Now, I'm drawing from a memory of a long span of showcases and performances, so some of these I may have actually done, but can't remember it.....bear with me.
Put an "x" in the brackets of statements that are true.
Over the span of your theatre experiences, you have been cast in..
[x] A chorus role
[x] A cameo role
[x] A minor/supporting role
[x] A principal role
[x] A title role
[x] The lead role
You have played...
[x] A character that is very similar to you
[x] A character that is very different from you
[x] A character you loved
[ ] A character you hated
[x] A ditsy/scatterbrained/clueless character
[x] A character of the opposite gender
[x] An obnoxious character that no other character likes
[x] A boring character
[x] A "show-stealing" character
[ ] An ingenue
[ ] A "prima donna"
[x] A character in love and/or loved by another character
[ ] A character abused or ridiculed by other character(s)
For a role, you have...
[ ] Cut your hair
[x] Dyed your hair
[ ] Gained weight on purpose
[ ] Lost weight on purpose
[x] Changed the sound of your voice
[x] Changed your way of moving
[x] Changed your posture
[ ] Developed bad habits as a result of characterization
[ ] Become depressed as a result of characterization
You have played a character who ________ onstage.
[ ] Cried
[x] Had an emotional or mental breakdown
[ ] Kissed another character
[x] Slapped another character (I'm counting biting under this category)
[ ] Was slapped by another character
[x] Got into a catfight
[x] Was carried/picked up by another character
[ ] At some point in the show, wore only underwear
[x] Fainted
[ ] Died
Onstage, you have sung...
[x] As part of a chorus
[x] A solo in a chorus piece
[x] A duet while other characters were onstage
[x] A duet while no other characters were onstage
[x] A solo while other characters were onstage
[x] A solo while no other characters were onstage
You have been...
[ ] Asked to sign an autograph as your character
[x] Asked to sign an autograph as yourself
[x] Recognized by someone who saw you perform
[ ] Asked by a director to audition for their show
[ ] Given a role without auditioning
[ ] The first person to play a specific role in an original show
[ ] The inspiration for a character in an original show
You have had your name...
[x] In a newspaper.
[ ] In a magazine
[ ] On the front cover of a playbill
[ ] On a poster
[ ] On a billboard
[ ] On a marquee
You have had your picture...
[x] In a newspaper.
[ ] In a magazine
[ ] On the front cover of a playbill
[ ] On a poster
[ ] On a billboard
[ ] On a marquee
I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas, and has a great New Year!!
Lady Brainsample signing off.
I really really really wanted to come up with something interesting to post today, but I have nothing original, creative, or unique to say....this makes me really sad....
But, you ask, if I have nothing original, creative or unique to say, why are you even posting? I'm glad you asked. I'm posting to say that I have made a new header! I haven't changed it in months, and I WAS going to change my layout too, but the one I was going to add was going to make me re-add all my sidebar stuff.
No. Not going to work out.
So hence only a new header. I say this in the post because I know there are PEOPLE *cough, cough you know who you are cough, cough* who receive my blog from a feed.
Theater news:
I stage managed another show. That was fun, but I was getting sick of stage managing. Because I was getting sick of stage managing, I went into my last audition really, really freaked out. BUT I am not stage managing again. I actually got the part I wanted, so I will be playing Myrtle Mae in Harvey. Yay!!
Film news:
Keep your eyes peeled. I may just have a trailer for Doting on Your Absence up at some point. That is, if I feel like editing a trailer. We'll see.
In seasonally related news, it's about a week to Christmas, and I haven't done a lick of Christmas shopping. Well, if you don't count the gift I got accidentally for someone. I don't, because that was a fluke.
I was awarded another award!! I was given this award, apparently, for having an awesome blog. Many thanks to Costume Queen over at Aria of an Amateur!
Rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the Award.
3. Post it in your blog.
4. Tell Us 7 things that your readers don't know.
5. Link 7 new blogger as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with comment on their blog.
7. Keep being Awesome.
So seven things my readers may or may not know about me.....hmmm....
1. I have never been able to come up with a better alias than Lady Natasha Brainsample, even though I have tried. Why Natasha Brainsample? I've always loved the name Natasha and I got Brainsample from a Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch and thought it fit.
2. I can't wait for LOST season 6!!!!! Or Voyage of the Dawn Treader!!!
3. I love the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe, mostly the Raven and Dream Within a Dream.
4. I have over forty showtunes albums on my iTunes.
5. I love cats.
6. I write scripts for short films, but only in order to act in them.
7. I think I have a pretty good singing range, but it's always annoyed me that I can't sing the final note of "Phantom of the Opera." Yeah...THAT note.
As for the re-awarding of seven other bloggers, I'm afraid I shall have to decline...for if I were to, I would probably just re-award the seven bloggers I awarded last time. I know, how un-creative of me.
