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Trust The B in Apartment 23 and “Dawson” For Quirks & Laughs: Don’t Trust The B Apartment 23 with Krysten Ritter, Drema Walker & James Van Der Beek

Posted on November 17, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Krysten Ritter as the B**** in Apartment 23.
Krysten Ritter as the B**** in Apartment 23. Image via amazon.com

 

Don’t Trust The B Apartment 23 tells the adventures of the self-centered, party-loving, popularity-obsessed, politically incorrect and proudly insensitive New Yorker Chloe (Krysten Ritter), and her new roommate June (Dreama Walker) from Indiana who despite her initial shock and repulsion, has gotten to like Chloe, and proven to be a worthy adversary/friend/roommate.

But Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 is more than just a severe clash of cultures/morals/personalities. It also makes fun of fame, celebrities, success, careers and life struggles in general- all without the annoying laughing tracks and the boundaries of a sitcom. Oh, and its biggest fame/celebrity-teasing tool comes in the form of its third starring actor – James Van Der Beek, playing the post-Dawson James Van Der Beek in the most amusing fashion.

For anyone who has been a teenager during late 90s and early 2000s (1998-2003), Dawson’s Creek was the familiar teenage drama/romance series starring Van Der Beek (as Dawson), Katie Holmes (best friend/the girl next door Joey), Joshua Jackson (best friend Pacey) and Michelle Williams (pretty new girl Jen). And even though the series was named after his character, he had the leading role, scored a huge fan base and having scored roles in movies before, during and after the series, Van Der Beek never got to be “Dawson” again, at least in terms of playing such a popular lead in a hit series, or being in a hit movie.

Joshua Jackson was somewhat suffering from a similar fate until he got one of the starring roles in the sci-fi/drama/mystery series Fringe and became Peter Bishop instead of Pacey for 5 years, and we will see which character will remain more popular or if Jackson will finally become an A-lister starring in more films. He has the talent, the looks and the girlfriend (Diane Kruger). But he has also suffered from the Dawson’s Creek curse.

Katie Holmes went from being in the shadow of Joey to being in the shadow of Tom Cruise. Oh, yes, she shared tons of spotlight and got more coverage than the entire Dawson’s Creek cast combined, but let’s face it-it was because she married Cruise. We’ll have to wait and see if she will prove herself to be more than Joey.

And last but definitely not the least- we have Michelle Williams-who got the luckiest break of all. She did so many diverse roles in so many diverse movies, she kept us in the present. The youngest Creek cast member starred in Brokeback Mountain alongside Heath Ledger, Jake Gyleenhall- and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. We could never lose focus on her career since she went on to score 2 more Oscar nominations, leading roles alongside Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo di Caprio, Kenneth Branagah and more.

But James’ career seems to be the most puzzling. He’s good-looking, has done many more different roles opposing to his romantic dreamer Dawson and never quite stopped working. But he couldn’t shake off Dawson. And what better way to poke fun at your career while reminding people of your popularity, show a whole new side of you while still starring in a new show?

Just like Matt LeBlanc, aka Joey from Friends mocked himself and his career by playing a womanizing, politically incorrect jackass-y version of himself in Episodes, won back the spotlight, popularity and reminded people that he can be more than just Joey, Van Der Beek is milking “Dawson”, once again- in a very successful way.

How does Dawson Leery aka James Van Der Beek fit in with the girls? He is Chloe’s best friend- a rich, popular and self-centered actor who is sick and tired of being remembered as Dawson despite his talent and other accomplishments. But he constantly fluctuates between self-pity/anger and feeling happy to be adored.

Sometimes Van Der Beek’s ego provides for some one-liners and sub-plots, sometimes it becomes the center with June and Chloe.

Granted, the show is more about Chloe, June and their relationship- but at least 50% of the jokes, and probably the fan base, wouldn’t have been there without “Dawson.”

