Fandom Friday: Random Fandom Thoughts #53: 9-1-1 and Laufey

Happy Friday, here are two Fandom Thoughts that have been on my mind:

- It's starting to feel like 9-1-1 might be ending because the show is doing that telltale sign of adding in a kid in the later seasons of the show. It's usually to boost ratings and it's very noticeable how they are already overhyping and focusing so much attention on this new kid being added to the show. Because why is the only thing the showrunner and actors have been doing in the press is hyping up the Evan "Buck" Buckley and sperm donor kid Theo's storyline for the upcoming 10th season. Not to mention the social media accounts have been doing the same thing with overly promoting the kid.

This is a show about first responders dealing with various emergencies and the only thing that seemed to be focused on for the 10th season is this kid and Buck fostering him (until he most likely adopts him). Of course, the show isn't all about emergencies because fans love the show because it also focuses on the main characters and telling their stories. However lately, the writers haven't been doing a good job of balancing the stories and some characters are barely getting any screentime or good stories. And with the new kid they are acting as if this is the first kid to be on this show.

On My List: November 30th

Happy Thursday!

I thought I'd post my mini On My List to post some of the things I've been reading, watching and listening to:

Currently Reading: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams. Unfortunately, this book got caught up in my reader's block and I have been trying to finish it ever since. I only have 66 pages left, so I should have this finished soon.

Currently Watching:

- New to Me Show: Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (BritBox). I just started watching the first season today and so far I find it to be really interesting. It's like reading a cozy mystery with the way the characters and mysteries are shown.

- Shows I'm Still Watching: Grimm (DVD, season 2) and NCIS: Los Angeles (DVD, season 2)

- Shows I'm Rewatching: Sherlock Holmes (1950's series, DVD), Survival of the Thickest (Netflix), Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney+), Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1990's series, Disney+), Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? (DVD, various episodes) and Jem and the Holograms (DVD, various episodes)

Other Stuff I've Watched Lately: Superman movie (1978) and various holiday episodes of shows.

Currently Listening To: Red, White & Royal Blue soundtrack by Drum & Lace.

Currently Working On: More posts.

Current Obsession: Nothing at the moment.

On My List: October 24th

Happy Tuesday!

I figure it's been a while since I've posted an On My List and thought I would post this slightly mini version of some of the things I've read, watched and listen to:

Currently Reading: Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls by Bennett Madison. I found this forgotten book on one of my shelves and I have been zipping through it ever since I started reading it.

Last Song: "Take Care of Me" by Chrysti Ane on Spotify. It was recommended to me, so I thought I'd give it a listen. It's not a bad song, it's pretty catchy. I could see re-listening to it.

Last Movie: Crossword Mysteries #1: A Puzzle to Die For, I rewatched it yesterday. I really love this series, this first movie was a good introduction to the Hallmark movie series which is set in New York City. The movie follows Tess Harper, a crossword puzzle editor at the Sentinel newspaper noticing clues within the daily crossword puzzles. Yet she was having a difficult time with Police Detective Logan O’Connor who initially considered her to be a nuisance who was getting in the way of his murder investigation that's connected to an art theft.

Currently Watching:

- New Shows: The Irrational (NBC, season 1), Found (NBC, season 1) and Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury (Netflix, season 1)

- Current/Ongoing Shows: Good Omens (Amazon Prime, season 2), Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max, season 2), Loki (Disney+, season 2) and Only Murders in the Building (Hulu, season 3)

- Old (or New to Me) Show: Grimm (DVD, season 2)

- Shows I'm Rewatching: Smallville (DVD, just a few episodes), NCIS: Los Angeles (DVD, season 2), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (DVD, season 1), A Different World (HBO Max, various episodes), What's New, Scooby-Doo? (DVD, season 1) and 9-1-1 (Hulu, various episodes)

Other Stuff I've Watched Lately: Scooby-Doo movies, The True Cost documentary, scary/horror movies, classic Disney Halloween movies and Halloween episodes of shows.

Show(s) I Dropped or Didn’t Finish: I haven't dropped any show so far. However, I still need to finish watching The Witcher and True Blood.

Currently Listening To: The "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" soundtrack by John Williams. It's really good.

Currently Working On: More fashion, lifestyle and book posts.

Current Obsession: I don't have one at the moment.

Throwback Thursday: When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls

Happy Thursday!

I totally forgot about The Pussycat Dolls and this song "When I Grow Up" which was released in 2008. Time really does fly by that's for sure. It's safe to say that The Pussycat Dolls weren't really a group since Nicole Scherzinger did most if not all of the singing. And the other ladies were only there mainly for background vocals and dancing. Anyway, here's a popular early 2000's classic song.

Feel Good Friday: Kenneth Choi (I'm Just Ken)

Happy Friday!

