Tag Archives: Zooey Deschanel

Out of the Box: Look of the Week

1 Sep

One of the busiest months of the year in terms of TV and fashion is here so this week’s “Out of the Box” is a fun mix of film festival attire, talk shows and magazine editorials. While I’m on the subject of September and how busy it is you can now also sign up to my weekly newsletter here. The first one is all about this time of year and is an extension of everything TV Ate My Wardrobe.Emma StoneEmma Stone at the Venice Film Festival wearing a delightful floral Giambattista Valli, which is an ideal daytime photocall outfit for La La Land. Paired with suede ochre heels gives this a late 70s feel that I am – in non-shocking news – in love with. I am very excited about this movie and the costume design is already giving me all the heart eyes.Zooey DeschanelGiving off casual cool at Jimmy Kimmel Live! is Zooey Deschanel and I’ve been after a good pair of denim dungarees. To me they are jumpsuit adjacent in that I don’t own a pair and they give me the same clothing related bathroom fears.

On the show Deschanel also looked great in a black ensemble paired with some super sparkly amazing flats and a collar that ticks all the boxes. Plus she talked about how much her daughter loves cheese, her TV directorial debut and the New Girl crossover with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.Aja Naomi KingInterview Magazine continues to deliver on great photoshoots and interviews – well I guess it is the title of the magazine – and this week HTGAWM’s Aja Naomi King chats with OITNB’s Danielle Brooks about their classic training, TV and King’s role in The Birth of a Nation. Also working with Viola Davis sounds as incredible as you probably imagined it would be.

“She brings you in, and it feels like family. When you’re in that kind of family environment, when you’re tasked with doing something difficult, you can allow yourself to be brave because you know you’re surrounded by people that love you, that only want the best for you. From day one, it’s been that wonderful. I was terrified. That first scene we’re in together in the pilot, I was so scared. Here she is, being amazing in this room, and I just want her to think I’m amazing too.”Aya Cash Interview MagAlso in Interview is Aya Cash and I am thrilled You’re the Worst is back for a third season. The premiere episode is really great, made me teary and sparked an important shower related debate.  As with the Aja Naomi King picture Aya Cash nails the disarming black and white shot in stunning fashion.

In the interview Cash discusses how Stephen Falk had to fight for her to get the part of Gretchen, audition rejections, the doors You’re the Worst has opened and what she’d be doing if she wasn’t acting. This also has me very excited:

“I’m starting to produce. I’m developing a project for myself based on one of my mom’s books. I really don’t have a specific idea of where I want my career to go, I just have an idea of wanting to continue to work and work on things that I like and think are good. I don’t need to be crazy rich and crazy famous. I would just like to keep going.”Aya CashThis all-Prada ensemble shot is also fantastic and I couldn’t pick between the two. For more from this Interview shoot head here.Rachel WeiszChunky knit season is upon us and upstate New York is the place for these late summer shoots as The Edit shows with this fantastic Rachel Weisz spread. This turtleneck sweater is perhaps a tad outside my budget and it is still too warm for such garments, but I can dream.Stranger Things kidsStranger Things is one of the undeniable hits of the summer and part of the reason for its success and resonance is the kids at the center of the story. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo all appeared on The Tonight Show this week timed perfectly for the season 2 pickup announcement. Style wise it has been a lot of Winona (for good reason) on here, but the kids dominated this piece I wrote.

And in real life they are pretty adorable and charming. Outfit wise they are all perfect and Millie Bobby Brown’s dress and flats are super cute. Points for all. Plus she crushes Nicki Minaj’s “Monster” verse.

Can you host?

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Behind the Insta-Scenes: Photos from the Set

31 Aug

Fall TV premiere dates inch closer – and You’re the Worst is back tonight! – and so plenty of behind the scenes promo is occurring. Plus fabulous guest stars, guest directors and one show is almost forever finished shooting.

 

A lot of beard to kick off this week’s Insta highlights with Kristofer Hivju and Michael Fassbender. Future Fassy in Game of Thrones possibilities are probably low, but this wouldn’t be his first HBO venture as he was in a couple of Band of Brothers episodes.

 

Abbi Jacobson on Portlandia alert.

 

Looking forward to September 20 and the return of these guys (and their new captain). Stephanie Beatriz related glasses envy is still high.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJgjrm5DLyJ/?taken-by=therealhannahsimone&hl=en

 

New Girl also returns September 20 and Hannah Simone’s got the co-stars in sunglasses shots on hand. First up Max Greenfield and bathrobes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJjMujZjsPv/?taken-by=therealhannahsimone&hl=en

 

And then Zooey Deschanel under an umbrella wearing a headband and check shirt look that I will no doubt be after when this episode airs.

