An Open Letter to TNT

I recently emailed the below to the cable network, TNT, as a plea to save SouthLAnd from cancellation. While I intend to write a blog about the show in an upcoming post, I thought I would share the below with you in the meantime. SouthLAnd continues to be one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite) shows on TV. From the writing to the direction to the supreme performances by the entire cast, the show is simply amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, you can catch SouthLAnd on TNT every Wednesday at 10p/9p Central. You can also catch it online at http://www.tntdrama.com/series/southland/, or subscribe to it via Amazon or iTunes for a small fee. If you do watch the show and want to help us save it, please consider writing your own email to TNT at tnt@turner.com. You can find other ways to contact them courtesy of Deb's blog at http://debinky.tumblr.com/. 

Without further adieu, below is my letter:

---------------------------

Good evening,

As you may (or may not) be aware, fans of your hit drama SouthLAnd have become increasingly concerned that their favorite show may be doomed for cancellation after their 5th season. Two of its stars have already accepted backup jobs, which have only raised viewers anxiety. There are several thousand fans (if not more) on Twitter who promote the show on their own weekly (if not daily) to help ensure people are aware that the show IS still on the air.

I am writing to you in hopes that you'll hear my plea. I have several friends across the country who, in fact, thought the show had been cancelled since it had been abruptly moved from it's normal Tuesday timeslot to Wednesday. This change was aggravated since there was very little promotion for the show's 5th season. Sadly, I did not know my friends thought the show was cancelled until a Facebook posting I did to promote the show after the 5th episode. I'm hoping it's not to late for them to spread the word to their friends.

SouthLAnd is and remains the BEST show on TNT. The acting is superb, and recognized by various critics on the web. Although I am sure you are aware of them, I have submitted several of these reviews for your consideration below my signature line. Please keep SouthLAnd on the air for another season, and I assure you the audience will be there (and will probably grow). Again, I think the only reason for the decline from Season 4 is the lack of promotion and change in time and is in no way a reflection of the show, the story, or its fantastic cast and crew. I hope you will consider renewing it in 2013-2014.

I appreciate your consideration, and thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Kind regards,

(Name removed for privacy reasons)

Southern California

One of many positive reviews on AfterElton.com:

http://www.afterelton.com/2013/03/michael-cudlitz-video-interview-southland

PRISM Awards Nominations for SouthLAnd and Michael Cudlitz in 2013 (note M. Cudlitz, Ben McKenzie, and the show were also nominated in 2012):

http://prism.eiconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/13-PRISM-Nominee-Release-326.pdf

Full list of other award nominations/wins can be found at IMBD:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1299368/awards?ref_=tt_ft

Wall Street Journal Review (at bottom of link):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324162304578303731345315440.html

San Francisco Gate:

http://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Southland-review-Realistic-cops-lives-4272078.php

The Graveyard Shift (blog written by a cop):

http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/southland-bleed-out-a-cops-eye-review/  

Carpe Diem!

Things I want to do... someday. I don't want to say "before I die," but that's basically what this is, right? That just sounds so morbid! A girl I follow on Twitter updated her bucket list today, which gave me pause and got me thinking about my own. A few years ago I put together my own (short) bucket list, and found it interesting today to go back and look at it to see how much I had accomplished:

Becky's List - Circa 2007

1. Write a book.
2. Visit New York City.
3. Go diving in the Great Barrier Reef
4. Travel overseas.
5. Live in California.
6. Pay off my student loans.
7. Stay the night in a haunted house.
8. Go to Disneyland.
9. Walk the Great Wall of China.
10. Visit FIDM.

And what have I accomplished, you ask? Well, I finally got to strike off #2 by visiting NYC - twice - in 2008.

I struck off #5 when I relocated to California in the fall of 2011. I stayed the night in several haunted places (New Orleans, San Diego, and San Francisco), striking #7 off the list in 2008 and 2009. I finally struck #8 off by hanging out at Disneyland for my 30th birthday in 2009 (I crossed off an unlisted goal - eating at Club 33 - just two years later).

And after many dreams about it, I finally got to tour and visit FIDM in 2011, striking off #10! 

During this reflection, I also realized how many unlisted goals I accomplished during that same time. I flew both in a private plane and (separately) in first class.

I was kissed on top of the Empire State Building. I had a cupcake from a Cupcake ATM. I saw my disabled niece finally walk. I paid off all of my debt (excluding those pesky student loans).

I met Drew Brees! And I stood on the sidelines of an NFL game! I started a non-profit.  I put my toe on the red carpet of the Academy Awards (hehe).

I sat on "Carrie's Stoop" in NYC. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I stared at wonder at the Grand Canyon. I adopted a dog. I slept in a room next to the ocean. I have been blessed with so many opportunities, I actually feel guilty for wishing for more. 