Once again, apologies for not having posted in ages, but I have good excuses! Really! I was gone for ten days, then right after that, all four of my wisdom teeth got yanked, so I'm STILL recovering from that. Ah, well....at least there's a filming day coming up.
So...a review. To clarify, this is a semi-joint review: a review of the movie (based on a musical) and the original cast recording (of a revival of the original musical).
Anyway.....Sweeney Todd. (quick synopsis borrowed from here: "A barber who slits people's throats has a neighbor who makes meat pies....... you do the math.")
I have to say, I didn't expect to like it that much. I knew my best friend really liked it, and my tastes usually coincide, but in this instance, I thought....well, never mind with what I thought. I think I LOST my train of thought... (haven't had my cup of tea yet this morning.) Spoilers probably follow.
So ANYWAY again....my friend gave me the soundtrack, but because I hate listening to showtunes without knowing the story, I put the movie on hold at the library. Because I'm in a scatter-brained mood, I'll do this part of the movie review list-like:
CON: Blood....for some of the more....let's say, 'dramatic' scenes, I just closed my eyes. Yes, I know the subject matter, but Tim Burton didn't need to be THAT graphic.
PRO: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman. They each were AMAZING in their roles, and they all sang very well, I thought.
CON: They didn't use the Ballad of Sweeney Todd and all its reprises!!! That song was an integral part of explaining what the musical was really about!! (but more on that later)
PRO: Costumes, make-up, and overall look of the movie I thought fit very well with the story and characters.
Moving on from the movie to the music and show in general, it really has grown on me. Yes, it's dark, but it's dark for a reason. Sweeney Todd was motivated to slit throats because he wanted to avenge the supposed death of his wife. Yet ironically, in getting his "revenge" he actually kills his wife! We can despise Sweeney or pity him, but we are not immune to what led him to such dark deeds. Just as the Ballad said, "Perhaps today you gave a nod to Sweeney Todd" and "To seek revenge may lead to hell, but everyone does it if seldom as well."
If I had anything else to say about this subject, I forgot what it was, so I'll just leave y'all with two of my favorite songs from the musical, one version from the original cast the other from the movie. Enjoy!
The Rules
1. Kopy the Kreativ Blogger picture and post it on your page
2. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog
3. Write seven things about you that we don't know
4. Choose seven other bloggers that you would like to give the award to
5. Link to the bloggers that you choose
6. Let the winners know that they have the lovely award.
Seven things you may or may not know about me:
1. I have waaaay too many books I need to read on my shelf for un-read books. I also have waaaaay too many books I'm borrowing that I haven't even started reading yet.
2. I think the three ideal literary men are Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre, Faramir from Lord of the Rings, and Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility. Despite my preferences for those gentlemen, they are each taken, so my boyfriend is Racer X. Really.
3. Despite some drama that has gone on (so to speak), I love my theater immensely and have some awesome friends I've made through it that I want to stay close to the rest of my life.
4. I wasn't even done with my first stage managing stint before I was asked to stage manage again. Go figure.
5. Because of my techie status these past couple months, I took the advantage to go nuts with my hair again and have dyed it and messed with it at least four times.
6. I love editing pictures.
7. I am a paradox.
All right, time for the real fun. I pass this award to:
Costume Queen
I thoroughly enjoy her posts about her theater happenings.
I find myself in the same position as last time...I really want to post, but nothing interesting comes to mind.... With all the rehearsals and stuff I've been doing, whenever I do have an idea for a post, I'm busy, but whenever I want to post, I have no ideas....
Well, I guess I'll discuss
The Foreigner...
We have a trap door device now!!! Yes...I am happy. No longer does our Ellard have to yell, "Aah!" then just climb into the hole. Now we have this thing that I have to pre-pump, stick a crate on, then kick off as he's coming down so that there's room for him. This week I'm not supposed to let the actors call line anymore, so this should be...interesting. The Foriegner is a really difficult line memorizing play because many of the lines are, "What?" "Uh-huh" "Charlie!" "Ril good!" "Yes'm." and things like that.
Let's see...what other topics can I discuss....
Hair...
I finally got the tips of my hair dyed purple, yay!!! After the...let's see...fifth attempt over the past year??
Piano...I'm getting better! ("No, you're not! You'll be stone dead in a moment.") Showtunes and Titanic music are basically all I've learned so far by the way of pieces. Well...I take that back. I'm *attempting* to learn My Immortal, but I've only learned the easy last page...
Film....
OH! Film! Right.... New EJC film up called
One of our sillier films, I must say, which serves to answer the question what if there were no trellices or vines for Romeo to climb on? What will he resort to? Yes...this film is the second in our Stream of Consciousness Unscripted Film Series. We bascially made this film because we walked past that area and my friend said, (paraphrasing) "Hey! How's this for a film idea? Romeo and Juliet balcony scene in which Romeo makes a fool out of himself trying to get up there!"
