Super Women - International Women's Day 2016

In honour of International Women's Day 2016 I thought I would talk about five women that have inspired me, entertained me and who I think are just five amazing people. There are thousands, millions of women to choose from, but I tried to limit it to five women from the world of entertainment that have impacted on me personally.

Beyoncé

I have been a major fan of this woman since the first time I heard 'No No No (Part 2)'. She has been a trailblazer in the music industry for nearly 20 years, she has shown strength in the face of adversity and she goes out and gets what she wants. You think everything in her life was handed to her? No, how wrong you are. She is one of the most hardworking women in the industry; a legion of fans, a discography to rival your favourites, an IMDb page filled with great roles and hands in multiple other pots testify to that. She never shies away from controversy, but she never creates it for petty matters. It is time to get in formation behind this great women and to enjoy the show.  She has taught me to be myself, I don't need to bend to public opinion because whatever you do you will always have people that love you, and those are the only people that matter.

Victoria Beckham

As an original Spice Boy I feel I have the right to talk about my Queen Victoria. I was there from the beginning when she was still Victoria Adams and 'a real lady' ('Wannabe' reference). She has since made the jump from international pop star to fashion darling. It can be quite shallow to say but I really believe she has it all. This isn't said to diminish the work it took, but I look on her with her beautiful children, happy husband and ever growing empire and I can't help but turn green with jealousy. Back when my sexuality was a grey area she was my ultimate crush, she is classy, smart, funny and savvy. I would lay my coat over a puddle for my Queen V. She has always been an inspiration to me because when she made the career swap it could have failed, she worked hard - not to change people's opinions, she worked hard to achieve her dreams and it just so happened that people loved it.

Amy Poehler

Amy was well on her way to the top of her outstanding career way before she was on my radar. I was slightly late to the SNL party and she was on her way out when I fell in love. Then came 'Parks and Recreation', and I don't think it would be naive to say that it was one of the best television shows to grace our screens - a jewel in the new golden age of television's crown we are currently experiencing. Her book (Yes Please) is one of the best memoirs I have ever read and it is filled with great life advice and mantras we should all be saying to ourselves everyday. I still get excited about any project I see her name connected to and I can't see it ever changing - I am shaking with excitement for whatever she does next. There are so many things to learn from Amy but I think she says it best herself; 'There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do'.

Taylor Swift

When I first saw her music video for 'Tim McGraw' way back in 2006 I suddenly fell. There was this young 16 year old women, writing her own songs and spilling her emotions out to the world, I was intrigued from the get go. It was just when I first started getting in to country music, she was the perfect bridge in to the genre as it was easy listening with the country grace that I have come to love. She has since evolved into an international pop star, she made the leap from country to pop with huge success. In a selfish way I am gutted I will never get another country album from her ('Fearless' is still one of my favourite albums of all time) but I am so happy for her and what she has achieved. What I have learnt from her is that you should never give up, people will try and put you in a box but that is what they want, doesn't mean it has to be something you want. 

Lena Dunham

It seems like Lena is in pop culture news a lot lately, just today she has apparently took a stance and decided she never wants to be photoshopped again - she wants to see herself whilst looking at herself. And bravo to her. There is one quality I have always admired about Lena and it is her courage. I don't think it is unfair of me to say, or even that she would disagree, that she doesn't fit the mold of what a TV star normally is. She didn't break the mold, she just took a left and ignored it. People were shocked when she revealed herself on her hit HBO show 'Girls', some people found it weird because it was so rare to see a 'normal' woman in a state of undress, having sex and not just been the 'best friend' or the girl who takes her glasses off to reveal the hot girl she always was. She is unapologetically herself through and through. She sees a problem and she addresses it, I crave her confidence - I am guilty of seeing something and not saying anything. I want her career, I want her bravery, I want her talents and most of all I want to be comfortable just once not to edit my own photos. 

The Craigy Awards 2015

Can you believe it is that time again! The Craigy's are back! Once again nominations were kept secret so it is anybody's guess who will win. Once again these awards highlight some of the shows that may get forgotten about by the mainstream award shows we all love. We have 15 awards to give out which include two new ones so lets get this show on the road.

Good luck to everyone.

Congratulations to all the winners!

