[Magnolia88]

Kristen Bell is stunning, there's no doubt about that. Wow.

But as a straight female, I love her more for her extraordinary talent more than her looks. She's an amazingly gifted actress. And she can sing, too! I love her in Veronica Mars, but she's got a huge career ahead of her. She was memorable in Deadwood, great in a small role in Spartan (which I otherwise hated) and she was fantastic in Gracie's Choice, a Lifetime movie that I never would have watched if it weren't for her, but it was actually pretty good if only because she elevates the material.

 

[Magnolia88]

Like I said, WOW.

That's from a recent photoshoot for Giant magazine. But wait, there's more. The new Giant photos are at the bottom.

Pretty girl. But dont really like the show. I think there is something wrong with me.

Have you rented the season one DVD and started from the beginning? The Pilot sets up a lot of complicated backstory and I think VM is hard to get into midstream, but it is well worth the effort. I think it's one of my favorite shows of all time. Seriously. I had a couple of friends who tried an episode here and there and couldn't get into it, but once I loaned them my DVDs and they saw the first few eps, they were totally hooked.

 

[Magnolia88]

The S1 set is $45, a little more than id spend on a show i know llittle aboot and may not like. Any suggestions?

I would suggest getting a trial membership at Netflix and renting the first Veronica Mars DVD asap during the trial period. But if you don't want to do that . . . I tried sending you a private message but it bounced back b/c your inbox is full.

If you like shows like Buffy, Alias, and Gilmore Girls, then VM is probably something you would enjoy. Maybe Twin Peaks, for the murder mystery and dark tone. If you hate all those shows, then VM may not be for you. But Kristen Bell is a superstar. She alone makes the show great.

And don't just take my word for it -- Veronica Mars made every Top 10 list this year: TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, Time magazine, the American Film Institute, USA Today, MSNBC, the Chicago Tribune, the Phila. Inquirer, the Village Voice, the Boston Phoenix, and just about every other list I've seen b/c I lost count. VM and Lost seem to be the only consensus picks on every major critic's list, at least the ones I've seen.

 

[Magnolia88]

I've been totally meaning to start watching but in the rerun last night they said who the killer was in season one . should I even bother ??

Another emphatic YES vote.

The problem with tuning into any episode from the current (second) season is that Lilly's killer is revealed in almost every episode. It's sort of an important plot point to everything that is going on now.

But even if you are spoiled for the "whodunit" aspect of season one, it's a wonderful show anyway and very much worth the effort. The writing and acting are top notch and I love rewatching my favorite S1 episodes even though I know how everything turns out in the end. I would get my hands on the S1 DVD asap and get caught up before I would watch season two.

Plus, I don't think you can appreciate what is going on very much in season two if you haven't seen season one. The plot and relationships are complicated and everything the characters went through in season one affects what is going on now.

 

[Magnolia88]

More praise for Veronica in a review of the season one DVD set.

Bell. The Best. Easily the best actress to come out of TV in, like, forever.

Yes. I don't think I've ever loved any actress on TV this much. I thought Jennifer Garner was good the first season of Alias, but Kristen Bell shows even more range as Veronica, because Sydney Bristow was never much with the comic timing. Then again, Veronica can't kick anyone's ass in the physical sense. She's more about the cutting remarks.

And apparently, you guys think she's cute.

 

[Magnolia88]

I don't know about Amanda Tapping, but there is no doubt that Kristen Bell is pretty darn smart. She brings so much nuance and depth to even the most inconsequential lines, and it's not just that she's good with the rapid fire comebacks and the comic timing, although she's superb at that too.

Plus, she did study drama at NYU's Tisch School of the Performing Arts and her first major role was in The Crucible on Broadway alongside Liam Neeson and Laura Linney (and taking that role is the reason she didn't actually graduate from NYU). KB is no dummy.

She can come across as a little "ditzy" in some talk show interviews, but that's what is expected of young actresses on talk shows. The producers want them to talk about stupid crap that makes them seem "fun and flirty" not serious and introspective. I saw KB on Punk'd and she gave the guy so much attitude she seemed very Veronicaish. She was hilarious.

 

[Magnolia88]

I just finished downloading and watching the first season... it was fantastic!

Perhaps someone can clarify one thing for me?

Spoiler

Was VM faking the whole relationship with Logan? At first I thought so, but then later I wasn't so sure...?

cmontyburns answered this already (:sniff:), but I'm curious what would make you think that in the first place. I can't imagine what would lead someone to that conclusion.

 

[Magnolia88]

I meant "sniff" meaning that I'm upset about the word "went" in your answer . . . if that makes any sense. I'm upset about what happened with V/L on the show -- not that you answered the question.

And I'm not a VM expert, just a huge fan of Kristen Bell and the show (although making multiple DVDs to hook my friends probably has made me into somewhat of an "expert" as a side effect).

