Grey's Anatomy: Season 8 premiere starts off strong

Title screen || dvdbeaver.com

The renowned medical drama television series, "Grey's Anatomy," is back with a brand new season, after several months of waiting and anticipation. It is a drama set in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, in Seattle and has led fans through seven successful seasons--filled with shocking discoveries, suspense, relationship drama and of course the bloody surprises working in a hospital brings. Season 8 of "Grey's Anatomy" premiered on Thursday, September 22 at its usual time of 9 p.m. "Free Falling" and "She's Gone" were aired as a two-hour special.

The last episode of Season 7 left viewers with many loose ends. Meredith and Derek relationship appeared to be on thin ice when Derek discovers that Meredith tampered with his clinical trials and then outlandishly deems her to be an unfit mother (to six-month-old Zola whom they had temporary custody of and planned on officially adopting). Cristina and Owen were left to make a decision concerning their unborn child. While Cristina feels strongly about the fact that she does NOT want to be a mother, Owen continued to re-emphasize the idea of a family and overlooks his wife's strong feelings against motherhood.

Season 8 hits viewers with an intensity right before the title screen. Having the earth split open and suck all those in the midst of it, is only one of the few major disasters that have appeared on Grey's (Plane crash with just one survivor, in the previous season and the ferry crash, several seasons back). An unknown couple were swallowed up by this sinkhole after having an argument and one could not help but think if this was a subtle highlight of Meredith and Derek's shaky relationship (no pun intended).

Meanwhile, at Seattle Grace, April Kepner is the new Chief Resident and has not evolved from her meek persona and has a difficult time keeping things in order. Cristina and Owen are still not on good terms, but it is Meredith who informs Owen that Cristina has not gone through with the abortion yet because of him. She finally makes him realize that forcing Cristina to have this baby will "eat her alive," because she herself had a mother who did not want her and who too was a "Cristina."

Meredith loses her job, but regains her title as a doctor at Seattle Grace thanks to Chief Webber. He takes the fall for her and lies, stating that he was responsible for tampering with his wife's Clinical Trials. As he walks out of the hospital, he talks to his wife, Adele, on the phone about coming home for dinner--which illustrates a man making up for all those long hours in the hospital and giving a talented, young surgeon a second chance.

Meredith and Derek saying goodbye to baby Zola || CliqueClack.com

Meredith and Derek receive a visit from the social worker who begins to get suspicious after discovering Meredith was fired and the couple may be living in separate locations. This causes Zola, to be taken away temporarily by social services, until uncertainty is cleared up.

A very controversial scene was certainly when Cristina was laying down, Owen by her side, about to go through with the termination of her pregnancy. Owen held her hand and his face reeked of the pain of the possibility of "what could have been," but his love for his wife superseded all emotions he must have felt deep down.

After being the hated object since he opened his drunken mouth about Meredith's illegal act, last season, Alex hopes to make amends by walking in, after Derek walks away in silent frustration, at the conclusion of the episode. Perhaps the friendship isn't patched entirely, but he was there for her, and that was what truly mattered.

All in all, Season 8 started off powerfully. A lot occurred, but there is still more to be revealed!

The Lion King makes its way to theaters once again... with a 21st Century twist

The world has come a long way since cassette tapes, beepers, Walkmans, CD Players and VHS. We live in a fast-moving world, filled with smart phones, laptops, wi-fi connections, ipods, DVDs and, of course, 3D televisions and movies in theaters. So when fans discovered that their beloved 1994 Disney movie would be re-released, in 3D, for just two weeks, one could only imagine the excitement felt.

"The Lion King" is currently the 28th highest grossing film ever, grossing $783 million worldwide during its 1994 release. On Friday, September 16 and almost two decades later, children, teens and adult alike got in line to pay for movie they had already seen numerous time before. So why shell out the cash for a movie that you've already seen before? Why sit through an hour and a half movie when you are fully aware of Scar's evil ways? Why endure the off-key singing of "Hakuna Matata" by the other movie-goers? And finally, why get emotional when Simba discovers that his father, Mufasa, is dead (and by his own brother)? The only answer that one has for all these questions is: It brings back memories.

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So many people long to return to the care-free days of childhood and being able to watch "The Lion King" on the big screen may have been a chance for many to re-live their childhood days of no work, worries, or bills. Experiencing it in 3D may have been even better--for the youngsters, most likely. The three-dimensional images from beginning to end did not really grab you like the memories of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" did. 3D movies has become such a huge epidemic and quite frankly, it has lost its original hype. All those fancy effects weren't needed...yes, it made it all the more fun to watch, but for the teens and adults, it was simply a rare opportunity to sing aloud the same songs that contributed to the smile on their face and happiness in their heart as a child, in the theater.

All-in-all "The Lion King" in 3D is a must-see, whether you have it stored away on VHS, have seen it countless times already, or haven't seen it at all. It not only brings back recollections for those who were just a child at the time, but teens and adults can fully appreciate the positive message produced through this nostalgic, musical, fun-filled film on the big screen.