Lucia, Mad-Men-ified.

Happy Twitter-versary to me!  A year ago today, Heroine TV joined Twitter.  Oh, I was so young and innocent then, following about 5o accounts and never engaging in conversation.  One year and 7, 205 tweets later, I have learned a lot.  Wait, 7,205 tweets in one year?  That’s how many tweets a day?  Yikes!  Overtweet much?  Why, yes.  Yes, I do.  Okay, okay, I know, it looks bad, but only about 25% of those tweets feature me broadcasting.  Most of the time I am replying to my tweeps.  And I am known to engage in lengthy late-night conversations with the Scooby Gang (yes, I am in a Twitter gang–only for the most hard-core of television fans, so beware) and my TVD gals.  With 560 followers, and 379 twitter accounts that I follow, it’s actually surprising that I’m not tweeting more.  One of the best parts of Twitter, in my opinion, is the interaction, and I’ve actually formed some great friendships, with some awesome people.  And I used to think that the internet was creeeeepy!  (Okay, maybe the internet still is, but not anyone whom I’ve met on Twitter.)

I figure that one year on Twitter is like 5 years in non-internet time–kind of like dog years or something.  Thus, I am listing some Twitter maxims of mine, culled from thousands of tweets-worth of experience.  I’m like Yoda or something.

1. Do not constantly tweet about your follower count.  For me Twitter is about quality not quantity.  Yes, we all love to get more followers, secretly, but what really matters is that you earn followers who actually care about what you tweet.  It’s not about numbers, but about building relationships.  If my favorite tweeps have not tweeted in days, I notice, and vice versa.  We get to know each other, and it’s way more fun that way.  Also, building a Twitter following tends to naturally happen with time.  Somehow, I have ended up with 560 followers, without any campaigning.
2. And on that note, don’t fixate on your follower account.  I can’t tell you how many tweets talk about losing a follower.  Who cares?  Those who choose to follow you are doing so of their own accord, because they think they may find value in your tweets.  But that doesn’t bind them to you for life.  Expecting someone to remain following you for eternity is a bit Cullen-ish, don’t you think?  Don’t take unfollows as personal offense, as that usually is not the case (I’m sure it is sometimes, but let’s not fixate on that).  Don’t you want the freedom to follow whomever you wish without any attitude.  I, for example, only follow entertainment related tweets–mostly about television.  If someone is tweeting about something else all the time, I don’t really want it in my feed.  That doesn’t mean I am dissing that person.  Also, most of the time, the follower losses are just spammers.  Follower counts are constantly fluctuating on Twitter, due to spammers.
3. Additionally, don’t expect everyone you follow to follow you back.  There are some people who expect a follow back, or they will unfollow.  I don’t bend to such strong-arm tactics.  I follow about 152 twitter accounts that don’t follow me back, as I find value in them–either  news sources, critics, celebrities, or just awesomely entertaining people.  I’m fine with not getting a follow back if I enjoy someone’s tweets, and the same should go for my followers.  I can’t follow everyone who follows me, plus these other accounts that I value, or I’d be following over 700 people.  I’m only one person, who has a real life as well!  This is where Tweet Deck and the global filter come in (oh, I LOVE that global filter).
4. Embrace the Twitter.  Don’t constantly tweet about the fact that you’re tweeting, and thus have no life.  What does that say to the people who are reading your tweets, who are also on Twitter, and spending their precious time reading what you’re writing.  Think about it.  And I guarantee that it is possible to tweet a lot AND have a life.  We all do it.  That’s the great thing about the 140 character limit.
5. Have a sense of humor.  Twitter is fun … or at least it should be fun.  Don’t allow yourself to get easily offended, just because people have different opinions or are snarky about something that you enjoy.  It’s easy for the 140 character limit to lead to misunderstandings, so just give people the benefit of the doubt.  We’re all having a bit of fun with each other, so let’s keep it light.

Of course, what do I know?  Feel free to ignore everything that I just said, as you should just be yourself on Twitter and tweet the way you want to tweet.  Okay, and I think that the occasion calls for one more list.  Here is what I have learned on Twitter:

1. I am not the only one who watches an insane amount of TV.  In fact, there are some who even watch more.  I can’t tell you how much this discovery has improved my life.
2. No one can agree on the best episodes or seasons of Buffy, but everyone can agree on the worst.
3. No one on Twitter likes Two and a Half Men.  Clearly we all have far higher IQ points than the general population.
4. Most shows could do with more shirtless scenes.  (Hey, I’m just reporting what I read.)
5. Everybody loves Lauren Graham, Nathan Fillion, and NPH.  Absolutely everyone.

