Poppin' Off Early Edition- The Walking Dead Season Five Finale

*As always, this post will contain spoilers from Sunday night's episode. If you haven't watched it or haven't heard what happened yet, you probably don't want to read this.*

Oh Alexandria. What a fickle place you are. So naive and yet a little bit vicious. I kinda like it. There was a lot of speculation on what Sunday night's episode was going to be. With it being bumped up to 90 minutes, everyone was thinking something big was coming. I was pretty sure that Glenn was going to eat it, and I'm not the only one. With all the teasers of Glenn and bats, his demise at the hands of Lucille seemed inevitable this season. So when I made the mistake on getting on Twitter while the East Coast was watching the finale, and I started seeing the OMG GLENN NOOOOOO tweets, I thought for sure he was a goner. Well, he wasn't. So you guys on the East Coast are a little dramatic lol. But he did come close, twice, at the hands of Nicholas, and when Glenn didn't kill that fool, I got a little angry. He needs to go.

You know who else needs to go? Father Gabriel. When he went on his little nature walk, and told that zombie that he was ready, I got so excited! He betrayed Rick's group by going to Deanna and saying what horrible people they are. They're so horrible that they let him tag along, even though he's been nothing but a whiny baby and a hindrance to the group. And excuse me, but who was the one that locked all his churchy friends out and let them die in the interest of self preservation? Yeah, that was you Father Gabriel, not Rick. So on the scale of one to you're a mega douche, I'd say he's a lot worse than Rick and Company. At least Rick kills for the protection of his makeshift family. Father Gabriel just hides in the corner like a puss. Then when Sasha went to him for help, and he told her that it was her and Tyreese's fault that Bob died. What the hell dude? That's not very priest-like, that's messed up. And the Padre still isn't very apocalypse savvy, as he left the gate open for zombies to just come on in and make themselves at home. Its a good thing Rick noticed that one had gotten through, and the delivery of its head to his hearing was a nice touch. It's probably the reason that Deanna let him stay in Alexandria. That, and when Porchdick Pete was trying to kill Rick, he sliced open Reg first and Deanna asked Rick to kill him for her. So long Porchdick! It was nice knowing you. Now maybe Rick can start a family again with Jessie.

Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) did an interview where he said that fans would be pissed off at this finale. His comments added to the Glenn dying theory, but after watching the finale, I don't think that's what he meant. I left the finale feeling pissed off that they killed the wrong people! I mean, Porchdick Pete needed to go, that's for sure. But poor Reg? He didn't do anything. I know that they are following a comic book story line there (and that's amazing, since I haven't read one Walking Dead comic, but comment sections on TWD articles are so informative), but did they really have to do it? Nicholas and Father Gabriel really needed to die in that episode. And really, Sasha did too. Shes so self destructive right now, its annoying and she either needs to get over it, or she needs to get back in that pit with the zombies.

This episode also brought us Morgan. After seeing little glimpses of him throughout the season, he is finally brought to the group. He helped save Aaron and Daryl from a trap that the Wolves had set. And that's the other big takeaway from this finale- The Wolves. We've been seeing these zombies with W's on their heads for this last half of the season, and now we know that they are marked for Wolves. Morgan had a talk with a Wolves member at the start of episode, where the Wolves member tells him that hes going to take everything from Morgan, including his life. As we know, that didn't happen, but the monologue was a nice way to explain what this group is and what the people of Alexandria are going to be up against. At the end of the episode, after we see more Wolves members resetting their food truck trap that almost killed Aaron and Daryl, we see them killing the member that failed to capture them, and we also see them looking at pictures of Rick's group in Alexandria. Season six will have to center around conflict with the Wolves, and if what all the comment commandos are saying is true....Glenn with finally meet his demise at the hands of Negan and Lucille :(

And lastly, it's also been hinted that someone in the group is going to turn into a bad guy (or gal). After watching these past few episodes, does anything think that's Carol (or Scarol? I can't think of her as anything else thanks to Chris Hardwick)? She came into Alexandria playing the timid old lady who can't do much, but shes basically Martha Stewart on steroids. Being a gangsta towards that kid, threatening Pete in the finale, turning on Rick when they were asking him about the gun, even though it had been her idea to get them....It just seems like shes planning her own thing now.

