Teen Choice Awards 2014-Thoughts/Preview/Nominees

Okay most years I'm usually avoiding this, but in 2014 the Teen Choice Awards interest me. Looking at the nominees for some of the Teen Choice Awards, the nominees are pretty decent this year. I actually am a big fan of most of the nominees. In fact, I'll list what I want to see win at this show. I will focus on female performances. I tend to like female characters more. While there are some great male characters on television right now, I've been really into the stronger female roles over the last few years. I'll discuss the categories I'm interested in. The show airs August 10th-I might check it out.

There's a possibility that Ariana Grande or Iggy Azalea could be performing as well, and that would be cool to see as well. I've been a fan of Grande since her work on Victorious. She was hilarious as Cat Valentine, and she has an incredible voice. It's amazing listening to her hit those real high notes. There's a video of her performing Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid on Youtube that Justin showed me. It was really well done. She sounded like she was under the sea as well which added to the effect. As far as Iggy Azalea is concerned, she's one of my favorite people in music right now. I normally loathe rap, but I really like what she's done. I enjoy her music. I think she does a great job with her rapping ability. The music video for Fancy is really good. Some of the younger generation might not recognize the Clueless theme, but it worked really well for the Fancy video. I'd love to see her perform in person. The good news is both Grande & Azalea are nominated. Grande is my pick for Choice Female Artist, and Azalea is my pick for Choice R&B/Hip-Hop. Other artists listed that I like are Katy Perry & Lorde. I've always been a big fan of Katy Perry since I Kissed A Girl. As a huge fan of the Spice Girls, Perry reminds me of a newer generation of that. She creates different gimmicks for herself, while creating catchy and entertaining tracks. I feel like there's a message of Girl Power in her music as well. She's an entertaining girl, and has so many positive messages in her songs. I like her newer music a lot, especially Dark Horse. Eventually, I'm hoping she has a Vegas tour like my favorite person in music: Britney Spears. My brother Jake and I would have a blast at that, just like we did when we saw the Piece of Me tour in February. It's really cool that Jake & I see eye to eye on some things in music & entertainment-not everything, but there's a good amount. We couldn't be more opposite, but I feel like when we're together we're more alike than you think.

The only category I would change some things on is Choice TV Show (Comedy)-I'd include I Didn't Do It & Liv & Maddie. I am very entertained by those shows. With shows like this, you can just sit back and laugh for a little bit with these. Dove Cameron plays two characters on Liv & Maddie, so naturally she deserves to be on this. BAM! WHAT! I firmly believe the entire cast of I Didn't Do It is one of the funniest casts on television. They're all unique characters. From Libby to Logan to Jasmine to Delia to Garrett, each character's personality adds more to the show. Each of those cast members does really well. If you want to watch a truly entertaining episode of television, watch Lindylicious. I've seen it a couple of times, and the comedic timing of each of the principal cast just makes the episode that much better. The smoothie machine, the tuxedo effect, the high heel effect, Garrett going on a mission to find out if the popcorn at the movie is truly fresh, and of course Delia teaching Logan a lesson for trying to cheat in a clever manner are all successful elements in making a productive comedy show. They've really done well establishing a formula to ensure entertainment in each episode from the theme to the characters. Olivia Holt is one of the most entertaining young actresses today. She always looks like she's having fun, and that's what these shows are usually all about. Sarah Gilman is going to be a great comedic actress along the lines of Jeanine Garofolo in the next couple of years. She just has a great deadpan sense of humor. Piper Curda is the most believable of the characters-she's a young Blair Waldorf in the making. I like her fashionista persona. Curda really succeeds in capturing the essence of what that character is about.

Rather than list all the nominees in the category, I'll list the option I'd like to see take home the surfboard. I'll provide some commentary where it's appropriate.

Choice TV Show (Drama)
Pretty Little Liars
I honestly believe that PLL continues to produce quality episodes of television. I always like that they keep adding different twists to the plot to keep the audience interested. A big reason why I like this show so much is because its very female character oriented. Every character has actually evolved in some way from the pilot, so that's very impressive to see as well. I'm really enjoying Mona's Army storyline.

