'Whip It' a film by actress Drew Barrymore

Whip It is Drew Barrymore's first directing gig. The movie based off of Shauna Cross's book ,Derby Girl, is really empowering to girls as the theme of the movie is be your own hero its a great theme and one I've taken to heart. Barrymore must really believe in this too because she could have chosen any book to adapt to a movie, but this one was about a girl finding herself drawn to a sport where she is urged to ' make a hit' and 'be ruthless.' Of course the girl, Bliss Cavendar has to overcome the power her mother has on her, and break away from her diminutive 'Blue Bonnet' pageants.


Bliss goes from the her mother's beauty queen to a rough and tough derby chick who isn't afraid to hip check girls inside and out of the ring, as she proves when she knocks her pageant nemesis over a rail at school. You can really see Bliss start coming out of her shell as she becomes the star of her team the Hurl Scouts and finds a new arch enemy in rival team the Holy Rollers Iron Maven. Iron Maven and Babe Ruthless (Bliss' derby name) are put head to head repeatedly with the Holy Rollers always winning. The relationship between the two athletic women even threatens Bliss at one point, when Maven finds out she is only seventeen in a twenty-two and over league. Although Bliss then admits to the team her true age she is welcomed back on board as the mascot, unless she can get a parent's signature. Iron Maven uses her age as a reason Bliss shouldn't be in the derby, she says it took her thirty one years to find something she was really good at and Bliss shouldn't take it away from her because it's not her turn yet.

Even though the movie ends generically in one aspect it is also very feminist-ly satisfying, shall I say? Bliss 'grows a pair' and isn't afraid to kick some butt; girl or guy( when she slaps her bf for cheating.) Which leads me to the point of Bliss' BF he isn't even cute (AT ALL) but she is crazy about him, for reasons unknown. I think that moment they have their first one on one chat is soo cheesy "By day I work at the local oink-joint...but by night..."(interrupted by Oliver's dweeb). Because that whole exchange is so scripted, who talks slowly and thoughtfully when talking to the person their heart beats for? It was just too planned. And then when Oliver's buddy calls him to fetch someone's guitar from his locked car their little exchange that I could tell was supposed to come off manly and bromantic accidentally came off as overplayed and tacky. So, Oliver is sadly the worst part of this film, the only reason he doesn't kill the movie is the song he sings in Bliss' kicking butt taking names sequence called "High Times"







I think Bliss' friend Pash was really cool, apparently she is from the show "Arrested Development" which I have never watched. She is up and coming though with this role she could see a lot more roles made for her character, because she is definately a good enough actress.

Johnny Depp/Tim Burton

Johnny. Depp. Bron in 1963 my FAVORITE actor has been around as long as my mom but still manages to intrigue the world (thousands upon thousands of women) but women aren't the only people who can't let Johnny go. One director out of many Depp has worked with keeps coming back for more, Tim Burton. Their relationship spans decades from Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Sleep Hollow (1999) to Alice in Wonderland(2010!) these two men have been in collaboration for a while now. Burton, I think respects and wishes more actors could fill that role of curiously and intoxicatingly eccentric as Depp can, this is the trait that I admire so much about Johnny Depp. The fact that directors know they can get someone comfortable playing the eccentric and able to fulfill my movie going dreams.

I have made it my personal duty to see ever movie Depp is in and lately I just found another I hadn't heard of "Ed Wood" there must be something going on where Johnny is typecasted as a Ed, Edward etc. I recently watched "Benny and Joon" again for the second time since my 10th grade Honors English class where Ms. Goodwin showed it. My favorite performance by Johnny Depp are tied between "Sleepy Hollow" and "Edward Scissorhands" both movies make you feel like you're in some surreal dream world. The music in both movies is probably a reason why too, the music is fanciful and perfectly influences the audience, making them believe the story. I would definitely believe that somewhere at end of a seemingly normal,suburban residential area there is a Victorian looking mansion where an abandoned, dejected man with knives,scissors for hands lives. I wish these movies were real, it would make life so much more interesting if things like this actually went down.

For now I can't wait to see "Alice in Wonderland" tommorow. It 3D and I've heard its amazing

Ummm... Everything Sucks

I recently finished this book Everything Sucks by an author I had no idea had been through so much. Hannah Friedman was the youngest author ever featured in Newsweek 5 years ago, from which she received Hell for writing. This book kind of jumped off the shelf at me in the library and I'm glad I read it because as I was going through the motions of college ACCEPTANCE! so was Hannah. Hannah had a very interesting story, as well as growing up with a capuchin monkey for a sister she traveled through Europe with her family as a child for her Father's (up and coming) band. She retells funny coming of age stories and an arrival home laced with fierce hatred from girls she had known since kindergarten. Hannah becomes the target of everyone's amusement for having a monkey and a dad in a little known band,as well as a shoe car. Yes her Dad was very....eccentric, but he loves her so much that its okay in the end.

