Will is back in Lima and all the original glee members have returned for the wedding, which results in some surprising Valentine’s Day pairings.
Here’s what you missed on last night’s episode, “I Do”:
Runaway Bride – Emma had been in OCD overdrive in the weeks leading up to the wedding. While everyone, including Will, chalked it up to the demands of being a bride, the stress of possibly having another failed wedding was just too much (I’m sure Sue showing up in a replica of her dress didn’t help either) and she ended up running for the hills. Not a great way for Mr. Schuester to celebrate his return.
Valentine’s Week – As if a day wasn’t enough. Jake was dry when it came to ideas for a gift for Marley, so he enlisted the help of Ryder to make the entire week special. The only problem was that Ryder still has feelings for Marley, so Jake got all the glory while he got all the heartbreak. Marley is a smart girl and figured out that the ideas were coming from him, and when she said thank you, she gave a kiss in return. Poor Ryder! I know Marley’s taken, but I’m not! Come cry on MY shoulder!
Tina is officially a hag – Read more…
In “Dangerous Territory,” Carrie finds herself on someone else’s turf. She takes a trip into the city for a night with the elite, and finds that she doesn’t quite fit in. This makes her question her new cutie who is part of this world. Carrie’s friends both embark on their own personal dangerous territory. Mouse with the help of Walt tries to educate herself on sex, while Maggie tries to mark her territory – the diner. As usual the group of friends find themselves in sticky situations, but find themselves learning a little something about who they are, and life itself.
1) Outfit of the episode
Normally I am very taken by Carrie’s spunky blazers and cute skirts, but I LOVED this sweater. It’s so simple and Carrie wore it very well with a chunky necklace. I seriously love the costume director for this show, they always put AnnaSophia Robb in the greatest outfits.
2) Carrie has her driving test
The episode starts off with a very confident Carrie at the wheel. She has clearly been prepping herself for the test, and she’s ready to show off her parallel parking skills – but she doesn’t check her blind spot. In this situation, her blind spot is Sebastian Kydd. When Carrie see’s Donna and Sebastian kissing in her rearview mirror, Carrie’s parking test ends terribly. Luckily she is permitted to take it again at a later date.
3) The confrontation
After failing her driving test, Carrie marches right up to Sebastian who confirms that he is dating Donna. Carrie pretends that it doesn’t hurt her, and says she would think it’s pathetic if he hadn’t moved on from whatever they had. In fact, Carrie has moved on – she’s seeing someone as well! Cue Carrie calling the cute new guy she met at work.
4) The New Guy
In typical teenage fashion, Carrie clumsily bumps into George, the son of Manhattan elite’s. George is quickly taken by Carrie, and invites her his mothers fancy Gala. She initially says no, but after her confrontation with Sebastian she accepts the invite.
5) Carrie’s dad loses his wedding ring; cue dating Read more…
Last night was the premiere of The Carrie Diaries, a prequel to Sex in the City, that is supposed to follow Carrie Bradshaw in her teen years. In the pilot we see her lose her childhood innocence and her personality grow into what we we’re used to with older-Carrie. Teen Carrie has more tamed hair, better looking love interests, and a growing wardrobe. If you missed it, here are the big events of the episode. Yes. Carrie Bradshaw’s hair will ALWAYS be “an event.”
1) Carrie’s hair is not big enough
As someone who battles the curl and the frizz and volume that comes with it, I’ve always identified with Carrie Bradshaw’s unruly curly hair. Younger Carrie Bradshaw has beautiful curls that stay in place and are unfairly tame. Naturally curly hair does NOT look like this.
2) Carrie’s family
Carrie’s mom passed away recently leaving her 14-year-old sister Dorit especially angsty (drinking, drugs, you name it), and her father unsure how to be both maternal and paternal. The two sisters give very believable performances in their rivalry and resulting truce. Of course, I side with Carrie the eldest, and my younger sister sides with Dorit.
