Natalya's Highs and Lows: Total Divas - Season 4 - Episode 2!

Episode 1 of season 4 (time goes so fast) brought cattiness to the table, as the WWE Divas bitched like a bunch of highschoolers about he fact that Eva was getting private training, rather than training at WWE's developmental centre NXT. What did this episode bring? More drama of course! There wouldn't be a show without it.

Highs

Trinity Standing Up For Herself

Trinity! I had mentioned before on my review of Total Divas from Season 1 to 3, that Trinity was my favourite character on this show. Check out the review here! http://natalyaon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/total-divas-review-3.html. This episode merely emphasised why I love her so much. There is nothing more that I hate than needless high school like bitching behind someone's back, which is what occurred majorly in the first episode, all because the WWE had sent Eva to train in LA with former WWE Superstar Brian Kendrick.

Trinity didn't agree with the way the girls were bitching about Eva, letting Eva Marie know that the girls were talking about her. WWE Diva Alicia found out about this and accused Trinity of stirring the pot. Trinity stood her ground as the voice of reason, not allowing herself to get sucked in to all of the high school drama. My girl.

Brian Kendrick's Speech

When Eva Marie told Brian Kendrick about what was going on with the Divas, Brian Kendrick's response was 'who cares?' His speech about the Divas hating because WWE expressed an interest in Eva rings true, not just on this show but in life. Jealousy is ugly.

Paige's Fan

I thought it was really sweet when Paige bumped into a fan on the street, who had told Paige that Paige helped her to overcome her eating disorder, because Paige chooses to her herself, not fitting into the typical mould of a Diva. Paige was out shopping with Alicia for a gown to wear for the WWE Hall Of Fame, despite a gown not being Paige's style and choice of clothing. After the encounter with her fan, Paige decided that she wasn't going to switch it up for the Hall of Fame, instead wearing her own style of outfit sending an important message of just being yourself.

Lows

Brie Bella's Not Pregnant

Brie thought that she may be pregnant because she was a couple of weeks late, but after starting her time of the month, we got an up and close look of how it affected her. She was disappointed, being intent on starting a family with Daniel Bryan and I had to admit that I felt for her.

Alicia Fox and Trinity Bust Up

During the altercation, I was naturally on Trinity's side. I like Alicia's feisty personality and understood where she was coming from with Eva, but she, as well as the other Divas went about it the wrong way.

Natalya and her Father

Natalya spent a lot of her time in this episode watching over her Dad recovering from his demons, trying her best to stop him from relapsing. She spent so much time and energy to make sure that her Father didn't spiral back out of control that she lost all focus on herself. Watching this unfold reminded me a little of a parent disciplining their children.

Read Episode 3 here! http://natalyaon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/natalyas-highs-and-lows-total-divas_23.html

Shenmue 3 Finally being made after 14 years!!!

Excuse me while I go fan girl in the corner in the same way teenage girls fan over their favourite boy bands. When I first heard the news I was disbelieving of what I had just read. I had to read multiple sources on google just to get confirmation that what I was reading wasn't some sort of fabrication, or simply just a misleading title to get traffic for the website in question. After reading more than one source, I could actually allow myself to get a little excited.
Surely I am not the only one, as the Shenmue franchise is a much loved game with a dedicated core of fans. Fans that have been campaigning for years for the epic tale of main character Ryo Hazuki to continue on so that we could reach a gradual conclusion. Will Ryo Hazuki finally find Lan Di and gain the revenge he had worked so hard to act upon thus far? I was certainly keen to find out how the story unravelled and was meant to end. Therefore I was as eager as many fans for Shenmue 3 to come into fruition. I had to admit that somewhere along the line I had accepted the fact that it just wasn't going to happen, but here we are!

Before I go on, I'll recap a little bit of the story for those that may otherwise be unfamiliar. In the simplest of terms, Ryo Hazuki, the 18 year old protagonist of the story witnesses his Father, Iwao Hazuki being murdered by a man called Lan Di at their residence. A dragon mirror is stolen and thus begins a story of revenge as Ryo Hazuki seeks the man who killed his Father. And questions. Many questions that get asked by Ryo to random citizens of the streets to help him come another step closer to finding the man in which he seeks.

At the time of being made, Shenmue had been one of the most expensive games of it's time, costing a hefty 70 million to make. Unfortunately, the game did not profit and went bust. This alone was enough reason to believe another game in the series would never be made.

