Performer to Watch : Anna Camp

After watching Pitch Perfect for maybe the 10th time (or more) I was struck by someone other than "bigger stars" Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, and Brittany Snow, the person who has stood out to me tonight was Anna Camp.

The first time I saw Camp was in the second season of True Blood as Sarah Newlin.  As Jason explored his hate for vampires with religious zealots he met the Newlins.  Jason wanted to do right by Steve, but the sexual tension between Ryan Kwanton (Jason) and Sarah Newlin (Camp) could be cut with a knife.  Camp was under rated performer in the show, and I am excited for her return this season, even though I think True Blood should have already ended.

Like many of the past performers to watch Camp started out in scene stealing roles in television series along with her role of True Blood, Camp had a long arc of the CBS drama The Good Wife, which helped set out the competitive nature within Alicia.  Camp was was also criminally under used in The Mindy Project this past season, how this show could not properly use her talent is beyond me, and shows the weakness within this television show.

Along with True Blood, Camp has had guest roles in the television series Glee, Mad Men, Love Bites, Vegas, and House of Lies.  Camp's first recognizable film role was a small part in The Help as one of the women was part of Hilly's circle named Jolene.  Pitch Perfect is Camp's largest film role to date, and  her vomiting scene made a mark!

Camp is going to be heavily courted for numerous television shows, watch she may be a part of the fall line up, but at the moment her main projects coming up this year are two films entitled Goodbye to All That, and Autumn Wanderer.  Camp is a performer to watch on the big and small screen, and she deserves it!

All Things Vampire, the Pop Culture Obsession

Throughout the year people have clamored around different popular culture icons, from princesses (Disney) to super hero space fighters (Star Wars and Star Trek), but no figure has reached the heightened popularity and hysteria of today's vampire.  

My friend Alex informed me I had to watch The Vampire Diaries, this has honestly, up until now, been the only vampire television series I have not watched.  My hesitancy with adding this show to my list has to do with the way in which this trend has caught on so rapidly.  Most of major vampire fiends are young teenage girls (or adult women) who fall for the beautiful boys cast in the lead roles.  In the current gamut of shows and films, the young girls are waiting for Edward Cullen or Damon Salvatore to consume their life blood, and posses their mind body, and soul.  An incredibly unhealthy metaphor that young women seem to be sinking their teeth into too easily.

Before I lambaste a whole group or even roast a television series, or film series' popularity it's time to explore the origin of vampires. Within the Vampire Encyclopedia (yes there is an Encyclopedia for everything)  Silver and Ursini stated "The notion of vampirism has existed for millennia; cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits which are considered precursors to modern vampires. However, despite the occurrence of vampire-like creatures in these ancient civilizations, the folklore for the entity we know today as the vampire originates almost exclusively from early-18th-century southeastern Europe."Based on research the modern vampire (originally entitled vampyre) did not exist until the late 18th Century in Eastern Europe.  

To boil down then when, where, and why of the origin of vampires could be told in anthologies of books.  Mythologies have existed all over the world, but their true birth in "popularity" came in 1897 with the publication of Bram Stoker's "Dracula."  Stoker's book portrays vampires, specifically Dracula's vampirism as a disease or possession of the human body.  The books undertones of sex, blood lust, and disease were seen as metaphors for tuberculosis and syphilis during the Victorian Era. Stoker's tale was based on a mixture of different mythologies, but this book is the birth of the modern vampire in film and television.  Dracula is so popular, the character has been used in more than any other character except, Sherlock Holmes.

To chronicle each and every Dracula reference would be another time consuming task, but the first was the silent German film Nosferatu (1922).  Although the film changes or alters the name of the character the vampire in the film is meant to be Dracula.  A film chronicling the making of Nosferatu entitled Shadow of the Vampire (2000) chronicles the actors own thoughts on himself as a vampire and his evolution into being consumed with the vampire myth.  The most popular old Hollywood film was Dracula (1931) which starred Bela Lugosi, with Dracula in his first speaking role.

