methodwriter85

Can we take a moment to appreciate how damn sexy Mike Vogel, aka Sherrif Shelby, is? Geez. Hot damn. I don't care if the guy is evil, Zach Shelby is hot.

I'm going to take another shot at Middle-Aged Claire...Vera Farmiga?

Hey, what makes you say that? Seriously though, I feel like you and I have been largely on the same page in regards to JJ. I've argued with you waaaaayyyyyy more on the Will stuff than I have with the JJ stuff, because we've been mainly on the same page about JJ. Like here. I totally agree with you on this one. At 17/18 (and when Evan Lysacek moves to Los Angeles), I can see it. Not at 15, when he still has the mindset of a little kid. I cringe at the thought of what a story narrated by me when I was 15 would be like...I was simliar in being very, very immature for my age then. Plus, as I've said in the other thing...being narrator requires you to have lots of sex, and I think JJ's natural inclination is to be somewhat chaste, after the nightmare of what happened with his coach. I think had this not happened, JJ would have been the type of kid you knew in high school who was happy to hold hands with his significiant other, let alone hump like rabbits the way his brothers do. That'll probably change when he gets closer to his 20's, but for now I think where you have him right now - the diva so focused on skating that he's not really so much into dating and mating the way his brothers are and who doesn't get why his brothers get so consumed by it- works really well, as a great contrast to Will the quintessential sexually precocious kid. It's also really realistic and true-to-life- yes, teenagers are typically hornbags looking to sate their hormonal urges, but some aren't. It's nice seeing a supporting character who doesn't fit into the oversexed American Pie high school stereotype.

I don't know how likely this is, but man, how cool would it be if Mark could incorporate the 2001 MTV Music Video Awards into CAP, which took place on September 6th? I mean, we did have Beyonce show up. I remember when 9/11 happened, people were talking about how much fun the week before 9/11 had been in NYC, and this was the last major awards ceremony held in New York before 9/11. For me, I remember the '01 ceremony being a big deal because one of the kids at my school was a back-up dancer for a Jay Z song.

Stanford is on a quarter system, so the 2001-2002 school year doesn't start until after 9/11. Check out the 2001-2002 Stanford academic calendar. According to the calendar, the 2001 Autumn quarter at Stanford started on Monday, September 24th, 2001. Wade and Matt's graduation should take place on Sunday, June 16th, 2002. I checked out info on UCLA for fall 2001, and they're also apparently on the quarter system- Darius's school year doesn't start until Tuesday, September 25th. So Darius could totally be in New York City visiting Ella on September 11th. Aside from that, the 2001 MTV Music Awards took place on September 6th, and I could easily see Darius getting tickets via Robbie's connections for that, and taking a week or two in New York trying to reconcile with Ella. That would be just the type of thing I could see two college kids wanting to do, especially if Ella is interested in seeing rockstar fashion. Plus, Britney Spears was there(that was the snake performance of Slave 4 U) and Ella's in her demographic. We're getting close enough to current times that it's easier looking up internet archived info, thank god.

I'm so damned excited- November 22nd, 2013 can't come soon enough! It really looks like they upped the production values of the film, as well as the design/costume values of the film. It looks consistent with the visuals of the first film, but with an enhanced flair. I love that we're getting more of the Districts rebelling instead of just getting the hints about them, and I love the political intrigue scenes with President Snow and Plutarch. I was a little disapointed that we didn't see Finnick O'Dair and Johanna Mason, but still...I cannot wait for this to come out!

I am SHOCKED, shocked I tell you, that you know where to find a mall with a Neiman Marcus at one end and a Sak's 5th Avenue at the other.

Well, unfortunately for you, Nelly was pretty big from 2001 to about 2004-ish, so...I can't really avoid his music.

Maybe it's not the same thing, but Will clearly set precedent for having sex with people that were in relationships in the previous story, and this story feels like a logical progression from that.