3) Purse
After Dorrit defaced her mother’s purse so that Carrie wouldnt get to have it because “she gets everything,” we see Ms. Bradshaw do the most in character thing yet — she splashes nail polish all over the purse, and paints “Carrie” in fuchsia pink cursive writing. Amazing.
4) Carrie’s friends
I miss Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha…but I like her three new friends Mouse, Walt, and Maggie. Like the friends in Sex in the City, the friends talk mainly about sex, and boys…which excludes Walt. A great moment is when Mouse talks about losing her virgnity, and Maggie follows. Shocker? Maggie is dating Walt. This is not because Walt seems a tad too well dressed with his polos and popped collar. Maggie claims Walt wants to keep it a secret, Walt claims he never slept with her. The ending montage puts an end to all our questions and suspicions
5) Love interest Read more…
By Jessica Galang
“I’d like to thank the man upstairs for taking care of me first and foremost; my family, all the country music fans, God bless you. Thank you so very much for all the votes and this is the best day of my life.”
Those were Tate Stevens’ first words immediately after hearing he was the winner of X-Factor and the recipient of a hefty $5-million recording contract. Even without winning the show, all of the judges throughout the season have agreed that there was no way he wouldn’t have a future in the music industry.
From his first audition when he performed Anything Goes by Randy Houser, audiences fell in love with his humility and Southern charm, yet every performance had him command the stage. Though LA had a meltdown at the beginning after hearing he was the mentor for the over 25s, Tate always delivered for LA week after week. After performing “Dead or Alive” in the top 13, it wasn’t surprising to hear that he was America’s number one and clearly he stayed that way until tonight.
In the final minutes of the show, X-Factor’s past contestants came together on the stage with Tate Stevens as he sang “Tomorrow.” It’s been an emotional journey for everyone and it was nice to see everyone jamming along with the winner.
Here’s the video:
By Kelly O’Brien
It’s a night of last chances as the gleeks look for purpose and NYADA gives Kurt one last shot.
Here’s what you need to know from last night’s episode, “Swan Song.”
Moving on – After collapsing last week, Marley is thankfully okay. However, the New Directions were forced to forfeit sectionals after coming to her rescue during the performance. With Sue taking over the choir room, there’s nowhere for the club to rehearse, forcing the kids to find new extra-curriculars. Blaine looks pretty good as a Cheerio, but I would pay money to see Artie perform alongside the marching band (plume and all).
The golden ticket – Freshmen DO NOT perform at the NYADA’s Winter Showcase. Unless that freshman happens to be Rachel of course. After proving her voice is unmatched during the Cassandra vs. Rachel sing-off of “All That Jazz,” she goes on to win the showcase. She may not have the best moves, but nobody slays a ballad like Rachel Berry.
Santana who? – Santana and Brittany are officially over, and that means Sam aka Trouty Mouth is free to make his move on Brittany. While the wrath of lesbian bloggers holds her back at first, the allure of those luscious lips proves to be too much for Britt to bear, and the two share an adorable kiss. Good thing Sam has extra Chapstick on hand.
Kurt’s second chance – Read more…
By Kelly O’Brien
Kitty and Cassandra are out for blood and New Direction’s young and old have reunited for McKinley’s production of Grease.
Glease is the word – It’s show time for the glee kids and that means a visit from the original New Directions. After Unique is forced to drop out, Santana steps in to play Rizzo, and Mercedes, Kurt and Rachel all head home to show their support for their friends. The only face missing was Puckerman’s (Noah that is), and it was truly missed.
The claws are out – A big show means big pressure, not just for Marley but for Rachel too. She scores an amazing audition, but Cassandra July is back and bitchy as ever. Kitty is still out for Marley and will do whatever it takes to ruin her performance, and Cassandra beds the bodacious beefcake Brody to get under Rachel’s skin. I do feel bad for Rachel, but if love were based on abs Brody and Cassandra would be a match made in heaven.
Marley’s on a diet – Thanks to Kitty’ handiwork, Marley thinks she’s gaining weight and will do anything to avoid the fat gene that clearly runs in her family. Kitty convinces her to binge and purge, but luckily Ryder is able to talk some sense into her. With his help Marley puts on an amaze-balls performance as Sandy, and – new couple alert!!! – gets an unscripted kiss! Myder, Rydley, whatever it is, it’s on.
