Homeland Season 3: Episode 5 - The Yoga Play

 

As anyone heard about this little television series? The Emmy and Golden Globe award winning Showtime series? Starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis? The show President Obama hailed as his favorite television program?

Well I am glad to say that Season 3 of this psychological thriller has finally found its way after a dull and tedious four episodes. 

First let me recap: Basically Danes stars has Carrie Mathison, a CIA analyst and former field agent who was grounded after disobeying orders and causing a crisis after she infiltrated a Middle Eastern prison. Mathison struggles to adjust to her now role and to make things complicated, she has bipolar disorder and cannot seek treatment because it will expose her and get her fired. Known for being impulsive and fiercely passionate about her work, Carries receives intelligence that a American prisoner-of-war has been turned into a terrorist and will incite vengeance on America. This supposed POW is Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis, a marine sniper who was captured and tortured for eight years. Season 1 was a masterpiece, exploring Mathison's efforts to uncover the truth about Brody while he struggles to reconnect with his adulterous wife (who believed him to be dead) and teenage children, as well as daily life. Season 2 focused on the burgeoning political career of Brody and revealed a huge plot twist about him, which Carrie was instrumental in.

However, this great drama went a bit sour halfway through Season 2, with implausible events. Season 3 began with a solemn attitude, as characters had to deal with the shocking ending of the former season. Please be prepared, several SPOILERS are about to follow and I implore you not to read unless you are up-to-date with the series.

During Season 1, Carrie begins an affair with Brody but he tearfully ends it when finds out about her suspicions regarding him being a terrorist. However, it turns out that Carrie was right all along and Brody really was a terrorist. After an intense interrogation, Carrie convinces Brody to return to the 'good side' and professes her love for him. Brody complies and he and Carrie resume their relationship at the end of season two, yet this is cut short when Brody is accused of bombing the CIA killing several of the series cast members. Carrie smuggles him out of the country and must deal with the repercussions.

In Season 3, Carrie's affair with Brody is publicized by her mentor Saul, played by Mandy Patinkin, and Carrie is entered into a psych ward after she stops taking her medication and plans to reveal confidential CIA secrets. In order to escape she makes a deal with a shady businessman to relay information to a terrorist head, which turned out to be a plan that she devised with Saul from the very beginning. Seem intriguing? What bogged down Season 3 was the continuous looks of Carrie as she sinks to rock bottom along with filler plot lines surrounding the Brody Bunch (Jessica, the mother, and her children Dana and Christ). Damian Lewis only appeared in one episode that did not seem to advance his storyline. Basically, he is wounded in South America and being held by some gang that is given no back-story.

Last night's episode, "The Yoga Play" represented a return to form for Homeland. Containing the relationship exploits of young and pouty Dana Brody, the story centered more on Carrie's deal with the terrorist leader, which leads to her kidnapping, and the placement of a government official as Director of the CIA, replacing Saul.

Featuring excellent performances, a well developed and sometimes humorous script, the series is once again showing promise and I am excited to see next week's episode.

New episodes of 'Homeland' air every Sunday night at 10 pm on Showtime.

Miss America Outcome: The Latest in American Racism



Miss New York Nina Davuluri has won the Miss America Beauty Pageant. The 24 year old beauty was one of the two Asian-Americans in the final round. Miss Davuluri won the competition becoming the first Indian-American to become Miss America.

Davuluri's platform was "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency." For the talent portion of the competition, she performed a classical Indian dance infused with Bollywood moves.

However, Davuluri's win was met with a shocking amount of controversy. Twitter was flooded with ugly remarks, calling Ms. Davuluri an Arab and stating she was 'too brown' to represent America. Some went as far as to call her a terrorist while others said that Miss America should be a "white girl with light colored hair."

Ms. Davuluri says that she has always viewed Miss America as the girl next door, but the girl next door is evolving as the diversity in America evolves. She's not who she was 10 years ago, and she's not going to be the same person come 10 years down the road. She remains positive and optimistic about her role as Miss America, and is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle after battling obesity and bulimia when she was younger.

