Real Talk: Girls Season 3 Premiere

Girls is back! It premiered last night with a two-parter that brought us all up to speed with what's been going on with the four girls we aren't always sure we actually like. Hannah and Adam are back together, Shoshanna is actually seen at school and with a book, Marni has been abandoned by Charlie and Jessa is in rehab. I don't love it, but I sure don't completely hate it.

Let's start with the belle of the ball, Hannah. She got herself on meds, she's seeing a therapist and she's managed to mend things up with her editor. She's literally at the best spot she's been in since the show began. But, we all know that this can't last. No one ruins Hannah's life like Hannah though I'm sure she would place some blame on Adam. And, speaking of Adam, how has this man managed to be the wisest (and most honest) person on the show? If we lived life according to the tone Hannah has set for Millennials, we're all supposed to be friends with people we aren't interested in and entering into relationships in which we change ourselves for the other person. Sounds like an earthly version of hell if you ask me (and if you ask Adam). I am once again on this man's team. Also, let's give it up for the audience getting 27 minutes of screen time before Hannah's breasts appeared. This might be a record.

HBO's "Girls" Season 3 Trialer

"I hold the keys to the prison that is called my mind." -Hannah

Oh yea, Girls is coming back on January 12 with two back to back episodes. We will once again be delving into the lives of Hannah, Marni, Jessa and Shoshanna and all of the people who for some strange reason continue to deal with them. Below is the trailer:

HBO's 'Girls' is Getting a Black Girl

After some pretty consistent criticism for lacking diversity and a very short-lived attempt to bring some in (thank you Donald Glover), Girls is getting a black girl. Actress Danielle Brooks, known for her role on Orange is the New Black, will be the first black female character on the show. The 23 year-old, who is fresh out of Juilliard, said that she was excited to the show's first black female character in addition to returning to Orange is the New Black. Maybe this is the answer that so many critics of the show's racial make up have been looking for. I, for one, am curious, but skeptical.

In an NPR interview earlier this year, Dunham clarified her reasons for the show's lack of diversity. She said,

"This show isn’t supposed to feel exclusionary. It’s supposed to feel honest, and it’s supposed to feel true to many aspects of my experience. But for me to ignore that criticism and not to take it in would really go against my beliefs and my education in so many things.

Something I wanted to avoid was tokenism in casting. If I had one of the four girls, if, for example, she was African-American, I feel like — not that the experience of an African-American girl and a white girl are drastically different, but there has to be specificity to that experience [that] I wasn’t able to speak to. I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me. And only later did I realize that it was four white girls."

If those were her reasons for not writing in black characters, then what is so different now? If a lack of experience as an African-American woman was the reason for not writing one into the show, I can't imagine that over the past couple of months Dunham managed to pack in 25 years worth of it.

Maybe there are some new writers and directors of color in the mix, which would be great news. However, please note that I'm not implying that people cannot create characters or write for ones that are not the same race, gender or class as them in any way shape or form. I think that it is very possible and can be (and has been) done quite well. I'm just highlighting the reasons that Dunham herself presented.

I am happy to hear about Brooks' role. I'm just skeptical and apprehensive about what it's going to look like. Heck, I'm wondering what Hannah is going to look like at this point. We will have to wait until next year to see, but for now let's hope for the best.

'Girls': We Asked For a Black Person and They Gave Us Donald Glover

HBO's 'Girls' is back and the second episode of season 2 premiered this past Sunday. Last season, one of the main criticisms of the show was its lack of diversity. How can these girls be living in Brooklyn and there not be some black people around? Where are their black friends? Well, I honestly didn't have the same issue. As per the story, Hannah and Marnie went to Oberlin College, a place where around 6% of the student population is Black. They weren't exactly swimming in diversity and just because you move to New York City it doesn't mean that all of a sudden people of every race and creed become your friends. If anything, I think that some people become even more insular as far as friends when they are in such overwhelming spaces. Therefore, I was not at all surprised or angry when Hannah, Marnie, Shoshana, and Jessa didn't have a black friend for us to tear to shreds due to lack of depth, stereotypical characterizations, etc. I appreciated the honesty.

But, Lena Dunham and her fellow producers heard the people armed with their equality pitchforks and gave the viewers a black person: Donald Glover. Now, I'm sure that some people would call this cheating. Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is an actor, rapper and self-proclaimed hipster. He's not BLACK black, he just happens to be Black. You know what? That kind of silly logic right there is what makes Dunham and company's choice brilliant. Why? Because that is the kind of black man that Hannah could potentially run into in Williamsburg. He is not a token black character. Bring on the black law school student wearing cut-offs who is in dire need of a shape-up, and make him a Republican to boot. It makes for the opportunity to have uncomfortable conversations that actually happen in real life, which 'Girls' is incredible at portraying.

Hannah and Sandy having a conversation about her writing and his Republican politics broke down into a conversation that included race. Hannah's ridiculous claims of never having seen Sandy as Black and his reactions resonated with me. What do you mean you didn't notice I was Black? The idea is ludicrous at best. Sandy's breakdown of his treatment by white women as well as Hannah's accusations about his dating history are real concerns and conversations that are, and unfortunately are not, being had by black and white people across the country. Sandy says that "they can't deal with who I am," after spouting off all of the expectations of white women he's encountered in New York City bringing up the issues of fetishization, stereotypes, and possibly hypersexualization. Hannah then literally tries to "flip it and reverse it" (thank you for your contribution Missy Elliot) on Sandy accusing him of potentially fetishizing her.

