Those looking for a ‘Friends’ reunion don’t need to look any
further, since its biggest inspiration ‘How I Met Your Mother’ finally came to
an end in an exciting series finale. Both shows had several similarities. Both
were based on New York and focused on the lives of young, close friends dealing
with day-to-day situations in their personal and professional lives.
Almost every character on ‘HIMYM’ seemed like a version of
their ‘Friends’ counterpart in an alternate universe. The only difference was
that it was narrated by former ‘Full House’ star Bob Saget as a retrospective
of how his younger self found ‘the mother’. The show starred Josh Radnor, Neil
Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders in their
respective lead roles
Most television audiences remember the series finale of
Friends with fondness of how it wrapped up different stories of the characters
and created new beginnings. It was closure for not just the fans but also for
the cast who had spent ten years in their respective roles on a weekly basis.
The last season added the character of the mother Tracy
McConnell, played by Cristin Milioti. The finale focused on how the main
character Ted Mosby played by Josh Radnor eventually meets and marries ‘the
mother’.
Similarly to Friends, it wraps up sub plots such as the relationship
of the witty ladies man Barney Stinson played by former ‘Doogie Howser’ Neil
Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders’ character ‘Robin’. Alyson Hannigan, famous
for her starring roles in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ show and the ‘American
Pie’ film series, stays on as Lily, the loyal wife of Jason Segel’s character
Marshall.
The series finale has been the most talked about since
Friends, especially on social media platforms. Fans have been discussing the
finale. A simple Google search even reveals a petition for the show’s producers
to change the ending. Without giving anything away, an alternate ‘perfect’
ending to the finale season was filmed.
Cast members including Smulders have reportedly stated that
they are content with how everything is wrapped up in the broadcasted ending,
breaking tradition by giving fans a glance to the future, the fate of the
mother and ‘Aunt Robin’. One of the scenes filmed during the shoot of the first
season nine years ago has been featured in the ending. Radnor, however, was
reportedly more content with the alternate ending instead of the one they had
shot during the first season.
The alternate ending is expected to be available on the
series DVD set. For those who have not seen the finale yet, we will not spoil
it but it is worth watching for long time fans of the series. It may bring
back memories of the now-classic series of finale ten years earlier. At least
we finally met ‘the mother’!
It’s been almost 10 years since we last heard ‘I’ll Be There
For You’ by ‘The Rembrandts’ on our television screens in the opening credits
of possibly one of the biggest sitcoms of the last two decades. Friends was
created by writers Marta Kaufmann and David Crane for NBC in 1994 and lasted a
good ten seasons. Not only did the show set new pop culture trends, the series
finale was one of the most watched in television history.
Ever since the series came to an end in 2004, fans have been
hoping for a reunion. The individual lead actors have made appearances on each
other’s shows, but have consistently denied rumors of a reunion. The sitcom
‘Joey’ was a spin off starring Matt Le Blanc as his Friends character Joey
Tribbiani. The show only lasted for a season and was not considered to be as
strong as its parent.
As of now, any rumors about Le Blanc getting back
together with former co-stars Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Matthew Perry
(Chandler), Lisa Kudrow (Pheobe), Courtney Cox (Monica) and David Schwimmer
(Ross) is considered fake.
It’s not so hard to get rumors on such stories viral in this
day and age. Not just rumors, fan-made reunion posters are a constant feature
on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These rumors and fake
stories have been consistently denied by the show creators and actors. Every
fan is drooling at the aspect of seeing the baby Emma as a young girl being raised
by Ross and Rachel, or Monica and Chandler spending their tenth anniversary on
a romantic getaway or Joey finally getting nominated for an Oscar.
These make up great stories, but whether we get to see them
realized on screen is a burning question. For the moment, fans willing to
relive the show can do so easily since all seasons are now available on DVD.
Recently, Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox reunited on an episode of the show
‘Cougar Town’ featuring subtle nods to their relationship in Friends. Hopefully
one day we may see ‘The One about the Reunion’ on television one day or a
feature film.
