Pop Culture Journalism Class Blog

The New HBO series, “Girls” is being called the next “Sex and the City” — but without all the crazy-expensive shoes.

The show takes place in New York starring main character Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham

who at 25 is the writer, director and star of the show). Horvath is a college graduate who is an aspiring writer with big wishes to have her unfinished book published. Her parents have provided for her for two years post – college so she can get her life on track. They have paid for her rent, insurance and spending money. It is finally time to cut her off and have her support herself. She disagrees, but it isn’t her decision.

In the 30 minutes of air time, the show has several stories occurring. We have Horvath, a 24-year-old who is shocked that her parents will no longer be supporting her. Second, best friend Marnie (Allison Williams) has a party that Horvath ditches. Marnie is also planning on breaking up with her boyfriend who is in love with her. Third, Horvath approaches her boss hoping that he will agree to flip her from an intern to an employee, but he disagrees. Instead, she loses her job and leaves the premise. She stops at a friend’s apartment  Adam (Adam Driver) where we see the two having sexual relations within about 10 minutes of her walking through the front door. Afterwards, Horvath decides to hang out with Adam at his apartment for the afternoon instead of going to a job interview that she is already late for.

Adam shares with her that he receives $800 a month from his grandmother for living like a teenager in his apartment. Classy.

Way too much going on especially for a pilot episode and none of it makes sense.

The cast of “Girls” have the mentality of doing what they want, how they want and that should be how society accepts it. It is filled with a casts of those in their 20s and clearly meant for a specific audience. Seeing as this is being compared to Carrie Bradshaw’s character, this show could have potential. But, right now, I don’t think there’s anything interesting about any of the characters or the show.

By: Jessica Farley

So you know those nights when your brain is fried, you just want to lie on the couch in your  rattiest sweats, and eating what may or may not amount to 2,000 calories of Cherry Garcia straight from the carton?

“Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” ABC’s latest sitcom venture, is the perfect thing to watch on those nights.

The show tells the story of a bright-eyed, small-town girl, June, who moved to New York to start an exciting new job — but her first day at work, her company is shut down and she finds herself unemployed and homeless (when she’s kicked out of her corporate apartment.)  June, played with a brilliant balance of naiveté and gumption by Dreama Walker, is determined to turn the situation around. June takes a job a local coffee shop and searches for a roommate- enter Chloe in Apartment 23.

Chloe (Krysten Ritter) is best friends with James Van Der Beek (aka Dawson from “Dawson’s Creek”). She invites June to move in, with the plan of driving June so crazy that she’ll move out, and Chloe can keep her cash.  However, after June makes it through Chloe’s shenanigans unscathed- some of which include walking around in the buff and sleeping with June’s fiancé…on her birthday cake-Chloe welcomes June in and an odd-couple friendship is formed.

“Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” isn’t the smartest, or funniest, show currently on television. Many critics have said that you shouldn’t trust that B — nor should you watch her. However, there is a campy, over-the-top element to the show that proves irresistible in the way of mindless, fluffy television.

So, while it may not be up for an Emmy nomination anytime soon, “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” is the chick-lit of sitcoms. Despite being indulgent, cheesy, and even a little zany,  I found it irresistible — much like the Cherry Garcia ice cream I downed while watching.

By: Victoria Miller

Dancing with the Stars kicked of their 14th season on Monday, introducing 14 new contestants. Stars paired with their dancing professional partners took on either the spicy Latin Cha Cha Cha or the elegant Foxtrot. Who will take home the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy?

Maria & Derek:
Cha Cha Cha
‘Extra’ TV host Maria Menounos, pairs up with three-time winner Derek Hough.The couple sizzled as they took on the hot number. Overall the judges praised Maria for what she left on the floor, but she needed to gain confidence, amp up the sexy and shake those hips.
Scores: 7,7,7 for a total of 21 points

Jack & Anna:
Foxtrot
Jack Wagner always known for getting the girl in shows like General Hosiptal and Melrose Place, has a new lady in his life, ballroom partner Anna Trebunskaya. Judges agreed that Jack acted beautifully. The dance was entertaining, but the technique was not there
Score: 8,7,8 for a total of 23 points

Donald & Peta:
Cha Cha Cha
Green Bay Packers’ Wide Reciever Donald Driver is paired with Peta Murgatroyd. Donald had the audience on their feet by the end of their routine. He was a ball of fire.
Scores: 7,7,7 for a total of 21 points

Gavin & Karina
Foxtrot
Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw is partnered with returning champ Karina Smirnoff. The dance was charming — but DeGraw was a little stiff.
Scores: 7,6,7 for a total of 20 points

