She's just being Miley: In defense of Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus' VMA performance caused what can only be described as a storm of uneducated slurs and slut shaming. While I agree that her performance was outrageous and controversial, this is hardly anything original. There has been a history of 'scandalous' performances over the years thanks to the lackluster sense of control from  MTV bosses. In 2001 Britney Spears danced with a snake in a bikini and then in 2003 Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera had a three way girl kiss.
So what I can't understand is that everyone is acting like this is a completely new and horrifying kind of performance; that women will objectify themselves to look edgy and mature. History clearly shows us that this is nothing new. It seems there has been a cycle of acceptance in terms of  a male songwriters and the music industry objectifying women; well that's perfectly normal!.                                                                                                            A key example of this is 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke; a seriously brash song that doesn't even attempt to hide the rape references that has become the 'Song of the Summer.' To call the song 'problematic' would be an understatement with lyrics including 'I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two', 'But you're an animal, baby it's in your nature, Just let me liberate you' and my favourite; 'You the hottest bitch in this place' - Oh, just pure Shakespearean poetry!. There was hardly any outrage to this song and it quickly became No.1 everywhere- so apparently objectification and misogyny is fine as long as it's a hit song. In the logical and intelligent words of  Thicke himself- 'what a pleasure it is to degrade women' and later back peddling saying the song is a- 'feminist movement.'-Where are the pitchforks and degrading internet slut labelling for Thicke?
            Thicke played a part in Cyrus' performance and he was ultimately ignored in the outrage which spiralled into a ridiculous notion that Cyrus was doing it as a 'cry for help-' which just leads me to believe that we haven't even progressed from the 50's notion that women who express sexual desire are mentally unstable (seen in Freud's theory). I truly feel that a woman should not be restricted to a polarity of a whore or a prude, there shouldn't be a scale which people just love to enforce to female musicians.  






     

Writer Crush(es): Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij

"A whole film is just about arriving at a moment where you hopefully transfer some feelings to the audience." - Brit Marling
 
Marling and Batmanglij are writers of a unrelenting and intricate variety, who have a vividly unique vision for each of the existences their characters inhibit. The indie darlings rose to prominence in 2011 with 'Sound of my Voice' which was selected to close the SXSW Film Festival and opened to critical success. Then Marling and Mike Cahill co-wrote the beautiful and understated; 'Another Earth' which took the Sundance Film Festival by storm.
 They have in every sense become the penchant for up and coming filmmakers which with the release of  'The East' will undoubtedly propel the duo into the mainstream and hopefully into the arms of a new unsuspecting audience.  
They are my writer's crush and this is my unashamed love of the writers that are the voices of an unheard collective- the cults, the outcasts and the alienated.  

Let's talk about Another Earth, it's a wondrously elegant and tentative exploration of identity and what it means to confront and extricate the experiences that have made you who you are.
The protagonist (played exquisitely by Brit Marling) is a strong and mesmerizing character who despite the surrounding change of the discovery of Earth 2, is within her own conflicts of second chances and forgiveness.
This is what encapsulates the velocity of the
 drama not one of an other-worldly existence but of human emotions which makes it an even more immersive experience.

The Sound of my voice is as mystifying as it is eye opening. It revolves around a couple Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius) who infiltrate a cult intent on exposing the leader Maggie (Brit Marling) as a fraud but as they begin to delve deeper into the group, they begin to question the truth and themselves.                                                                    It's a beautifully unnerving drama as Peter and Lorna begin to unravel into a perplexed state, as do the audiences perception of what is the true reality and the fantasy of the enigmatic cult leader. It is a beautifully crafted film that has a  nerve-racking and raw energy which twists at every turn creating a truly gripping mystery.

 
With all of the wonderful films they have made and have yet to make, it's easy to see how the powerhouse duo are sure to create some truly iconic films.



   

Soundtrack: Road Trip

Songs for that last feeling of freedom; to roll down the windows of the car, sing out and stretch your arms out in a cinematic way. This soundtrack is dedicated to the midnight visits to the beach, the endless pages of  maps and this Jack Kerouac quote as your motto;  'Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.'  