 

[Magnolia88]

Ah, okay, I get it now. (Although I saw warnings fairly early on, I get that not everybody saw them. They were subtle, like many of the emotional undercurrents on VM.)

Spoiler

Imho, when she told Leo she "hated" Logan, it was mainly past tense at that point and she was trying to explain why she was a "trainwreck" and he was better off without her. But the fact that she dumped sweet Leo, who she liked a lot, told me that she really had the hots for Logan in a big way because if she was following her head instead of her heart, she'd have stuck with Leo. She knew Logan was bad news, but she couldn't help herself.

Only using spoiler tags for those who have not had the good fortune to see all of season one of VM yet. And what are you waiting for? See Kristen Bell in a short skirt! Lots of them! And a bikini!

 

[Magnolia88]

It's called a padded push-up bra. Maybe Kristen is getting self-conscious about all the "Veronica is flat-chested" jokes?

Spoiler

In addition to the psychic incident, there was another comment by that dude from the fightin Fitzpatricks. He said something about Veronica not needing plastic surgery, "well, aside from the obvious," as he looked at her chest. Evil Madison Sinclair also made fun of her chest at the slumber party at Gia's house, and of course there was the classic "Flat? Just as God made me," from season one.

Veronica is so pretty and smart and generally self-assured, I think it's the only thing they can think of to have people make fun of her about. She's regularly getting insulted by people, so the writers have to come up with something more than "your car is crappy" and "you're poor." (But I agree that it's funny that the jokes are more frequent this year, even though her boobs appear bigger than last year.)

 

[Magnolia88]

I finally got to meet Kristen last weekend at the Veronica Mars screening in Austin, and she didn't disappoint. Smart, funny, incredibly kind and all-around great gal. And even more stunning in person than she is onscreen, if you can believe that. Yes, the girl is hot.

I got to talk to her for a few minutes about a few different topics and we were talking about some of her past work when Rob Thomas interrupted our conversation to say that you couldn't talk about Kristen's work without mentioning Pootie Tang. I get the impression he kids her a lot about that movie being on her resume (which she's apparently in for only a few seconds) and she's a good sport about it. She said, of course, no matter what I do, there will always be Pootie Tang.

 

[Magnolia88]

OK why in the world did I not know about this? She was in my freaking state? 3 hours away from me? Now I am just mad.

Sorry.

She was in Austin for the whole weekend doing all sorts of VM-related stuff. The VM screening was at the Alamo Drafthouse and it was held on two nights. See photos here.

If you're a VM fan, I wrote a recap in two parts, with links to more photos. (If you're not a VM fan it will be very boring and will probably make no sense.)

Rob Thomas did most of the talking at the screening and Q&A, but Kristen got pretty chatty at a couple of points. Then she talked to fans and signed autographs for what seemed like hours.

 

[Magnolia88]

You need to read mgnolia's stuff above, I think you will have a new hero. I do.

BTW - Magnolia where are you in those pics? You should have an avatar. Becuase one I don't know if you are male or female. If you are male we can lust after KB together. If you are female we can still lust it will just be ultra hot.

Heh. I don't post photos of myself on the internet. But I do have some fabulous photos of Kristen, some with myself. My friend I was with took lots of photos and you can see my hand. (In the closeup photo of Kristen, I am standing right there, next to the photographer. KB and I had quite a nice chat, and I was taking my time moving on to the boys.)

And I'm female and straight. And yes, I have a total girl crush on KB and I'm not afraid to admit it. She's adorable. But it's her performance as Veronica that I love most (although she's fantastic in everything she's ever done, something I took the opportunity to tell her in person, which led to the Pootie Tang comment).

 

[Magnolia88]

I never said anything about being under 24. I wish. No, I'm older than Kristen by a few years but not by so much that I can't imagine us as gal pals, hanging out and shopping and stuff.

She's really an amazing talent. I had a girl crush on Kate Winslet once, but I've never liked a TV actress this much. (Okay, I thought Jennifer Garner kicked ass the first season of Alias, but that ended when she dumped cutie-pie Scott Foley).

Kristen's intelligence is obvious in her performance but she was both smart and hilarious in person. It was especially funny when she called her boyfriend Kevin an a-hole very loudly in front of a crowd of 200 or so people. Heh.

 

[Magnolia88]

Thanks for the blog and link to photos magnolia. :up: :up: :up:

Did you get a chance to talk to Jason Dohring?

Yes, I did, and he was lovely.

But in all honesty, the people I most wanted to meet were Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell and they were both great. Very down-to-earth, funny, friendly, approachable and very appreciative of the fan support for VM.

Rob Thomas has known a lot of ups and downs in showbiz (check out his site for hilarous recaps of his failures), and it's obvious he is enjoying having a show that people watch and love, however few in number they may be.

