hi, my name is kara and i'm a pathological skeptic and a certified "cling-on". i don't know the meaning of that word, but here's the meaning of "cling":
intr.v., clung (klŭng), cling·ing, clings.
1. To hold fast or adhere to something, as by grasping, sticking, embracing, or entwining: clung to the rope to keep from falling; fabrics that cling to the body.
2. To remain close; resist separation: We clung together in the storm.
3. To remain emotionally attached; hold on: clinging to outdated customs.
i'm more of the last. i cling. i hold on to the past. i'm very much emotionally attached to memories, memorable moments, unforgettable events, etc. i don't know why that is, really. i'm naturally-born that way. it's the sentimental side of my personality, i guess. evidence of fact: i'm one of those people who keeps the ticket stubs of movies or concerts i've been to - something to remind me of the awesome time i just had with friends :)
second - i love taking pictures of anything and anyone at a given point in time (i don't care if it's at the office, the car, inside a cab, in the bathroom LOL). i'm a frustrated photographer - always loved the idea of learning photography, never really got around to doing it. anybody rich and generous enough to sponsor me? LOL
i love rewatching movies and tv shows, especially if they have memorable quotes or musical moments. example you ask? just recently, i've been obsessed with rewatching the last few episodes of one tree hill. the biggest reason is because this was the final season that chad michael murray and hilarie burton are appearing as luke and peyton... there's this scene in episode 21 (i think, not sure about the number) wherein they play the song "pictures of you" by the cure and lucas ad peyton kiss. it's a memorable scene and a really sweet moment between the two of them :) i just love replaying "happy" moments... extremely sad moments too, actually. like in supernatural, when dean and sam's dad john died. :( that episode, "in my time of dying", was so heartwrenching - i bawled and bawled.
i still keep pictures of me and my close friends in my phone - sometimes uploading them on the net. and these are like grade school and high school pics, ok? haha! sorry, my friends. love you! :D
lately, i've been asking friends and acquaintances to meet up and just hang out... i guess besides a big "clinger", i also am a big "MISSER"... i miss people a lot.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
lists
thought i'd share this and see if the list changes next year, or maybe in a month or two...
here are the top five albums i'd bring with me to a deserted island:
1. one tree hill - friends with benefits
2. blue crush soundtrack
3. almost famous soundtrack
4. nirvana - the one with the baby swimming on the cover
5. the fray - their first and second albums :)
my top five movies:
1. virgin suicides
2. almost famous
3. ten inch hero
4. william shakespeare's romeo and juliet
5. waking life
here are the top five albums i'd bring with me to a deserted island:
1. one tree hill - friends with benefits
2. blue crush soundtrack
3. almost famous soundtrack
4. nirvana - the one with the baby swimming on the cover
5. the fray - their first and second albums :)
my top five movies:
1. virgin suicides
2. almost famous
3. ten inch hero
4. william shakespeare's romeo and juliet
5. waking life
dead celebs
an idea came to me one day, just completely out of boredom: what if michael jackson were alive today and had a twitter/facebook account? what do you think he'd be putting on those sites? :)
also, who's the actor/actress, musician, famous person you'd like to read about using their own facebook/twitter accounts? the keyword here is DECEASED. i would love to hear your thoughts on this - i think it's an interesting topic :)
also, who's the actor/actress, musician, famous person you'd like to read about using their own facebook/twitter accounts? the keyword here is DECEASED. i would love to hear your thoughts on this - i think it's an interesting topic :)
friday night lights
i didn't really see the movie because i hate billy bob thornton... anyway, i started to watch the show because there wasn't any one tree hill on etc... i guess it was the replacement show or something, until after OTH came back... anyway, i thought i wouldn't like it, but then i saw it was about football. and one thing not a lot of people know about me is that I LOVE FOOTBALL MOVIES! i've seen a few that i've really loved. and then i saw that the show had jyle chandler in it, whom i had a crush on when he was still in this show called "Homefront". so i remembered him and i thought, "what is this new show of his?" so i started to watch just out of curiosity and boredom really, but then i started to really watch every episode. i started to "care about the characters" and their stories, etc. i love that the parents are actually real parents and that they're just so cute together, they're the ideal married couple. i love connie britton now, she's the best! the hot guys aren't so bad either ;) and like OTH, this show was on the brink of cancellation, but then people spoke up and urged bigwigs at NBC (same channel in the U.S. that shows HEROES) to give the show another chance. and if you haven't seen this yet, you should, too. you never know what you're missing...
inception
i am so intrigued by this movie! i got the 2 trailers below and the website: www.inceptionmovie.com
best auction ever!
jared is so SWEET!!! i love that he still thinks of his mom and helped her out. whattaboy! :) jensen was AWESOME here!
new year, new blog template
i figured that everything has to be new... i haven't had the chance to go shopping yet, but i want to try changing something up, starting with this blog.
as you can imagine, i went through several versions. this site that i visited: http://btemplates.com/ - which i ended up downloading from, is pretty cool. i really loved that the templates are diverse and they have a huge selection.
anyhoo, i didn't realize that it would take me an hour or so to do this. talk about shopping!
well, here's to the new year and to more blogtastic comments on this space! cheers!
as you can imagine, i went through several versions. this site that i visited: http://btemplates.com/ - which i ended up downloading from, is pretty cool. i really loved that the templates are diverse and they have a huge selection.
anyhoo, i didn't realize that it would take me an hour or so to do this. talk about shopping!
well, here's to the new year and to more blogtastic comments on this space! cheers!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
sundance with joseph gordon-levitt
i love this site so much, i'm reposting all their vids! regular joe, if you see this, please don't be mad. i'm only trying to help spread the word about your site :)
because i love joe and zooey
i stumbled upon this vid while going through related ones for 500 days of summer... i LOVED this instantly. the song is by a band called she and him, lead singer: zooey deschanel :) watch and let me know what you think.
thank you, God!
thank You, God for yesterday. You gave me the strength to finish the interview and it paid off! i even made a new friend :)
thank You always for the trials i've had to go through last year - i learned something, believe me.
thank You for keeping me safe and for giving me my parents. they're not the perfect parents, but they're the best ones for me. they've done good.
thank You for my friends, they have stood by me all these years. thank You that i got to know who the REAL ones are and who the pretentious ones are. i ask that You help me develop/hone my "bs detector" this year and in the years to come to help me filter through all the lies and backstabbing of other people.
thank You for my enemies - i know now that they're there to keep me on my toes. help me not to be too suspicious of others, i don't want to be a paranoid schizo :)
thank You for my mentors, i've learned SO MUCH from them. they have been patient and kind and extremely helpful with shaping my character. i hope to meet new ones this year.
thank You for my dogs - they are here to keep me company and make me happy and help me forget (even temporarily) the problems that bug me all day. please don't let them fight anymore, though. i hate it when that happens :(
thank You for our maids. it's very easy to take them for granted, especially when they've been doing a good job. please make life easier for them this year.
thank You for my new beginning. i wish to have a better life starting this year and i hope it doesn't come at somebody else's expense. i wish to be my old self - the laughing, caring, sweet and tough cookie that i was that others have taken away so successfully and easily last year. please help me be a better person and human being this year. i leave it all up to You because You are my savior and grace, my Healer.
thank You always for the trials i've had to go through last year - i learned something, believe me.
thank You for keeping me safe and for giving me my parents. they're not the perfect parents, but they're the best ones for me. they've done good.
thank You for my friends, they have stood by me all these years. thank You that i got to know who the REAL ones are and who the pretentious ones are. i ask that You help me develop/hone my "bs detector" this year and in the years to come to help me filter through all the lies and backstabbing of other people.
thank You for my enemies - i know now that they're there to keep me on my toes. help me not to be too suspicious of others, i don't want to be a paranoid schizo :)
thank You for my mentors, i've learned SO MUCH from them. they have been patient and kind and extremely helpful with shaping my character. i hope to meet new ones this year.
thank You for my dogs - they are here to keep me company and make me happy and help me forget (even temporarily) the problems that bug me all day. please don't let them fight anymore, though. i hate it when that happens :(
thank You for our maids. it's very easy to take them for granted, especially when they've been doing a good job. please make life easier for them this year.
thank You for my new beginning. i wish to have a better life starting this year and i hope it doesn't come at somebody else's expense. i wish to be my old self - the laughing, caring, sweet and tough cookie that i was that others have taken away so successfully and easily last year. please help me be a better person and human being this year. i leave it all up to You because You are my savior and grace, my Healer.
what's in store for me this 2010
Your sign is Dog.
It doesn't get much better than this. The Year of the Tiger may as well be The Year of the Dog, as you're not likely to have a more fortunate one, even when your own sign is ruling. In fact, it is the Dog who can expect the most from 2010. Perhaps you are a typical, cautious, unassuming, nostalgic Dog sign person. Forget all that! This is a year to make your mark on the world. The biggest mistake you can make is to sit on the sidelines. There will be plenty of action, and you need to be right in the middle of it. Ride the Tiger to fame and glory. Do the most outrageous thing you have contemplated but could not bring yourself to initiate. There is not a better time in sight, especially if you require a little luck to succeed. Now is also when you want to plan that momentous occasion ushering in the next phase of your life.
from proastro.com
It doesn't get much better than this. The Year of the Tiger may as well be The Year of the Dog, as you're not likely to have a more fortunate one, even when your own sign is ruling. In fact, it is the Dog who can expect the most from 2010. Perhaps you are a typical, cautious, unassuming, nostalgic Dog sign person. Forget all that! This is a year to make your mark on the world. The biggest mistake you can make is to sit on the sidelines. There will be plenty of action, and you need to be right in the middle of it. Ride the Tiger to fame and glory. Do the most outrageous thing you have contemplated but could not bring yourself to initiate. There is not a better time in sight, especially if you require a little luck to succeed. Now is also when you want to plan that momentous occasion ushering in the next phase of your life.
from proastro.com
Saturday, January 2, 2010
mona lisa smile
i'm not a huge fan of julia roberts' work, in fact i hate the actress, but i decided to watch mona lisa smile in support of kirsten dunst.
i was surprised with the pacing of the movie, considering it was a period piece - it was set in the 50's. the whole premise of the story is challenging conformity and not doing what society has expected you to do.
kirsten's betty warren narrates the movie and introduces julia's katherine watson as a california teacher who comes to wellesley college on a lark. we are introduced to the other actresses in the movie in one clean swoop: the first day of school. Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), Gisele Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Connie Baker (Ginnifer Goodwin) all turn out exceptional performances, but, and i'm not being biased here, Kirsten Dunst's performance stands out.
