Jumping out of winter and into spring means starting fresh, and this begins with your home. Many see cleaning as the most mundane of all tasks but here’s a Spring Cleaning playlist to help liven things up! You might as well dance as you clean, right?
1) Freaks and Geeks – Childish Gambino
When I’m cleaning, I become possessed by the spirits of both Tupac and Biggie and think I’m some kind of reincarnated rap goddess. This is my favourite song to rap along to, especially if nobody is home and I can use my spray bottle as a mic.
Best for: getting into the cleaning mood, doing your audition tape for Young Money.
2) Are You That Somebody – Aaliyah
I also enjoy dancing while I clean and as a wee youth I had the choreography from this video memorised. I’ve realised that I still know about 50 per cent of the moves (coincidence because my middle name is Alia? I think not!) and always decide that I should try them, especially if I am in the bathroom where the lighting is good.
Best for: cleaning grout, performing for yourself in the mirror.
3) Chocolate – The 1975
I’m obsessed with this song and have been trying to find a way to jam it into this column for ages (seriously, I think all the YouTube views might just be me. You’re welcome, The 1975!) I have a recurring iPod fever dream where I am the lead singer of a band which has the popularity of One Direction but the credibility of an indie band. Yes, it’s very elaborate; I don’t expect non-insane people to understand. Annyway, this song is our lead single and we perform it on talk-show stages which are actually my bathroom. The moral of this story is that a fun fantasy actually makes cleaning super fun and rewarding, even if the rewards are entirely in your mind.
Best for: making cleaning way less boring.
4) Scream & Shout – will.i.am and Britney Spears
What’s the deal with Britney in this song? Is she British? Why is she British? This in-depth analysis has led to me listening to this song an alarming number of times and is perfect at distracting me from some of my most hated jobs. Grossed out by the hair that has been living in your U bend? Just put this song on and Brit’s dulcet faux-English tones will take you to your happy place (unless you’re me and find bad accents displeasing).
Best for: doing gross out jobs such as removing hair from various place and having to decide which of your treasured cat sweaters should be given to charity.
5) F—kin Problems – A$AP Rocky ft. Drake and 2 Chainz
James Franco is a wizard. No, I’m not talking about Oz - there’s just no way he can be an actor/director/model/producer/writer/teacher/philanthropist without some supernatural help. With all that he does, how does he even sleep? I just had to dig into James’ baby years to find out how the Spring Breakers star got his own break.
He wanted to do everything (surprise, surprise)
James Edward Franco was born on April 19, 1978 in Palo Alto, California. Lil James told his mom he wanted to be a “worker man” and dreamed of being a construction worker…then a football player… then a marine zoologist. Given his ever-expanding resume, I’ve got a feeling he’ll still end up with all those jobs.
He was a troublemaker who turned it around
Growing up, James did way more monkeying around than the toddler in this picture suggests. He led family pranks with his little bros, Tom and Dave, and got in trouble in school for graffiti and shoplifting. Luckily, James got out of it by high school and kept busy by watching plays instead.
He started acting for love
By Gabriella Zicarelli
When you think about the 80s and 90s you probably think of shoulder pads, big hair, mullets and guys with frosted tips (ick). I think we can all agree none of these beauty trends should EVER make a comeback. Still, the decade gave us a lot of great TV shows and with the latest news of a Boy Meets World reboot, it’s time to take out your scrunchies and crop tops and get a little nostalgic.
What shows would you like to see return?
Here are 10 shows from the 80s and 90s that need a reunion:
Blossom
Blossom jumpstarted Joey Lawrence’s music career (I still have the cassette), along with Mayim Bialik’s acting career. She now plays Amy Farrah Fowler on the Big Bang Theory. The fact that she gave the world “WOAH!” is all I need to know. If this Old Navy Blossom commercial is any indication, a reunion would be like old times.
Freaks and Geeks
High school isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, which is why Judd Apatow knew what he took on Freaks and Geeks. Focusing on timeless issues like bullying and peer pressure, a reboot of this show would restonate with today’s teens. The show launched the careers of Jason Segel who now plays Marshall on How I met your Mother, Seth Rogen and James “I Can Do Everything” Franco (both also starred in Pineapple Express), Linda Cardellini who was in ER for seven seasons and the adorkable John Francis Daley, who plays Dr. Sweets in Bones.
My So Called Life
Before becoming a CIA agent in Homeland, Claire Danes was a regular 15-year-old dealing with the ups and downs of being young in My so Called Life. Like Freaks and Geeks, this show dealt with many timeless topics, which is why a comeback would still resonate with teens. Another notable career that was launched was Jared Leto, who not only continued acting but even went on to produce, direct, and play front-man to rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. Unfortunately, like Freaks and Geeks the show was also cancelled early and went on to become a cult classic.
Full House
After saying goodbye to the Tanners in 1995, the Olsen twins became more popular than overalls. They went on to star in Two of a Kind (Not gonna lie, I really liked that show) and A LOT of movies. There’s no question how high in demand they became. Today they are big names in fashion. Some of the best scenes in Full House came courtesy of Michelle and TV’s coolest uncle, Jesse. Like this gem, where we are taught how NOT to change a diaper.