Tania had written this as an academic piece for her Writing and Communications class at LUMS. I really liked it and thought it would be nice to have guest posts on the blog. I hope you enjoy Tania's piece, and I encourage other budding writers to submit their write-ups to be published as guest posts.
'The Pursuit of Happyness'
'The Pursuit of Happyness' is a biographical movie based on the life of the self-made millionaire: Christopher Gardner. The film, released in 2006, is actually based on a memoir written by Gardner, which depicts his life during the 1980s. In the movie, director Gabriele Muccino, through his use of imagery and symbolism, shows us some of the most widespread phenomenon's prevalent in the modern capitalist society. This essay focuses on analyzing three of the main themes found in the film: the struggle to stay afloat in a highly competitive society; the desire to achieve 'The American Dream' and the constant efforts made in order to grasp the true meaning of happiness.
The movie revolves around the fast-paced life of San Francisco. Throughout the film, people are shown struggling to fight time- moving hurriedly in order to get to their destinations. The constant beeping of horns symbolizes the urgency which surrounds the city at all times. Moreover, the amount of joblessness prevalent in this city can be measured from observing all those people who are showcasing their talents on roadsides. A number of musicians can be seen during the opening of the film, who's only pastime seems to be playing their instruments on the street to obtain some 'quick cash'. The setting for a ruthlessly competitive society can be seen from the very start of the film.
Christopher Gardner is one of the victims of this highly competitive capitalist society. He has not sold any 'bone density scanners' (which he does for a living) for a while and is extremely low on cash. So much so, that his apartment rent is a few months overdue. Similarly, his wife Linda has her own struggles to put up with. She has been pulling double shifts at a factory for the past four months in order to make ends meet. Later, she decides to abandon her family for a better job opportunity in New York. It should be noted that for a mother to desert her child is not an easy task, and the reason Linda does this is because she can no longer put up with the intense and cut-throat nature of her current job. Gardner meanwhile struggles hard to keep him and his son financially stable, but unfortunately ends up having to leave his apartment. After this, life seems to be very rocky for both father and son. Having no steady accommodation, they are often forced to spend nights in sleazy motels, homeless shelters and even subway toilets! Their struggle for survival seems bitterly tragic.
It should also be noted that when people are in desperate situations, ethics and morals generally cease to exist. The way Gardner pushes a few ladies away to get on a bus before them shows how self-interested a person can get in such times. Had he not done that, he would have had to sleep on the street, because the homeless shelter, where he is currently residing, is a stickler for punctuality. We may therefore, draw a link between the competitive society and individualistic goals which are pursued by the members of such a community.
Moving on, we realize that 'The American dream' plays a very significant role in this film. What this dream encompasses is different for everyone but most people portrayed in the movie have hopes to achieve their respective dreams. A crucial scene in the movie portrays to the viewers what this dream means to Garner. While passing by a stock brokerage firm, he spots a luxurious red car. Gardner falls in love with the entire environment surrounding that vehicle: the tall brokerage firm, the employees walking outside and the entire aura found around him. At that moment he desires to become a stock broker. Meanwhile, a serene music plays in the background epitomizing the desirable nature of this kind of life.
Another object which signifies Gardner's ambition is 'The Rubics Cube': which seems to represent the complex society in which he resides. The cube, whose solution is portrayed as an impossibility, proves to be a true enigma. However, Gardner finds a way to solve the box and this indicates the possibility of a positive event in the future. The scene in which he is solving the cube is highly charged and there is a lot of self-pressure on him to succeed. When he finally manages to accomplish the task, everyone around him seems impressed- even the taxi driver who is also attempting to solve one of these cubes. It appears as if every individual is engaged in trying to 'de-code' the mysteries of their society- but they do not all have the capability to manage this daunting task. Therefore, not everyone's 'American Dream' comes true.