Finn proves himself – It’s Mr. Schuester’s last week before leaving McKinley, and Finn has to prove to pretty much everyone that he can get the New Directions to sectionals. He’s fighting fire on all sides, but in the end pulls of an awesome show. While he has won over he glee kids, it’s going to take a lot more to win over Sue (if she can even be won over at all).
You can’t go home – Grease was a great opening for the new New Directions, and gave some closure to the old. While Tina and Mike and Santana and Brittany all seem to be on good terms, the same can’t be said of Finn and Rachel and Blaine and Kurt. Neither couple can put aside what put them apart, and with nothing left to tie them there, McKinley is no longer home for the New Yorkers.
Best Performance: “You’re the One that I Want,” covered by pretty much everyone on the show. So happy to see all my glee favourites on one stage!
By Kelly O’Brien
After what feels like YEARS Glee is finally back, and what better way to kick off the return than with the greatest musical of all time, Grease?
Here’s what you need to know from last night’s episode, “The Role You Were Born To Play.”
Grease is the word — McKinley is putting on another classic musical and some old faces have returned to help out. However, not everyone is happy to see Mercedes and Mike return, specifically Mike’s ex-GF Tina. It’s great to see these guys back at McKinley, but their return will inevitably bring drama.
Finn found a new role — Finn is working at Burt’s auto shop and is spending a lot more time feeling sorry for himself than he is fixing cars. He’s reluctant to step up as co-director of the musical, but after scouting some new talent (Ryder), he starts to feel like he’s really found his place. I think this job is just what Finn needs to get out of his post-Rachel funk.
There’s another new gleek — Read more…
By Kelly O’Brien
Things are not only rocky for Finn and Rachel, but for Kurt and Blaine, Santana and Brittany, Mr. Schuester and Emma and, and… okay that’s it.
Here’s what you need to know from last night’s episode, “Break Up.”
New York is not for Finn — Finn is back and Rachel is ready to do whatever it takes to keep him in New York. But after a night at Callbacks (a bar where college parties are more karaoke than kegs) and a taste of Rachel’s life at NYADA, he realizes that it’s not the place for him. He heads back to McKinley to “find himself,” which I think is a good move. Nobody is more welcoming of confused teenagers than Mr. Schue and the glee club.
Will is going to Washington — Mr. Schuester is ecstatic to learn that he’ll be heading to Washington to join the Blue Ribbon Panel. Emma, however, doesn’t want to tag along. She loves her job at McKinley and doesn’t want to leave it to follow Will to Washington. I think it’s totally understandable that she refuses to leave, and Will shouldn’t expect her to. After all, if she goes with him who’s going to make sure the glee club stays afloat?
Nobody wants to get Left Behind — Read more…
Cher’s “Believe” is often in the top five list of annoying songs people hate to hear, but this X-Factor UK contestant did a few nips and tucks, acoustified it and ended up stunning the judges and audience members with her touching performance.
When Ella Henderson said she was going to perform the song, everyone braced themselves for the overplayed ex-club banger. But her touching performance was enough to impress all the judges — even making one of them cry. Cher was impressed, tweeting: “work Done …Went on Utube 2 c young girl sing Believe! Tears came 2 my eyes! So Touching! a Great version of a Great Song. WE Can Share It !”
Ella’s version gave the lyrics a completely different meaning. I’d definitely add it to my playlist!
Watch her performance here:
For a while I was pretty obsessed with How I Met Your Mother but over the last couple seasons I’ve grown tired of all the fake-outs and drawn-out story lines. If the series was real and Ted was boring his children with the story of how he met their mom, they probably would left the couch ages ago for a bathroom break, bed or to have kids themselves (I’m pretty sure he’s been telling the story for YEARS).
If resident playboy Barney was telling the story it would have been over within minutes of the first episode. Here’s his synopsis of what you missed over the series, in 52 seconds, narrated by Barney. Ted, you can learn a lesson from Uncle Barney.
