The cat’s been out of the bag for several days now; “GIRLS” has arrived, and it’s probably the most disappointing debut of a show in recent memory. It’s a wasted premise on a group of, as of now, uninteresting characters, that lacks a strong immediate conflict, and appeals to a narrow audience.

Women in their mid-20’s, in this country, in this economy, don’t have the kind of grounded representation in entertainment the way they need to. This is a ripe market that’s desperate for content. And here it is, “GIRLS,” or as a friend of mine brilliantly renamed it “Vacuous, Socially Awkward, Privileged White People Who Find Themselves Interesting But Are Unable To Stop Talking In A Fake New York City, Devoid of Real Conflict.”

I don’t mind unsympathetic characters. I kind of prefer them. They’re meatier. And this show has a fantastic premise that does represent a lot of people, men and women, in their mid-20’s, who are mooching off their family, who do lack work ethic, who are going to be the first generation of Americans in the history of the country to have a lower standard of living than their parents. That’s a story that hasn’t yet been captured. We’re living in a society that’s not yet had the kind of lens on television that illustrates the enormity of the crisis and allows all of us to relate to the severity of it. “GIRLS” could have been that, instead it’s a mediocre in-joke, at best, and at worst it’s an alienation of what it’s trying to represent.

People have hailed this thing as the next great American television show, but let’s look at the facts: Its debut was modest. 1.1 million viewers across 2 airings. It lost more than a third of its lead-in audience from “Eastbound & Down” and “Game of Thrones” pulls in over 4 million viewers every Sunday night.

The entire show has the feel of someone having lunch and thinking, “Hey, let’s make a show about us.” I could even imagine it happening over the course of the “dinner party” scene in this past week’s pilot. And that’s fine if you’re a film student, but not if you’re getting the Judd Apatow stamp of approval and a major HBO premiere.

Let’s go even further. Let’s take away the demographics and ratings and focus on the quality of the show itself:

The girls: First of all, kudos to putting on a female show full of women who look like real women. Gold star.

The inciting incident: After 2 years a mid-20’s girl with no direction in life is cut off from her parents and has to enter the real world without a safety net. FANTASTIC!

The pacing: Off (note the opening dinner scene that dragged on for too many jokes and reaction shots, or the “good angel vs. bad angel” scene in the bedroom with our protagonist high on opium). The shooting style is reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s work, but misses the tone and the fact that Anderson is painting a world that’s not quite like our own, whereas this show is trying too hard to be naturalistic.

The acting: Flat as a board with the exception, maybe, of a couple nice moments from Allison Williams.

The humor (it’s billed as a comedy after all): You can literally notice a beat after every joke as if they’re waiting for a laugh track “I may be the voice of my generation. Or a voice of a generation.” [pause for laughter]

It’s failing on the basic levels of storytelling in a visual medium. It’s not necessarily a bad cast and it’s a phenomenal idea, but the execution is supremely disappointing. The jokes are stilted, one of my favorite exchanges was the oh-so-clever: “I’m not on Facebook.” “You’re so classy.” [pause for laughter] Because no one’s made jokes about Facebook with such biting wit since, oh right, The Social Network! The drama’s muted, as evidenced by the blink-and-miss-it preggers revelation by the foreign cousin while squatting on the toilet, and the look of the show is bland as f*ck, as evidenced by the hipster actor’s apartment (Sooooo much brown…).

And you know what? It’s going to get renewed. HBO doesn’t have a high bar when it comes to viewership and they’d have a major hole in their programming. Too much money’s been invested. Unless a horse dies on set of course. The main reason it will get picked up for a second season is because the masses DON’T have a show like this on television. And in a starving marketplace, the consumer will buy the single option available. “GIRLS” may end up being THE representative of a generation of women, but by default.

One Viewer’s Opinion,

The Dude

Melissa McCarthy is absolutely hilarious. And luckily for me, she’s not going anywhere soon. I promise she will become your favorite actress soon (and if she doesn’t, she absolutely should…). She doesn’t seem to have too many boundaries, and that’s just how I like it. Here are ten reasons why Melissa will snag the top spot in our hearts. Read More »

"Why can't you just let me watch The Hills in peace?!"

