11 Of The Dwarves' Actors From "The Hobbit" (taken At An Advanced Screening Of The Movie)

11 of the dwarves' actors from "The Hobbit" (taken at an advanced screening of the movie)

Underappreciated Musical: "Lysistrata Jones"

Here's a musical that never really stood a chance. Even after seeing it and seeing how amazing it was, I knew that it was not meant to last long. If there's a definition of "Too Good To Last" in the dictionary, "Lysistrata Jones" is the picture next to that definition.

I wasn't really interested in seeing the show, as weren't most people. However, I got a discount that allowed me to see the show with three friends for $5 per ticket. I decided it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I went. I soon realized that the show would've been worth full price.

"Lysistrata Jones" follows the Athens University basketball team. They haven't won a game in the last 30 years, and they seem content enough to not even try to change that. In comes Lysistrata Jones, a peppy blonde who forms a cheerleading team in an attempt to get the basketball team to win. When they continue losing, Lyssie J. gets the idea (from the SparkNotes version of "Lysistrata") to get the girlfriends of the basketball players to withhold sex from them until they win a game. Great songs and a copious amount of hilarity ensues.

"Lysistrata Jones" takes the usual high school and college movie tropes and flips them around. Some of the opening couples end up together, while others don't. Every character (with the exception of two) grow past their usual stereotypes to become full and interesting characters. There's a reason that this show got nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. It's as hilarious as it is heartfelt. You can tell that this was a pet project of the writers and that the actors really did enjoy themselves every second of the way. It has "little show that could" written all over it, and I wish more people could've seen that.

The score is an impressive mix of song styles. Most of the music is somewhat pop-ish, but there's traces of R&B and Latin in there, too. Pretty much every song is good and memorable, though the best two, by far, are "No More Giving It Up" and the amazing Act I finale "Where Am I Now". There was maybe one or two songs that dragged on a bit, but most became better as they went on, which can be hard to do.

The cast was incredible. Patti Murin was energetic and likable as Lyssie J. Lindsay Nicole Chambers was very funny offbeat as Lyssie's slam poem-spouting friend Robin. Arguably the best, however, was Liz Mikel as the narrator muse Hetaira. Her voice was amazing and her comic timing was perfect. She literally had the entire house on the floor with some of her line readings, particularly when she was a prostitute (it's a long story). The rest of the cast is talented and play their parts well. It also bears mentioning, considering that everyone gets almost naked at some point, that the entire cast is very attractive and all have amazing bodies.

This show had it all: a funny book, a great score, a talented cast, and fast-paced and impressive choreography. So, why didn't it last? Well, there's a few possible reasons. First off, there was no precedent for it. It wasn't an adaptation (well, technically it was, but not really), and it didn't have a big name attached. It was also a rather small show. Small shows can do well on Broadway (see "Avenue Q" and "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"), but it tends to be a rare occurrence. There's also the fact that it was very modern. While this isn't necessarily a detriment, the audience tends to be a bit older for Broadway shows. It also doesn't help that jokes about current events and iPhones won't be funny forever. The iPhone jokes were even used as plot points, so they couldn't even be written out. That means that it runs the risk of not having lasting appeal, which can hurt a show even in the short-run.

I think this show has the potential to continue to pull people in. Sometimes, the "little show that could" that made it to Broadway against all odds after a long time and many different locations and productions can build up an impressive fanbase even after closing. I think that the show is quirky and good enough that, despite it's short run, it will become a cult theater hit, like "Carrie: The Musical" and "[title of show]". I know that I will be firmly in that cult, and I'm so glad that it's getting a cast recording. I believe in your magnetic power, "Lysistrata Jones". Hold on, and don't give it up. 

The End...

Hey, everyone who follows this blog. I just wanted to thank the few of you who followed me consistently, threw some asks at me, and enjoyed my ramblings. I'm posting this to say that I got an internship writing reviews for a website called The Trendy Spoon. Because of that, my reviews and thought pieces here will probably be considerably less frequent, if not nonexistent. I won't take down the blog, just in case someone wanted to reread a review or something, but there probably won't be much new content. You are always welcome to continue asking me things and following me over at The Trendy Spoon. They're still my thoughts on things, just less rambly and formatted differently. Thanks again for your support. It was these articles that got me the job there in the first place!

State Of Mind: "'Community': Why I Love One Of The Most Frustrating Shows On TV"

Upon the request of a friend, I watched the entirety of the TV series "Community". It was amazing, and I am now a full-fledged fan. However, there are still certain things that bug me about the show...