While Dracula has seen many incarnations there have been other different vampiric characters who brought about an evolution of the vampire myths.  Dark Shadows, a Daytime drama (1967-1971) portrayed lead vampire Barnabis Collins as poetic tortured soul.  Like the way the Victorian Era inspired Bram Stoker, the late 60s and early 70s laid the ground work for a new vampire story.  During this time, many did not trust the government, and this concept of this evil vampire sucking the blood (or life) out of folks was the government.  No doubt that this show, and the books from Marilyn Ross challenged this trend.

The same can be said for Ann Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" which spanned from 1976 until 2003, and included such popular titles as "Interview with the Vampire" and "Queen of of the Damned" (both were made into films).  The best way to explain the evolutionary understanding of Rice's work is to look at her book/the film Interview with a Vampire.  In both telling there are two main vampires Lestat and Louie.  Louie (who was played by Pitt in the film) can be seen as the tragic vampire who while living it up at one point, and enjoying his life, finally realizes his own tragic journey; he tries to break off from the evil and blood lusting Lestat, the more traditionally dark vampire.  While vampires do not have a soul in many of these modern adaptations there is something within many of them which has made them more kind or poetic.  They find love, although they are still seen as the living dead.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the next step.  There was a film in 1992, but the more popular version is the television series, and eventual comic book (1997-2003) starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as well, a vampire slayer.  The show from creator Joss Whedon is the best interpretation of the vampire myth.  While the show focuses on the vampire huntress Buffy, and her group of friends, the show uses the different mythical beings to represent the different difficulties of being a teenager.  Of course Buffy falls for two different vampires, Angel and Spike (team Angel all the way).  Within the series Buffy is also a kick ass independent female who while her killing Angel shatters her, she is one of the strongest female characters of all time.

The television True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse Series, and while I have only read the first book, the television series has far surpassed the popularity of the books.  While vampires are at the center of the show, there are also witches, werewolves, and shifters, oh my!  True Blood's mythical creatures are the modern answer to what it means to be different in today's society.  True Blood explores the concept of a world where synthetic blood exists, and vampires are part of the manstream culture, a regular minority group like being gay.  The show takes on that deep meaning of what it means to be different using the myth to help tell the story.

Twilight from Stephanie Meyer represent the most popular book/film series about the subject matter, and have evolved in a different way.  People fight over Jacob or Edward for Bella Swan.   Twilight represents the common vampire lore the least, while making Bella and empty shell of a human being who clings to a man with whom she hopes he will drain the life out of her and make her into a vampire.  I am not going to lay into theTwilight series completely, but the popularity of these books, along with the films have further pushed the vampire to the next level in popular culture, leading to even more television shows, books, and film.

While I am new to The Vampire Diaries, the show seems similar to the Twilight concept with a lot more edge, and better characters.  The lead character Elena is caught between two brothers who are vampires, Stefan and Damon.  In the third episode Stefan  writes in his journal "I am looking for a shred of humanity in my brother."  This episode and the beginnings of this show prove the yearning for the male vampire to be something different, although this brother relationship feels similar to the relationship between Lestat and Louie in "Interview with a Vampire."  Even in the fourth episode Damon is reading Twilight pokes fun at it and states Ann Rice had it right.  The show (at the moment) proves there is a battle to find the soul within these lifeless creatures.

Where does this heart and soul come from?  Why do people find such an intense connection, with character who still the life and soul of their victims? The goal for authors and creators of these many different vampiric characters is to provide a deeper context for who they are, and where they came from.  In the past many have tried to paint characters as villains without giving a back story, and sometimes that works for the sake of art, but villainy is complex.  There are numerous examples, in which "evil" is given a back story, and changes the opinion of the past.