I think you can never get enough good cheer or feel good moments which is why I had to post this video of actor Kenneth Choi. It's his fun take on the "I'm Just Ken" song from the Barbie movie (which by the way is a really good movie, if you're wondering whether to see it).

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Video: Veronica Mars Theme Song and Opening Credits

I haven't rewatched Veronica Mars in a long time but lately I've been thinking about it. This is such a good show that I wish had stayed on longer than three seasons. It's an eye-opening gritty mystery series centered around high school student Veronica Mars.

It might have only had three seasons but it did return a few years later with: a movie (which is very good), two books (I reviewed one of them Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham) and a revival season on Hulu (which I still haven't seen).

I don't know why I've been thinking about this show but I ended up finding this video of the theme song and opening credits. Although the theme song "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols wasn't written for the show but it really is a perfect fit for it.

Video: "Part of Your World" by Halle Bailey

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I wanted to post this video of Halle Bailey singing "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid movie. I just think her voice is so beautiful. I can't wait to see The Little Mermaid, even though I still don't get why Disney keeps making live action versions of the company's animated movies. Also, why couldn't Sebastian the crab and Flounder the fish be as cute and adorable as they are in the animated movies and TV series? Who needs realistic looking sea animals when the movie is centered around mermaids and other under the sea mystical beings?

Video: Smallville Theme Song and Opening Credits

I know I've said this before but I wish shows would go back to having theme songs and opening credits because it just adds that little something extra to the show. Although Smallville's theme song Save Me by Remy Zero wasn't officially created for the series but whoever selected it for the show made the perfect choice.

Despite all the Superhero shows that have aired over the years, Smallville is still one of the longest running shows. It ran for 10 years from 2001-2011 and it follow a young Clark Kent as he figured out his growing powers and used them to be a hero. It's still one of my favorite shows and yes, there were episodes and seasons that weren't the best especially as Chloe Sullivan got way too much screentime. And the writers didn't know what to do with either her or Lana Lang but the show was still very much worth watching. Especially once Lois Lane was introduced in the fourth season and her and Clark has this immediate chemistry that overshadowed any romantic relationships they had with other characters. I also loved the introduction of Clark's cousin Kara Zor-El/Kara Kent a.k.a. Supergirl in the seventh season.

However, to this day, I still hate that they killed off Jimmy Olsen. And after the backlash, they gave a flimsy excuse that he wasn't the real Jimmy but the older brother who would influnce the real Jimmy to become a Photo Journalist. Anyway, I still enjoy watching this show and one day I hope to get the Blu ray boxset. Here's the Theme Song and Opening Credits for all ten seasons of Smallville.

Video: Teen Wolf Theme Song and Opening Credits (seasons 2-6)

I wish shows would go back to having theme songs and opening credits instead of just a title card. If I'm remembering correctly, the first season of Teen Wolf had just a title card but seasons 2-6 had various opening credits to go along with the theme song that was created by Dino Meneghin.

I found it interesting that Tyler Posey's intro changed almost with each season while Tyler Hoechlin and Crystal Reed's intros never changed. And it wasn't until the fourth season that Dylan O'Brien's changed and Holland Roden's not until the sixth season. This video is making me want to do a full rewatch of the series, prior to watching Teen Wolf: The Movie I had only rewatched a few episodes and most of those were mainly from the second half of the third season which the movie mostly centered on.

Video: "Journey to the Past" by Aaliyah and "Viaje Tiempo Atras" (Journey to the Past) by Thalia (Anastasia soundtrack)

Happy Throwback Thursday!

I rewatched the movie Anastasia a couple of days ago and the animation is just as wonderful as the story. I was still thinking about the movie and figured I'd post two "Journey to the Past" videos by Aaliyah and Thalia from the movie's 1997 soundtrack. The videos might be outdated visual wise but the song is still amazing. If you haven't seen Anastasia, I really recommend it.

Video: Bejeweled by Taylor Swift

Good Morning and Happy Sunday!

How's everyone's morning? I thought I'd start the day with a little music, I actually really like "Bejeweled" by Taylor Swift. It's a good song and I also really like the video which is an interesting take on Cinderella.

Video: LMNTRIX's Mad Scientist video entry for The Vortex dance competition (Step Up 5)

It's only eight more days until Halloween and I wanted to start posting more fun and spooky stuff. Here's a video from Step Up 5: All In. I always thought LMNTRIX's video entry for The Vortex dance competition had the perfect Halloween vibe with their mad scientist inspired performance.

I wish the video entries for The Mob, The Grim Knights and some of the other contestants were also shown. Because it would have been interesting to have seen whatever dances and performances they had come up with. If not shown in the movie (as perhaps a montage scene) then at least those videos should have been included in the bonus or special features section for the DVD/Blu-ray.

