Last year, I wrote a Blogmas post about the Hallmark Christmas Movie Formula. In short, every holiday Hallmark movie is the same. This has become a well known fact, and has led to the creation of the Hallmark Christmas Drinking Game. And today, I'm going to play it.

The movie I have chosen to watch is A Shoe Addict's Christmas, one of Hallmark's new Christmas Movies this year. The beverage of choice is a sparkling cranberry vodka, this was honestly the most festive drink I could think of, I'm more of a beer person to be honest. Now buckle up it's going to be a wild ride. Fair warning, this post will contain spoilers for the movie, also if you need a reference here's the Hallmark Christmas Drinking Game rules sheet.

The movie stars Candace Cameron Bure, so that's a shot to start off the game. Woo! This is going to be a fun time. So the movie starts off with our main character, Noelle, Christmas related name take a drink. Pause. Do we have to take a drink whenever someone says her name? If so, that's going to be a lot of drinks. Anyways, back to her story, she's going through her jewelry. She stumbles upon a necklace, which seems to be sentimental. She decided to put it away because it belongs to her dead mother, take a drink, that's a reference to a dead relative.

We then meet her love interest, Jake, who is a fireman. Jake talks about taking a new desk job but doesn't want to leave because the fire station reminds him of his father, who used to be captain. Drink again, there's another dead parent! The cut back to Noelle, who is at her job at the department store, decorating the store for the holidays and ogling the shoes. Jingle Bells is playing in the background, so take another drink! Then she heads back to her apartment only to find boxes all over the lobby. Turns out she has a new neighbor, and you guessed it, it's her handsome fireman love interest. He introduces himself, she's does the same, and he cracks a holiday joke at her name, DRINK!

The next day, Noelle is back at work and her boss gives her a special task, to find the name of an employee from the 90s as part of a present he's putting together for his mother, the owner of the store. Noelle has to go down to the basement to find it, eventually she gives up for the day and heads back up to the store. Turns out a blizzard struck and her boss closed up the store and sent everyone home early. She's snowed in, TAKE TWO DRINKS!

While waiting for someone to rescue her, Noelle meets her Christmas Angel, who is wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, drink! The Christmas Angel offers her a pair of shoes that will take her back to Christmas past. She accepts the shoes and take a drink for the magic deal with the Angel! She goes back to her past Christmas and takes the advice of her Christmas Angel. She makes a different choice and now she's on a different path. After getting a glimpse of this new path she is brought back to her reality, still snowed in at the department store. However, the fire department has showed up! Guess who saves her? That's right her hunky new neighbor.

Flash forward it has been a couple of days, Noelle has been hard at work planning the Annual Firefighter's Gala. She heads home after one day of work and gets hit by a snowball. Turns out Jake was having a snowball fight with some local kids, take two drinks. Then they find out they have to work together to plan the gala. So the fun begins, Noelle's Christmas Angel, still wearing the ugly sweater so drink, starts pushing the two together. They take a horse drawn carriage ride together and jingle bells plays in the background, DRINK! Noelle resists the Christmas Angel at first, but she starts to come around. She takes the second pair of shoes given to her and is transported to another event where she could have had a different outcome. This time it is to strengthen her relationship with her father. They drink hot cocoa, take a drink, and bond over how much they both miss Noelle's mother, and take another drink.

After that trip to the past, Noelle starts to lighten up. She grabs hot cocoa with her Dad in real life, drink. Then on another errand for planning the gala, Jake and Noelle end up making Christmas cookies thanks to the Christmas Angel, and take another drink. Jake and Noelle start to get closer, they decorate the Christmas tree together. That's a holiday tradition right? We're going to take a drink here anyways.

Noelle wants some answers about this alternate future that she could have had, so she asks her Christmas Angel for the details. The Angel obliges and gives her this cheesy Christmas metaphor. She compares every opportunity to a sleigh, which that alone deserves all of the drinks. Noelle takes her Angel's advice and starts to fall in love with Jake. But oh no, her boss and the mean owner of the store don't want her to plan the gala with Jake anymore because he's too free spirited and the gala is a regal affair. Also Jingle Bells is playing in the background. Drink! Man that department store really likes to play Jingle Bells. Noelle, not wanting to hurt Jake's feelings, bakes him some Christmas cookies to try to break the news to him. Drink! After seeing how excited he is for the gala, Noelle is unable to break the news to him. Instead he asks her to be his date to his fire station's Christmas party.

Eventually, Jake finds out he is longer allowed to help plan the gala and he's obviously upset with Noelle. Noelle then gets upset with the Christmas Angel. Ya da ya da, Christmas magic, everyone makes up. Noelle and her Christmas Angel are friends again and she gets one last look into Noelle's possible future. It's with Jake! Noelle and Jake make up and the gala, the store owner apologizes and says the gala could use a little more fun. It starts to snow and ends with a Christmas kiss, and then you finish up your drink!

A Shoe Addict's Christmas definitely lives up to the Hallmark Movie Formula. It's a great cheesy movie to watch with friends and family and enjoy a cocktail or two. Luckily, playing the drinking game with this movie wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, I had a total of three drinks. Enjoy all the Hallmark Christmas movies that are currently playing. And if you choose to play the Hallmark Christmas Drinking Game, please do so in a responsible manner! Until tomorrow.

One of the best things about this time of the year is watching all of the holiday movies and specials. Every major TV network is wrapping up their fall seasons to transition to the winter TV programming block. But during this lull it can be hard to find something festive to watch.

Luckily, streaming services have jumped on this opportunity. Netflix has scored some holiday content and even created some of their own original holiday movies. Here is my little guide on what to watch on Netflix this holiday season!

Classics

White Christmas — Sadly this is the only holiday classic that is currently streaming on Netflix.

Romance

Love Actually — This classic holiday rom com is iconic and a must watch.

Christmas with a View — A failed restauranteur and a celebrity chef work together at a ski resort and fall in love along the way.

Christmas Wedding Planner — A wedding planner's big break comes crashing down when a handsome private investigator is hired to disrupt the upcoming nuptials she has worked so hard to plan.

You Can't Fight Christmas — A decorator who loves Christmas meets a Scrooge-like businessman, her task is to make him love Christmas.

The Spirit of Christmas — An attorney falls in love with a ghost that haunts an inn in Vermont that is for sale. Seriously? Where do they come up with these ideas?

Family

How the Grinch Stole Christmas — The iconic Jim Carrey version of this Dr. Seuss classic is currently available to stream. If you haven't seen it before, it is definitely a must watch this holiday season!

Mickey's Once upon a Christmas — Mickey Mouse's take on holiday classics is one of the best things to watch during the holidays. If you want more Christmas Disney magic check out Mickey's Magical Christmas and Mickey's Twice upon a Christmas.

48 Christmas Wishes — The letters to Santa from a small town accidentally catch on fire and it is up to two elves to retrieve all the missing wishes.

Get Santa — Santa mistakenly gets arrested and it is up to a father and his son to set Santa free and save Christmas.

Beethoven's Christmas Adventure — The classic Saint Bernard is at it again, but this time with some festive antics.

Dreamwork's Holiday Classics — This collection is filled with the Dreamwork's holiday specials that feature characters from your favorite movies like Shrek, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.

Christmas in the Smokies — Taking place in the Smoky Mountains, a woman is tasked with saving her family's historic farm.

Santa Buddies — You'd be surprised how many holiday movies involving animals are currently on Netflix. If Christmas and dogs are your thing check out this movie along with the other installments.

The Christmas Project — Four brothers who get bullied end up showing some holiday charity to their bully and learn a lesson about kindness.

Comedies

Bad Santa — This raunchy comedy involves two criminals that disguise themselves as Santa Claus and an elf in order to work at a department store to achieve their plan of robbing the store. Bad Santa 2 is also available to stream.

Netflix Originals

The Princess Switch — A baker and a soon to be princess discover they look identical and trade places during Christmastime. Vanessa Hudgens stars in this holiday version of The Prince and the Pauper.