The show follows a study group (nicknamed the Greendale Seven) as they come together to take classes at Greendale Community College. This group is made up of seven people (hence the nickname): Jeff, the not-as-apathetic-as-he-seems leader; Britta, the incapable and overenthusiastic rights activist; Troy, the fallen high school football star; Abed, the odd and media-absorbing savant; Annie, the tightly wound, yet sugary sweet, heart of the group; Shirley, the devoutly Christian and secretly rage-filled mother; and Pierce, the racist, homophobic, and cruel old guy.

What makes this show great is that these seeming disparate characters grow together over the course of the three (going on four) seasons. Though each may seem like a cardboard character trope, they grow out of their molds rather quickly. "Community" may seem to be too cool for school on the surface, but its characters always provide a window into its big, warm heart. However, it is these same characters that cause me to have issues with the show. I'll give each character of the Greendale Seven their own section (along with an extra two sections for the incompetent Dean Pelton and the outright insane Ben Chang) to explain my grievances.

Jeff Winger: Jeff is supposed to be the straight man on the show. He's supposedly too cool to be bothered with the problems of the rest of the group, but we all know that, deep down, he cares. The issue is that he keeps regressing to the point that it seems as though the lessons he's supposedly learning at the end of each episode are pointless. Because he's the straight man, he also sometimes ends up being the least interesting (though not the worst) character on the show and the one that it's hardest to get emotionally invested in. I actually don't have many problems with Jeff beyond his occasional blandness and inability to learn lessons, though.

Britta Perry: I may stand in a minority here, but I love Britta. That may come down to Gillian Jacobs jumping through flaming hoops to make the character great, but I just can't bring myself to dislike her as much as the characters on the show (and certain portions of the fanbase) do. I do, however, take issue with her characterization. She started the show as a smart, capable woman who could see right through Jeff's crap. She was the original heart of the group, as well as it's voice of reason. As time went on, however, she got significantly less capable and more idiotic. It didn't make her any less funny, but it did make it harder to take her seriously. She had suddenly become the buffoon character, and she can't do almost anything without messing it up. I still like her, but I do wish that they'd bring back a bit of that intelligence and cunning that made her so appealing to Jeff in the first place.

Troy Barnes: Troy is probably the character I have the fewest issues with. He's funny and ditzy, but he's grown significantly since the series began. If I do have an issue, it's that sometimes Troy just becomes Abed 2 as opposed to staying his own character. That's been becoming less and less the case now, though, as Troy is growing to realize that he has to grow up, not only for his sake, but for Abed's as well. Other than that, though, I don't really take issue with Troy, even if he's not my favorite character on the show.

Abed Nadir: Abed is the resident "meta-guy", the one who points out all of the hackneyed plots and tropes that the Greendale Seven go through. My main problem with him is that he can be kind of a dick. I understand that he has some issues, but, at the same time, he still sometimes recognizes the bad consequences of his actions and continues with them anyway, hurting his friends in the process. The show has begun to address this more, which I like, even if it does seem to be making a bigger deal out of Abed's condition than it was in the first two seasons.

Annie Edison: I really like Annie. She's sweet and tightly wound, which makes her great for certain comedic set pieces. I also really like Alison Brie, who does a great job with this character. My issue with her, though, is that the show kinda forgot what made her great for a bit in the middle. She became not much more than someone to stare at Troy and later Jeff. As with Troy, however, she's begun to grow back out of this through he moving in with him and Abed and her positioning of herself as the heart and matchmaker of the group.

Shirley Bennett: I think Shirley is really underrated and underused. I love Yvette Nicole Brown, and I sometimes feel as though she's being underutilized. That's not my issue with her, though. My issue is that she is probably the least fleshed out of these characters. She hasn't gotten a chance to branch out too much beyond the Christian mother stereotype she started with. The show has gotten slightly better with this with the foosball and marriage episodes, but she stills feels a bit underdeveloped, especially when surrounded by other characters who are as rich and rounded as these characters are. Hopefully, the show will give her a bit more rounding in the coming season.

Pierce Hawthorne: Pierce is in a two-way tie for my least favorite character on the show. He's hateful and villainous and has almost no redeeming qualities. That's my problem with him. His jokes are almost completely one-note (yeah, we get it, he's old and bigoted), and this is despite numerous episodes fleshing him out. To be perfectly clear, he's not a flat character; he's just an extremely annoying and almost infuriating character. He also got a bit better in the third season, but I still don't like him nearly as much as I like the rest of the Greendale Seven.