 

Also back the same week on Fox is Empire and Taraji P. Henson gives a little costume sneak peek featuring some very large hooped earrings.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJmDFxchDrF/?taken-by=juliagtelles1&hl=en

 

Welcome back my fave screechy teen on a prestige drama and it looks like Whitney’s going all domestic goddess in a cat covered apron in season 3 of The Affair.

 

From the summer TCA and the Mr Robot ladies continue to crush it.

 

To be filed under “this is kind of cool, but also creepy as fuck.”

 

Eva Longoria is directing an episode of Jane the Virgin this season and everyone is very pleased with this. Also the amount of Brett Dier popping up in these shots would suggest Michael is not going to be dearly departed.

 

And a ladies only version. I am thrilled to see Bridget Regan kicking it on set.

 

While we won’t get to see the final season of Girls until early next year, the show is currently wrapping up and these final days are getting the Instagram treatment.

 

And polaroids to mark Zosia Mamet and Jemima Kirke’s last day shooting.

 

BrainDead continues to be my favorite show of the summer, but the last two weeks have been lacking any Gustav so hopefully the next episode will rectify this.

 

Happy You’re the Worst Day! I am so ready.

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NYFW Fantasy Costuming: Kate Spade New York Fall 2016 RTW

13 Feb

New York Fashion Week is here and with it the return of Fantasy Costuming. Kate Spade New York is one collection we are always look forward to seeing because you can pretty much guarantee bold color and pattern; the new Fall 2016 Ready-to-Wear collection does not disappoint.

For Kate Spade’s last NYFW offerings we concentrated on picking outfits for characters on comedies and while this is also the theme here some drama does sneak in.Kate Spade NY MindyMindy Lahiri is all about the mixing of colours, prints and textures and she’s got a vast collection of plaid coats already so this cape is the perfect addition to her closet. She would also rock the shit out of this pink blouse on The Mindy Project.Kate Spade NY RTW fallMore for Mindy and this is probably what she imagines she would look like if she was a spy. All it needs is a pair of sunglasses and some binoculars to complete the look.Kate Spade RTW FallThis season on Elementary Joan has been embracing all things collar detail with bows and ascots aplenty, which makes this the perfect getup. Joan isn’t against wearing color especially when it comes to bold print dresses and blouses, but black and white attire is her predominant choice and I can definitely see her in leather and stripes. Probably not the swan bag though. Kate Spade RTW Fall 2016Gina Linetti is the TV Ate My Wardrobe sweater queen and stripes are staple sweater material. While Rosa has the leather jacket thing down on Brooklyn Nine-Nine this one is better suited for Gina thanks to the sheepskin detail.Kate Spade NY NYFWSuper cute office wear for Supergirl herself, Kara Danvers.

Kate Spade NY ShoshGirls returns next week and what better time to think about all things Shoshanna than now. Shosh is a fashion chameleon carefully planning her outfits to match the scenario/activity. The black turtleneck has a cool ‘take me seriously’ arty vibe, but the sunglasses and polka dot jumpsuit add a playful edge which suggests a casual date sitch (if Shosh could go on such a thing). I also think she would take a spy aesthetic from at least half of this outfit. Kate SpadeThis is for Shoshanna again and this is either a fancier date or first day at a new job ensemble. The ruffled sleeves add an edge to the prim and proper matching floral scarf and skirt.Kate Spade JTVSpeaking of dates I can see Jane wearing something like this when she goes on her first date with no longer her advisor Professor Chavez. It is funky without being too try hard.Kate Spade RTWFor when New Girl gets its titular character back from jury duty and Kate Spade New York/this dress is ultimate Jess attire. Same with those very cute rosette shoes.Kate Spade Aya Cash part 2This is not a leap, but after seeing Aya Cash rocking a very similar look IRL I now want to see Gretchen show up in something similar on You’re the Worst. It’s not really her usual style, but could work for a fancypants event like a book launch (for Jimmy one day) or something job related.

Stay tuned for more NYFW posts throughout the week.

 

Photos: Courtesy of Kate Spade New York

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New Girl 4.15 “The Crawl” Review: “The Crawl is for All”

11 Feb

Valentine’s Day on New Girl is a messy affair particularly when hearts have been broken and others are contemplating the next stage in their relationship. Nick’s way of dealing with his breakup is to come up with a mandatory bar crawl as he attempts to avoid sadness through planning and copious amounts of alcohol. Jess and Ryan also have big changes to contemplate as the show tries to work with the confines of a guest star love interest.