Choice TV Show (Animated)
Regular Show
This is one of the most intelligent animated shows I've ever seen. I've seen the entire cast in person at Comic-Con in San Diego. They deserve to be proud of the show they've created. The cool thing about Regular Show is that it's the complete opposite of what the title says. It's randomness really keeps you interested. The Pops character is so much fun. I actually have a stuffed one that they sold at Comic-Con because I think the uniqueness of the character is amazing. They have a gumball machine as a character-that's awesome. There's another show I do really like on the list called Adventure Time. That might be the most creative animated shows ever made. The Land of Ooo is so visually amazing, and there's so many different components. The show tells you that if you're friend is in trouble deal with the problem with a sword or a song. Characters like the Ice King and Princess Bubblegum are so fun visually that you're automatically invested in the story. The adventures of Finn & Jake are truly some of the most entertaining moments of television. Ultimately, I find Regular Show to be the better program, but I would like to see either win this award just because they're both unique in their own way, and the creators of the shows deserve the recognition for their hard work. The voice actors add the personality to the visual component, and if you get the voice right, then you really have a fun show. Each voice actor is able to do that for the audience. The voice definitely is what you envision when you first see the character.

Choice TV Show (Fantasy/Sci-Fi)
Once Upon A Time
There is no question about it!! Season 3 is one of my favorite seasons in television history. I mean the first half in Neverland with Peter Pan being portrayed as a calculating villain was excellent, and the second half in Oz with my favorite character of all time the Wicked Witch of the West just kept me interested every week. I think Lana Parilla should have received an Emmy nomination for her work as Regina in Season 3. She did such an amazing job displaying her inner white magic over the course of the season. Of course, Emma screwed it up by bringing Maid Marian back, and I'm not going to fault Regina for getting pissed. Just when you think she's going to find happiness, her heart gets broken. Lana Parilla is in my Top 3 actresses on Television with Tatiana Maslany & Sophia Bush being the other two. Once Upon A Time Season 4 will return on September 28th, and I'm already excited for Frozen to be a focal point. As a wrestling fan, there's a term called marking out when you get really excited for something. I think Once Upon A Time has made me mark out more than any show: first appearance of Ariel, the Wicked Witch of the West (you couldn't contain my excitement at Comic-Con), and of course when Elsa was revealed at the end of the Season 3 finale, I just looked at the screen with astonishment. I didn't expect that at all, and I loved it.

Choice Reality Show
Total Divas
It really is the only viable choice on the list. Also, as a huge proponent of women's wrestling it's mandatory to support this. It would be cool to see some representatives from the WWE at the show. They might have Brie & Nikki aka The Bellas show up for the event which would make sense. It will be cool to see if they win. I actually hope they do, because it would give some media exposure for the WWE Divas, and they deserve it. These women work hard to entertain fans. Remember, they're in the ring competing, and then shooting this show on top of traveling. It's a tough life, and these girls do it weekly. It's about respect. I'm impressed at how each girl is working to improve in the ring as well over the last few months.

Choice Breakout TV Show
Reign
In my opinion, there are five shows on television that have become mandatory watching for me: 1. Once Upon A Time, 2. Sons of Anarchy, 3. Game of Thrones, 4. Orphan Black (Season 3 will begin in April), AND 5. Reign-this show was something I had to see as soon as I could. I was so interested from the initial television spots. I loved it each week. I think the cast is amazing, and I love the time period it's centered around. It focuses on the Stuart line of royalty. Reign has produced one of the best 1st seasons you'll ever find. Season 2 begins this fall. By incorporating historical time periods with intense drama & romance, the cast worked to make something special, and they accomplished that. I couldn't believe some of the scenes I saw on the show. I kept wondering how CW approved certain scenes, but what's great is it really increased interest for the show. Ratings increased over the course of the season, and it was well deserved. Everybody put their all into making this work.

Choice TV Actress (Drama)
Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars)
Between her and Troian Bellesario(who is also nominated), these two have produced pretty much all of the best moments on Pretty Little Liars. Aria Montgomery (played by Lucy) is my favorite character and she went through so much the last couple of episodes, dating back to last season. I still maintain that Troian Bellesario's descent into madness as Spencer Hastings in Season 3 was one of the best performances on the show. She won for that season last year-well deserved. Now, it's Lucy's turn to get the surfboard. The emotional rollercoaster that Aria's character has experienced is a major focal point right now, and Hale's acting makes her plight more believable.

