WRITING SAMPLES
Samples Below: Killjoys, The Voice, and Tim Gunn
Killjoys – Season 3 “The Wolf You Feed” is More Relevant than You May Know via yael.tv
The beautifully complex and compelling storytelling of Michelle Lovretta's Killjoys intensifies as we get closer to the season 3 finale. Episode 307 was incredibly revealing, surprising, and exciting, especially in terms of all the Dutch/Aneela revelations, but there was another storyline at play that reflects so genuinely in the current political climate it deserves to be discussed.
While the war our team is fighting with the Hullen may be a bit out-of-this-world, the struggles between the RAC and the Cleansed is quite familiar (and not just because it nicely mirrors the HackMods).
Sean Baek, who plays Fancy Lee (our beloved Designated Asshole), has gone from ultimate-rule-follower, to Khlyen's right hand level-6er, to a leading member of the Cleansed. In recent episodes, we see him resume his pre-upgraded life, attempting to help the team while follow his code, only to be met by Turin's Jelco-like behavior (aka Turin's being a dick). The history of the HackMods, and now the distrust of the Cleansed, is relatable to Baek, "Yeah, you know, always being seen and/or treated as 'other,' not being trusted as 'one of us,' resonate with me (on a personal level) because sometimes in 2017 I still go through that."
In an interview with TheTVJunkies, Lovretta explained, "Over and over in history, entire groups of people have been maligned and presumed to be the enemy just by virtue of where they came from – so why not in this Hullen war?".
And this weekend, it is clear that these stories are not just a look back at history. These real life versions of these sci-fi stories can still be seen Today: August 12th, 2017. It's something people in Charlottesville are feeling at this very moment. People in London and Manchester. People in Oregon. Orlando. Ferguson. Tulsa. Flint.
One of the great things about the genre of Sci-Fi is being able to address real world matters - discrimination, police brutality, corporate corruption, environmental indifference, etc - by way of Aliens, Galactic Overlords, and Jelcos. By talking about "distrust of the Cleansed", we can open a dialogue about what it means to be a woman and/or a person of color and/or LGBTQ and/or Muslim and/or an immigrant and/or disabled. Solidifying another of the many reasons Killjoys (and other shows on SYFY's Friday night slate, like Dark Matter and Wynonna Earp) are so vital right now.
While the war our team is fighting with the Hullen may be a bit out-of-this-world, the struggles between the RAC and the Cleansed is quite familiar (and not just because it nicely mirrors the HackMods).
Sean Baek, who plays Fancy Lee (our beloved Designated Asshole), has gone from ultimate-rule-follower, to Khlyen's right hand level-6er, to a leading member of the Cleansed. In recent episodes, we see him resume his pre-upgraded life, attempting to help the team while follow his code, only to be met by Turin's Jelco-like behavior (aka Turin's being a dick). The history of the HackMods, and now the distrust of the Cleansed, is relatable to Baek, "Yeah, you know, always being seen and/or treated as 'other,' not being trusted as 'one of us,' resonate with me (on a personal level) because sometimes in 2017 I still go through that."
In an interview with TheTVJunkies, Lovretta explained, "Over and over in history, entire groups of people have been maligned and presumed to be the enemy just by virtue of where they came from – so why not in this Hullen war?".
And this weekend, it is clear that these stories are not just a look back at history. These real life versions of these sci-fi stories can still be seen Today: August 12th, 2017. It's something people in Charlottesville are feeling at this very moment. People in London and Manchester. People in Oregon. Orlando. Ferguson. Tulsa. Flint.
One of the great things about the genre of Sci-Fi is being able to address real world matters - discrimination, police brutality, corporate corruption, environmental indifference, etc - by way of Aliens, Galactic Overlords, and Jelcos. By talking about "distrust of the Cleansed", we can open a dialogue about what it means to be a woman and/or a person of color and/or LGBTQ and/or Muslim and/or an immigrant and/or disabled. Solidifying another of the many reasons Killjoys (and other shows on SYFY's Friday night slate, like Dark Matter and Wynonna Earp) are so vital right now.
The Voice - Season 13 Preview via Starry Mag
Season 13 of “The Voice” premieres on Monday, September 25, 2017 and everyone’s excited to see how Jennifer Hudson will do as the newest member of the family!
Right off the bat it’s clear that J-Hud (as she’s calling herself) is a force to be reckoned with! This may be because, although she’s new, she’s not new-new. Executive Producer Audrey Morrissey says Hudson is the first coach who has been a coach before and that “she has experience even though it’s her first season with us.”
Hudson’s time on the “The Voice UK” played a part in her joining this season, but Morrissey swears Hudson was on their list, adding, “She has a relationship with NBC, having just done Hairspray – she’s was kind of like, top of mind, in the fold, kind of close by… It just seemed like great timing.”