It's actually consistent from the previous story- Will slept with Tony who had a girlfriend, and he messed around with Gathan despite knowing that he was back with Kristin. The latter really bothered me, because Will is supposed to be good friends with Kristin, but I think this is the philosophy that Mark has in regards to his own life and that he's had Will articulate- that it's not your job to make sure other people live up to their committments. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I think Mark's developed that as a pretty strong part of Will's viewpoint, and it remains consistent with Will's "live and let live" (unless you try to get in my way) attitude.

Chapter 1 -When Will and Wade ride on their horses, and discuss their plans for the summer of 2001. What a great summer song. -When Wade tells Will about his beloved horse. "Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphey -When Will gets his ass kicked for sleeping with Kyle. -When Will decides to cut Kyle off because the drama just isn't worth it.

National Geographic is airing a 3-part documentary mini-series starting tonight that follows the cultural, racial, and political trends of the 1980's. As a nice touch, it's being narrated by Rob Lowe, former 80's hearthrob. National Geographic's The 80's- The Decade That Defined Us I'm so excited. I just simply adore that decade. The bright colors, the fun music, the outrageous fashions, and the then-impressive explosion of high-tech. The 80's just look like they would have been so much fun to have grown up in. Since the late '90's I've been into 80's nostalgia, and I think at this point- with the 80's being three decades ago, we should start getting some interesting perspectives on them since the 80's are no longer recent history. More time for research and proper reflection, I think. Here's the commercial: I loved I Love the 80's on VH1, so I'm so down for this.

I like the idea of there being more than one or two points of view. That's what defined 9.11 for me- it was such a human story, with many different points of view that everyone can remember where they were when it happened.

What I find really interesting about JJ is that he, geneticially and upbringing-wise, should be a major slut like the rest of his family. I mean, he was the result of an uncle banging his crackwhore niece. But the combination of delayed puberty and being in a sport that mandates a Disney-friendly image kept him pretty innocent, until he was forced to be sexual with his coach. And then despite what happened with his coach, he's still pretty much expected to keep his mouth shut about what happened and still go on to be very much the clean-cut, Disney-friendly figure skater who would never admit to even having straight pre-marital sex, let alone the kind of sex that was illegal in Texas until 2003. I think at 15 and with him lagging behind it'll be okay, but at 17/18 when he's finally in full-gear puberty wise, it's going to be difficult. I love that JJ stands in contrast to Will, who's very much that guy who started having an active sex life in junior high because he had the body of a guy several years older- I hope we can keep that going for the time being. It's incredibly realistic and very true to life with guys who were in the 12 to 16 age rage- the guys like Andy in Cross-Currents who were basically built like adult men by age 14 and thus got plenty of play, and the guys like JJ who were ignored by their peers because they still looked 11. Anyway, I'll be interested in seeing what characters eventually find themselves in Iraq. I don't think Matt or Wade would go, but I could see Gathan, maybe Darius. Historically, Claremont fits the profile of the kind of town that sends off a lot of their young to war, so I'm assuming there will be a fair amount of Claremonters in The War on Terror/Operation Enduring Iraqi Freedom.

Australia really is the land of beautiful men, isn't it?

I can't picture Flacco as being gay. No self-respecting gay man would ever let his unibrow get that bad. Aaron doesn't ping, either. I'd love it if Tim Tebow finally came out as gay, but I suspect that man will stay in deep denial for a long, long time. I wonder if it'll be any quarterbacks.

The problem with Will finding his "forever" soulmate at 14 is that Mark clearly wants to use Will for more stories, and while monogamy is nice, it's not very good for a soap. Note that Brad/Robbie and Matt/Wade weren't allowed to have another story until they came close to breaking up.

Nah, not until he grows up and matures a bit. I also can't really see him being a narrator in the near future because being narrator means you've got to engage in a lot of sex, and I think he's going to be largely traumatized and asexual for awhile. Finally, could you try to cut JJ at least a little slack? He's a 15 year old boy who essentially lost his mother, was abused by the only strong male model in his life, and didn't tell anyone because he desperately wants to hit the top of his sport. It's not like he was just another spoiled brat rich bitch. There were reasons behind it.