All in all, I really do appreciate Dunham's efforts to bring in characters that would come into contact with her original cast. I am interested to see whether or not Sandy sticks around and what introspections he might cause for Hannah and crew as well as the potential lessons his own character might learn. Adam and Hannah's interactions alone could facilitate an hour or more of conversation ("When you love someone you don't have to be nice all the time," is what Adam says in the first episode of season 1 and it is some twisted twenty-something logic that I can readily appreciate as a twenty-something). I look forward to what develops throughout the season and I hope that you are as well.

Sandy

Wow Hannah. I didn't know that. Thank you for enlightening me about how things are tougher for minorities. Thank you.

Hannah

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

Sandy

I am.

Golden Globe Awards 2013 Winners

Available on Imdb.com

Best Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Argo (2012)

Other Nominees:

Django Unchained (2012)

Life of Pi (2012)

Lincoln (2012)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Les Misérables (2012)

Other Nominees:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln (2012)

Other Nominees:

Richard Gere for Arbitrage (2012)

John Hawkes for The Sessions (2012)

Joaquin Phoenix for The Master (2012)

Denzel Washington for Flight (2012/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Other Nominees:

Marion Cotillard for Rust and Bone (2012)

Helen Mirren for Hitchcock (2012)

Naomi Watts for The Impossible (2012)

Rachel Weisz for The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables (2012)

Other Nominees:

Jack Black for Bernie (2011)

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Ewan McGregor for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Bill Murray for Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Other Nominees:

Emily Blunt for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Judi Dench for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Maggie Smith for Quartet (2012)

Meryl Streep for Hope Springs (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER

Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained (2012)

Other Nominees:

Alan Arkin for Argo (2012)

Leonardo DiCaprio for Django Unchained (2012)

Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master (2012)

Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln (2012)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER

Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2012)

Other Nominees:

Amy Adams for The Master (2012)

Sally Field for Lincoln (2012)

Helen Hunt for The Sessions (2012)

Nicole Kidman for The Paperboy (2012)

Best Director - Motion Picture

WINNER

Ben Affleck for Argo (2012)

Other Nominees:

Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Ang Lee for Life of Pi (2012)

Steven Spielberg for Lincoln (2012)

Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained (2012)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

WINNER

Django Unchained (2012): Quentin Tarantino

Other Nominees:

Argo (2012): Chris Terrio

Lincoln (2012): Tony Kushner

Silver Linings Playbook (2012): David O. Russell

Zero Dark Thirty (2012): Mark Boal

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

WINNER

Skyfall (2012): Adele, Paul Epworth("Skyfall")

Other Nominees:

Act of Valor (2012): Monty Powell, Keith Urban("For You")

The Hunger Games (2012): Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T-Bone Burnett("Safe and Sound")

Les Misérables (2012): Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer("Suddenly")

Stand Up Guys (2012): Jon Bon Jovi("Not Running Anymore")

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

WINNER

Life of Pi (2012): Mychael Danna

Other Nominees:

Anna Karenina (2012/I): Dario Marianelli

Argo (2012): Alexandre Desplat

Cloud Atlas (2012): Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer

Lincoln (2012): John Williams

Best Animated Film

WINNER

Brave (2012)

Other Nominees:

Frankenweenie (2012)

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Best Foreign Language Film

WINNER

Amour (2012)

Other Nominees:

The Intouchables (2011)

Kon-Tiki (2012)

A Royal Affair (2012)

Rust and Bone (2012)

Best Television Series - Drama

WINNER

"Homeland" (2011)

Other Nominees:

"Boardwalk Empire" (2010)

"Breaking Bad" (2008)

"Downton Abbey" (2010)

"The Newsroom" (2012)

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

"Girls" (2012)

Other Nominees:

"The Big Bang Theory" (2007)

"Episodes" (2011)

"Modern Family" (2009)

"Smash" (2012)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Game Change (2012) (TV)

Other Nominees:

The Girl (2012) (TV)

"Hatfields & McCoys" (2012)

"The Hour" (2011)

"Political Animals" (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

WINNER

Damian Lewis for "Homeland" (2011)

Other Nominees:

Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" (2010)

Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008)

Jeff Daniels for "The Newsroom" (2012)

Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama

WINNER

Claire Danes for "Homeland" (2011)

Other Nominees:

Connie Britton for "Nashville" (2012)

Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)

Michelle Dockery for "Downton Abbey" (2010)

Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Don Cheadle for "House of Lies" (2012)

Other Nominees:

Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Louis C.K. for "Louie" (2010)

Matt LeBlanc for "Episodes" (2011)

Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

WINNER

Lena Dunham for "Girls" (2012)

Other Nominees:

Zooey Deschanel for "New Girl" (2011)

Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Veep" (2012)

Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation" (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Kevin Costner for "Hatfields & McCoys" (2012)

Other Nominees:

Benedict Cumberbatch for "Sherlock" (2010)

Woody Harrelson for Game Change (2012) (TV)

Toby Jones for The Girl (2012) (TV)

Clive Owen for Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012) (TV)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Julianne Moore for Game Change (2012) (TV)

Other Nominees:

Nicole Kidman for Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012) (TV)

Jessica Lange for "American Horror Story: Asylum" (2011)

Sienna Miller for The Girl (2012) (TV)

Sigourney Weaver for "Political Animals" (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Ed Harris for Game Change (2012) (TV)

Other Nominees:

Max Greenfield for "New Girl" (2011)

Danny Huston for "Magic City" (2012)

Mandy Patinkin for "Homeland" (2011)

Eric Stonestreet for "Modern Family" (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

WINNER

Maggie Smith for "Downton Abbey" (2010)

Other Nominees:

Hayden Panettiere for "Nashville" (2012)

Archie Panjabi for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Sarah Paulson for Game Change (2012) (TV)

Sofía Vergara for "Modern Family" (2009)