cat Clarke

undone

This is a standalone contemporary YA by another British author. This is her third book and each one deals with issues that teenagers face. They are all what I’d call edgy both in their subject matter and style. The author doesn’t hold back – this book deals with teen suicide and sexuality. The story is about a girl facing the world after her best friend kills himself after being outed online. She wants revenge on his tormenters but it doesn’t turn out the way she expects. I will warn you – this book is brilliantly written and kept me turning the pages, the author is very talented and doesn’t ever talk down to teens but it’s not an easy subject and the ending may very well break your heart. It’s emotional to put it lightly so it will depend on what kind of books you enjoy whether this is your cup of tea. Ultimately, I admire Cat Clarke for writing a book like this.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

spell

First of all, if you haven’t read the Vampire Academy series you really should. Not only is it fab, there’s a film version out next year and you should read the books first :) This book is the third in the VA spin-off series Bloodlines. This series features some of the characters from the original series but takes us into the world of magic and not just vampires. I enjoyed this book, it has more action in it than the first two and explores a forbidden romance that you root for. It also has a swoon-worthy vampire in it and what more can you ask for than that?

I haven’t just been reading though. I’ve also discovered two things to watch and get hooked on.

The first is an online modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

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Lots of the people I follow on Twitter talk about this show and as I’m nosey I looked it up. It’s a series of web episodes each about five minutes long. As a huge Jane Austen fan, I’ve immediately connected with it. I’ve missed 88 episodes so I’m frantically trying to catch up. You can check it all out here.

The second is a new US TV show called Nashville.

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As a country music fan, I’ve always wanted to go to Nashville and when Tori started talking about a show set where she lives, I was impatient for it to come on over here. And finally it has! I’m already loving this drama about an established country singer who is suffering from depleted record sales and a new young country/pop singer on top of the charts. It also has a great soundtrack. You can check it out on 4OD here.

Drop me any book / TV recommendations you have in the comments below!

Victoria

xoxo

28 Comments
by Victoria-writes on February 20, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Music, My fave things, Reviews, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on February 20, 2013

http://victoria-writes.com/2013/02/20/five-things/

Scary Stories

When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with the Point Horror books. Anyone else remember them? They were a horror series of books by different authors and in my early teens seemed very frightening. They were the first really scary stories I had read – before that, Roald Dahl was probably my first dip into anything out of the ordinary. I certainly wasn’t into scary stories like some kids are, maybe I was a wimp – I was freaked out by Michael Jackson’s Thriller video after all :)

In my later teens, the film franchise Scream started. I mostly avoided horror films. It wasn’t always because I was scared, often I felt like laughing at the clichés included – why would you go into that dark basement alone, after all? Scream was funny as well as scary and I really enjoyed it. I watched I Know What You Did Last Summer but I didn’t get into the genre in a big way.

At college, I did media studies and yes we had to watch films as part of the course. We did a section on horror and I finally watched some of the horror classics like Halloween and Carrie and Psycho. But they still didn’t draw me into horror in any real way – I can appreciate a scary film done well but I don’t feel the need to watch many. I don’t own any horror films and after my childhood obsession with the Point Horror books, I haven’t picked up any more books in the genre.

I love the supernatural though, which is why I’m okay with Halloween. And the genre can often be more scary than hook-handed serial killers. I love vampires, werewolves and witches and my book shelf is crammed with stories of them. My obsession really kicked off after reading Twilight (haters to the left :0) The first novels I wrote were supernatural and I’ll always have a soft spot for them.

Some of my favourite supernatural things are: the Sookie Stackhouse books, Vampire Academy, Twilight, The House of Night, The Body Finder, Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls), Harry Potter , The Mortal Instruments, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Fringe and Underworld. And the fact that most are aimed at teens means I don’t get too scared by them!

I think I’ll always enjoy being drawn into a fantasy world where the rules are different and there are dark creatures who may or may not be dangerous. The fun is in finding out, especially if they look like Damon from TVD :)

Do you like scary stories?