So how did this come about? Kickstarter. To help fund the next Shenmue, a Kickstarter was put in place after a sony show and in record time reached their funding goal of $2 Million. In addition to this, it seems that Sony is also actually helping to fund the game. It will be very interesting to see how this develops.

Crystal Maze Makes a Return!!!

...as an interactive gaming experience. I heard the news on Crystal Maze hoping for a grande return to our television screens but still, just hearing any news on one of my favourite childhood shows got me all excited.

I actually loved this show as a kid, so much so that I once tried to reenact the crystal dome part of the show. I once actually got some monopoly money and made my cousin sprinkle the money on the ground from her top bunk bed, whilst I scrambled myself on the floor quickly scooping it all up.
Basically, the idea is to bring the 90's game show back in the form of an interactive gaming experience in central london. Apparently this will be happening around autumn and is being developed by theatre company Little Lion Entertainment. This is written on their 'About' page on their website:
"Little Lion's aim is to create the most exciting, engaging and entertaining theatrical attractions London has ever seen, whilst also being a cultural force for change in opening up theatre to broader and more diverse audiences.

There has been a cultural shift in audiences towards content that they can engage in with an active way; modern audiences want to do, not watch."

A little more was written which you can read here http://www.littlelionentertainment.com/about/4587724036, but I think that description sums up what they are hoping to achieve with this Crystal Maze project. I personally think it sounds like a great idea,. The only thing is the price for participating is supposedly £50, yikes. However, if I was hanging out with a big group of friends, I think trying it out would be a great laugh.
Watching Crystal Maze when I was younger, I always thought it would be a fun thing to try out myself. I also felt this way about Supermarket Sweep. I mean, who wouldn't want to run around frantically in shopping isles, just throwing food into your trolley and making a mess while jolly music plays in the background? This is something I also tried in the comfort of my own home. Call me weird, I probably am.

My verdict: bring back the Crystal Maze on TV! If you can bring back Family Fortunes, then you can bring back Crystal Maze :)

Goodbye Bruce, Hello Caitlyn Jenner!!!!!

It's no secret to anyone who pays attention to the news of Miss Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner who was married to Kris Jenner of the Kardashian Klan.

A couple of weeks ago, Miss Caitlyn Jenner took the world by storm when she showed her amazing transformation from man to woman, unveiled in Vanity Fair Magazine. I had heard that this was going to happen a while ago but admittedly hadn't paid too much attention to it, until I saw the pictures of Caitlyn Jenner on twitter following tweets of praise and admiration.
I had to admit, the pictures caught my attention. So much so that I had to add my own 2 cents on twitter.

It is a beautiful thing to see nothing but words of positivity and respect for the courage Caitlyn has showed, unveiling herself in such a way and exposing herself to millions of people for them to view and judge. In this case, the best case scenario occurred where a large view of the twitter population were in support and acceptance of Caitlyn. I truly believe in the freedom of being yourself in a world that can be quite cruel and stigmatic. For Caitlyn to do that is an act of courage in my view.

BGT 'Stunt Dog' Controversy - Stunt Dog used in winning Jules and Matisse Act!

Jules' dog Chase, used to walk the ropes

So, if you have watched or paid any attention to this year's Britain's Got Talent, then you will know that the winners this year turned out to be dog act Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse. This is the second time a dog act has won the show since Ashley and Pudsey back in 2012.
Due to the lack of a TV, I hadn't really been able to catch up on a lot of the acts this year (sad face). However, after seeing the buzz over Jules, her adorable border collie Matisse, and three legged dog Skippy unexpectedly brought out in the act's finale, I had to admit I was taken away by how disciplined and trained Jules' dog Matisse was.
I watched back to their first audition and their semi finale performance where Jules' dog Chase was introduced and I liked the fact that she brought out other dogs she owned,. It brought a new depth to the performance that possibly topped Ashley and Pudsey's. Skippy and Chase were not a huge part of the acts they featured in but in what little we saw of them, they also seemed to be disciplined and trained. This is something I imagine to be a difficult feat, since many dog acts have passed through the Britain's Got Talent auditions and failed, due to the lack of following their owner's instructions. How cute was it that the storyline of Jules and Matisse's final performance was that he stole the sausage from the butchers shop for little Skippy? (If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch the performance here!) That final moment had me a little emotional on the brink of actual tears! Tears of joy and admiration for Matisse, of course.