Look at the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.  In the 1939 film and book from L, Frank Baum she was truly just an evil woman. In the book "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" from Gregory Maguire (which eventually became the musical Wicked) we see the story from another perspective, which humanizes this once vilified character.  People flock to read the book, and see the musical, maybe because they want to believe there is even in the darkest people there is still good.  There is also the thought that people want to connect with something familiar, and by changing up the origin story (ever so slightly) you help connect people to their youth, nostalgia.  

For me the questions up above are a bit complex.  The quote from Vampire Diaries about vampires is the connection most people have.  They want to find the heart and soul in these "dead" men.  Luckily producers no longer cast ugly older men, but hot young guys to allow people to be able to connect with or fall in love with and find the soul in the vampires.  Lead vampire characters are typically men, Bill, Lestat, Louis, Barnabis, Edward, Angel, Spike, Eric Northman, Stefan, Damon, and many more, proving at the end of the day these dark brooding characters while after blood and "life" can be changed by the a young pretty girl. I must add I am guilty of this trend, Eric Northman is hot, the same can be said for Angel from Buffy and Angel.  These once dark and brooding characters have "souls" and make their once dark pasts forgettable.  These vampires are the bad boys who have had hundreds of years to evolve because they are tired of the same old thing.

There is more than just the brooding attractive male vampire, although I can see the appeal. Many shows have social undertones, which make the shows even more important.   Buffy was funny, and as a teenager at the time I connected with the mores Joss Whedon used. Alan Ball's True Blood I watch because most of the undertones are about vampires as the "others" and for Ball the othered member are LGBT folks.   Vampires are being used as a metaphor for many different things, which helps the masses get a better understanding of the issues today.

Looking at this one mythical creature and their pop culture evolution is fascinating minus Twilight vampires who shine like glitter in the sunlight, really?  There is something about these mythical creatures which has people fascinated, or maybe we have all just been glamoured.

The Newsroom Ends High, while True Blood can't get Death Right

Tonight two HBO shows ended their seasons.  True Blood is now in its fifth season, and The Newsroom has ended its first.  Both shows have had critics all over the place in regards to their quality, but tonight is proof that superior writing wins, and story direction win out.

Few shows have made it to their fifth season without some bumps in quality, True Blood started out strong with their first two seasons highlighting some great character driven drama.  The show centered around (and still does to some extent) on a waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who could hear people's thoughts and drew vampires like a moth to a flame.  Throughout the years the show used different plots from the books, The Sookie Stackhouse series, and brought in different elements like the lore of more shape shifters, werewolves, werepanthers, faeries, and so much more.  Season 3 threw a wrench in quality adding too much to the thread of the show, proving to be too much for the writers to handle and connect back to the central theme of the show.  Season four did a better job of tying things back together, with the lore of witches, and continuing the up and down pattern within the series.  Yet the series hit the biggest low during this season.

Season five was one of the biggest messes I have ever seen.  There was no direction, and can someone please explain the point of them using the smoke monster from Lost to chase down Terry?  Sookie is still the central character , right?  Why did we focus on this mythical steam vampire named Worlo only to forget about him in the end?  Why bring back Dennis O'Hare only to give him nothing great to work with, and spoiler, kill him in the first five minutes of the season finale.  Bill as a villain had its moments, and the connection to evangelical religion was so heavy handed I can't imagine how people can complain about the politics of The Newsroom.  Fans of this show are losing interest, and HBO has to quit while its ahead, become more assertive and realize this is a dying brand that can't cling to the pretty pink heals of Pam.  This show over extends itself, losing focus, never allowing characters to grow.  Usually when a show I enjoy ends I am sad, or even excited to see how writers will handle the cliff hanger they their at their viewers.  At this point I could care less, and feel as though Alan Ball stepping down as show runner should have been a sign to put a stake in things.