Hmm...while I'm shamelessly promoting our films, I may as well shamelessly promote our best past films.
So here they are: Outwitted ~quite possibly our best film Eye of the Beholder ~our attempt at a mystery/thriller (the director has a thing for Shyamalan/Hitchcock type endings...I don't understand it.) The Fireman Song ~parody of the Lumberjack Song with a Fahrenheit 451 theme A Film About Amnesia ~basically what it is. This film was inspired by my saying, "We should really do a film about amnesia." The silliness that is this film resulted.
And while I'm on the subject of EJC, I can shamelessly tease our upcoming films! Next on the schedule we plan to shoot a parody type film about a film crew who shoots vignettes of musicals. But you know with EJC there has to be more than that... It feautures the return of the Famous Producer!
After that, we plan to shoot a sequel to Eye of the Beholder, which is still in the script writing phase, so I'm not at liberty to reveal anything.
Well...I feel that y'all can only take so much of Lady Brainsample being so random, so I will depart...Dancing with the Stars calls to me....
So I wanted to post something profound...or intelligent...or along those lines. But nothing of that sort came to me. Instead I've been drowning in the prop list for the Foreiegner. Ah, yes. I've been sort of absent from the blog world as of late, so I haven't mentioned the news. I am stage managing my very first play! It has been completely awesome for many reasons, but one of the more humorous ones has to do with my age... See, I'm the second youngest person in the cast/crew (the only younger person being the sound operator) yet I get to boss around (nicely, of course...) a bunch of adults. It's awesome...
Books...
I have read and finished three sequels, so on Lady Brainsample's Mini Review Day, I'll discuss sequels in the Hunger Games series, Oracles of Fire series, and Ender's Game series.
.
Bones of Makaidos: Took me a while to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. Bryan Davis tied up all the loose ends I can think of from the series very well.
Catching Fire: Took me in on the first page and kept me in its clutches to the very end. Very, very frustrating ending because it completely sets itself up for the next one, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
Children of the Mind: I really love how after Ender's Game and the Shadow series, Orson Scott Card focused less on action and more on character and philosophy. But...(spoilers follow) Ender dead?? What?!?!?! And how can this be the conclusion when there are so many other things that need to be explained such as whatever happened to Bean and his kids? Orson Scott Card takes too long in writing....
With all: I highly recommend reading each of the previous books in the series before taking on either of these books, especially for Bones. Each of them are great series, so it's worth reading them all.
Final bit of news: two new EJC films up. One of them made to showcase my friend with an amazing Gollum voice, the other completely unscripted to showcase each of my dear friends who play the piano very well.
Without further ado, presenting
So...I saw Inkheart today. I have to say I'm not...enthralled with it, let's say? Don't get me wrong, there were some elements of the movie that I liked alot. But I'll get the bad out of the way first. The movie didn't seem to have the same charm to it that the book did. I'd like to quote WORLD magazine's review of the movie because they put it better than I could:
I also agree with their asessment of Eliza Bennet, the actress who played Meggie: she was a good actress, but because she's 16 and Meggie is supposed to be 12....it didn't quite work out for me. The Shadow...I had hoped they would come up with some way to make it NOT LIKE THE BALROG. Yes, they're both huge things make up of shadow and flame, but come on, they wouldn't be THAT similar. At least the Shadow didn't have a flaming sword and whip...
Now that we've got the bad out of the way, the good. The acting was excellent, I think. Yes, I may have thought of Smeagol a few times with Andy Serkis as Capricorn, but that's because I'm a geek! I make those connections. Andy Serkis was brilliant as Capricorn; Basta and Mo looked JUST like I imagined them; and Paul Bettany did a surprisingly good job as Dustfinger. (good thing too, since he's my favorite character) But, the one who gets the prize for being JUST like the book character is Helen Mirren (however you spell it) as Elinor. The locations and sets and feel of the movie also fit very well with the story. I loved how they did the color schemes with Capricorn's castle with all the different shades of grey and black then different things being dark red to stand out. Nice touch.
Overall, it was an ok movie, but I'd rather go read the book.
