1. Tree Hill, North Carolina:  The only place where a marriage between two sixteen-year-olds works, the parents are nonexistent and everyone becomes super successful in their field. There might be a few resident psychos, and it’s also home to the infamous Dan Scott, but everyone is just so pretty.

2. Pawnee, Indiana:  Home of the quirky Ron Swanson. You’d laugh 24/7, because everyone’s got an insane sense of humor (hello, ab workouts!) and the city government would put on awesome community events. And while the citizens aren’t CW-level pretty, I would have to make a play for Ben. Watch out, Leslie Knope.

3. Greendale, Colorado: I would totally forego a state university to go to Greendale Community College. 1) Because you can supposedly attend for four years, and 2) Who needs a well-rounded education when you can be part of the Study Group? 

4. Capeside, Massachusetts: Nothing says “home sweet home” better than a quiet New England town where the “teens” look 30 and your soulmate is only a paddle down the creek away. Extra points if you get involved in a crazy love triangle that lasts for half your life and choose the wrong guy at the end.

5. Neptune, California: If you’re not prestigious enough to live in the fake 90909 zip code, you can rest easy knowing that teen sleuth Veronica Mars is there if ever you have any trouble. Be wary of the public transit system (people like to rig buses with bombs) and pool houses (people like to set up hidden recording equipment).

The post Five TV Towns I Wish I Lived In appeared first on NextGen Journal.

I distinctively remember sitting in my first college journalism class and thinking that I knew I had found my calling. Now, I’m officially a journalist. In the real world. Pinch me.

I don’t consider myself a huge source of advice — in fact, I’m pretty sure I’d make the worst counselor ever — but I thought I’d impart some words of encouragement for the thousands of students currently suffering from senioritis and itching to kick the books for good.

First comforting notion: All that Facebooking and tweeting during class pays off. Seriously, knowledge of social media has been a big plus for me, especially optimizing for SEO and clicks. So keep on keeping on and bring everything you know about hashtags and “liking” to the table; I promise you, it does pay off.

If you haven’t taken a web design class, jump on that pronto. Somehow I managed to retain very little from my web design class, but knowing how to code your stuff definitely cuts some corners. Also, if your school offers mock interviews and resumé workshops, participate in those as much as you can.

Remember when you were a freshman and the only advice upperclassmen ever gave you was “Get involved”? Sorry — it’s not going to go away. As a fresh Southern implant by way of Iowa, I am starting from scratch. New friends. New roommates. New experiences. And I feel like I’m re-living college “welcome weekend,” jumping at every and any chance to meet new friends. The second mantra of college, “NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK” is still at play as well.

You’re almost there, class of 2012. In just a few short months, you’ll be doing your own taxes and paying for your own insurance. And you’ll love every single second of it.

The post What College Taught Me appeared first on NextGen Journal.

• Can’t we all just get along? Read any comments section of any entertainment website after a recap of almost any television show and all you find are intense fighting words from different relationship camps. It is truly sad when “who’s-dating-who” is the most polarizing aspect of a show. My heart will always bleed Lucas-and-Brooke but One Tree Hill is still one of my most favorite programs ever. I think Wade and Zoe are totally adorable together, but that doesn’t mean I think Hart of Dixie deserves an Emmy nomination. Let’s keep things in perspective, people.

• The Hunger Games beats Twilight’s box office records. I have faith that the first THG movie will be amazing, much more so than Twilight’s movie adaptions, and I can only hope against hope that it will blow the vampires and werewolves right out of the water. Just leave Harry Potter alone, though; that franchise is on a whole different level.

• Stop the incestuous friend circles. I understand that the probability is high of two people in a given group of friends dating, but what’s the probability of those same people dating four others within that same group? Other date-able people do exist outside your normal group of friends, or your glee club — Ryan Murphy, I’m looking at you — or your hospital or wherever.

• Community and Fringe need final seasons. I will take 13 episodes. Hell, I will take six episodes. Just for the love of God let them wrap things up and have a proper, final goodbye.

• Leonardo DiCaprio needs to take home an Oscar. He’s deserved it for years now. MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.

• Stop making remakes. There have been a few exceptions to the remake rule: Shameless, Being Human and The Office. But Skins and Free Agents are just two of the many remakes that have been colossal failures. Now I hear Misfits (Australian TV gold) is being remade — by the team behind Gossip Girl no less. GG has its moments, and The O.C. kicked ass, but please do not remake one of the greatest shows ever. Let it air on BBC in all of its vulgar and raw glory, instead of giving the U.S. a terrible watered-down version a la Skins.