Defining happiness has been one of the most important themes of this movie. Initially, Gardner assumes happiness to be associated with the acquisition of a certain kind of job. However, he constantly mentions the declaration of independence in which Thomas Jefferson speaks about the nature of happiness and that it is a feeling you are always trying to pursue, but whether you ever get to it is the perplexing question. The last scene of the movie establishes the true meaning of happiness for Gardner. He is offered a job which was very competitive and hard to bag. Tears of joy spring in his eyes and we see him in a state of total euphoria. His hard work has finally paid off and he feels valued and worthy. Once again, tranquil music surrounds the scene and Gardner says: 'This part of my life, this little part- is called happiness'. It is interesting to note that the word 'happiness' in the movie's title is intentionally misspelled: perhaps to indicate the lack of clarity in this word. Happiness is a nebulous term and holds different meanings for different people. Thus, why should it be spelt in the same monotonous way?
Like many biographical films, 'The Pursuit of Happyness' has a few discrepancies with the real story of Gardner. His son 'Chris Jr.' is portrayed by a 5 year old actor (Jaden Smith), whereas in reality the boy was just a toddler. However, when it comes to Will Smith's portrayal of Gardner, only praise comes to mind. According to The Rolling Stone magazine, "Will Smith is on the march toward Oscar... the role needs gravity, smarts, charm, humor and a soul that's not synthetic. Smith brings it. He's the real deal" (Travers).
Since the very beginning of the film, the audience is trying to figure out what happiness truly means. Towards the end, we see that Gardner has realized what it represents to him. His intense struggles and unwavering ambitions helped him reach his 'American Dream' and he was thus able to enjoy the fruits of his hard labour. From this movie, we need to learn that we ourselves are responsible for pursuing our happiness and that passion and devotion usually gets us there. The movie concludes at an emotionally charged moment and leaves the viewers overcome with a feeling of pure bliss: as if we were journeying with Gardner himself.
Work Cited
Travers, Peter. "Pursuit of Happyness."Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner, 12 Dec. 2006. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. <http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/7605317/review/12812265/the_pursuit_of_happyness>.
July 13th was a historic day for Germany as they
lifted the World Cup after a 24-year-old wait. In a tense and exciting final
that lasted beyond full time, ‘Super Mario’ Gotze came in as a super-sub and
scored the winner with seven minutes to spare at the end of extra time. It had
all the drama, excitement and tragedy that befit a final. Germany seemed
destined to win this one, but Argentina did not make their job any easier in
the entire course of 120 minutes.
Considering the pressure both teams were in, from the first
whistle it seemed that both Germany and Argentina were playing defensively in
order to avoid an early upset. By the time 90 minutes were over, one could tell
both sides were holding off towards extra time. It would make sense in a
pressure-cooker final like this, that a goal in extra time would put the
conceding side in an extremely difficult position.
Having said that, both sides did try to break the deadlock
in the first 90 minutes, with Argentina using the momentum gained on
counter-attacks. Argentine skipper Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain
unfortunately failed to make their chances count. Both these quality forwards lacked in the finishing department especially when they had been set-up with some fine
chances. The Barcelona forward missed a sitter when his trademark left-foot
shot went wayward. Higuain put one past Manuel Neuer’s net but the flag had already
been raised.
The pressure was always on Messi to deliver considering his
reputation as the best player in the world. Having been criticized on occasions
for not able to win his country the gold trophy despite his incomparable
talent, he was hoping to set the record straight. Germany knew they had to keep
him quiet, and without a target man like Angel Di Maria, Messi was handicapped.
Ezequiel Lavezzi was replaced on half time by Sergio Aguero who failed to
reproduce his stellar form from his time with Manchester City.
Germany brought in André Schürrle earlier in the first half
who provided the extra pace needed in the middle. Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose
and Bastian Schweinsteiger were all getting into the right positions but finishing
was poor. At the close of half time, a header by defender Benedikt Höwedes hit
the right post and when Muller got the ball, he was already offside. Schweinsteiger
took a knock under his right eye, bled, left the field and came back ready for
battle once more. He took home a scar that he would proudly show his
grandchildren one day.