Choice TV Actress (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)
I would have put Tatiana Maslany on the list, but most teens don't know Orphan Black so I get why it might not be on there. Golden Globes-I'm looking at you to right the wrongs of the Emmys (BOYCOTT THEM) for their ridiculous snub two years in a row. In terms of Dobrev, I felt since she was transformed into a vampire, she really has changed her personality. I loved Season 4 watching her deal with the transformation. The episode where she shut off her humanity following Jeremy's death is amazing. She played three characters at one point in Season 5, and that's impressive. I'll always love Katherine Pierce the most, but she really has done an amazing job with the Elena Gilbert character, and it should be acknowledged. Katherine dealing with her mortality, while Elena dealt with her new immortality was a great parallel  as well in Season 5. She basically switched up the characters, while still maintaining the known characteristics that fans are familiar with. I've been a fan of Nina's since she played Mia Jones on Degrassi. It's really cool to see her in such a star making role. She does an incredible job with everything she has to do on the Vampire Diaries. Vampire Diaries returns in October, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in Season 6.

Choice TV Villain obviously
Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars)
Besides Aria, Mona Vanderwaal is my favorite character on PLL. I don't consider her a villain at all, but she deserves to be nominated. She's just leading a revolution to show Rosewood that Alison Delaurentis is the most vile human being ever. If anybody is a villain in the show, it's Alison. How can I be the only one that sees this? Anyway, Mona rules, and Janel is the reason why the character is so great. I think she's created a lot of great suspense in the show, and she really does an amazing job of utilizing her past to fuel the character in present day. Alison just causes problems for everybody, and Mona is the one taking a stand against it. GO MONA!!

Choice TV Breakout Star-Female
Adelaide Kane (Reign)
I've been so impressed with Adelaide Kane's role as Mary, Queen of Scots. She has a very regal demeanor about her in the show. Each episode of the show saw Mary's character grow stronger. I feel like she does a really great job standing up to those who question her power. She shows no fear of King Henry, Catherine de Medici, or even her mother. I think the episode where she gained the respect of the Scottish council was really cool. It showed that she has understood her responsibilities as a future ruler of Scotland. She understands the importance of alliances for political reason. While she loves Francis, she understands how the political game works. Adelaide Kane is one of the best actresses on television. She's believable as a young queen, and in reality her mother's side of the family has lineage to the Stuart family. One could say she was destined to play this role. I'm looking forward to seeing what Mary does in Season 2. One thing she shows is that once you get comfortable in a role, an actress is able to really shape the character into something amazing. Adelaide has done that. I think her delivery of dialogue, her look, and her strong, sophisticated personality has truly made an impact in television. She deserves this nomination. I believe the People's Choice Awards also took notice of this performance, so its good to see that people are recognizing how great she is. It's truly an incredible role for a young actress. The fact that she makes it work so perfectly is a testament to her talents as an actress. It's not an easy role-not everybody could do it. Adelaide Kane puts the work in throughout each episode to create a memorable performance for the audience. Television shows are only successful when the actor or actress in the role is believable, and Adelaide Kane is the epitome of that. While there are many incredible performances in that show, Adelaide is the one that leads the charge and she's succeeded in flying colors.

Choice Summer TV Star
Italia Ricci (Chasing Life)
Italia Ricci, much like Erica Dasher playing Jane Quinby in Jane By Design, quickly impressed me from the pilot episode of Chasing Life. I think the April Carver character is so strong willed. She really is the anchor of her family. April is smart, gorgeous (Italia is by far one of the most beautiful girls on television), and quick-witted. She's trying to rise at her job, I thought the way she was able to get an interview with a sports star in the opening moments of the pilot show how determined this character is to rise above obstacles. She won't let the fact that she has cancer stop her. That's extremely powerful to watch. It's an uplifting character. She has interesting relationships with everybody around her from the uncle who gave her the news to her troubled sister to her mother, each one shows just how talented Italia Ricci is. While she may be getting weaker physically, I think her determination to get to the bottom of things in her life is important. She uses the philosophy: Never Quit. You might have an obstacle in front of you, but don't let it stop you. The show can be upsetting at times for the content, but I always end up smiling at the resolve of April. Ricci is the one that shapes this character. She's made her a well-rounded character delving into family secrets, dealing with cancer, and holding her family together on top of that.