Watch it here:
While everyone is gushing over The X-Factor auditions (because well, they’re awesome) that other show over at NBC called The Voice is also having some “WTF that’s awesome” moments.
Take Melanie Martinez, the quirky gap-toothed contestant who auditioned with Britney Spears “Toxic.” I actually love the original version — it’s such a guilty pleasure. But Martinez turns the dance song into a mellow, acoustic track that I would totally listen to on a chill evening. Her voice has an interesting shakiness and she’s a double hitter since she also played the guitar and banged a tambourine with her feet.
Everyone turned their chair around except Christina Aguilera. I wonder if she was turned off by the choice of song rather than her soft, songbird voice.
Listen to her here:
Meet Willie Jones. He got a big fat yes from all The X-Factor judges and Simon Cowell declared his audition one to remember. Despite being from a small town, he’s got a unique Fresh Prince style and has thunderbolts shaved into his hair at both sides of his head. The 17-year-old drove nearly 14 hours to get to the audition with his family and really wanted to impress the judges.
Then he opened his mouth and started singing… and it was AWESOME. But I’m not going to tell you what style he sang because we were like:
In a good way of course. [awkwardchronicles1]
Watch it here:
While McKinley’s glee club holds auditions to replace all the graduated singers, Rachel deals with a bitchy instructor at NYC, played by the ever-fabulous Kate Hudson.
Here’s what you need to know from last night’s episode, “The New Rachel.”
1. Glee Club is now cool: Since New Directions won the championship last year, all the students that previously mocked them and cruelly threw red slushies in in their faces basically want to be buddy buddy because hey, glee club is now for winners. Unfortunately, now that the ND’s members are hip enough to hang with the Cheerios, they’re also developing major attitude issues. Luckily the Cheerios realize the glee club is too losery cool for them and social order is restored.
2. Everyone wants to be the new Rachel: Now that Rachel’s left to get her ass kicked in NYC, everyone wants to take her place as the lead singer. The previously shy Tina is now a major diva and wants to be lead vocalist in glee. Unfortunately she’s got some competition in cross dresser Wade and I’m predicting a fierce diva battle. There are too many egos in this group.
3. We have two new stars: Puck’s younger half-brother is our new badboy, immediately causing trouble by lashing out at his audition. He’s going to be our new eye candy while Marley is our new sweetheart. She’s our relatable everyday girl who doesn’t have a lot of money but has a killer voice. Her mom secretly works in the cafeteria and all the students make fun of her. Marley grapples with familial insecurities, which we can all relate too.
4. Rachel’s no longer the lead cookie: Read more…
There’s a 99 percent chance that I will shed at least three tears during each episode of The X-Factor. My first cry of the season went to contestent Jillian Jensen, whose heartfelt rendition of Jessie J’s “Who You Are” was doubly emotional because of her experience with bullying in middle school.
The contestant endured mean spirited pranks and hazing from classmates who would go so far as call her and make fun of her music. Jensen put so much of her own experience into each lyric, that she brought the judging panel to tears — particularly Demi Lovato who went through a similar experience with bullying as well. The teen star approached Jensen on stage and gave her a huge hug.
“When you sang, you broke my heart,” Demi said. “I can’t wait for the bullies at home to see this.” I think we all hope that the people behind the cruel teasing are rethinking their actions.
Cody Simpson has already endorsed Jensen, tweeting: “watching X Factor. congratulations @ItsJillJensen, that was inspiring. #StopBullying #DefeatTheLabel.”
Who brought your to tears last night? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @andpop.
By Jasmine Williams
We’re down to the final eight dancers and the finale is so close, you can practically smell it. My GBFF Jesse Tyler Ferguson was on the panel last night, so everything is going to be 35.6 percent better than the average episode. Yes, I made that statistic up but the sentiment is totally valid.
