lose your cred

The second I saw the trailer for this movie, with Anna Kendrick bursting into Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” I knew I needed to see it. If I could express to you how often my roommate and I listen to “No Diggity” on car trips, then you might be able to begin to understand why we felt like this movie was plucked straight from our brains.

Pitch Perfect is what Glee wishes it could be, or wishes it still was. Somehow, it manages to find the right balance of ridiculous a capella performances of pop songs (Ace of Base’s “The Sign,” The Bangles “Eternal Flame” - a song that I turned up too loud in my car with my windows down, pulling angrily out of McDonalds like the badass I am just last week! - and Simple Minds’s “Don’t You Forget About Me”) and plot.

The plot is thus: pretty “alternative” girl Beca (Anna Kendrick) is forced to go to college by her parental units instead of going to LA to pursue her dream of becoming a DJ. (Not a radio DJ - Beca’s more interested in becoming the next Deadmau5, if Deadmau5 were American and a hot chick that made some pretty killer mashups.) She doesn’t like people. She doesn’t like to engage. Her dad offers to pay for her to move to LA after the end of that school year if she really gives this college thing the ol’ college try.

Enter a capella singing. Beca joins the Barden Bellas, the underdog of the four a capella groups on campus (in spite of one group being composed entirely of stoners who may or may not actually be able to sing). They’ve made it to the national competition before and bombed - now they’re trying to make it back and redeem themselves. By doing the exact same thing they’ve done in the past and boring everyone to death.

Beca has to learn how to fit in with this rag-tag group of misfit girls, and overcome overbearing leader Aubrey’s (Anna Camp) iron grip on the group and her refusal to update their style and sound.

I loved this movie. Loved. It. I want to go see it again. I wanted it to be two hours longer because I just wanted them to keep competing. Also now I have a crush on Anna Kendrick.

Oops.

PS - the “No Diggity” scene is even better than you could have possibly imagined, since it involves tiny white girl Anna Kendrick rapping Dr. Dre’s verse.

Lunch or lover? That is the question that appears in werewolf Brody’s mind when he meets lamb shifter Carson. The answer is easy. Simply looking into Carson’s innocent blue eyes tells him that the lamb is his mate. If he’s going to eat Carson up, they’ll both enjoy it.

Carson has been isolated by his flock due to his inability to grow into a strong ram. When he is unexpectedly attacked by his half-brother, he does not expect being rescued by a wolf—let alone falling in love with him.

But in spite of Brody and Carson’s feelings, there are other forces at work, and people who don’t agree with Brody’s new plans and diet. If Brody can’t find a way to save their bond, Carson might become lunch, after all.

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THIS IS ME BEING LITERALLY BURIED BY MY STUDENT LOAN DEBT. EACH RING IS EQUAL TO $100. THERE ARE 300 RINGS HERE!

this is supposed to be a motivational tool to keep me paying down my debt as fast as possible. (regular consumer debt not pictured!)

mostly, so far, it is overwhelming.