Source.

What did you think of the finale?  Were you thinking that Glenn was going to die too? Let me know in the comments below!

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Teevee Shows of 2014

I feel like I haven't watched as much teevee as I did last year, which is why making this list seems more difficult to me. It also explains why a few of these shows aren't even technically teevee shows, they are Netflix shows. This list isn't necessarily shows that were new this year, they are just the shows I loved the most this year.

1. House of Cards. (Netflix) My husband and I binged watched this so fast! Kevin Spacey is a fabulous bad guy, and why do we have to wait until February 2015 for the next season? It has all the political snark and sass that Scandal has, but to me, this show seems a little more realistic. I completely believe that politicians have reporters in their pockets, and I can see how votes get swayed the way Frank does it. Now the way he got to the Presidency.....that's a little much. But its still a great show!!

2. Bojack Horseman. (Netflix) I didn't think I was going to like this show at first. A cartoon about a washed up 90's sitcom star that also happens to be a horse? What? But its actually pretty hilarious. And it has the voices of Will Arnett, Aaron Paul and Alison Brie, just to name a few. Here is Buzzfeed's breakdown of the background jokes in Season One. Season two starts some time next year.

3. Sons of Anarchy. Love this show, so sad its over. How many people died this season?! Like practically everybody. This was a show that took me forever to start watching, but once I did, I was so glad. And now I'm sad that its over, but really, it would be worse if they tried to drag it out. If you didn't get a chance to watch it on teevee, its on Netflix!

4. Cold Justice. I really like that this is a "reality" show, but its not completely outlandish like most reality teevee is. They don't always solve their cases, which is a bummer of course, but that goes to show you how real the show actually is. In a world where people think they know everything because they watch CSI or Law and Order, where the crimes get solved with witty one liners in an hour, its nice to have a show that actually shows people that it doesn't get solved that quickly. And fun fact, Marg Helgenberger's character on CSI was based on Yolanda McClary.

5. Rizzoli and Isles. I like cop shows. And really enjoy the dynamics that Jane and Maura's friendship share. I was a little nervous watching the rest of the season this year. Lee Thompson Young committed suicide in the summer, and he was one of my favorite characters on the show. I wasn't sure I wanted to see where the show would go without him. It did pretty well, though. They didn't rush to fill his shoes, gave the cast time to mourn, and as a fan, I appreciated that. I wasn't ready to see anyone sitting in his desk just yet.

Honorable Mentions-
Here are a couple of shows that I like, but I don't go out of my way to watch.

Project Runway Threads. I stumbled upon this when I had nothing to watch while folding laundry one day. I'm honestly falling out of love with the Project Runway franchise, there isn't anything new about it anymore. But with Threads, its different designers every week and they're teenagers! Its amazing how talented they are, and I really enjoy seeing their creative process. And the fact that they get to bring an assistant (usually a parent), is pretty great. The only thing that bothers me about the show is Ingrid Nilsen. She looks so young yet so old at the same time. It just bothers me.

Ladies of London. I want to live in London, and I love a good Housewives franchise. But this one was kind of eh. They made the Americans look rude, ignorant and loud, and they made the British ladies look too cool for school and mega bitchy. I had my favorite (Caroline) and my least favorite (Caprice), but it just fell a little short of what I was hoping it'd be. I still watched it though, because England.

Homeland. Without Brody, its nothing. Lol, okay, its not nothing- I just didn't really feel into it this season. Of course I still watched it....

And I still have my regular shows like Pretty Little Liars, 2 Broke Girls and the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Beverly Hills and Orange County that I watch too, but I think I put them on the list last year :)

How about you? What were your favorite shows this year? Did you keep to your old favorites or did you watch anything new?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Music of 2014

Last year I did best albums and singles, but I have to admit, I only bought one CD in its entirety this year. It was Taylor Swift's 1989. And while that album is amazeballs, I think I'm sticking to just my favorite singles this year. Just like last year though, these are based purely on my musical preferences alone, and have no bearing whatsoever to any Billboard charts.

