You can't replace Steve Carell

Over the past couple of years I have noticed a decline in my television viewing and I am very seldom to watch just any TV show. But one show I know I can always count on is The Office. The Office has been something I have looked forward to every Thursday night.

The show provides a dry sense of humor that I absolutely love. And even though the situations do not always make sense, I cannot help but laugh. The characters are extremely relatable and I feel attached with each episode I view.

However, with this topic of Steve Carrel finally leaving the show, I have no idea what to expect. I’m not even sure if I will be able to with Carrel gone. It upsets me because he’s part of what makes The Office, well The Office.

I feel like if they don’t have Carrel there is really no place for the show to go on and I really fear that a cancellation may be in its future.

There is a lot of talk about who will replace Carrel. There are a plethora of actors such as Will Ferrell, Jim Carrey, and Ray Romano to name a few. Which don’t get me wrong, each of these men are really funny.

However, I don’t think it’s possible for any of them to replace Carrel. He is the boss. That is his character. He plays it well. And if he’s not it, I think the show will lose everything it’s about.

Now the show isn’t entirely about Michael Scott, but his quirky sense of humor and outlook on what goes on in the office is what helps make the show funny.

Yes, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and the rest of the cast are brilliant. They each add to the shows success, and could very well carry on with the series without Carrel. But I feel like it won’t be the same. It won’t have the same kick.

Now I could be completely wrong in my justification of this situation. Even though I think it is impossible to replace Carrel, it could be very well possible. They could find someone; maybe even one I’ve already listed, and make the show even better.

But in this point of time from what I’ve seen I’m not so sure that will happen. And although the show has had a great run, it could be time for them to shut the book. As much as this would upset me, I’m not really sure where they can go on from here.

I mean, Pam and Jim got married and they have a kid, Michael has been reunited with the love of his life, Holly, and one after another the rest of the cast have found their happiness too. Regardless of what happens, The Office is still personally one of my favorites. I’m not excited for the changes, but I’m hoping whatever the changes may be it will be the best possible decisions for the show.

http://bit.ly/lBlXHp

JRN415

Oh, Charlie Sheen...

When I was a young girl, I remember always wanting to be famous. Whether I was a rock star or an actress, I did not care. I just knew I wanted to be out in the lime light. That had changed since then, and not just because of the fact that I'm a lot shyer than I was when I was little. But because of the abuse I have seen those in the public eye go through.

Now I am in no way saying this whole Sheen controversy is not his fault. What I'm trying to say is what Sheen is going through is what I have seen a lot of actors, actresses and musicians go through over the years.

It seems like a lot of stars go over the edge when they're so-called "famous". I think this label makes it harder for people to function properly.

When someone is "famous" it's harder for him or her to make decisions and do mundane tasks that "infamous" people have no problem carrying through unnoticed.

This has to be one of the reasons as to why so many “famous” people turn to substance and alcohol abuse.

Of course, this is not the only reason, and I am not in any way an expert on the matter.

But I think that if being “famous” were not such a stressful job, things like this would not happen.

Sheen is an actor who has made some pretty horrible mistakes, and he definitely needs to start working toward cleaning up his act.

But what if all the attention he is receiving from all of the headlines that have been out there recently is making his situation worse?

I know if I were Sheen, I would not want everyone in the world knowing my business and the daily struggles I have.

I mean, I’d like to have a few close friends, whom knew what I was going through, so I’d have someone to lean on who’d support me.

But most of the feedback coming to Sheen is negative. Yes, this is a situation, which deserves negativity coming at it. However, how are we suppose to help someone who needs it, if we keep knocking him down.

Maybe all this cockiness Sheen is showing, is actually just a front for the pain he is actually going through.He could just need someone to pick him up, dust him off and support him through the darkness he is currently in.

http://bit.ly/fRP5dM

JRN415

I WILL NOT CONFORM!

Now, before I start this off, you have to realize that I love electronics and I'm all for moving forward into the future, but I'm also old fashioned as well.

I mean I'm a video blogger, social media enthusiast AND I have an iPhone! I don't think it's possible for me to get anymore electronically and technologically advanced than I already am.

DON'T SAY IT!

I am a writer and a reader. I LOVE the smell of a newly, just opened, freshly bought BOOK! Don't judge me, it's a beautiful thing.

However, I cannot get a handle on this whole e-book craze. I mean, I suppose it's rather convenient to have access to thousands and thousands of books on hand at any moment. But this still does not entice me to buy one.

I suppose if I were a faster reader or a long distance traveler, I might consider buying one of these e-books. But since neither of these characteristics are true, there is no reason for me to be even moderately interested in buying one.

The world is transforming and new "toys" are getting developed on a daily basis. But that does not mean everyone should go out and buy an e-book, at least not in my opinion.

