What Scares You?

Posted on October 20, 2017 by myhollywoodhangover

My hiatus is over!

I missed you all! By you all, I’m talking about my almost 20 subscribed followers, plus any other friends that check the blog out via social media. And if you’re hating on me because that number is only 20 guess what….

I love my blog and I’ve missed writing!

What I also love is this time of the year. I’m beyond basic: pumpkin spice, chunky sweaters, boots, plaid scarves, and running through leaves. Okay, I don’t actually run through leaves but you get the idea. I also love Halloween and I love dressing up.

If you couldn’t tell, Quentin Tarantino and Disney is popular in my house. But what I’m here to discuss on my debut back is the frightening part of Halloween. Recently It was released as the must see Halloween movie of 2017. However, this is not a review of the movie though because I would be absolutely terrified. I get absolutely terrified easily.

I have seen about half of the 90’s It version and plan on watching it in its entirety soon because I can handle 80’s & 90’s horror movies. Halloween, the original Halloween, is one of THE greatest cinematic creations ever; I mean really, Michael Myers is very much misunderstood.

I watch it every year. But, as I mentioned, I’m a scaredy-cat and that’s what I’m here to discuss. What scarred me growing up, that I have yet to get over.

The Sixth Sense

Basically anything M. Night Shyamalan created f***ed me up, but this was THE WORST! So the film starts right away with Donnie Wahlberg (“oh oh ohhh!”) breaking into Bruce Willis’s home talking about hearing voices and how Bruce didn’t help him the way he should of and you get so confused, until Donnie freaking shoots Bruce Willis!

From then on I was done. From the beaten wife who left the kitchen cabinets open, to the boy who got shot in the head and pops out in the hallway, to the biker (that’s bicycle) who appears right next to the car, to finally Mischa Barton.

FREAKING MISCHA BARTON!

She ruined my life. From the throw up scene, to the grabbing of his leg under the bed, to the poison reveal!

Never. Going. To. Binge. The. OC! I blame you M. Night, I blame you!

ER: Lucy’s Death

If you’re a true American you probs watched ER in the 90’s and early 2000’s. One thing I remember growing up was watching ER with my parents every Thursday night; it was a ritual I will always treasure with them (even though, now that I think back, it totally wasn’t appropriate for an elementary child to watch).

Enter Lucy Knight, Carter’s medical student. During the 6th season, however, Lucy traumatized me and I have yet to recover. Remember Michael from 10 Things I Hate About You? He was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s nerdy friend in the movie; the one who showed him around school and got them involved in the Heath Ledger scam.

In the particular ER episode, Michael kills Lucy. He’s a schizophrenic patient who gets revenge on Lucy and Carter because he freaks out when they have to strap him to the bed in order to sedate him. By revenge I mean he stabs them both.

Scene: It’s a Valentine’s Day party and Carter walks in to check on schizo patient. As he goes to shut the door, Michael from 10 Things is behind it. Scar #1. He then attacks Carter and runs out of the room. As Carter falls to the floor he sees someone lying on the other side of the patient’s bed. Lucy.

Scar #2. Not only was I devastated because I loved Lucy, but the image of her lying there positively ruined me. RUINED ME. I’m sure you’re sitting there wondering how this ruined me. Well, for starters, I stayed home from school the next day. I told my parents I was sick and couldn’t even get it out of bed (sorry Mom and Dad; the truth shall set me free!). This is really no lie; I was so terrified I actually wouldn’t get out of bed the entire day. I just knew bloody Lucy or scary schizo patient would get me. Second, from then on out, I hit every door I passed as I walked into a room for years, YEARS, to come. What if Michael (from 10 Things) was standing behind it waiting to stab me like he did Lucy and Carter? Spoiler, Lucy didn’t make it and I didn’t think I would ever make it again either.

Honorable Mentions

Saw – That needle pit, am I right?!

Final Destination – Knowing there’s absolutely nothing you can do; you dead.

E.T. – The surgery scene when he goes absolutely pale. BAH!

So my initial question stands: what scares you? What from your childhood shooketh you to your core? What have you never gotten over in the fear department? What can you revisit this Halloween season and ask yourself, “Was that as scary as I remember?”

Find me on social media to discuss! Again, so so so glad to be back!

Interview with a Gen Z

Posted on July 17, 2017 by myhollywoodhangover

My cousin Lanie visited us this weekend. She is from Texas but attends the University of Alabama. She’s literally the cutest person I’ve ever encountered and also looks exactly like Sansa Stark (double win!).

She’s in her early 20’s which makes her of the Generation Z grouping (grouping? era? demographic?). We had the best time on her visit, but I was super curious about the generation z pop culture influences. So we made wine spritzers, conducted an interview, and this is what I learned.

Housewives, Vanderpump, Southern Charm, basically anything Bravo is not popular. We listened a bit to Stassi’s podcast when we were on our way to go shopping, and the cuz was into it, but doesn’t know Stassi on the reg. Speaking of other popular reality stars, the Kardashians weren’t too popular either. Lanie had the best answer when I asked about if she liked the first family of reality tv when she said, “Yes, but no; depends on the day.” She did mention Kourtney was her favorite.

Lanie is in a sorority and said many of her sisters will have Bachelorette viewing parties. She mentioned she was a few episodes behind, catches it now and then, but did say she is not an Eric fan.

Continuing with the Bachelorette, Lanie said this, “Dean is perfect, but I know he won’t win; he’s too young.”

