Let's Not Get Stabby

There’s something you should know about me.

I’m a HUGE Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan. HUGE.

When the show was on the air, in the ages before Tivo and Dvrs, anyone who knew me, knew you didn’t call my house on Tuesday nights between 8 and 9 pm. Because that was Buffy time. And you didn’t interrupt my Buffy time.

I have watched every single episode of the show, and even stuck with the spinoff Angel to its bitter (and I do mean bitter) end.

I will be the first person to recognize a Buffy quote or a Buffy alum in another television show or movie (did you all catch Xander’s turn on Private Practice recently? WHOA, not such a cuddle-monkey in that!).

I still hold, to this day, the opinion that BTVS was one of the most witty, well written, campy television shows of all time.

And also, all this new Vampire craze? Has made me more than once wish Buffy would come out of retirement with her Mr. Pointy already.

But, we should be careful what we wish for. Because the latest news to hit the interwebs on the vampire front is that Warner Bros. are in fact going to produce a Buffy movie reboot. And really, with the surge of vampire popularity, this was to be expected, no?

However, this movie reboot does not include series creator Joss Whedon (WHAT? Sacrilige!) or any of the shows actors, writers, producers, costume designers…okay, maybe I’m getting carried away.

The point is, this “reboot” won’t have any of the original Buffyverse inhabitants in it.

And a Buffyverse without Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy? Is simply not a Buffyverse at all.

Before anyone goes all “Well SMG wasn’t the original Buffy anyway”, yes, I realize Kristy Swanson originated the role in the movie with (gasp) Luke Perry by her side…

but, SMG carried (beautifully) the stake for 8 great seasons and I’m just not sure I can see anyone else in that role.

And who could ever replace Nicholas Brendon as the loveable and bumbly Xander? Or Allison Hannigan as geeky yet powerful witchy Willow? Rupert Giles? Angel? Cordelia? And PLEASE tell me they’re not going to try and replace James Marster’s Spike, because that CANNOT be done.

And yet…and yet…as much as I believe it is just WRONG to take the Buffy out of the Buffyverse…I can’t help but wish for a well done, well casted, well written movie. Because as a true Buffy fan, a poorly written, poorly acted movie would be a stain on an empire that deserves better.

SO I find myself torn, wanting to banish this so called movie from it’s existence before it even gets made, or wanting to cheer on those involved to make it the best Buffy movie ever…because NOBODY wants a “Grease 2” on their hands here…

Seriously? When a shirt isn't just a shirt.

I don't watch commercials on television very often anymore, not since I got my Tivo box years ago. But now and again, I will. Usually, when I am in the middle of doing something else, often times in another room, so I mostly "hear" the commercial a handful of times before I actually see it.

I've "heard" the following commercial quite a few times in the last couple of weeks, and every time, I thought "well, that just doesn't sound right to me".

Today, for the first time, I actually saw the ad. What ad? This ad:

Nope, that just doesn't seem quite right, does it? What message is being put out there? That it's okay for a mom to "borrow" her daughter's shirt without telling her, lie to her when she asks you about it, go behind her back to continue hiding the fact that you wore it, and then act like it's HER FAULT she couldn't find the shirt in the first place?

I'm not a mom, but somehow, I don't think this is the lesson I want to teach MY KIDS whenever/if ever I do have them.

Not to mention the mom's "you know that's not my style" comment. Meaning what? That mom has this whole other personality, out with her friends, partying, drinking, in leather pants, that she hides from her daughter (and perhaps the rest of her family) as she sits at home in a grandma sweater with no make-up on?

Saying that what? A woman can't be both a good mom, and have fun with her friends, wear makeup and look good?

I don't know...I suppose whoever came up with this concept was going for some sort of sitcom humor, but...sitcom humor doesn't work in 30 second spots, and it sure as hell doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would inspire me to buy a product...

This One's Got Bite

What is it about Vampires? Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, which, by the way, might be a perfectly dank enough place to find yourself a vampire or two, there are a few Vampire themed events going on in pop culture at the moment.

The most obvious and anticipated one, is, of course, the release of New Moon, movie number 2 in the Twilight Series, which comes out today...or to be exact, last night, at midnight.... Just in case you are in any way doubtful about the SERIOUSNESS of this event, I encourage you to turn on your television, point your web browser to...oh any website with any news on it, or go ahead, check Twitter and it's Trending Topics. See, I told you!

