Orange is the New Black: A Review.

Orange is the New Black: A TV show created by Jenji Kohan, the producer of Weeds, was first aired on Netflix, July 2013 and is available on Netflix (..or any other free streaming website!).

There are only 13 episodes of this brilliant first series, however in these episodes there was enough drama, excitement, humour and so on, for me to pull an all-nighter in order to finish the final five episodes. The show itself is roughly 50 minutes long (mainly due to the fact that the opening sequence is bizarrely long). However, despite the fact that you may need to be committed to watch this show, due to it's lengthiness, it is definitely worth it.

The show itself is based on the memoir of Piper Kerman and her time spent in prison. The protagonist, renamed Piper Chapman has been sent to a Women's correctional institution for 15 months for being convicted of drugs smuggling. When we first meet Chapman, you'd be excused for cringing at her obviously middle-class persona, as she goes into prison, leaving her fiancée and University graduate lifestyle, and finds it hard to develop to her 'new surroundings'. At this point, I'd recommend reading THIS - An article on what OITNB got 'right' and 'wrong' (from an ex-con's perspective). Obviously there will be spoilers, so perhaps you should read this after finishing the series, but it is a fantastic read.

I am amazed that in 13 episodes, so many potential story-lines have been created. The realistic portrayal of ethnic cliques in prison life allow for us to investigate into the differing lives of various groups such as the Latina's. the 'ghetto' and so on. The show cleverly mixes current prison life with back-stories of various prisoners who play a key role in Chapman's time in prison. It is not just the convicts who we learn about, but the guards, who are seriously...fucked up. The guards, like in most prisons, can go from full-out authoritative Zimbardo mad men, to caring and helpful.. and the majority of them are probably more unstable and dangerous than the prisoners themselves.

Oh...I forgot to mention that Chapman was actually a lesbian before being engaged (oops)..and that her ex-girlfriend, who worked for an international drugs cartel, who may or may not be the reason that she has been locked up in the first place (double-oops) is in the prison with her. After a frosty and intense stand-off between the pair in early episodes, the old couple become close once more. There are many relationships within the prison walls, and let us not make the mistake that the majority of these are romantic..human's have needs, especially if they are locked away from the outside world.

I would like to go on about characters, relationships and story-lines, but seeing as the show is only a few months old, and we have to wait until 2014 for the second season, I feel that many more people will discover this great programme and could do without spoilers. If you are a fan of drama, empathy, humour ...and lesbian sex, you will definitely want to try out Orange is the New Black. It is a very rare show, simply in the fact that the main characters are female and with it being based in a WOMEN'S prison. I would confidently give this show a 9/10 rating ..and I cannot wait for Season 2. Perhaps, I will revisit this review and turn it into a full-scale analytical post, once Season 2 draws near.

Thanks for reading, shares on Facebook/Twitter et al are and will be appreciated!

My Bucket List

The Bucket List is a concept which derives from the phrase 'Kicked the bucket' .. it's basically a list of things to do before you die. A lot of Bloggers do this, and they are always the same.. I am not the most exciting person in the world.. and I like my home comforts, but there are a few things I'd love to do before I kick the bucket. 

1.) Learn another language - I have been to a few countries in my life, and my sister is multi-lingual, and therefore I have seen, from first-hand, how this can really be beneficial. Us English guys and girls simply suck at learning languages. I speak to foreign people on a daily basis and they all say that we are too lazy to learn languages, which is true...well it has been for me so far. Yet, the main reason is our schooling. I was in the second set for French in my year and I comfortably achieved a B at GCSE. However I could barely get by now if a French person tried to hold a conversation with me.

My aim: Hopefully at some point in the next few years, I will be able to spend time learning either French or Spanish fluently, as in the future, if I have kids and a family, I'd be able to go to these countries and show them the true cultural ways of life and be able to get around easier too!

2.) Own my own radio show/Podcast: I have always liked the idea of being a somebody, but not a famous person. I do like to share my views (which is obviously why I blog. Yet with a radio or podcast, you are able to hold discussions and share views, and then allow for your 'fans' to get to know you, as well as get involved also. 