Morrissey explains that while of course Hudson brings her amazing singing voice, she’s also “someone who has won so many different awards” and is “a person who has been in their position before.” Morrisey wants to remind viewers that the Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winner first burst onto the scene as a contestant in Season 3 of “American Idol,” making her “the first coach who has ever been on one of these shows – she has that extra special knowing of knowing what they’re feeling and knowing what they’re going through. That carries on through the season.”
As for what viewers can look forward to this season, Morrissey tells us, “We have a lot of big voices this year and Jennifer’s team gets a lot of big voices, as you would expect. Adam [Levine] has a very eclectic team. Miley [Cyrus], her sort of pro-female stance plays out in her team. Blake [Shelton] definitely has country, as expected, but some other people get some big country voices. There are lots of surprises, that’s for sure.”
Hudson’s scene stealing ability is pretty clear from the premiere episode as she draws audience, as well as singers’, focus away from the Blake & Adam bromance that has brewed over the years. The first performance starts the season with a jaw-dropping and shoe-throwing, power that sets the stage for this season. The first auditions debut some singers who are destined to be fan favorites.
As with most episodes of “The Voice,” this premiere is full of heartbreaking stories of hardship, like losing a family member or battling cancer, alongside beautiful stories of overcoming obstacles and embracing your true self. With only two singers not getting a chair turn in the first episode, we are in for some extremely phenomenal voices in Season 13.Season 12 winner Chris Blue was on hand to let fans know about what he’s been up to: Alicia Keys, who was his mentor on the show, has not only kept in contact with Blue, but she “has been hands on” with him since the finale. Additionally, Blue is now managed by Keys and her manager Johnny Wright (who also managed N*SYNC as well as Justin Timberlake).
As if that’s not enough, Blue has signed with Republic Records and had three sold out shows, which he says “sold out in fifteen minutes.” Aside from his professional career, he adds, “My fiancé, who was on the show last season, is no longer my fiancé. She’s now my wife, we got married. It’s been a lot going on that I’m really, really excited and happy about. And I have ‘The Voice’ and Audrey [Morrissey] and the whole team to thank for that.”
Season 13 of “The Voice” kicks off with blind auditions Monday, September 25th on NBC at 8pm ET/PT!
Right off the bat it’s clear that J-Hud (as she’s calling herself) is a force to be reckoned with! This may be because, although she’s new, she’s not new-new. Executive Producer Audrey Morrissey says Hudson is the first coach who has been a coach before and that “she has experience even though it’s her first season with us.”
Hudson’s time on the “The Voice UK” played a part in her joining this season, but Morrissey swears Hudson was on their list, adding, “She has a relationship with NBC, having just done Hairspray – she’s was kind of like, top of mind, in the fold, kind of close by… It just seemed like great timing.”
Morrissey explains that while of course Hudson brings her amazing singing voice, she’s also “someone who has won so many different awards” and is “a person who has been in their position before.” Morrisey wants to remind viewers that the Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winner first burst onto the scene as a contestant in Season 3 of “American Idol,” making her “the first coach who has ever been on one of these shows – she has that extra special knowing of knowing what they’re feeling and knowing what they’re going through. That carries on through the season.”
As for what viewers can look forward to this season, Morrissey tells us, “We have a lot of big voices this year and Jennifer’s team gets a lot of big voices, as you would expect. Adam [Levine] has a very eclectic team. Miley [Cyrus], her sort of pro-female stance plays out in her team. Blake [Shelton] definitely has country, as expected, but some other people get some big country voices. There are lots of surprises, that’s for sure.”
Hudson’s scene stealing ability is pretty clear from the premiere episode as she draws audience, as well as singers’, focus away from the Blake & Adam bromance that has brewed over the years. The first performance starts the season with a jaw-dropping and shoe-throwing, power that sets the stage for this season. The first auditions debut some singers who are destined to be fan favorites.
As with most episodes of “The Voice,” this premiere is full of heartbreaking stories of hardship, like losing a family member or battling cancer, alongside beautiful stories of overcoming obstacles and embracing your true self. With only two singers not getting a chair turn in the first episode, we are in for some extremely phenomenal voices in Season 13.Season 12 winner Chris Blue was on hand to let fans know about what he’s been up to: Alicia Keys, who was his mentor on the show, has not only kept in contact with Blue, but she “has been hands on” with him since the finale. Additionally, Blue is now managed by Keys and her manager Johnny Wright (who also managed N*SYNC as well as Justin Timberlake).
As if that’s not enough, Blue has signed with Republic Records and had three sold out shows, which he says “sold out in fifteen minutes.” Aside from his professional career, he adds, “My fiancé, who was on the show last season, is no longer my fiancé. She’s now my wife, we got married. It’s been a lot going on that I’m really, really excited and happy about. And I have ‘The Voice’ and Audrey [Morrissey] and the whole team to thank for that.”