It is absolutely absurd how much criticism Davuluri has encountered due to her Asian heritage and brown skin. Born in New York to two successful parents, she attended the University of Michigan where she received a degree in brain behavior and cognitive science. Beautiful, intelligent, educated, American born...what else does America want?

Job well done or just poor taste?

 

Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/texas-truck-decal-woman_n_3881700.html

 

 

What would you do if you stopped behind this truck in traffic? Despite its surreal appearence, this scene is acually a decal produced by Hornet Signs, a Texas-based company. Artistically this is an exceptional piece of work and the talent used in making the decal is without a doubt brilliant. However, the subject matter is rather distasteful. With crime against women on the rise, I think that it was in poor taste to portray such bondage and abuse in order to make a profit. In addition, to place this image on a vehicle where it will become a public display, I wonder what confusion this could cause on a busy highway or to people passing by. How does a parent driving behind this decal explain such a depiction to their children? I would appreciate it if Hornet Signs could use their talents to illustrate more positive images, or something witty that can humor onlookers. I acknowledge that some may think that a business is a business, and that Hornet Signs was simply complying to the requests of a customer. But, shouldn't they refuse to service anyone desiring to promote such public displays of violence? 

 

 

VMAS 2013

Incase you missed it, the 2013 Video Music Awards on Aug. 25 were completely insane. There was a bit of everything; Lady Gaga being of course, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus trying too hard, a panic-inducing NSYNC reunion, Taylor Swift jabbing at one of her exes (what's new), One Direction getting booed while accepting their award (with Lady Gaga soon coming to their defense backstage) and Katy Perry acing her performance.

Of all the topics to discuss, I'd like to dabble on one; oh, Miley.

There's a fine line between proving to the world that one has shed their bubblegum pop Disney Channel days by either gracefully maturing into a young adult performer, and doing a complete 270 and performing near-erotica on national television. I'm not one to judge. Miley wanted the attention- she got it. But couldn't she have earned it in a more positive light? Was it really necessary to grind and "twerk" on a married father? Yes, Miley shared the stage quite closely with singer Robin Thicke on a duet to his own racy tune, "Blurred Lines." The vulgarity of her performance was unbecoming of a woman with class.

I'm side-eyeing Thicke, too. This isn't entirely "Miley's fault." He should have taken responsibility as a grown man, father, and husband to not let a 20 year old flaunt her stuff all over him on national television. Um, each to their own I guess?

Of course, there's always going to be the "but Taylor Swift did this" comparison to any outrageous act done by her celebrity counterpart. When her former "boyfriend" (of a month), Harry Styles of UK boy band One Direction was on stage, the camera panned to Taylor who seemed to have said "shut the f&%# up" to fellow singer and friend Selena Gomez. What a thoughtful remark from America's sweetheart. Now, although she is known for her catty ex-boyfriend callouts and infamous, repetitive songs about heartbreak, Taylor doesn't need to gyrate half-naked on men old enough to be her father for attention.

What happened Miley? Was the Disney experience that painful? Should I stop encouraging my 9 year old cousin to go to their castings in fear she will get famous and turn out like you? So many girls who looked up to you in the past, including myself, disappointed and honestly worried for your well-being. What a letdown.

Someone needs to go back to Nashville.

Halloween is Approaching!

Although Halloween is still about a month ahead of us, the searches for the perfect costume have already begun. Every year, there is an “It” costume; the one that everyone wants. Last year Lady Gaga topped the list. The extravagant “Lady Gaga”, who seems to celebrate Halloween everyday however, has become the inspiration for the most popular costumes for various years.

A Lady Gaga costume may not be your cup of tea, but there are many other fashionable costumes to choose from. Jersey shore costumes have also been highly searched on the internet. A pouf like Snooki’s may take some time and hard work but it’s possible. Maybe you can even add the orange tan to make the costume look more realistic.