... and it's hard to say goodbye, my love.

Oh, so the networks or the writers just decide to cancel shows and I am supposed to be okay with this? No sir, not today Satan, not today. These characters have been in my life longer than some friends. Jules Cobb and Rachel Barry for 6 years and my imaginary future wife Leslie Knope, 7 years. I have been with them through their up and their downs and so many musical numbers I lost count. I learnt to care about these people and whatever issues they go through; and one day someone stops putting pen to paper and I have to move on?

Some shows do shoot to the future in the final episode so possibly I would get closure, but I hate it when they do this. It is basically solidifying the fact I will never get another season, minds can't be changed. It has been years but possibly one of the greatest comedies of all time was tarnished for me with the final episode, this show is Will & Grace - how dare the writers tell us that they didn't speak for 18 years!!! Will and Grace's friendship was pure magic and created so many friendship goals, the writers were just like 'nah, lets have them broken up for the entire growth of their children just so we can get a warm 5 minute ending' - seething I was and as you can probably tell, still not over it. However, I am not here to talk about older shows, I am talking about the shows that have chosen to abandon me this year. Here are three that hit home and have left my TV shaped heart empty.

Parks and Recreation

I don't want to oversell this show, but it is quite possibly one of the best television shows ever created. If you have seen it then you love it, its that simple. I haven't met anyone who was a bit 'meh' over it. When you combine the brilliant writers, amazing behind the scenes crew and one of the best cast ensembles since 'Friends' you have television gold. This show is the perfect combination of slap stick comedy, heartwarming moments, intelligent writing and characters who you genuinely cheer for. As previously mentioned I don't like it when a show shoots forward in the finale just to wrap it up, but this one was done with a sincerity to show that it didn't feel like a quick finish - infact it gave you more questions than answers. Is Lesley the President?

Glee

Yes, I am a gleek. This show was just brilliant (except season 5, we don't talk about season 5). If you knew me  it wouldn't come to much of a shock that I enjoy a song and a dance. And this show was spilling over with them. Season 6 was really special, and a nod to the brilliance of the show in season one. It had the heartwarming underdog stories, plus the campness that we come to expect from this type of show. Highlights of the season for me would be Unique singing 'I Know Where I've Been', the cast singing 'Home' and the introduction to the 5 main new characters. If only these characters came in earlier, because no offense to the last group that joined in season 4, I cared about what happened with these. This show also did the shoot to the future thing, didn't annoy but it also didn't please me - of course Rachel won a Tony.

Cougar Town

I think some of my friends watched this show when it started, but I don't know how many stuck with it like myself - what can I say, I'm committed. As soon as this show was announced I knew I had to watch it, I mean it is Courteney Cox - the star of my favourite TV show and film franchise. For me, this show followed off from where 'Scrubs' finished. It is a beautiful mix of comedy and drama. Yes there is a funny underline to everything in this show but my days it made me cry. Talking of crying, the last episode had me balling. If you haven't seen it then sorry, but when they all lie to Jules and tell her they are leaving, and it turns out it was to fulfil her wish of hearing what people would say if she died (weird sentence, makes sense if you watched it) - I was on the floor in the fetal position, it was too much. 

These were the main three that decided to abandon me without a second thought, and for the safety of television networks around the world there better not be any more. I have a weak heart as it is, it could kill me.

Other little cuts to my TV viewing pleasure are Garfunkel and Oates, Looking, Hot in Cleveland and Melissa and Joey. I am hopeful, I am a survivor. Somehow I have managed to survive cuts before (thanks in large parts to re-runs and boxsets).

Live From New York ....

I would like to say that I have been watching Saturday Night Live for 40 years, but 1. I am only 26 and 2. It never really took off in England so I have had to heavily rely on the internet for my fix. I have probably been watching the show religiously for about 3-4 years and thanks to YouTube I have now been able to watch rerun after rerun of old clips to satisfy my comedy needs. This show is genius in it's simplicity. Its a sketch show if you want to skin it to its bones. They have a celebrity guest and a musical guest every week, the sketches are about pop culture and are extremely uptodate.

I will of course always be thankful for this show for introducing me to my future wife, Miss Amy Poehler. This show has spewed out star after star; Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, John Belushi to name a few. It is the holy grail of the stand up world to become a featured player on this show and it is easy to see why.