Here are my favourite moments from this week’s episode:
1. Witney and Twitch’s Hip Hop
Although I wasn’t a fan of Witney’s puffy sleeves meets droopy pants concoction of a costume, I have to give props to Luther Brown (from SYTYCD Canada, what what!) for this hard-hitting East Coast hip hop routine. It was all kinds of stupid, and I mean that in the best possible way. Twitch can do no wrong and Witney brought just the right amount of sassy girl power to their paring. But what I loved most was that there was no crazy storyline, no awkward props, just straight up hip hop, and I loved it. Take notes, Christopher Scott.
2. Eliana and Ryan’s Quickstep
I don’t think a week has gone by where Eliana hasn’t been one of my favorites. Even dancing the “dreaded” quickstep, this girl shines. She was playing the role of a forgotten housewife, but she completely turned the tables on this routine, turning this somewhat stiff dance into something truly unforgettable. Even Mary Murphy, who always has some criticism for the ballroom routines, praised her form in this piece. Give this girl a first-class ticket to the finals!
3. Cole’s solo Read more…
The mid-season finale of Pretty Little Liars, aptly called “The BetrAyal,” was actually too much for me to handle. In between crying and abrasively yelling at the TV that “I can’t, I can’t, it’s too much!” I somehow managed to calm myself down long enough to fill you guys in on what you missed.
*NOTE: ANDPOP takes no responsibility if you throw your laptop at the wall after reading this. Because let me tell you, you’re in for a wave of emotions.
1. Toby and Spencer have sex – PLL totally teased us by dangling Toby in front of our faces like “Oh! Look at what a good guy he is.” Spencer is so smitten by him that she even decides to have sex with him, which is HUGE! We know Spencer is the most calculated of the bunch so if she trusts Toby, then we should too. RIGHT? Wrong.
2. Nate is a fake — Remember that stalker Maya had a while back? Plot twist: it was Nate, whose real name is Lyndon. After Nate whisks Emily away for a “quiet” weekend at a cottage he confesses to being Maya’s stalker and as a final act of revenge he tries to kill Paige, who he kidnapped. Luckily Emily manages to kill Nate/Lyndon, which means Garrett can be released from prison.
3. Caleb gets shot- Kay, so there’s a 99.9 percent chance I’m crying as I write this, because Caleb got shot. All I know is he better make a full recovery or else I will not be okay and life as I know it will end.
**Find out who the new “A” is and watch the trailer for the next episode below! Read more…
By Jasmine Williams
It’s the return of the all-stars! After tackling the most memorable Mia Michaels’ routines last week, the dancers faced an all-new challenge. This week, we got to see the top ten perform with the shining stars of So You Think You Can Dance yesteryear. Also, choreographer Benjamin Millepied was on the judging panel! He was the genius behind the moves in Black Swan and he’s Natalie Portman’s new hubby.
Here are my favourite moments from this week’s episode:
1. Opening group routine
This energetic homage to Gene Kelly choreographed by Tyce Diorio was so much fun! I couldn’t take my eyes off of Eliana, playing the glamourous Hollywood ingénue and the addition of funky trash can lids on their feet was a cool percussive touch. I only wish I could hear them better. And last but certainly not least, Tyce made a cameo as one of the dancers. He fit in so well I didn’t even notice he was there until the end, which I think is a good thing?
2. Tiffany’s disco routine
It seems that Tiffany was born for disco. This dance was electric and full of energy from beginning to end and the 11 (yes, 11) lifts were all executed perfectly. Plus, she had great chemistry with her all-star, season five’s Brandon. And the sparkly disco ball lighting and glittery ripped jumpsuit didn’t hurt either. It was dizzyingly amazing.
3. Witney’s jazz Read more…
By Jasmine Williams
It looks like the honeymoon is over for Snooki and JWoww. After returning from a less-than-stellar vacation in Cancun, reality hits the girls hard. Snooki’s wondering whether she should live with JWoww; JWoww’s wondering if she should stay with Roger; Jionni’s wondering if Snooki will make a good mother; I’m wondering if I can rock their red hair extensions. My life needs more drama in it. Obviously.
Here’s what I learned on this week’s “Snooki and JWoww.”