Lanie mentioned some of her favorite shows to binge watch are Friends and Criminal Minds, which honestly are great answers. Think about it, she’s in college, working, and in a sorority; girl is BUSY. Those two shows are the best to catch a rerun of probably any time of the day because you know they are constantly airing on cable television. Maybe she’s getting ready for a date party, or needs a study break? Boom. Catch one of your favorite shows anytime!

We did get into a discussion on Thirteen Reasons Why, which I haven’t watched yet, but is on the “To Do” list. Lanie said she watched it because so many of her friends did and she wanted to see what all the hype was about (similar to my interest in it as well). She said she felt like for tackling such tough subject matter, the acting could have been stronger. Solid opinion girl, solid! Two thumbs up!

As far as film is concerned, Cousin Lanie mentioned that her and her friends will go to the theater from time to time but they mostly just catch a movie at home when they can. She did say this past Spring Break her friends and her had a Harry Potter marathon (they even turned it into a drinking game: “Every time Malfoy says something mean, take a drink”). The fact that this was her Spring Break memory instead of a Panama City drunken beach trip makes her the coolest!

Generation Z knows all the music; literally every song that came on the radio she knew the words. Lanie said she listens to Today’s Hits and Today’s Country Hits. Some of her favorite artists are Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Brad Paisley, & Justin Bieber (which I feel is pretty stereotypical gen z … however, these also are some of my husband’s favorite artists which pretty much makes him a 20 year old girl).

Lastly, when I asked about social media, Lanie said Instagram is her favorite platform to use. I love social media to stalk celebrities and feel close to them; Lanie said she enjoys it to stay connected to her friends, which left me thinking for a bit about our entire conversation …

is there a difference between Generation Z and Millennials when it comes to pop culture interest?

I think the answer is no. I feel like because she’s so busy with classes (her last semester she got a 3.98!!), is super involved in her sorority, and works a part time job, she doesn’t really have time for television or celebs. She’d rather stay connected to actual people she knows.

Perhaps, once you hit 25 you learn you have no life besides a bottle of Rosé and your dvr. (me, cerca the last three years). Or, maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the one in this who is abnormal and have this strange obsession with all things celebrity. Maybe I’d rather be sucked into my tv or into a starlet’s life than have live contact and conversation.

Ahh well the world keeps spinning either way; I’m just so glad she was here and I could channel my early 20’s for a weekend.

Let me know what you think on this topic, whether you’re a gen z, millennial, boomer, whatevs. Comment on this post or find me on social media (Twitter and IG at bottom of this page) to discuss the issue further.

4th of July Favorites

Posted on July 4, 2017 by myhollywoodhangover

Happy 4th of July!!

The Fourth is one of my favorite holidays and why wouldn’t it be? As Chad Johnson from The Bachelorette said it best …

and in order to celebrate, I thought I’d mention a few of my favorites to watch, read, & listen to on the American holiday.

The Patriot

I remember first seeing this movie when I was in the seventh grade, after just learning about the American Revolution in school. Sorry Mrs. Gurnee, but THIS movie taught me taxation without representation better than any teacher or textbook. It stars Mel Gibson and a young, studly Heath Ledger in which “an unassuming man who is forced to join the American Revolution when the British threaten to take his farm away from him. Together with his patriotic son, Gabriel, the pair faces the vicious Redcoats with a heroism that reflects the stubborn pride of a young country’s most dedicated supporters.”

The historical context of the film is outstanding, the battle scenes are spectacular to watch, & Gibson’s performance will make you respect him if you don’t already.

Independence Day

OBVIOUSLY this movie made my list. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, & Randy Quad fighting aliens who come to take over our world …?

It just so happens the aliens are taking over around the 4th of July and it just so happens the ENTIRE WORLD comes together to battle ET, basically making Independence Day a universal holiday. Plus, Smith & Goldblum are Hollywood magic together! Oh, and #neverforget the aliens using Dr. Brackish Okun to communicate to us?! (cue Cookie Lyon again!)

Hamilton Soundtrack & Hamilton: The Revolution

Unless you’ve lived under a rock the past two years, you should have heard of Hamilton, a musical written by and starring Lin-Manual Miranda. This musical took over not only Broadway, not only the Tonys, but the entire country. Why wouldn’t it? It’s a hip-hop musical basically telling the founding of our country, but mainly centering around Alexander Hamilton. Now, I’m not one to shy away from show tunes, so obviously I LOVE this soundtrack, but it is So. Much. More. Than. Showtunes!

You can listen to the entire soundtrack here to get your feet wet. But, if you are strongly against any showtunes, Manuel created the Hamilton Mixtape, in which artists like Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Alicia Keys, Sia, John Legend, & more sing covers (and newly mixed versions) of the soundtrack.

To go along with the play & soundtrack, Miranda wrote Hamilton: The Revolution. Not only does the book have awesome production photos, it has the background into why Miranda fell in love with Hamilton’s story, it has cast articles & interviews, and it has the entire lyrical library (I suggest following the lyrics while you listen along!). But, my favorite part in reading this was seeing all the notes Miranda included with the lyrics: his influences, how rhymes came together, the history behind a certain line, or how a certain song was linked to a modern day rap song. Lin-Manuel Miranda is seriously one of the most brilliant musical minds of our generation.

Well, there you have it my friends! I wish you and yours all the happiness & enjoyment on this national holiday. If for some reason you aren’t a firework gal or guy, check out some of the above today. #merica !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!