The Christmas Chronicles — A brother and sister accidentally crash Santa's sleigh and team up with Santa to save Christmas. This Netflix original is perfect to watch with your family this holiday season.

The Holiday Calendar — Kat Graham plays a photographer who inherits an antique Advent Calendar that predicts the future and points her to love.

Christmas Inheritance — In order to collect her inheritance, a socialite must visit her father's hometown and learn the value of hard work and helping others. This Netflix original premiered last Christmas but didn't get too much buzz.

A Christmas Prince — This was Netflix's breakout hit last holiday season, in fact a sequel for this movie came out just recently. Spoiler alert: it's called A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding.

There you have it! Now you have a variety of holiday movies to binge watch all season long. I honestly can't wait to watch the Netflix Originals along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. What movies are you excited to watch this holiday season? Until tomorrow!

During this time of the year, holiday movies are the most popular. Every channel and streaming service is taking complete advantage of how much people love holiday movies. You can find classic and even new movies and specials made specifically for the holidays. However there is one movie on Netflix that people can't stop talking about, A Christmas Prince.

To the 53 people who've watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?

— Netflix "Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas" US (@netflix) December 11, 2017

Social media has been going on nonstop about A Christmas Prince for the past couple weeks, all thanks to a tweet Netflix put out roasting their own movie and the viewers who watched it. As you can see Netflix doesn’t really think so highly of the movie. In fact, most people don’t think so highly of it. I decided to watch the movie myself, and this is what I learned. Here is everything you need to know about A Christmas Prince.

Now, I won’t go into much detail about the full plot of the movie, in case you want to watch it. But here are some good facts to start with. A Christmas Prince starts off like any typical cheesy romantic Christmas movie. Our main character, Amber, played by the amazing Rose McIver, is a junior editor who is an aspiring journalist. She ends up getting her first big break, covering the Prince of Aldovia, an alleged playboy. This story falls into her lap because all the other reporters are out on other stories. Her goal is to find out what’s going to happen with the line of succession, since the king died almost a year ago and a replacement needs to be named, by you guessed it, Christmas.

When Amber arrives in Aldovia, which by the way is a ridiculous name. Does every fake obscure country that involves a prince or princess have to end in “ovia”? Is that some sort of requirement? I’m honestly really curious about that. But anyways the paparazzi are waiting for the Prince to arrive as well. On her way out she gets her cab taken by a scruffy man who she labels as a selfish jerk. Is it a coincidence the Prince was supposed to arrive around the time? Methinks not.

So Amber heads to the press conference, and believe it or not it starts with a royal official actually canceling the press conference. Why you ask? Well the Prince is MIA yet again! Amber is down on her luck, she doesn’t have any answers or a story. Being the clever girl she is, she decides to take a look around the castle. She ends up getting mistaken for the Princess' new American tutor who isn’t set to arrive for two weeks.

The staff somehow believes her, like really? They didn’t even bother to check her ID or ask for any paperwork at all. Aldovia must be a country of trusting people. Anyways, she goes to meet the Queen and the Prince, who as you could guess was the scruffy guy who stole her cab. We then meet the Princess who we learn is a troublemaker, and also handicapped. This all happens within the first 15 minutes of the movie, that's a lot to throw at a viewer Netflix.

Amber, now going by her new identity Martha, makes a great first impression on the Princess and within one day they are already becoming close. The Princess likes that Amber just treats her like a person, rather than a royal. So she ends up bringing Amber to a royal family cocktail party as her guest. At the party Amber meets a lot of pretentious members of the royal family.

While working on getting the inside scoop on the royal family, especially on the Prince, Amber is drawn closer to him. She gets to see that the Prince is nothing like the media makes him out to be, he cares for his family deeply and has some unique and sweet talents, like being able to play Christmas carols on the piano. Cliche much?

The Princess catches on and learns Amber isn’t her tutor, but a reporter. Which goes to show the kid is the smartest person in this movie. How does no one pick up on the fact that the tutor does not understand factorials or any kind of advanced algebra. She promises to keep Amber’s identity a secret as long as she writes the truth about her brother.

Now what’s a movie without any sort of conflict. Well let me introduce you to the villains of this movie: the cousin and the Prince’s ex-girlfriend. Those two are up to no good. Since the cousin is next in line for the throne, you know he’s got to be plotting some sort of coup. Besides the obvious villain conflict, you know there has to be some sort of struggle with Amber. Well it turns out while she’s snooping she finds some life changing information for the royal family. Now Amber has a hard choice to make, does she release what she knows and air the royal family’s dirty laundry? Or does she find a way to tell the Prince herself? Or does she just leave it all alone?

Now that's all I'm going to tell you spoiler-wise. If you want to know what else that happens, you're going to have to watch A Christmas Prince yourself. Just know all cliche holiday movies do end with a happy ending. And it's already been established A Christmas Prince takes the cake with all the cliches.

I have my own opinion on the movie but it’s up to you to form your own. If this sounds like the type of movie you want to watch this holiday season check it out. If not, you’re not missing much.

Until tomorrow.

The best part of this time of the year is getting to indulge in all of the holiday movies out there. Whether that is watching the classics movies or specials or even watching original movies made specifically for this time of the year. One TV station is known for their holidays movies, the Hallmark channel.

A Hallmark Christmas Movie is not critically acclaimed in any way whatsoever. Instead, it's more of a feel good romantic comedy with a holiday theme. If you've never seen a Hallmark Christmas Movie, don't worry each movie is pretty much the same. They all follow the same generic plot line. I'm going to break down the plot of what (almost) every Hallmark movie follows. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Hallmark Christmas Movie Formula.

Now the first thing you need to know about what makes a Hallmark Christmas Movie a Hallmark Christmas Movie is the casting. The casting is crucial! Now you won't find an A List actor to star in the film. Normally it's a D List star or someone you've never heard of before. Think of people you've either seen on Dancing With The Stars or who you expect to make an appearance in the near future. Hallmark always has a go to star for each movie, I refer to them as their ringers. Stars like Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Lori Laughlin and Danica McKellar are basically Hallmark royalty. There are other actors and actress but those four are the faces of Hallmark and have starred in a majority of the movies. Now for the rest of the cast, you have the love interest, the family members, friends, co-workers, and towns people. Now most of these are played by nobodies as well. But sometimes, the love interest may be notable but most of the time he's just a pretty face.

Now that we have the cast all picked out, let's get to the basics of the plot. The story always takes place during, you guessed it, Christmas time. Literally the week of or the week before. The main character is typically a big city girl with some sort of cut throat career, sometimes you'll have a writer, a business woman, a doctor or veterinarian, or some other cliche profession. But what the real takeaway from her profession is that she's typically in line for a big promotion. But first, she has to relocate to a small town to help the struggling town and prove she's worthy of the promotion.

Now while she's struggling to get adjusted to small town life she meets her love interest by some chance of fate. Whether that's by bumping into them accidentally or having some sort of argument, she has no idea this is who she's supposed to fall in love with. Things will typically start off rocky, since they're so different. Small town boy and big city girl never works right? WRONG! They end up spending more and more time together, because (you guessed it) he's the person she's supposed to help while she's in the small town.

Things start to look up after that chance encounter, he helps her get adjusted and she helps him with the business. While they're working together, they also start to form a friendship and do things together outside of work, You'll find them participating in cliche Christmas activities, like baking cookies, building a snowman, ice skating, decorating the Christmas tree, etc, etc, etc. You get the point right?

Their connection starts to grow and slowly but surely they're falling in love. The main character is finally used to small town life and slowly starts to forget about her old life. But wait! Her boss calls, and offers her the promotion, she's headed back to her old life. She tells her love interest and they're both sad realizing things would have never worked anyways. When she's finally back in the city and has everything she thought she wanted, she has an epiphany. She leaves her promotion to go back to the small town realizing all she ever needed was true love. So she makes it back to the small town just in time to celebrate Christmas and participate in some local tradition. She runs back to her love interest tells him everything she just realized, they kiss, then it starts snowing. BAM the movie is over and the credits roll.