Victoria

xoxo

35 Comments
by Victoria-writes on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Films, My fave things, Special Days, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on October 31, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/10/31/scary-stories/

Scary similarities to Liz Lemon

I just started watching my 30 Rock series 5 box set and more than enough I was confronted by the uncomfortable truth – I share a lot of similarities with the main character Liz Lemon. I say confronted, my mum pointed it out every helpfully!

If you’ve never seen the show, Liz Lemon is head writer of a fictional SNL-type show played brilliantly by Tina Fey (who by the way, I love).

Here’s what we have in common:

1. We are both single with a depressing dating history.

2. We both love food. Like really love it.

3. We kind of look similar with thick shoulder length golden brown hair that has a tendency to turn into a frizzy bush plus we both wear tortoiseshell glasses.

4. We are both clumsy.

5. We both hate exercise.

6. We are both geeks easily obsessed by films and TV shows.

7. We like to think of ourselves as feminists.

8. We have both taken up knitting and then ditched it.

9.  We imagine ourselves as being funny but quite often people are laughing at and not with us.

10. Our favourite wine is Pinot Grigio.

Do you share any traits with a TV character?

Victoria

xoxo

15 Comments
by Victoria-writes on March 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Fun, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on March 24, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/03/24/scary-similarities-to-liz-lemon/

Pretty Little Liars & Somebody Else’s Life (Friday Finds)

 My latest TV obsession is Pretty Little Liars. It’s an American teen drama about a group of girls who are stalked by the mysterious ’A’ after the death of their Queen Bee. ‘A’ somehow knows all their secrets and they have a lot of secrets! This show is weirdly compelling with some real scares thrown in alongside the typical teen angst and the central mystery of who the stalker is will keep you hooked. It’s so bad, it’s good.

I recently finished ’Somebody else’s life’ by debut British YA author Katie Dale. It’s about a teenage girl called Rosie whose Mum Trudie tragically dies from Huntington’s disease. Rosie is terrified that she will inherit the genetic illness until her Mum’s best friend reveals she’s not Trudie’s real daughter after all. Rosie sets out to discover who her real parents are but her quest doesn’t go to plan.

I really enjoyed this book, so much so I finished it in a day as it’s a real page turner and I was desperate to find out how it ends. It’s an exciting mix of family drama, mystery, romance and heartbreak. It also poses a moral question about whether you would want to know if you had a genetic disease or not.

What did you discover this week?

Victoria

xoxo

18 Comments
by Victoria-writes on March 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Friday Finds, Reviews, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on March 2, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/03/02/pretty-little-liars-somebody-elses-life-friday-finds/

Perfect endings

I watched Something Borrowed at the weekend and when it finished, I felt compelled to disagree with its ending on Facebook. Usually I find rom coms thoroughly predictable, which I like because I can root for the couple through the film and feel happy at the end. This one through me a curve ball as the ending I predicted didn’t happen. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. I quite liked that the film surprised me and I did enjoy it but I was rooting for something else than what they gave me.

I think endings are hard in books and films. On one hand, you want some suspense element so you can wonder what will happen and maintain your interest but I hate completely curve ball endings that make you wonder why you bothered. It’s a fine line for a creator to balance. Surprise vs. satisfaction. A twist vs. predictability. A make-up-your-own-mind ending vs. everyone and everything is happy.

Plus endings are important. If you pick the wrong one, you can destroy all the good stuff before it. An ending is also the deciding point for the audience / reader on whether they liked or didn’t like it. I still remember how nervous I was reading the last Harry Potter, praying that the ending would satisfy after so many years invested in the series. I still remember watching the last ever Dawson’s Creek with everything crossed for Joey and Pacey. Or the WTF? I wanted to scream at the end of War of the Worlds. I mean, seriously what was that about?!

What endings do you like? What ending made you want to throw your TV / book out the window?