One of the things I love about my boyfriend is that we have a lot in common. We both like football, video games, movies, and music. However, we have a few differences as to what exactly we like.

Over the summer we went out to go see Funny People because we both like Judd Apatow movies and we thought it’d be really good. I thought it was really funny and that while, yeah it dragged a little bit, I enjoyed it. Matt on the other hand, HATED IT. And he felt the need to list every. single. reason why. All I heard for the rest of the night was Matt trashing the movie that I actually liked. Naturally, I was annoyed. Read More »

Excited for the weekend? We are. We’re more excited than we were for last weekend, and that one was three days!

Why, you ask? Maybe because CollegeCandy is going to the MTV Movie Awards!!

Yes, it’s true. CollegeCandy will be on the red carpet as our favorite stars (Ben Stiller? Andy Samburg? JASON SEGAL?!) shuffle on in to the coolest award show of the year. We’ll get a first hand look at what everyone is wearing, chat it up with the hottest people in Hollywood, and, if all goes well, take one of Judd Apatow’s funny boys home for ourselves.

And if it doesn’t go well, at least we know Paris Hilton will talk to us.

We’ll be Tweeting our L.A. adventures, and everything live from the event, so follow us! Then come back Monday to get all the delicious deets.

Have a good weekend! Don’t forget to tune in Sunday night at 9 pm EST.

We’re back with another edition of G.W.W.E. (Guys We Wanna Eff)!

This week, the release of photos of the Obama girls’ new puppy, Bo (So. Effing. CUTE!), had all of America swooning. But there’s another Bo who’s pulling my heartstrings—of course I’m talking about the sublimely funny Bo Burnham, who’s heating up the internet with his musical comedy.

At just 18, Bo has become the epitome of modern celebrity: an internet star who is breaking out big time into film and music. He has deferred his admission from the NYU class of 2012 to travel the world with his one-man “pubescent musical comedy” act, singing songs about everything from race and sex to family matters. He regularly pokes fun at himself in his songs, like in “My Whole Family,” where he laments about his parents thinking he is fat.

You can check out his not-so-innocent ditties on his YouTube channel or on his website, which includes links to his iTunes downloads and Twitter feeds. My particular favorite video of his, which can be found here, features Bo on piano before a large studio audience, where he is introduced by pop star Katy Perry. (Katy, please go back to kissing girls, and leave Bo’s cherry chapstick for the rest of us, okay?)

I actually heard about Bo from a College Candy reader, and immediately after discovering him, I sent links to all my friends (sorry, girls, for harassing you). With his mature-yet-boyish good looks, he’s like the best high school crush I never had. Oh, and did I mention he’s reportedly working on a new film with Judd Apatow? Talent + funny = eff me, please.

It was a feeling that started with the Ocean’s 11 movie franchise, and then Judd Apatow came along and just knocked it into next week: sometimes I just wish I was part of the boy’s club. I want to drink martinis or beer and talk about chicks and make dirty jokes with my friends all day!

Okay, I’m kidding. Well, half kidding, anyway. It does sound like fun.  But more to the point, it got me thinking about gender roles in a broader sense (because why don’t I like girl’s club movies, a la SATC and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in the same way?) and I reached the same conclusion: “damn, sometimes I wish I was a guy!”

Women’s roles have changed a lot in recent generations, and for that we can all be very, very grateful.  But there are certain things that get me all hot and bothered in the penis envy department. Let’s start with the simple ones: Read More »

We college girls love our morning-after recaps: reviewing the highs and lows (or extreme lows…like slipping on dirty bathroom puddles and falling to the ground) with our closest friends. We laugh, we look at pictures, we wipe last night’s mascara off our faces.

This morning, after a night filled with glamorous Oscar parties, I have to wonder if the celebs are doing the same. Is Kate Winslet sitting in bed flipping through all those selfies she took with her Oscar? Is Dev Patel sipping coffee with Frieda Pinto laughing about that awkward conversation she had with Sean Penn? Is Sophia Loren regretting all that Botox she injected in the limo ride over to the show?