I do realize as an aspiring writer, I should not be so negative about this, because I mean one day Steve Jobs is going to come up and swallow up anything made of paper and we will all have to conform to the life known as 'paperless', but I feel I should hold out as long as I can. (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I'm sure he could find a way).

As a book lover, I feel it's my duty to speak out against it as.

I don't have too many complaints about e-books, just the important ones. You don't get that new-book smell, you do not have a physical copy of the book on hand, and obviously the price of each book.

I get it. Writers need to make money too. And I have no problem paying $10-15 for a PHYSICAL copy of a book, but you're really going to charge me the SAME price for one bought electronically?

There are many more good things the e-book has to offer. These being access to thousands of books anywhere, takes up less space in a purse or bag, makes it easier to track down the book the book stores never have, we save trees and 'eliminates the middle man' for writers.

Cutting out the middle man in book publishing is something I should be grateful for. This makes it a lot easier for me to even begin to think I have a chance of one of my biggest dreams coming true.

Although I know that physical copies of newspapers, book, and other forms of reading material will not disappear entirely for a long time, there is still the fear in the back of mind in which it will happen.

But there is just something about a hardcover/ paperback that makes me shout 'nay' to this whole e-book nonsense.

http://bit.ly/hRkIfy

JRN415

Miley Cyrus: scandalous AGAIN?

Here we are again faced with another act of scandalous behavior from our very own Miley Cyrus. Cyrus is most known for her role as "Miley Stewart/ Hannah Montana" on the hit show "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel. For the record, Disney stars are known for being clean cut, angelic-like, role models for the youth. However, Disney stars are also known for their scandalous acts that tarnish their reputations as well as occasionally get them fired or "pursing more 'mature' roles".

Cyrus has quite the number of offenses against here with pictures leaking on the internet regarding all sorts of topical issues, hanging out with and dating people who are way too old for her, Vanity Fair pictures, etc. The list of Cyrus scandals goes on and on, and because of this not many were shocked by this new one.

This past Friday, upon browsing the Internet I found myself again stumbling upon another Cyrus Scandal. A video of Cyrus smoking a bong had leaked onto the Internet and TMZ picked the story up. There were jokes thrown around about the singer/ actress smoking marijuana illegally. However, Cyrus herself, as well as other source have said she was actually smoking the legal substance, Salvia, or Salvia divinorum. Which according to the article I read on www.nydailynews.com is "a hallucinogenic plant that users say offer a high similar to that of LSD and marijuana."

Even though the drug is perfectly legal for adults, 18 and older, there have been attempts at having it banned. California State Assemblyman Anthony Adams tried to get Salvia banned three years ago, and now because of Cyrus' use of the drug he's trying to get it banned once again. "Miley is a star and young kids are going to emulate her behavior," Adams said. This statement in most cases are true. Not all kids will necessarily run out and smoke a bong, but she is opening the door to make it appear OK to do so.

Cyrus just recently turned 18, legally she is adult, and legally she has obtained the freedom to do SOME adult type things. However, the persona that she has built growing up is being tarnished in her pursuit of adulthood. The fact that she grew up on a children's show puts her in a position of being a role model to little girls. There are so many little girls out there who look up to Cyrus and want to be just like her.

Yes, Cyrus should be allowed to act more "mature". However, there is a fine line between maturity and stupid decisions that come with age. Though the drug is legal, this is not something she should be putting out there for her fans to see. She may have no been the one who personally leaked the video, however, as a celebrity as well as knowing things can get leaked from passed experience she really should have thought something like this through. By participating in smoking said bong she is using the power she has obtained, irresponsibly and it truly a bad role model to the fan base that has come to know and love her over the years.

Post for JRN415

Source: http://nydn.us/ggH2MS

RED - Movie Review

I been contemplating my niche and I think it's appropriate for it to be come Book and Movie Reviews.

Saturday I went and saw Red. Prior to seeing Red, I had not heard about it and I had not seen any of the previews. However, I was quite pleased with the movie selection.

This movie starts off with Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) going about his day. Curious enough he makes a call to Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) about a check that he has "still not received". However, as he tells her these he is ripping said check apart. This obviously shows his initial attraction to her, even though their friendship is long distance. It appears that this happens often and that they both enjoy the conversation exchanged.

This however, is cut short as something peculiar is up about Moses. We find him in his bed reading a book that Ross had stated she was reading. Upon falling asleep the plot is thrown for a whirl. Moses gets up to what is assumed as a trip to the restroom when a group of men with guns are seen inside his home. He seems totally oblivious to what is happening, but when the men are about to storm in and take them out, he catches them by surprise. Packs up his things really quickly, and gets throws their bullets in a skillet. Upon the heating of these bullets “shots” are fired within the home, which signals the people outside. The men outside then open fire upon the house a completely destroy it. However, Moses is took quick for them and they get taken out as well. He then escapes to get to Ross before they do.