Victoria

xoxo

35 Comments
by Victoria-writes on January 11, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Films, Fun, Musings, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on January 11, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/01/11/perfect-endings/

Top 10 supernatural favourites

In celebration of Halloween, here are my Top 10 supernatural pleasures!

1. Vampire Diaries (TV series)

This series is by the creator of Dawson’s Creek, which I will always be a fan off so we have teen angst with a supernatural twist. Vampires, witches and werewolves add in the gorgeous vampire brothers (see above) and you have series full of twists and truns, romance, action and swoon factor. What more could you want?!

2. Twilight Saga (books & films)

Twilight really kicked off my love for supernatural things and Young Adult books. I got completely sucked into the books, fell in love with Edward and vampires. The films have done a great job of visualising the series and I can’t wait for Breaking Dawn to come out in November!

3. Harry Potter (books & films)

There was a no way this couldn’t be included. The most famous wizard of all time will probably top such lists for year to come. This will always be a favourite of mine.

4. Buffy (TV show)

Everyone’s favourite vampire slayer, this had to be included. Of course, the show had more supernatural beings than just vampires and will probably always be on top 10 supernatural lists. Great fun.

5. Supernatural (TV series)

This show deals with every kind of supernatural being, following a pair of brothers as they hunt them down. It’s loads of fun and you can’t not be love with Sam and Dean. Sigh.

6. Vampire Academy (books)

This series of books about vampires is a brillant read providing a brand new mythology and some fiesty characters, it’s a real page turnover. I hope it will be a film one day!

7. The Craft (film)

This was one of the first films I ever watched about witches. It’s creepy but hilarious. You may recognise one of the witches as she’s now in The Mentalist. A good girlie sleepover film.

8. Charmed (TV series)

The TV show about three sisters and then two sisters and a cousin who were witches was a great mix of family drama and supernatural powers.

9. Ghost Whisperer (TV series)

Jennifer Love Hewitt took the lead in this supernatural drama as the girl who could talk to ghosts and to elad them to the other side. Spooky and emotional.

10. The Body Finder (book series)

A creepy and gripping supernatural book series about a girl who is drawn to dead bodies and the killers who stalk their victims. You won’t be able to stop reading once you start.

What are your favourites?

I’ll be sharing Halloween songs in a themed Sunday Songs tomorrow!

Vix

xx

32 Comments
by Victoria-writes on October 29, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Films, My fave things, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on October 29, 2011

http://victoria-writes.com/2011/10/29/top-10-supernatural-favourites/

OMG, my love for American TV (part 2)

This follows yesterday’s Part 1 post; here are the rest of my favourite shows:

Supernatural

Okay I love the main characters in this – Sam and Dean, they’re gorgeous and their relationship just keeps you glued to the screen. If you love the supernatural, this has bucketloads of strange creatures, high octane action and wry humour. Lots of fun, albeit gory fun.

Vampire Diaries

We’re only on two series of this show but I love the mix of the supernatural and teen drama (the creator of Dawson’s Creek is behind this one). The main triangle of Elena and two warring vampire brothers is seductive and compelling. Yes there are similarities to Twilight but it’s a great series that will keep you hooked.

Alias

I love JJ Abrams. He makes some great TV and Alias was sadly overlooked by a mainstream audience. It carried on for 5 seasons though and was full of twists and turns and was action packed. Starring Jennifer Garner as a spy who could never be sure of who to trust, it’s a brilliant watch from start to finish.


Fringe

JJ Abrams strikes again and created this show about a parallel universe. Staring Joshua Jackson who I’ve loved for years, this is also full of twists and turns and will leave you scratching your head but in a “this is brilliant” way. Well worth checking out, you need to watch from the start though to fully understand it. I hope this runs for a long time.

Buffy


This was the first vampire themed show before the whole Twilight boom and it’s an action packed, fun show that really inspired a lot of love out there. It was brilliantly imagined and even had a musical episode. I’m looking forward to checking out SMG’s new TV show Ringer.

