Pop Goes the Culture

The Bachelor: Season Premiere!

Jake Pavelka

ABC's The Bachelor is one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. 

First of all, there's the catty, phony, ditsy, antifeminist, shallow and sometimes psychotic behavior of many of the girls on the show, which just makes the rest of us look bad. And how many of these conversations and kisses, when surrounded by camera crews, could actually be genuine? And don't you think ABC is going to shape the comments and actions of the people on this show to portray them in the way they think will bring in the highest ratings? And isn't it true that the majority of the relationships and even "engagements" formed on the show fail almost instantly once the cameras stop rolling? 

I know all this. And yet, I can't stop watching. Because somewhere amid all of the sweet nothings and strapless dresses, the stolen kisses and spray tans, a few girls each season actually seem to develop genuine feelings for the bachelor, and he for them. How do they do it? It fascinates me.

Tonight ABC aired the premiere of the new season, titled The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love. Yep, our new bachelor, Jake, is a pilot. Naturally, he's also a reject from the last season of The Bachelorette, in which Bachelorette Jillian Harris deemed him "too perfect." Jake proclaimed all along that he was looking for true love, was on the show for the right reasons, and was not too perfect. When he was eventually dismissed, he complained that "Nice guys finish last."

So now is his chance to choose between 25 ladies. If all goes according to plan, he'll propose to one, whom he will have known for about eight weeks. I'm pretty sure 100 percent of marriage counselors would say that this kind of impulsiveness is ill-advised. But who cares? It's such good entertainment!

Among this season's crop of bachelorettes are four models, two dancers, a pilot, a flight attendant and a nanny. The frontrunner so far appears to be Tenley, a 25-year-old from Oregon who got the first kiss and the first impression rose both on the first night. But Tenley has been married before, and she hasn't told Jake yet. Maybe he won't care? Maybe he will? We shall see! She seems like a sweet girl.

I can't wait to watch this season in all of its glorious, unnecessary drama. Maybe Mr. Nice Guy will even break a heart or two.

So what does the bachelor have to say about this season, anyway?

Episode Awards:

Best Quote: Ali, for telling Jake, "It's like Christmas morning right now, and you're my gift."

Worst Pick-Up Line: Ella, for asking Jake, "How does it feel to be talking to the woman that you're going to marry?"

Most Likely to Go Insane: Michelle, for crying after only knowing Jake for an hour.

— Linsey Maughan, Courier Reporter

Halloween Happenings 2009

 

The leaves are falling, the wind is blowing and the time for ghosts, ghouls, witches, werewolves, monsters and more to rise from the grave and roam the shadows is upon us. That's right - it's already time for Halloween!

And that means it's also time for a list of all the thrills, chills and howling good times there are to be had in our area! If you click here, you'll find a long list of scary (and some not so scary) events to celebrate the holiday - trick-or-treat times, parade times, haunted attractions and more. Whether your looking to laugh or scream, we've got you covered!

As always, there are still a few holes in our schedule to fill, and we'll be doing that in the coming weeks as the info becomes available. In fact, if you see something on the list that needs added or fixed, just email me at jasonsmith@thecourier.com and tell me about - I'll be glad to add it!

So be sure to keep on your toes and your eyes on the shadows and, as always...

Happy Halloween!

- Jason

Spider-mouse, Spider-mouse...

Well, there goes another piece of my childhood.

In an announcement made today, The Walt Disney Company announced that they plan the buy comics-giant Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.

Why would "the Mouse" invest so much during a shaky economy anyway? The answer: young boys. While Disney captured the hearts, minds and wallets of every pre-teen girl a couple years ago with their Disney Princess line, they have yet to really find a niche to attract the young men in the audience.

So the answer that makes good business sense is to buy a company that's gaining ground with said demographic and recently began producing it's own films. But that's not all: Disney also gains access to the over-5,000 characters in the Marvel Comics cannon. Disney says this will allow it to bring many lesser-known characters to the forefront (even the lame-ass ones).

On the other hand, there are a few glimmers of hope for comics fans in this unholy merger. For instance, any existing contracts the company has with amusement parks or movie studios will still be honored. Another advantage is unexpected, but very cool: a partnership with Pixar. Pixar's CEO John Lasseter reportedly entered some closed-door talks with Marvel artists and writers and got "very excited very quickly." Given the animation studio's record for creating solid, story-driven films,, this could be a plus.

Hopefully more plusses than minuses will be gained in this merger. As long as Disney plays it cool and let's Marvel do what it does best, all will be fine. but so help me, the first time the Hulk sports mouse ears or Iron Man sings "Bippity Boppity Boo," a long line of comic book geeks with torches and pitchforks will descend upon Cinderella's castle...not pretty.

- Jason

Findlay makes it into space, sort of

 There was little on TV at 10 p.m. tonight, so I stopped when I found astronauts on ABC. Being a big geek, I stopped and discovered "Defying Gravity," a new scifi/soapy show takes place in the future, circa 2050. Eight astronauts are manning a six-year space mission to explore planets in the galaxy. And along the way, they struggle with interpersonal relationships and eerie space happenings.

Within the first 10 minutes, my alma mater also popped up. An anonymous tour guide announced a special hello to the fifth grade class of Lincoln School in Findlay, Ohio (almost pronounced it correctly). And so Findlay made it into space, if only in a dramatic sort of way. Anyone else catch the reference or know how it made it in? No matter what, very cool.

- Mariah