• Dear executive producers: Don’t be intimidated by the fandoms — they won’t actually hurt you. Just because fans are clamoring for a couple to get together doesn’t mean they should. Just because people want the show to continue for another 10 seasons doesn’t mean it should. Creative teams need to bone up and make decisions for themselves.

• There needs to be a dramedy category for television at the major award shows. Shows like Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, and The Big Bang Theory are truly “comedies,” but Enlightened, Glee, The Big C have serious dramatic undertones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but to pin these shows against each other for a “Comedy” award seems difficult.

• Don’t get me wrong, I adore love triangles. However, I think it’s time to end this intensely over-used plot device.

• Can the Kardashians disappear? Please?

• Can the cast of The Jersey Shore disappear? Please?

• I would love to see more smart movies and television shows make their way to the screen. There’s no reason to dumb things down for the audience — if anything, ask the audience to step up for you. This is why movies like Inception and shows like Community rock my world.

The post My 2012 Pop Culture Wishlist appeared first on NextGen Journal.

The eighth season coda of Jamie running with the basketball a la Lucas in the pilot would have been the greatest way to end the series. And it actually makes me upset that this visual was already used, as it would be pointless to use it again. But if I can’t get the original five back, it is a totally fitting ending image. Basically, the parting shot of the series needs to kick ass and it will be interesting to see how they end it all.

I wish we could get an interaction between Brooke and Lucas. Even if they won’t admit to each other or anyone else for that matter, their relationship was a big part of their lives. And I completely understand why the couple was scrapped, it can’t be easy spending the entire day being all lovey-dovey with your cheating ex-husband, but it’s a shame that it came at Brucas’ extent. But since it’s been reported that Chad Michael Murray’s scenes were only with Haley and Jamie, I guess this request can get tossed out the window.

New characters like Clay, Quinn, Alex and Chase have now been fully integrated into the cast so it would be stupid not to have them around in the show’s swan song season, but I do hope their arcs aren’t major focuses.

Remember when the show was about the Scott family? And basketball? These are two elements that also need to make an appearance. I also think Lucas, Karen and Dan need to make a final trip to Keith’s grave.

I try to tell myself that the show ended after season 6, although OTH was never the same for me after season 4. The show has definitely overstayed its welcome, by at least 2 (now 3) seasons, and it’s about time it got taken off the air.

So, I’ll be here re-watching my season one DVDs and reliving the glory days of the then WB drama, where everything was friendship and basketball and this once gem of a show wasn’t the laughingstock of television.

The post One Tree Hill’s Final Season Wishlist appeared first on NextGen Journal.

Even as a journalism student, I steered pretty clear from politics and/or current events. I grudgingly sat through AP Government in high school and mostly daydreamed through PoliSci 101 (sorry, Prof). I’m also a registered independent. Cue the groans and eye-rolls here. This year my now- alma mater, Drake University, had the privilege of hosting a debate of the Republican presidential candidates. And while I wasn’t in attendance, I did read the live feed on Twitter. I get some brownie points for that, right?

Which leads me to the reason why I did not enter the covered booths and place my vote in oh-eight. Embarrassingly, I was afraid of making the wrong choice- of aiding the election of the wrong person into the Oval Office. Of being partly responsible for the possible future horrible event that might take place. Call me narcissistic or whatever, but I truly believed my one little vote mattered that much…which I guess is what we are supposed to think anyway.

As a new member of the full-time workforce, the biggest issue for me will be plans for more jobs. I am lucky enough to be a recent grad with a job right out of the gate, but I know that many will not be so fortunate. Keeping the economy moving upwards and job growth on the rise will be major voting points for me.

So as the caucus season approaches and November looms ever nearer, I hope I will be able to fulfill my goal of keeping up to date with the issues that matter.

The post Iowa Young Voices: Why I Didn’t Vote in 08, but Will in 2012 appeared first on NextGen Journal.

For those of you who aren’t devoted viewers of this little gem (and if that’s the case, you’re miles behind the rest of us), Community centers on a group of seven students at the fictional Greendale Community College located in equally fictional Greendale, Colorado. The series stars Soup host Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), and that’s just to name a few. If that’s not a recipe for some quality television then I don’t know what is.