I don’t know about you, but having been a movies-obsessed, romantic female teenager in 8th grade, I was a big fan of Dawson’s Creek-and Dawson was my favorite character- at least for the first 2 seasons. I hated the fact that the whole story became about friends rotating each other in dating and sex, and the once lovely teen drama/comedy/romance turned into a very obvious soap- but I stuck around like many people would when their relationship lost the passion but couldn’t shake the habit.

And despite all the boring romances, Dawson was still Dawson. He grew up, became a little less naïve and optimistic. But he was still a dreamer, a movie enthusiast who wanted to make in Hollywood and a romantic. And guess what? 9 years after the show ended, I grew a very cynical side, did some things I said I’d never do (like falling for a friend, or liking two guys who happened to be friends-life imitating art and all that) but I still am a romantic movie addict who’s trying to make it as a writer.

You see, Dawson was my favorite character – not because I thought he was boyfriend material (though he was), but because he was the character I identified with the most. And 9 years in life didn’t exactly go the way I planned-but despite growing up, I’m still me. Despite all the complaints, and having lived in a big city (as opposed to Dreama’s small town character June), I did watch all episodes of Dawson’s Creek.

I honestly didn’t think the concept could be funny before I knew who Chloe’s bff was. Then I saw the trailer.

It is always over the top with the quirks and pretty much impossible to identify with James or Chloe. But it is entertaining, with some episodes making you laugh more than the others.

You don’t have to have watched Dawson’s Creek to enjoy this one, but it is funnier if you have loved or hated (or both) the show with passion at some point in your lives.

Episodes to watch out for:

Season 1

Episode 1 – how Chloe proves to be a friend by proving June that her fiancé is a cheater- by being caught on the act with him to June!

Episode 2- Chloe sets June up with her hot “friend” Scott (Michael Landes) who turns out to be a little more familiar with Chloe than June thought. And no, Chloe and Scott never hooked up. When I say familiar, I mean…

Episode-4 Chloe gets jealous of June becoming BFFs with James, so she crashes June’s friend’s wedding with Kevin Sorbo (played by Kevin Sorbo)-who she has brought under completely false pretenses.

Season 2

Episode 1- Attempts at a Dawson’s Creek reunion.

Episode 2- And Chloe meets her match

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: dawson james van der beek, dawsons creek, dawsons creek cast, don’t trust the b in apartment 23, don’t trust the bitch in apartment 23, dreama walker, james van der beek, Joshua Jackson, katie holmes, krysten ritter, krysten ritter apartment 23, krysten ritter don't trust the b--- in apartment 23, michelle Williams

The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

Posted on November 20, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Co-starring Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino and Zach Roerig, Sara Canning
The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Co-starring Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino and Zach Roerig, Sara Canning. The second season is on. Image via byterology.com

The Plot

Small town. Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) is back at high school. She and her brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), also a high school student, have lost their parents at an accident last spring and things have never been the same ever since. Elena struggles to make it through, while Jeremy spends most of his time getting high, giving drugs to Vicki (Kayla Ewell) and hoping she will choose him over the cocky football player Tyler (Michael Trevino). It is up to their young Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) to look after Elena and Jeremy.

In the meantime, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) is back at his home town after a long time. Stefan is a 17-year-old going on over about 160. He is a vampire, who refuses to feed on humans and is lured back into town because of Elena’s existence. Elena carries an uncanny resemblance to his ex-love Katerina (also played by Nina Dobrev). He wants to carry on a normal existence, while getting to know her. So he enrolls in her high school. Everyone is intrigued by the presence of this new hot student, especially Elena’s friend Caroline (Candice Accola).  Unfortunately for Caroline, Elena seems as smitten as Stefan. At first this pleases Elena’s best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and depresses Elena’s ex Matt (Zach Roerig), a good-natured football player who is still in love with her.