There you have it, now you know the plot of every Hallmark Christmas Movie ever made and every movie to come. That's two hours of your life you just got back, and yes they are all two hours long including commercials. Now not to trash Hallmark, their movies are really enjoyable. Predicabale and cliched? Yes. But still enjoyable! Sometimes all you want to do is watch a cheesy holiday movie during this time of the year.

In fact, someone actually created a Hallmark Christmas Movie drinking game. The game itself follows the Hallmark Christmas Movie Formula, which goes to show just how predictable they are. I know I'll be participating in this game this year! Adding fun elements like the drinking game or trying to predict the plot based on the title really shows what a Hallmark Christmas Movie is supposed to be about, fun times and celebrating with your friends and family.

This year, I've already watched a fair share of Hallmark movies and I'm not ashamed at all. In fact, I can't wait to catch some of the new ones I've missed out on this year like The Christmas Train and Christmas in Evergreen. Also be on the lookout for some other new Hallmark Christmas movies that will premiere this month, there are still seven new ones left to air!

There are just about two weeks left until Christmas, so what are you waiting for? Let's get to watching!

Until tomorrow.

One of the best parts of the holiday season is when all the tv channels start playing all their Christmas themed movies, tv show specials, and who could forget the holiday classics that always air around this time of the year. In fact, Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family #NeverForget) has one of the best lineups during this month. Every year starting on December 1, Freeform begins their 25 Days of Christmas programming. Every day until Christmas Day you will find nothing but holiday movies and specials on this channel. Sometimes they play other movies during this time like Pixar or Harry Potter movies, but the majority of the content is Christmas/Holiday related.

This banner shows what the main attractions are for each night. But have no fear, you don't have to wait for the evening to catch the movies. In fact, Freeform starts playing Christmas movies and specials around 7AM each day and continues to play them until midnight every day. You can check Freeform's daily schedule and even their upcoming daily schedules online. If you do not have access to Freeform on your television, they do offer an app you can download or you can go to their website and watch live from there. However you do need to have a TV provider login or an account with an online streaming cable service to be able to access it.

Throughout the holiday season you can watch classic movies like The Santa Clause, Elf, Christmas Vacation, The Polar Express and many more on Freeform. But Freeform also shows their own holiday specials and movies. You can watch previous ones like The Mistle-Tones, Holiday in Handcuffs, Holidaze, Snow, Christmas Cupid and many more. Are these movies the best? No. But if you need a laugh and are in the mood to watch a cheesy holiday themed movie that has a little romance to it, these will get the job done. This year, Freeform introduced a new original holiday movie called Angry Angel starring Brenda Song and Jason Biggs. I for one am really excited to watch this movie, it looks funny and sassy!

Speaking of new movies and premieres on Freeform, this year there is a new addition to the movie lineup for the 25 Days of Christmas. This year, you'll be able to watch the holiday comedy Christmas with the Kranks. It will debut two weeks from today on Saturday, December 16 in the evening after Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

Freeform will also show some Disney Parks holiday specials. The first one to air will be the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings reality show that will be all about winter and holiday weddings. So if that's something you're into, check that out on Monday, December 11. For me, weddings are the last thing on my mind during this time of the year. The second special to air is something for all the Disney and Disneyland lovers out there. This one is called Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic, if you ever wondered what goes on when decorating the parks during the holiday season this is going to be the special you want to watch, and this will air on Monday, December 18.

This is Freeform's 21st year putting on the 25 Days of Christmas, so if you haven't tuned in yet, what are you waiting for?! Turn on your TV right now and put it on Freeform and catch a movie to get you in the holiday spirit!

So tell me, what movie are you looking forward to watching this holiday season? For me, it definitely has to be Elf. Until tomorrow

It's December 1, and you know what that means, BLOGMAS IS BACK! For those of you who have no idea what Blogmas is, let me break it down for you. Blogmas is when bloggers write a Christmas/winter related blog post everyday until Christmas.

So a new blog post every day for the next twenty five days can't be too bad right? Well, last year when I first participated in Blogmas, I had no idea how hard it was going to be! But I'm back at it again, with 25 more original posts for the holiday season.

So let's dive in, on the first day of Blogmas I give to thee: a countdown of the Top 10 Best Christmas TV Episodes, well at least according to me!

10. New Girl - The 23rd
Before Jess and the gang go home for the holidays, they all decide to go to the holiday party at Schmidt's office. Each character has their own little bit of conflict going on but they all unite to make Jess happy so she can see the houses decorated for Christmas on Holiday Lane. Plus we get to see Schmidt dressed as Sexy Santa, what's better than that?

9. Futurama - Xmas Story
Futurama is one of those shows that can be a little strange sometimes but every once and a while they have a few good episodes up their sleeves. Like the Christmas episode, Xmas Story which tells the story of a killer Santa robot. It's a fun episode that tackles greed while reminding us the true meaning of Christmas.

8. Glee - A Very Glee Christmas
This was the first Christmas episode of Glee and the story is a little cheesy, but the best kind of cheesiness. The two main story lines for the episode take on believing in Santa and being the Grinch which you really can't go wrong with. The best part of this episode is the music, the Glee cast takes on some of the best Christmas songs and performs them well.

7. Raising Hope - Toy Story
A funny show with a funny Christmas story, the episode centers around Jimmy finally learning about his father's annual Christmas scheme. His dad buys all of the popular toys in town and sells them to last minute shoppers for double the price. Jimmy is hurt because he never once got a popular toy and now that he is a father he wants to give his daughter what he never had. But as you can guess, they learn that the toys don't matter, and that family is more important.

6. South Park - Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo
This episode of South Park is a classic, not only is it funny but it also has a great message behind it. It centers around Kyle, who is Jewish, and how isolated he feels during Christmas time because he does not celebrate it. So he meets Mr. Hankey, a magical piece of poop, but when he tells everyone about him no one believes him. But when Mr. Hankey reveals himself and proves he is real, he teaches everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

5. The Big Bang Theory - The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis
Sheldon makes this episode, and frankly the entire show, so great. Sheldon has no idea what to get Penny for Christmas because he has no idea what she is going to get him so he buys an assortment of gifts to choose from. When Penny gives him a meaningful and personal gift, an autographed napkin from his idol, Leonard Nimoy, we see an entirely different side of Sheldon. He is overwhelmed with happiness and gives Penny a hug and all of the gifts he got her.

4. The Office - Christmas Party
What makes this episode so great is that it is hysterical. Michael tries to win at Christmas by changing the Secret Santa to a Yankee Swap in order to get the video iPod he bought for his Secret Santa. The whole party goes to shambles and we get this classic line: Well, happy birthday, Jesus. Sorry your party's so lame. Plus we get to see Jim be so sweet and almost confess his love for Pam!

3. The Simpsons - She of Little Faith
This episode of the Simpsons is one of their best because of the great meaning behind it. Lisa decides to convert to Buddhism because of her disappointment with the Church. Marge tries to bring her back to the Church by trying to briber her with Christmas. But Lisa learns that she can have her own religious practices and still celebrate and appreciate her family's religion, even though it differs from her own.

2. How I Met Your Mother - How Lily Stole Christmas
How I Met Your Mother meets The Grinch. How epic is that? Lily hears a voicemail from Ted back when she left Marshall. Ted called her a bitch because she broke Marshall's heart. But to make it festive, they decided to refer to her as the Grinch throughout the entire episode. Lily bans Ted from Christmas and he is forced to spend it with his crazy family in Staten Island. The entire gang, including Lily, goes and saves him and Lily and Ted make up in the end because they realize that their friendship is more important.