i loved how the other girls had their stories and yet they all seemed to revolve around betty. joan and betty were close and so they thought that they would be spending the latter years of their loves together, happy and in love with their husbands while punching out children left and right and living happily ever after. betty is the first to marry and convinces joan to follow suit despite urgings from ms. watson to be a lawyer and go to yale. joan would eventually elope with her boyfriend.
connie baker meets charlie stewart, betty's cousin. she falls in love with him, unbeknownst to her of a prior engagement that the boy was caught in - this according to betty. this news destroys connie's dreams of falling in love and being happy. she says so to betty: "why can't you let me be happy, betty??"
the second-best performance came from maggie gyllenhaal. it's always so much fun portraying a promiscuous, fearless, foul-mouthed college girl, no matter the era. gyllenhaal gave her giselle a sincerity and ironically enough, innocence. her character will be betty's undoing. betty unravels completely after a shocking admission, preceeded by a really heartbreaking name calling scene.
in the end, ms. watson's words were MY undoing:
Betty:
i loved that this was my first movie for 2010 and that it has spoken volumes to me. i hope that whoever watches this, whether it be a girl, boy, man, woman, child, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, orange or green, that they take away the same aspirations and dreams that this movie gives.
i was surprised with the pacing of the movie, considering it was a period piece - it was set in the 50's. the whole premise of the story is challenging conformity and not doing what society has expected you to do.
kirsten's betty warren narrates the movie and introduces julia's katherine watson as a california teacher who comes to wellesley college on a lark. we are introduced to the other actresses in the movie in one clean swoop: the first day of school. Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), Gisele Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Connie Baker (Ginnifer Goodwin) all turn out exceptional performances, but, and i'm not being biased here, Kirsten Dunst's performance stands out.
i loved how the other girls had their stories and yet they all seemed to revolve around betty. joan and betty were close and so they thought that they would be spending the latter years of their loves together, happy and in love with their husbands while punching out children left and right and living happily ever after. betty is the first to marry and convinces joan to follow suit despite urgings from ms. watson to be a lawyer and go to yale. joan would eventually elope with her boyfriend.
connie baker meets charlie stewart, betty's cousin. she falls in love with him, unbeknownst to her of a prior engagement that the boy was caught in - this according to betty. this news destroys connie's dreams of falling in love and being happy. she says so to betty: "why can't you let me be happy, betty??"
the second-best performance came from maggie gyllenhaal. it's always so much fun portraying a promiscuous, fearless, foul-mouthed college girl, no matter the era. gyllenhaal gave her giselle a sincerity and ironically enough, innocence. her character will be betty's undoing. betty unravels completely after a shocking admission, preceeded by a really heartbreaking name calling scene.
in the end, ms. watson's words were MY undoing:
Dear Betty, I came to Wellesley because I wanted to make a difference. But to change for others is to lie to yourself.
Betty:
My teacher, Katherine Watson, lived by her own definition and would not compromise that, not even for Wellesley. I dedicate this, my last editorial, to an extraordinary woman, who lived by example and compelled us all to see the world through new eyes. By the time you read this, she'll be sailing to Europe, where I know she'll find new walls to break down, and new ideas to replace them with.
i loved that this was my first movie for 2010 and that it has spoken volumes to me. i hope that whoever watches this, whether it be a girl, boy, man, woman, child, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, orange or green, that they take away the same aspirations and dreams that this movie gives.
the lookout
i've started to look for joseph gordon-levitt movies and stumbled upon the lookout. based on JGL's penchant for heavy drama and unique films, i had a feeling this was going to be one of them. i was right :)
it starts off with levitt and laura vandervoort's character kelly in a car with 2 other friends. they were dressed to the nines, so i'm assuming they just left a party. anyway, levitt's character chris pratt then turns off the cars headlights because he wants to show kelly the fireflies - they're beautiful and distracts them from the road. because chris was speeding and the car then veers slightly, the 2 friends quickly ask chris to turn on the headlights. he does and the last image is of them crashing into a huge wall/truck left in the middle of the road. horrific.
i'm not going to tell you the rest of the story. please watch the movie, it's a great one. i was entertained through and through.
standout performance again from levitt, but that was what i expected. his character eventually suffers a head injury/trauma and that causes him to have slight brain damage. he can still walk, talk, drive even, he just forgets things. there was an exercise he was trying to accomplish in the movie which i found interesting: he was attending class and the teacher asked them to list down their activities for the day in chronological order. he keeps writing "i wake up" after going through 2-3 other routines.
though the shady characters were a bit too shady for me, they still worked. i kept trying to place where i'd seen matthew goode, and then i remembered a little mandy moore flick about the first daughter and her bodyguard. it wasn't that good, but it was quite enjoyable - mainly because of jeremy piven.
anyway, going back to the lookout... i would recommend this to people who liked eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and fargo. it's not for everyone, i got scared in a few scenes, but the ending saved it :)
another JGL masterpiece. awesome goodness!
it starts off with levitt and laura vandervoort's character kelly in a car with 2 other friends. they were dressed to the nines, so i'm assuming they just left a party. anyway, levitt's character chris pratt then turns off the cars headlights because he wants to show kelly the fireflies - they're beautiful and distracts them from the road. because chris was speeding and the car then veers slightly, the 2 friends quickly ask chris to turn on the headlights. he does and the last image is of them crashing into a huge wall/truck left in the middle of the road. horrific.
i'm not going to tell you the rest of the story. please watch the movie, it's a great one. i was entertained through and through.
standout performance again from levitt, but that was what i expected. his character eventually suffers a head injury/trauma and that causes him to have slight brain damage. he can still walk, talk, drive even, he just forgets things. there was an exercise he was trying to accomplish in the movie which i found interesting: he was attending class and the teacher asked them to list down their activities for the day in chronological order. he keeps writing "i wake up" after going through 2-3 other routines.
though the shady characters were a bit too shady for me, they still worked. i kept trying to place where i'd seen matthew goode, and then i remembered a little mandy moore flick about the first daughter and her bodyguard. it wasn't that good, but it was quite enjoyable - mainly because of jeremy piven.
anyway, going back to the lookout... i would recommend this to people who liked eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and fargo. it's not for everyone, i got scared in a few scenes, but the ending saved it :)
another JGL masterpiece. awesome goodness!
27 random things about me
i figured i'd do this at the beginning of the year and see if i can add more or if this list will change. 27 because that's my age right now. i'll be 28 in april.
1. i hate firecrackers. never liked the loud noise they produce that sounds like you're being shot at.
2. i loved 500 days of summer... and when i get the dvd, i'll watch it 500 times! umm, probably not.
3. i was the spelling bee champion 4 years in a row in high school.
4. i love "cute" things: teddybears, rainbows, butterflies, lollipops, candycanes, the color pink, stars/shooting stars, angels/cherubs, puppies :)
5. psychological thrillers are my thing. movies that have serial killer themes or ghost stories in them are a fave. totally rode the da vinci code bandwagon!
6. i collect quotes from movies and tv shows that i love.
7. dvd collecting is a hobby - and none of those pirated dvds either. i really invest!
8. when it comes to work, i'm totally obsessive-compulsive! i'm a perfectionist, i want to be the best :)
9. i was a ballet dancer for 3 years in grade school then became an actress the last 2 years.
10. if you ask me anything about movies, actors, singers, etc., there's a 98% chance i can answer you correctly ;)
11. i have a tendency to be a little eccentric sometimes.
12. i have high standards when it comes to choosing a boyfriend but it doesn't take a lot to please me :)
13. i hate the number 13.
14. when i was around 9 or 10, i would exercise until i got dizzy and didn't really eat that much.
15. i have a picture of the twin towers before 9/11/01. it was shot so that it looked like i was looking down from the very top of one of the buildings, but i was just at the ground floor and my uncle just laid on one of the benches and aimed the camera upwards.
16. lucky me, i got to watch the broadway production of miss saigon :) sadly, it wasn't lea.
17. i cannot stand walking behind people who walk slowly.
18. i abhore cheaters - of every level.
19. i'm afraid of heights but i love sitting on the window seat of an airplane and looking down at the skyline and clouds.
20. i keep a "thank you" journal.
21. i love matching pjs. i frequent a lingerie shop in galleria just to buy a pair.
22. i dream of making it big in hollywood, but live vicariously through different people.
23. i suck at math.
24. i'm (trying not to be anymore) an impulsive buyer. ugh!
25. i don't know how to drive.
26. i love pesto and hummus.
27. i have a hard time letting go.
1. i hate firecrackers. never liked the loud noise they produce that sounds like you're being shot at.
2. i loved 500 days of summer... and when i get the dvd, i'll watch it 500 times! umm, probably not.
3. i was the spelling bee champion 4 years in a row in high school.
4. i love "cute" things: teddybears, rainbows, butterflies, lollipops, candycanes, the color pink, stars/shooting stars, angels/cherubs, puppies :)
5. psychological thrillers are my thing. movies that have serial killer themes or ghost stories in them are a fave. totally rode the da vinci code bandwagon!
6. i collect quotes from movies and tv shows that i love.
7. dvd collecting is a hobby - and none of those pirated dvds either. i really invest!
8. when it comes to work, i'm totally obsessive-compulsive! i'm a perfectionist, i want to be the best :)
9. i was a ballet dancer for 3 years in grade school then became an actress the last 2 years.
10. if you ask me anything about movies, actors, singers, etc., there's a 98% chance i can answer you correctly ;)
11. i have a tendency to be a little eccentric sometimes.
12. i have high standards when it comes to choosing a boyfriend but it doesn't take a lot to please me :)
13. i hate the number 13.
14. when i was around 9 or 10, i would exercise until i got dizzy and didn't really eat that much.
15. i have a picture of the twin towers before 9/11/01. it was shot so that it looked like i was looking down from the very top of one of the buildings, but i was just at the ground floor and my uncle just laid on one of the benches and aimed the camera upwards.
16. lucky me, i got to watch the broadway production of miss saigon :) sadly, it wasn't lea.
17. i cannot stand walking behind people who walk slowly.
18. i abhore cheaters - of every level.
19. i'm afraid of heights but i love sitting on the window seat of an airplane and looking down at the skyline and clouds.
20. i keep a "thank you" journal.
21. i love matching pjs. i frequent a lingerie shop in galleria just to buy a pair.
22. i dream of making it big in hollywood, but live vicariously through different people.
23. i suck at math.
24. i'm (trying not to be anymore) an impulsive buyer. ugh!
25. i don't know how to drive.
26. i love pesto and hummus.
27. i have a hard time letting go.
from madonna to michael
>> i meant to post this during the actual vmas, but alas i didn't have access to a computer then. so here it is: madonna's touching, yet narcissistic tribute to MJ <<
Michael Jackson. [Cheers] I have a little bit more to say than that. OK, here we go again. Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world’s most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it.
