Once Upon a Time Dating

I am definitely not one of those people who posts my opinions all over social media. For example, I don’t think just because I am Jewish I am obligated to comment about Israel, or just because I go to Emory I should share articles about the Ebola virus being treated there. I usually scroll through these types of updates on my Facebook with nothing more than mild irritation, and move on with my day. But in the wake of Robin Williams’ suicide, social media has really pissed me off.

I have battled depression for many years. I have witnessed first hand that the majority of people have no idea what clinical depression really is. Sadness is an emotion, which everyone experiences and usually doesn’t last that long. Depression is a mood, and you can’t just think positive thoughts or meditate to get rid of it.

People are talking about Robin Williams as if being funny and being depressed are mutually exclusive. This just proves society’s ignorance about what depression really is, especially bipolar depression. Depression is not a personality trait, it doesn’t define who you are. Robin Williams was not a depressed person “masking” it with humor. He was a talented comedian who happened to suffer from a mental illness he had no control over.

If you really want to raise awareness about mental illness, tweeting about it or writing a status update isn’t the way to do it. Next time you want to say someone is sad, don’t say they are depressed. Next time you want to say someone is moody, don’t label them bipolar. Next time you want to say someone is a neat freak, don’t say they have OCD. Trivializing mental illness only makes it that much harder for people who are suffering to come forward and seek help. Oh, and it also makes you look ignorant.

Given that I’ve been obsessed with Alexis Neiers since I first saw her show Pretty Wild on “E” four years ago (Netflix it if you haven’t seen it), I was super excited when I saw previews for Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. Scenes from the trailer appeared to be straight out of the show, and after seeing the movie I truly believe that Coppola binge watched Pretty Wild one night before deciding to make this film.

The movie, which is based on the celebrity burglaries that happened a few years ago, and on Nancy Jo Sale’s “Vanity Fair” article about the privileged LA teens that stole almost 3 million dollars worth of merchandise, did an outstanding job of capturing the tone of my generation. In fifty years when people are analyzing the youth culture of the early 2000’s, this film will be used as a research tool. From the slang we use (“It was super chill” is repeated over and over), to the fashion (there were multiple beanies), to the prevalence of girls taking selfies in the club (we’ve all been there), it is a period piece as accurate as Mad Men is to the 1960’s. But what I thought was most interesting was it’s underlying commentary about our celebrity-obsessed culture.

To be honest, I don’t even think the motivation for what the “Bling Ring” did has anything to do an obsession with celebrities. Our generation is most obsessed with ourselves. We use our Facebook pages as our own personal tabloid magazines- where there is always a gorgeous picture of us on the cover and people can scroll through to see what we’re up to, who we’re friends with, what we’re wearing, etc. We don’t just look up to celebrities, we want to be celebrities. We want people to not only know what we’re doing, but to care about what we’re doing. We want as many “followers” as possible. The only difference between us and actual celebrities is that paparazzi post celebrities’ pictures all over the internet, and we have to post our own pictures all over the internet.

I know many people my age will see this movie and judge the teens it’s based on. And while obviously none of you have ever gone to the extreme of breaking into celebrities’ houses and stealing their belongings, take a minute and think about how much of the film could be a portrayal of your own lives. The Bling Ring isn’t just a depiction of a group of celebrity obsessed thieves- it is making a bold and unidealized statement about our entire generation.

Being that The Sopranos is my favorite television show of all time, I was so sad to learn yesterday that James Gandolfini had died of a heart attack at only 51. He was, in my opinion, the greatest television actor of all time.

When you’re watching The Sopranos, you don’t feel like you are watching people acting. You aren’t watching James Gandolfini portray a character- you really feel like you are getting a glimpse into the public and private life of a mob boss: Tony Soprano. While I love many other shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men, there is always a part of me that knows I am watching people acting, and reading lines from a script. That is not to say that Bryan Cranston and Jon Hamm aren’t outstanding actors, but they, and no other actor on television, can do what James Gandolfini did. He became Tony Soprano- he made you forget you were watching a fictional show. My favorite moments in particular were between him and Carmela (Edie Falco). I have yet to see a couple portrayed so realistically on screen.

If you haven’t seen The Sopranos, or just haven’t seen the show in a while, here are my top ten favorite episodes (in order) that deserve a re-watch.

