entertainment

Comedy Zone: Chris Porter

Written by Liz Britton

After a long week of helping my partner with his graduate school applications, I figured he and I needed to get out of the apartment and go do something fun together. I had signed us up to see Chris Porter on Thursday evening through meetup.com. Even though we were both exhausted (grad school applications are awful!), we dragged ourselves over to see the comedian at The Charlotte Comedy Zone.

And we did not regret it one bit.

Chris Porter, well known for earning third place on Last Comic Standing, has been a touring comedian since he was 23.

Since the beginning Chris’ raw energy and unique perspective has distinguished him as one of the elite comics in the industry. Born and raised in Kansas City, Chris brings a true stand-up experience to his live shows.

As much as my boyfriend and I were cracking up (I was crying at one point), it seemed like Chris Porter had difficulty controlling the audience at points. Audience members kept talking over him and he appeared to not know how to handle that. At one point, he made a joke about jaguars that didn’t go over so well. Once he learned that the people of Charlotte are huge Carolina Panther fans, he tried to recover and make a joke with that.

Aside from the minor flops, Chris Porter was fabulous and managed to keep everyone entertained throughout the evening. His charisma and sarcasm was too hilarious not to laugh at and his jokes were so easy to relate to.

Check out this video to see some of his stuff.

The next time you want a good laugh, head over to the Comedy Zone to pick up some tickets.

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The Biggest Loser: Money Hungry Review

Written by Liz Britton

This season’s The Biggest Loser opens up with trainer Bob Harper as the host of the show. Shocked, I quickly did some major research (thank you Google), and found out that Alison Sweeney, former host of Biggest Loser, has decided to step down from the big role.

“Change is good,” she says. “I feel great. I’ve had some time to get used to it.”

This season hopped right on the treadmill with Bob as he gave the contestants their very first workout. The twist? He tempted them with $25,000 to get off of their treadmills and walk away.

Not one person stepped off to reach for that money. My willpower would not have been so strong. Hello student loans debt.

The show presented a new house, a new gym and an extra scale to make the weigh-ins go quicker. Hardcore trainers Dolvett Quince and Jen Widerstrom were antsy to break in the gym with their new teams. Immediately, the difference between Dolvett’s training style and Jen’s training style was immediate.

Dolvett likes to challenge people through tough love. He spots the weakness and hones in on it. Felicia, from North Carolina, was picked for his team. After the first workout, Dolvett told her that she would be the first to go home (damn, Dolvett!).

Jen, however, wanted her team to see what they were capable of. She focused on the confidence building aspect of it all. Her aim was to get the contestants to believe in themselves again. By the end of the session, it was clear that they were ready to start their journeys.

And then we had some group therapy with Bob Harper.

Yup. Group. Therapy.

Not that I’m against group therapy. It works and is necessary in many instances, but I feel like the show was trying to force a kumbaya moment too soon. Normally the break downs start happening during the workouts and throughout the season, but the writers must have felt the need to connect the contestants and the audience sooner than usual. It just felt like an awkward first date where one person reveals too much about themselves too soon.

The show returned to normal when the contestants of season 17 were presented with their very first challenge. Each team had to pick a pair of contestants to climb a ladder to the top of a bank building in Los Angeles after both teams transferred a ton of money (literally – a ton) over onto a weigh station. Richard and Erin from Team Dolvett beat Team Jen’s Hernandez brothers to the top where they find another money temptation: $40,000 for themselves or an eight-pound advantage for the end of the week weigh-in.

Team Dolvett picks the eight-pound advantage, but it does not help them in the weigh-in as much as they hoped. The team loses the weigh-in and votes Britney off.

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entertainment

Supergirl: Livewire Review

Written by Liz Britton

Supergirl kicked off its Thanksgiving special with Leslie Willis (Brit Morgan) ragging on Supergirl via public radio (Melissa Benoist) after she just took down an alien that had escaped from its cell (like no big deal).

And that hideous, like, rejected-from-the-Olympics figure skating outfit she wears? I mean, a skirt and tights? Puh-lease. Seems like overkill, especially since no one is trying to get in there. And who would that be? You know, who’s hombre enough to puncture the Chastity Belt of Steel? Or is what’s required a softer touch? I mean, she does kind of give off a Sapphic vibe, with that big ol’ butch “S” chest plate. I mean, how would that even work with an alien? I mean, is everything the same down there, or are we talking tentacles? Maybe it’s time for a break. Or a makeover.