My aim: is simply to have at least tried radio/podcasts by the time i've finished University.

3.) Complete a Half Marathon: I used to keep fit a lot, I once made the mistake of letting my friends know that I used to have a six-pack and ever since I discovered alcohol and snacking, this went to pot and I can no longer fall back on muscle madness! (/sarcasm) ...I have previously half-heartedly trained for upcoming racing events and looked for more and more. Yet I would really feel i've accomplished something, if I manage to complete a half marathon..and also give money to charity, which would make me feel doubly good about myself.

My aim: Complete a half-marathon by the age of 30, and if I have done it by the age of 25, go on to train for a marathon.

4.) Visit America: This one of the most popular bucket list entries for European writers. Yet, I have never had the chance to go to America in my childhood/teenage years. There is probably no point going now until I hit the legal age of drinking/gambling in America right now. So maybe in the future, once I have a stable job, I could look at either going with friends of family in the future. 

My aim: Be able to say that i've gambled in Vegas and seen the Statue of Liberty with my own eyes.

5.) Own a shop/restaurant/bar: I've always liked the idea of owning some sort of property. All men want to buy a bar (and name if Puzzles, only the HIMYM fans will understand this!).. yet i'd love to be able to point to a building and say "I made this happen" or "I own this". It would be a risk and I'd have to work very hard to get the money to be able to achieve this dream.. but who knows?

My aim: Own a bar/restaurant/shop by the age of 50!

Pondering Potterheads...

I mostly write about football as it is a huge passion in my life.. the other is probably Harry Potter.. however via Twitter, I do not really have many Harry Potter fans to converse with.. so I thought I would write a blog entry in which I would strike up a few discussions/debates for any readers to get involved with.

If you fancy following me on Twitter by the way, do so at @MisterJPrice .. If I get enough HP fans on there, I will stop talking about sports as much, and talk to anyone/everyone about Harry Potter!

1.) Richard Harris vs Michael Gambon

The first debate/discussion I would like to discuss is the who was the "better Dumbledore"? I talk about this with many people, and of if Richard Harris had not sadly passed away, we would not be having this discussion today.. but I feel with both actors portraying Dumbledore so differently.. the argument is important.

My preference is with Michael Gambon..despite the fact that he spends 95% of his time trying to hide his Irish accent, I still feel that he is the better Dumbledore. A lot of my friends believe that Harris was more like the Dumbledore that JK Rowling created, yet in the first few films, it is still for young people and the story is innocent. I believe that as the story goes on and Dumbledore becomes less of a teacher and more of a warrior opposing Voldemort .. he must be more aggressive like Harris.

There is the example in that in HP4, when Harry's name emerges from the Goblet, in the books Dumbledore asks Harry calmly if he had put his name in the Goblet.. and of course, this does not happen in the film as we all know. Was this better or worse in your opinion?

2.) What was the most important aspect of the series that the film decided to ignore/cut?

True Potterheads know that many aspects of JK Rowlings stories were cut from the film due to time constraints, and various aspects were changed to be more "lively" for the audience...what do you believe was the most important aspect left out or changed?

For me, the weirdest moment of the whole series is that in the last film, they decide to have Harry and Voldemort fly around the Hogwarts grounds in some sort of death grip.. this was surely a stunt for the 3D glasses, but for me it was pointless and disappointing. (I have left out other examples as I want you to give your own opinions)

3.) Should Neville have killed Bellatrix?

I am sure that most Harry Potter fans are sick to death of this debate, however it is one that I love. I am a firm believer that Neville should have been the one to kill Bellatrix, as it would create justice. The argument for Molly killing Bellatrix is that as a mother, her unconditional love for her family, gave her the power to defeat Voldemorts right hand-woman. However, as much as this is beautiful, it is also frustrating for me.. as Bellatrix is supposed to be one of the best witches throughout magical history.. she had killed so many people and was such an impressive duellist. Would a woman who has been a housewife and nothing else (not meaning to aggravate the feminists here!) be able to stop arguably the best witch of all time..? No!