The Newsroom signed off with class, tied things together, and brought things back to beginning without   being cliche.  People gave this show too much crap in the beginning, calling Sorkin misogynistic, and that the writing was heavy handed liberalism veiled with a Republican journalist.  The romantic comedy stuff has never been the shows strong suit, and while the show focused on this a lot, to tie things up tonight, things are not over of course, but with the new writing team Sorkin can make this work.  I am sounding like I am not on the show's side, but in reality this series ended its first seasons perfectly.  I liked the fact that Will and the girl he berated in the first episode cam face to face; his character and Sorkin's writing proved that belief in what's right matter most.  I believe in this show, Sorkin has a focus, a point; he ties things together allowing audiences to see his vision.

These two shows could not be more different, or well they are night and day, or a show about people who can't walk in the daylight.  How do you compare them?  All you can do is compare your experience/reaction to the way the show's handled themselves throughout the season.  Throughout the years True Blood appears to have built up a show on shaky foundation, that is crumbling for me.  When I keep up with a show I have hard time letting go, I will have a Sophie's Choice next June when the sixth season starts up.  I want to give up, and walk away, when a show make's you feel that way, its proof they have failed.  The Newsroom only left me wanting more,   Shows in their first season typically leave people with this reaction, but I feel as though this series knows what it's about more than True Blood ever did.  Time to silver the vampires, and fire up more air time for Jeff Daniels.

Dream Emmy Ballot: Drama Guest Acting Categories, Directing, and Writing

The ugly step sister categories at the Emmy Awards are some of the most fun to dream about.  We often remember our favorite shows regular players, but sometimes the guest stars, or recurring players are the glue to the story line. The same can be said for the writers and directors.  I love when a television series goes through their opening credits and informs me who directed, and who wrote the episode I am about to watch.  As a fan of the series this is important information.  Writers and directors are behind the scenes players who put the words to page the actors read, while the directors set the stage for the actors action.  Together these three elements make up some of the most important elements of a regular series.

This year's guest nominees made the audience feel as though they were a part of the thread work of their series.  If you are a fan of The Good Wife think about Michael J. Fox and his character Louis Canning, Canning is not a series regular but people know him within connection with the show.  Lucy Lui and Fiona Shaw did something similar but different they created characters for short one season arcs, and even though we knew they might not last long they became an incredible part of the worlds of Southland and True Blood.  They carried a tremendous burden to make them memorable in a short span of time.  In years past these categories did allow people to submit in this category who were in more than five episodes.  The rules were changed, and now they can be recognized in the proper category.

None of these terrific guest acting performances could be possibly without the directors and writers.  Game of Thrones proved that direction in a television series could create an hour that rivals most film direction.  Can you imagine watching "Blackwater" on a giant screen?  This is some of the most impressive direction I have ever seen on television.  The simplicity is also welcome and televisions Mad Men knew exactly how to construct the beauty of the obscure in their episode, "The Phantom."  The direction in this episode created one of the most inedible images in the shows history with the camera focused on the backs of the five partners as they stare outside the window of their new office.

Just as the director's set the action in motion, with well, their direction, the writers put the words and actions to the page of the script.  Can you imagine the cat and mouse action of Homeland's episode "The Weekend" not being this interestingly complicated,sexy, and twisted without the words of Merdith Stiehm?  This was one of the best episodes of the season, and writing hits with a punch at every corner.  Vince Gilligan wrote (and directed) the season finale of Breaking Bad entitled "Box Cutter."  Throughout the season the writing had built to this ultimate nail biting conclusion, and Gilligan masterfully ends things with this dark and deadly action.  What a season finale, and what a well written piece of television.