Ouch, talk about harsh. Girl-on-girl hate is totally unacceptable. Not only does Leslie Willis insult Supergirl’s fashion choices (her outfit is cute, come on!), but hits below the belt and questions her sexuality. I mean, really – we all know Leslie Willis is going to become Supergirl’s nemesis Livewire, but does the character have to have so much girl-on-girl hate?

I’m all for women supporting each other. There’s enough backstabbing in the world. Women need to stick together.

Which is why when Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) tells Leslie Willis to back 4741930-untitled-4off (boss lady to the rescue), I was extremely happy. Leslie was even forced to cover traffic reports in a helicopter for Cat. It was a huge demotion from her public radio show.

Of course this bites Cat in the butt when Leslie manages to get powers from a freak helicopter accident complete with lightning and Supergirl trying to save her.

Hello new super-villain: Livewire.

In the meantime, the relationship between mothers and daughters is explored through Cara’s (AKA Supergirl) sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) and foster mom Eliza (Helen Slater). Thanksgiving is not so much a family holiday as it is a family feud between the two women. Eliza criticizes Alex for not looking out for her sister enough and for allowing Supergirl to 2come out to the world. As if Cara isn’t an adult and can’t make decisions by herself. I mean, look t her apartment. For real, as an assistant she makes a pretty decent living.

Later, Cat Grant and Cara have a heart-to-heart after Cat was attacked by Livewire. Warm fuzzies are exchanged over a quick talk about mother/daughter relationships that aren’t so great. Cat learns some new things about Cara and declares that she wants to learn more about her assistant because she hardly knows anything about her.

The episode concludes with Livewire having been beaten by Supergirl (big surprise), Cara friend-zoning Winn hardcore, and a new mystery about the DEO that needs to be solved: what happened to Alex’s father, Jermiah Danver?

entertainment

Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 Review

Written by Liz Britton

Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 was out in the movie theaters November 20th and I couldn’t wait to see it. Hyped up from the previous movies and ready for the finale of a fantastic series, I walked into the theater hoping the movie would be better than the book (because quite honestly I did not enjoy the book)…

Continue reading “Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 Review”

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Young & Hungry: Young & How Sofia Got Her Groove Back Review

Written by Liz Britton

Job hunting can be hard. Networking, editing your resume and nailing the interview are just a few of the difficult obstacles with the search. Dealing with relatives and friends who are trying to be helpful while saying, “It’s okay. You’ll get a job soon.” is like pouring salt on a wound.

Sofia (Aimee Carrero – below), best friend to Gabi (Emily Osment), has been jobless for the past three months. She has applied to jobs all over San Francisco and is falling into a downward spiral after being rejected time and time again. The only person who wants to hire her is her father in Florida and that job would require her to move far away from her loving best friend and back in with her parents.

Being jobless is hard enough but add living with your parents on top of that and you’ve got yourself a nightmare. Living with my own parents for three months when I was unemployed was horrible. It made me feel like a failure fresh out of college even though people kept telling me that I would find a job eventually (which I did), but the endless applications and rejections wear on a girl. Words only go so far when you want a career.

Faced with the harsh reality that she might have to move back in with her parents, Sofia drowns her sorrows in a bag of marshmallows. Gabi witnesses this major meltdown and begs Sofia to get out for the evening.

With a complete makeover, coupons to a fancy spa (Ugh, I wish!) and a best friend buying her drinks, Sofia confidently lures a man she sees at the bar. The gentleman wines and dines her and they even have time for “dessert”.

The next morning, Sofia is shocked to discover that she has five hundred dollars in her purse. She comes to the conclusion that the man she slept with thought she was a hooker! When Gabi confronts the man about why he thought Sofia was a hooker, he says that it was because of her short dress, smoky eyes and high heels.

Now, I believe that anyone should be able to wear whatever they want whenever they want and wherever they want. People should not be judged based on appearances alone. But the sad thing is, not everyone feels this way.