1. “University” (Season 3, Episode 6)
2. “Long Term Parking” (Season 5, Episode 12)
3. “Employee of the Month” (Season 3, Episode 4)
4. “College” (Season 1, Episode 5)
5. “The Second Coming” (Season 6, Episode 19)
6. “Soprano Home Movies” (Season 6, Episode 13)
7. “Funhouse” (Season 2, Episode 13)
8. “Pine Barrens” (Season 3, Episode 11)
9. “Kennedy and Heidi” (Season 6, Episode 18)
10. “Mr. Ruggerio’s Neighborhood” (Season 3, Episode 1)

So as this season of Mad Men comes to a close, there are many theories as to what could happen in the final two episodes airing this Sunday and next Sunday. Here are a couple of my theories… what are yours?

• Megan is going to be killed by Arnold Rosen on the balcony of their apartment. She was wearing the infamous white t-shirt with the red star that Sharon Tate wore, who was brutally stabbed to death. I think Arnold is going to find out about the affair and go to their apartment with the intention of killing Don, but will kill Megan by accident.
• Bob Benson is a sociopath, but a harmless sociopath. He is just messing around with everyone in the office to feel important. I think he is not as mysterious as people think he is.
• I don’t think Pete is gay as many people are suggesting. He probably just didn’t make a huge deal about Bob’s “knee jerk” because he just wanted the entire incident to go away. The poor guy has enough on his mind.
• I don’t think Sally is going to tell anyone about Don and Sylvia. After all, she saw Marie giving Sterling a BJ and never said anything about that. As much as it hurt her to see what she saw, she was probably more disappointed than angry. She has always idolized Don and villainized Betty, so it was probably just heartbreaking for her to see that he is just as corrupt as her mom.

Now that I’ve watched the Mad Men season 6 premiere, “The Doorway”, a total of 6 times (I swear I have a life) I feel that I can now comment on it. The amount of times I watched it may seem excessive, but that two hour episode was really a doozy.

When the episode started with Dr. Rosen trying to revive the doorman in Don’s building who had a heart attack (who is Little Carmine to all my Sopranos fans out there!), I have to admit that when I first saw it I thought he was raping someone. I’ve probably seen one too many Law & Order: SVU episodes which would explain why my sick and twisted mind went there immediately… oh well.

In any event, the scene abruptly transitioned to Don and Meagan in Hawaii. I used to really like Meagan, but was anyone else totally turned off to her character during the Hawaii scene(s)? Like I get she’s fun-loving, and young, and smokes a lot of weed, but she reminds me of girls my age who try to come across as “super chill” and “bro-y” all the time. Just stop.

Anyway, while they were in Hawaii Don came across a really wasted guy from the army who was celebrating his bachelor party at the bar. When Meagan went outside the next morning she saw Don participating in the wedding on the beach and didn’t think that was at all REALLY weird. She was probably just really high.

Next we caught up with Betty and Henry at the movie theater with Bluto (FAVORITE CHARACTER), Sally, Sandy (Sally’s friend), Bobby (still annoying), and Gene (still random). Arguably the weirdest scene not only of this episode, but of the entire series, was Betty encouraging Henry to rape Sandy: “Stick a rag in her mouth, you won’t wake the boys”. Betty has gained weight and lost her mind.

In all seriousness, Betty’s story line this episode made me really sad. Betty used to be gorgeous, enviable, stylish, and cool. Now she is chubby, horribly dressed in outdated ’50’s attire, and brunette. The first few seasons of the show, Sally was always trying to get Betty’s attention and Betty treated Sally like an annoying little sister- constantly pushing her away. The tables have completely turned, with Betty trying to talk to Sally and Sally slamming the door in her face. People are always buzzing about who might commit suicide on the show, and I feel like it might be Betty. Betty has always been unhappy and lonely but at least she used to be pretty, unhappy, and lonely- now she’s just turning into Bluto.

Meanwhile, at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce everyone has gotten really hairy, with the exception of Pete whose hairline continues to recede. There is also a new, older female copywriter who came out of nowhere, is super annoying, and needs to go away. Ginsberg and Stan have it covered.

Peggy is also settled at her new office and is the “Don” of the agency. She seems to be killing it, and I’m really happy for her. You go Glen Coco.

Sterling has gone from LSD enthusiast to utter disaster. He’s started therapy, and in his “funny” way is actually saying really disturbing things. His mom dies (points to Don who voms during the eulogy) and he doesn’t really react until later when his shoeshine guy dies and he has a complete mental breakdown. It’s going to be a tight race between Betty and Roger to see who can be the hottest mess this season.

At the end of the episode, we get the answer to what everyone’s been wondering since last season ended with Don being asked, “Are you alone?”. Don’s baaaaaack. And he’s sleeping with Dr. Rosen’s wife, who lives in his building. I really don’t blame him, Meagan sucks. He married Meagan with the understanding that she shared his love of advertising, and could be more of an “equal” partner to him than Betty was. The minute Meagan quit advertising, Don emotionally checked out.