In conclusion, Twitter is awesome.  You can find out pretty much anything, and in a much faster time period than the rest of the internet.  Also, I no longer have to scour the internet for television news, as it just magically appears in my feed.  Perfection.  Plus, there are way more awesome people in the world than I ever imagined.  I’ll leave you with my Twitter philosophy: Twitter is like Tofu. It tastes like what you put on it.  The people you follow are what gives it spice and flavor, so if you think that Twitter is boring, that just means you’re not following the right people.  (Okay, it is not a perfect metaphor.  Now I’m hungry.)

Okay, I'm not in high school, nor do I wear a uniform, nor have I been reading Sylvia Path. Whatever. This photo is perfect for this post anyway. Photo Credit: In Training for a Heroine.

So, no blog posts for 9 26 days and counting.  My apologies.  Once again, I have been prevented from blogging by real life.  Research, translation, grading … I’d rather be writing about TV, trust me.  But don’t lose the Heroine TV bookmark in your web browsers, because I will be back at it soon.  Ah, summer … a delight for academics.  Big plans for future posts, so stay tuned.

Photo Credit: Jack Rowand/The CW.

I’d like to spread the word about an impressive Smallville-related fan project, honoring Allison Mack, and her character, Chloe Sullivan.  The title of the project, Legendary, may seem like a bit of hyperbole.  However, if you think about it, Chloe has been around for almost a decade.  Other than Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Mack is the only one of the original cast members of Smallville to stick around for all 9 seasons.  With a 10th season of Smallville on the way, Allison’s Mack continued status as a full-time cast member is not a certainty; but there is the potential for a decade long run on television for Mack, playing the same character.  Impressive, indeed.

Chloe has really grown a lot during her long run on Smallville, from a teenager obsessed with “meteor freaks” and nursing an unrequited crush on Clark, to a self assured force to be reckoned with.  I started watching Smallville during my junior year of college (undergrad), and as I matured, so did Chloe, and my appreciation for her.  I must admit that I was not a fan of Chloe early in the series, at all, but eventually, she became the girl I genuinely rooted for.  Sometimes relegated to the role of “Exposition Girl,” Chloe has not always been well treated by the show in terms of story lines.  But Chloe is incredibly smart, brave, selfless, and sassy, and ultimately Mack has demonstrated her crucial contribution to the show.  Mack is a talented actress, and last season she did some of her best work, in the service of the Doomsday arc.   This season, despite her second billing in the credits, Mack’s screen time has been rather limited.  Still, Mack has been one of the main reasons for the show’s continued watch-ability this season.  Honestly, with Clark in that Angel/ Batman trench  coat, and so many new characters taking the place of the old ones, sometimes Chloe is the only reminder of the show I used to know and love.

Check out the following press release from the Legendary Chloe website, for the details of what these Chloe fans have done in support of their passion.  They have actually put together a fan-funded commercial tribute, set to air this Friday:

Smallville fans have funded a professionally-filmed tribute commercial for CW leading lady Allison Mack and her TV character, Chloe Sullivan, to air twice during the 6-7pm hour on Friday, May 14, 2010, on the CW’s Los Angeles affiliate, KTLA. Starring on Smallville since 2001, Ms. Mack has gained a large and devoted fan base as one of the CW’s most beloved stars.

For the completion of her 9th year on the series, Smallville fans decided to celebrate Allison Mack and Chloe Sullivan, with a commercial project entitled Legendary. Scripted and funded entirely by fans, this is a first of its kind tribute ad, one that honors a specific actress and character on an in production series. Legendary was filmed in Los Angeles in late February with the director, Jon Michael Kondrath, at the helm. Together, cast and crew created a tribute commercial focusing on who Chloe Sullivan is and what she means to Smallville fans.

You can check out a teaser for the upcoming commercial below.  I look forward to seeing more!

I encourage you to check out the project website, for further information: LEGENDARY: A Chloe Sullivan Fan Commercial.

Photo: Bob Mahoney/The CW.