I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world?
There is no question that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be. Because that is what heroes do and Michael Jackson was a hero.
He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being.
Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can’t say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said “My treat, I’ll drive — just you and me.”
He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses.
I said, “Michael, I feel like I’m talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?”
Then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, “Can you see me now? Is that better?”
in that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine.
It felt like he was looking for more of a friend than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn’t feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.
We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.
But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.
When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, “I had abandoned him.” That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him. In a desperate attempt to hold onto his memory, I went on the internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, “my God, he was so unique, so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king.”
But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There’s a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.
Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king.
Michael Jackson. [Cheers] I have a little bit more to say than that. OK, here we go again. Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world’s most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it.
I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world?
There is no question that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be. Because that is what heroes do and Michael Jackson was a hero.
He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being.
Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can’t say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said “My treat, I’ll drive — just you and me.”
He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses.
I said, “Michael, I feel like I’m talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?”
Then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, “Can you see me now? Is that better?”
in that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine.
It felt like he was looking for more of a friend than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn’t feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.
We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.
But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.
When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, “I had abandoned him.” That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him. In a desperate attempt to hold onto his memory, I went on the internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, “my God, he was so unique, so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king.”
But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There’s a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.
Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king.
people always leave - written last May 16, '09 7:45 PM
so i just found out that chad michael murray and hilarie burton are leaving one tree hill for good. to those reading this who aren't fans of the show, you won't understand it when i say how deeply sad i am about this latest development. i'm not a huge fan of chad or hilarie, i mean, i love them but i love them for making me fall in love with their characters more. that's the greatest thing an actor can do - make someone care for the character they're portraying.
chad's character, lucas eugene scott (luke to his closest friends) and hilarie's character, peyton elizabeth sawyer have both been very, very instrumental in my life. the first time i watched oth, i remember being excited because i had such a crush on chad and the plot of the show was fairly interesting, plus it was a wb show, so it should be good. wb was touting it as "the new dawson's creek". boy, were they wrong.
apart from the show being a "teen drama" and is shot in wilmington, n.c. (same place where d.c. was shot), that's where the similarities end, really.
the initial storyline of the show was about two brothers who had the same father but ended up on different sides of the train tracks, as they say. luke grew up being a really good basketball player (at the rivercourt) with a single mom who had to fend for her and her son when the father of her baby left her for college basketball. nathan scott (the younger brother) had it good - well, on the outside. he was the star basketball player at tree hill high (ravens), had a rich dad and mom and a steady cheerleader girlfriend - peyton sawyer... uh huh. see where this is going? ;)
so lucas gets a chance to play with the ravens and does pretty good. the story then shifts to him and his unrequited love for ms. sawyer. from the very beginning of the show, mark schwahn (the creator) has always established the connection between lucas and peyton and how they're perfect for each other: tortured athlete meets tortured artist.
p. sawyer (as her best friend brooke davis lovingly calls her) was adopted. however, her being a "tortured artist" comes from pain, not rebellion - her adoptive mother died in a car crash when she was a little girl. she had been carrying that around for so long and has only been able to voice out her angst through her art. this is where lucas comes in. he sees her artwork and submits them to thud magazine for publication - and that's how their once upon a time started.
i don't have to rehash all the moments that leyton (lucas + peyton) had in the 6 years i've watched them; that's what dvd's are for. just know that they are two of the best parts of my life. their words, paintings, music influences and silent moments have been mine too. peyton's most especially. the title of this blog pertains to the artwork that lucas submitted in reference to her adoptive mother's death and i think is more than appropriate for their swan song.
some of you might be saying why the heck i'm getting so worked up about a couple of characters on tv... well, because that's who i am. i'm actually a softie inside. my being a bitch is just a front. this show actually proves it. the fact that i even like it says something about me. as i write this, i am listening to the songs that have marked leyton in my life - and i'm sobbing my heart out. i'm preparing to watch episode 23 of season 6 and i'm scared out of my wits. but i'm sure that schwahn gave them the best exit ever and that the fans will not be disappointed.
i'll talk about oth in future blogs soon, but for now, let me say goodbye to my lucas and peyton by leaving you with their own words:
Lucas: Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world...or if the choices we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one man can change many lives. For better...or worse.
Peyton: (voiceover) At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just now facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes -- all you need is one.
and as a final goodbye, here's a quote that peyton's birth mother told her before she succumbed to breast cancer in season 3:
Every song has a CODA, a final movement. Whether it fades out or crashes away. Every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music? The truth is, there is nothing to be afraid of. It's just life.
chad's character, lucas eugene scott (luke to his closest friends) and hilarie's character, peyton elizabeth sawyer have both been very, very instrumental in my life. the first time i watched oth, i remember being excited because i had such a crush on chad and the plot of the show was fairly interesting, plus it was a wb show, so it should be good. wb was touting it as "the new dawson's creek". boy, were they wrong.
apart from the show being a "teen drama" and is shot in wilmington, n.c. (same place where d.c. was shot), that's where the similarities end, really.
the initial storyline of the show was about two brothers who had the same father but ended up on different sides of the train tracks, as they say. luke grew up being a really good basketball player (at the rivercourt) with a single mom who had to fend for her and her son when the father of her baby left her for college basketball. nathan scott (the younger brother) had it good - well, on the outside. he was the star basketball player at tree hill high (ravens), had a rich dad and mom and a steady cheerleader girlfriend - peyton sawyer... uh huh. see where this is going? ;)
so lucas gets a chance to play with the ravens and does pretty good. the story then shifts to him and his unrequited love for ms. sawyer. from the very beginning of the show, mark schwahn (the creator) has always established the connection between lucas and peyton and how they're perfect for each other: tortured athlete meets tortured artist.
p. sawyer (as her best friend brooke davis lovingly calls her) was adopted. however, her being a "tortured artist" comes from pain, not rebellion - her adoptive mother died in a car crash when she was a little girl. she had been carrying that around for so long and has only been able to voice out her angst through her art. this is where lucas comes in. he sees her artwork and submits them to thud magazine for publication - and that's how their once upon a time started.
i don't have to rehash all the moments that leyton (lucas + peyton) had in the 6 years i've watched them; that's what dvd's are for. just know that they are two of the best parts of my life. their words, paintings, music influences and silent moments have been mine too. peyton's most especially. the title of this blog pertains to the artwork that lucas submitted in reference to her adoptive mother's death and i think is more than appropriate for their swan song.
some of you might be saying why the heck i'm getting so worked up about a couple of characters on tv... well, because that's who i am. i'm actually a softie inside. my being a bitch is just a front. this show actually proves it. the fact that i even like it says something about me. as i write this, i am listening to the songs that have marked leyton in my life - and i'm sobbing my heart out. i'm preparing to watch episode 23 of season 6 and i'm scared out of my wits. but i'm sure that schwahn gave them the best exit ever and that the fans will not be disappointed.
i'll talk about oth in future blogs soon, but for now, let me say goodbye to my lucas and peyton by leaving you with their own words:
Lucas: Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world...or if the choices we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one man can change many lives. For better...or worse.
Peyton: (voiceover) At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just now facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes -- all you need is one.
and as a final goodbye, here's a quote that peyton's birth mother told her before she succumbed to breast cancer in season 3:
Every song has a CODA, a final movement. Whether it fades out or crashes away. Every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music? The truth is, there is nothing to be afraid of. It's just life.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
feel it on my fingertips...
is it wrong to feel happy when it's raining? yes, i'm one of those people who actually love rain and would want nothing more right now than to curl up in bed with all my pillows and some hot cocoa with the aircon still on ;) OK, i know it's a waste of electricity, but hey, i love the cold because it's an excuse to "get warm" (wink wink!)!!!
the title of my blog actually comes from a song called "rain" by madonna... one of my - yep! you guessed it! - favorite songs :)
i'm not a morose person, but i enjoy being alone. take note, alone not lonely. there's a difference. i like being alone when i need to be... i would just clear my head and stare out at the cascading waters drizzling down my windowpane. soothing and relaxing and (for me at least) a mind jogger (if there's such a word).
sometimes i would drift off into space just listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof and wonder how God could have made such wonderful music. i would daydream and think of the wildest things; chases, long-lost loves finding each other, the desert for some reason, kisses and romantic moments... snow, america, new york and christmas... just random stuff. but they all make perfect sense to me, even though they don't for some people...
so i'm one of those people, yes :) i love the rain!
the title of my blog actually comes from a song called "rain" by madonna... one of my - yep! you guessed it! - favorite songs :)
i'm not a morose person, but i enjoy being alone. take note, alone not lonely. there's a difference. i like being alone when i need to be... i would just clear my head and stare out at the cascading waters drizzling down my windowpane. soothing and relaxing and (for me at least) a mind jogger (if there's such a word).
sometimes i would drift off into space just listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof and wonder how God could have made such wonderful music. i would daydream and think of the wildest things; chases, long-lost loves finding each other, the desert for some reason, kisses and romantic moments... snow, america, new york and christmas... just random stuff. but they all make perfect sense to me, even though they don't for some people...
so i'm one of those people, yes :) i love the rain!
one tree hill
can't stop talking about this show... maybe bec i've seen it from the very beginning, right when i still had a crush on CMM (chad michael murray)... i stayed with the show and now it's become one of the most compelling dramas out there. it's not a high school drama anymore. it's surpassed that and i think kudos have to go to mark schwahn, creator and writer. i'm not going to talk about the plot or the characters coz by now, a lot of you know this show already or at least know of it... i guess i'll write about what i think you DON'T know yet. like for instance, did you know the show's episode titles were derived from song titles/song lyrics? and that the band THE FRAY got their songs HOW TO SAVE A LIFE and LOOK AFTER YOU played in season three episode 20 and 22? or that the show was on the verge of being cancelled during the end of season two, but that protests and petitions from hardcore fans gave new life (and a new network) to them? or that CMM and sophia bush got married and now divorced and at the time that they were together in real life, their characters were too and now that they're separated, brooke and lucas are too? or that paul johanssen (dan scott) directed some of the best episodes in OTH? i love the show because of the music, the characters, the stories, the quotes, the scenes... i love that it can be funny and sad and poignant and scary and sometimes cheesy... can't wait for when it starts next year... they left off with lucas in the hospital and keith telling him to open his eyes... did he see dan kill keith? stay tuned.