1. Bloodstream- Ed Sheeran This song is off his album x and it is just amazing. Its so sad, but beautiful. Its good if you're going through a rough time, especially in a relationship.

2. Shake It Off- Taylor Swift Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that people are going to be who they are no matter what, and you just need to shake it off and get on with your own fabulous life.

3. Black Widow- Iggy Azalea ft Rita Ora This song is just catchy to me, and for all the play its been getting on the radio, I'm still not sick of it yet. Plus, I'm a huge fan of Rita Ora. Find on Iggy's album The New Classic.

4. Centuries- Fall Out Boy I will always have a special place in my musical heart for Fall Out Boy. A band that references the Simpsons just can't fail in my book.

5.Till It's Gone- Yelawolf I love this song so much. It was debuted during the first episode of the last season of Sons of Anarchy, and it fits the show perfectly.

6. L.A.Love (La La)- Fergie I like Fergie's music for exercising or car rides, because its catchy and fun, and this song is no exception.

7. I Can't Stop Drinking About You - Bebe Rexha She sounds a bit like Miley Cyrus to me, but that's not a bad thing!  And I just really like this song.

I might be making a part two to this, I'm not sure. Because there are a lot of songs I liked this year! What about you? What are your favorite songs from 2014?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Halloween Teevee Shows

Since I posted about the movies I like to watch around Halloween, I thought I'd also write about the teevee shows that themes that fit the Halloween vibe and are perfect for binge watching. Bonus, almost all of these are available for streaming on Netflix right now.

1. Dexter. Making Deb's casual costume the other day has really made me want to rewatch the series. A serial killer that kills bad guys only? And works at a police department? It really doesn't get much better than that. Even though hes a serial killer, you really have to love Dexter (well, until the last season, then you kinda wish he died).

2. Criminal Minds. I've been watching this show lately and I enjoy it. There are some things that bother me, like the team constantly compromises evidence by never wearing gloves, and the way they wear their guns drives me insane. But then I remind myself that its teevee and the rest of the show is actually pretty good. Its also about serial killers, but its focus is a behavioral analysis team from the FBI that catches them. And if you're ever in need of a good quote, this is the show for you. They open and close each episode with a quote from a famous thinker, writer, poet, etc. (There's even a few websites dedicated to documenting each quote, like this one.)

3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Not quite like its movie predecessor, but this show had plenty of sass and dry humor that made it great. Not to mention a soundtrack that is oh so appropriate to its time (late 90s, early 2000's). Buffy is a very nostalgic show for me. I had the soundtrack on CD and would listen to it while getting ready for school. And I think Buffy was one of the only shows my sisters and I could agree to watch together back in high school, everything else was such a battle lol. 

4. Sabrina The Teenage Witch. So I think the beginning episodes are the best, but the show in general is a favorite of mine. Salem was always my favorite character, and I loved the house Sabrina and her aunts lived in. While the show did do specific Halloween episodes, all of the episodes are good for a little magic. 

5. The Simpsons Treehouse of Terror. If you planned ahead during FXX's marathon like my sister in law did, your DVR could be storing every Treehouse of Terror. But if you're like me and didn't, find copies of these episodes immediately! The Simpsons usually do good Halloween episodes.

6. The X-Files. Um....this show screams Halloween. Aliens? Mystery? Conspiracy theories? These are things that this holiday thrives on. And not to mention that Mulder and Scully are the best set of partners to ever grace your teevee screen. Watch it. Watch it now. And then watch the movie.

7. Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. A must watch, every single year. 

(I say this a lot, not too many people get it)

What are you watching this Halloween season? Are there any shows you think I should have added to my list?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Mean Girls Turned Ten Yesterday!

In case you were living under a technology free rock yesterday, you might have missed that Mean Girls turned ten years old. I can't tell you how old I feel right now. There are few movies I can quote in near entirety, and Mean Girls is one of them.

I'm not sure why Mean Girls means so much to me, but it does. I even donned Army pants and flip flops back in the day, because of this movie (I know! But I was so cool lol.) Lindsay Lohan was an actress that I admired, but this was pre-drug use and plastic surgery. Her scene in the blue tee shirt and jeans when she survives her first three way call attack is what firmly cemented  for me the theory that jeans and tee shirts are the best look for a girl, and I still stand by that to this day (much to my mother-in-law's chagrin). 