Melissa over at The Televixen.com has posted the latest TVD podcast, aptly entitled “Camp Naughty Bad Fun.”  Oh, it really was.  I had such fun on Friday night talking about The Vampire Diaries with the usual awesome chicks Melissa & Connie, and new awesome chick Lee.  Sadly Vee couldn’t join us this week, but she was there in spirit.  I pronounced “Alaaaaaric” correctly a few times, just for her.

Not sure if you want to listen?  Well, here’s a preview: Eliza Dushku is Katherine’s sister and Isobel’s ancestor, Bonnie has been training with Emily-Wan Kenobi, and everyone’s a cylon.  Also, go Team Human Life!  I may have had a little too much fun.  Click here to listen to the podcast over at TheTelevixen.com: TVD Podcast – Camp Naughty Bad Fun.

Yeah, I still own my first Madonna cassette tape. That thing is never getting thrown out.

It has recently come to my attention that many of the people who will be tuning in to tonight’s Madonna-themed episode of Glee, entitled “The Power of Madonna,” are to young to be familiar with a lot of the songs that will be referenced.  This must be remedied.  I recently revealed in a blog post some of the details of my childhood Madonna obsession, so I figured that I should be the one to educate you ignorant masses.  You’re welcome.  Yes, Madonna had music BEFORE “Ray of Light,” as hard as that is to believe.

Madonna  used to be awesome, people.  Just look at the picture above.  She was channeling Marilyn Monroe and James Dean–looking back into 50s cinema, while breaking all its taboos.  ”True Blue” was the first Madonna album that I ever owned.  I must have been about 7 when I found the cassette tape among my father’s music, and appropriated it for myself.  He didn’t mind.  Honestly, I have no idea why he even owned that tape, as he was more of a Bob Dylan and Bob Marley fan.  Maybe because she was Italian?  My dad will buy anything if it is Italian.  Or maybe there was a rule in the 80s that everyone had to own a Madonna album?  Who knows.  But I got my hands on that tape and became obsessed.

Madonna was pretty much the natural progression from my love of Barbie and the Rockers and Jem and the Holograms.  My mom often tells a story about when I was getting ready to go to my first day of kindergarten.  I was wearing a tube top as a miniskirt, big earrings, and singing Barbie and the Rockers. Madonna soon replaced Barbie and Jem as my pop star idol, and luckily my parents found it adorable, and not disturbing.  Thanks, guys.  There was a bit of a pause when I took to wearing rosaries around the house (according to my Catholic parents, rosaries are not jewelry, despite what you might think), but they accepted it.

We never had MTV when I was little, but eventually I managed to watch all of Madonna’s videos, as I continued to be a fan throughout my tweens and teens.  Unfortunately, due to copyright reasons Madonna’s videos are not embeddable on YouTube, but I will link the relevant videos as I go along.  The most controversial is certainly “Like a Prayer,” which features stigmata symbolism and burning crosses, along with a Christ-like figure who was African-American (apparently, actually a saint), and interracial love.  Hey, it was 1989, over 20 years ago, and that stuff was considered a big deal.  In addition to the religious symbolism, the video tells the story of a girl who witnesses a rape, for which a black man is falsely accused.  Madonna’s character enters a church, and eventually finds the strength to go to the police and tell the truth, thus freeing the innocent man.  The video also features Madonna as a brunette for once, which I appreciated as an Italian girl.  You can watch the video here: Watch the “Like a Prayer video.  After you have watched the original, check out the “Like a Prayer” promo for tonight’s episode of Glee:

Another important Madonna song and video was “Vogue.”  The title of the song, and the much-lauded video, were inspired by “Voguing,” a type of dancing that emerged in the gay club scene in 1980s New York, primarily in Black and Latino communities.  I listened to a really fascinating interview about it on NPR a few years ago, but I could not find it anywhere on the internets.  I am a failure.  But, just know that Madonna didn’t invent the “Vogue” dance she does in her video out of thin air.  Watch the “Vogue” video.  After you’ve seen the original, compare it to the shot for shot remake for tonight’s episode of Glee, posted below.

One of my very favorite Madonna songs, and very favorite videos, is “Papa Don’t Preach.”  I love that in the video she wears a t-shirt that reads: “Italians Do It Better.”  Yeah, I have one too, but no one should be surprised by that at this point.  It is just a classic song, and you can watch the video here: Watch the “Papa Don’t Preach” music video.