Together these three elements contribute and make a drama series an incredibly strong viable piece of work. Shows often misuse guest actors, and waste talented directors/writers.  When a series uses all of these elements properly they make shows rise to a level of excellence that is unmatched.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Dylan Baker-Damages

Jere Burns-Justified

Mos Def-Dexter

Michael J. Fox-The Good Wife

Chris Messina-Damages

Matthew Perry-The Good Wife

Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Loretta Devine-Grey’s Anatomy

Lucy Lui-Southland

Carrie Preston-The Good Wife

Anika Noni Rose-The Good Wife

Fiona Shaw-True Blood

Chloe Webb-Shameless

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Breaking Bad– Crawl Space- Scott Winant

Breaking Bad– Face Off- Vince Gilligan

Downton Abbey–Series 2: Episode 7-by Brian Percival

Game of Thrones –Blackwater- Neil Marshall

Homeland –Pilot- Michael Cuesta

Mad Men-The Phantom-Matthew Weiner

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Breaking Bad-Box Cutter-Vince Gilligan

Downton Abbey-Series 2: Episode 7- Julian Fellowes

Game of Thrones-Blackwater-George R.R. Martin

Homeland-The Weekend-Meredith Stiehm

Justified-Harlan Roulette-Dave Andron

Mad Men-The Other Woman- Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner

Best Title Sequences (TV Drama)

Last watching watching two shows made me think about just how brilliant and key a good title sequence can be to a television show, from the music to the imagery title sequences add something to the television show experience.  Last night watching Game of Thrones title sequence had me excited for what was to come.  The show's title sequence "changes" every week, the changes show you new places, or just places where the show is going to take place in tonight's episode, brilliant!  Then there is Mad Men's falling executive, and the brilliant score.  Together these are two of the most recent title sequences to grace television, and they are also two of the best of all time.

Most of the shows on my list are more recent television series.  Television dramas have evolved throughout the years, they are smarter, and sometimes (most recently) better than the films being released.  As the quality of television drama has evolved so has the title sequence for shows. The oldest show on my list is The X-Files, and the most recent is American Horror Story from 2012.  These title sequences feel a part of the show, the build up the intensity or are not to be missed.  These title sequences have become sleeker, prettier, and made the viewer remember just score without lyrics (for the most part) this is a rare challenge.  Here is a list of the best title sequences (in alphabetical order).

American Horror Story 

Damages

Dexter 

Game of Thrones

Mad Men

Six Feet Under 

The Sopranos 

True Blood 

The X-Files

The Wire 

Jumping the Shark Part 2: Attack of the Shows

In the last edition a while back I cited the the following shows that are past their prime: The Office, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit, and Weeds.  Here are some shows that should hedge their bets and either end at the end of this year or wrap things up pretty soon.  I will say I agree with all of these shows needing to end, although I think How I Met Your Mother needs to just stop playing games and move the purpose of the story forward.

Glee (2009-Present) FOX-This singing show started out as a fresh take on outcasts at a high school who wanted to just sing.  There was a small group of students who came together through a strong powerful ballad and they did not want to stop believing that anything could be possible.  Glee's pilot aired at the end of May sweeps and built the up the excitement and interest throughout the entire summer for viewers.  This was a great move.  While as a fan I was frustrated, I applaud the creative way this show garnered strong word of mouth.  I am surprised they have not done this with any other show.  There is also the hopeful teacher who wanted to help his students.  In the the beginning Lea Michelle was not annoying, Mr. Schue's hopeful ways were endearing, and the antagonist Sue Sylvester had some of the best one liners.  The show hit a major creative wall in season two adding too many characters and not being able to juggle the different stories.  The show became so popular numerous famous people wanted guest star and their appearances took away from the the main characters.  The show also decided to do tribute episodes to Madonna, Britney Spears, and these episodes were more problematic because they seemed to force songs and performances into the thread of the show.  In season three these problems have slowly been fixed, but the damage is done.  Jane Lynch is barely around, and her character is one note.  Lea Michelle is shrill, and Mr. Schue is good guy teacher is bordering on annoying.  With most of the shows cast graduating this year, including the best part of the show Santana, the show is at a pivotal cross roads and needs to decided a path to take.  While many of the graduating students will surely go off into the sunset many are sticking around, and while this is great I think it will create dead weight.  I think the show should end this year, but it won't.