Since Hannah becomes the object of such torture her parents decide to enroll her in a private school. She ends up at a prestigious school right here in New York State: Danforth Academy, where she will, as in the title, lose her mind and find herself. A dedicated student Hannah throws all she has into her school work and and then into getting the kind of friends she never had. Popular, pretty and rich girls. Her closest friend becomes the rich and conceited Cashmere, whom she finds out in the end tried to convince a boy she liked that she was crazy. These girls whom students call the Great Eight are renown for their animosity and general bubbleheadedness. These are the girls everyone knows and are glad they aren't accepted by because they gossip fearlessly about each other. Hannah goes on extensive shopping trips with the Great Eight and watches them blow through stores with their parent's credit cards. Hannah even receives a shoplifted gift from Cashmere. Did I mention this is true??

Hannah eventually moves onto campus as she was previously a commuter, on campus she gets into drugs that keep you focused like prescription Aderall so she can writes long papers and remain focused on her work. Hannah is the class president and always talks about how she has to be the picture of a perfect student every morning as she announces the school announcements, this is probably why she is so set on going to Yale.

Hannah's moral compass spins uncontrollably as she lives constantly in an Aderall/cannabis induced semi-bliss. Nobody finds out for a long time about her weed,prescription drug, cocaine use until after she writes the article that exposes the scramble to get into college and it gets featured in Newsweek. The Principal becomes her worst enemy because he feels she named names and his was one of then in the controversial article, he then proceeds to get her suspended on false claims of 'lascivious acts' in the library (avec un garcon) Her father stands up for her questioning the validity of the claims and the Principal immediately gets defensive while claiming that a respected teacher witnessed the acts. After this little scene Hannah's mother asks the boy supposedly involved why her daughter had his drug scale, to which he denied ownership of. This kind of told Hannah's mother that her daughter was a crackhead, never a good thing for a parent to be aware of. Also her father figured out that she used the ATM card to get money for more drugs.

I started to wonder how Hannah did at Yale because she obviously had a drug problem. Not to mention she published this book exposing all her High School 'trials and tribulations' with drugs. I wonder if the other students at Yale had any idea a hardcore druggie was among them. One thing's for sure though, Hannah's drug use didn't put her on the streets she actually turned into an average person still. And not all former crackheads can say they've been published in Newsweek. I also wonder when she stopped her drug use. I guess something monumental would've had to happen, the overdose of her friend Julian their Senior year wasn't enough so what was?

Somehow I always end up reading the same books with a reoccurring theme of drugs and substance abuse, I don't know I must have a sixth sense for this kind of reading. Maybe as a reinforcement of what I would never do. Reading books like this one and A piece of Cake as well as those Ellen Hopkins books have been testaments to how screwed up drugs can make you and those around you. And if you don't stop they could take over your life.

How about these...ear tattoos

So lately Steph ( fellow blogger) and I have been into looking at odd tattoos you know from the cute, girly butterflies and flowers to manly cat on the belly and other ugly, ridiculous tattoos. Things no normal, thinking person would ever subject their body to, until I stumbled onto ear tattoos which look good, if done right. A lot of kids around school ( mainly the young and naive)
have tattoos of their name, for what reason I do not know. But hey, if they ever have a horrible accident and are cursed with amnesia they'll be in luck because HEY they have it permanently branded on their arm. Yeah I see so many kids with stupid tattoos I would never get branded onto myself like the classic boyfriend's name , The momtoo and huge crosses, I say instead of getting your boyfriend's name on yourself therefore ensuring you will be 'together for ever' you should go to movie or even better get henna tattoos they shouldn't fade before the relationship does so you should be good. For the cross tattoo you could wear a necklace, everyone loves to wear their religion around their neck and the church would enjoy you not branding yourself.

Christina Aguilera has a back of the neck tattoo of her name while Miley Cyrus has her just breathe ridiculousness even though she claims its to remember a friend, she also bullied her Dad into getting a little star tattoo. Angelina Jolie is fraught with baby momma tattoos which have the latitude and longitude of her children's birth places. Lots of celebrities are going this kind of rock star skin and bones direction which young kids at school think is appealing.