There has been an outrage due to the audience being misled into thinking that it was Matisse that had been walking the tight rope, when all along it was Jules' dog Chase walking along the two ropes. I guess this has led some to believe that the act is underserving of their win, or that they were misled into voting for what they thought was an entirely genuine performance.
My verdict on this is simple. If a professional stunt dog had been brought in that Jules didn't know of personally then I would definitely have a problem but Chase is Jules own dog that she trained. Chase had already been introduced in the semi finale performance, so it wasn't like she was hiding him. While being called Jules and Matisse, I get the impression that their act is more of a Jules and Matisse, ft Matisse's dog friends after she brought out Chase and Skippy in their own separate performances. I may actually be biased concerning Matisse since I think he is adorable, but I think the act is totally deserving of their win. That is my verdict!

Total Divas - Review (3)

Season 3 of Total Divas Cast

My Backstory On Total Divas

As a long time fan of WWE (14 years to be precise), I was immediately interested in watching this reality series when I first heard about it back in 2013. I thought it was a great concept, following the WWE Divas about their lives and behind the scenes of WWE. It was particularly great for me as there was a time when I was so obsessed with WWE that I wanted to be a WWE Diva. I mean, the WWE Superstars and Divas get to travel the world! I actually though I had what it took to be one, despite being 5ft1, skinny and so weak I can't even do ten push ups without needing a rest. With that period of my life being long over, this show was a great alternative and insight into the lives and schedules of the WWE Divas.

Overall

I think the show is great. I have watched Total Divas from season 1 all the way up until now and each episode has kept me interested enough to stick with it. In my view it has definitely gotten better as the seasons have gone on. It's already been almost two years since the series first aired which was in July of 2013 in the USA I believe. It took quite a while to air in the UK but it's now broadcast on the E! Entertainment channel. 

If I can recall, season 1 was a bit of a slow start as they took the time to introduce all of the characters. We had the Bella Twins who were advertised as the main stars of the show, wrestling legend Nattie Neidhart, the Funkadactyls Trinity/Naomi and Ariane/Cameron and newbies Eva and Jo. In recent years I haven't been keeping up with wrestling as rigidly as I used to, but I had heard of all of these Divas beforehand except for Eva and Jo. I remember questioning to myself what appeal having newbies on the show would serve since I didn't know them and therefore wasn't interested in watching them. However, I understood that it would create an interesting dynamic on the show with different perspectives of where each Diva was at in their career, from two established divas, a wrestling legend, two divas rising up on the card and two newbies.

Favourite Season

Season 2 Of Total Divas Cast

Season 2! Season 2 was the birth of my favourite episode which had more than one star of the show and it wasn't the Bella Twins. I would give that award to Trinity, Trinity's boyfriend Jon and Ariane's boyfriend Vinnie who I had disliked in the previous season. Even Ariane was a star in her own right and had probably started to warm to me somewhere in season 2. It was that episode where Ariane offered to look after Nattie's cat while Nattie and her husband TJ went away for the weekend I believe. Cue disastrous results as Ariana (the worst cat sitter in the world) decides to have a house party at Nattie's house and loses the cat. Jon and Vinnie cracked me up in this episode, I was dying!

I think what makes this my favourite season though is that this is the season that Eva came into her own as a personality and character and the inclusion of Summer Rae who got on a couple of the Diva's bad side, particularly Nattie who despised her. Trinity also became a firm favourite of mine and I even started to like Ariane and Vinnie who I had previously mentioned I had disliked. The Bella twins who are perhaps by far the most captivating characters continued to shine in this season with their sibling feuds and relationships with stars Daniel Bryan and John Cena. This is definitely my favourite season. 

Favourite Diva

Trinity. I love this girl. She's the one with the most common sense. Whenever something goes down, she sees things for how they are and how pointless and nonsense the situation is. She's honest and tells it how it is without being rude and I love people like that. One moment I remember which shows this side of her is when Ariane showed everyone nudes of Eva. Eva was deeply affected by this when she found out and Trinity was the one to step up and tell Ariane that she was in the wrong and needed to apologise, even though Ariana couldn't see what she had done wrong at first. She's just the voice of reason and I imagine she would be a cool friend to have.

Least Favourite Diva

Rosa Mendes. She only joined Total Divas in Season 3 which is the current season, so we have not yet seen enough of her to know about her and her full backstory but she has no substance compared to the other Divas. She loves being naked, men and women, kissing other girls and a good time. She also had a problem with alcohol but beyond that I do not know much about her. I feel like out of all of the Divas, she is perhaps the one that I relate to the least. Saying that though I do not dislike her, she is just my least favourite.