But, I digress. Let’s get back to the Vampires.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have been infatuated with all things vamp since I picked up my first copy of The Vampire Lestat WAY back in my teens. I read through Ann Rice’s Vampire Chronicles with such voracity that I actually had to stop reading them at one point, such were the nightmares they were bringing out at night.

From the dark world Rice wrote about, I moved onto lighter fare, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With incredibly well written wit and sarcasm, this show, and later, it’s spin-off Angel, would supply me with all the vampires I needed for nearly a decade. The tortured Angel, the evil and yet so delectable Spike, true vamps who would burst into flames in sunlight, and couldn’t enter sacred ground. And of course, the “not completely human” girl, tortured in love with the vamp she can’t have, and the one she knows better than to get involved with.

After Buffy, truth be told, vampire lore lost its appeal to me for a while. There were the occasional movie, television show, or book, but it seemed pop culture had taken a break from worshiping the fanged ones.

And then, suddenly, out of the blue, they raised from their graves again, to completely saturate the market. Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, suddenly the vamps were back with a vengeance. At first, I resisted. I’d moved on, I’d left my vampire crushes behind. Angel was now solving crimes in an FBI suit and tie, Buffy was having babies and making really bad movies, Willow was friends with Barney, Spike was nowhere to be found, and I had left that world behind.

But like the supernatural power of persuasion these mythical beings are known to possess…I couldn’t stay away. Even as I made fun of his sparkly skin, and her dark gloomy emo attitude, I was pulled into Edward and Bella’s world. For the first time since having met my first vampire, however, I found myself siding with the other species. Yes folks, I am indeed on Team Jacob, even after book 4. I blame it not so much on Edward’s dark and gloomy as I do on Bella’s. I like the Bella Jacob brings out a whole lot more, so that wins him points. But regardless of my quips, I admit it, I’ve been sucked into the Twilight world, and I too will be going to see New Moon…just not this weekend. Before all the Twilight diehards go on the attack, let me clarify, I thoroughly enjoyed the books. They were fun reads. But I never found myself falling completely in love with any of the characters, and then, as if I wasn’t enough on the fence with Edward, the casting directors go and pick Rob Pattinson to portray him in the movies. He just didn’t fit for me, and ruined any chance I had of creating a more likeable imaginary character in my head. (I am now ducking to avoid all the objects being thrown at me). But, Twilight was enjoyable enough to suck me back into my love affair with Vampires.

Then there was True Blood. Where Twilight is chaste and innocent, True Blood is borderline um…well no, it actually crosses the line. Often. Still, the formula appears here as well. With the dark and tortured Vamp Bill Compton. The “not quite human” girl Sookie. The meaner, nearly evil Vamp Eric. And all the other creatures of the night we only hope not to ever dream about. But True Blood is not for the faint of heart. And yet, I love it. It is dark, and twisty, and just so plain wrong. And so, so good.

And then, more recently, I decided to give The Vampire Diaries a looksy. All I’d heard about the show was that it involved a (so far as we know it) human girl, and two vamps. Brothers. One, tortured and brooding, one dark and twisty. I’d also heard the talk of how it carried similarities to Twilight, but was in fact, based on books that were written well before Twilight was even dreamt up. That alone led me to investigate. And, I have to tell you, I’m hooked.

What Twilight lacks (both in the books and the movies) is a sense of humor about itself. As much as I’ve been sucked into that world, I’ve always felt something was lacking, and Vampire Diaries reminded me what it was. A little darker (albeit much lighter fare than True Blood), a little sexier (Stefan far out-sexys Edward, sorry girls), and Damon brought back the much beloved “Spike” for me. Dark, evil, twisted and…funny. In a “I’m making fun of you, of myself, of this very genre, but you just don’t see it” sort of way. I think this show has great potential, and am intrigued to see where it is taken.

And here I am…again completely smitten with those dark mysterious creatures of the night. What is it about Vampires anyway?

Cafe Karina - The Bachelor - Birthdays, Busts, Bears and Bitching

Welcome to Candid Karina's first edition of Cafe Karina - The Bachelor Recaps.

It's Episode Three of the Bachelor, and there are still plenty of Bachelorettes for Jason to choose from. Who will be sent home without a rose tonight?