1  Keep the Car Running- Arcade Fire
2  Back of a Car- Big Star
3  Tonight we Fly- Divine Comedy
4  High Times- Landan Pigg feat. Turbo Fruits
5  Pumped up Kicks- Foster the People
6  California- Phantom Planet
7  Your Arms around me- Jens Lekman
8   Road- Nick Drake
9   California Daze-Peace
10  Close to me- The Cure
11  What a Pleasure- Beach Fossils
12  Here comes your  Man- The Pixies

13  Summer mood- Best Coast
14  Rescue Song (RAC Remix)- Mr Little jeans
15  Travelling-Tennis
16   Under the Stars- Morning Parade
17   You're so Cool- History of Apple Pie
18    Forever-Haim
19  She's got you high- Mumm-ra

Never let go

“She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that’s one of the reasons why they did.” - Zelda Fitzgerald

I have always known that I have wanted to write, it was a tiny spark of reading that grew; then i picked up a pen. It's not enough to just let it lie dormant but writing is something I use to explore the uncharted emotions that I cannot articulate out loud. I've realised that  writing can outline the small places in your heart that you didn't even knew existed, it has also made me see how this is what I want to continue to do. Doubt always creeps through and it always seems to be the most all-consuming emotion and it always feels like I should just give up, that it's not worth it but; it's always worth it. It will always feel better  when you fight for your voice to be heard (as cheesy as that sounds) So here is a small guide for when that little voice tells you that it's never going to happen;                                  

 1  There is no such thing as a right decision- The right decision in hindsight is a myth, obviously decisions have clear cut; good and bad consequences but there is never a well worn path to success and in that moment...you can only consider what's best for yourself  at that time. 

2 Mistakes can be the right way forward- Just because things didn't work out the way you envisioned, does not mean that it can't lead to something greater. Success shouldn't be defined in a generic, small minded way- that it's the achievement of popularity or money. To me, Success is defined by doing something you love and if that doesn't grow straight away, it's not failure but  it just didn't happen the first time.  

3 So many people have taken the path less traveled to Success- Mindy Kaling; She started off as a production assistant on the 'Crossing Over with John Edward psychic show' and just worked on her art by writing the play; 'Matt and Ben' and getting her first big break in The Office and she is now producing and writing the fabulous 'Mindy Project.'  
Miranda July; She dropped out of college at 16, but kept making Art and found her way into books, films and independent Art. Then she made her charming directorial debut with 'Me, You and everyone we Know' in 2005- winning the Camera d'Or.                          
Tina Fey; She worked in a number of improv groups including: The Second City in 1997 then submitted a few scripts to Saturday Night Live who then hired her as a writer. Fey originally struggled at SNL and she later went on to be SNL's  first female head writer and created and wrote 30 Rock and Mean Girls; both iconic and wonderful.  
    
4 Don't believe that these stories are for the selected few- Sometimes it feels like it's only a small amount of  people that make through but never believe that this is true; I truly believe that if you are passionate about your art and continue to do what you love- it will feel like you have found success already. Even if it's not what people perceive as living successfully; you have to believe that your story is one that will be heard and never let go of that.      

 

10 Reasons Amy Heckerling should direct my life

Director Amy Heckerling (and total Betty) is the wonderful and underrated creator of 'Clueless' and 'Fast times at Ridgemount High'.                                              If John Hughes is the quintessential teen movie director then she is the Godmother of Generation teen 'whatever'. The universe of her films are so intricately created, it captures the spirit of characters making them iconic and truly loved.                                                She never overlooked the complexity of  High school and always explored the drama in a nuanced and hilarious tone which is captured in this quote;     'I love movies where something very dramatic is going on, but I can't stand movies that are humorless.'  She is such an inspiration to me and these are the films that my friends and I often gawp and watch at an unhealthy rate. These are the reasons that Amy Heckerling should direct my life:    

1 Clever insults would be a normal part of conversation and would be so effortless.

2 Total Baldwins are part of every day life. These guys are no Monets even if they turn out to be a cake boy  /disco dancing /Oscar Wilde reading friend of Dorothy or a total wuss. Also, the beauty that is Paul Rudd is featured and his cute presence in my life would be very much appreciated.

3 The Dancing would be crazy but there is nothing better than goofing out with your friends even if you look nutty doing it. 

4 Life would be like a Noxzema commercial.

5 I would know how to reference pop culture in a subtle and flawless way; which is way existential.  

6 I would look a total Betty in coordinated outfits; it's just like when you were little but now it's in tartan.      *Work uniform would actually look rather cute.

7 Witty repertoire.

8 Friendships would be built on a mutual love of jealousy, drugs and a love of insulting each other- beautifully simple. *Young Nicolas Cage!!

9  The teachers would be the absolute best; even if they think everyone is on dope.

10 Parties even if they are in the Valley would be totally classic.