Community is at its best during episodes that parody popular television/movie tropes. Their latest gem was an homage to their flashier and much higher rated competition, Glee, but the show has also fearlessly tackled alternate timelines, Western motifs, the mafia, and stop-motion animation. Oh, and paintball. Lots of paintball. And I guess if that’s not enough to pique your palate, there’s eye candy for whichever team you may play for. Although, you won’t find any Bieber bangs here. This ain’t the CW.

Despite a solid start to its third season, apparently having “more fun and being less weird” has not boded well for the show. NBC announced last month that 30 Rock will be replacing Community at the midseason, and the show will return at a later date. This may be the darkest timeline, but this is also one show that truly deserves six seasons and a movie.

Bottom line: If you’re not watching Community, you better get on it. Stat. The entire series just became available on Hulu, and I beg you to check it out. Granted, the series takes a while to find its stride, but boy when it finds it, it is absolute comic gold. And if you are already a proud Human Being, keep your butt flag flying high, keep sending NBC felt goatees, and keeping tweeting #SaveCommunity and #OccupyGreendale. Hell hath no fury like a Community fan scorned.

Join the Community community; you will not regret it.

The post It’s All About the “Community” appeared first on NextGen Journal.

If you need a basic synopsis, here it goes: Bella and Edward’s wedding day is finally here. Tension between the werewolves and the vamps are at an all-time high with the knowledge that Bella will be turned into a vampiress by her soon-to-be hubby. B+E escape to their own personal island for their honeymoon and they soon learn that a vampire/human hybrid cherub ain’t impossible.

Spoilers will start here. If you haven’t seen the film/don’t want to be spoiled, I’d stop reading about now…

The wedding is freaking gorgeous. Bella’s dress is…debatable. The make-up/hair crew finally hit gold on the Cullen clan. The white make-up didn’t look overly caked on, and Jasper’s hair looked 100 times better. I also appreciated the lack of jorts on the werewolves. Six-pack abs doesn’t give you the excuse to rock jorts.

And if you’ve just been waiting for visuals of Eddie and Bella’s nighttime adventures, you won’t be terribly disappointed. The werewolf visuals on the other hand…well, they’ve still got one more film to perfect it. The scene where the wolves are using their telepathy and Jacob is shouting at Sam is particularly hilarious. Mostly because the wolves look like only mildly intimidating giant dogs at best.

The birthing scene is exactly what you can expect from a PG-13 movie. Plenty of nasty sound effects that definitely paint a picture in your mind of what’s going down offscreen. Even those with particularly light stomachs will be able to handle the birth of Renesmee Carlie Cullen (that’s almost as bad as Albus Severus Potter).

Bella’s transformation sequence includes a very Spiderman-esque field trip through Bella’s bod, where we see the vampire venom penetrate her bloodstream. It’s also interesting how Bella is going to wake up from her “death,” with perfectly styled hair and freshly done makeup. Can I get a little vampire venom for my 8 a.m. classes?

The film cuts in a pretty logical place…and just for my own personal bragging rights, I totally called this a year ago.

Harry Potter will always rule this heart, but true Twihards shouldn’t be too disappointed. While the film moves pretty fast, the major plot points from the novel make it in. Director Bill Condon utilizes vivid visuals that bolster the story. Any shortcomings from the actors are masked by pretty backdrops and their very attractive faces/abs. All in all, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 is the best of the bunch, but really, that’s not saying much.

The post Breaking Dawn, Part 1 Review appeared first on NextGen Journal.

The Vampire Diaries (currently in its third season) just wrapped its fall season, and boy, a LOT happened in the first nine episodes…

Family feuds galore!

The back story of new vamps on the block, Klaus, Rebecca and Michael gets told. Known as the “Originals,” the family of Klaus, Rebecca and Elijah were turned into vampires for safety by patriarch, Michael. Their mother was a witch. Klaus soon finds out that Elena is the key to successful hybrid creation. In other words, she needs to stick around. Daddy Forbes also shows up with a plan to “train” Caroline to withhold her vampiric tendencies. She’s placed in the torture chamber and painfully exposed to direct sunlight. Tyler and BA Sheriff Forbes will eventually intervene.

Stefan turns bad

After having his humanity taken by new baddie-on-the-block Klaus, Stefan goes all primal and starts feeding on human blood again. Problem with that? Girlfriend Elena still believes there’s good in him and continues to hold on. Meanwhile, Elena and Damon continue to get closer…with several almost-kiss moments occurring throughout the season. In the finale, after helping Klaus kill Michael, Stefan is given his humanity back, just in time for Damon and Elena to resolve to cut him loose. Perfect timing.