It is an amazing platform for female comediennes in particular, it punches the face's of people who say women aren't funny week after week. These women are comedy Einsteins, for me they are the stars of the greatest sketches this show does and also in a lot of cases the writers of the sketches (Tina Fey was a head writer before she left).

As I do I thought I would list a few sketches that I find particularly hilarious and make me chuckle on a daily YouTube binge. I only hope this show gets a time on English television because we are missing out on a lot, I mean a lot. I know some jokes won't transfer over here as they can talk about American Sports and Politics, but the other stuff outweighs it 10 to 1.

So here is my lil' list;

Kaitlin at The Mall

Horatio Sanz and Amy Poehler

http://youtu.be/hLLMnhbhq0E

Jacob

 Vanessa Bayer

http://youtu.be/VHECrbL4Po4

Bronx Beat

Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph

http://youtu.be/gCSejBIlXVA

Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

http://youtu.be/vSOLz1YBFG0

Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party

Cecily Strong

http://youtu.be/RGsQES_OdrQ

Target Lady

Kristen Wiig

http://youtu.be/-GyES-BNlUY

Super Showcase

Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Vanessa Bayer

http://youtu.be/IoTv5sjom8k

Drunk Uncle

Bobby Moynihan

http://youtu.be/OO7gjabFlX4

Retired Pornstars

Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer

http://youtu.be/U9G3qtOUIpo

Heshy

Nasim Pedrad

http://youtu.be/sqNCMMDirPk

Stefon

Bill Hader

http://youtu.be/pYcJZFZaUkc

Girlfriends Talk Show

Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant

http://youtu.be/_HwbpZn9wN0

That is just a few of the gems of Saturday Night Live. There are too many sketches to mention, and I will wake up with regret that I didn't showcase others. It is just such and incredible show. It just celebrated 40 years, heres hoping for another 40.

The Show That Everyone Should Be Watching! Broad City!

I have heard a bit of buzz around this show, a few blogs and vlogs I follow are just in love with this show. So of course I had a peek. I WATCHED THE ENTIRE FIRST SEASON IN ONE SITTING! I was instantly obsessed with these two women. For me, if I had to capture it in a few words it would be that it is like a more realistic 'Girls', with a lot of pot and whole lot more laughs.

Yes, there is a lot of a recreational drug use - one episode even focuses on Abbi trying to be a grown up and source her own pot dealer, but don't think this is just a stoner show. It so isn't. For me the best thing about this show is the friendship. The friendship is extreme, loving, inconveniente and special. I have close friends but my god they take it to another level, they set new friendship goals.

The show started out as a YouTube series, and the wonderful (Future Mrs Craig) Amy Poehler saw it, and ran with it. Shopped it around to a bunch of networks and found them a home at Comedy Central, I will be forever thankful. The show is still up on YouTube in 5 minute manageable bites. There is so much to say about this show that I find that I can't think of anything (you know how that happens).

I could talk about Ilana's allergy to shellfish, Abbi's determination to be a fitness instructor, the measures they go to buy Lil' Wayne ticket's, Ilana's f-buddy/dentist, Abbi's roommate's boyfriend, Ilana's immigrant gay roommate, the episode where they try and work out who pooped in the shoe, Abbi's alterego Val who is a famous lounge singer for the elderly, Abbi's reaction to medication after dental surgery, Ilana's crazy mother who buys counterfeit handbags every time she visits New York from the China Town underground, their amazing fashion, Abbie melting her lover's dildo in the dishwasher, the time Abbi danced naked to 'Edge of Glory' (and the fact Lady Gaga tweeted about it), their love for 90's hip hop ....

I just couldn't sell this show enough and I have a feeling it will be huge come award season next year. The two girls are the creators and writers for the show, Amy Poehler is the producer and I recommend it - what more could you want?!

The Craigy's

Ladies and Gentleman may I introduce you to the first annual Craigy's. This is where we celebrate TV from the last 12 months and acknowledge certain shows that some other major Award Ceremonies seem to skip over. Here at the Craigy's we try our best not to be biased and we try to make a point that there is a lot of shows on the box that deserve awards. We have 13 categories so lets get under way.

 

 

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.