why the fray rocks my world
i should've made the title "why i love one tree hill"... simply because all of the really good songs i've been exposed to in the past 4 years came from that show... mark schwahn is such a genius, his music people (i just know her by the name lindsey) really pick the best ones... ok, before i digress any further, i'm writing a review about the fray. i haven't done a lot of research on the band, but i just freakin' love their music!!! season 3 of OTH is when they made their debut. "how to save a life" was played in episode 17 of season 3. awesome song, powerful lyrics. the videos that came later had the same effect... i guess the thing about it is that the song seems to be a happy one, but when you listen to it, i mean REALLY LISTEN, you find out it's a really deep song, actually. that's one of the band's magic spells ;) ...but the ultimate reason why i loved them came in episode 20... the song "look after you" blew. me. away. it stands as one of my favorite songs OF ALL TIME. you'll know once you hear it or if you have a copy of their album, you already know what i'm talking about. first off, the drums and piano intro just caught me. it also helps that the episode that the song played in also made a difference. it was their "coda song" for the week and the narration that went along with the music just captured me. it was so moving and poignant and out there and so, so sad. but i loved it so much!!! guess i have a bit of peyton sawyer in me ;) again, i haven't done much research into the band yet, and i have no idea who writes their songs, but the lyrics are perfection. they're heaven. you should check out the ENTIRE album. each and every song just gets you deeper into the web that's been woven. "fall away" is reminiscent of a song by the cranberries, the title of which escapes me. i just remember it's about death. "oceans away" is another one that i love. the lyrics in the beginning are so strong: "baby since i'm so far gone, oceans away... i can lay my saber down today" those words just uh! they hooked me. so did "unsaid". that's a song for the hopelessly and helplessly in love. uh huh. "hundred" is another sad piano song. it's really slow to pick up, but definitely worth it. love the lyrics again. it's reminds me of the song "so here we are" by bloc party. i have to say, the lead singer's perfect for this. he's kind of a combination of damien rice and matt kearney and another singer i just can't remember again. "together" is a rocky poppy song. not that much impact, but real good all the same. you'd think they wouldn't be able to do something like that, but this was a pleasant surprise. finally, "over my head (cable car)" caught me by surprise when they started playing the video for it. i wasn't looking at the tv when it happened, so i was quite shocked. i thought i was hearing things because i said to myself "that song sounds a lot like the frays' song" and lo and behold it was! hehe! to those of you who have not yet heard the musical genius that is the fray, i urge you all to buy a copy of their album... or download their music... or whatever. just a get ahold of their music and sink into it. you won't regret it, i promise. i know i didn't. so, thank God for mark and OTH; and thank God for the fray. later, dudes!
the departed and blood diamond
even if you don't like leo dicaprio, there's a million other reasons to watch these movies. for THE DEPARTED, let me break it down for you: 1) Martin Scorsese - need i say more? the guy FINALLY won an oscar for this movie!!! if you're a movie buff and you know of the history of Scorsese's road to getting the oscar, you know how momentous Sunday night was for him. 2) the cast - leo, jack nicholson, matt damon, mark wahlberg, martin sheen, alec baldwin... 3) the story - yes, this was based on a Chinese movie (infernal affairs), but the way Scorsese executed it was priceless. 4) the writing - william monahan's script was really good. i thought he's set it in New York, but he did one even better. he set it in Boston with the Irish mob. yowza! i can't explain the movie without giving away something, so you better really just watch it. the ending will kill you. ;) as for BLOOD DIAMOND - leo really outdid himself. the south afrikan (that's really how that's spelled) accent was down to the tee. he nailed it. he was, as they say in showbiz, superb. he and jennifer connelly really had chemistry and djimon hounsou was heartbreaking. more than just another movie, it tells of the history behind the conflict diamonds and how we as consumers are paying for something other people have died for in order to get it. really compelling stuff.
futuresexloveshow
anything that justin does is pure gold. but, like beyonce, this second solo album makes you forget he even had the first one. he once again gets some help from master producer timbaland (some would say he's the real genius between the two) and from other notable talents today... case in point: My Love. he collaborated with T.I. on this one and it proved to be one of the best songs on the album. What Goes Around, Comes Around is the first song justin wrote and produced with timbaland. it's not about him, guys. he wrote it for a friend who had that experience... my most favorite song, Lovestoned (I Think She Knows) is one of the best. i have to say that he's outdone himself on this song because if you listen to it, the beginning is really groovy, but the second part, blew me away. it was the transition from dance to ballad that caught me. Sexy Back was the first single off of the album and the one that got me hooked and made me take notice. the lyrics and the beat gets you down and makes you want more. that's what this album does, it makes you want more... Damn Girl, his collaboration with B.E.P. member Will.I.Am succeeds in introducing jazzy hiphop to the mix. it reminded me a lot of senorita for some reason. Summer Love is this cutesy, artsy, sort of NSYNC-y take on young love. starts off in a rappish kind of way but delivers the message solidly. Surprised me, actually. never thought i'd like it, but i loved it ;) Sexy Ladies makes you want to turn up the volume loud and louder. reminds me A LOT of prince!!! another winner! Come Back To Me is another collaboration and is the most dramatic his album got. loved it again! ;) Chop Me Up would have to be the one little trip up in the album, but even that doesn't affect the overall outcome of my rating. OK, i'm biased, so sue me! HEHE! bottomline: GEDDIT WHILE IT'S HOTT!!! H-O-T-T. HOTT!
friday night lights
i didn't really see the movie because i hate billy bob thornton... anyway, i started to watch the show because there wasn't any one tree hill on etc... i guess it was the replacement show or something, until after OTH came back... anyway, i thought i wouldn't like it, but then i saw it was about football. and one thing not a lot of people know about me is that I LOVE FOOTBALL MOVIES! i've seen a few that i've really loved. and then i saw that the show had jyle chandler in it, whom i had a crush on when he was still in this show called "Homefront". so i remembered him and i thought, "what is this new show of his?" so i started to watch just out of curiosity and boredom really, but then i started to really watch every episode. i started to "care about the characters" and their stories, etc. i love that the parents are actually real parents and that they're just so cute together, they're the ideal married couple. i love connie britton now, she's the best! the hot guys aren't so bad either ;) and like OTH, this show was on the brink of cancellation, but then people spoke up and urged bigwigs at NBC (same channel in the U.S. that shows HEROES) to give the show another chance. and if you haven't seen this yet, you should, too. you never know what you're missing...
supernatural
hmm... where do i begin??? well, let me just COUNT the ways, k?
1. JENSEN ACKLES and JARED PADALECKI - could they have cast two other HUNKS such as these? i don't think so!
2. the writing - the writing team for this show is at par with another fave show of mine (that's considered such a cult fave, i might add = BUFFY)... excellent story and subplots
3. recurring characters - ruby, bobby, bella, ellen, jo, meg, yellow-eyed demon, dad... they're really something!
4. did i say the 2 main leads are extremely scorching HOT???
5. i'm sure i can come up with more than 5 reasons, but i'm pressed for time here so let me just say this: supernatural may be a scary whatever show, but at the heart of it are these 2 brothers willing to duke it out with evil and sacrifice themselves in the process. i highly recommend watching seasons 1-3. you won't regret it!
1. JENSEN ACKLES and JARED PADALECKI - could they have cast two other HUNKS such as these? i don't think so!
2. the writing - the writing team for this show is at par with another fave show of mine (that's considered such a cult fave, i might add = BUFFY)... excellent story and subplots
3. recurring characters - ruby, bobby, bella, ellen, jo, meg, yellow-eyed demon, dad... they're really something!
4. did i say the 2 main leads are extremely scorching HOT???
5. i'm sure i can come up with more than 5 reasons, but i'm pressed for time here so let me just say this: supernatural may be a scary whatever show, but at the heart of it are these 2 brothers willing to duke it out with evil and sacrifice themselves in the process. i highly recommend watching seasons 1-3. you won't regret it!
revolutionary road
this one was really tough for me to take. from the get-go, it hits you. i was so excited hearing about this reunion that i didn't really research on the movie (which i usually do - especially if it's adapted from a book). i was so shocked the first time i saw it. but the depth and richness and shame and pain and distress and brutal honesty and just mind-boggling things said and done in this film was just astounding. leo and kate were just phenomenally spectacular. i'm not being biased, i just happen to really love them both and i thought this film was their best work yet (i haven't seen the reader - will do next week). i loved leo's insensitive, too-sensitive, insecure Frank. he just wanted a perfect life. unfortunately, his wife wanted more. kate's April was so amazingly haunting. she was brilliant! i hope people who appreciate true cinema woudl watch this and be as enthralled as i was. it's a mouth-hanging-open kind of film. check it out!
ten inch hero
i'm giving this a 4 out of 5 because of some boring parts... but it stood out because of Jensen's acting :) i loved all the scenes with Jensen in them. i have to say that i was really shocked that Danneel Harris had 2 nude/sex scenes in this movie. really shocked me! i couldn' believe she actually did it; but then i looked at it in the actor's perspective and immediately "forgave" her for it. the character she played (Tish) was a "loose woman" and i guess the movie/script asked for those scenes, so it's understandable if you look at it in that way.
the theme of the movie lies heavily on not judging a book by its cover. Piper made a mistake of assuming that Julia was the daughter she lost long ago; Ladybugger assumed that Fuzzy22 would only like her if she was pretty or hot or thin or whatever; Tish projected this air of going out with just "hot" guys and so in that pretense, Priestley was now afraid to ask HER out and act on his feelings; Trucker just wasn't even looking properly... he could've missed Zo altogether.
all-in-all, this movie rocked. it made me feel good, made me think about some things in my life that were applicable to the movie. i love cult movies, there's always something in it for you and they don't get too saturated with publicity and media and crap. i love that it's my own little movie that not a lot of people know about, but ihope that gets noticed too.
you? what's your ten inch hero?
the theme of the movie lies heavily on not judging a book by its cover. Piper made a mistake of assuming that Julia was the daughter she lost long ago; Ladybugger assumed that Fuzzy22 would only like her if she was pretty or hot or thin or whatever; Tish projected this air of going out with just "hot" guys and so in that pretense, Priestley was now afraid to ask HER out and act on his feelings; Trucker just wasn't even looking properly... he could've missed Zo altogether.
all-in-all, this movie rocked. it made me feel good, made me think about some things in my life that were applicable to the movie. i love cult movies, there's always something in it for you and they don't get too saturated with publicity and media and crap. i love that it's my own little movie that not a lot of people know about, but ihope that gets noticed too.
you? what's your ten inch hero?
almost famous
so i was going through my "reviews" and noticed that i hadn't reviewed one of my favorite movies yet. huh. a total dud on my part, but here goes:
to those who haven't seen this before, let me cite some scenes that might make you want to watch it: kate hudson ROCKS in this movie. she got an oscar nom for it, she was that good ;) if you like music, specifically ROCK music, this film is a must-see. if you love cameron crowe, this is one of, if not THE finest work in his repertoire. if you like to cry, this is the perfect movie to bring a box of tissues to. if you're scared of flying, don't watch this movie. hey, i warned you.