That being said, life is too short to not make goals and wishes. This is my new bucket list, circa 2013 (updated 7/26/2014!). Some of these are unrealistic, and may just be impossible... but that's the fun of dreaming. It doesn't necessarily have to come true - the fun comes from trying!

Becky's List - Circa 2013

1. Walk across the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
2. Write a book (yes, I haven't quite given up on this one yet).
3. Attend a movie premier, and actually watch the movie.
4. Hear my niece, Bella, talk.
5. See my siblings get married.
6. Sleep in an overwater bungalow in Tahiti.
7. Own a convertible Mustang. <-- Rented one for my 34th birthday; no longer want to own one (but it was fun!)
8. Wear a bikini in public.
9. Get a tattoo with my bestie.
10. See my brother graduate college.
11. Get my dad to see the ocean.
12. Take my mom to the east coast.
13. Meet the cast of Southland. <-- Two down, others to go! Met Michael Cudlitz and C. Thomas Howell!
    
14. Drive up the Pacific Coast Highway.
15. Witness a miracle.
16. Learn how to kite surf.
17. Wear an Oscar de la Renta... anything ;) <-- Own an Oscar de la Renta tote courtesy of Target, Xmas '13!
18. See marriage equality become a reality. <-- Seeing it realized more and more for my friends every day!
19. Live to see the discovery of a cure for cancer.
20. Tour the Freedom Trail in Boston.
21. See the Ruby Slippers in person. <-- Done! Washington, DC - Summer 2013
    
22. Visit Paris.
23. Pay off my student loans - for good.
24. Experience zero gravity.
25. Swim in the Great Barrier Reef.
26. Have coffee with one of my favorite authors.
27. Enjoy a spa-cation.
28. Go parasailing.
29. Go an entire year without getting sick :(
30. Pay off one of my parents' debts (house, car, etc)
31. Vacation in Greece.
32. See New York at Christmas.
33. Attend a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres show.
34. Re-do Mardi Gras in New Orleans (once in a lifetime is not enough).
35. Attend a show at New York Fashion Week.
36. Go to the Super Bowl.
37. Visit family in Indiana.
38. Watch the sunrise in Hawaii.
39. Be tech-free for one week.
40. Help someone else check off something on their bucket list.
41. Own a home with a view.
42. Walk the Great Wall of China.
43. Send someone else on vacation.
44. Learn how to sew.
45. Sing on a stage.
46. Meet Brad Pitt.
47. Run a 1/2 marathon.
48. Take a training class with Jillian Michaels.
49. Get a boob job - yes, seriously.
50. Send my oldest niece to college.

Well, that's it for now. Most of this will likely never happen, but it sure is fun to dream. I'll make sure to update this if/when these things actually happen. In the meantime, I encourage you to go out and make a list of your own. You only get one life - why not make sure it was worth it?

Until next time...

--- Becks

Happier Trails

Well, he left. My brother, I mean. He had his fill of Californian life, and is off to find his way... back in New Mexico. He's been gone 3 days, and I already miss him. Luckily, we were able to take a day and bum around LA the day before the Academy Awards before he left (see what a good brother he is - he even allowed me to indulge on his last trip to LA!). We had a ton of fun, checking out the red carpet for the Oscars, eating at the Roosevelt Hotel, visiting the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and touring the La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA downtown. I was really glad we both had time off to hang out together.

Me and Oscar - BFFs

The Oscars Red Carpet!

Totally almost famous ;)

Brother at the Roosevelt, right after seeing a wannabe star

The Space Shuttle Endeavor!!!!!!

We were a little excited ;)

Awesome painted billboards outside of Staples Center

My brother's true love at La Brea Tar Pits

It was such a fun day together, much better than our actual last day together (during which I spent 4 hrs at the doctor sick - lame). My brother and I have always been close. He's younger than me, but probably the one in the family that "gets" me the most. He's also the only one that bears any resemblance to me - something I find oddly comforting when living so far from home. Alas, California and he were not meant to be. I get it too - it's expensive, it's dry, and it can be a little pretentious. These are things I don't mind, but he's much more traditional/simple than I. I hope this next chapter in his life brings him much joy, and I can't wait for him to visit me sometime soon. (Who am I going to go on my fun adventures with now???)

Good luck, my brother, and I hope to see great things from you soon!

Until next time...

--- Becky

An Ode to FIDM

When I first started my career almost eight years ago, I struggled with whether or not I had made the right choice. I did not go to school to enter this profession, and the industry held no appeal to me at all growing up (even though I had been around it my entire life). Deep down, I had longed to have a career in fashion and marketing. My friends sometimes laugh when I say this - you would too if you saw how I act and dress in my personal life. But I simply adore fashion! I love the colors, the textures, the silhouettes... it's breathtaking. I especially like haute couture and costuming - who doesn't like to play dress up once in a while?