What most teens fail to do is picture the future, you want to be a doctor a pediatrician to be exact. Do you think that a parent wants their child's pediatrician to have a huge tattoo of their name on their hand or arm and some big skull and crossbones on their neck? Of course not. You have to think ahead when you reach twenty is your tattoo skill going to describe you in a way you like? The best way to ensure you don't make decisions you wish you hadn't made was learned in seventh grade health class abstinence. You should abstain from getting a tattoo that you may have the chance of regretting. Now I sound like a parent.

Speaking of honorable tattoos though I think these are a good way to get that that tattoo and only have it perceived as artistic. The Ear tattoo. This kind of tattoo is very appealing to me, the way it is visible but not in a bad way, especially if you get a cute floral design or a vine pattern going down your ear. Behind the ear tattoos are fun too Queen Latifah has one and if its good enough for the Queen...But I think this tattoo would really be okay for any career you could have it wouldn't be seen as the biker tattoo that scares small children or worries parents into finding another doctor. You caould be perfectly qualified and not mistake for otherwise with this tattoo.

Lets try something...a little different

Lately I haven't read any books or finished the three I was reading ;) I've kind of been obsessed with watching old episodes of HEROES as I have the first and second season on DVDs. So far I've watched the full first season and four episodes of the second season.I had to start from the beginning beacause I'm not an avid tv watcher and I had missed the most important parts and only seen episodes here and there, never full episodes either. I have always liked HEROES I think it's genetic beacause it's the one show my WHOLE family likes, thats how we have the sets they were a Christmas gift to somebody. I think the different characters and there specific powers are the best part of the show, but the special effects make it possible for the characters to really HAVE those powers and make it believable. As well as the good vs. evil dynamic, in HEROES the dynamic changes rapidly. Just beacause someone is working with Peter today doesn't mean they won't be an accomplice to Sylar the next day. So I wanted to talk about the different characters and their role in the story. Starting with my favorite; Peter Petrelli.

Peter Petrelli is the 'good' equivalent of Sylar, he can absorb any power he comes in contact with but he isn't shamelessly collecting them like Sylar. Peter is bound to his brother Nathan who treats him so dirty sometimes (undermining his efforts to save the world by throwing paint over the prophetic painting.) I think Peter being a male nurse was perfect for his

characterization because he always worried about others and was completely selfless. He was the best person to be able to absorb powers, he doesn't use them for evil as others (Sylar) would and he takes one for the team more than once even though where I am right in the season I have only seen one instance. Since Peter soaks up powers he has all of that stuff floating around, invisibility, healing, the fire thingy, telekinesis, telepathy. and more and more every episode. He can't control the powers. Until he meets Claude Rains and he teaches him to control the abilities that may result in the explosion that leads to everyone dying,this like my favorite episode other than later when Peter is captive in the holding cell and Elle keeps zapping him. back to my theory of Peter being Sylar's foil. Everything Sylar is Peter isn't, at first Peter is a dreamy and unsure of himself, Sylar has always been confident in his killing. Sylar has separated himself from the idea of family because his isn't there, while Peter has always been totally dependent on those he loves. Peter makes the story balanced,because he has all the powers rolled into one person, just as Sylar is making himself. They are the perfect counters but Peter is definitely better, he has good morals but sometimes I wish I could tell him not to trust Nathan simply because they have the same blood flowing through their veins.


Mohinder Suresh gets on my nerves for the most part, mainly because Sylar was his partner in getting other (mutants) to let him take research about them. He was side by side with Sylar for the longest time and had no idea, he just took his odd behavior for gratitude that others would be helped. Suresh also thought he could kill Sylar, this was stupid because we all know Peter is the only person who can kill that man. I started disliking Mohinder when he didn't believe Peter and was always doubting that he had a power, of course he never doubted Sylar for some reason, who he really should've been suspicious of.


Matt Parkman is cool, I really like his ability to read minds but I think he shouldn't always let himself be so much of a pawn. When he was an ordinary police officer he was always being pushed around by aggressive women officers. They were always calling him a loser in their minds and he heard them. I thought it was weird how they all took him as a loser.


I can't stand Claire Bennet, she always has to blow things out of proportion especially when she has to lay low because she can't let everyone know she can regenerate. Of course good thing the world doesn't depend on her because it would end. It's not long before someone knows, this boy who annoyingly can't stop referring to aliens and robots.