Season 13 of “The Voice” kicks off with blind auditions Monday, September 25th on NBC at 8pm ET/PT!
We Need to Talk About Tim... via TheFatGirlShow.com
Famed designer (and Project Runway mentor) Tim Gunn recently wrote a well-meaning piece for the Washington Post about the current state of Fashion and Plus Size Fashion.
(You can read the entire thing here)
Unfortunately, I'm not sure there was any new information in his piece. I appreciate his frustration, but wonder what he is doing to change the climate of his industry.
Gunn's piece is full of facts and figures (none of which should surprise any plus size lady who has entered a mall, gone to a store website, or even seen a photo from New York Fashion Week). He also goes on to discuss the shopping process for these women:
Have you shopped retail for size 14-plus clothing? Based on my experience shopping with plus-size women, it’s a horribly insulting and demoralizing experience. Half the items make the body look larger, with features like ruching, box pleats and shoulder pads. Pastels and large-scale prints and crazy pattern-mixing abound, all guaranteed to make you look infantile or like a float in a parade. Adding to this travesty is a major department-store chain that makes you walk under a marquee that reads “WOMAN.” What does that even imply? That a “woman” is anyone larger than a 12, and everyone else is a girl? It’s mind-boggling.
I'm so sorry, Tim, for how demeaning this experience must've been for you - a man who he began working at Parsons in 1982 and only now has taken notice. We (the plus size women), we know what it's like. We know what is available to us in the store. We know where to look online. We know where to find our department.
With his intentions and heart in the right place -- he hit a point that is so often missed: a look can't just be made bigger, "Designs need to be reconceived, not just sized up; it’s a matter of adjusting proportions". -- Gunn still made one common and huge mistake.
When Gunn discusses Ashley Nell Tipton's winning collection from season 14 of Project Runway he says:
I’ve never seen such hideous clothes in my life: bare midriffs; skirts over crinoline, which give the clothes, and the wearer, more volume;
Again, this man - who, to my knowledge, never has been a plus size woman - makes the assumption that so many do: that We do not want to show our midriff, and that clothing is intended to make our bodies look smaller and thus more appealing by societal standards.Oh, are we not supposed to wear horizontal stripes because they widen us? Are we not allowed to wear open-back tops that reveal our rolls? What if I don't want to keep up the illusion and just want to show off my body and the size that it actually is?
I'm sick of being told what a plus size body can and cannot wear! If I want to wear a crop-top because I think it looks good, I'm going to wear a damn crop-top, Tim.
(You can read the entire thing here)
Unfortunately, I'm not sure there was any new information in his piece. I appreciate his frustration, but wonder what he is doing to change the climate of his industry.
Gunn's piece is full of facts and figures (none of which should surprise any plus size lady who has entered a mall, gone to a store website, or even seen a photo from New York Fashion Week). He also goes on to discuss the shopping process for these women:
Have you shopped retail for size 14-plus clothing? Based on my experience shopping with plus-size women, it’s a horribly insulting and demoralizing experience. Half the items make the body look larger, with features like ruching, box pleats and shoulder pads. Pastels and large-scale prints and crazy pattern-mixing abound, all guaranteed to make you look infantile or like a float in a parade. Adding to this travesty is a major department-store chain that makes you walk under a marquee that reads “WOMAN.” What does that even imply? That a “woman” is anyone larger than a 12, and everyone else is a girl? It’s mind-boggling.
I'm so sorry, Tim, for how demeaning this experience must've been for you - a man who he began working at Parsons in 1982 and only now has taken notice. We (the plus size women), we know what it's like. We know what is available to us in the store. We know where to look online. We know where to find our department.
With his intentions and heart in the right place -- he hit a point that is so often missed: a look can't just be made bigger, "Designs need to be reconceived, not just sized up; it’s a matter of adjusting proportions". -- Gunn still made one common and huge mistake.
When Gunn discusses Ashley Nell Tipton's winning collection from season 14 of Project Runway he says:
I’ve never seen such hideous clothes in my life: bare midriffs; skirts over crinoline, which give the clothes, and the wearer, more volume;
Again, this man - who, to my knowledge, never has been a plus size woman - makes the assumption that so many do: that We do not want to show our midriff, and that clothing is intended to make our bodies look smaller and thus more appealing by societal standards.Oh, are we not supposed to wear horizontal stripes because they widen us? Are we not allowed to wear open-back tops that reveal our rolls? What if I don't want to keep up the illusion and just want to show off my body and the size that it actually is?
I'm sick of being told what a plus size body can and cannot wear! If I want to wear a crop-top because I think it looks good, I'm going to wear a damn crop-top, Tim.