And what do you think Hugh Jackman is up to? (Note: We imagine it doesn’t involve a shirt. Mmmm.) Read More »

(We’re back with another weekly installment of G.W.W.E [Guys We Want to Eff]. Ladies, say hello to delicious actor, Paul Rudd. The hunk has been making us laugh till we cry for years on the big screen, so when we’re not deciding between tickling him and cuddling up by his side, he’s certainly tops on our effable list!)

Ask any self-respecting woman what she looks for in a man, and likely among her responses is “the ability to make me laugh.” Look no further than Paul Rudd, the thirtysomething hunk from such smash hits as Anchorman and Knocked Up. When I wasn’t peeing my pants in the theaters, I was drooling over ol’ Paulie. Personality AND looks? Check, check.

And it’s clear I’m not alone.

While he may be known best for his blockbuster roles in Judd Apatow films, he’s also been featured in such landmark comedies as Clueless (duh!) and on television’s Friends as Phoebe’s husband (she was always my favorite Friends chick…so jealous she snagged Paul before the rest of us!). As such, Paul’s effability has been shown to stand the test of time. What could be better than that? (Editor’s Note: effing him, that’s what.)

Mr. Rudd’s new film, Role Models (co-starring the also-scrumptious Sean William Scott) opens today and looks to be his most promising role yet, since there’s nothing more effable than a funny boy who also takes time to hang with kids. You can join me in the movie theater while I fan myself and laugh to death. Or you can stay home with The Great Gatsby and and your Paul Rudd fantasies.

Any takers?

[I like to think of myself as a pretty easy going gal, and try not to sweat the small stuff. But sometimes (ok, maybe slightly more often) the general cluelessness, carelessness and overall stupididty of some things and or/people really gets to me. I find that venting is the most efficient way to rid myself of the stress that idiots, wrong meal orders, lack of cell phone ettiquette and cheese flavored products (that don’t even contain any freaking cheese!) induce. So, in an attempt to avoid an ulcer or an unfortuante road rage incident, I vent to you, dear reader. Please feel free to join in and comment about anything–really, anything–that pissed. you. off. this week. Let it all hang out. I feel you.]

Football game traffic.

Under no condition should any human be confined to a small metal box harnessed into their seats and surrounded by others doing the same thing. A sweet play list is only a small consolation for being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic as you jealously stare at drunken fans playing flip cup on their front lawns, hours ahead of your severely lacking tailgate level. The only thing worse than the knowledge of your slowly depleting gas tank is the realization that you are missing out on precious pregaming time.

Senseless Acts of Brutality.

I hope that the inclusion of the tragic events affecting Jennifer Hudson’s family on this list doesn’t seem insensitive, because I am pissed. The woman, apart from being beautiful and talented, seems like such a kind person that it’s hard to imagine how anyone could hurt her and her family. Additionally, the pain inflicted on their family is only deepened by the disappearance of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew. However horribly inhumane it is to commit murder, to take a child from their home and place them in danger is unforgivable a thousand times over. I hope the guilty party is caught and subject to the same pain they put the Hudson family through. Read More »

Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow have done it again. Pineapple Express is funktabulous. A satirical throwback to old 80′s action movies, Pineapple Express is pretty damn smart for a weed film, and there’s just something about Rogan’s laugh that makes me want to laugh too. Plus, James Franco is the hot pothead of my dreams.

Because we here at CC love good music just as much as we love an Apatow film, we’ve got 4 Pineapple Express soundtrack CD’s to give away today! Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of soundtracks, but any compilation with Huey Lewis & The News, Public Enemy, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Robert Palmer HAS to be good.

If you want one, all you gotta do is comment on this post. It’s that simple. Funny comments are always good, but really, don’t stress yourself out (I mean, that would sort of go against the chill vibe of movie). At the end of the day we’ll pick 4 lucky winners!

[PS: make sure you sign in with a valid email address so we can find you]