New girl 4.15 The CrawlBreakups are rough at any time of year, but Valentine’s hammers home how single you suddenly are and Nick’s bar crawl idea is not a surprising one as it provides an alcohol fueled distraction. His friends can’t really say no to participating because of said breakup even if they have fancy dinners planned/can’t drink because they are on call/are at a function with their maybe girlfriend and a group centric episode such as this one are always very enjoyable. Throw in some relationship high stakes and we’re golden. They know Nick is going to crack at some point which is why they all attend despite their other commitments and the whole thing swells into something so much bigger thanks to what Jess refers to as Nick’s “weird Mason-esque charisma” and the amount of lonely souls drinking in bars on Valentine’s. A bar crawl on a regular night might not achieve this level of attention, but on VDay you’re golden.

Jess has a different relationship quandary and as we have seen in the past with the finger guns situation she has a tendency to avoid declarations that come out of the blue. When Ryan asks her to move in she pretends she doesn’t hear and instead runs to Cece for a bathroom (!) conference. As both Cece and the unseen but heard woman in the toilet suggest, there really is no reason why she shouldn’t move in with Ryan – the cons list consists of his toaster being really old. The show knows they are perfect for each other and in part this is because they haven’t really given Ryan any flaws and the only source of conflict has been from the teachers at school. The reason why he is looking for a new job is because the teachers have turned on ‘Jyan’ (the worst parts of both their names) and this is one occasion where a throwaway line works instead of showing because we have already seen the teachers being difficult when it comes to this pairing. It does feel like a contrivance in that they need a reason to have less Ryan on the show particularly when he gets offered his dream job, which just happens to be in England.

By the time he gets offered the job they have overcome Jess’ avoidance issue or her lot of hair hearing related problem as Nick puts it and they decide they can do the long distance thing. In other relationship updates Schmidt stands up to his love interest Councilwoman Fawn Moscato (using her full title because it is amazing) and tells her he is tired of doing everything on her time. The ‘not taking her shit’ approach works as Fawn shows up later to say that yes she wants to date Schmidt. Prior to this moment Schmidt has been taking care of a very drunk Cece; Cece thought she could drink as much as Nick but she didn’t factor in Nick’s depth of sadness and general amount he normally consumes. Drunk Cece gives Hannah Simone the chance to shine in multiple ways including how much she wants chicken wings and her not so convincing suggestion to Winston that she has doesn’t have feelings for Schmidt. Winston is in smart perceptive mode with his backpack full of treats (okay no one wants the female condom, but the nuts and beer are good).

This has turned into the slow burn will they/won’t they of New Girl and Schmidt has fondness for this holiday because back in season 1 it was the first time he hooked up with Cece. This is a pair that has of course been together in the past and while this season has focused on repairing their friendship, it is also hard to deny the amount of chemistry and intimacy. Just look at the bathroom scene as Schmidt holds her hair back pre-vom and he says “somehow this isn’t repulsive.” Now that’s love.

Coach spends the whole episode offering up cheesy lines just so he can hookup with someone and instead he finds his dream girl. After a lot of verbal sparring they find out they have a lot in common and I’m glad May is still going to make Coach work for it by giving her an email address rather than a phone number. It was announced last week that Damon Wayans Jr. won’t be back for another season which is disappointing as this group has really found its groove. Maybe May will develop into something more than just a few episodes arc.

New Girl Style Watch

New Girl 4.15 Cece and JessAnother jumpsuit from Cece that makes me reconsider my feelings about this garment and this one is by Elevenses. It probably comes as less of a surprise that I covet Jess’ Kate Spade dress with embellished Peter Pan collar. Yes it has pockets.

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New Girl 4.14 “Swuit” Review: “Takin’ Care of Business”

4 Feb

Going into business with your best friend might seem like an excellent idea but not so much when those partners are Nick and Schmidt and their history is littered with disagreements. Past episodes of New Girl including the first time they tried to pitch a prototype to fancyman Russell, along with the flashback and present day Schnick Industries brainstorming sessions are enough to know they don’t have a compatible working strategy. What happens when you throw Jess into the mix? Plus Cece is still at college and encounters money woes this week.

New girl 4.14At the end of the last episode (which feels much longer ago than it actually was) Nick and Schmidt agreed to go into business with each and since then they have been working on one idea. This one idea happens to be really terrible – the Swuit – and they have already committed to a pitch meeting with “queen of QVC” Lori Greiner. Cue extreme brainstorming sessions which quickly descend into bickering because neither wants to be bossed around by the other. Jess loves a project and collaboration so she quickly steps into the role of mediator making them excellent breakfast brain food and suggesting compromises to stem the arguments and kick-start the creative flow.

Jess goes to both of them individually regarding their issues working together claiming the other has non-specific ‘man problems’ – they infer it might be something hangy or gooey – and suggests they let the other think they are the boss right now. This plan works until it doesn’t (Jess whispering “I’m amazing” to herself is amazing) and after they have come up with a relatively good idea it all collapses into shouting again. Some of this yelling involves praising Jess but you wouldn’t know from the tone.