Unfortunately, Stefan’s peaceful existence is challenged by the mysterious deaths occurring all around town and he has a pretty good idea who is sucking their blood- it is none other than his vampire but not-so-good-natured brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). He has no intention of behaving himself. In fact, there is nothing he loves more than complicating Stefan’s life. He was also involved with Katerina and their past issues comes up- along with flashbacks- throughout the episodes.

Another problem for Stefan is that Bonnie is coming from a long line of witches and she is starting to gain some powers, and she is not enjoying the vibe she is getting from the new love of her best friend…

The Background and the Fun Stuff.

The series are based on a series of books written by L. J. Smith, also called The Vampire Diaries. One of the show’s producers is the famous horror/thriller writer Kevin Williamson who is famous for Scream, The Faculty, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cursed. He was interestingly also the writer of the hit teen show Dawson’s Creek starring Joshua Jackson, James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson.

On a side note, the actor playing Jeremy, Elena’s brother, is played by Steven R. McQueen, who is the grandson of the late movie icon Steve McQueen.

The Vampires

The vampires in this show can’t be hurt by garlic or holy water. They can be killed by fire, pretty much the standards the modern vampires hold. However they still need to be invited into a home before they go in, pretty much like the vamps in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. There is also the issue of the vampire faces- while they don’t get as much make-up done as the ugly faces of the Buffy vampires, their eyes go red, weird disfigurement appears on their faces and their teeth show. It is also funny that they get this face when they get turned as well. They also have special rings that allow them to go under the sun without hurting.

One of the episodes also carries a fun reference to Twilight in one episode. As Damon is sitting on Caroline’s bed and reading one of her Twilight novels, she asks him why he doesn’t sparkle like Edward and he answers that he lives in the real world where vampires get burned under the sun. He also makes a fun comment on he doesn’t understand why everyone in the series is so fascinated by Bella and says she’s got them all whipped.

The Verdict

The Vampire Diaries is a fun and addictive vampire/mystery/romance show. Sure it has lots of teen angst and drama but it balances it well with enough mystery and action. There are enough murders and blood-sucking to keep this in the action genre but not enough gore and sex to compete with True Blood.

The Vampire Diaries has caught a great balance with the modern vampire understanding (the pretty vampires who don’t burst into flames) but they carry some of the classic myth (they need invitations, they have vampire faces- they are not pretty when they turn…).It is also refreshing that the reason Elena and Stefan don’t have sex right away is that Stefan is afraid she will see his vampire face- it is not like he is afraid he will bite her or hurt her or something like that.

Fun, modern and unisex. Sure, Salvatore brothers do and will have more than their share of female fans but it doesn’t change the fact that this is one engaging show. Give it a shot.

8 on IMDB, with nearly 60.000 votes.

Other Vampire Show and Movie Posts Covered

Moonlight starring Alex O’Louglin, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Dracula, Lestat and Other Vampires

The Twilight Saga Posts

The Ultimate Twilight Saga Test – Read to Decide If You Will Enjoy The Twilight Movies

Twilight Saga 101: 33 Things You Should Know About Twilight Before Seeing New Moon

Twilight Saga 102: 24 Things You Should Know About New Moon Before Seeing Eclipse

Twilight Mania: Twilight Movie Review

New Moon Movie Review: New Moon Dissected

Eclipse Movie Review

Twilight Saga Cast Trivia 101: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner

Twilight Saga Cast Trivia 101: Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Elizabeth Reeser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz

Twilight Saga and The Rest of The Cullen Family

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Candice Accola, damon salvatore, dawsons creek, dawsons creek cast, Elena gilbert, horror, ian somerhalder, Katerina Graham, Kayla Ewell, Kevin Williamson, L. J. Smith, Michael Trevino, mystery, nina dobrev, paul Wesley, sara canning, scream movie, Stefan Salvatore, steve mcqueen, Steven R. McQueen, the vampire diaries, the vampire diaries tv show, thriller, true blood, TV shows, Twilight saga, vampires, Zach Roerig

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