There will be group dates, solo dates, and some women who will not even get a date.

The first date of the week is with Stephanie, single mom. Today is her daughter's birthday, and Jason surprise her with a visit from her daughter. Their date turns into a family outing, and Stephanie show's her mommy side, and her family side. The two of them have a great time on their date and I'll admit, I wasn't sure about Stephanie in the beginning, but she's definitely grown on me, and with this date, I could see the potential there between her and Jason. She ends the date receiving a rose, but not just any rose, a lego rose. Too cute.

The next date is a group date, and Jason is taking eight women with him. On this date are Melissa (who's already had a one on one with him), Shannon (the stalkerish dental hygienist), Nikki, Naomi, Erica, Jillian, Megan, and Kari (who I don't think I've ever seen before...where has this girl been?) and they're all going to make "casts" of their busts for a breast cancer awareness charity. An excuse for Jason to feel up a bunch of girls all for a good cause. Also an excuse for Jason to keep his shirt off for half of the episode. No complaints here.

We also get to see a little bit more about the girls' personalities...some which we could have done without knowing about, to be honest. That chick Megan? I just don't like her. I think she's completely full of herself, and is one of those people that likes to hear herself speak about all the good she does, but probably spends more time talking about what she does, then actually doing it. She really comes across as very fake for me. Melissa I really like, I think she's sweet and real. Shannon still freaks me out a little bit. Did anyone else hear the crickets chirping when Nikki and Jason were speaking one on one? Jillian I'm really beginning to like as well. She's goofy and fun, but down to earth and real too. And obviously Jason agrees, because he gives her the rose for the group date.

The next date is a solo date with Natalie. Natalie the high maintenance chick is late for her first date with Jason...not a good start. And yet, the perfect date for her includes a necklace and bracelet that are brought in by bodyguard in a locked briefcase...worth over a million dollars. If you're wearing a million dollar necklace, then I suppose a trip on a private jet to Las Vegas is almost to be expected right? Right...from a jet to a helicopter flight over Vegas. Now that's a date! But here's my question, how is this helping Jason "find out if there's more" to her with this date? It's sort of a superficial date, isn't it? As they're walking in the restaurant Jason says "walking in with the girl everyone is looking at it felt good"...superficial. So, he decides to dig beneath the surface, and all she can talk about is clothes and bears. Bears?? Really? Bears? The date wraps up with a private performance by Kate Voegele and some dancing. But, besides the fact that he's obviously attracted to her and wants to like her because he's attracted to her, there's no actual chemistry there. He's just not that into her. Natalie doesn't get the rose, she's going home. And she does not take it well at all, which really kind of shows her true colors as just a bit immature and not at all gracious. Granted, I'd probably be pissed too, but she showed an ugly side which I'm sure made Jason glad he sent her packing.

Back at the mansion, once the rest of the girls find out Natalie is gone, they get really nasty. In the meantime, Jason, spured on by Natalie's remarks about there being "mean girls" at the house, is on a mission to find out the truth. He's also, apparently, on a mission to kiss as many girls as possible in one evening.

The stress of the drama between the girls in the household begins to be too much to handle for some of the girls...namely, Shannon, the stalker. I'm sure she's a really sweet, real girl, but she still completely freaks me out.

Then Lauren tells Jason that Megan and Erica are the two trouble makers in the house, and Megan eavesdrops on the conversation, so you know her claws come out.

The rose ceremony takes a turn, Chris asking the girls to open up, speak candidly and say what needs to be said before Jason makes his decision. And so, the drama begins. The girls get ugly, Shannon gets sick, and I think Jason gets wise to some of the inner tension in the house. Of course as Shannon is getting sick, Megan is calling her a bitch...really? Pot? Kettle...Unfortunately that does not happen in front of Jason for him to see...of course.

And then Jason starts handing out roses. The first goes to Molly, the second to Lauren, then Melissa, Naomi and Shannon. At this point you can see Erica, Nikki and Megan shaking in their boots. And Kari? Well, noone ever really sees or hears from here, right? Nikki gets the next rose, and with with one rose left, it goes to Megan. WHAT? Oh Jason. Silly silly boy.

So, it is Erika and Kari who are going home tonight. Such is life.

Nine girls left...what will happen next week. Come on back, let's discuss. What did you think this week?