One reason why Schmidt and Nick storylines work so well is because everyone loves a good opposites attract pairing and it is why I could endlessly watch them sniping at each other even if we don’t quite hit the heights of “Gave me cookie, got you cookie.” Their pitch meeting dissolves into Nick talking gibberish as they’ve forgotten to bring their prototype. Jess once again saves the day by bringing the “Perfect Pet Pic” camera to the meeting while wearing the Swuit (because she spilled coffee all down her very nice cream sweater). Jess does a really great job of selling the all sweat material suit but instead of buying it because she loves it; Lori pays them $10,000 to kill the idea as she has a conflicting product. It is a victory without a victory and Schnick Industries still has work to do. If only they could learn how to meet in the middle as until then they’re going to need Jess around to referee and point out the compromise.

There’s a lot to build on here and because of their shared history coupled with their current room sharing there is a lot of comedy to be found in this set up. The real question is is this just another ridiculous pipe dream or can Nick and Schmidt find success together? The latter seems less likely as if they did find success it would change the group dynamic and I don’t know how well it would work if instead of striving for something they actually had that thing, but progression should be made in one form or another. This brings me to Kai and this relationship has never been more than a background thing so it isn’t surprising when they break up, especially after Nick turned down Ninja Turtle sex (sex with backpacks) to work instead. It also plays into the limited period of episodes pattern of a guest star love interest and the curious thing is what happens next.

Nick and Jess have been very much in the background this season, which makes sense considering how burned the show was by putting them together as quickly as they did. I’m not sure if it is a) a chemistry thing, b) because a part of me will always be a Nick/Jess shipper or c) intentional but the dance Jess does for Nick towards the end of the episode to Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business” has a flirty edge to it and I can’t work out if this was just meant to be a friendship related move or something more. I suspect it is the former as Jess’ relationship with Ryan is going swimmingly so far and yet he is also just a guest star so there is perhaps a time limit on this too. Not that I necessarily want them to revisit Jess and Nick quite so soon after the show is getting back on track; their chemistry is just hard to deny and it was very apparent in this moment. Nick is finally motivated to do something and this was one of the problems that plagued his relationship with Jess. As friends Jess can be supportive without being viewed as a nag and they don’t fall down the less than compelling boyfriend/girlfriend bickering that occurred during some of last season’s low points.

The tag doesn’t quite hit the lofty random and hilarious heights of the line dancing from the last episode, but seeing the guys going from disdain at the song choice to hearty singing along is brilliant and if they want to end all episodes with a jukebox moment then I would be more than fine with that.

While Nick, Schmidt and Jess are busy with pitch meeting and prototypes Cece is experiencing financial worries as her tuition has been increased and she doesn’t have enough money to cover it. There are several nods to these three characters not sharing much screen time together and the last time was when they got stoned at the police barbecue (okay Nick was also there), which also happened to be when Cece decided to go to college. It is a grouping that works well as Cece gets to do her best exasperated faces while Coach and Winston try to help but are more of a nuisance. Anything that involves more Cece time is good with me and I love Jess’ very extreme reaction to finding out her friend is having money issues. After all each character is a bozo in their own way and this season continues to be very fun even if it isn’t quite hitting season 2 levels just yet.

New Girl Style Watch 

New Girl 4.14Jess has a variety of excellent sweaters this week and it is this dog pattern one from Boden that is my favorite (it is from the British icons collection and is also available with either a robin or guards pattern). Seriously considering the robin one as it is not only on sale but it hits my color weak spot. Not that I need any more sweaters (okay maybe a couple more wouldn’t hurt).

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New Girl 4.13 “Coming Out” Review: Field Trip

14 Jan

On New Girl this season Jess’ work and personal life are entwined as a result of her relationship with Ryan, but since they started dating in secret we haven’t seen their attempts at covering this up at school. Now they don’t need to because Coach did his research and found a previous case allowing them to confess all to their peers. Sneaking around romance stories are a sitcom staple but as this show has had at least two of them it makes more sense to get straight to the reactions to their relationship. Plus as we have seen in the past the teachers at Jess’ school aren’t the most stable so of course they react with suspicion and chaos follows.

Jess just wants people to like her and this is one of those lesson episodes where characters realize that doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest or most popular. And you might end up with a face full of wasps.

New Girl 4.13 Coach and JessElsewhere Schmidt has a medical issue which is stopping him from going into work (an ulcer caused by work) and despite Schmidt’s very vocal protests Nick is going to show him how to do nothing for a day. Schmidt is desperate to become Don Draper, but he’s destined for mid-level if his boss has anything to do with it and this is far from the character his office is trying to emulate. The only person who doesn’t really have a work story going on this week is Winston as he spends the episode talking up the crystal he has been given by his colleagues (in a way this is a work story I guess) in a creepy but all-knowing way.

