ATX Festival, Year Two

Hey y'all! This post is about Texas, so I'm allowed to say y'all here, for sure. I arrived home a few days ago last month (killing the blogging game, as per usual) from Austin, Texas, where I spent the weekend attending my second ATX Festival. It was glorious. I wasn't quite as pumped as last year going into it, because there weren't as many shows I watch coming this year, but I had a great time anyway. The highlights:

Creatives and cast from Sweet/Vicious. 

- Sweet Vicious screening: I had never heard of this show and then decided to watch it before attending the fest, and it is SO good. And the cast and creatives love it, and it’s so meaningful to them and so many viewers. MTV cancelled it, but they’re still shopping for a new home. I hope they find one, because this story is important and deserves to be told.

Kick-ass females of television: Mara Brock Akil, Liz Tigelaar, Kyra Sedgwick, Mary McDonnell, Taylor Dearden and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

- Complex, Not Complicated: A Look at a Woman’s Character panel: A chat with some badass females who are actresses/writers/creators/EPs about the importance of depicting women as multi-dimensional characters but going beyond the "harried woman who tries to have it all” trope.

The I'm Sorry panelists. And the free popcorn and cocktails the show sponsored. Alternate caption: "More people sitting in director's chairs!"

- I'm Sorry screening: Created by and starring Andrea Savage, the show is loosely based on her real life. They screened the pilot, and it was hilarious - bawdy, relatable, and the cast is filled with funny people you'll recognize. Also, Tom Everett Scott plays her husband, and I've had a crush on that adorable man since That Thing You Do! It's on TruTV and I honestly have no idea how to access that, but if I can figure it out, I'll definitely be watching.

There were a bunch more screenings and panels (I think I went to 17 over four days), but those were my absolute faves. I AirBnB'd it again this year, and my place was near-perfect. Great location, comfy bed, and a pool. 10/10, would stay again. The ROT Rally was in town, which means it was hella loud, but since I wasn't driving, it was only minimally annoying.

The only weird thing about my AirBnB: This creepy-ass sign.

The thing I really love about this festival, more than any celeb sightings or swag, is the people. I joked on Facebook while waiting for my flight that I was "going to be with my people," but it's true. I'm normally not one to talk to strangers, but making friends here couldn't be easier. Knowing that we share an obsession with television makes it real easy to strike up a conversation with just about anyone. And they're just as pumped about the topic as I am. I feel welcomed and accepted and not at all weird for showing up solo. I haven't signed up for next year's fest yet, but I'd say it's highly probable I will return.

Female-centered shows I love

It's pretty common knowledge that I'm more into TV than the average gal. But my obsession with a certain show has reached critical mass the past few weeks, and that show is Pretty Little Liars.

Y'all. What even? This show is on Freeform fka ABC Family, and (while the characters have now aged up) it's about high school girls. And I started watching it when I was 26! I am so not the target audience for this shiz. But I'm HOOKED. I tried to quit somewhere around season 2-3, but ended up binging to get caught up, and I've watched religiously ever since. And now it's the last season, and we're going to find out who Uber A/A.D. is (the girls have been tormented by this A villain for seven seasons; they've unmasked other As in the past, but this is the big kahuna).

It's also the first show I've been this into while acknowledging that it's a ridiculous show. I enjoy watching it, but I equally enjoy reading the recaps that crap on it, like this or this or this. Things are just silly at this point. Nothing is realistic. Ever. But I CAN'T QUIT WATCHING.

I even changed my flight so that I'd arrive in time to attend the ATX Festival panel with I. Marlene King (creator of the show). That's fairly cray. It's not as if she's gonna tell us who A.D. is. But still, it's the panel I'm most excited about at this year's fest.

In less embarrassing news, there are a few other shows I've been digging lately that are, like, actually good.

First up, Sweet/Vicious. This gem was cancelled by MTV after one season (because they needed more room in their schedule for reality garbage? IDK. MTV is not great at keeping decent shows around). We've got Bryan Cranston's daughter, Sam from You're the Worst, and a vigilante coming for rapists when the system fails to punish them. Yaas. I love that there's a show focused around this subject matter, and I love that the characters are developed and not completely predictable (e.g., the sorority girls aren't just bimbos). It's kind of like Dexter, except with better clothes and more laughs. And even though the story won't be continuing, the single season has a decent arc that won't leave you totally unsatisfied.

Another show I'm very into right now is The Handmaid's Tale. Based on a novel of the same name (that I haven't read, but now want to), it follows the lives of several handmaids, women forced into service as reproductive slaves. They're assigned to wealthy/powerful families so the husband can impregnate them and they can provide the family with a child. The whole premise is beyond fucked up, but I'm engrossed and terrified every time I watch it. Also, Elisabeth Moss is a damn dream as Offred, the central character. I never watched Mad Men, so I'm late to the party, but this woman can act. And the whole dystopian society/government overtaken by religious crazies is pretty timely, given all the crap going on in our world at the moment. We're not on this level, but christ knows what's going down in the future. And that makes this show scary AF.

My brain is mush and beyond ready for the long weekend, so I'm gonna end things here. What shows have y'all been into lately?