You also have those costumes that are popular year after year.

“I think I want to be a gogo girl or a flapper,” said Sudyen Navarette, a senior in the Health Academy. Bringing back the oldies is always a safe choice.

For guys who are interested in finding the right costume, Star Wars costumes have been among the most popular searches; next to pirates, devils and mummies, of course.

 “Party city’s most popular sales for guys are the Spiderman and Batman costumes, and for girls, the Jersey Shore costumes are very popular this year,” said Sophia Cordero, an employee at the Party City in Miami Gardens. Costumes of TV show stars are flying off the shelves this year.

Other possibilities that may be popular are costumes based on recent movies, such as “Alice in Wonderland” and vampire costumes. With these two options you really can’t go wrong.

No matter what you decide, make Halloween as fun as possible. Dress up as something that’s in and fun, and that you would NEVER consider wearing on casual days. And if you need inspiration, just try to picture what Lady Gaga would wear this year, even though it remains a mystery to us.

A Night of Faith at Rock the Universe

Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida hosts a Christian music festival every year. This year was no different, as thousands of Christians flooded the park for a night filled with music from bands like Relient K, Tenth Avenue North, Everfound, Toby Mac and Switchfoot.

The concerts began at night but throughout the day fans had plenty of opportunities to get into the world of Christian music. Several bands, Relient K and Tenth Avenue North among them, signed autographs for fans. Everfound, a fairly new band of Russian brothers, invited fans to meet them and stop by to chat.

Although the day was filled with big names in the industry, the night was truly about their faith. Artists remain true to their music and inspired audiences to believe in themselves and their God. Toby Mac, spoke a couple of words from the Bible before beginning one of his most popular songs and other bands, like Relient K and Everfound, reminded the audience that we all go through difficult things, but that everything would be alright.

The performances were finished with an astounding performance by Switchfoot. Hundreds of fans crowded near the stage as they played some of their favorites; the crowd alone could carry the songs along.

As the night came to an end, Tenth Avenue North played worship music and others prayed over the night and everyone who had participated in as the crowd held up candles in the candlelight ceremony that take place every year.

It was a remarkable night. 

 Lead singer of Everfound, Nikita Odnoralov.

 Lead singer of Everfound Nikita Odnoralov (left) and guitarist Larry Odnoralov (right).

 Guitarist of Everfound, Ruslan Odnoralov.

 Toby Mac and band

 Toby Mac in the center of the crowd.

 Relient K preforming a new song, Boomerang. 

 Lead singer of Switchfoot, Jon Foreman.

 Lead singer of Switchfoot, Jon Foreman, standing on the drum set.

 Candlelight ceremony

Lead singer of Tenth Avenue North, Mike Donehey, finishing the night.

All photos were taken by Flavia Cuervo.

Tribute to Tia and Tamara!

Tia and Tamara Mowry began both of their careers as teenage actresses in "Sister, Sister." After leaving that show and branching out to other acting jobs, they both ventured out in their separate ways.

Tia Mowry pursued various acting jobs as did Tamara but now, in 2011 they began a new reality series together-- "Tia and Tamara." A show that shows their typical daily lives. Their arguments, their laughs, their adventures.

This show allows fans to actually see their favorite stars in everyday situations, and become part of their experiences. Tia got married in 2008 and recently gave birth to her only child Cree Mowry. Tamara got married in 2011, and the most recent news shows that she too is having a baby.

Both of Tia and Tamara have grown into successful women. In this show, Tia has gotten married, had a child, and still continued to film her Christmas musical for ABC family. While Tamara has gotten married, purchased a new house in Napa and is now pregnant.

After 119 episodes of "Sister, Sister" Tia and Tamara have created quite a name for themselves. With this new installment of "Tia and Tamara" their fans could continue their journey as they strive to live normal lives while juggling motherhood, and marriages.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that can't wait for their future successes!