I think that its great that ten years later, people are still quoting Mean Girls like it just came out yesterday. There were some great quotes, there's no denying that:

And some awesome logic:

And of course, the rules of dressing: 

You can't wear tank tops two days in a row, you can only wear jeans or sweatpants on Friday and you can only wear your hair in a ponytail once a week....

Mean Girls is, and always will be, one of my favorite movies. So Happy Belated Ten Years, Mean Girls! You are so fetch.

For more quotes and things, check out these links:

*E! Online

*MTV.com (even though the commentary on this list is a little snarky)

*Thought Catalog

Most of the photos came from E Online, and the rest from a Google image search.

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Movies of 2013

I saw lots of movies this year, here are some of the ones that I think are the best (and that I can remember watching. Isn't that horrible?! I have the worst memory, seriously). (As always, if you haven't seen these movies yet and would like to, please read at your own risk. There could be spoilers.)

Family movies:

Monsters University. I am a big fan of Monsters Inc, so I came to this movie with huge expectations. And they were met. The story was good, the graphics were great.....I just loved it. And so did my kids, which means a lot. There were a couple of kid movies that didn't impress them as much this year *cough*Planes*cough* 

Despicable Me 2. Minions!!!! I love the Minions! And the story was cute too. It was able to stand on its own even though it was a sequel. 

Honorable mentions to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, Frozen and Turbo.

Movies Based on Books:

Ender's Game. I got excited about this movie while walking some of the sets at San Diego Comic Con over the summer, and the movie did not disappoint. I haven't read the book, so I'm not sure if its true to it or not, but the movie was just outstanding. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This movie was so much better than the first. It had enough length to cover what needed to be covered, it didn't lack on the emotional disparity of the situation in the Districts and in the Quarter Quell, and some of the characters really held their own this time. Effie for me, made the biggest change. You could see that she was realizing what the Games really were about, and some of her scenes had me near tears (and I am not a crier for movies). Another one was Johanna Mason, the District Seven tribute. She starts off racy (stripping in the elevator anyone), but she always comes through for Katniss. And Peeta.....he was much more of a babe in this one. Gale, who? Team Peeta all the way!

Other:

Don Jon. The subject was so unconventional for a mainstream movie, but I think that's what made it great. Loved the cameos by Channing Tatum and Anne Hathaway, but wished Brie Larson had more of a speaking part.

Elysium. I thought the concept was neat, Matt Damon didn't suck at acting and even Jodie Foster did a nice bad guy.

This Is The End. This is good if you need a laugh. I love these guys, and you really can't expect a high quality film when they're all together (I'm sorry, you can't).

Did I miss a movie? Disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments!

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Teevee of 2013

There was a lot on teevee this year, but not all of it was good. This is my list of what I thought was the best teevee of 2013. (And please read at your own risk if you want to watch these shows but haven't yet. I have a tendency to let spoilers slip.)

1) Breaking Bad. Confession time. I didn't start watching Breaking Bad until about two weeks after its series finale had aired. Seriously. We'd had it chilling in our Netflix queue forever, but never got around to watching it. I DVR'd the last half of the last season (which is good, since it wasn't on Netflix) and waited for my husband to decide he wanted to watch the show with me. Once we finally watched the first episode, it was on. Marathon city in our house. It was such a good show and it ended waaaaaay better than Dexter. I hated Skyler and Marie, both those characters just bothered me so much. Loved Jesse, Walter and Saul though. I thought those characters were really well rounded, even for dysfunctional people.

2) The Blacklist. A spy-ish thriller that could have gone horribly wrong or horribly right, I definitely think they got it right. Secret after secret in this first season though, I hope they have more to build on in season two. I love James Spader as a bad guy (hey, even in Pretty in Pink he was a bad guy) and Megan Boone plays a good naive agent. I just don't believe for a second that Remington isn't Keene's dad and its bugging me about her husband. Is he really a bad guy or is Red just doing that to drive him from Lizzie's life?