Choice Movie (Action)
The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones
While my favorite movie on that list is definitely Divergent, I felt City of Bones was the most action packed one listed. I will say that I think Divergent is going to win this, and I'd accept that without a doubt. I absolutely love the story in City of Bones as well. It is just non-stop excitement. The visuals mixed with the plot and the cast created something so special for audiences. I wish more people actually saw this movie. The story is very intriguing. As a fan of fantasy genre material, this really does an incredible job of utilizing that as well as angels & demons myths. I've seen this movie about 6 times, and I always have the same level of excitement each time. It's just a non-stop thrill ride using interesting source material. The movie did a pretty good job at following the book as well. I felt they really pushed the boundaries in many scenes as well, which is really good for this sort of movie. I think Lily Collins as Clary Fray was such a smart casting choice. She fits so well into  the role. When I look at the cover for City of Ashes, Lily's appearance is exactly what I envision. Jamie Campbell Bower works really well in those mysterious roles like Grindelwald in Harry Potter or Antony in Sweeney Todd, but he has the look of an angel from books, so he really fits into the role. Him and Collins worked well together. Lastly, Jonathan Rhys-Myer as Valentine was perfect casting. He is known for playing Henry VIII in The Tudors, so he knows how to create a villainous edge. He did a great job with it. I feel Valentine is supposed to be similar to Satan, and Myer was able to create that manic edge to make it believable. The characters are larger than life. The story is interesting and keeps you invested throughout the movie. The battle sequences are incredible-visuals and intense action combine to create a really impressive adaptation of the book descriptions.

Choice Movie Actress (Action)
Shailene Woodley (Divergent)
While Lily Collins was absolutely amazing as Clary Fray, Shailene Woodley's role as Beatrice "Tris" Prior in Divergent was one of the most captivating performances in 2014. She captured the personality of Tris so perfectly throughout the movie. Her character is constantly evolving from when we're introduced to her in Abnegation to when she undergoes Dauntless training (basically has to forget everything about one faction and survive to adapt in another) to a courageous fighter helping to save the factions. In this movie, she really pulled the character out of the pages and made into a real life entity. Her acting was great-she sold emotion with her eyes extremely well. There was also one scene where she basically lost it following a certain event with her mother. When I saw it in the movies, everybody was so upset because of how well Woodley sold raw emotion. Watching her deal with physical obstacles showed how bad ass Tris is. While trying to find her place in society, she realizes she has to take some hits along the way. Shailene Woodley is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. She's been such an amazing presence in all of her movies since The Descendants.While I am impressed with the nominees on this list, I feel that Zoey Deutch for her portrayal as Rose Hathaway in Vampire Academy should be included on this list. She was a bad ass throughout this movie. She personified exactly what the Rose character represents in the books. Deutch did really well with it-her role in that movie should automatically have landed her a spot on the nominee list, however, I'm used to awards shows excluding people that I feel deserve it. On top of representing everything the character is with her sassy attitude and bad ass Dhampir fighting style, she's absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully, more books from the series are adapted, because its a really good series-darker than most YA series.

Choice Movie (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
This was such an excellent movie bridging the past and the future. The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a movie. The movie's plot revolves around stopping a certain event in the past from happening in order to erase the dark, dreary, dismal future that lies ahead.
The action sequences were incredible. I was amazed by the cuts between the past & the future towards the end. While there was so much heartache in the future, there were incredible steps being taken in the past to prevent it. It really needs to be seen to appreciate how incredible it looked. Everybody had a chance to shine in some way, which was great to see. The incredible cast delving into their roles perfectly, a movie tackling one of the biggest story arcs in comics, the deep conversations between characters (loved these crucial dialogue scenes), the incredible action sequences blending visuals & emotion so well, intelligent usages of comedy, & a really awesome future at Xavier's School truly made this one of the best movies of the year. It's certainly one of the best comic book movies ever made. It was also really cool seeing Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde having such a huge role since it's her character that bridges the gaps between the past & present.