Roshon & Chelsie
Cha Cha Cha
Disney Star Roshon Fegan teamed up with Chelsie Hightower The youthful couple attacked the number with high energy.
Scores: 8,7,8 for a total of 23 points

Sherri & Val
Foxtrot
Light on her feet, The View Co-host Sherri Shepherd partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy lit up the entire ballroom during her first dance.
Scores: 8,7,8 for a total of 23 points

Melissa & Maksim
Cha Cha Cha
Melissa Gilbert, known as Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, stated, “I’m trading in my pigtails and prairie dress for sequins and high heels.” Partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy choreographed a difficult routine, which she executed well  — but the judges told her to relax.
Scores: 7,6,7 for a total of 20 points

William & Cheryl
Cha Cha Cha
Tela novella star William Levy partnered with long time DWTS professional Cheryl Burke. The couple started rehearsals 10 days later than everyone else — but  you would have never know.
Scores: 8,8,8 for a total of 24 points

Martina & Tony
Foxtrot
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is teamed up with Tony Dovolani. Intense on the court, she needs to be more graceful on the dance floor.
Scores: 7,6,7 for a total of 20 points

Katherine & Mark
Foxtrot
Opera Singer Katherine Jenkins is paired with two time mirror ball champion Mark Ballas. Watching them was like watching two professional dancers.  She looked elegant and graceful as she glided across the floor. Katherine received the highest score of the night.
Score: 9,8,9 for a total of 26 points

Gladys & Tristan
Cha Cha Cha
The Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight, danced with Tristan McManus.  She lip synced to the song and her sassy facial expressions were planned to perfection.
Scores: 8,7,8 for a total of 23 points

Jaleel & Kym:
With the help of Pro Kym Johnson, former Family Matters star Jaleel White proved to everyone that just because you play a clumsy dork, doesn’t mean you actually are one. The routine was beautifully danced with ease and charm. The final dance of the night Carrie Ann said, “That was icing on the cake.” His score tied him in first place with Katherine.
Scores: 9,8,9 for a total of 26 points

Compared to previous seasons of DWTS, season 14 has a talented bunch. The lowest score of the night was a 20 and the highest of 26, which is the highest score ever to be awarded in week 1. The competition continues next Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. and first eliminations will air Live, Tuesday at 9 pm.

image from washtimes.com

Photo Credit: www.realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com

By: Jessica Farley

MTV might be making a George Mason University students dream come true.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, producers from MTV’s hit show “Made” visited George Mason University’s Fairfax campus and auditioned students to star in future episodes.

The show, which has aired on MTV since 2002, features a different individual every episode pursuing a certain goal or aspiration, with the help and guidance of a “Made Coach.”  The show follows the individual for a few weeks as they try to reach their goal.

“This is one of the greatest and coolest opportunities,” says Tyler McDonald, an undeclared Freshman, who went to the auditions hoping to be “made” into a stand-up comedian.  He has performed at GMU’s Homecoming Talent show and runs a comedy-based YouTube channel under the stage name “T-Money.”

“I actually got her laughing,” said McDonald, 18, after his audition. “I thought that was a good sign.”

McDonald was one of nearly 40 students who auditioned for Jessica Arbus, a casting associate producer for MTV Networks.

Arbus selected Mason because she was looking for a diverse student body.

“Mason was a great fit for that,” she said.

Ayana Butler, a Freshman majoring in Vocal Performance, 18, went to her interview in hopes of becoming a collegiate cheerleader. Butler was out of the country at the time of last year’s try-outs, and feels that with the help of the show, she can learn how to kill next years tryouts. Although she was nervous when Arbus asked her to cheer.

While many students auditioned earnestly trying to make a dream come true, others just wanted to have fun.  For example, Jackie Mulherin,  a 21-year-old senior majoring in Global Affairs, went into her audition in hopes of “becoming a dictator.”

Surprisingly, she says, when she told Arbus her sarcastic goal the reaction was “complete seriousness and understanding.”

Now, students who auditioned have to wait and see if the made it to the show. If they did, they’ll get a phone call or an e-mail letting them know, that MTV is going to make their dream come true.