Coach reacts to no longer being the hot new guy in the teacher’s lounge by convincing Jess and Ryan to reveal their relationship. When this doesn’t have the desired effect he attempts a Ryan like sensitive nature and cardigan styling, which instead gives off a whole murderer vibe. What “Coming Out” reinforces with all the characters is that it is better to be yourself and Coach gets his hot status back when he leaps to save the kids from the nest full of wasps which has been unleashed. It’s painful, but he seems into it.

The same goes for Jess and while she is still concerned about people liking her because this is her standard position, Cece points out – this episode needs more Cece – she has to go in and be herself while owning it at the same time. And own it she does while also telling Ryan that she loves him in front of all the other teachers. And that goes well too as he responds in the same way. So far the whole Ryan relationship has been relatively drama free and as I mentioned last week I am glad he has become more than just a three-episode thing. Now the “I love you” moment has occurred I’d like to see more of Ryan beyond dreamy perfection, not that I need angst but there is only so far that dreamy perfection can take you. Even with a butt like that.

Schmidt has always wanted big things so to be told he is nothing more than an amazing mid-level employee is the push he needs to look beyond his current job. After a day of mooching in a Nick fashion he points out that Nick used to have grand ideas (cue college flashback) and now he just spends his days doing nothing. On one end you have Schmidt working too hard in a job that isn’t going anywhere and Nick is at the other standing still (or lying down). Put the opposing positions next to each and what you end up with is a desire to work together. This has disaster written all over it, but maybe it might produce something amazing like computers for babies. Back in season 1 they came up with Real-Apps and while this ended up cutting Jess’ boyfriend Russell there is also potential here.

Taking the leap, doing what you’re scared of and breaking out of a routine are all addressed in “Coming Out” and Winston’s crystal might be nonsense, but it also helps some of these characters confront personal roadblocks. Also all-knowing and wise Winston is hilarious. And it leads to one of the funniest tags this show has ever delivered. Much like Schmidt’s job prospects this is a mid-level episode; however it has the potential for more especially if it goes into business with Nick Miller.

New Girl Style Watch

New Girl 4.13Jess wears two very cute dresses this week with this ‘Jenny’ houndstooth dress from Shoshanna and later an umbrella print ModCloth frock. The blazer in the photo above is the same one Jess wore from J. Crew in last week’s episode. Also from J. Crew is the quilted red jacket in the picture at the top of this review. All are on my wish list.

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New Girl 4.12 “Shark” Review: “I am Woman, the Smartest Species of them All”

7 Jan

The construction work that led to the loft getting a landline earlier this season on New Girl is back to stir up a debate between Schmidt and Jess with regards to getting things done; Schmidt thinks palms need to be greased whereas Jess is all for friendliness and by the book actions. Appearances are not all they seem as Nick and Coach discover when Winston graduates from the police academy and they fret for his safety when they see the small stature of his training officer, Aly. They can’t quite figure out how the guy who paints cat bowls for not only his cat but his roommates – where is Ferguson? – isn’t going to get stabbed by a kid on the job and their attempts to protect their friend are both dumb and very sweet.

New girl 4.12 SchmidtThe shark versus dolphin approach is reminiscent of the Jess/Nick debate from “Landlord” back in season 1 when Nick argued there is always an ulterior motive for generous acts (on this occasion he was proven right as their landlord thought they were going to have a threeway – this is still one of my favorite episodes). The winner of this debate between Schmidt and Jess is vague in that Jess is successful in getting the night construction switched to the daytime; however she has to use some nefarious tactics for this victory. No palms are greased, nor does she send an envelope filled with fake blood and a note saying “I know” instead she targets one of Schmidt’s weaknesses with his vanity.

Earlier in the episode Schmidt frets about his new tailor and how his cuff lengths on his jacket are not quite right, so when Cece mentions his cuffs seem a little off right before he is meant to argue in favor of nighttime construction it throws him off in the exact way Jess predicted. Jess feels a little dirty for resorting to this manipulative tactic (after some awkward straw mouth missing gloating) but really Schmidt had failed with his attempt to get Councilwoman Fawn Moscato (played brilliantly by Zoe Lister Jones with a character who wouldn’t be out of place in Pawnee) on side. Moscato is the kind of woman who can get Schmidt to do her bidding as she’s a little bit mean and has all the power (much like his relationship with his boss in season 2); she manages to appeal to everything he’s turned on by. Have you ever seen Schmidt look happier or more puppy like than when he stuck his head out of the window after he took hairspray to the face?

Schmidt is even impressed with how Jess effectively used his insecurity against him and it adds validity to his shark argument. The highlight of Jess agitating Schmidt comes much earlier in the episode as she keeps invoking the word “bro” and when everyone else follows suit it becomes even funnier as Schmidt gets more wound up.