“I see dead people…”

In the final moments of the third season finale, we saw Jeremy’s former flames, Vicki and Anna, show up at the Gilbert casa. When Bonnie brought Jeremy back from the dead, she opened a portal between the living and the dead, allowing people to pass between the two worlds. Turns out Vicki wants to return to the land of the living and appeals to her bro, Matt, for help. The catch? Matt needs to kill Elena to bring Vicki back. Yup, Vicki doesn’t stick around much longer after that. Anna, on the other hand, has a much happier time back in Mystic Falls. She finds comforts in Jeremy, much to the displeasure of J’s witch girlfriend Bonnie. Bonnie eventually uses/destroys Elena’s necklace to close said portal and all the ghosties disappear. But after an unusually violent spark, the necklace reappears. Freaky.

Tyler and Caroline get it on

After nearly half a season of some serious sexual tension, the vampire/werewolf (soon-to-be hybrid) duo lovably dubbed “Forwood” finally bite the bullet. They spend a few episodes in a blissed-out honeymoon period until Tyler becomes Klaus’ first successful hybrid. After his transformation, Tyler turns back into season-1-douchey-Tyler and is now “sired” to heed Klaus’ every wish. It becomes too much for poor Caroline to take and their relationship seemingly is at end.

How will Stefan / Katherine’s revenge on Klaus pay out? Will Caroline and Tyler kiss and make up? And will Damon and Elena ever stop their “will they/won’t they” routine? January 5, I need you now!

The post The Vampire Diaries: A Midseason Wrap-Up appeared first on NextGen Journal.

But here’s what you missed on Glee—

The High Notes

“Fix You”—Despite ending Season 2 still stuck in “will they / won’t they” status, Will and Emma have officially become a couple this season. They’re even shacking up and everything. In “Asian F” we meet Emma’s parents, who are Ginger Supremacists, and evidently responsible for their daughter’s OCD. Emma turned excess cleaning into a coping mechanism to deal with her parents’ constant nitpicking. And Will sings Coldplay’s “Fix You” as a way of reminding Emma that he will never leave her. Can we cue the “awww’s” now?

Mike Chang finally gets a storyline. And it was about time too. In episode 3, “Asian F,” Mike’s hard-ass traditional Asian parents are giving him a tough time because he got an A-, aka an Asian F. Convinced that the glee club and Tina are distracting Mike from his studies, his parents get him a tutor and encourage him not to audition for the school production of West Side Story. Contrary to what we’ve been told these past three years, Harry Shum Jr. has got a serious set of pipes and he performed his solo. It’s time to burn that “Can’t Sing,” shirt he wore during “Born This Way” last season, because the boy can definitely sing.

The Low Notes

Two solos for Blaine, Zero for Finn, Puck, Quinn, Santana, Tina: New series regular Darren Criss, who already sang an inordinate amount as a guest star last season, has already racked up two solos in the first three episodes. And it’s not that Criss has a bad voice, it’s actually great. But don’t you think that some of the veteran glee club members should get first dibs at solos?

Speaking of music choice… it has been pretty lackluster. A lot of show tunes. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but not everyone in the cast has the right voice for show tunes. And Brittany’s cover of Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)” is pretty much the paragon example of what auto-tune sounds like.

Quinn embraces her dark side…for two episodes: When we first meet the lovely Miss Fabray in season three, she’s not looking her usual Anthropologie dress-clad self. Instead, Quinn has opted for pink hair, a punk-rock wardrobe and a new group of girlfriends called, “The Skanks.” She’s gone bad-ass, lighting pianos on fire and all about giving the finger to world until…

Shelby’s back! Rachel’s biological mother comes back into town to be the coach of the alternate McKinley High glee club after a scorned New Directions reject convinces her Daddy Warbucks to form a new club for her. Shelby is also the adoptive mother of Beth. Who’s Beth you may ask? Well, she’s the daughter that Puck and Quinn had back in Season 1, but don’t worry if you don’t remember. It seems like no one on Glee’s writing team did either. Quinn wants to be a part of her child’s life and sheds her new image for her old one in an attempt to win back favor from Shelby. But of course, nothing Quinn does is ever without an ulterior motive. And this time she wants full custody of Beth for her and Puck. Because, you know, courts often side with the unstable teenage parents after the child has been living with the adoptive parent for over a year now.

And now we get to wait until November 1 for new episodes. We can all hope that things get better from here, but sad to say, every Gleek has probably gotten used to being disappointed by now.