BBC’s stats reveal there were no shots on target from
Argentina and Germany had five chances. Regardless of the chances, only one
shot counted and that came from Mario Gotze with seven minutes left on the
clock in extra time. While it seemed evident, both teams would settle for
penalties, Gotze took a comfortable chance chesting a cross from Schürrle and
placing it in the net stunning Sergio Romero.
Messi now had to be the hero for his country. The four-time
Ballon d’Or winner and Barcelona striker had all the skills and experience necessary
to score a goal out of nowhere, as he did against the likes of Iran earlier on
in the tournament. That moment came in the dying minutes of extra time in the
form of a wasted free kick. Not long after that, the ref sounded the final whistle
and Germany celebrated a well-deserved victory.
As the fireworks lit the Rio de Janeiro sky, one would be
reminded that football is a beautiful yet cruel game. It is these finals, when
the loser feels that on a different day, it could have been them celebrating. However,
Germany looked the stronger and tactical unit and deserved the plaudits.
Argentina fought hard but one kept wondering if Messi was even playing. He took
home the Golden Ball but it was Germany who took home the biggest prize in
international football. It was a fitting end to the night of champions!
Cameroon and Mexico take the field in the second televised match at the
World Cup at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil. After yesterday’s match
between Brazil and Croatia, fans would be looking forward to another
entertaining 90 minutes between two sides that are not considered favorites.
Cameroon reportedly arrived to Brazil four days later due to issues on
bonuses within the squad. Two of their important players, the talented captain
Samuel Eto’o and Oribe Peralta have injury concerns. Eto’o had a decent season
with North London side Chelsea under Jose Mourinho scoring nine goals in 21
appearances. He is also Cameroon’s top goal-scorer and has previously played in
the 1998,2002, and 2010 World Cups.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker is currently looking for a
club and is hoping to impress some potential suitors, reportedly Everton and
Arsenal, with his performances in this summer’s tournament. However, it may not
be the best start if he is unable to play against Mexico due to injury.
Mexico possesses a relatively stronger side but manager Miguel Herrera
cannot take anything for granted considering how Brazil conceded an own-goal
against underdogs Croatia in their opener. Brazil eventually won by 2 goals due
to the quality of their attack.
Villarreal forward Giovani dos Santos will be leading the line instead
of Manchester United forward Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez who has been out of
form going goal-less in nine games. The Mexico side has not been the same since
their 2012 London Olympics gold medal and is hoping to use the World Cup as an
opportunity to re-establish themselves in world football.
Mexico did not win their pre-tournament friendly matches but will be
looking to have a winning start against Cameroon. It should be an interesting
match between two sides looking to prove themselves and may the best team win!
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone return to Marvel’s rebooted
‘Amazing Spider-Man’ franchise with high expectations. Filmed in 3D by director
Marc Webb, it takes you inside the web-slinger’s world unlike ever before.
Garfield finally looks comfortable playing the lead role and
gets very close to erasing Tobey Maguire’s memorable role as the ‘Amazing’
hero. Emma Stone is brilliant as Gwen Stacy, his love interest. Their love
story is one of the highlights of this action packed 3D adventure.
The wall-crawler faces multiple villains this time around.
Unlike Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’, the villains do not feel overwhelming.
Garfield is the star and every time he is on screen, he shines as both Peter
Parker and Spidey.
The film kicks off with Spider-Man swinging the skies of New
York looking for trouble. He tackles Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich in a
get-away truck holding flammable liquids. Sytsevich is portrayed by Paul
Giamatti who looks like he is really enjoying the role. He later gets his own
super-villian moment as ‘Rhino’.
Spidey eventually succeeds taking down Sytsevich and makes
it to his high school graduation as Peter, missing girlfriend Gwen’s speech. The
primary antagonist in the film is surprisingly a good guy turned bad.