I have no place for Sylar in my heart, all he cares about is collecting more and more powers, if you think he has fallen in love with someone he isn't really. he just wants their power and needs to build up their trust before he gets it. I have seen a few recent episodes and it seems as if there are less abilities to pilfer these days. But he did kill a love interest, Elle, they were in a relationship and he just killed her after saying he wouldn't. Sylar even killed his own mother. Thats how ruthless he is, Peter is like the only person who has ever survived a murder attempt from him. The only person he ever didn't kill when he was going to was Suresh. Maybe Sylar felt bad about betraying Mohinder's trust, then again I doubt it.

Respect and Cupcakes

I am in the middle of reading two books at the moment,my progress has slowed a bit because as you know midterms are upon us :( so No Disrespect is by Sister Souljah and A Piece of Cake is by Cupcake Brown. Yes,her name IS Cupcake and she considers that her "good girl" name her bad girl name for when she does bad things is LaVette. Both books are memoirs and they are exceedingly interesting, again if you want that urban flair with some risque-ness. So Cupcake's story is heartbreaking,especially to me because it could have been avoided if the child services system wasn't so uncaring about the welfare of children, Cupcake and her brother Larry are placed with the literal foster mother from hell after being torn apart from their Dad (who supposedly wasn't their biological Dad) because he wasn't biological they were entrusted to their true father, who was only after the life insurance money from their Mother. The biological father dumps the kids off to a foster home after he finds out that the kids won't get the money until they are 18 and 21, plus their Uncle is in charge of the trust so he has all the power. At the foster home Cupcake and her brother Larry are abused and beaten if they don't clean the whole house everyday. The Mother is really a neat freak and since she has such a big house and keeps it SO clean social services sees her as their best foster parent. The Foster Mother, Diane, actually had to move to a different state after her foster license was revoked for killing a child. So, she switched states and names leaving her former life behind. The system couldn't even find this out because computers weren't around then. The only people who knew that Diane was guilty of killing a foster child are the new foster children whom she threatens with this information every time they fail to clean everything perfectly. Diane allows her nephew to sexually abuse Cupcake whenever he can because she wants him to stay out of trouble before he enters the military. Cupcake runs away for the first time when she is eleven,right into the path of a young prostitute who shows Cupcake how to make money introducing her to the street life. Cupcake only goes with a man once, then decides she doesn't want to give all her money to the pimp she becomes associated with, she runs away. Sitting on a tree stump Cupcake get returned back to her foster home by the police, who blinded by the nice,big ,clean house is fooled into believing nothing is wrong with the situation. Cupcake gets beaten horribly for bringing the cops to the foster home by Diane.

All throughout the book Cupcake runs away and is returned to Diane's house about six to seven times even after people in authority have seen the massive bruises that are the results of the whip Diane uses for discipline. Diane even gets her daughter and some of the other foster girls to attack her while she is pregnant causing her to miscarry. Cupcake finally leaves for good and is introduced to drugs and exchanging rides to different places for sex...until she is reunited with her Uncle. Unfortunately her Dad is in on the same things that she did before coming back home, they sell drugs together and sink into a lifestyle that could have killed them both. At one point Cupcake is even in a sect of the Crips ,until she is forced to go back to Diane's by the legal system.

In No Disrespect Sister Souljah provides a look back on her life,growing up on welfare and hatred for the situation,poverty. Her mother was a strong woman and taught her not to let men run your life, as well as not to poison yourself with drugs and alcohol. As she grew up her mother became softer,she stopped teaching her kids how to be strong. So she became the only child who knew right from wrong. She was very interested in the Black situation in American, even went to Rutger University to study Black Affairs and American History.

The Stories in the book are about how she dated a few men in college who exemplified everything wrong with Black men in America today. They are depressed by self loathing and being shared among black women because most of them are in jail. She creates programs for kids in the ghetto who live in welfare hotels to get them out and save their lives. The programs she creates are to save the kids who otherwise would end up in jail or dead because of where they grew up and learned how to survive.

I just finished this book...