1. Bob's Burgers - Christmas in the Car
By far this is my favorite Christmas TV episode, I love to watch it every year and I will continue to do so. This episode is so creative and unique, you won't find another like it. The Belchers have to buy a new Christmas Tree because their two previous trees died because they were put up way too early. So their drive to get a new tree turns into an epic journey, they get chased down by a candy cane truck and their car gets stuck in the snow. The episode is extremely funny and it really gets you in the holiday spirit.

So there you have it, those are some of my favorite Christmas TV Episodes! What are some of your favorite things to watch during the holiday season? Blogmas Day 1 has been completed, a little late, but completed nonetheless.

Until tomorrow.

It's been a while since I've done a rant on my blog so I decided it was time to bring back Kaitlin's Rant. Now today's rant is about something that I'm truly passionate about and something that I hold close to my heart. Yes, my television programming.

Now you're probably wondering why am I going to rant about something I love and care about so much? And you're also probably wondering how this will tie into a Blogmas post? Don't worry, I have an answer to both of these questions. Well during the holiday season, the TV networks and our TV shows are just plain evil. Why's that? Well with their "winter finales" of course.

Winter finales or midseason finales, are the last episodes we see of our TV shows in the current year and we have to wait until after the New Year to see how our shows will continue on. All of my shows ended this week and there hasn't been anything remotely good on TV to fill the void. So I've been taking advantage of all of the shows on Netflix and binge watching some old favorites and looking into new shows to fill the gaping hole in my heart, but I digress.

The first problem I have with these "winter finales" is that they take place before the first day of winter. The first day of winter is December 22, and it is only the 19th. How can a winter finale take place before the first day of winter. Ladies and gentlemen, this does not make sense! Someone must have made this point to networks because now more commonly, the last episodes of shows that return in the new year are called midseason finales. But for the shows that do not return as part of the same season in the New Year they are still called winter finales, even though they end before winter even begins. I don't know about you, but that really grinds my gears.

The second thing that really irks me with these midseason finales is that the finale episode is probably the best episode of the season. Well you're probably wondering why is that a problem? WELL, it's a problem because if the episode was really good don't you want more? OF COURSE YOU WANT MORE! But no you can't have any more until next year. The networks are like sorry sucks to suck doesn't it. NO SIR OR MA'AM, YOU NETWORKS SUCK.

Now not all of the winter finales or midseason finales weren't that great to rant about, but four or five did stick out. Two are actually going to get compliments. Shocking right? Shoutout to Amazing Race and Survivor for having amazing winter finales and I look forward to the new upcoming seasons, later in the year. We ended on good terms and I can't complain. BUT I will complain about the midseason finales of The Flash, Arrow and Quantico. Now I'm not ranting or complaining because the finales were bad, it's quite the opposite. The finales were TOO GOOD and I just want more.

The Flash is my favorite TV show at the moment, and I feel a little lost without it. The midseason finale was just too good for words, they brought back Mark Hamill as the Trickster and Captain Cold, my favorite villain. Plus Harrison Wells 2.0 is going to try to destroy Barry because he's being blackmailed by Zoom?! PLUS WALLY WEST IS COMING?! For any Flash nerd, this episode was HUGE plot wise. There's so much going on and they're really building up the last half of this season. I just want to know what else is going to happen. PLUS after The Flash finished its midseason finale they showed a trailer for the midseason premiere!!! Which shows Barry deciding he's going to tell his girlfriend, Patty Spivot that he's the Flash BUT then she gets KIDNAPPED. This is too much for my heart to take guess I'll just have to count down the days until January 19 for when The Flash returns.

Arrow's midseason finale brought me to tears and made me rage. Everything about the midseason finale was going perfectly fine until the final minute. Oliver and Felicity got engaged and all ready to live happily ever after. BUT NO WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS. So the people behind Arrow may or may not have killed off the best character on the show, Felicity Smoak. HOW CAN YOU ATTEMPT TO KILL FELICITY OFF ARROW DO YOU NOT HAVE A SOUL?! If Felicity is dead next year I think the answer is obvious. Meanwhile, I'll be here worried sick wondering if my favorite character will make it out alive until January 20. Don't mind me sobbing.

The midseason finale that really inspired this rant is Quantico. Now this is a new show on ABC, and it's actually very good. It's all about new FBI agents studying at Quantico so they can become agents. Well when they graduate and becomes agents, one of them bombs Grand Central and frames their classmate Alex Parish, the girl at the top of her class. So one of the classmates is a terrorist, and who is it? Well I don't know but there are theories... But anyways Alex and her team are trying to find out who framed her and the terrorist ends up bombing the FBI HEADQUARTERS. AND THAT'S HOW THE MIDSEASON FINALE ENDS. We don't know who exactly died, who the bomber is, we know nothing! And we have to wait until next year to find out what the hell just happened. Oh and we don't have to wait until January, we have to wait until March. THAT'S RIGHT MARCH. How does ABC expect me to this patient?! The last half better be good ABC... OR ELSE.

And those were the midseason finales that really frustrated and upset me and are really testing my patience. How many of you feel personally attacked by these networks? Or is it just me? Oh well, it's back to Netflix for me, until tomorrow.

We've reached the point of the daily blog challenge, where I am supposed to confess something. Alright, here it goes. Deep breaths. I, Kaitlin Mary Simpson have an addiction. An addiction to television.

Yes it's true, I watch TV whenever I can. I'm even watching TV as I type up this blog post. You can see Arrow is on my TV screen at the moment. My TV is never off, I can't sleep if it's not on. I can't be productive if my TV isn't on, it's almost like I need the mindless noise on. It helps me stay focused on the task at hand.

But then again there are other times where I simply can't focus on anything else except the TV. This is because today's shows are much better than what they used to be and we can't stop binge watching. We need to know what happens. Or is it another reason?

Growing up, I never had a TV problem. I'd watch my favorite shows when they came on and I wouldn't really care about seeing the next episode to see what would happen. Is this because TV shows back then weren't that interesting and each episode wasn't related? Or was it because we didn't have the technology back then as we do now.

Back in the day, it was a lot harder to get addicted to TV shows. Simply because there was only one way to watch it. You had to wait for it to come on at a certain time on a certain day and mentally keep track of when to watch it. Myself being a forgetful person, I would forget when shows would come on and I ended up missing a lot of episodes of some of my favorite shows. And when the shows would go on break, I had to hope I could catch the episode when it was a rerun. Oh man the struggle was real, at least until DVR/TiVo and Netflix/Hulu were invented.

I was introduced to DVR when I was either 14 or 15 years old, and that was the start of my television problem. I got so excited I could record shows and never miss them anymore. And even better, I could fast forward commercials!! With my new friend Mr. DVR, I started recording every show that had somewhat of an interested to me. I had things set to record almost every day of the week. And the best part was that I no longer had to wait to watch a show, I could sit down and watch my shows whenever I wanted.

My TV addiction may have started with my DVR but it certainly has grown with arrival of Netflix and Hulu.

Hulu certainly saved my life when I was in college. I had to say goodbye to my DVR and go back to the old fashioned way of waiting for my shows to come on and watch them. But that was difficult because most of the time, I'd be busy doing schoolwork, going to events on campus, going to class, or I'd watch other shows or movies with my roommates. Yeah I had class my first semester during prime time TV. I hated my night classes so much. So whenever I wanted to catch up on my shows, Hulu was there for me. With every show I missed, it was uploaded a day or sometimes a week later.

I think I got Netflix my sophomore year of college and that was what introduced me to binge watching. I found shows I always wanted to see but never got the chance to actually sit down and watch. But with Netflix I could start from the first episode and end at the season or series finale. Ever since then, I've binge watched several shows like The Office, Bob's Burgers, Scandal, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Once Upon A Time and now my current binge obsession, iZombie.

With today's technology, a television addiction is completely normal and part of every day life. Especially with so many good TV shows out there nowadays. No wonder why my DVR is full all the time.

Now tell me, what's your poison? Hulu? Netflix? DVR or TiVo? Online streaming? Amazon Prime? Tell me how do you binge watch or do you not binge watch TV and spend all your time outside hiking or something? Until next time.