so this is a story based loosely on cameron crowe's days with rolling stone magazine as a freelance reporter going on a roadtrip with one of the up and coming bands of the 70's. official IMDB synopsis reads: William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band. This wonderfully witty coming of age film follows William as he falls face first to confront life, love, and lingo.
the start of the movie sets the pace and already tells you it's going to be funny and witty and unforgettable. the credits are handwritten (i read somewhere it was crowe writing the names), the characters are moving and generous and lovable, the music ties them all up together - i mean, i hadn't heard the chipmunks music used in a movie other than in the chipmunks movie LOL! the young william miller just stole my heart - he is soooooooo adorable! i looked him up: michael angarano is his name. "eleven!" hahaha!
anita/zooey stole the show, i think. she wasn't in the movie a whole lot but the lines she had, the scenes she had were all a ten! i love her :)
this was the movie that made me fall in love with rock and made me discover and be receptive to all kinds of music: the who, led zeppelin, simon & garfunkel (they're on pot LOL), yes, beach boys, elton john, lynyrd skynyrd, and a whole lot more... it made me appreciate the good things in life, even the bad things in life - because it gives room for even better things that are coming your way.
watch out for my favorite scenes: the tiny dancer scene and when penny says goodbye to william.
if you want to curl up with a bowl of ice cream or popcorn and watch a "feel-good" movie, this should be part of your list :)
to those who haven't seen this before, let me cite some scenes that might make you want to watch it: kate hudson ROCKS in this movie. she got an oscar nom for it, she was that good ;) if you like music, specifically ROCK music, this film is a must-see. if you love cameron crowe, this is one of, if not THE finest work in his repertoire. if you like to cry, this is the perfect movie to bring a box of tissues to. if you're scared of flying, don't watch this movie. hey, i warned you.
so this is a story based loosely on cameron crowe's days with rolling stone magazine as a freelance reporter going on a roadtrip with one of the up and coming bands of the 70's. official IMDB synopsis reads: William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band. This wonderfully witty coming of age film follows William as he falls face first to confront life, love, and lingo.
the start of the movie sets the pace and already tells you it's going to be funny and witty and unforgettable. the credits are handwritten (i read somewhere it was crowe writing the names), the characters are moving and generous and lovable, the music ties them all up together - i mean, i hadn't heard the chipmunks music used in a movie other than in the chipmunks movie LOL! the young william miller just stole my heart - he is soooooooo adorable! i looked him up: michael angarano is his name. "eleven!" hahaha!
anita/zooey stole the show, i think. she wasn't in the movie a whole lot but the lines she had, the scenes she had were all a ten! i love her :)
this was the movie that made me fall in love with rock and made me discover and be receptive to all kinds of music: the who, led zeppelin, simon & garfunkel (they're on pot LOL), yes, beach boys, elton john, lynyrd skynyrd, and a whole lot more... it made me appreciate the good things in life, even the bad things in life - because it gives room for even better things that are coming your way.
watch out for my favorite scenes: the tiny dancer scene and when penny says goodbye to william.
if you want to curl up with a bowl of ice cream or popcorn and watch a "feel-good" movie, this should be part of your list :)
the virgin suicides
yes, i like cult movies. this is no exception. when i first heard about the virgin suicides, i saw it on the mtv movie awards and sophia coppola was getting an award for it. number one reason why i wanted to see it then was because of Kirsten Dunst. she's one of my all-time favorite actresses and i feel as though we're the same in some ways because we're both taureans, our birthdays are 3 days apart, we like almost the same things, and the type of movies she's been in have been unique and controversial and she made each character her own.
tvs was a book first - i suggest you read it too. one word that would best describe this film would be: disturbing. it doesn't make you smile, it doesn't make you feel good after you've watched it, it delves into taboo stuff... the start of the movie, we see the youngest of the Lisbon girls commit suicide already: by slitting her wrists and laying in a bathtub full of water... and eventually blood. this starts off a chain of events that would lead to the untimely deaths of the remaining four - how they do it, i'll leave you to discover that for yourselves when you watch the movie.
stand out performances were of course by kirsten and hannah hall (youngest Lisbon girl, cecilia). another performance i loved was that of giovanni ribisi's - the catch is, you don't see him in the movie at all... he narrates the entire film from start to finish. he gave the movie a soul, that's the best i can describe it.
if you want to lie awake in bed and think about random things, watch this movie ;)
tvs was a book first - i suggest you read it too. one word that would best describe this film would be: disturbing. it doesn't make you smile, it doesn't make you feel good after you've watched it, it delves into taboo stuff... the start of the movie, we see the youngest of the Lisbon girls commit suicide already: by slitting her wrists and laying in a bathtub full of water... and eventually blood. this starts off a chain of events that would lead to the untimely deaths of the remaining four - how they do it, i'll leave you to discover that for yourselves when you watch the movie.
stand out performances were of course by kirsten and hannah hall (youngest Lisbon girl, cecilia). another performance i loved was that of giovanni ribisi's - the catch is, you don't see him in the movie at all... he narrates the entire film from start to finish. he gave the movie a soul, that's the best i can describe it.
if you want to lie awake in bed and think about random things, watch this movie ;)
waking life
i was first exposed to richard linklater's movie BEFORE SUNSET by accident: i was channel surfing and stumbled on this movie playing on HBO one day, some 10 years ago. the movie revolves around this boy who goes around and goes in his own subconscious and meets people who spew out philosophical ideas and life works... the movie was filmed using real actors, but then when you watch it, it's like a cartoon, the actors and the settings have all been created into a watercolor-like type painting - it's ingenius. it starts off with this boy who learns that "dream is destiny" and then subsequently his settings change from one scene to another - at times peeping into the lives of strangers who are just talking about nothing and everything. this is a jewel for people who love movies AND ideas, those who are open to creativity and wonder and the truth. i'm not saying that everything that's been said in the film's all correct, you just have to be open-minded about things and let their words and thoughts flow.
i loved that the boy/guy interacts with different people and those people talk about things like dreams and work and violence and physics and politics and revenge - anything under the sun, but they all make sense... one word to describe this movie would be surreal - it's like being IN a dream yourself! i just thought it was beautifully made and very well-written. another must-see.
some of my favorite quotes are:
"It's like you come onto this planet with a crayon box. Now, you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack. But it's all in what you do with the crayons, the colors that you're given. Don't worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines. I say color outside the lines. Color right off he page. Don't box me in. We're in motion to the ocean."
"I know we haven't met, but I don't want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one other, continuously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along an efficient, polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?" "Credit or debit?" You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be an ant, you know?"
"Hey. You a dreamer? Yeah. I haven't seen too many of you around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead, that no one does it anymore. It's not dead. It's just that it's been forgotten. Removed from our language. Nobody teaches it, so no one knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced. Ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting."
go check this out, it's worth the 1 hour and 38 minutes of your waking life ;)
i loved that the boy/guy interacts with different people and those people talk about things like dreams and work and violence and physics and politics and revenge - anything under the sun, but they all make sense... one word to describe this movie would be surreal - it's like being IN a dream yourself! i just thought it was beautifully made and very well-written. another must-see.
some of my favorite quotes are:
"It's like you come onto this planet with a crayon box. Now, you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack. But it's all in what you do with the crayons, the colors that you're given. Don't worry about drawing within the lines or coloring outside the lines. I say color outside the lines. Color right off he page. Don't box me in. We're in motion to the ocean."
"I know we haven't met, but I don't want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one other, continuously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along an efficient, polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?" "Credit or debit?" You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be an ant, you know?"
"Hey. You a dreamer? Yeah. I haven't seen too many of you around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead, that no one does it anymore. It's not dead. It's just that it's been forgotten. Removed from our language. Nobody teaches it, so no one knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced. Ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting."
go check this out, it's worth the 1 hour and 38 minutes of your waking life ;)
angels and demons
i thought the da vinci code already trumped angels and demons in terms of book sales and box office take - but seeing a&d yesterday has made me decide on three things:
1. tom hanks is DA MAN. he was just awesome reprising his role as robert langdon. and believable too! :) loved the "boys, you called me" line. so tom hanks :D
2. ron howard is DA MAN too :D i love him!!! and on a side note - shock of the year was seeing him in a jamie foxx video LOL awesome, dude!
3. ewan mcgregor is HOT! ok, so he played a priest in the movie, so what?? haha! he rocked this movie and i can't wait to see him in more.
i won't go in too much detail about the movie, you have to watch it ;) i just wanted to comment on these 3 men - hahaha!
1. tom hanks is DA MAN. he was just awesome reprising his role as robert langdon. and believable too! :) loved the "boys, you called me" line. so tom hanks :D
2. ron howard is DA MAN too :D i love him!!! and on a side note - shock of the year was seeing him in a jamie foxx video LOL awesome, dude!
3. ewan mcgregor is HOT! ok, so he played a priest in the movie, so what?? haha! he rocked this movie and i can't wait to see him in more.
i won't go in too much detail about the movie, you have to watch it ;) i just wanted to comment on these 3 men - hahaha!
american history x
scary is how i'd describe this movie. it was shocking - it shook me to the core. the only movie that's done that so far. from the very first scene, this film bombards you with images of hate, anger, fascism, racism, anti-semitism... very hurtful, but much needed. it's actually pretty cathartic to watch. the first time i saw the scene where edward norton's character goes out of their house in his underwear, my heart couldn't stop pounding, my jaw was to the floor and i was on the verge of tears. but i think the shock overwhelmed me more, so i just laid there on the bed staring at the tv... i think the expression on my face was what they would describe as "incredulous".
what scared me the most was the look on edward's face when he turned to his brother (played by edward furlong). it was smug and uncaring. and that was the moment i fell in love with edward norton. SIGH.
the movie is about a suburban family with a firefighter father and a stay-at-home mother with 3 kids. the father gets shot in the line of duty which turns the eldest of the kids - edward n.'s character DEREK - into a raging lunatic. at least, that's how he wants everybody to think of him. but he's actually not. at the start of the movie, his former teacher (now a principal) talks about derek in a very promising and respectful way. we see that throughout the movie. however, like my shock and bewilderment earlier upon seeing one of the scenes, derek's wisdom is eclipsed by his rage. he's angry and smart and confident and brash. and he uses that to round up a small army of skinheads to harass and eventually kill all the non-white kids living in their neighborhood.
derek gets arrested and is sent to jail for 6 years. what happens next to derek and what becomes of him during and after prison would become the catalyst to bring his brother to follow the path that derek took but that would inevitably be the turning point in derek's life.