 

[Magnolia88]

I found Jason to be really cool and very nice. Just kind of shocking because at that point all you saw was him being an a-hole. And I know it's acting but when it is the only impression you have of someone you tend to form an opinion.

Jason is so completely unlike Logan that it makes me appreciate his acting talent that much more. He's more reserved than Kristen, but also down-to-earth and obviously enjoys talking about acting and his work on VM. He talked a bit about developing the character of Logan and finding the right notes to play at the audition. But even though he's smart, he's also very much a Socal kid, and his speech patterns are similar to Logan's: lots of "dudes" and "rads." And words that can't be repeated here.

Kristen has more in common with Veronica than Jason does Logan, but she's much nicer and friendlier than V of course. She also comes across in person as being much older than Jason. She's very mature and poised beyond her years, and he seems like a young kid barely out of high school. I think it's the difference in their experience level: she studied theater at NYU and has been on Broadway with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, and for Jason, VM is the first big acting thing he's ever done.

I think he's a little in awe of her, honestly. He obviously has huge admiration for her and gushed about her quite a bit. (Then again, everyone gushes about her, because how can you not?)

 

[Magnolia88]

Veronica Mars sure is hot. She's also a liar, a thief, and a few other bad things. I couldn't date a woman like her for long. She opens her mouth and the truth doesn't always come out.

Veronica is a badass who doesn't always "play nice" but she's always serving a greater good, or at least thinks she is. Just like most of the great fictional anti-heroes. Heck, Jack Bauer tortures people and Jack Bristow shoots someone between the eyes and the audience cheers. But Veronica plants a bug to get information and it's all, "ooh, she's not very nice, is she?"

VM is a detective show. Weren't Magnum and Rockford always breaking into places and going undercover (i.e., lying) and doing other bad stuff? Isn't that what private eyes on TV always do? Dave and Maddie lied to people every week to get information.

But back to the topic at hand . . . Kristen looks stunning on her Maxim cover. That's quite a coup for her and I think it can only serve as great, um, exposure. If it sells some tickets to Pulse and maybe brings in a few new viewers to VM, then that's even better.

 

[Magnolia88]

Anyone know what the merging of WB and UPN will do to the respective programs on those channels.

There is a whole thread discussing this. It looks like VM will be paired with Gilmore Girls, probably on Tuesday nights, but no official announcement will be made until April or May.

While I have to admit I skipped pages 2 and 4, there is a comment on the first page bunching Buffy, Alias, and Gilmore Girls together. There aren't three shows with female leads that are more different IMO. Can anyone explain why this is an accurate comparison?

I started watching VM because I heard it described as a little bit of Buffy and Alias, since those are two of my favorite shows ever. I see Veronica as a smarter Buffy and a funnier Sydney. But unlike Syd and Buffy, VM has no ability to kick anyone's ass in a physical sense. She has only her brain as her secret weapon against bad guys. And her wit. And her detective gadgets.

Both Buffy and Alias have strong young female leads who don't take crap from anyone, so that is the obvious similarity. Also, both shows feature strong father-daughter relationships: Buffy and Giles (who served the father-mentor role) and Sydney and Jack, who are estranged at times but we know that Jack still always has her back.

The only similarity between Gilmore Girls and VM imho is the witty dialogue and pop culture references. I guess one could say the parent-child relationship is sort of a similarity. Unlike Jack and Giles, Keith Mars is also a pretty hip and funny dad, so he's a bit like Lorelai in that way. He gets plenty of good lines, while Giles and Jack aren't known for their senses of humor. Otoh, Keith can be pretty badass when the occasion calls for it, so he combines the best of all possible worlds. Imho, the Veronica-Keith relationship is one of the best aspects of VM and is the heart of the show.

 

[Magnolia88]

Damn, I hope they continue to broadcast the show twice a week then, my Tuesdays are full. The Wednesday/Sunday airings worked out perfect, why must they mess with my perfect TiVo schedule

I know Tuesdays suck because of House and TAR and all, but every time slot is going to have some big show that is a huge hit. Everybody complains about VM being up against Lost now on Wed nights and on Thursdays, there would be complaints about Smallville, Survivor, etc.

Back to "Veronica Mars is hot" . . . MSN has a new Kristen Bell photo gallery. The pictures aren't new, but the "In Focus" gallery is new, calling KB an "up and coming" actress.

I guess MSN is expecting Pulse to get a lot of press or something? I don't know that I'd call an actress starring as the lead title character of a one-hour network drama in its second season to be "up and coming." I'd say she's already there. Isn't that what actors dream of, to get the lead role in a network TV series or studio movie? I know VM flies below the radar, but still, she's the freaking lead.

 

[Magnolia88]

KB in Maxim.