Dean Craig Pelton: I used to dislike this character a lot more than I do now. The zombie episode almost pushed him off the deep end for me, but he managed to claw his way back into my heart. My issue with him used to be that he was so stupid that he was putting people in danger (and also his one-note jokes, but, for some reason, it never bothered me as much with him as it did with Pierce), but that seems to have been evened out a bit as time goes on. By the time the second fake clip show with the therapist rolled around, I was rooting for him to make it out okay. I even started to like his different outfits after a certain point.

Ben Chang: Here's my other pick for least favorite character. I don't quite understand why this character exists. I almost never find him funny, and he doesn't fit in with the rest of the show's universe. When a character is too crazy for a world as ridiculous as the one created by "Community", you know something is very, very wrong. By the time he was living with Jeff, I had basically decided that this character was pretty much beyond me liking him, and this is one case where the third season probably made him worse in my eyes.

Beyond the characters, this show's writing is impeccable. It mixes intelligence with heart and never talks down to its audience. I know that "Community" is known for its high-concept episodes (and, trust me, "Epidemiology", "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas", and "Remedial Chaos Theory" are possibly my four favorite episodes), but I think the show is just as good when it has its feet firmly planted on the ground. I like when the show calms down a bit and really puts its characters under a microscope. For as crazy as this show can get, it's the realness of the characters that keeps you coming back for more.

The reason that the title of this article is what it is is because this show really does frustrate me sometimes. I know that it's capable of so many amazing things, so when it kinda half-asses an episode or does something that was obviously meant to appeal to a wider audience, I just have to shake my head. I understand that it needs more viewers, but I'd honestly prefer a shorter show that was great the whole way through than a show that compromised its ideals for a few more episodes that ended up being only mediocre. There's also the occasional character moment (or character in general, in the case of Pierce and Change) that I just can't get on board with.

For now, though, I'm glad it got a fourth season. I'm interested to see what happens with the Greendale Seven. I'm a bit worried that Dan Harmon is around anymore, but I'm confident that the show can still stay good. While I don't know if the show can (or should) make it to six seasons and a movie, I'll enjoy it while it lasts. "Community" is an experience that should be had by everyone. I can't count the reasons I should stay.

State Of Mind: "Final Fantasy XII"

People who know me know that I make no secret that this might be my favorite in the "Final Fantasy" series of games. However, this seems to be among the most divisive entries for some reason. I'd like to examine why I love it when other hate it.

"Final Fantasy XII" follows the story of a rebellion attempting to put the proper princess, a young woman named Ashe, back into power during a major war between two large countries. There's a lot more to the story than that, including magical crystals (when aren't there magical crystals?), a war against the gods, and several plot twists and reveals. I never quite understood the story. It starts out simply enough, with the story being told from the perspective of street rat Vaan, who lives in the country in between the two warring ones. However, it quickly becomes tangled, as many more characters are introduced and plot elements begin piling up. You find out that this was never really Vaan's story, the bad guy isn't actually the bad guy (this actually happens several times), the war has more motives than originally thought, and something about the gods seeing the future and controlling minds. It all becomes really hard to follow, especially on a first play through.

In addition to the muddled story, the characters are also pretty forgettable. After X did such a great job of creating colorful and interesting characters, it was disappointing to see XII take a step backward in that regard. None of the characters really have any real personalities. They are all pretty much just serious, strong, goal-oriented blank slates that aren't given any defining characteristics apart from whatever goal it is that they are trying to achieve. There are two exceptions, though they are on opposite ends of the spectrum: Penelo, Vaan's childhoos friend, and Balthier, a sky pirate. Penelo, I can only assume, was supposed to be the perky young girl archetype, a role previously filled be characters like Yuffie In VII and Rikku in X. However, to match the game's atmopshere, her "perkiness" is severely toned down, so it ends up just coming off as a couple of random quips and stupid questions throughout the game. To make matters worse, she has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the game. She is there for no other reason than to give you a sixth party member. It's even worse than the also superfluous Vaan, since he at least has the excuse of avenging his soldier brother. (The original lead character was supposed to be a soldier named Basch, who, while still a major character and party member, had the focus taken away from him when it was thought that a more relatable protagonist was needed.) Penelo is, by far, my least favorite character in the game, both for her "personality" and her complete irrelevance to the plot. On the other hand, there's Balthier. In a game with so few good characters, Balthier is so memorable that it almost makes up for the general lameness of the rest of the party. He is an arrogant, but secretly caring, sky pirate who insists that he is "the leading man" of this story. He's a funny, compelling, well-designed character with an interesting backstory. Plus, in a story where half of the party is along for the ride for no adequately explained reason, he is actually pretty deeply intertwined with the matters at hand (for reasons both obvious and secret). In addition to his countless comedic scenes, he also gets some good tearjerker scenes and some show-stealing moments of heroic badassery. He is easily one of my favorite "Final Fantasy" characters of all time.