Dawson’s Creek Read more…
We considered today’s best viral videos through the lens of wins and fails.
WIN: Teen magician is actually funny
This teen magician gets mega laughs from the audience, but it’s genuine laughter, not a few stifled giggles from his parents and their friends. The magician does the tricks we’re all used to: turning purple ribbons blue and splitting them in two. But we kept watching because of his sense of humor, which is basically in line with a young Sheldon Cooper mixed with Bill from Freaks and Geeks. The kid is also introduced by Neil Patrick Harris, which isn’t too shabby. [reddit]
FAIL: Reporter walks into a pole
This CTV reporter is chasing after a source who doesn’t want to comment on the story. He’s so focused on asking questions that he doesn’t even realize the giant pole right in front of him. Worse, his collision is all caught on camera and then put in slow motion for our benefit. I guess the good thing is, his source stopped to help him up. Maybe he got the story after all?
FAIL… AND THEN WIN! Baby escapes from crib
This mischievous baby was planning his great escape for a while so his mom decided to put a camera in his room to see how it all unfolded. At first the little tyke falls back into his crib but he’s more successful the second time round.
As if he hasn’t gotten enough heat recently, James Franco’s ghosts of geeks past come back to haunt him!
According to Perez Hilton, the cast of Freaks and Geeks got together last weekend at the Paley Centre for Media’s annual Paley Fest…all but Franco, that is. And there was definitely no love in the air for the missing actor.
When the series’ creator Paul Feig stated that “there were no drama queens on the show”, Judd Apatow responded, “…Except for Franco.” Ouch.
Fellow freak-and-geeker Busy Phillipps, who’s character Kim Kelly was Franco’s on-screen girlfriend, said Franco once “threw her to the ground, even though the script didn’t call for the action.”
“Apparently, Franco decided that his character had “maybe been abused by his father,” but he never announced this to Philipps, and then during one scene when she lightly slapped him across the face, he freaked out and shouted “Don’t you ever [expletive] touch me again!” and then he threw her to the ground, which caused her to run to her trailer in tears.” Watch out world, we might have another Chris Brown on our hands!
It’s saddening to see such a notable actor going so downhill. We loved you in Spider Man and Pineapple Express, and we even loved you in 127 Hours. But after the Oscars, we lost most of our respect for you, and now this? Way to disappoint!
While eavesdropping through my cubicle wall at work yesterday, my interest was piqued when I overheard two colleagues discussing what they’d watched on television the night before. The first office-dweller announced he’d spent his evening watching Kathy Hilton mooch off her daughter’s popularity during the second-ever episode of I Want to Be a Hilton. This brutal choice in viewing had to be overlooked – after all, it was only a matter of time before another Hilton wanted to milk the family cash cow, and that family could drum up a decent sized audience just by taking their trash to the curb.
Upon hearing this embarrassing admission of poor taste in programming, the second colleague felt brave enough to admit he?d spent his evening watching Average Joe 4. At first I assumed I hadn?t heard him correctly. Average Joe FOUR? I thought I paid close attention to my TV Guide, but clearly the fact that this contrived piece of garbage survived four seasons completely escaped my attention. Beautiful women face a tough choice between ugly nerds and hard-bodied Adonises four seasons in a row and people are still tuning in to see how this carefully manufactured scenario will play out?
Not only did I find this news preposterous, it came as a big handful of salt rubbed into a wound I received in 1999 when a comedy known as Freaks and Geeks was laid to rest after just a single season. For those of you who didn?t get a chance to enjoy it, Freaks and Geeks was set in 1980 and documented the teenaged comings and goings of The Freaks (the chain-smoking, class-cutting ?bad asses?) and The Geeks (the bowtie-wearing, bully-fearing freshmen nerds). The sharp and poignant writing documented both the hilarious and devastating moments of high school life while giving a historically-accurate depiction of what it meant to grow up on the brink of the new decade. The show picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and was canned by NBC months later.
Unfortunately, Freaks and Geeks isn?t the only fantastic show to suffer an unfair cancellation after just one year. The show?s creator, Judd Apatow, also birthed Undeclared, a comedy documenting the first-year antics of a group of freshmen college students. The show starred some terrific actors including Ottawa-born Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby, Rules of Attraction) and Monica Keena (Dawson?s Creek, The Devil?s Advocate), and showed a lot of promise for a fledgling program, but FOX cut it in 2002 after just 17 episodes.
Even the critically-acclaimed gems aren?t safe. Arrested Development sat ominously on the chopping block this year as FOX tried to decide whether the show was worthy of renewal.
This just blows my mind. Not only is it such a tease to provide audiences with phenomenal acting and refreshing scripts that are to be yanked away after a couple of episodes, but to do so and then turn around and resign the likes of Average Joe 4? Well that?s just plain offensive.
I highly encourage all of you to detach your cable during such craptastic programming and hightail it to Blockbuster to check out Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared on DVD. Sit back, have a laugh, and reminisce about the time in which these shows existed ? the glory days before the invasion of reality television.