Favourite Couple

Trinity and Jon have very similar personalities. They are feisty and pretty much say what's on their minds and together they make a funny combo. What I love about this couple is that you can see how much Jon loves Trinity despite some of the issues they have been through and how closed Trinity has been to Jon at times. They are both likeable and they make me laugh and anyone who makes me laugh is a winner to me. Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are likely the most loved couple and I love them together, but this is the couple that does it for me.

Least Favourite Couple

Nikki Bella and John Cena. I think they are a sweet couple just like the rest of the Divas and their other halves and Nikki's love for John is very apparent. Vice Versa as well, but much of the season has been about the fact that John Cena doesn't want to get married or have children and this is everything that Nikki Bella wants for the future. There was some point in one of the seasons where Cena actually made a list for Bella when he asked her to move in with him that was basically a contract for if their relationship didn't work out. It had a set of rules such as she must leave immediately if things were to go wrong and she also couldn't add her personal touches to their home so it was like she was a guest in her own home. The whole marriage and kids thing is big as well because by Nikki Bella being with Cena she is putting a lot on hold and it is sad to see. I also feel like they are quite superficial in that it's the material things that keep them together but hey, that's just my view.

What I Have Learned From Total Divas

I have learned that the locations they film is always hot and sunny which justifies the skimpy clothes the Divas always where. Being in the UK it is hard to imagine being in a place where it is summer weather all year round. A pro and con in itself. I have also learned that these girls know how to keep a relationship together despite having a demanding schedule and always being on the road because the majority of the Divas are in long and longish term relationships and at the point where they are soon ready for marriage or married up. And that it would be fun to be a WWE Diva. I missed out on a good career path.

Death Note - Review (2)

What can I say about Death Note? Death Note is debatably one of the best anime series, at the very least a series that is favoured by many and one of my favourite things ever. I had the urge to watch it all through again recently, so what else to do but review the classic that is Death Note.

My Backstory On The Death Note

I actually don't remember much of how I came across this series. I am not an avid watcher of anime. I have watched Naruto which I liked, a bit of Naruto Shippuden and another series called Hell Girl, but other than that I am vastly in the dark when it comes to what constitutes great anime. I think I must have been searching for a good anime to watch and this was one of the highly recommended ones that I came across. I vaguely remember reading the summary as being a game of cat and mouse between the two main characters as one tries to uncover the other, and it sounded interesting enough that I gave the series a try. I'm glad I did.

Overall

As I have said before this is one of my favourite things ever. I love any game/novel/film etc that has an engaging story, third dimensional characters and a message that makes you think beyond the story, long after it's ended. It's things like that that stay in my heart and Death Note just happens to be one of those things. Even after I watched it all the way through again for probably the third time, it really did make me question certain things. Obviously it is not real but it really did affect me for a while. I mean, what if the events that occurred in Death Note happened in real life? Imagine having a Death Note, what would you do? Was Light in fact in the right? 

Death note follows a 17 year old, smart high schooler by the name of Light Yagami. During a normal day, he stumbles across a Death Note on the ground, a notebook with a set of rules inside. In a nutshell, any name written in the notebook whilst picturing the face of that person will die of a heart attack unless stated otherwise. Pretty interesting concept, right? Well, Light sees this as an opportunity to create an ideal world. Free of criminals to be precise, and he sets about putting this plan into action by writing down the name of criminals in his notebook who have been broadcasted in the news. Enter the world's best detective L, who sets about catching this killer who has been branded 'Kira'. Light, unhappy with someone trying to stop him from creating this ideal world, is set about finding L and his real name so that he can write his name in the notebook and kill him. Cue the beginnings of a riveting game of cat and mouse and a battle of wits.

For me to get into anything I have to be hooked from the start, or at least by the end of the episode. If anything takes too long to get into then I will switch off. Eh, I can't help it. I have a short attention span alright!
Anyway, I knew from the end of the first episode that this was something I was going to be into and I wasn't wrong. I was hooked with each episode. I just couldn't stop watching because just like the Walking Dead, they left each episode with a cliff hanger that I just couldn't wait another day to watch. For one, I just had to see what happened next between Light and L, who always seemed to find someway to outsmart one another.