In fact, from the moment you walk into a room, people are judging you. They know within a minute whether or not you are a sports fish or a keeper. According to comedian and relationship guru Steve Harvey:

“a man fishes for two reasons: he’s either sport fishing or fishing to eat, which means he’s either going to try to catch the biggest fish he can, take a picture of it, admire it with his buddies and toss it back to sea, or he’s going to take that fish on home, scale it, fillet it, toss it in some cornmeal, fry it up, and put it on his plate. This, I think, is a great analogy for how men seek out women.”

A sports fish is someone a man can have on his arm and show off to his friends. The sports fish wears skimpy outfits and is only thinking in the short-term. Sofia’s outfit (short dress, smoky eyes and super high heels) made her come across as a sports fish. Instead of treating her with the respect she deserved, the man who slept with her assumed she was a hooker and a one time fling.

A keeper is someone a man can take home to meet his friends and his family and will stick around long enough to get the ring and the wedding “I do’s”. Sofia, although dressed for a night out on the town, is a keeper. She treasures her relationship with Gabi and is a faithful friend through and through. She might be a little eccentric and immature at times, but aren’t we all?

Because Sofia is a keeper underneath it all, I would love to see her have a flourishing relationship with a man in either this season or the next. While Sofia is Gabi’s best friend, I feel like their friendship should be challenged by Sofia getting into a committed relationship. We see Gabi struggle with her relationships with men, but the episodes that are about Sofia and Gabi’s struggles together are the most meaningful.

Their friendship is deep and started before the show even began. They have backstory that some other characters don’t have, and I really hope the writers dig into their relationship.

Leave a comment telling me your thoughts on the episode!

entertainment

Young & Hungry: Young & Part Two Review

Written by Liz Britton

My name is Liz Britton and I am a Netflix binge-watching addict.

Give me my six-year old college laptop that was given to me for “free” (after paying thousands of dollars for it throughout the years just to ‘rent’ the hunk of junk) and a faulty internet connection (yes, Dad, I’ve unplugged and plugged the router back in a million times) and I’m good to go for an evening or two of marathon watching.

My most recent obsession is a show called Young & Hungry starring Emily Osment as a single twenty-something food blogger named Gabi Diamond. When Gabi is asked to cook an elaborate meal for billionaire Josh (Jonathon Sadowski), she winds up in bed and in love with her new boss. With love triangles, comedy and Ashley Tisdale as a producer for the series, this show is everything a woman in her twenties could hope for.

I spent the majority of last night chowing down on Sun Chips and dark chocolate – hello Aunt Flow and her never-ending quest to satisfy cravings – while catching up on season two of Young & Hungry. I’ve got to say (spoiler alerts for any of you who have not seen the show) that I absolutely love how the season ended.

Torn between her boss Josh and current boyfriend Cooper (Jesse McCartney – left), Gabi is forced to make a choice between the two. After learning that everyone had kept Josh’s feelings from Gabi for months, she is determined to branch out and audition for an internship that will take her away from all of the boy drama and off to Switzerland.

Bombing the audition for her dream job, Gabi spends that night redoing her Filet de Boeuf Forestiere with Bordelaise sauce.

“I’m better than that audition,” Gabi says, “…I’m fine with not getting the apprenticeship. You know what I’m not fine with is Chef D’Arby only remembering me for my ploppy sauce.”

The next morning, Gabi marches over to Chef D’Arby’s kitchen to prove to herself that she can be redeemed. Her goal isn’t to get the job anymore, but to just get her reputation back. This spunk that she shows is absolutely inspiring. To do something for herself and not for anyone else shows a lot of character and self-reflection.

Her actions impress Chef D’Arby so much that when the winner of the competition is disqualified for cheating (they heard about the recipe before the audition), he calls Gabi up with a job offer. Setting her focus on her career, she makes a huge decision.

“After this crazy week of deciding whether I should choose Cooper or choose you (Josh),” Gabi says, “I decided to choose me.”

This has got to be my favorite line throughout the entire show. After all of the deliberation, heartache and confusion, Gabi decides to do something for herself. Even though it is a very abrupt and difficult decision, she knows in her heart that she needs to move forward and take time away from all of the craziness.

As a single twenty-something who is struggling to find her way, I find Gabi’s resolve to figure herself out absolutely wonderful. Instead of going with the “safe” solution to be with one of the two men, she ventures out alone (on a flight to Switzerland, mind you) to go after her dream of becoming a top chef.

This show is amazing and I can’t wait to see what Gabi will do next.