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On July 31, Disney Channel premiered their summer Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), Descendants. Now if you've been watching Disney Channel for the past couple months, like myself, (don't judge, almost all of my shows are on hiatus and it makes good background noise) you would have noticed the commercial for it, since it played during every commercial break. Every. Commercial. Break. But anyways, their plan worked on me because I ended up watching it.

Now what is this Descendants movie you ask? Well it is the story of the children of the infamous villains: Jafar (Maz Jobrani), Cruella de Vil (Wendy Raquel Robinson), Evil Queen (Kathy Najimy) and Maleficent (Kristin Chenoweth). What a genius idea for a movie! Seeing the success of ABC's TV show, Once Upon A Time, it's no wonder they made a kid friendly/musical version of it. Now I didn't expect this movie to be a musical but I guess I should have realized that it would be since Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) was the director.

Descendants' interpretation of what happens after the classic Disney characters happy endings is quite interesting. Belle marries the Beast, and Beast unites all the kingdoms and become the United States of Auradon. So wouldn't that make Beast the President rather than King? Or has democracy not reached the fairytale lands yet? Anyways, all the villains were imprisoned on an island called Isle of the Lost which is surrounded by a magical barrier. Belle and Beast's son, Ben, is about to become king, which doesn't make sense seeing that his father is perfectly healthy and still on the young side. But anyways, his first royal proclamation is to give a chance to children of four villains to live in Auradon so they can find their inner goodness.

So Jay (Booboo Stewart), Carlos (Cameron Boyce), Evie (Sofia Carson) and Mal (Dove Cameron) find themsleves out of their homeland and now in the land of magic and happiness. But here's the catch Maleficent wants her daughter, Mal to steal the Fairy God Mother's magical wand, cause you know evil and taking over the world, blah blah blah, basic villain stuff.

When the kids get to Auradon they have their mind solely set on stealing the wand, making their parents proud and getting back home. Because who would want to deal with the children of the princes, princesses and other lovable classic characters? Some of those children turn out not to be as nice as their parents. But the love story between star crossed lovers Mal and Prince Ben certainly changes the dynamic of the movie.

Overall the story was great and it was enjoyable to watch. It gives a great perspective on good vs evil and setting the idea that just because you're supposed to be something because it is in your blood doesn't mean you have to be. You decide your own fate. The movie was adorable and those outfits were just to die for and they really capture each character's personality and traits. While the characters evolve so do their clothes.

The only thing that wasn't mind-blowing or fantastic was the music, which is disappointing because Kenny Ortega films normally have great music. Rotten to the Core was the opening number and introduced the viewers to the Isle of the Lost and it was by far the catchiest tune. However as expected, Kristin Chenoweth's phenomenal Broadway voice and talent was showcased and even Dove Cameron proved that she could keep up and displayed lots of talent musically and theatrically. But other than that the music was disappointing and not necessary. Most of the time the music was just a distraction, boring and painful to watch.

Disney fans will appreciate the references to the classic films in the movie. The children from heroes like Mulan, Cinderella, Aurora, Fairy God Mother and even Dopey have kids that attend the school as well. There are artifacts from several Disney films, like: the magic wand, the magic mirror, the spinning wheel, and etc, appear as well. For all we know there's probably a hidden Mickey or two in the film somewhere.

Is Descendants the next High School Musical or Camp Rock? There's a 50/50 chance. Based on Dove Cameron's performance, she has what it takes to rise to Teen Idol status. And based on the little twist at the end of the movie there should be a sequel in the works.

What did you think of Descendants?

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When Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) comes to mind, you can’t help but think about a bunch of D-List and uninteresting celebrities making fools of them on the dance floor. I haven’t watched DWTS for couple years but once I found out who was casted on this season, I knew I had to watch it.

Since I've last watched DWTS there have been new twists added to the show. Like a fourth judge for example. I thought three was enough, and I don’t think Julianne Hough should be a judge, she comes off very biased. Honestly I think America should just be the fourth judge. I also don’t like Erin Andrews as a co-host, she can come off rude a lot of times when talking to the contestants.

One thing that I've enjoyed about this season is most weeks have a specific theme, and the themes have all been really interesting. Week 1 was an introduction so there was not a set theme, Week 2 was "My Jam Monday," Week 3 was "Movie Night," Week 4 was "Most Memorable Year Night," Week 5 was "Switch-Up Night," Week 6 was did not have a specific theme, Week 7 was "Halloween Night," Week 8 was "Dynamic Duos Night" and Week 9 was "America's Choice/Trio Challenge.” But anyways, let's get to the most important thing, the contestants!

Lolo Jones, the Olympian, and the first one voted off. Her movements were so stiff and she just looked so uncomfortable and it made her Cha Cha awkward to watch. I feel bad for her partner Keo, it was his first time on the show and he’s a good dancer. Hopefully next season will work out better for Keo.

Tavis Smiley, talk show host, and second voted off. He didn’t do so badly his first week but time restrictions and stress were his downfall in the second week. He looked like he didn’t know the dance well and did not seem confident at all.

Randy Couture, a UFC fighter, I think he got voted off a little too early. He started off well and showed character and personality when he danced. I really thought he was going to go farther in the competition and get better every week. I think it was extremely messed up to tell him he was in jeopardy right before he was about to dance his Paso Doble.

Betsey Johnson, she is one of my favorite fashion designers! Oh my what a ball of energy for a 72 year old. I'm amazed she can do the splits with no problem! Betsey only got better with her time on DWTS. Her first dance was a hot mess because of the boa and she was punished for it. With the rest of her time on DWTS she was graceful and careful to make sure every move was correct. She was fun to watch on the show, I wish she would have stayed a little bit longer!

Jonathan Bennett, aka Aaron Samuels from “Mean Girls,” gosh will someone tell him he looks sexy with his hair pushed back? I think Jonathan got voted off way too early and it isn’t fair. He had so much fun while he danced and he was fun to watch, but I don’t think the judges ever saw any potential in him. When he would do something wrong, his scores were punished but if someone else did the same thing their scores weren’t effected. For example, when Jonathan performed his Cha Cha to “Sing,” the judges were brutal about the choreography not being traditional. However, when Sadie Robertson did a jazz routine to a country song that did not mix well at all she was praised for it by everyone except Len. Of course Jonathan wasn’t the best dancer, but he was getting better with time. His “Mean Girls” samba was so fetch and perfect. His last dance, the “Men In Black” jazz routine was awesome and his best dance, he finally got decent scores from the judges and was sadly voted off.

Antonio Sabato Jr., a gorgeous soap star and model, man those Calvin Klein ads are nice to look at. I expected Antonio to be much better than he actually was, there were times when he’d dance well, but then there were times when he was not so well. What I’ve noticed is that Antonio is stiff when he dances except when he moves his hips. Whenever Antonio dances he has fun and he always has a good attitude!

Michael Waltrip, the race car driver, I didn't expect him to be around for very long. Michael was a surprise this season because he isn’t a great dancer but he has such a lovable and charismatic personality. When Michael dances he can be very stiff but he tries very hard every week and looks like he’s always having a fun time.

Lea Thompson, actress from “Back to the Future” and currently plays Kathryn Kennish on “Switched At Birth.” When I found out she was a ballet dancer, I knew she was going to go far in this competition. Lea is a beautiful, graceful and elegant dancer, and for 53 she looks amazing! She moves weIl and looks beautiful doing so. She and her partner Artem, were adorable. If she and Artem would have taken more risks, I think they would have made it to the semi finals. Did Tommy Chong deserve to make it over Lea? Hell no. But the votes just weren’t on Lea’s side.

Tommy Chong, an infamous actor and comedian, who is also 76 years old. Was he the best dancer? No. Did he dance well for his age? Yes. Did he deserve to make it to the semi finals? God no. He had a hard time memorizing routines throughout the season, he probably lost a lot of brain cells doing you know what… Anyways, I never expected him to last that long, way to shock me Tommy.