i loved that the flashbacks were shot in black and white and the "present" time was in color... i loved that the dialogue was "real"... i loved that the story was acceptable; derek doing a 360 didn't seem unbelievable and far-fetched at all... i loved that ed norton acted the hell out of that role because he made me believe in evil and how it could sometimes triumph over good but that you need to suffer sometimes in order to appreciate the good things in life... i loved that this was a brave movie, a gritty and an edgy film... i loved that this is the story of today and that it gives hope (however bleak) for a "brighter future"... i loved that it was the truth... i loved that it was made at all.
what scared me the most was the look on edward's face when he turned to his brother (played by edward furlong). it was smug and uncaring. and that was the moment i fell in love with edward norton. SIGH.
the movie is about a suburban family with a firefighter father and a stay-at-home mother with 3 kids. the father gets shot in the line of duty which turns the eldest of the kids - edward n.'s character DEREK - into a raging lunatic. at least, that's how he wants everybody to think of him. but he's actually not. at the start of the movie, his former teacher (now a principal) talks about derek in a very promising and respectful way. we see that throughout the movie. however, like my shock and bewilderment earlier upon seeing one of the scenes, derek's wisdom is eclipsed by his rage. he's angry and smart and confident and brash. and he uses that to round up a small army of skinheads to harass and eventually kill all the non-white kids living in their neighborhood.
derek gets arrested and is sent to jail for 6 years. what happens next to derek and what becomes of him during and after prison would become the catalyst to bring his brother to follow the path that derek took but that would inevitably be the turning point in derek's life.
i loved that the flashbacks were shot in black and white and the "present" time was in color... i loved that the dialogue was "real"... i loved that the story was acceptable; derek doing a 360 didn't seem unbelievable and far-fetched at all... i loved that ed norton acted the hell out of that role because he made me believe in evil and how it could sometimes triumph over good but that you need to suffer sometimes in order to appreciate the good things in life... i loved that this was a brave movie, a gritty and an edgy film... i loved that this is the story of today and that it gives hope (however bleak) for a "brighter future"... i loved that it was the truth... i loved that it was made at all.
500 days of summer
why did i pick this movie even though i had seen some of the blockbusters of the year? simple. that's it, that's my answer. the movie was simple - and i loved the bleeding heck out of it!
first off, it reeled me in with its totally AMAZING, incredibly AWESOME cast :) zooey deschanel is one of my most favorite actresses! she is love. a little background on how i discovered her and fell in love with her: almost famous. nuff said.
then there's the REAL love of my life: joseph gordon-levitt. oh. hell. yeah. this guy is just fantastic! i have to admit that i was kinda surprised by the casting of this dude, but when i saw the trailer, then the movie, i knew why they chose him :D
i won't get into the plot because if you're reading this, - and that in itself is a shock - you would know that this movie is a genius of a film. it reminded me of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. mind you, it had a minor glitch (case in point: the freaking ending!), but in the end, i had a blast watching it and crying and reacting and laughing all the way through it :) :) :)
i have to say that for his first film, marc webb did an outstanding job. good for you, marc webb! i hope you do more of these and not fall into the pitholes of "hollywood" stereotypical indie-movie-filmmaker-turn-superstar-mega-ass-kissing-hotshot-director! BOO if that happens! <> moving on.
so i gave you the hook and the line, here's the sinker: the music in this movie is freaking ridiculous! it's so awesome!!! i am so happy for films like this and for shows like SUPERNATURAL (yes, i promote them every chance i get - that's how much i love JARED and JENSEN, ok?) - they have opened up my mind and ears to really spectacular music! HOORAY for you!
so if you're like me who enjoys watching new, revolutionary cinema, check out 500 days of summer. it's worth your money and your while ;) ciao!
the terminal
i was rewatching The Holiday and Love Actually from my DVD collection when i noticed my tom hanks collection: Catch Me If You Can, the movie he did with julia roberts and this, The Terminal. i figured since i was feeling Christmas-y and nostalgic, i put it on.
the familiar strings of john williams' most-original score begins and i am taken back to the year when i saw this with my dad :) one of the first things i immediately loved about it was that it was set in new york - my favorite city. the hustle and bustle of Christmas traffic in an airport was how the movie began and ended. all throughout the movie, tom hanks as victor/viktor navorski (he's "krakozian") gives a tour de force performance and i loved every minute of it.
moments/scenes that i enjoyed the most were, and not limited to the following:
- viktor "figuring out the quarters"
- viktor learning english
- viktor trying to get a job
- viktor helping out an employee win the heart of his ladylove :)
another standout performance came from zoe saldana. i first became aware of this actress in a movie called centerstage, where she played a bitchy ballerina. then i saw her in pirates of the caribbean and then in a movie with orlando bloom. loved all of them :) i think she's going to be the next big thing because she's been doing these big budget films lately and it's hard not to notice her obvious talent.
the terminal will draw you, make you laugh and in the end will make you cry, but the journey is worth it. spielberg and hanks tandem will always work and in this one, they never failed.
the familiar strings of john williams' most-original score begins and i am taken back to the year when i saw this with my dad :) one of the first things i immediately loved about it was that it was set in new york - my favorite city. the hustle and bustle of Christmas traffic in an airport was how the movie began and ended. all throughout the movie, tom hanks as victor/viktor navorski (he's "krakozian") gives a tour de force performance and i loved every minute of it.
moments/scenes that i enjoyed the most were, and not limited to the following:
- viktor "figuring out the quarters"
- viktor learning english
- viktor trying to get a job
- viktor helping out an employee win the heart of his ladylove :)
another standout performance came from zoe saldana. i first became aware of this actress in a movie called centerstage, where she played a bitchy ballerina. then i saw her in pirates of the caribbean and then in a movie with orlando bloom. loved all of them :) i think she's going to be the next big thing because she's been doing these big budget films lately and it's hard not to notice her obvious talent.
the terminal will draw you, make you laugh and in the end will make you cry, but the journey is worth it. spielberg and hanks tandem will always work and in this one, they never failed.
Monday, September 14, 2009
random
CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT JARED... I THINK IM OBSESSED LOL!k- jUST WANTED TO BLOG THAT... i'll try to get the madonna vma speech on here. That was an EXCELLENT speech. Honest, poignant, sweet and funny. It was a real tribute. And you can really tell she was sincere. I cried when she said Michael got the short end of the stick :c
Thursday, July 16, 2009
to all you kleptomaniacs out there
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
my sweet silver lining
sweet silver lining - kate voegele
i'm going home
downhearted and hoping
i'm close to some new beginning
i know there's a reason for everything that comes and goes
but so many people are looking to me
to be strong and to fight
but i'm just surviving
i may be weak, but i'm never defeated
and i'll keep believing in clouds wih that sweet silver lining
most days i try my best to put on a brave face
but inside my bones are cold and my heart breaks
but all the while some things keep me safe and alive
and i won't give up like this
i will be given strength
and now that i've found it
nothing can take that away
i'm going home
downhearted and hoping
i'm close to some new beginning
i know there's a reason for everything that comes and goes
but so many people are looking to me
to be strong and to fight
but i'm just surviving
i may be weak, but i'm never defeated
and i'll keep believing in clouds wih that sweet silver lining
most days i try my best to put on a brave face
but inside my bones are cold and my heart breaks
but all the while some things keep me safe and alive
and i won't give up like this
i will be given strength
and now that i've found it
nothing can take that away
Monday, May 25, 2009
stuck in the past
dawson's creek was my one tree hill - pacey and joey were my favorite couple :) it was all the rage when i was in high school; up until i went to college! i had a classmate who shared the same passionate love for the show, particularly the characters i mentioned. she and i would trade vhs tapes of episodes we had missed and talk about the recent episodes at school :D hahaha! we really were kids back then...
i guess this quote from Herb Caen would best describe wat i feel right now: I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
eff u!
why should i step down just because you wrote a letter???
why should i give you what you want, when you can't even follow simple instructions???
you will get what's coming to you, i swear.
why should i give you what you want, when you can't even follow simple instructions???
you will get what's coming to you, i swear.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
crab mentality
i've always prided myself in being in control and independent; in being a fast-learner and a positive thinker. lately, it's being stripped away from me one-by-one, and by people whom i considered to be trustworthy friends.
the good thing is, i'm an eternal optimist and i don't get mad... i get even. see, i've the bitter aftertaste of office politics still in my mouth and i've realized that people stop at nothing to pull you down - especially if they're threatened by you. i'm proud of being good at what i do - i don't brag about it; though to some people being confident and proud may be misinterpreted as being braggy... well, i can't do anything about close-mindedness.
i'm just so disappointed and sad about the whole thing.
the good thing is, i'm an eternal optimist and i don't get mad... i get even. see, i've the bitter aftertaste of office politics still in my mouth and i've realized that people stop at nothing to pull you down - especially if they're threatened by you. i'm proud of being good at what i do - i don't brag about it; though to some people being confident and proud may be misinterpreted as being braggy... well, i can't do anything about close-mindedness.
i'm just so disappointed and sad about the whole thing.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
just what comes to mind...
hi... been a long time... i can't quite grapple with the changes in my life so i'm going to make sense of them by writing them down...
my boss may be moving to a different field but within the company, so i have to be prepared for that...
i miss my friends; those that i haven't seen for a long time...
someone at work hates me - someone i didn't really expect to hate me...
i want to pay off my credit card debts!!! geez...
i want to go abroad...
i want to sleep for a week...
i loved 17 again :D
my boss may be moving to a different field but within the company, so i have to be prepared for that...
i miss my friends; those that i haven't seen for a long time...
someone at work hates me - someone i didn't really expect to hate me...
i want to pay off my credit card debts!!! geez...
i want to go abroad...
i want to sleep for a week...
i loved 17 again :D
Saturday, January 10, 2009
my favorite OTH quote right now...
ok, i totally forgot about my fave OTH quote of the moment:
Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it. You just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.
says everything i want for the new year :) thanks, mark schwahn!
Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it. You just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.says everything i want for the new year :) thanks, mark schwahn!
rob, jensen, twilight, ipod, etc
good riddance, 2008!
hello, 2009! :)
ok, i'm going to say it... i do love rob pattinson, OK? cut me some slack. he's actually an awesome guy (based on his countless interviews) i mean, i don't really actually KNOW the person, but i think he's pretty cool... case in point: he's not afraid to make fun of himself - which totally shows how comfortable in his skin he is and humble... that's pretty rare and i ADORE that!
second, he makes really AWESOME faces! hahahahahahahaha! can't help but squirm with delight! hee! and his quips kinda say how smart he is - which, he IS. someone who's REALLY funny has brains, ya know? ;)
OK - i just wanted to get that out of my chest...
next is jensen ackles. how FREAKING GREAT is this guy? another smart one, at that! he is hilarious in SPN (that's supernatural the tv show for those not in the know), he's sooooooooooooooo hot, and he's not being an a-hole about it. -sigh- how i envy danneel harris!
what can i say about twilight? honestly? the first time i saw it, i HATED it. i was flabbergasted, they didn't follow the book! but then when i saw it the second... and third times (hee!), i realized that i misjudged the filmmakers.. they couldn't possibly make a movie about the ENTIRE book! have you READ the book? i have. loved 'em! ;)
also, they pretty much put everything that was essential to the story/plot/whatever to make the movie work... i thought it was great. and lastly, if this was going to be a stinker, wouldn't stephanie meyer HERSELF put an end to it? for someone who's sold millions of books, i think she's got brains to think about this, no?
next up - just want the world to know i have a brand new ipod. haha! it's pink. the 2nd gen nano.
i also have a brand new tv ;)
and dvd player :)
and soon... a new cellphone :)
next up? laptop :)
hello, 2009! :)
ok, i'm going to say it... i do love rob pattinson, OK? cut me some slack. he's actually an awesome guy (based on his countless interviews) i mean, i don't really actually KNOW the person, but i think he's pretty cool... case in point: he's not afraid to make fun of himself - which totally shows how comfortable in his skin he is and humble... that's pretty rare and i ADORE that!
second, he makes really AWESOME faces! hahahahahahahaha! can't help but squirm with delight! hee! and his quips kinda say how smart he is - which, he IS. someone who's REALLY funny has brains, ya know? ;)
OK - i just wanted to get that out of my chest...
next is jensen ackles. how FREAKING GREAT is this guy? another smart one, at that! he is hilarious in SPN (that's supernatural the tv show for those not in the know), he's sooooooooooooooo hot, and he's not being an a-hole about it. -sigh- how i envy danneel harris!
what can i say about twilight? honestly? the first time i saw it, i HATED it. i was flabbergasted, they didn't follow the book! but then when i saw it the second... and third times (hee!), i realized that i misjudged the filmmakers.. they couldn't possibly make a movie about the ENTIRE book! have you READ the book? i have. loved 'em! ;)
also, they pretty much put everything that was essential to the story/plot/whatever to make the movie work... i thought it was great. and lastly, if this was going to be a stinker, wouldn't stephanie meyer HERSELF put an end to it? for someone who's sold millions of books, i think she's got brains to think about this, no?
next up - just want the world to know i have a brand new ipod. haha! it's pink. the 2nd gen nano.
i also have a brand new tv ;)
and dvd player :)
and soon... a new cellphone :)
next up? laptop :)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
save dean winchester / meet ruby
this has been an ongoing theme for quite some time now... right now in the states, we're nearing the season finale of my fave, fave, fave! shows: supernatural.
dean winchester (jensen "hotness" ackles) sold his soul to a demon in exchange for his brother's life. the noblest thing he'd ever done in his life, but the most right. and the sexiest. and the hottest . and the... oops, sorry. got carried away there.
*cough!* ok, i'm fine now. where was i? hot jensen. right.
i had to stop writing for a minute there. actually, i have to stop because i'm getting really, really, really hot!
wait, i'm fine now. ok, i will write about mariah carey instead because this is getting out of hand. damn, thinking about the guy is too much for me already! wow!
ok, mariah's new songs (the 2 i'd heard so far) are awesome! "touch my body" reminded me of "shake it off" and the video sold it. brett ratner, you are a god! that dude from 30 rock was so cute! he stole the show!
right now i'm listening (over and over, mind you) to her other song, "bye bye". it made me cry, especially when i heard the lyrics... kept me wondering who the song was dedicated to, because i know her dad died a few years ago; not sure about her mom, though. hope not. it made me imagine a video for it too. like mariah just standing all alone, black and white video (has to be), singing her heart out, then when the coda comes, people start crowding around her... because the song talks about "the peoples who lost somebody" and it would be perfect if complete strangers were with her in that video... would really hit hard...
also listening to kylie's all i see... my fave as of the moment ;)
going back to supernatural... i have to talk about ruby. the demon.
the first time i'd heard that they were bringing in girls to the show, i admit, i was really excited! about time those boys got some partners! ahem, allies. ha. little did i know...
eric kripke is one smart guy! he interwove ruby the demon into the story and made her likable. another angelus? right on! ruby makes her debut in magnificent seven, a kick-ass, awesome, fantastic episode! it really kicked butt! she really kicked butt! she then reappears in the kids are alright... where she proceeds to endear herself to me even more by saying the line about french fries "tastes like deep friend crack!" heh!
both times she appears only to sam (jared "cutie pie" padelecki - yes, that really is his last name). in malleus maleficarum, she appears to both brothers and proceeds to tear into dean! that scene was hot! that's when i got the idea that they'd be awesome together! hence, the resurrection of buffy and angel (for me) in dean and ruby... but i figured, why destroy something that's great? it's ok if they don't "do it" or "get it on". that's fine. as long as the sexual tension's there. that's what's going to make it work ;) i got to thinking and maybe eric didn't want the girls to be love interests, maybe they were there to be equals... not just for some suckfest.
i really love strong women. they're awesome role models... provided that they're fictional characters, but wtf!
buffy summers
faith (yes, she was bad, but i like that!)
sydney bristow
abigail whistler (blade trinity)
katherine willows
kara kent/kara zor-el
tami taylor (friday night lights)
all these characters are strong in some way (not necessarily physically), and that's why i love them... really makes me strong too in a weird sort of way. i love it when they kick butt too! and say really, really awesome one-liners. that's the best!
ok... if you wanna know how to save dean winchester, watch SUPERNATURAL, Thursdays on THE CW. you WON'T regret it!
dean winchester (jensen "hotness" ackles) sold his soul to a demon in exchange for his brother's life. the noblest thing he'd ever done in his life, but the most right. and the sexiest. and the hottest . and the... oops, sorry. got carried away there.
*cough!* ok, i'm fine now. where was i? hot jensen. right.
i had to stop writing for a minute there. actually, i have to stop because i'm getting really, really, really hot!
wait, i'm fine now. ok, i will write about mariah carey instead because this is getting out of hand. damn, thinking about the guy is too much for me already! wow!
ok, mariah's new songs (the 2 i'd heard so far) are awesome! "touch my body" reminded me of "shake it off" and the video sold it. brett ratner, you are a god! that dude from 30 rock was so cute! he stole the show!
right now i'm listening (over and over, mind you) to her other song, "bye bye". it made me cry, especially when i heard the lyrics... kept me wondering who the song was dedicated to, because i know her dad died a few years ago; not sure about her mom, though. hope not. it made me imagine a video for it too. like mariah just standing all alone, black and white video (has to be), singing her heart out, then when the coda comes, people start crowding around her... because the song talks about "the peoples who lost somebody" and it would be perfect if complete strangers were with her in that video... would really hit hard...
also listening to kylie's all i see... my fave as of the moment ;)
going back to supernatural... i have to talk about ruby. the demon.
the first time i'd heard that they were bringing in girls to the show, i admit, i was really excited! about time those boys got some partners! ahem, allies. ha. little did i know...
eric kripke is one smart guy! he interwove ruby the demon into the story and made her likable. another angelus? right on! ruby makes her debut in magnificent seven, a kick-ass, awesome, fantastic episode! it really kicked butt! she really kicked butt! she then reappears in the kids are alright... where she proceeds to endear herself to me even more by saying the line about french fries "tastes like deep friend crack!" heh!
both times she appears only to sam (jared "cutie pie" padelecki - yes, that really is his last name). in malleus maleficarum, she appears to both brothers and proceeds to tear into dean! that scene was hot! that's when i got the idea that they'd be awesome together! hence, the resurrection of buffy and angel (for me) in dean and ruby... but i figured, why destroy something that's great? it's ok if they don't "do it" or "get it on". that's fine. as long as the sexual tension's there. that's what's going to make it work ;) i got to thinking and maybe eric didn't want the girls to be love interests, maybe they were there to be equals... not just for some suckfest.
i really love strong women. they're awesome role models... provided that they're fictional characters, but wtf!
buffy summers
faith (yes, she was bad, but i like that!)
sydney bristow
abigail whistler (blade trinity)
katherine willows
kara kent/kara zor-el
tami taylor (friday night lights)
all these characters are strong in some way (not necessarily physically), and that's why i love them... really makes me strong too in a weird sort of way. i love it when they kick butt too! and say really, really awesome one-liners. that's the best!
ok... if you wanna know how to save dean winchester, watch SUPERNATURAL, Thursdays on THE CW. you WON'T regret it!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"Sadness is easier because its surrender. I say make time to dance alone with one hand waving free."
hello blogworld! miss me? :) well, to explain my absence, 6 months ago, i was REALLY busy with work... 3 mos ago, i was on a much-needed, longtime-coming vacation... i was actually on LOA. heehee! i was trying to resign, but my boss (God love him) asked me to reconsider and think about it and made me go on this prolonged vacay. which, on hindsight, has been REALLY good for me. not for my wallet, though. i miss money; and making it. i've been cooped up in my room just watching TV, going through all my DVDs, actually finishing the snakes game in my cellphone, and just hanging out with my dog :)
to all HARDWORKERS out there, PLEASE TAKE TIME AND REST. i learned it the hard way. for 2 straight years i've been working and working and working; sometims not going home at all... am i a workaholic? ha! maybe. i haven't really been with many workaholics to know it... is there a WA meeting somewhere? haha!
a highlight would be me getting my VERY FIRST credit card! yes, i'm 25 and have just received my very first passport to debt. LOL.
i got to spend extra time with my dog; whom i have sadly neglected those times i didn't go home because of work. ok, let me just explain. my not going back home was by choice. i chose to stay at the office because that's the perfectionist in me. besides, i never would have done that if i didn't love my job; which i do.
during the last month or so, i've actually been hunting for jobs... not very successful though. something tells me it's karma. i believe in that shit, ya know?
on a more serious note... i've been a victim of office politics. never thought it would happen to me; never imagined it would destroy the very core of my being too. it made me feel worthless and undermined. what's worse was that my own boss made it clear he didn't see eye-to-eye with me. a lot of my friends have told me to leave my company, but i can't because i really love my job. i love what i do, i love my friends there. no wonder ELIZABETHTOWN has been my favorite movie lately. for those who missed this cameron crowe masterpiece, elizabethtown is about drew baylor (orlando bloom), a twentysomething shoe designer who gets fired because his design cost his employer $1 BILLION. on top of that, he finds out that his father died. he then goes to kentucky (where the wake was being held) and meets claire (kirsten dunst), a feisty flight attendant, who dutifully reminded drew to "not miss 60 B".