Choice Movie (Drama)
The Fault In Our Stars
This is one of the best movies I've seen this year. Shailene Woodley's role as Hazel Grace Lancaster was excellent! Woodley showed great range throughout the movie whether it was Hazel's courage in dealing with her disease, her emotional attachment/romance with Augustus Waters, her humor with her parents, or her frustrations with Peter Van Houten. Hazel Grace Lancaster is her breakthrough performance. I was just so impressed with how she took the audience into her world. The cinema disappeared, and we followed her along her journey. Through her highs & lows, we see how strong of a person she really is. I really loved her attitude-she believes in living in the face of death. Many scenes like the courage to continue climbing the stairs in the Anne Frank house, or standing up to Van Houten, I just smiled at how incredible this character is. While her disease may hinder it, she won't let it define her. The Anne Frank house, the eulogy scene (everybody in the theater just lost it), the conversation with her parents about staying strong when she passes, and reading Van Houten's/Gus's eulogy for her are some of the most emotional moments I've seen in a movie. These are memorable for symbolism, great dichotomy between happiness/sadness (each of these scenes has a silver lining), and for simply crafting a beautiful story.

Choice Movie Actress (Drama)
Emma Watson (Noah)
This is a really fun award for me, just because two of my five favorite actresses are on the list. Both of them deserve to be on it as well for their respective roles. My five favorite actresses are 1. Ellen Page, 2. Emma Watson, 3. Carey Mulligan, 4. Cate Blanchett, 5. Shailene Woodley. I really like this award, because Shailene Woodley's Hazel Grace Lancaster in Fault In Our Stars is on this list as well. I think she most likely will pick up the win, and she more than deserves it as I pointed out. It would just be awesome to see Watson win for her role as Ila in Noah. It was incredible seeing Emma Watson involved in such a huge project like this. I've been impressed with all of her roles, but with Noah she moved into another level showing great emotional range, particularly with how important her character arc is to the story. Her delivery of lines, mixed with emotional selling of the moment was blended so well that she brought me right into the scene. One scene in particular between her and Russell Crowe regarding choice was so powerful. Watson's arc was definitely the most powerful of everybody's and ultimately was the most important one in the story. I'm glad an actress that I have a ton of respect for was able to get this role. Watson's Ila is one of the better female roles I've seen in a while. I also find her to be such an incredible role model for girls.

That's just a look at some of the awards I'm interested in. Most of this article is about female performances, but I also discussed shows and movies, as well as some notes on the music categories. I had fun writing this, because as I said, I actually like most of the nominees for this show. I discussed reasons why I want the person, show, or movie to win.

And the Emmy SHOULD go to...Tatiana Maslany

There comes a time when awards season begins that there's an obvious choice that should be on the nomination list. This year as we approach the 66th Emmy Awards, there is one actress that I feel deserves to be on the list more than any other: Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany. Orphan Black is one of the most compelling shows I've ever seen. The plot is intricate and the story has a great flow to it. The reason this show is so good revolves around Maslany. I will list some points and detail why I believe she deserves a nomination as well as a win for television's most prestigious award.

                                                             

 

1. This is the most demanding performance on television!

Tatiana Maslany plays at least six different characters consecutively on Orphan Black. Most actors or actresses play one character. Her performance is automatically more difficult than that because of the complexity of each character. Obviously, I'm not saying actors or actresses who normally perform in one role aren't great, because there's a lot of excellent performances, but Maslany has such a difficult job, and pulls it off on a regular basis.