Bethany Mota, the youtube blogger and my personal favorite. I’ve got a lot to say about my BFF Beth. One, she got screwed out of making it to the finals. We all know she should have been third or second place. She grew the most out of all the contestants and she was the most versatile out of the women, she channels a character and executes it. She can do cutesy dances as well as intense and serious dances. Bethany has swag, elegance, and this charming attitude and likability when she dances, she’s just fun to watch and you can’t turn away. Bethany got screwed in the end, she got the hardest dance and had an “error” with the set and crew. Was the error planned? Was it already planned for Bethany to receive 4th place? Personally I think so. Plus Bethany’s freestyle was epic and dramatic, and one of the best dances I’ve seen on this show.
Janel Parrish, ahhhh Mona, my favorite Pretty Little Liar!! She is the luckiest girl on DWTS cause her partner is the one and only Valentin Chmerkovskiy, and their chemistry is so strong I wouldn't be surprised if they started dating in real life. When Janel dances she plays each role perfectly, she can be fierce, romantic, sweet, sassy, elegant, sexy, and even crazy. You name is Janel can do it, which is why it so shocking she is in third place, right behind the one trick pony, Sadie Robertson, especially since Janel got the most perfect scores all season long. Janel tells a story every time she dances and every time she does that she embodies each character flawlessly. That’s why she’s so captivating to watch. She got better week after week and props to her for performing the final night with a back injury. She deserved second place and not third.
Sadie Robertson, the Duck Dynasty princess, and she got paired up with Mark Ballas, who is the main reason why she did so “well” in this competition. I still can’t believe she goes to a high school where dancing is prohibited, it’s like real life Footloose. I never agreed with the judges scores for Sadie, I think they all saw something I couldn’t see. Her second dance annoyed me to pieces. It was a jazz routine to “She’s Country” by Jason Aldean. Jazz and country do not mix, that was a hot mess of a routine Mark Ballas. The most annoying part about that routine was that she got praised for it except from Len because he’s a smart man. What I’ve noticed is that Sadie is a one trick pony, all the the choreography seems the same but maybe that’s all on Mark though. Throughout the competition Sadie performed in flats or barefoot, she hardly ever wore heels like the rest of the women competitors. Sadie also can not dance the romantic and sexy dances well because you can just tell how awkward and uncomfortable she feels. I don’t think Sadie should have made it this far in the competition, but she had a lot of fan votes I guess.

Saving the best for last, the amazing Alfonso Ribeiro, aka Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The clear winner of this season, and I called that from day one. When Alfonso dances, he performs every step well and has this amazing energy and the best facial expressions. You can't help but be impressed when you watch him dance. There’s something about Alfonso when he dances, he just has this amazing confidence and charisma and he makes everything look great and he can do anything. Week 4 was when we all saw what we were waiting for, “The Carlton,” and it was flawless. Alfonso is always amazing to watch, he dances well and entertains the audience. He tells a story and executes every dance well! And he has improved since Week 1, when he performed his first dance again, it was perfect. The jive got the score it deserved the first week, a perfect score. This season was amazing and the contestants were very entertaining and talented. However no one stood a chance against Alfonso and he was the clear front runner since day one. I can only hope next season is just as good!

My favorite part of summer is when Big Brother returns to CBS. For those of you that do not know, Big Brother is reality competition show where a group of houseguests are isolated from the world and are under surveillance 24/7 in the "Big Brother" house for three months. Each week there is a Head of Household (HOH) who nominates two people to be evicted but they have the chance to be taken off the block. Several houseguests (the two nominees, the HOH, and three randomly chosen houseguests) are chosen to play in a Power of Veto (PoV) competition, whoever wins the Veto can take someone off the block and make the HOH choose a replacement nominee. Or it could not be used at all. It goes until there are three houseguests left and evicted houseguests make up the jury. The jury votes for a winner and the one who has the most votes wins half a million dollars.

Anyways, last season was terrible. The people in the house were despicable racists and bullies, except for two or three people. This season, was slightly better, but not by much. Last Thursday was the finale, at least it was for me. This season was terrible and I'm protesting the rest of the season. So here I am to complain now. Where shall I begin? Let's start with the all the things that bother me this season. First thing that bothers me is the opening credits.

Here are last season's opening credits, which are the normal and traditional Big Brother credits. It has the houseguest's name and a little clip of them in a box. Then it shows their Big Brother picture in this little house thing and above the house is the sacred Big Brother eye which has been there since the first season of Big Brother!! Now here is this season's credits.

Here we have all the houseguests posing and dancing and moving around. Excuse me Big Brother, this is not America's Next Top Model. I do not want to see the houseguests dancing around and posing (except Zach, Donny and Nicole because they're perfect). You want to know the real thing that bothers me? Where is the eye?! That's the whole premise behind Big Brother, a tribute to 1984 and George Orwell, the Eye!!! Is Big Brother not watching them this season or something? Is that why this season sucks? I guess Big Brother gave up on this season too.
Next on my list of complaints, Team America. Three houseguests were elected by America to join our alliance. This twist was a bust. The first nominee for Team America was Joey, who was also the first evicted houseguest. Then we learn Donny, the lovable groundskeeper, was the next one voted to be part of Team America. The other two members? Frankie and Derrick. Now I understand how Frankie got voted on Team America, he was likable in the beginning, now not so much. I still to this day do not understand how America voted for the undercover cop, Derrick. That baffles me everyday. Team America has only completed three out of seven tasks because honestly they don't work well together and they only care about their personal game. Hence why Derrick and Frankie voted out Donny. Rude.

Now this last twist I hate is the BB Rewind. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. BB Rewind is a magical gold button and when pushed it will reset that week of the game. Really Big Brother? Really? Where was this magical button when Donny, Nicole or Zach were on the block?! Sorry CBS, this attempt to fix your already broken show is a little too late.

Oh what to complain about next? Hmmm, how about Derrick? Derrick has been controlling this house since day one. I'd like to call him a puppet master but you can't be a puppet master if everyone just willingly does whatever you want them to. What's sad is that no one has realized he's calling the shots except for Nicole and Donny, which is why they're in the jury house. Nicole please never compare Derrick to Dan Gheesling, that's an insult to Dan. His ego is getting too big and it is hard to watch. However, I'll admit he's playing the best game out of everyone else left in the house. It'a amazing he hasn't been put on the block yet. If he doesn't win the game I'll be flabbergasted.

You know who else I can't stand? Ariana Grande's brother. Frankie is the most annoying person in the house and is a total fame whore and despicable human being. All the rude things he's said this season, god, I regret liking him and rooting for him in the beginning. I thought he was going to be a fun and sassy guy not a self obsessed monster. It's annoying how he sucks up to ever beautiful Julie Chen in every live episode. We all know he doesn't care about America or the rest of the house. All he cares about is how many followers he has on his social media.

But the thing that upsets me the most about this season is the rest of the house. They are not playing the game, they are all peasants in the Big Brother community. They're not making any big moves, to quote Nicole "stop playing Big Baby, let's play Big Brother." Preach it girl, Nicole you're the real MVP. One alliance has been in control the entire game and honestly it's boring. Every vote seems to be unanimous and no one has the brains or guts to stand up to anyone.

Let's take a minute and reflect on who is left in the house. We've already talked about King Derrick and Ariana Grande's brother. Then we have Beast Mode Cowboy, Caleb, who's dumber than a stick. He thinks he's running the show but he's really just doing Derrick's dirty work, like when he got rid of Nicole instead of making a big move and helping his own game. Then there's Cody, a pretty face that flirts with anything with a pulse who also does Derrick's dirty work. Last but not least, there's Victoria who hasn't done much which is why she's the most likable person in the house at the moment.

Don't get me wrong, there have been some good things that have happened this season. There are very few but let's take a look down memory lane and remember the good times we once had.