I can’t wait to see where this season goes. It’s the penultimate season, so we know shit’s about to get real. Hopefully next week we can see what developments have occurred in Joan and Pete’s personal lives (Is Trudy still frumpy? Is Joan’s mom still a cougar for the repair man? Has Kevin’s hair grown in a magnificent shade of silver like his daddy’s?). See you next week!

After being bored for weeks on winter break, my sister and I decided to re-watch some Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes (aka re-watch every Curb episode) on HBO Go. After watching for a little bit, I learned that comedian Richard Lewis, who appears on the show every now and then, is best friends in real life with Larry David. In fact, they met nearly 45 years ago at summer camp. I decided to research their relationship a little more on my own, and once I saw that Richard Lewis wrote an autobiography (published in 2008) I immediately bought it on Amazon (I have a minor obsession with autobiographies #sosueme).

All I knew about Richard Lewis before starting the book is that he is best friends with Larry David, and he is a recovering alcoholic. And now that I have finished the book, I feel as though I know every, single thing about him.

The book, The Other Great Depression, is written casually and conversationally, allowing you to really feel as though you are in the complicated and tortured mind of this troubled comedian. You experience his descent into severe alcoholism (and slight cocaine addiction) directly through his eyes: it is truly fascinating. Without a doubt the greatest thing about this autobiography is you feel like Richard Lewis is simply telling his life story to you over lunch, it really doesn’t feel like you are a reading a book at all.

Go pick this book up now. It’s prettay, prettay, prettayyyyy good.

Last night my mom and I decided to give the second season of American Horror Story a chance beyond the first episode, and it was quite the experience. The first season was innovative and amazing; this season is ridiculous and kind of nauseating. The first thing that had us laughing was the accents: Jessica Lange actually went from a Boston to an Italian to a British accent in the span of a couple lines. She also pronounces “story” as “starry”, which had my mom and I spending a significant amount of time trying to figure out what accent that was even referring to. Also, I get that it takes place in an insane asylum and the people are crazy, but do they have to be bald midgets with tiny ponytails on top of their heads? Can’t you be crazy and not look like you’re a circus freak on crack? Additionally, the scene where the lesbian reporter had to touch a male model’s “member” and “touch herself” (their wording, not mine) to make her straight was so disgusting and hilarious I didn’t know whether to throw up or laugh. Also, why is Anne Frank a character on the show? Ryan Murphy… really? Too far, too far.

The most confusing aspect of the show is that the Nazi doctor and Sister Jude are both evil, but a major plot line of the show is that Sister Jude is spending all of her time trying to expose the doctor as evil and make herself look good. Like, one minute Sister Jude is calling the doctor a sadist and the next she is threatening to sterilize two of the mental patients and beat them with a cane. Newsflash: you’re kind of a sadist Sister Jude. A sadist with a face lift.

Further questions:

-Why is every nun on this show a slut?

-Actually, why is everyone on this show a slut?

-Why are the patients always pounding dough furiously in the kitchen?

-Why is bread the only thing they are ever cooking? (Being a mental patient is not an excuse to go on an all carb diet)

-Why did Sister Jude’s blonde-accomplice-nun (don’t know anyone’s name, sorry) kill that Mexican lady? And why was she suddenly fluent in Spanish for one scene?

-Why is half of Chloe Sevigny’s head shaved?

So while the reality shows I usually watch involve housewives throwing martinis in each other’s faces, I’ve recently become obsessed with a show that does sometimes involve alcohol, but in a much different way.

Intervention, on A&E, is a documentary style show about addicts who think they are on a show just about their addictions, but they are actually about to face interventions. The addictions range from heroin to bath salts to meth to anorexia. Some of the episodes end happily with the addicts going to treatment and getting sober, and others don’t end quite as well. While I could say I come away with some deep understanding of addiction and drug use after watching this show, I mostly just see the show as a car accident I can’t look away from. My personal favorite is an episode about a woman named Alison who inhales dust remover twelve times a day and only goes to treatment after they threaten to take her cats. Another favorite is a 63 year old grandmother named Elena who is addicted to meth.

If you like watching people do drugs and say crazy things watch Intervention.

I just tuned in to the season premiere of American Horror Story: Asylum, and I have mixed feelings. Last season was so amazing and unique, and the theme of this season is feeling trite and unoriginal. Jessica Lange’s performance in the first season was magnificent, but her character was also so rich and complex. Seeing her with no makeup on as a bitchy, old nun makes me miss her big hair and colorful outfits. I also miss Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott who are such talented actors that really made the first season what it was. I’m going to continue watching and give it a chance, but so far I’m pretty disappointed. What did you think of the premiere?