anyway, claire says this of drew's shoe fiasco: "So you failed. Alright you really failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You think I care about that? I do understand. You wanna be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you're still smiling." which i believe is one of the greatest movie quotes ever. kudos to you, mr. crowe!
ey bloggers, thanks for reading and i'll see you all again on the flipside... before i go, please do check out these sites:
www.teamwinchester.com
www.televisionwithoutpity.com
www.fanforum.com
www.cwtv.com
www.one.org
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
to all HARDWORKERS out there, PLEASE TAKE TIME AND REST. i learned it the hard way. for 2 straight years i've been working and working and working; sometims not going home at all... am i a workaholic? ha! maybe. i haven't really been with many workaholics to know it... is there a WA meeting somewhere? haha!
a highlight would be me getting my VERY FIRST credit card! yes, i'm 25 and have just received my very first passport to debt. LOL.
i got to spend extra time with my dog; whom i have sadly neglected those times i didn't go home because of work. ok, let me just explain. my not going back home was by choice. i chose to stay at the office because that's the perfectionist in me. besides, i never would have done that if i didn't love my job; which i do.
during the last month or so, i've actually been hunting for jobs... not very successful though. something tells me it's karma. i believe in that shit, ya know?
on a more serious note... i've been a victim of office politics. never thought it would happen to me; never imagined it would destroy the very core of my being too. it made me feel worthless and undermined. what's worse was that my own boss made it clear he didn't see eye-to-eye with me. a lot of my friends have told me to leave my company, but i can't because i really love my job. i love what i do, i love my friends there. no wonder ELIZABETHTOWN has been my favorite movie lately. for those who missed this cameron crowe masterpiece, elizabethtown is about drew baylor (orlando bloom), a twentysomething shoe designer who gets fired because his design cost his employer $1 BILLION. on top of that, he finds out that his father died. he then goes to kentucky (where the wake was being held) and meets claire (kirsten dunst), a feisty flight attendant, who dutifully reminded drew to "not miss 60 B".
anyway, claire says this of drew's shoe fiasco: "So you failed. Alright you really failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You failed. You think I care about that? I do understand. You wanna be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you're still smiling." which i believe is one of the greatest movie quotes ever. kudos to you, mr. crowe!
ey bloggers, thanks for reading and i'll see you all again on the flipside... before i go, please do check out these sites:
www.teamwinchester.com
www.televisionwithoutpity.com
www.fanforum.com
www.cwtv.com
www.one.org
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
coz they're super and natural ;)
hmm... where do i begin??? well, let me just COUNT the ways, k?
1. JENSEN ACKLES and JARED PADALECKI - could they have cast two other HUNKS such as these? i don't think so!
2. the writing - the writing team for this show is at par with another fave show of mine (that's considered such a cult fave, i might add = BUFFY)... excellent story and subplots
3. recurring characters - ruby, bobby, bella, ellen, jo, meg, yellow-eyed demon, dad... they're really something!
4. did i say the 2 main leads are extremely scorching HOT???
5. i'm sure i can come up with more than 5 reasons, but i'm pressed for time here so let me just say this: supernatural may be a scary whatever show, but at the heart of it are these 2 brothers willing to duke it out with evil and sacrifice themselves in the process. i highly recommend watching seasons 1-3. you won't regret it!
1. JENSEN ACKLES and JARED PADALECKI - could they have cast two other HUNKS such as these? i don't think so!
2. the writing - the writing team for this show is at par with another fave show of mine (that's considered such a cult fave, i might add = BUFFY)... excellent story and subplots
3. recurring characters - ruby, bobby, bella, ellen, jo, meg, yellow-eyed demon, dad... they're really something!
4. did i say the 2 main leads are extremely scorching HOT???
5. i'm sure i can come up with more than 5 reasons, but i'm pressed for time here so let me just say this: supernatural may be a scary whatever show, but at the heart of it are these 2 brothers willing to duke it out with evil and sacrifice themselves in the process. i highly recommend watching seasons 1-3. you won't regret it!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
being heroic is not exactly what it's cracked up to be
why do i love heroes? let me count the ways... hee! ok, so there might not be a LOT of reasons, but everytime i watch it, i just fall in love all over again...
1. the writing is fantastic! tim kring was so on the money when he wrote this. i'm sure he's a big x-men fan; i mean, look at the way these characters are played out... claire is invincible = wolverine is that you? peter can absorb powers = rogue-ish... he can also RETAIN those powers and even move things with his mind (professor xavier)... the nuclear guy (forgot his name)has ties to pyro... i have yet to see a charcter who has the same powers as storm (maybeisaac mendez, since his eyes turn white too) i dunno...
2. but with the start of season two, we're introduced to new characters --> VERY INTERESTING ones at that. first, there's the infamous takezo kensei... played by the wonderful david anders from alias fame. i love him!!! this show is so getting a boost for the number of really cute, hot guys in it! then there's the much-awaited return to TV by none other than veronica mars herself, kristen bell! :) she's elle; a really shady character, but i love her nonetheless. even before i watched an episode with her in it, i've loved the fact that she's even IN the show; so it was a treat that she's a bad guy. hehe! then there're maya and alejandro --> brother and sister running from honduras to new york to find a "cure" for Maya's "disease".
3. did i say they have hot, hot, HOT guys in this show?
4. who knew takezo kensei had powers? and he seems not to age as he changes his name to one "adam monroe" (the other big bad for this season). who's the other one you ask?
5. why, no one else but SYLAR himself!
6. coolest new power? Elle's and Maya's... Maya's is kinda creepy and freaky, but it serves its purpose: IT FREAKS YOU OUT!
7. coolest power ever? peter's. he absorbs and RETAINS others' powers. how friggin' COOL is that???
8. oh, and milo ventimiglia is incredibly HOT in this season! :) yowza!
Monday, September 24, 2007
the magic of a high school musical
i would have to be honest and say that i was one of the critics of this tv-movie. when it first came out, i just ignored it. i thought it was for kids (Disney produced it, hello?) and that it was just a passing faze. WRONG. dead wrong. i decided to watch it and BOOM! I LIKED IT! actually, more than like, i LOVED it!
a complete turnaround, yes. but if you watched it, you'd love it too. well, that depends. if you love moulin rouge, justin timberlake and all the other musicals out there, then you'd like this too.
the music was the one that surprised me the most. they weren't cheesy or corny or anything like that. they sounded good. in the first installment, the songs WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR and START OF SOMETHING NEW and BREAKING FREE, the duets for the two leads have all been really good and really stand out. STICK TO THE STATUS QUO and WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER - songs by the cast - have both been lyrically-driven and they know what they're talking about".
the 2nd movie has been a real treat :) from the very beginning, WHAT TIME IS IT welcomes summer and says goodbye to school work :) the beat and melody and transition has all been well-crafted by the musicians and choreographers - some of it apparently coming from the kids themselves :)
WORK THIS OUT is the most fun of the songs as it really breaks into that "musical/dialogue" song mode. the music was made for a male singer (ZAC EFRON) but the cast joins in on the fun :) YOU ARE THE MUSIC IN ME - my favorite - is the theme of the entire franchise. it speaks not just of young love, but of love itself. the lyrics jump out at you like nothing else, and the music is the most affecting. zac and vanessa give life and soul and power to the song, which gives it its dignity and integrity. had it been sung by any other singers, it may have fallen flat on its face.
vannessa hudgens' GOTTA GO MY OWN WAY is a sad, sad, sad love song, but she gave it its power. coupled with zac in the ending part of the song, it works. they talk about missing each other and not letting go, but mostly it talks about this one girl's independence, not going with the flow; something all young people should go by nowadays.
EVERYDAY is a touching and enlightening song. it speaks of hope, love, and being true to oneself. loved it :) ALL FOR ONE is this really fun and lively song. perfect for summer! whenever i hear it, i'm reminded of the beach boys for some reason :)
all in all, the movies have been a really good addition to pop culture. we would not be the same without them :) go and watch it (whether with your kids or nieces or nephews or by yourself) - i'm sure you'll enjoy! ;)
Monday, June 25, 2007
my favorite OTH episode because of the coda song.. LOOK AFTER YOU by THE FRAY and because of the quote:
"Life is funny sometimes. It can push pretty hard but if you look
close enough, you can find hope in the words of children,
in the bars of the song and in the eyes of someone you love.
And if you're lucky, if you're the luckiest person on this entire planet,
the person you love decides to love you back."
"Life is funny sometimes. It can push pretty hard but if you look
close enough, you can find hope in the words of children,
in the bars of the song and in the eyes of someone you love.
And if you're lucky, if you're the luckiest person on this entire planet,
the person you love decides to love you back."
perfect example of video killing the radio star
this is my favorite justin song ever, but i was so disappointed with the video. see for yourself:
Monday, April 30, 2007
for all wentworth miller fans like me
i found this on dailymotion.com and was quite intrigued by it... i thought it was another episode of prison break, turned out it wasn't at all. pretty cute actually. really sexy and steamy... it has two versions... this one's the full one:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
english, fitz or percy
walk away - paula de anda
no, that's not a muffin brand or a selection of band names for a really old age range... for TV buffs and couch potatoes like me, that's actually a part of the concept of a really smart, adrenaline-pumped tv show called PRISON BREAK. i have to say that i'm really, really, REALLY skeptical when it comes to really good TV shows because i don't believe in "all the hype". so when this show first came out, i thought it was a fluke because of the pretty boy being capitalized with it. so i didn't watch it.
wrong move.
shoulda watched it, dumbass! now i know what i've missed: excellent plot, greatly-molded characters (they do evolve, believe it or not -- they didn't call it prison break for nothing) and yeah, wentworth miller is hot!
one thing that caught my attention was the primary plot: younger brother actually plotted to have himself jailed for shooting a gun in a bank-robbery gone bad... to save his elder brother from getting executed for a crime he didn't commit. harrowing? not so much. attention-grabber? a little. but the desperation in it was what held me. it actually made me think. would i do that to my own family if it at all happened?
michael scofiled is the structural engineer who concocted that plan. and gosh darn it, he succeeded! everything from the bolt he needed to get in and out of his cell to the VERY well-designed tattoo on his whole upper torso... who woulda thunk??
season 1 grabbed me. and i hope that to those of you reading this, you get the urge to either buy a copy or borrow it from someone who has. trust me, the whole 22 episodes went by like that. season 2 just ended in the states and i've seen bits and pieces already (i can't seem to catch the one showing in C/S channel... GRRRR!) -- and DAMN IF IT'S NOT GOOD. the finale kicked me! if there's another show other than ONE TREE HILL that you should check out, it's this one. and coming from me, that's a lot!
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