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The Aspiring Critic
Incisive critiques and the occasional pun
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Welcome to The Aspiring Critic
Welcome to The Aspiring Critic
A Brand New Web Site on Pop Culture and Where I Stand
Caren Berg
Dec 10, 2017
The Good and the Bad About Music (7)
The Good and the Bad About Music (7)
Hi readers! I’m back. It’s been a while since I last posted a blog, but I’ve returned to the swing of things.
Caren Berg
Nov 8, 2023
The frequency of straight women turning gay on television (6)
The frequency of straight women turning gay on television (6)
What do Lauren Bloom from New Amsterdam, Teddy Altman from Grey’s Anatomy, Bradley Jackson from The Morning Show, Mabel Mora from Murders…
Caren Berg
May 5, 2023
Never too late to watch Serena (11)
Never too late to watch Serena (11)
Now that it’s been a few months since Serena Williams competed in her last U.S. Open, those of us who are huge fans must accustom ourselves…
Caren Berg
Dec 2, 2022
The Crabby Old Ladies of Television — We Love Them (6)
Back in 1962 — yep, 60 years ago — CBS debuted The Beverly Hillbillies. The fish-out-of-water Clampett family ran for nine years, and…
Caren Berg
Sep 2, 2022
The Crabby Old Ladies of Television — We Love Them (6)
Back in 1962 — yep, 60 years ago — CBS debuted The Beverly Hillbillies. The fish-out-of-water Clampett family ran for nine years, and…
Caren Berg
Sep 2, 2022
Leave well enough alone (6)
Leave well enough alone (6)
A few years back, HBO released a limited series called Big Little Lies. Based on a Liane Moriarty book, the program had 7 episodes, and…
Caren Berg
Jun 26, 2022
Congratulations CODA — Conquering competitors creepiness (9)
Congratulations CODA — Conquering competitors creepiness (9)
Of course, The Aspiring Critic loves alliteration — thus the title of today’s column. More importantly, I like a good movie — and I like…
Caren Berg
Apr 4, 2022
Oops!
Correction to my most recent blog — it is Barenaked Ladies not Nine Inch Nails that sing the theme song to Big Bang Theory. I knew that…
Caren Berg
Feb 11, 2022
Whatever happened to predictability? (10)
Whatever happened to predictability? (10)
Remember the opening line to the Full House theme? It asks, “Whatever happened to predictability?” It’s a good question! We could…
Caren Berg
Feb 1, 2022
It’s that time of the year again (10)
It’s that time of the year again (10)
As Christmas fast approaches, The Aspiring Critic is ready and eager to watch Elf, Die Hard and Love, Actually, an annual tradition begun…
Caren Berg
Dec 20, 2021
It’s essentially a love story (9)
It’s essentially a love story (9)
There are a lot of TV genres that cover a wide range of options for viewers. We’ve discussed the wide assortment in unscripted television…
Caren Berg
Oct 14, 2021
A few more pet peeves (7)
A few more pet peeves (7)
For someone who loves pop culture, I definitely have a lengthy list of pet peeves. Maybe it is because I love pop culture that I examine it…
Caren Berg
Aug 26, 2021
Don’t Judge Me! (7)
Don’t Judge Me! (7)
Who knew there were so many judge shows on television? The Aspiring Critic was recently scrolling through the channels and time and again I…
Caren Berg
Jul 15, 2021
Seriously? The Aspiring Critic questions some of the oddities that get repeated in pop culture
Seriously? The Aspiring Critic questions some of the oddities that get repeated in pop culture
· Do that many homes have a loose floorboard with a secret stash? Time and time again, we see someone hiding a box with documents, money…
Caren Berg
May 27, 2021
It’s Oscar Night — But it just won’t be the same (7)
It’s Oscar Night — But it just won’t be the same (7)
In years past, The Aspiring Critic would be excited about Oscar Night. Having seen 90 to 100% of the nominated movies and performances, it…
Caren Berg
Apr 25, 2021
Any word game lovers among The Aspiring Critic readers? Here’s one today (6)
Any word game lovers among The Aspiring Critic readers? Here’s one today (6)
Now that the 2021 Oscar nominations have been announced, The Aspiring Critic has looked at past Academy Award winners and realized that…
Caren Berg
Mar 25, 2021
Here they come again! Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda will be back (7)
Here they come again! Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda will be back (7)
You’ve probably already heard the news — Sex and The City is getting officially rebooted and coming to HBO Max for a ten episode run. For…
Caren Berg
Feb 8, 2021
Pop Culture and other countries got there already! (8)
Pop Culture and other countries got there already! (8)
It was a thrill to see Kamala Harris be sworn in as Vice-President. It may be a week ago, but the thrill isn’t gone. And, as we have been…
Caren Berg
Jan 27, 2021
Charisma — you know it when you see it (9)
Charisma — you know it when you see it (9)
When some actresses come on screen, you know they have a certain quality that cannot necessarily be explained. It is not just beauty —…
Caren Berg
Jan 13, 2021
It’s a Happy New Year for Ted Danson fans (7)
It’s a Happy New Year for Ted Danson fans (7)
As 2020 winds down, and this horrible year can’t end soon enough, there’s some things to look forward to in terms of pop culture. One of…
Caren Berg
Dec 29, 2020
The Aspiring Critic answers questions about Christmas movies (8)
The Aspiring Critic answers questions about Christmas movies (8)
With Christmas just days away, and no place to safely go during a pandemic, many people will be turning to their televisions, as they have…
Caren Berg
Dec 23, 2020
Why hosting is so important (9)
Why hosting is so important (9)
Two long-running game/reality shows had news about their hosts. The first was Dancing with the Stars, which, after 28 seasons announced…
Caren Berg
Dec 14, 2020
The Main Character is Gone? How does that happen? (6)
The Main Character is Gone? How does that happen? (6)
When Anna Faris departed from the long-running series Mom just a few weeks ago, producers handled it gracefully — she’s off to further…
Caren Berg
Nov 30, 2020
Can you taste it? (9)
Can you taste it? (9)
After watching Emily in Paris and reading Tembi Locke’s memoir, From Scratch, I realized I like the ‘chef’ genre in my pop culture…
Caren Berg
Nov 18, 2020
Too nervous to watch the election returns? Who isn’t? (10)
Too nervous to watch the election returns? Who isn’t? (10)
If you are like most of the country, you are in a panic about the results of tomorrow’s election. Whatever polls and prognostications say…
Caren Berg
Nov 2, 2020
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