So, why do I love the "Final Fantasy" with the confusing story and forgettable characters (Balthier aside)? It's all about the world and the gameplay for me. Ivalice is enormous. You can spend all day just adventuring to all of the corners of the world and still probably miss a ton of stuff. Every corner is teeming with life, both friendly and malicious. There is a well-defined government, environment, social system, and mythos. There are tons of places to go and things to see. You can go somewhere a hundred times, and there's still a chance that you haven't seen everything that there is to see there. I spent over 100 hours on this game, and I still wasn't nearly done with everything it had to offer. Ivalice is a textbook example of building a complete and vivid world.

I may be alone in this boat, but I also love the battle system. I was wary at first, since this was the first "Final Fantasy" I had played without a clear turn-based system. I also feel as though other people hate it because it's so far removed from any previous battle system that the series has used (except maybe XI, which I never played). It definitely took some getting used to, but I ended up finding the new MMORPG-like system very deep and interesting. I loved being able to run around, see enemies on the field, and kill them as they appeared. It helped add to the world that they were trying to build, and it made it feel slightly more real when battles weren't taking place in some random dimension apparently reserved only for stabbing things in the face. Granted, I've heard some people say the opposite, saying that running away wasn't as effective as it would be in reality and that things could hit you when you were obviously far outside of their attack range. I guess those were all just covered by willing suspension of disbelief for me, that and the understanding that that was necessary in order to create a more balanced and challenging battle system. By the end of the game, I loved just running through earlier areas and killing things in one hit, racking up tons of LP as I went. One surefire way of gauging my enjoyment of an RPG is by how much I enjoy grinding in it. By that standard, XII gets a huge thumbs up from me.

So, there you have it. That's why I love one of the most divisive and detested games in the "Final Fantasy" oeuvre. Mind you, I sometimes go back and forth between this, X, and VI, but this one ends up on top more often than not. I love the world, the hunts, the Balthier, and the battle system enough to vastly outweigh any negative thoughts I may have toward this game. So, go forth, and happy hunting!

Favorite TV Series: "Futurama"

This is my absolute favorite TV show of all time. While I will admit that there may be shows out there that are better written or more refined, this show is just perfect to me. I first discovered this show during its time on Adult Swim. On a side note, I love Adult Swim. Anyway, I first saw the episode "The Sting", and, while the randomness and general instability of the episode did freak me out a bit, I was totally hooked. While I was bummed that the series had already been cancelled, I made it my mission to watch every single episode that had been made. That goal was accomplished fairly quickly considering how obsessed I was, and the last episode I watched was the actual last episode of the series, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings". While I do really like the way that they ended the series with that episode, the fact that the series was over still made me kind of upset. Needless to say, I was unspeakably happy when they brought this series back. I thought "Bender's Big Score" was great. The other three movies, on the other hand, were a mixed bag. I thought the weakest was "Bender's Game". The plot was convoluted and didn't make a whole lot of sense. That's not to say it was bad (even the worst episodes of "Futurama" are better than good episodes of other shows), it just wasn't my favorite. After being brought back, I personally think the series is just as good as it's ever been. It took a few episodes to get back in the groove, but I really do like the new episodes. The only difference is that these do not have the nostalgic value that the old ones do. My favorite thing about this show, besides the smart and witty writing, is the characters. Zoidberg and Fry are my personal favorites (though I do concede that episodes centered around Zoidberg tend to be below average). Another thing that I love about this show is that it has actually formed its own mythology. It has a consistent history and universe that it inhabits. While the episodes are largely...episodic, there are almost constant references back and forward to other adventures that the Planet Express crew has been on. I absolutely love everything about this show. I hope this time it stays on for as long as it deserves (which might just be forever).