Jess does attempt to go through all the correct channels, first by filling in endless forms while Ryan gets bonkers horny on red wine. Followed by performing a speech with visual aids – the visual aid is Ryan dressed as a construction worker and he continues to be impossibly handsome – that lays out the argument in a succinct manner. It’s very Jessica Day. A quick word on Ryan and I am so glad he has become more than just the standard 3 episode arc love interest as he doesn’t feel out of place in this group, plus the aforementioned handsome. He is still pretty perfect and this might be a problem in the future as currently the only conflict comes from the forbidden aspect of their relationship, but at the moment I am really enjoying what Julian Morris is bringing to the show. We do learn that Ryan’s uncle was arrested for having sex with a dolphin and Cece’s reaction to this random piece of Ryan information is pretty much perfect as she is “having a lot of difficulty nailing” him down.

This is a good guest star week and Nasim Pedrad slots in nicely to the New Girl world taking no shit from Nick and Coach as they air their concerns about Winston’s new career. I can understand why they might worry for their friend after watching Winston’s crazy antics for the last few years (although I really need to see Evil Winston – flashbacks please!), but dudes don’t judge how badass a woman is by her stature because she will kick your ass. As is the norm there are a lot of very funny Winston moments this week with his crossword idea being high up there for me; “Who likes cats? Winston across.” There is a whiff of Let’s Be Cops to this plot which was going to happen at some point with this storyline and if that movie had been Nick and Coach trail Winston I would have been much happier.

New Girl Style Watch

New Girl 4.12 JessThis outfit is a twofer as Jess is wearing a super cute Eva Franco summer dress paired with a black blazer from J. Crew which is giving me all the Liz Lemon feelings right now.

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Behind the Insta-Scenes: Photos from the Set

11 Dec

Welcome once again to Behind the Insta-Scenes! Bringing you a roundup of the best behind the scenes photos posted on Instagram from a variety of TV show and personal accounts from the people who are on them. This includes anything from future episode sneak peeks, what’s airing this week, flashing back to the past and general on set (and sometimes off) antics.

We’ve got an array of onset photos this week including a look at a future episode, which also happens to be flashing back to the past, award nomination celebrations, the final days shooting one show and creepy Santa.

 

Oh hey Michiel Huisman and your beardy goodness! Hanging out with Orphan Black creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson in what looks to be Felix’s apartment.

http://instagram.com/p/wXpnw1JQ-1/?modal=true

 

Lee Pace is guest starring on The Mindy Project this season as an important person from her past and having watched the Christmas episode it now makes sense why they were shooting in San Francisco a few weeks ago.

http://instagram.com/p/wW2ObUJQ0-/?modal=true

 

Mindy Kaling also posted a few photos of what Mindy looked like in 2004 – bangs and blue contact lenses – when she first knew Alex. The caption explains it all.

 

New Girl went for a different kind of Santa this year for their super fun festive episode and I’m not sure I will ever be able to look at Saved by the Bell’s Mr Belding in the same way again.

 

It was SAG nomination day yesterday and the cast of Veep have a lot of SAG years between them. This also works as a reminder that I still need to catch up on this show.

http://instagram.com/p/wZ2WVJjFi8/?modal=true

 

With this coffee truck for the Community cast and crew, Gillian Jacobs agrees with Nathan Fillion’s sign.

http://instagram.com/p/wcbGJrwPmW/?modal=true

 

The last Wine Wednesday on the Cougar Town set is an emotional one.

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New Girl 4.11 “LAXmas” Review: Love Actually and All That

10 Dec

New Girl Christmas episodes* tend to be a chaotic affair and “LAXmas” continues this trend switching out the multiple parties of season 2 and inserting travel plans. Ah yes the traveling over the holiday season frenzy that is usually further hindered by the weather and in this case a storm is majorly delaying almost everyone’s flights. Winston and Nick are traveling back to Chicago, Cece’s mom wants to hand deliver a card to Matt Lauer and so she is on the same flight as Schmidt who is returning to Long Island. Coach is attempting to get some ‘me time’ and instead of going back to Detroit he has booked a vacation to Hawaii. Taking the next big relationship step is Jess as she has been invited to London to spend Christmas with Ryan and his family; cue all the anxiety.

* There was no Christmas episode last season, most likely as a result of New Girl’s post Super Bowl slot in January. New Girl is very good at the holiday themed episodes and so I’m glad to see them back with a strong outing this year.

New Girl 4.11Holiday episodes (and particularly Christmas ones) function in a variety of ways; by addressing the larger issues in a heightened and most likely schmaltzy way, pop culture comes into focus by making fun of movies like Love Actually followed by their own slightly skewed Love Actually moment and because there is a single purpose (on this occasion getting on multiple flights) the obstacles are going to keep coming. Switch out the string of festive parties from “Santa” back in season 2 and there are still the same new boyfriend/girlfriend anxieties, just with different suitors (Julian Morris takes the position of both Olivia Munn and David Walton in this episode as everyone else is single or in Nick’s case it has only been a one episode thing so far and he’s already pretty content, that will change).