1. Snooki is being a great friend to JWoww, even though JWoww wasn’t really there for her. Snooki going to Spring Break, which everybody knows is a tequila-soaked hot mess, while pregnant and therefore sober, was a bad idea. Let’s just establish that fact now. But, JWoww could have made it easier by not partying and drinking every night because that’s what good friends are for. Snooki was definitely the better BFF in this episode, consoling JWoww while her boyfriend was being a real buttface to her. And speaking of Roger…
2. He definitely crossed a line. It seems that JWoww, despite being a total fox, is really insecure. Every time Roger breaks plans with her, she freaks out and starts screaming and crying. I’m sorry, but no guy wants to hang out with that girl. But, Roger isn’t helping the situation by comparing their relationship to Snooki and Jionni’s and saying that she deserves to be with her ex. That was a low blow. JWoww might have some issues, but Roger’s making it worse by being so mean to her. This relationship needs to end and soon.
3. Snooki and JWoww are incapable of being mature, anywhere. After all of the drama, the girls let off some steam at JWoww’s cooking class. Instead of being mature adults, they giggle because the pasta they roll looks like an uncircumcised penis. And then they hit each other with it. Does anybody else feel bad for the other people in the class?
By Jasmine Williams
This week, Snooki and JWoww shocked a coffee shop with tales of their sexual escapades, JWoww learned to cook, and Snooki acted really sensitive to pretty much everything that came out of JWoww’s mouth. Here’s what I learned on this week’s Snooki and JWoww “Calm Down Hormonal.”
1. Snooki trained to be a vet tech but she doesn’t seem to like being around animals. At all. Snooki agreed to volunteer at a doggy daycare in order to help out JWoww with a discount and so she could make something of her degree. Getting to play with little doggies all day sounds like fun. But for Snooks, it looked terrible. She was cowering in a corner as the dogs jumped all over her (as dogs are apt to do) and when she had to pick up poop, she practically dry heaved. At least JWoww’s dog Bella had her back.
2. JWoww made a friend… At an organic cooking class, JWoww met Ashley, a cute twenty-something-year-old girl with a boyfriend in Austria. Her parents are professional bakers whom JWoww was trying to impress. That’s pretty much all I gathered about her given that she was on the show for five minutes. JWoww invited her out to dinner with her and Snooki since her roomie’s pregnancy was making her a little cuckoo bananas. Snooki liked her but still gave her the stink eye because, well she’s Snooki.
3. … and possibly loses a boyfriend? The episode ends on a pretty scary note, as Roger called JWoww and accused her of lying to him about a lawsuit, which she claimed to know nothing about. Since JWoww admitted she lies sometimes, it’s hard to know who to believe in this scenario. Hopefully it will all get sorted out, because despite all their issues, Roger and JWoww seemed to be good for each other.
By Jasmine Williams
This week, we get to learn a little bit more about the Top 16 dancers. The weirdest tidbits? Lindsay has a foot phobia, and Eliana killed her pet bird by sleeping on it. Maybe we learned a little too much. And while the dancers’ unusual secrets might be memorable, their routines this week were definitely not. A lot of the routines didn’t quite hit the mark, and got some rough critiques from the judges. Better luck next time?
Here are the top five performances from this week’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance:
1. Charlie Chaplin-esque group routine
This number focused mysteriously around a bright red umbrella. With a bit of TV magic, the umbrella stood out beautifully against the colourless dancers. The costuming was also brilliant, complete with fake mustaches, baggy pants, and suspenders. Even the choreography seemed to mirror Chaplin’s jerky movements and odd characters. All in all, a very cool routine.
2. Amber and Brandon “sultry and soulful” jazz
I don’t know about the audience, but I felt like I needed a fan and a glass of water watching this routine. It was as hot and steamy as a summer in the deep South. Amber looked completely in her element and Brandon was a strong and supportive partner. My favourite part? When Brandon pushed a chair across the stage, which Amber sat on without even looking at it! How do they do that?!
3. Amelia and Will’s quirky contemporary Read more…