We soon discover that Moses used to be CIA. But recently received the classification RED, Retired, Extremely Dangerous. It seems that this is why the men are looking for him. Ross and Moses have just been having friendly conversations over the telephone. But when he shows up inside her apartment she absolutely freaks out. However, he wants to keep her safe because he truly cares about her but, she is not too happy about this. He ends up having to forcefully take her because she is shaken up by the intrusion

They the end up going to see his friend Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman) he helps in them in finding out why the men were after Moses and Ross. But they don’t exactly piece it together. They don’t really understand why until they go see Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich). He then informs them it has everything to do with the mission that they were on when they were still CIA.

This makes them understand what it is they need to do, and whom they need to find. Later they find other key characters that bring the movie together.

All in all the plot was very slow in the beginning because you really don’t have a clue about what is going on. You don’t know what all the roles are until they are all finally together and everything just falls into place. However, I believe that’s what gives the movie it’s edge. Although, the beginning was very slow it was a hilarious and over all really good movie. It was full of action, and I’m not really one to like action movies. BUT! I will say that I did rather enjoy it and that I would recommend going to see it.

JRN 415

Easy A - Movie Review

Today is a bit of a switch up, we've changed up things regarding blog post assignments. I have to write a blog about my beat. My beat is Entertainment. I'm not entirely sure what all that entails, but I decided that I would blog about a movie I saw this past weekend.

Easy A is loosely based off the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The movie starts off with Olive, a high school teenager, talking to a webcam, stating that she will be telling the true story of the accounts in question against her.

Not wanting to hang out with her best friend's family once again, she makes up a lie about hanging out with a college boy. Her friend, Rhiannon, let's her off the hook for the weekend. Of course, Olive does not hang out with a college boy, but she doesn't dare tell Rhiannon. Back at school on Monday Rhiannon wants full details, and by Olive's hesitance, she assumes that Olive has lost her virginity. Olive then lies to her and tells her that she did in fact sleep with this "made up" boy. Marianne, the school's religion fanatic, unfortunately, overhears their conversation and immediately begins spreading it around all over school.

This eventually leads up to Olive lying about sleeping with a plethora of boys and taking money for doing so. Although, she was not actually sleeping with these boys the students of the school gave her absolutely no mercy. Because they are reading The Scarlet Letter, in class one of the girls suggest she wears a huge A on all of her clothing. But she ultimately ends up doing it anyways. Olive doesn’t like lying and constantly reassures her parents that if anyone happens to say anything about her, that it’s a fallacy.

Towards the end of the movie, Olive realizes the error of her ways, resulting in the understanding of why she was making this web broadcast.

The movie was not too bad. There were a few questionable parts to the movie, but it was overall a pretty good movie, and quite hilarious.

HOWEVER, what I find intriguing is the way society penalizes women who are promiscuous. Olive was not actually sleeping with all of these boys, but the students were treating her as if she was due to their ignorance. Now I’m not saying that being promiscuous is all fine and dandy, because it really isn’t. But I feel that society is quicker to judge a woman that sleeps around, rather than a man, and I really do not think that it is fair. A man who sleeps around is just as at much fault, as a woman who does. Sleeping around seems to becoming more and more common in today’s society, and it is clearly wrong. But why aren’t men being judged for the promiscuous acts that they are committing as well?

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV) - Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

JRN 415

Looking For Alaska

Here we are with another John Green book, he's not going anywhere, anytime soon though because the book I am going to be starting is also by him. However, this blog is about Looking For Alaska. This book was highly recommended by all my nerdfighter friends. If you don't know what a nerdfighter is, click it!

Looking For Alaska is a nut shell is a story of Miles Halter, Pudge, from Florida who transfers to a Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama to seek his "Great Perhaps". Upon arriving he meet his roommate Chip, otherwise known as the Colonel, who then introduces him to his new found crush Alaska Young. Unfortunately, Alaska has a boyfriend, Jake, who she is deeply in love with, but it doesn't stop her from flirting with Pudge. Pudge also becomes friends with Takumi and Lara through the Colonel and Alaska. His first full semester at Culver Creek is full of fun and pranking with his new found friends. They have brought so many changes to his not so eventful life. However, everything changes one night when Alaska Young crashes into a police cruiser. She dies instantly. This dumbfounds her friends and they spend the rest of the book trying to figure out why this happened and what caused it. To finally unlock the secrets behind the mysterious, Alaska Young.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm sure that if I were more of a cryer this book would've done it for me. However, the story was very enjoyable and heart-wrenching. I did not expect most of what was thrown at me, which was good and bad. I would not recommend it for younger children due to a few as I would put "uncomfortable situations".