 

2. Each character is unique!

Tatiana Maslany isn't playing the same character six times. Each character she plays has its own unique look, accent, or story. There's never a time in this show where you're confused, because each of her characters are completely different from the other. Whether she's playing Sarah, Helena, Cosima, Alison, Rachel, etc. it's just amazing that it's the same actress playing all these roles. You ask yourself: Who plays Helena? Who plays Rachel? Then you realize that it's Tatiana and its even more impressive. Watching Tatiana morph from Sarah to Helena is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen, especially when the characters share the screen. These performances alone are the ultimate light & dark of the characters. It's the yin & yang of this show in many ways, and Maslany pulls off both so well. I would ultimately say I think she absolutely loves playing Helena, because she's the most eccentric, but just watching her shape each of these characters is what true talent is all about. Whether she speaks in a different accent, changes her look, or creates a completely different personality, Tatiana Maslany has successfully developed a kaleidoscope of colorful characters that are completely different from the other.

 

3. She has incredible chemistry with each character!

Chemistry between characters is such a huge part of Orphan Black. Watching her have to interact with herself is impressive in its own right, because she has to tap into all these characters for one scene. The interaction is so interesting. Not only is she able to convincingly create interaction with herself, but she works well with each character. Since Maslany plays most of the characters on the show, she has to interact with all the other characters. She has to tap into the different relationships she shares with the characters.  Her connections with Felix, Kira, Siobhan or Mrs. S, Art, etc. are all compelling and completely different from the other. For instance, Sarah & Alison both have a completely different relationship with Felix, and she is able to capture that very well.

 

4. She plays the hero & the villain!

She portrays some characters in a heroic light. She portrays some characters in a villainous light. However, the most impressive thing about this is she's also able to create an incredible amount of complexity to the characters. She can turn the villain into an anti-hero. For instance, watching the Helena arc shows how much a character can progress over the course of a couple of episodes. Alot of her arc has to do with upbringing. The main character Sarah would be considered an anti-hero in many ways. Everything she does is to help Kira. I love Sarah Manning, but I also love Helena. I love Cosima, but I think Rachel is such a great antagonist. I think Alison's arc really shows how versatile of a performer Maslany is. She has gained more of an attitude over the two seasons, and its amazing to watch. The point is she knows how far to go to create a sympathetic character. The scene where Helena hugs Sarah after dealing with Daniel is great. Each of these characters makes you feel something: whether you want to root for them or go against them. Maslany's performance create a big picture where you're able to see where each character is coming from. That is extremely important. You see these shows where a villain isn't given enough backstory or the hero is too bland. With Maslany's performance, you don't get that. You get compelling characters, detailed backgrounds, and colorful performances highlighting each of these characters. Whether they bleed white or black, she is able to blur the lines and create some gray middle ground.

 

5. She is successfully able to portray comedy & drama!

In this show there are moments that will make you laugh, moments that will make you cry, and moments that will make you rewind to watch a scene again. The drama side is seen mostly with Sarah and Helena's story arcs. Sarah is looking to make a better life for Kira. Helena is trying to reconnect with her sister, while also trying to distance herself from her religious upbringing. Their arcs create such compelling television. The scenes they share together are some of the most dramatic moments I've seen on television. I always get excited when Helena comes on screen, because I know business is about to pick up. Sarah is a bad ass so it's always fun watching her on screen. Don't mess with her...or Mrs. S for that matter. She's always trying to piece things together and staying one step ahead of everybody. Sarah even portrays other characters at different points to gain an advantage which is really incredible. Think about that: Maslany as Sarah goes into a party, but has to portray Cosima, while also still being Sarah. Amazing!! All of this is designed to help her daughter Kira, while also being the leader of the club. Sarah Manning is awesome whether she's defending her sister, her daughter, or staying ahead of Art, Leeky, etc. On the comedy side of things, Alison's relationship with Felix, and her Desperate Housewives home life create laugh out loud moments that you can't stop smiling at. You get some great one liners between her and Felix. Based on how that friendship started, its amazing how far they actually come. Maslany is a versatile actress able to display so many sides of her personality with these roles. She'll have you feeling sad for certain characters, while laughing with another one the next. It's a complex group of characters who are constantly evolving from when we first them. It's difficult to find an actress to pull off the sweet (comedy) & the sour (serious) so perfectly on a show, but through numerous scenes she's able to convey this in a convincing matter.

 

TATIANA MASLANY DESERVES AN EMMY!! If you snub her, Helena will come for you!!