I just finished reading Hot Girl by Dream Jordan and it was crazy!! First of all to be named Dream must be the coolest thing ever, then to have graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University :O this girl definitely worked her butt off. The book was so good, it's filled with real life slang and New York city flavor, I can tell that Dream knew what story she was going to tell and exactly how to tell it with style and flair. The book is definitely real life as the main character "Kate" is a foster child dealing with moving from house to house because of issues with herself and the families. Kate is a ward of the state because her parents gave up their parental rights when she was a year old, Brooklyn toughened her up so when she finally lands in a place she can deal with she tries to stay on track;getting all As
Now, over the long weekend I'm going to read A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown...yes that's really her name and I LOVE IT. I can't wait to read this book because it's about another inspirational Black woman who has overcome the odds by getting an education to get out of the adversity. Sister Soulja is next on the list, right now I'm really into that theme; Black women struggling and coming out of their setting triumphant.
I plan to finish the Sister Soulja series just as I read all or Mary Monroe's novels. But back to Hot Girl the main character; Kate, is a ward of he state.Which basicallt means she doesn't have parents because they gave up their parental rights, she goes from foster home to foster home and has found a place where she can survive. All her luch changes after she starts hanging out with the glamorous 'Gucci Girl' Naleejah. Naleejah tries to introduce Kate to a world where money is easy to get from men,for a price. Kate's morals won't let this new girl drag her down that road completely but she does let her change her tomboy image into a cuter one that attracts her love interest's eye. What Kate doesn't know about her crush is that since they have known each other so long and have been through many of the same things,being placed in foster care, and dealing with rough home lives, he also carries a torch for her.To make a long story short Kate's best friend comes home from her trip to South Africa so she isn't forced to hang out with Naleejah anymore. By that time the two girl's relationship become very stale. Kate vows to keep friendship feeling like it does with her bestie Felicia instead of how it had with Naleejah, with Felicia they can be intellectual and have comfortable conversations but with Naleejah Kate had to constantly hold back what she really wanted to say, because she wouldn't want to hang with her anymore. Kate also knew that what Naleejah did to get money wasn't right, but she couldn't say anything because of all she had done for her: gave her cute clothes,fashion tips, boy advice and pretty hairstyles. Kate felt she owed Naleejah too much but still she couldn't stand the way she was. I thought the book was a fun read and i'd definitely recommends it to a friend...actually I have already :)

Apparently this was a summer Kate wouldn't forget, she got some moral readjustments that strengthened mind and her hope to stay with her foster family for good. By the end even her foster mother is talking about the future, its obvious she and her husband are interested in keeping Kate for good because even though she got caught up with the wrong girl once she still has a bright head on her shoulders and a good moral character even though she was raised by the system. It's known that 'the system' is not the best parent, but Kate is learning how to handle her own, with the help of her social worker Tisha who she gets understands and loves because she isn't scared of her initial tough demeanor and was a street kid back in the day too. Tisha grounds Kate and tells her that if she can't find a way to get along with this foster family there isn't much more hope because not many families are willing to take a 15 year old they know is at risk.

Hot Girl by Dream Jordan is definitely a good read for someone who likes realistic fiction with urban flair.

We'll start here...

HEY everybody this blog is anything that's interesting so it will be pretty varied between books and movies, the views are mine and the opinions are too :) I will find some good books to review as well as movies also. First I will share a little about myself though, I turned 18 on December 14th and am a proud Sagittarius,
my favorite color is Purple, I find myself liking yellow a lot too because it goes with purple so there are my favorite colors. I like different colors in general though, especially in jewel tones of purple,blue,green,red etc. I am very artsy.

I don't watch tv much anymore although I used to. Nowadays I tend my farm :p, update my status,read and call it a day...School also takes up the day. BUT, When I do watch tv it will be for The Office, Law and Order (SVU), CSI Las Vegas and sometimes Heroes I wish I had more time to watch these shows because I really do adore them especially The Office but I have other things to do...plant corn and blueberries mainly :) I like playing Superstacker 2
as well as Happy Aquarium on Facebook. I feel these games aren't wastes of time because your little fish and all the crops you have planted depend on you :)

I have tried to break my addiction to Farmville...it was VERY successful, but after like 2 or 3 months when the urge to be on it at least 4 to 6 hours a day decreased I started playing it again. It was really hard to switch from being on all day ( as I was over the summer) to actually having to go to school and write essays, as well as homework. Not to mention my MOM had become savvy to the fact that I was the owner of an online plantation, lets just say she got a bit concerned at that point. But i Still play from time to time because I find both games very influential on my life.

I plan on going to RIT next year for Biomedical Photographic Communications. I've researched the program a lot and it's the only one of it's kinds...truly unique. I wanted a major that would let me be artistic and of value in some kind of workplace according to my research I will end up working in the medical field as either a forensic photographer or a Ophthalmologist
either way I know that RIT will prepare me for life and set me up to be successful as I am very dedicated to working on things that interest me...and frankly eyes interest me.


"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else." -Emily Dickinson