3) Fangasm. I didn't watch the first episode right when it aired. I wasn't sold when everyone raved about how real it was, either. I waited a few days, went into my DVR and then fell in love on my own. Was it entirely real? Probably not, what "reality" show is? It reminded me of the Real World: Nerd Version. But everyone on the cast was lovable, and reminded me of people I have known in real life. And I loved that they weren't put up in a mansion-it was an apartment. And that they were working for something- a chance to work for Stan Lee's Comikaze, and not just being on teevee to be there.

4) The Sing Off.  It was only a two week (three?) event, but I loved it. This was my first time watching the show and I thought it was great. So many talented groups, I wish I could sing and dance like them! My favorite group was the Filharmonic (pictured below), but they were eliminated right before the finale. If you love acapella music or Pitch Perfect, watch this show next time it comes on!

5) 2 Broke Girls. I love this show. I've heard that its ratings have been slipping this season, which is too bad. Max is my favorite character, and I love all her snarky comments. And I like that she and Caroline are working a regular job while starting their own business and while Max goes to pastry school. Its not the standard sitcom where everything comes so easily, which is great because life doesn't come so easily to a lot of people.

6) Almost Human. I love me some Karl Urban, so when I found out he was going to be on this show, it became a must watch. Bonus points for the fact that its actually good. Hes playing his usual gruff guy, but it works. Overall, I think all the plots this season were really good. I'm not impressed with Minka Kelly though, I kinda wish they had put someone else in that role. I've never been a huge fan of her work though, so perhaps I'm biased. (she reminds me a lot of Leighton Meester to start, and neither one of them have had very memorable acting jobs. Except Leighton did have Gossip Girl, which I did enjoy). The kooky lab guy is lots of fun too, although the kooky lab person in a crime show is kinda overdone (think Abby in NCIS, Garcia in Criminal Minds, any one of the weirdos in the CSI lab).

7) Pretty Little Liars. I haven't read the books yet, although I really want to (especially since the show is supposed to be very different from them). I like this show a lot, its like a soap opera for teenagers, with a major spook factor. And while I'm almost thirty, I don't feel my mind turning to mush while watching it. The season ended with the girls finding out that Ali is alive, so I can't wait to see how they're going to play with that when the show resumes in January. And Ezra being A? I can see it, but I don't understand it. So I'm looking forward to seeing that play out as well.

And my on the fence picks are:

1) Ground Floor. Honestly, I only watch this because I have a big crush on Skylar Astin (and the fact that they've had him sing in so many episodes is a huge plus) and I think John C. McGinley is great. But honestly, its not that funny of a show. But I am trying really hard to like it. Because Skylar.

2) Ravenswood. I really love Pretty Little Liars, so I was hoping this would be as good. Its based in the town of Ravenswood, which is next to the PLL's town of Rosewood, but the world's don't mix too much after the first episode. The story line is interesting, there's just something a little off about it for me and that's why I'm on the fence.

What about you? What were your most beloved/hated/eh shows of 2013? Let me know in the comments!

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Albums/Singles of 2013

Purely based on my musical preferences alone, here are my top albums of 2013.

Miley Cyrus- Bangerz. 

Favorite songs include: Drive, FU ft French Montana, 

Do My Thang, 4x4 ft. Nelly.

Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP2

Favorites: Berzerk, Rap God, The Monster ft Rihanna.

Justin Timberlake- The Complete 20/20 Experience

Favorites: Don't Hold the Wall, Tunnel Vision, 

TKO, Amnesia, Only When I Walk Away.

Childish Gambino- Because the Internet

Favorites include: Telegraph Ave (Oakland By Lloyd), Sweatpants, 3005.

The Lonely Island- The Wack Album

Favorites: Go Kindergarten ft Robyn, Hugs ft Pharrell Williams, 

YOLO ft Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar, Spring Break Anthem.

And the best singles are:

Tyga  ft Justin Bieber- Wait  for a Minute

Panic! at the Disco ft Lolo- Miss Jackson

Fall Out Boy- My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)

Kid Ink ft Chris Brown- Show Me

Natalia Kills- Problem

One Republic- Counting Stars

What are your top albums/singles of 2013?