The idea of two HOHs and four nominees was very interesting, I enjoyed that twist this season. The only downfall was that people would put up weak players to guarantee that they would remain HOH this season. And with there being four nominees the traditional key pulling ceremony was not around this season, which I missed.

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This is Zach Rance and he is flawless. Besides being a very good looking man, he is actually a funny and decent human being. He's witty, smart and loud. He is an unemployed college graduate, who tells it like it is. He's not afraid to call people out if they've done something wrong. He also created the clever insult "fruit loop dingus" (which I now use constantly). When Zach left the house, it never was the same and all the fun and entertainment died. All we had left was Donny and Nicole, when she fought her way back into the house.
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Next there is Donny Thompson, the most likable person in Big Brother history. Never have I ever seen anyone as kind and genuine as Donny play this game. Donny's kind soul, likable personality and awesome beard has won over America's heart. I guarantee you he will win Fan Favorite this year and I can't wait to see him on Bold and the Beautiful.

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Oh Nicole, you are a beautiful dork, or as Zach would say a fruit loop dingus. Nicole was one of my favorites since day one of this season. She instantly reminded me of Jordan who is also flawless. Nicole is the cute southern girl and super fan. She was not afraid to make a big move. She had the guts to nominate Caleb and Frankie, and by some miracle Frankie won that Battle of the Block when Caleb chose to sit out. She was evicted once and then got the chance to go back in but sadly that didn't last long because this game is too predictable.

Now the most epic moment this season was when Christine got booed as she exited the Big Brother house. Christine is a married woman and had a strange relationship with Cody, they were always so flirty and touchy towards together and it was uncomfortable to watch. The most priceless moment though was when the remaining houseguests heard the boos and they were shocked. Yeah houseguests America is not impressed.

Big Brother 16 was a predictable season and there's no need to watch the rest of it. If Derrick does not win, that will be biggest shock all season. To those of you still watching I applaud you, I don't know how you're doing it.

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So I may have gotten way too caught up on the mindless and trashy TV I've been watching lately, like Baggage the dating show hosted by Jerry Springer, and my summer addiction Big Brother. I'll blog about Big Brother later in the game, or when I feel the need to vent about the stupid contestants, or of the house makes a mistake.

ANYWAYS, seeing my rant before you can probably understand why I just simply haven't had time to watch Switched at Birth or The Fosters (post coming soon...I promise...along with the Pretty Little Liars 100th episode). But now here I am, I'm going to watch Switched At Birth, instead of cleaning which is what I really should be doing (haha).

So last season we left off with Regina being successful and basically turning on her people, Daphne dating the cutie in the wheel chair, Bay hating on frats (not cool Bay. Greek life is the best, but then again we dealt with a stereotypical frat in this show), Emmett being catfished and beat to bloody pulp and Bay telling Emmett she loves and then they do the nasty in the park where he just got his ass kicked. Jesus, last season was crazy, hopefully things aren't too dull this season.

But anyways, Bay and Emmett didn't use protection (SHAME ON YOU TWO) and she tells Daphne and they agree to go get the morning after pill in the morning. Then Father John comes out and the conversation ends. The next morning, Emmett comes out all bruised and his mother questions what happened and what's going on with him. Emmett admits he's been screwing up and asks to stay home, he is denied, but he does get breakfast. Then back to Daphne she's talking to Regina about the brick with the threat thrown into the window.

Then fast forward to school, Emmett runs into the the guy who catfished him and they have a serious talk. Emmett callfs for a truce, but the catfisher denies the truce. Next we see Regina visiting her old boss and hands over the bill for the broken window. Then we see Daphne talking to one of her old East Riverside friends and they talk about her mom and how she and the rest of the community believes she sold out for money.

Then we're back at school and Bay and Emmett are talking, Emmett is happier than ever cause he thinks he has Bay back (Bemmett 4 lyfe) but Bay is uptight and stressed about not using protection (which is understandable). Then Bay tells Emmett that she wasn't avoiding him, she had to go get the morning after pill. Emmett acts like a typical male and is jerk and says "I assumed you were on the pill" all because she had sex with Ty and was dating a college guy. If I were Bay, I'd get upset with what Emmett just said and she rightfully does. But then we found out why she's really upset, she cheated on Tank. Cheating is wrong for sure, but let's be honest Bay doesn't love Tank and clearly isn't into him. He was just a nice guy rebound after Ty dumped her, but cheating is still wrong nonetheless. And after all that we finally have our first commercial break. Oh my! So much has happened within the past fifteen minutes or so!

And we're back, Bay and Daphne have lunch and girl talk. Bay is still getting over the fact she took the morning after pill and how she could have been pregnant. Then Daphne asks about Tank, and Bay says their relationship never clicked and worked. Next Daphne's friend gives her name about who arranged the brick to be thrown into her mom's store. Little detective Daphne is on the case and is going to talk to some potential gang about the threat, oh my that can't be good. Next we see Emmett and there are flyers up at school with screenshots of the conversations he and "Mandy" aka Catfish had. Now here's the moment we've been waiting for, Bay and Tank are going to talk. Tank tells Bay he depledged (basically for her), which is good because his frat was filled with jerks (again just a stereotype in the media...) that wouldn't stand up for him. Tank is such a sweet guy and it's understandable why Bay couldn't break his heart and crush his soul.

Then it's time for Regina's birthday dinner, and John and Kathryn are asking her about her business, the broken window and the projects. Regina doesn't give a long winded answer and avoids the questioning when Bay comes in late. Then when Angelo goes inside the house Daphne follows and tells him the back story on the broken window and threat and how she is worried. Then Bay goes and spills the beans on what really happened to Regina to John and Kathryn, accidentally of course. So Regina comes clean and assures everyone not to worry.

Bay then tells Emmett about her talk with Tank, and that doesn't go well. So Daphne and Bay go looking for the vandals, and when they think they find them they flirt and play them in a game of pool. I can already tell this isn't going to go well...Also Regina goes to see her old boss, to ask for her job back. Oh god I have a bad feeling. Bay ends up hustling the two delinquents and Daphne reveals who she is and tells them to leave her mom alone which leads to one big serious and intense conversation.

Next Emmett's mom asks about Mandy and everything going on and tells him that she saw the flyers. Emmett admits it was Matthew (I could not remember his name until Emmett said it) pretending to be Mandy and how he was the one who beat him up. Switched at Birth is calling this "cyberbulling" but I like the term "catfished" more, and I believe it's more accurate (not gonna lie, Catfish has been my other addiction in these past couple weeks). When we return to Daphne and Regina, we think everything is going to be fine but no, that doesn't make good TV we need problems! Regina gets her job back, and Daphne had told the thugs that she quit. Uh oh. When Regina tells Daphne nothing is going to happen to her I'm ready to take my money to Vegas and bet it all that something is going to happen to Regina this season.

Then we see Emmett at the principal's office getting ready to turn in Matthew. Apparently Matthew has a picture of Emmett (has to be a dick pic) and blackmails him not to rat him out. Now that part is definitely bullying. Emmett doesn't come forward, and his mom flips out and is totally confused. So she takes matters into her own hands and tells Matthew he will not get away with it and gets all Mama Bear protective.

The episode ends with Daphne asking Angelo to learn sign language and to move in with Regina so she can be safe. Yawn. Then here comes the juicy stuff! Emmett's mom gets suspended from the school which I can only assume was her outburst towards Matthew. Bay ends up going through her Emmett box (IDK what else to call it) and decides she wants tone with him, and meets him and tells him how she feels. But at the same time, Father John, finds out about the morning after pill and tells Kathryn. DUN DUN DUN.

This episode was jammed back with several plots, if every episode is like this then it is sure to be an interesting season. Let's hope Switched At Birth doesn't turn into Pretty Little Liars and have a good episode once in a blue moon.

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Since this week's Pretty Little Liars was not exciting and worth blogging about, I decided to give the new drama Chasing Life a try. The commercials that ABC Family ran constantly never captured my attention, but why not take a chance and see what we got here.