Another favorite is “Like a Virgin,” which is early Madonna, featuring her before her Marilyn phase.  In the video, Madonna rides through Venice on a gondola, and there is a guest appearance by a lion.  Seriously.  There’s some Beauty and the Beast imagery there.  Also, she dons a very-80s wedding dress, while getting very friendly with a table.  Watch the “Like a Virgin” music video.

I will also call your attention to “Material Girl,” a song that was my favorite in third grade.  As an adult, it doesn’t have quite the same effect on me, but it is still a classic.  The awesome thing about the video, which I did not realize until years later, is that it is inspired by the Marilyn Monroe film Gentleman Prefer Blondes, now one of my very favorite movies, of all time.  It is a work of comic genius that is underappreciated.  Seriously, you must rent or buy it today. Check out Marilyn’s rendition of ”Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” below:

Then compare it to Madonna’s ode to the film: Watch the “Material Girl” music video.  Quite the “homage.”  ”Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” may be more familiar to you from Moulin Rouge!, which was also very inspired by the 1953 film.

And while I am on the Madonna-nostalgia path, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan.  The plot is too insane to explain here, but check out the trailer and a video clip from the film, featuring the hit song, “Get into the Groove.”

Yeah, in the 80s when a pop star was in a movie, she could dance to HER OWN MUSIC in a club, while playing someone else.  Oh, what an age of wonder and hilarity.

Another classically bad Madonna film was 1987′s Who’s That Girl.  This movie was the reason that I wanted to wear a tutu, motorcycle jacket, and fire-engine red lipstick.  I have yet to live the dream.  Someday.  A future Halloween costume, perhaps?  Check out the cringe-worthy clip below:

I could go on, but I’ll spare you.  Now that I have exhausted you all with the nostalgia, I hope that you are better prepared for tonight’s Glee episode. Although, actually, despite all the time that I put into this post, I hope that you will be watching Lost tonight instead, and tuning in to Glee tomorrow.  Priorities, people!

If only I had a ladder. Photo Credit: Dave Pear's Blog.

… yes, it is FINALS time. That means I have stacks of papers and exams to grade.  Joy!  Not to mention language exams of my very own.   Curse you, Greek!  Alas, this means that I have been too overwhelmed with work to make time to blog.  Any break time must be spent relaxing my brain into a pile of goo with Gilmore Girls episodes.  The good news?  I’ll be on break for a week starting March 22nd, which means I will then have time to make up for this.  Plans for my Spring Break blogging include a report on my recent complete series marathon of Dawson’s Creek, and catching up on my Lost recaps.  Also, the return of The Vampire Diaries just so happens to coincide with my break, so expect a recap next week.  Don’t lose this bookmark in the meantime.  Heroine TV is not dead.

Will Dawn win the tournament? Or will it be Kennedy or Parker? Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox Television, via IMBD.com.

Buffyfest‘s annual March Madness Whedonverse Character Tournament has begun!  This year, however, the contest is a bit different.  Instead of voting for your favorite character, you must vote for whomever is “The Worst of the Lot.”  Click on the link below to vote in round one.  And don’t forget to check Buffyfest frequently throughout the coming weeks so that you won’t miss out on the fun.

Vote in the tournament: Buffyfest: March Madness Whedonverse Character Tournament – The Worst of the Lot.

Imagine me buried underneath, clinging to my laptop for dear life.

I just wanted to write a few words to explain my recent lack of original posts.  Over the past two weeks I have only been posting videos here and there.  I am currently working on my Ph.D. in ancient history, and working as a teaching assistant, and this is finals week.  Oh, the dreaded finals week.  Thus, I have been writing lots of papers, and grading lots of papers.  Next, I will be grading piles of finals.  Anyway, don’t worry, this blog is not fading away, and I hope to write up at least one Dollhouse recap on Friday (cross my fingers that I will not be passed out by exhaustion).  Any procrastination time (and oh, there has been an embarrassing amount of that) during this stressful two weeks has been spent on Twitter, rather than the blog, as that is quick and easy (and I am addicted – Twitter addiction is a real and serious problem, so don’t judge).  Next week, I’ll be on vacation, and will have lots of time to work on some fun posts that I have planned.  Thanks for visiting Heroine TV!

Heroes Season 3 Premiere.

Gossip Girl Season 2 so far: “Summer Kind of Wonderful,” “Never Been Marcused,” and “Dark Night.”

The New 90210.