I also understand that Neville is not a great wizard himself, but he was supposed to be the most dedicated member of Dumbledore's army, and if he had defeated her, it would have embodied his commitment to avenge his parents.

Two and a Half Men: Half the show it used to be..

"Men men men men, manly men, oo hoo hoo, hoo hoo, oo.
"Men men men men, manly men men men!"

Two and a Half Men probably became my favourite comedy since the likes of Scrubs and Friends (of which I adore). The beautiful banter between Charlie Haper (/Sheen) and Alan Harper (Jon Cryer), along side the cute, but dimwitted son Jake (Angus T Jones) was a match made in comedy heaven. Two brothers, who are so different and love to hate each other (but deep down, hate the fact that they love each other), is a sibling rivalry that we can all relate to.

For those of you unaware with the TV programme, the younger brother Alan, is kicked out of his home after his ex wife Judith files for a divorce, and along with the alimony.. which is a running joke throughout the sitcom, and the dying trade of his chiropractic business, Alan becomes broke and muscles his way into staying with Charlie, who has become a successful jingle writer and lives in a beach home in Malibu. As Alan shares custody of Jake, the youngster comes and stays with the pair on weekends and the three get up to many shenanigans which do not please Judith.

The show was so beautifully set up and made so much sense (unlike the idiotic plot after the sacking of Charlie Sheen at the end of season 8). Even the subplots with minor characters were fantastic, with the common knowledge that Charlie and Alan are suppressed under the matriarchal tyranny of their mother, who often comes to visit them, as well as the dominant and aggressive Berta (Charlie's housekeeper who is the "alpha-dog" of the house.

I do understand that Charlie Sheen went through a messy period in his life, with drinking and drug problems (as well as ludicrous contract demands) and Chuck Lorre had no choice but to kill him off, yet wouldn't it be in everyone'e best interest if they had simply called it a day? At this point, Jones (Jake Harper), was no longer a child-actor, and had become one of the richest young stars in the TV business, surely new roles and pastures new would appeal to him, as he'd look for a new niche after growing up on this set. Also Jon Cryer, an established actor would find a new job in less time than it will take for me to finish this article. The loss of the main protagonist should have ended the show .... we learnt the mistakes after that infamous Scrubs last season when JD no longer featured, didn't we?

Ashton Kutcher is a fantastic actor, and deserved a role on one of America's most beloved TV sets, yet the way that he was introduced and the plot change made less sense than an academic underachiever trying to decipher Shakespeare. Walden, a young adult who had sold shares to Microsoft in his youth and had come under a huge sum of money, decided to buy the Malibu beach house, and invites Alan (who is a well known nester) to stay with him in order to help get himself settled. Tell me, if you had just bought a house.. would you invite the previous tenant (who you don't even know) to live with you in order to help get yourself settled? Of course you wouldn't.

As I loved the show, I gave the post-Sheen era a chance, and found it mildly amusing, but after the loss of Charlie Sheen, the show has lost all of it's pizazz. The lady's man is no longer around .. the character that all male viewers wanted to be, and every single viewer adored. I honestly believe it would be in everyone's best interest if the show was to be cancelled, as the plot development has taken the show down a completely different route.. maybe they should have converted it into a spin-off.. change the name.. let "Two and  Half Men" always be these three cheeky chappys.  >>>>

2 Broke Girls: A review

This is my first ever review, and I am no TV Connoisseur .. but here goes!

I usually find myself sat in the study with the television on (probably why I never really excelled at school), and the channel that is normally always on is E4. I am a big fan of American Comedy sitcoms, and I probably always will be. The first series of the 2012 show "2 Broke Girls" has now finished on CBS, so I felt (without giving away any spoilers), I would review the show, perhaps as a tip off for the UK viewers who may be unaware of this show. 

As a TV show goes, the plot of this programme is incredibly simple.. a fairy princess from the whitest of white collar backgrounds, Caroline Channing, is forced to find her way in the Brooklyn borough of New York after her father is imprisoned for partaking in a Ponzi Scheme (fraud). She finds work in a retro diner, and meets Max Black, a true ladette from a dysfunctional background that has lived, what seems to be obviously a polar opposite lifestyle of Caroline. After a rocky start, the two begin to bond and Max invites Caroline (and her horse!) to stay with her in her apartment (terrible US Comedy cliché eh?). 