Guest stars pop up along the way to help, hinder and skeeze with Billy Eichner’s beleaguered airport worker Barry turning from snark and sass at Jess’ attempts to get Nick and Winston on their flight to new BFF when she gets hit on by the super creepy Santa (played by Saved by the Bell’s Dennis Haskins, no I can never look at Mr Belding in the same way after this proposition). Eichner doesn’t do the whole screaming bit and this is the most sedate I have probably seen him; it would have been easy to go for that route but it sets this character apart from his Parks and Recreation and Billy on the Street style and I hope Barry is a return fixture. The withering looks he gives pretty much everyone give me so much life and this character instantly feels part of the New Girl universe. Barry helps Jess out in the end by getting Winston and Nick on their flight and in first class seats (and in a win by karma the super sleeze from the first class lounge is the person bumped, plus some other random guy); however there is more in this airport saga.

Jumping to the first class lounge and another of the creepy dude characters with Barry Bostwick turning from Schmidt aspiration to a reason to leave the luxury that Schmidt craves in one indecent proposal. Schmidt has decided this season that his millionaire dream is still tangible and while he might pretend he is from Manhattan (with a view of defecating Central Park horses) his inner Long Island will come out under the right circumstances. Invoking all things Billy Joel is pretty much the best amount of Schmidt nonsense “New York. Long Island. Billy Joel” and is the perfect exit statement to this scenario. Schmidt doesn’t tell Cece exactly what was said, just that he had disrespected something important to him – Cece’s guess is Daniel Craig’s tailoring – and I’m really liking how New Girl is dealing with this relationship. Cece tells Schmidt she really likes being his friend and he returns this sentiment, yes something romantic is likely to happen in the future, but I appreciate how they are slowly rebuilding what was previously fractured by Schmidt’s infidelity.

With each mention of Coach’s niece in Detroit, it becomes clear he will definitely ditch his alone time super sweet Hawaiian vacation and go back home to his family. No matter how crowded it is, plus the inevitable family squabbles that will take place there are certain things better than lying on the beach. Even if last week’s clip of Coach’s sisters cutting off their own hair was mildly terrifying. And as Coach finds out airport phone charging stations are a nightmare of different appliances and battery needing desperation.

In fun airport hijnks Winston and Nick set about getting on their flight by trying to scare off other people with tickets with Winston going all in with his fake baby and Nick doing things like ripping up tickets that would most likely get him arrested (or at the very least detained), but hey it is Christmas and his “Debbie, don’t start with me, you’re in a mood” was enough hilarity to negate the plausibility of it all. Also pretty sure Nick would get in some kind of shit for his not turning his phone off, ignoring the flight attendant and then getting off the plane shenanigans but like I said it is Christmas and they need their Love Actually moment.

Jess gets the Ryan related fear thanks to the photos of his Downton Abbey style house – Barry is a fan of this show even if he knows it is a soap opera – and his super moody looking family. The McDuck amount of money is one factor and there is too much pressure, so Jess bails. Or at least she tries to and as is traditional with the Nick/Jess pairing advice is given with a bit of pep and reassurance and all is well. This is what was missing when they were a couple last season and it is why I’ve got the Nick/Jess warm and fuzzy feelings again. As I have already mentioned in previous reviews, I really don’t think they are right for each other at this moment but their strong connection is undeniable and it works best in a personal crisis such as this.

Taking the rushing through the airport cliche and cutting to the super slow cart followed by hugs and love declarations as She & Him’s version of “God Only Knows” starts up is more than enough to leave me warm, fuzzy and very satisfied with this festive outing. Oh and Jess when you tell someone you are no longer coming a) at least end the text with one ‘x’ (that was cold) and b) mention you got on the flight in the end.

New Girl 4.11 Jess and BarryNew Girl Style Watch

This Equipment sweater almost made the Wish List after Mindy wore it (instead I went for this LBD from the same episode) so I am glad I get to showcase it here as it is sweater plaid heaven. And if you want something on the less splurge scale then you can pick up Jess’ duck phone case for the very affordable $4.99 here.

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New Girl 4.10 “Girl Fight” Review: Yellow Purse Wars *Double Syringe*

3 Dec

Men and women are different; a not so shocking statement and a sitcom staple. New Girl has been playing with group hang tropes all season as they try to work out all the kinks from last year and “Girl Fight” takes a look at the way we handle conflict and has fun with it. Disagreements and how they are addressed takes various forms and we’re presented with a quick aggressive solution and the less physically painful passive aggressive approach.