The post Glee Check-In: Fix You, Mike Chang, & More appeared first on NextGen Journal.

MONDAY

The Playboy Club, 10/9c: Set in the 60s, a la Mad Men,, this show tells the story of new bunny Maureen (Amber Heard, Hidden Palms), who finds herself in trouble when she accidentally kills a club keyholder and mob boss who attempts to assault her. Coming to her rescue is the ever-charming city lawyer and fellow club keyholder, Nick (Eddie Cibrian, CSI: Miami), who also has connections to the mob.

The ever-vigilant Parents Television Council has already condemned the NBC drama as a “blatant attempt to obliterate any remaining standards of broadcast decency.” Throw in murder, mobsters and of course, romance, and you’ve got the recipe for what’s shaping up to be one of the most controversial new series of the season.

TUESDAY

New Girl, 9/8c: Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) is Jess, a newly single gal put out on the streets due to her break-up with her model boyfriend. She finds a home via Craigslist with three unattached male roommates: Schmidt (Max Greenfield, Veronica Mars), Nick (Jake Johnson, No Strings Attached) and Coach (Damon Wayans, Jr., Happy Endings).

This new FOX comedy has already been given rave reviews by critics. Can’t catch the Tuesday premiere? The pilot can already be downloaded for free on iTunes.

Unforgettable, 10/9c: Based on J. Robert Lennon’s novel, The Rememberer, Unforgettable stars Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) as detective Carrie Wells. Wells has a rare medical condition known as hyperthymesia, which gives her a nearly flawless memory. There’s only one thing that she cannot remember: the clues that would allow her to solve her sister’s murder. That is until Wells is asked to join the NYPD homicide unit by her ex-boyfriend, Al Burns (Dylan Walsh, Nip / Tuck), which gives her the resources she needs to finally discover what happened to her sister.

WEDNESDAY

The X-Factor, 8/7c: Can’t wait for Idol to return? The X-Factor may just be the answer. Based on the UK show of the same name, The X-Factor is a singing competition that will result with the winner receiving a sweet $5 million and a recording contract with Syco/Sony Music.  The judging panel includes Idol vets Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, pussycat doll, Nicole Scherzinger, and chairman of Island Def Dam Music, L.A. Reid

Revenge, 10/9c: Usually found playing the girl-next-door, actress Emily Van Camp (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters) embraces her manipulative side in this ABC drama. Emily (Van Camp) moves to the posh Hamptons not to relax but to seek revenge on a group of individuals responsible for her father’s death. The series also stars Madeleine Stowe (We Were Soldiers), Gabriel Mann (The Bourne Identity), Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible), Christa B. Allen (13 Going on 30) and Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl).

THURSDAY

Charlie’s Angels, 8/7c: In the pilot episode of the 1876 series reboot, angels Abby (Rachel Taylor, Grey’s Anatomy) and Kate (Annie Ilonzeh, General Hospital) are forced to partner with new angel Eve (Minka Kelly, Friday Night Lights) after a tragic accident claims the life of a former angel, Gloria (Nadine Velazquez, The League).

Person of Interest, 9/8c: Jim Cavaziel (Passion of the Christ) and Michael Emerson (LOST) team up in this CBS drama that is basically the television version of Minority Report. Finch (Emerson) has created software that tracks patterns and can predict crimes before they happen. He teams up with Reese (Cavaziel), an ex-CIA agent.

Whitney, 9:30/8:30c: Whitney Cummings (Punk’d) stars as Whitney, a happily unmarried woman who is under societal and family pressure to get married to her live-in boyfriend, Alex (Chris D’Elia, Glory Daze).

Prime Suspect, 10/9c: A remake of the UK series of the same name, NBC’s new drama stars Maria Bello (Coyote Ugly) as Jane, the lone female detective in her NYC division. In other words, it’s a typical detective / crime procedural drama. But since the original starred Helen Mirren in the Maria Bello role, the series has got a lot to prove.

FRIDAY

A Gifted Man 8/7c: Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) is Michael Holt, a gifted, self-absorbed surgeon whose seemingly normal life is rocked when he starts seeing dead people, namely his ex-wife Anna (Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice). Anna instructs him to take charge of the free medical clinic that she previously ran, exposing Holt to a wider array of patients then he’s used to. It’s your basic “the dead haunts the living to make them a better person” storyline.

The post Fall TV Preview: The Playboy Club and More appeared first on NextGen Journal.