This series, adapted from the Death Note manga series got me thinking about Light's actions. I mean, Light did have good intentions. He wanted to make the world a safer place for civilians and I could get behind that, but ultimately the power got to his head and somewhere along the line he practically lost his soul. Light proved to be a ruthless human being who would kill anyone who stood in the way of his goal. He'd kill anyone who tried to catch him whether they were good or not and this is what made him the antagonist, despite his good intentions. Or, you could argue that Light was in fact the protagonist and L the antagonist for trying to expose him. Death Note has a lot of depth to it and that's what I like about it.

Favourite Character

Ryuk

There were quite a few characters I liked in this to be honest like L, Matsuda and Soichiro Yagami. I think Ryuk tops this list though. For those that don't know, Ryuk is a shinigami attached to the Death Note that Light picks up. Ryuk, who comes from the shinigami realm was the one who dropped the notebook into Light's world. Why? Because he was bored. I know the feeling.
If you think about it though, Ryuk's actions caused all of this mess in the first place since the notebook landed in Light's hands. I can't hate him though. He was a fun character who made me laugh and was probably the only one who was emotionally detached to the events going on around him, despite being in the centre of all the drama. Oh, and he had a love of apples too. As long as he could have some apples Ryuk was cool, no matter what was going on around him.

Least Favourite Character

Misa

Ugh, everything about this girl was annoying. To explain, Misa Amani inhabited the same powers as Kira, aka Light Yagami, with a Death Note and shinigami of her own that went by the name of Rem (who I also disliked). 

Apart from Misa's shrill voice that dogs would go crazy over, the thing about this girl was that she had this disturbing obsession and love for Light Yagami even though he couldn't give two hoots about her. When Misa met Light it was love at first sight as far as she was concerned and from that point on she would do whatever it took to make Light love her the way that she loved him. Naturally, Light used this to his advantage, pretty much using her to help him beat L (and later on, Near). She could never really see that she was being used though. Instead, Misa was convinced that if she helped Light and proved useful then he would love her. It really didn't help either that Misa somehow had two shinigami's that would die for her (why)? She did have a few good qualities. She wasn't as dumb as she acted and proved this on a couple of occasions. And when she wasn't mulling over Light there was the odd moment when her personality shined through.

Best Part Of Death Note

The height of Death Note began for me upon Misa and Light being taken into custody, suspected of being Kira and the second Kira. This is when Light's smarts really came into fruition. I think it was at this point that it seemed like Light would be caught out. Somehow though he came up with a plan that would absolve him and Misa of being Kira and the second Kira, shifting the blame onto someone else by passing on the possession of the notebook onto a power hungry businessman. This part of the series takes it into a different direction as the game of cat and mouse between L and Light takes a halt. Instead, another culprit comes into light, who the duo come together in order to catch.
I love the lead up into the capture of this new Kira, before Light takes repossession of the notebook and the game of cat and mouse takes forefront once again. The events after this were brilliantly done, although very sad. Watching it the first time around was an amazing experience, since I had no idea of the events that would occur.
I also love the last episode. This is an obvious spoiler for those that have not watched Death Note, but this is the episode that Light finally gets caught out after 6 years of playing God. It needs to be said that the art direction, which was amazing throughout was phenomenal in these last two episodes. It's also clever how it was actually Light's lackey that got him caught out and not Light himself. What else can be expected from the genius that is Light.

Worst Part Of Death Note

So I have read that for many, they believe the series went downhill after (spoiler) L's death and that the series isn't even worth watching after that. I have also read from many that they believe the series should have ended after this, leaving Light as the victor and GOD OF THE NEW WORLD!! You know what though? I liked the second part. Again, it took the series in a different direction, with the introduction of L's successors in Near and Mello and Mikami and Takada a little later on, to further help deceive those around him. Near and Mello both had different ways to L of trying to uncover Kira which was interesting to watch, especially with the competitive rivalry Mello had against Near.
Maybe if I had to choose a worst part, it would probably be when Takada, who was briefly featured near the beginning of the series was brought back in for a bigger role. It was perhaps at that point that the series started to get a little stilted, but just a little though! Like I said before, I loved the series overall so there you have it!

What I have Learned From Death Note

One major thing that I have learned from Death Note is that, although it sounds like a cool thing to have, having an actual death note exist in this world would be a lethal weapon. Just imagine how much destruction it could cause? Yeah, sure. Killing your enemies and the people you hate may be menacingly satisfying if only in your imagination. But actually doing it? That's a whole different story.