Versatile
talent Jamie Foxx plays nerdy Spider-Man obsessed engineer Max Dillon working
at Oscorp. Having been saved by Spider-Man in the beginning, he becomes
his fan-boy.
Poor Max stumbles into a tub full of electric eels and gets
transformed into electric-powered being later known as ‘Electro’. Electro turns
against his hero when he blames him for not protecting him from the cops.
The web-swinger succeeds in restraining him with water. In
the midst of all this chaos, as both Peter and Spider-Man, he has to deal with
his relationship with Gwen and also tackle a returning Electro and former
best-friend turned super villain Harry Osborne who becomes the Green Goblin. At
the same time, he discovers the mystery behind his parents leaving him as a
child.
Dane DeHaan’s portrayal as Harry Osborne is lot more
sinister than James Franco’s in Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ films. Franco edges out
Dehaan and the relationship between Peter and Harry as buddies was better
played out relatively.
The film ends on a bittersweet note that leaves you in tears
with some hope for the future. Spider-Man according to Peter is all about hope
and you really believe it coming from Garfield, especially when he shows
emotions.
The film is great entertainment. The 3D scenes are
brilliantly done with spectacular scenes as you follow the friendly
neighborhood web-head swinging around the city. They come to life especially
during the epic action sequences. There is even a sneak preview to a future
Marvel film during the credits not to be missed.
‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ is an entertaining super-hero film
with lot of heart worthy of another sequel!
This season, we have seen domestic competitions like the
Barclays Premier League go down to the wire with the winner being decided on
the last day of the season. In similar fashion, one of the biggest leagues of
the world, La Liga (LIGA BBVA), sees the top two teams, Barcelona and Atletico
Madrid go head to head for 90 minutes in the quest to clinch the title and its
happening tonight at the Camp Nou!
This is more than just a title decider. One the one hand,
Barcelona want to retain their league title and their supremacy while Atletico
are looking for their second title after an 18 year wait. This will give Atletico
the momentum going into the UEFA Champions League final against derby rivals
Real Madrid in Lisbon on the 24th of May.
Barcelona may look the stronger side on paper, but face a
stiff opposition in a team that knocked them out of the Champions League in the
quarter-finals earlier this year. At the same time Barcelona has had one of
their roughest seasons. The Spanish giants had to cope with the loss of former
beloved manager Tito Vilanova, UEFA sanctions and Argentine sensation Lionel
Messi’s mixed form, among other issues. Messi, arguably the best player in the
world, recently signed a lucrative contract extension making him the highest
paid footballer in the world overtaking Real Madrid’s Portugese icon Cristiano
Ronaldo.
Fortunately for the Catalans, the UEFA sanctions prohibiting
them from transfer business for the next two windows have been suspended. Since
this is the only title silverware left to fight for, they will be looking to
attack the Atletico defence, retain the title and wrap up their relatively
turbulent season with a celebration.
Atletico, on the other hand, can win the title even with a
draw as they are three points ahead of the defending champions. Barcelona would
equal on points with a win, but will lift the title based on relatively better
head-to-head record as well as goal difference.
Barcelona’s 36-year-old long-serving defender Carles Puyol
will not be part of the historic match ending his 15 year association with the
club as the season wraps up. However, after being sidelined due to injuries, their
talented Brazilian forward Neymar, defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are
expected to return to the starting line-up.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone is fortunate to have his
strongest offence, Diego Costa, back after nursing a hamstring strain. He would
be the key to breaking down the rejuvenated Barca defence. Simeone knows by
winning tonight, they would be the first club to break the two horse title race
between Real Madrid and Barcelona dominating Spanish football for years.
To their credit, going toe to toe with the two biggest clubs
in Spain is no easy feat. It will be a deserved victory for Atletico Madrid who
are this season’s underdogs. Similarly, Barcelona are hoping to extend their
superiority and snatch a huge victory on the final day of the season.
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