30 Rock (2006-2013) NBC-Let me start this with the statement, I love this show and these characters.  Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are the present day Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant.  The supporting cast which includes Jane Krakowski, Tracey Morgan, Jack McBrayer, and Judah Friedlander is also brilliant.  This show has slowly lost its edge, and while there are still funny moments I want this show to end while its ahead.  I am almost one hundred percent sure that this will not be the last season.  I think when the show comes back next year it should end next year with a shortened season.  So far the shows most recent season has lacked focus, and does not have as strong of a comic edge.  This started throughout seasons four four and five.  While seasons four and five were had many flawed moments this season flaws have been the most apparent that the show is losing steam.  Time to end on top.  I love you Tina!

Dexter (2006-2013) Showtime-This is going to contain spoilers so reader beware.  My friend said something intriguing about how this show should have ended.  My friend said this show should have ended at the end of season five with Rita in the bath tub and Harrison in her blood.  Dexter comes in to see his son sitting in his mother's blood the way he was found by his step father.  Dexter then says "What next" and the show cuts to black.  I like this idea, and exploring this concept is too late because the show has lasted two more seasons.  Season 6 and 7 both have created a problematic downturn in quality.  This past seasons episode entitled "Nebraska" where Dexter hallucinates his brother and talks to him instead of his step father Harry, and leaves his sister behind was the worst episode of the series and one of the worst episodes of television this year.  I was beyond disappointed.  Showtime has a hit on their hand, like they do with Weeds, and when they realize they can make money they keep going.  I need Michael C. Hall to say enough is enough and move on the way it sounded like he wanted to a few years ago.  The next season needs to be the last but this show should have ended a few years ago.


True Blood (2008-2014) HBO- This is another one of my favorite shows, but sometimes you have to let go of the things you love most.  Season 4 had a creative resurgence, but this show has proven to be uneven.  Season 3 was all over the map, and I had lost faith in this show.  Even though season 4 restored my faith (a little) I think this show needs to end when Alan Ball steps away after season 5.  While I realize there are way more than five books in the series this show is based on, the show needs to focus and move forward to the end game.  Alan Ball ended his series first series Six Feet Under after 5 seasons, and did so with grace, class, and dignity.  Six Feet Under had one of (if not the best) series finales of all time.  The end of season 4 seemed to be an explosion of character deaths in order to clean house.  My advice is to plan the final days, and end on top the way Six Feet Under did.

CSI (2000-Present) CSI: Miami (2002-2012) CSI: NY (2004-2013)-Let me make this perfectly clear.  I have only watched the original, and by watched I mean I saw an episode or two on Spike because my friend wanted to watch.  These shows appear to be fine procedural dramas but as CBS announces more and more shows for their new fall lineup it appears that its time to retire these procedurals.  CBS has two successful bankable shows in NCIS, which I think LA should go, but do not watch that one either, so I have a hard time commenting.  These shows have followed the path of the Law & Order series.  At the end of this season one or two of these may be off the air for the first time.  I think CBS is coming up with better more creative programming, and clearing these three shows from their lineup would show their commitment to rejuvenating their schedule.

The Killing (2011-2014)-AMC-The season finale of season one was a big middle finger to the viewers who watched this show.  The premise of this show was that young girl named Rosie Larson was killed, and the plot was meant to be a whodunit that avoided the procedural.  The exact opposite happened.  Week after week we were given a red herring rather than allowing the detectives piece together the clues.  This show should have been a mini series rather than a series, or solved the crime in season one and focused on different characters like they are doing with American Horror Story.  The only reason I am returning to watch this show will be to see the mystery play out, I want an answer.

Update

CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Dexter and 30 Rock have ended.  True Blood will end in Summer 2014, The Killing was axed, but then brought back to life for a successful third season on AMC.