Max loves to bake, and Caroline (using her Wall Street business credentials), pushes Max into the idea of starting up a new company, however as the two girls are "broke", they go through the whole series, trying to make money, in order to start up this business.. ergo.. hilarity ensues... they have a target goal, can they reach it?

The show has been reviewed by some critics as being offensive, and taking digs at various subcultural groups and races, however the producer (Michael King, well known for Sex and the City), defends the style as multicultural. You can read more about this here http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2012/may/02/2-broke-girls-racist-baffling ... 

The style of comedy is witty, with a lot of one liners and sarcasm, but yet has that terrible sense of awkwardness that some people cringe at. I however, find the lines perfectly delivered by Kat Dennings (Max Black) in particular, and the stereotypical nature of the Chinese diner owner Han (played by Matthew Moy (right)) and Earl, the African American cashier (Garrett Morris (left)), to be so obviously cliché, that it is funny.

This programme is the kind of one that you need to get into, you cannot watch snippets of an episode and find yourself crying with laughter, but you start to feel a sense of empathy with the two girls over the journey they take throughout the first season. I do not see the show lasting more than around three or four seasons, yet I hope it does last for some time.

                       3.5/5 

Gaming isn't a sin!

Throughout my life I have been a video games / console connoisseur. I have played MMORPGs on the internet, childhood beauties such as Pokémon on the game boy, Mario-marvels on the Nintendo and so on. I have always been a middle of the row student, mainly getting Bs et al in my exams/coursework and my parents always said that I had “wasted my time”, on these “stupid games”. Perhaps your parents have said this to you also, I have decided to step away from the sports world and attempt to argue the Holy Grail of parenting excuses. There are a number of aspects which can help develop a person through the art of gaming and I shall discuss them ..right now!

1.)    Competition – The majority of video games (mostly on consoles), be that FIFA, Call of Duty, etc not only allow you a fun time, but lay down a challenge, be that outwitting the computer/story mode, or taking on your fellow gamers online. The satisfaction of winning gives you a perk and the anger/frustration of losing gives you that drive to do better next time.

2.)    Community – Ever since my first online game, back in the days of Runescape during Primary School, I made a conscious effort to talk to people and make friends over certain games. You cannot go outside and talk to somebody from the other side of the globe, however I have developed a good rapport with a number of people over the globe… and as a budding sociologist, understanding different cultures can be achieved in this way.. be that understanding that my German friends cannot take sarcasm and also understanding whatever happens.. you will never beat an Asian person at levelling up on an MMORPG.

3.)    Typing – This may sound preposterous, but I feel that computer games helped my ability to type over 80 words a minute more than anything I have done in my life. Whilst I was in Year 4 of Primary School, I was introduced to the infamous “Multi-player monkey you cannot get off your back” named Runescape. I would sit on my computer and fail to find keys and I would rant, saying that “THE X KEY ISN’T ON THIS KEYBOARD!” .. until someone showed me. Playing this game for as long as I am ashamed to have played for, helped me develop very quick typing skills.

4.)    Imagination – My parents would always say to me that time spent on video games can be spent “reading a book” or playing outside, and I will not deny, the many books I have read have really helped my imagination to blossom, but the challenges and aspects of video games, right there on the screen can help you think more.. which leads onto my final aspect..

5.)    Challenges – Anyone who takes an IQ test of some kind will find many puzzles and such like events, and the art of playing video games can help stimulate cognitive processes, which can help increase your IQ .. take a look here -http://kotaku.com/5457590/us-navy-video-games-improve-brains-fluid-intelligence

I am not condoning a ridiculous amount of game playing here, I would like anyone who reads this, not to use it as an excuse to be on their games 24/7 .. I feel I did not balance gaming with other hobbies enough, and I would take this time to remind you that everything should be taken in moderation. I hope you enjoyed this blog just as much as my sports ones..