The episode starts off with an aspiring journalist, April Carver, going to a blood drive trying to get an interview with a baseball player who is in trouble for drug abuse. Okay a journalist and baseball player? You got my attention. When she can't get into the blood drive at the hospital where her uncle works. We see April go to her Uncle George, who she hasn't talked to in ages due to family problems, to try to get her in the blood drive. Then we see April faint and you're thinking oh god, she's going to find out she has cancer right here. But she doesn't instead she flirts with the cute baseball player and gets to interview him.

Next we see a newspaper staff having their pitch meeting, where the editor is very strict and cut throat, and April walks in late. As the editor chews her out, she apologizes and explained the blood drive ran late and how she got an interview with the baseball player no one has been able to interview. The editor tells her that she'll send her notes to the sports writer so he can write the story.

We then meet April's crush and potential love interest, Dominic, who invites her out to a concert he's covering. Which is really a date. We also meet April's best friend Beth, who is Austrailian and runs a cafe. We also meet April's family, her grandmother, mom and sister. We learn that her dad died recently. The family has been struggling with the loss of April's father. The sister is a rebel/delinquent and the mom is depressed and lonely. April's life is going almost perfectly, her family is back on track after their loss and she just about has the guy of her dreams.

But all this time, Uncle George is trying to get in touch with April to tell her the major life changing news, but she ignores his calls. So this leads to Uncle George waiting outside April's home until she gets home from her date so he can finally talk to her. April thinks he's just trying to come back into her family's life. And then he lays the terrible news, she has cancer, leukemia to be exact.

April agrees to see Uncle George to run more tests but when the time comes she has to chose: go take tests and potentially lose her dream job or just go for it and skip the doctors and write her first major story. Like April did, I would chose my passion over my health. Uncle George shows up to April's work because she doesn't come to the hospital during her lunch break clearly because he cares about her. However Dominic overhears the conversation and assumes April and George used to be a couple and gives April the cold shoulder.

April gets called into the editor's office and he tells her he can't run her story on the baseball player. Figuring that was all, April gets up to leave but the editor stops her. He tells her about a real estate developer who is running for governor, and he assigns her to profile him. When April arrives home to tell her mom she can't because her mom is going out on a date and she does't want to ruin her mom's happiness.

Feeling the need to talk to someone, she calls up Beth, wanting to get her secret off her chest. The two of them end up at a bar and Dominic ends up being there as well. April can never find the right moment to tell Beth and she decides to go talk to Dominic to see why he's been acting so distant. Dominic tells her he heard her conversation with George and tells her how he interpreted it, April clarifies and they're a happy couple again. YAY! Right when they kiss, April gets a call from her little sister, Brenna who was out partying with some troublemakers. April leaves Dominic to rescue Brenna and brings her home. After that April sees her mom and her date kiss and gets caught snooping.

Finally, April visits her father's grave and tells him about her promotion and her cancer. She decides then and there that she's not ready to die and she's ready to battle the cancer. The premiere ends with a girl bringing flowers to her father's grave and April sees that the girl's father is her father too.

Overall I'd say Chasing Life looks like a promising series. I'll continue to watch to see where this show takes us, and let you know if it's worth the watch. But if every episode is like the premiere, I'd say it would be an interesting series.

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Last week, Pretty Little Liars returned once again! As painful and torturting as it can be, viewers, like myself can't can't stop watching. Even though it took me a week to sit down and watch it and write out all of my frustrations. I, like most other viewers are determined to figure out who the heck is this A?! Did the premiere give me answers? NO. Instead it was full of plot twists and shocking moments.

First we dear and sweet Ezra, who took a bullet from A in order to save Aria and her friends (how romantic!), whisked away in a ambulance. And on top of the ambulance is the mysterious figure that we all believe to be A. The liars, as well as every other Ezra Fitz lover (like myself), panics and worries. Will Ezra make it out alive!? He can't die! He supposedly knows the identity of A.

The next juicy plot twist we encounter is back in Rosewood with the one and only Melissa Hastings. We know Melissa confessed to her father about something in the season 4 finale. Melissa is talking with her mother about Ali and how she believes Ali is the reason for any trouble Spencer has apart of. In my head all I'm thinking is that this girl did it: she attempted to kill Ali, and instead killed a random blonde girl. Melissa is just about to confess to her mother and let the whole world know what she had done until the doorbell rings. It happens to be Decetive Hollbrook saying that the infamous Cece Drake has escaped from the police. Melissa is ready to confess to the detective whatever she did but her father stops her, and now we all sit and wonder what on Earth did Melissa do?!

Then we see the liars are featured on the news because they are missing and with the infamous and back from the grave, Alison DiLaurentis. And who is keeping up with the story? Mona Vanderwaall of course. She then says dramatically, "this changes everything." DUN DUN DUN.

Meanwhile back in New York City, we see a shadowy figure in a doctor's coat in the hospital. Ezra is being operated and on the brink of death. Jesus, take the wheel! Don't die on me Ezra! We see the liars waiting to see if Ezra will make it out alive, and in the same building A is lurking. A also sends a group message saying "follow the leader" this makes me believe A is not just one crazy psycho, but a team of crazy psychos. Then like a very smart girl, Ali leaves the hospital with A trailing closely behind. But like good friends, the liars (minus Aria, girl has to stay with her man!) follow after A. While attempting to escape Ali comes face to face with A and darts off. She ends up in an empty park. A sneaks up behind her and whispers creepily, "wanna play?" All I'm thinking at this point is that Ali is going to die yet again.

A thinks he or she has Ali alone but the liars emerge but so do other A lookalikes, proving the theory of an A Team could be correct. The NYPD show up and the As trap the liars and Ali in a circle. Then we also learn that the bullet has successfully been removed from Ezra but there was some damage left, but he has a chance to live.

Now back to Mona on the phone barking out orders and we also see Lucas is with her and they are apparently waiting for others to join them. Then we are brought back to Melissa, talking to Daddy saying how she can't keep her secret from the detective and Mommy. But Daddy forbids it and drinks his sorrows away.

Next the liars (again minus Aria) and Ali head to the Fitzgerald Theater to hideout. Ali shares about her closeness to Ezra and flashbacks to a time when they were at the theater together. Next Ali acts all sketchy and distant, clearly hiding something, and goes to make a call. At the hospital, Shana appears next to Aria. Apparently Ali, sent her to look after Aria. Is that what the phone call was about?

Back to theater, the liars talk about how sketchy Ali is being and how they are tired of secrets. Soon enough everyone falls asleep in the theater and all of a sudden a gloved hand boppers over Ali's mouth. Here is comes, oh god, Ali is going to die again. But no instead it is the one and only Cece Drake. Ali gives Cece her "get out of town free card," a passport, ticket to Paris and a new identity. Cut to the hospital, Ezra wakes up to see Aria and Shana, then all of a sudden he panics and can't breathe. Then back to the theater, Ali sneaks back in and Emily questions the secrecy.

Then we're back to Mona with a room filled with people who all hate Ali. It seems that Mona has created an army of some sort. And who has joined in? Paige, Emily's ex girlfriend. Paige appears to be anti whatever Mona has planned. But then who walks into the room? Melissa Hastings. DUN DUN DUN.

Ali also decides to tell only Emily the truth. Cece was never A, but a helpful and loyal friend to Ali and the liars. Aria calls the landline to the theater and after the call drops, Ali answers the phone again, only this time it's Detective Hollbrook calling.

Ezra then wakes again and is stable and whispers to Aria who it was who was on the roof and who shot him. The liars and Ali attempt to escape the theater and the hooded figure returns with the gun and reveals themselves. It's Shana, someone who Ali trusted dearly. Why did Shana turn on Ali? Justice for Jenna of course. Then we see Aria appear, she grabs a gun and knocks Shana off the stage and killing her, self defense of course. The liars believe that A is dead, however they have no idea about the A Team yet. But sure enough that will be revealed throughout this season. Hopefully.