As I struggled with my quarter life crisis in Houston (what am I doing with my life? why am I in TX? etc), Lauren Conrad and her friends on The Hills were starting school at my dream school, the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising ("FIDM") in Los Angeles, CA. This stunning school prepares its students to follow their dreams in design, fashion, merchandising, and digital media. Oh, how I wish I had known about this school when I was in high school (not that I could have afforded it). I watched The Hills from my tiny apartment in Houston every week, loving every scene that took place at that school, wishing I could drop everything and go enroll there.

When I moved to Southern California in the fall of 2011, I put FIDM on my "to-visit" list immediately. Lindsay Blake (of iamnotastalker.com fame) had "stalked" FIDM a couple of times, the most recent being a visit to the FIDM Museum's annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition in March 2011. Although my first visit was long after that exhibit closed, it was Lindsay's blog that inspired me to visit the museum and check it out. I was not disappointed!

First Visit to FIDM

I have gone to various FIDM exhibits since moving here, including "FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Musueum Acquisitions," "6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design," "20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Design," and most recently "21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Design." This latest exhibit was phenomenal! It included costumes from A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina, The Hunger Games, Argo, Django Unchained, Hitchcock, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Skyfall. They even included a special exhibit of the clay characters and costumes from the movie, ParaNorman. It was so much fun! Sadly, they do not allow pictures in the museum but you can see some of the pictures from the museum's blog. These pictures do not do the costumes justice (especially in the case of Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror), but at least you'll get the idea. The work that goes into these costumes is amazing!

If you're ever in Los Angeles, I definitely recommend you check it out. FIDM Museum is located at 919 Grand Ave in Los Angeles, CA (Note: The door faces the park, not Grand. Walk around the building to find the opening).  It is Tuesday through Saturday, and is free (yes, free) to the public. It is definitely one of Los Angeles' best kept secrets! 

Until next time...

--- Becks

Same-Sex Marriage DOES NOT Spread HIV/AIDS!

I can't believe in 2013 I'm still having this conversation...

While lying here on my death bed (aka my cough from hell), I watched with pride as MN's Senate Judiciary and House Civil Law Committees passed the marriage equality bill today. This is a big step in marriage equality, which I hope to see spread throughout our great United States during my lifetime. While this was a wonderful thing to witness, it was not without pain. It made me so sick to hear the ignorant blasts from non-supporters on why they felt the bill should not pass.

I understand people have morality/religious conflicts with marriage equality, and while I do not share your opinion, I certainly respect them when they are argued without hate. Suprisingly, we can have different opinions and remain friends (or at least, I can). What I cannot support or respect is when people spread ignorance regarding the lives and welfare of same-sex couples when "supporting" their position on this issue.

One gentleman's testimony* in particular made my blood boil, not only because it talked about same-sex couples' sex lives (which is nobody's business but their own), but also about how same-sex couples' sex lives spread disease and affect the general welfare of society and the economy. In his words, only the act of sodomy can transmit AIDS since women have a magical "cell" that apparently fights off HIV/AIDS viruses in the body in order to promote procreation. (IS HE KIDDING ME???) So wait, is it just the lives of gay men that he has an issue with? I watched the whole testimony, and still didn't see anything that supported his position other than his opposition to sodomy. (Yay for the lesbians, I guess?). Regardless, to spew such nonsense in a public forum is dangerous and ignorant. 

Some facts:

HIV/AIDS does not know gender, race, sexuality, or income. It can infect anyone.

HIV/AIDS can be transmitted via shared needles. Another reason not to do drugs, kids.

Unprotected sex increases your risk for contracting HIV and/or the AIDS virus, REGARDLESS of whether that unprotected sexual act occurs between a same-sex or heterosexual couple. The virus is transmitted when infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions come in contact with broken skin or mucuous membranes, whether those membranes are located in the mouth, nose, vagina, colon, or other opening in the body. Sodomy is not the only sexual activity that can transmit HIV/AIDS.

Knowing your status and the status of your life partner is IMPERATIVE. It only takes one bad drug deal, one bad blood transfusion (yes this still happens, although mostly overseas), or one bad sexual encounter to contract this deadly disease. Knowledge is power, my friends. Get tested, and make sure your partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, future husband/wife, etc is tested too. 

While I hope some of you will eventually change your minds and support marriage equality for all of our friends and family members, I again respect your opposition and point of view. And while I certainly hope one day my friends and family members will enjoy the same rights and privileges as me and my "straight" friends, I understand this is not something easily achieved. In the meantime, I hope you at least take away the very TRUE facts about HIV/AIDS and the gay community. Again, this is not a "gay" thing any more than it is a "white" thing or a "poor people" thing. It has the power to affect us all if we are not careful. Please educate yourself (if you haven't already), and educate your friends and your kids too. We will only win when there's nothing left to fight.

Thank you.

Becky

*Note: I refuse to share the gentleman's testimony, but I'm sure you can "Google it, boot" to put it in the words of my favorite faux policeman. I worry that if I share the testimony, people may construe it as fact which it simply is not. I appreciate your understanding.