By Tony Jamison

The following takes place between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays on Fox (oh how I miss the countdown). For us immovable 24 fans, Touch is the morphine shot we need until the resurrection of our favorite super-agent on the silver screen. I started to get this twitch in my right arm as I watched Jack Bauer, oops I mean Kiefer Sutherland, on primetime television again! Kiefer Sutherland’s new show Touch starts March 19^th, and is about Sutherland’s character (Martin) who is bothered by an inability to communicate to his mute, autistic son (Jake). Now what this show reminds me of is Nick Cage’s movie the Knowing, ABC’s greatest show Flash Forward, and Jim Carey’s 23 all mixed into 24’s build up screens. Touch brings characters with profound emotions into a nail biting thriller that will make you think you’re seeing Fibonacci Sequence, if you don’t know, please look it up because it’s important to the show. In terms of the setting, New York, New York (Yay, Giants!) is the great city where Kiefer takes on this adventure, just like the last season of 24 (Coincidence? I don’t know, you tell me). With the sentimental aspect of 9/11 thrown into the fray and the father’s fight with the New York City storm troopers to keep his son out of the state’s great juvenile system, you are bound to see flashes of Jack somewhere.

Most upsetting about Touch is Kiefer’s inability to kick ass like we are all accustom to seeing. Also, many of Jack’s mannerisms are identical to Martin’s (the damn blinking when he is in pain is annoying), but I don’t think Kiefer will ever be able to escape Jack’s character completely. However, Touch is very unique and does things rarely displayed on television. For example, there are multiple storylines around the globe involving a multitude of different individuals but somehow they are all connected to one another. Kind of like Flash Forward with the different storylines but this is on a large scale with better character development. Touch has the capability of being an amazing series and offers much more bravado, but we all know if a show is remotely good it gets canceled (Flash Forward, Lie to Me, Arrested Development, Veronica Mars). I hope Fox finally chooses quality over ratings, but we shall see. It’s a well done and intriguing show that will has the gravitas that will hook most people.

Mason Alumnus Shines at NFL

By Rachel Newdorf

The NFL Honors–the NFL’s first award show–will air this Saturday at 9 p.m., with a George Mason University alumnus tied to the project.

Khoi Phan, the designer of the awards show, worked along with art director Mollie Wilkie, project manager Andrew Conde and creative director Shandon Melvin to make this project become a reality.

Speaking about the project, Khoi describes what a “blessing” it was to work with “such a wonderful team.” He’s “proud” to see the project come together as well as having an “amazing advantage” being associated with such a prestigious organization such as the NFL.

Khoi,  26, has worked with the NFL on numerous other projects, such as Madonna’s Super Bowl Halftime ads, as well as Super Bowl XLVI programs and the NFL Military Appreciation Week 2011 program.

Khoi’s national debut this Saturday didn’t come easy. After graduating from George Mason in 2009 with a BFA in Graphic Design, Khoi and a friend, after a two year sabbatical, moved to New York City with “zero years of professional experience” and “just a few internships” which eventually led to designing for Macy’s and other “small jobs designing websites for musicians, photographers and art galleries.”

When Khoi’s “bank account hit $50,” he decided to move home to Fairfax, where he grew up.

” I was extremely disappointed and frustrated,” he says.

But he didn’t give up. Working for his family’s professional soccer academy, HP Elite & Beyond, Khoi rebranded the company resulting in an increase in client base just over a few months.

With his success with his family’s business, Khoi set his sights on creating “Vintage Futbol,” a lifestyle-clothing brand marketed to “soccer specific organizations” and that provided kids with “an identity away from the traditional Nike/Adidas” brands. One investor and three months later, Khoi landed a job at an advertising agency in Rockville, Md. While in Maryland, Khoi worked with various high profile clients, such as Brooks Brothers, VW, the Washington Redskins as well as the Washington Capitals, just to name a few.

Finally, after four months working on Vintage Futbol, on July 7, 2011 Khoi successfully launched the brand and immediately had more than 7,000 visitors to his website, 900 plus Facebook fans and more than 300 followers on Twitter.

Just days after launching Vintage Futbol, Khoi got a call from a representative in the NFL asking if he was interested in working for them up in New York City. As Khoi described his new job, he said that he found himself “relocating to New York City working for one of the largest sports organizations in the world. The NFL, the big time.”

Working on such a big project hasn’t hit the up-and-coming designer yet. Khoi has been with the NFL for almost seven months, and while working on multiple projects simultaneously, the fact that the NFL Honors will be broadcast worldwide still hasn’t registered with him yet. While he is excited, Khoi is still getting everything ready for the big premier and will be happy with the result when the project is done.

With the NFL Honors premiering this Saturday, Khoi has a lot to be thankful for. He attributes a huge part of his inspiration to his friend, Allie Coates who has been there for him through his journey. He does however, not contribute any of his success to luck. “Nothing in life is about chance or luck,” Khoi says. “Every opportunity is created, and with a positive resilient attitude, you can achieve anything you want.”

For more information about Khoi Phan or if you want to check out his blog, go to http://www.khoiphan.com/.