Honorable mention:

Heroes

This had one of the best first series I’ve ever seen. Telling the story of humans who discover they have extraordinary powers, it was brilliantly crafted. However, the following seasons failed to match up to the first one and it was cancelled after just four and I didn’t even bother to watch the last one. Such a shame!

Vix

xx

26 Comments
by Victoria-writes on September 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in My fave things, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on September 21, 2011

http://victoria-writes.com/2011/09/21/omg-my-love-for-american-tv-part-2/

OMG, my love for American TV (Part 1)

I love American TV shows so I thought I’d share my top 5 favourites with you – the ones that have stood out for me past and present. Part 1 will cover comedy / family shows and part 2 to follow will cover thriller / paranormal shows.

Friends

I starred watching Friends in my early teens. I remember everyone at school talking about it and making sure I watched it on a Friday night. The characters became so familiar that the show was like a comfort blanket and even now when I see a repeat on TV, I get a warm fuzzy feeling from it. It kept us entertained for 10 years and ended how we all wanted it to.

Ross: We were on a break!
Chandler: Oh, my God! If you say that one more time, I’m going to break up with you!

Dawson’s Creek

I adored DC when it was on TV. As a teenager, I loved the angst and tension and the fact it dealt with teen issues, although the characters language and references were laughably adult. Mostly, I loved Pacey – he’s still up there on my ideal man list. The series went off a bit in series 5 and 6 but redeemed itself in the finale that brought laughter and tears and finally brought Joey and Pacey together.

Andie: You mean that you guys would rather watch a movie about something than actually doing it yourselves?
Joey, Dawson: Correct.

Gilmore Girls

I missed GG when it was on TV, it wasn’t big over here but I stumbled onto it on Amazon and once I watched the first series boxset I was hooked. The relationship between mother and daughter is so well told – funny and moving and the eccentric town they live in and characters that live there create a warm show that’s perfect for curling up on the sofa to watch. I love the fast paced talking, cultural references and endless eating. It’s a shame that there was no definite ending, I wish they would pick it back up but I guess you can’t have it all!

Lorelai: It’s from my mother.
Rory: What is it?
Lorelai: It’s heavy. It must be her hopes and dreams for me.
Rory: I thought she discarded those years ago

Sex and the City

I first watched this show on VHS – yes the days before DVD. Shocking but funny and often sweet, I loved the fly-on-the-wall feel to being part of these fab four ladies who took NYC by storm. The show unfortunately didn’t cross over well to the big screen but I’ll always loved the TV episodes, they always make me want to go straight to New York, buy some amazing shoes and have eggs and a good gossip about men for brunch.

Charlotte: I just know no matter how good I feel about myself, if I see Christy Turlington, I just wanna give up.
Miranda: Well I just want to tie her down and force feed her lard, but that’s the difference between you and me.

30 Rock

Again I fell into this show on Amazon, never watching it on TV and I immediately got hooked. This show is silly and fun but most of all hilarious. I love Tina Fey and the character of Liz is brilliant. I loved the musical benefit episode and there are so many genius episodes.

Liz: What made you think I was gay?
Jack: Your shoes.
Liz: Well, I’m straight.
Jack: Those shoes are definitely bi-curious.

What did I miss?

Vix

xx

28 Comments
by Victoria-writes on September 20, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in My fave things, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on September 20, 2011

http://victoria-writes.com/2011/09/20/omg-my-love-for-american-tv-part-1/

Friday Finds

I thought I’d try out a new weekly post to add to my Sunday Songs so here is the premiere of Friday Finds!

This post will be an opportunity for me to talk about things that I found during the week – books, films, TV shows, clothes, products, music etc and hopefully talk them out of my system before they become an obsession :)

Ok so this week…

I listened to …

Charlie Simpson’s album Young Pilgrim

Charlie started out his musical life in boy band Busted before joining a heavy rock band. This is his debut solo album and it’s far superior to any of his previous musical journeys. Heartfelt, mostly acoustic and solely written and performed by Charlie, it’s a gorgeous record and well worth picking up.