I'm going to admit, I always thought you were an American Ex-pat and therefore didn't actually live in England during Thatcher's rule. I agree with Sharon. She may not be my cup of tea, but you can't deny she got things done.

This is wayyyy ahead, but damn, I really want Riley and Madison to end up childhood sweethearts when they're 12 years old in 2013, since they're not going to be raised as brother and sister. It'd be so classic soap, with an updated 21st century twist. Could you imagine the heart attack that La Danfield would have if her precious first-born grandson was dating the daughter of a crazy lesbian Jersey chick and an aging gay circuit boi from a nobody Mid-Western family? Meanwhile, 26-year old Will and 27-year old JJ can chuckle about the hormonal exploits of their pubescent half-sister, while JJ teases Will about his own mishaps at that age, such as stripping in an Italian club. Then Will shoots back at JJ about his current exploits and unwillingess to settle down, before the two go back into the dinner that Will and his husband are throwing. I kinda see Will at his mid-20's being largely settled down and thoroughly domesticated, because he sowed his wilds seeds so much in his teen years. Conversely, I see JJ as being someone compensating for the fact that he sacrificed his childhood for the Olympic dream, so he basically treats his mid/late 20's as the adolescence he never really had, with lots of partying and flings. Darius and his wife (I don't think it will be Ella) would probably be on at least his 3rd child by 2013 with a 4th on the way, and living comfortably in a Los Angeles suburb. He and Will dogpile quite frequently on Jeremy for not being settled down the way they are, but in a loving, brotherly way.

I kind of modeled him after a hybrid of a frat boy, and a hipster.

Damn, I'm excited. The second video is the video intro that they're going to play before the Jurors come in, so it looks like us 12 were just in the jury box before coming into the deliberation room. Pretty cool, right? (Although they really need to photoshop over the Delaware state seal, as this is supposed to be in New York.) This has probably been the most intense theater experience I've ever had so far...but in a really good way. From having every line and movement scrutinized to having our director throw a fit and buy a new water cooler because some of the actors refused to drink from the old water cooler, it's been one great learning experience. It's been such a stark contrast to the student one-act play showcase I was in last year. I'm used to the experience of being able to say a line, and then leave the stage when I'm not in a scene. With 12 Angry Jurors, you have to stay in the scene the whole time, even when you don't have lines. I had the Guard part back in a 2006 college production, so I pretty much had a few lines and wasn't on stage much. This time around, I'm Juror 12, so it's been a completely different experience. I'm forced to stay into character during the length of the entire play, which has been pretty stimulating as an actor. Anyway, we open for a preview on Thursday, so wow...this is going to be a pretty exciting week for me.

It'd be cool if JJ, Tiffany, and Riley were in Bulgaria for the Junior Grand Prix that was taking place from September 13th to 16th. I like the idea of some of these characters being out of the country.

I'm sure it does...but...doesn't it make you kind of a shitty person to take advantage of someone who's so drunk they can't stand?

I don't know though, Tony is a legacy character. You can't really count out a legacy character when it comes to a soap. I'm assuming that when 9/11 comes around, some of Gathan's cousins will sign up for the army. I can't see there not being at least a few Hayes boys ending up in the War on Terror. As for JJ, it'll be interesting to see what happens when he gears up for the 2001-2002 season. With Tiffany being his coach now, she'll have to move to Los Angeles...or she could just commute. The jet comes in handy, I suppose. I could see some mild tension with Wade over Tiffany going to Los Angeles with Riley, but I could also see that tipping UCLA Law School into favor with Wade, as Wade's entering his senior year of college and law school is just around the corner. I would like to see JJ go back to Harvard-Westlake for his 10th grade year...JP and Brad could probably pull some strings, and it'd be nice to see JJ redeem himself a little bit and prove that he can do the work. Plus, I really like Allistair and I think he'd be a good influence on JJ, so I hope we can keep HW in the story. It'd also be cool if Will made friends with a guy who was in the Straight Edge movement of the late 90's/early 00s...it ws basically teenagers who didn't believe in drinking, drugging, or having promicious sex. It'd be a nice counterbalance to Will's drinking and sex teen shenanigans.