Music: Demons by Zeds Dead

Video: Breakfast by Dove Cameron

I love this song, Breakfast by singer and actress Dove Cameron. I think the video is really interesting with how it flipped everything around and showed unfair power dynamic, unwanted attention and harassment. And not to mention the message the video is trying to tell.

Video: Power Rangers Ninja Steel Theme Song and Opening Credits

It's been quite some time since I've had a Power Rangers Ninja Steel and Super Ninja Steel rewatch. I really like these seasons of Power Rangers, they remind me of the original series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. And the main characters/Ninja Steel Power Rangers: Sarah Thompson/Pink Ranger, Brody Romero/Red Ranger, Hayley Foster/White Ranger, Calvin Maxwell/Yellow Ranger, Preston Tien/Blue Ranger and Levi Weston/Aiden Romero/Gold Ranger are a combination of smart, goofy and fun.

And I can't forget about Victor and Monty, their bumbling bully act reminds me so much of MMPR's Bulk and Skull because all four are annoying and think they rule their respective schools. Which they really don't.

I don't know when I'll have time for a full rewatch but I'm going to try to find some time soon. Until then, here's the show's theme song and various opening credits.

Flashback Friday: Timbaland featuring Ne-Yo video: Hands in the Air (Step Up 4: Revolution Soundtrack)

I know I'm a little late posting something for 10th Anniversary for Step Up 4: Revolution, Wednesday (July 27th) was the actual date. Anyway, I'll post a celebratory post tomorrow until then here is Timbaland featuring Ne-Yo video Hands in the Air which features dancer and actress Kathryn McCormick who was also the lead actress in Step Up 4. Funny enough, Ne-Yo is one of the stars in the Step Up: High Water TV Series.

Video: Natalie Portman (Sweet Child O' Mine)

This is so cool, I had to post it. Natalie Portman with a really amazing group of musicians playing "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. Also, not to be forgotten is the really cute pink dress she's wearing.

Monday Motivation: Don't let setbacks and rejection stop you from going after your dreams

Happy Monday, I know not everyone is happy about Mondays which is why I wanted to post this video of The Mob's terrible auditions for dancing jobs from the movie Step Up 5: All In for Monday Motivation. Hopefully your Monday will be much better than the awful experience these dancers had in trying to get jobs. The casting directors were so degrading, demeaning and dismissive and they seemed to enjoy making the dancers do ridiculous things for jobs they knew they weren't going to hire them for.

This scene might be fun to watch but I can't help thinking about all the rejection The Mob got from these auditions. Which doesn't seem very motivating for Monday Motivation but it is because although this was a setback for them they did bounce back to later enter a big dance competition albeit Sean in a different crew from The Mob. But the main thing is that they didn't give up even if they got a lot of rejection and endured a minor setback.

Rejection and setbacks happen but it's how you deal with them that matter. Do you give up or do you keep following your dreams?

Music: I Won't Let You Down (Shockbit Remix) by OK Go

Feel Good Friday: The Pirates Crew Dancing (Step Up 3)

It's a little late but it's still Friday. What's everyone feeling good about? I've always loved this scene in Step Up 3 of everyone in The Pirates dancing and having fun. I love all the Step Up movies but I think this third movie is probably my absolute favorite out of the franchise. I don't know why but I just love this movie.

Music: Fancy Footwork by Chromeo

It's the 24th Anniversary of the Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella Movie!

Today is the 24th Anniversary of the Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella movie which originally aired November 2, 1997 on ABC. It's an absolutely fantastic musical with an equally fantastic cast which starred Whitney Houston (who also co-produced the film) as the Fairy Godmother, Brandy as Cinderella, Paolo Montalbán as Prince Christopher, Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina, Victor Garber as King Maximillian, Jason Alexander as the royal assistant Lionel, Bernadette Peters as the evil Stepmother, Natalie Desselle as the evil stepsister Minerva and Veanne Cox as the evil stepsister Calliope.

I have it on DVD and I've watched it countless times because I love this movie. The songs are so indelible, it's hard to forget the lyrics to "Impossible". Along with the music, it's the amazing performance by the cast that made this film the stunning jewel it is.

This is a magical and charming movie and I'm happy that fans continue to love and appreciate this wonder take on Cinderella. If you haven't seen it please do.

Book Review: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

Book: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters

Cover Art by Sam Nielson
Cover Design by Alison Klapthor

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher. Or is she?

It all started with a Special Project: Solve a mystery in your own life.

For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore. She’s convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life. But no one is prepared for what she discovers. Ms. Finkleman used to be . . . a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works, led by none other than timid Ms. Finkleman!

But is the case really closed or could there be even more to the story of Ms. Finkleman? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate, Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves this mystery once and for all!