I watched ….

Absolutely Fabulous was a 90′s sitcom starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as heavy drinking and heavy smoking best friends. I’ve been re-watching the box set and this show still makes me laugh out loud. Completely crazy and utterly over-the-top. Rumours persist a new series is on its way, fingers crossed!

I brought …

Boots was offering a free Rimmel eyeliner if you spend over £6 so I ended up with two mascaras, blush, eye shadow and lip gloss oops! But at least I got my free eye liner :)

I read …

Bree Despain’s The Lost Saint – the second novel in the Grace Divine series. I thought this was a solid book, as good as the first novel combining romance, mystery and some great action tied in with religious mythology. Worth a read.

What do you think of this theme? What have you discovered this week?

Vix

xx

18 Comments
by Victoria-writes on August 19, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Films, Fun, Music, Reviews, Shopping, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on August 19, 2011

http://victoria-writes.com/2011/08/19/friday-finds/

Autumn TV

I love a good TV drama so I was excited to see the new BBC trailer for Autumn TV. TV is usually far better once August ends and there are several goodies on the horizon. Here are my must-see picks:

1. Torchwood – Miracle Day

Okay this is a bit early for Autumn as the series is well under way but I couldn’t keep it off the list as it’s been utterly brilliant so far. Moving the show to America was a good move but the concept of this series is the real genius – one day no-one on Earth dies and the days roll on and everyone lives. The Torchwood team set about finding why the Miracle happened and trying to stop it as the world’s healthcare crumbles. Eve Myles and John Barrowman as Gwen and Captain Jack have great chemistry and keep up some smiles as the plot twists become more and more tragic. Pick it up on BBC I-Player or grab the box set!

2. Doctor Who – Series 6 Part 2

The second part of the new series starts again soon and I can’t wait to see it. Part one ended on an amazing cliffhanger finally telling us that Riversong is Amy and Rory’s daughter plus we have the issue of the Doctor dying in the future and just what The Silence are. Add in a forthcoming episode about killing Hitler and this series promises to be one of the best.

3. Spooks – series 10

I came to Spooks from series 4 onwards and have loved it ever since. It’s a solid British drama about MI5 with numerous twists and turns, topical debates and a willingness to kill off main characters to keep the suspense levels high. Sadly the BBC has announced this will be the last series but I’m sure it will go out with a big bang.

4. Great Expectations:

I love a good costume drama and the BBC usually deliver so I’m looking forward to this one. This is the only Dickens novel I’ve actually read as well. Gillian Anderson follows her role in Bleak House playing Miss Havishman and Douglas Booth plays Pip. I’m sure this will be a classy treat.

5. Downton Abbey:

Series 1 was a surprise treat – a costume drama not based on a classic novel filled with twists and turns and detailing the lives of both the upper class and their servants. Series 2 will have some high expectations attached. There will also be a Christmas special yay.

6. Young James

A new BBC drama about a young James Herriot, the future vet. I used to enjoy the series All Creatures Great and Small (the main character played by Christopher Timothy pic above) when I was younger so I’m looking forward to this prequel series set at vet college in 1933. I haven’t heard of much of the cast before so I’ll be interested to see whether I can invest in the characters or not.

7. The X Factor

I got pretty annoyed with the show last year and don’t bother voting or getting too excited about the acts but it’s hard to refuse to watch when everyone talks about it. This year I am curious about the new judges especially Gary Barlow as I’ve always liked Take That and I think he’ll be good plus he gets better looking as he gets older! The mix of him with Louis Walsh, Tulsa from N-Dubz and Kelly Rowland should be interesting. Who I am kidding? I know I’ll be glued, it’s like a car crash you just can’t stop watching :)

Any other shows you’re looking forward to?

Vix
xx

16 Comments
by Victoria-writes on August 12, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Fun, TV
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Posted by Victoria-writes on August 12, 2011

http://victoria-writes.com/2011/08/12/autumn-tv/

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