New Girl 4.10 girl fightJess and Cece’s friendship is an integral aspect to the New Girl dynamic and it was something that was lacking last season as a result of the Nick/Jess romantic pairing and because of Schmidt’s two-timing. Cece has at times been the hardest character to incorporate into the overall narrative thanks to her dating history with Schmidt and as the only non-loft dweller. They aren’t just passing acquaintances and while Jess was the ‘new girl’ at the start of the show, Cece is her oldest friend. Other arguments have come before this one; back in the first season they fell out in “Secrets” when Jess found out Cece had been sleeping with Schmidt on the sly and in “Models” a boob slap fight took place after Cece overheard Jess making disparaging comments. An image I’m sure Schmidt would have found very arousing if his teddy bear placement this week is anything to go by.

They have questioned whether they would be friends if they met today as they are so different and whether their shared history is the only thing keeping them together. Now they are unleashing 20 years of unspoken hurt about whatever awful stuff they have done to each other in the past after Schmidt’s “I know women” hubris gets in the way. After witnessing how quick the guys sort out being pissed off with each other (a swift nut punch) Jess mentions how glad she is that they don’t fight like this. Schmidt’s turned into a bit of a dummy this season, first the whole not knowing how to do laundry thing followed by mentioning the yellow bag Jess went back for. Cue compliments tinged with so much passive aggressive subtext and Schmidt’s whole “I know women” bravado comes crashing down. Coach has three sisters (something he points out to prove on several occasions to emphasize his girl fight knowledge) and Schmidt chooses to ignore both Jess and Coach when they tell him to stay out of it. 

Schmidt is “penis weak” when it comes to Cece and he brings this whole carefully constructed ‘ignore each other for three days/latte/pretend it never happened’ system crashing down by interfering and getting the yellow purse for Cece. Why did Jess need the purse in the first place? If you have been paying attention to her collection you will know there are many and she loves purses. Don’t question this love as she can be “a damn feminist who loves purses” (a riff on Zooey Deschanel’s Glamour interview “I want to be a fucking feminist & wear a fucking Peter Pan collar”). What starts as a hilarious fight using emojis (“double syringe”) ends with a confrontation at Nadia’s baby shower. Nadia is thrilled and then bored by the spectacle before her as Cece tells Jess how clean her hair looks which is greeted by a horrified gasp.

Twenty years of hurtful comments spill out and while nothing quite tops the JESSICA FREAKIN P revelation from season 1 there is a lot of pent up bad feelings. Coach brings his ‘I have sisters’ swagger to save the day and instigates a full blown brawl as he suggests punching each other will resolve things. This brings Nadia so much joy as she stomps all over her gifts (earlier when she sees the crib she asks “where is top of baby cage?”) and we’re also reminded of that time she broke Schmidt’s penis (which was post/pre Coach and he can’t believe this was a real thing that happened).

This fight does clear the air between Cece and Jess although I would probably suggest that this isn’t necessarily the best way to work things out every time they have an argument. The slate has been wiped clean as they declare that after twenty years they are each others’ favorite person to talk to. Strong lady friendships aren’t always so easy to come by on TV because there are usual contrivances that get in the way and this is one pairing I want to spend so much more time with. They are very different people, but their BFF status is something that even a knockdown fight and breast pump to the face isn’t going to destroy and soon they are back to talking about everything. This includes Nick’s new girlfriend and how the whole thing is weird; Zooey Deschanel and Hannah Simone really kill this scene. They also manage to flip things on Schmidt and Coach by pointing out how insecure their DVR disagreement would make them feel, which later results in Winston hitting them both in the nuts.

Winston is in procrastination heaven/hell (delete where applicable) as he avoids revising for his police exam and the funniest sight gag (in an episode that is one quick fire joke after another) comes as Winston pleads that he can’t turn the pages while he is saran wrapped to the chair. He is also very good at making paper snowflakes and doing terrible detective work on Kai, Tran’s granddaughter and Nick’s ‘lover friend.’ Winston is convinced Kai is homeless as she has time to sit on the sofa for three days eating pizza and drinking beer with Nick (yes she is definitely Nick’s ideal woman), instead she is actually super rich and Nick has no problem with her giving him money to not go to work.

“Girl Fight” is one of the best episodes so far this season – quite possibly my favorite S4 outing – as it continues to focus on simple but very funny stories and plays to the strengths of these characters and the history between them.

New Girl Style Watch

New Girl 4.10 CeceI have complicated feelings about jumpsuits and one day I will write a post on why, but for now here is one I really like and Cece’s floral number is by Aqua. Yet another amazing Cece lipstick color too. The amazing yellow purse that started this whole thing is Marc by Marc Jacobs and I would like it in my life; where else am I going to keep all my feminist writings?

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