So, I realize I haven't blogged in over a month...not for lack of wanting to, though. So for this randomish blog post, I will discuss some random things. ~ First, My Fair Lady has been going extremely well. The set changes have been going smoother, the music sounding great, and my hat hasn't fallen off during a show as of yet. The crowds have grown significantly, but we haven't had a full house yet. Oh well, we still have two shows left. ~ I have REALLY enjoyed the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card. I'm in the middle of Xenocide right now, and I'll be rather sad when I finish Children of the Mind because it'll mean I need to get ahold of some new audiobooks. If I had to choose, I'd say my favorites so far are Ender's Game, Shadow Puppets, Ender in Exile, and Speaker for the Dead. ~ And so this post is not completely lame, I will leave y'all with some favorite quotes:
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen
"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." -Robert Frost
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." -Terry Pratchett
Ok, has anyone else ever noticed the constant presence of French mobs? In every musical I know of that takes place in France, there's a mob of some kind.
First of all, there's Les Mis. This one is probably the most prominent with all the revolution going on. I mean, this French mob has got it all: the flag, the barricade, the rousing call to arms with "Do You Hear the People Sing." How can you go wrong?
Phantom of the Opera: This mob is less prominent, but it's a mob nonetheless. How can it not be a mob when they're shouting/singing, "Track down this murderer; he must be found!"and the like.
Hunchback of Notre Dame: It's been quite a while since I've seen the movie or the musical they used to have at MGM Studios, but I remember distinctly there's a mob of some kind.
Marie: I saw a ballet once that was based on the life of Marie Antoinette, and ohhh...that mob. That was not a pretty one.
Beauty and the Beast: This one should get a special reward because they actually have a song called, wait for it.... "The Mob Song" !!!
I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any at this time. If anyone can think of other French mobs, leave a comment! ~
My Fair Lady rehearsals are going very well. We had the first big stumble-through last Saturday, and it went surprisingly well considering all the people who were out of town. I have to say that my favorite role in the musical (I have three, Maid 1, a cockney chorus girl, and a woman at Ascot) is my cockney girl. I mean really, the cockneys get all the fun songs: Loverly, Little Bit O' Luck and Reprise, and Church on Time. And my character is the one who spends most of her time philanderin' with Doolittle, so I'm in all of those. Score! Plus, cockney is an 'ole lot more fun ta speak than proper British.
I found that whilst looking for inspiration for my own choreography for that number and just had to share... That's gotta be the silliest version of that song ever.
Well, recently I had the amazing privilege of seeing The Phantom of the Opera live on stage, and there are many words that come to mind to describe it: amazing, fantastic, gripping, tragic, beautiful. But a review that just describes something in such pithy undescriptive tones would be boring, so I'll try to think better ways to relay my awesome experience. As always, spoilers are a constant presence, so beware. Also seeing the musical makes me even more suspicious of the sequel, as I posted about earlier.
Times I cried in the whole show: four.
Three times in Act 1 and once in Act 2, though that time was rather...extensive, we'll say.
Favorite scenes:
Chandelier going up:
We were in the mezzanine, so we had a spectacular view of the chandelier and how it ascended from the stage, over the heads of the orchestra pit and people in the first few rows, then all the way up the theater.
When Christine and Meg were singing Angel of Music:
The ballet chorus girls kept making hilarious mistakes. There is always the constant question of whether art imitates life or life imitates art: I think in this case, art imitates life because I've made many of the same silly mistakes those girls have made when dancing.
Title song:
Ohhh......my.........gosh...... There are no words sufficient enough to describe this scene. This one in my mind was the thing I had anticipated the most, and it did not disappoint. Think of how the movie version had an elaborate set, then stuff it down to moving platforms, fog, candles that come out of the stage, moving boat, and the Phantom himself. With a hat! I'm so used to the movie, I always forget that he has an awesome hat in the musical. Add to that the music itself and the actors singing it, and... ugh! I'm flabbergasted trying to explain, so I'll just move on... Well wait, before I go on I have to say something: I was obsessed with Spamalot before I was obsessed with many other Broadway musicals, Phantom being one of them. But seeing "Phantom of the Opera" (individual song) on stage made me completely get how brilliant "The Song that Goes Like This" was in parodying it in its staging. I don't think I'll ever be able to choose my favorite musical.... It's either Spamalot, Phantom of the Opera, or Les Miserables...such a decision...but moving on.
Music of the Night:
Rocked. His high light note literally made me and a friend I was seeing it with gasp in amazement.
All I Ask of You and its Reprise:
This Raoul actually wasn't annoying! It's amazing how this has happened two times in a row... the Lovesick Tenor in love with the Main Soprano usually never fails to annoy in movie versions or soundtracks. In both Les Mis and Phantom, their Marius/Raoul and Cosette/Christine were not completely annoying!
Phantom lowered down on the statue: completely amazing.
And of course, the Chandelier Crash.
Really, it crashes. Right back onto the stage. And it rocked.
Past the Point of No Return to the end:
I'm really coming up with nothing descriptive that wouldn't completely ruin the musical for someone who hasn't seen it, so I'll just say this: it made me cry pathetically.
Overall, I had an incredible time, and I was so blessed in that I got to see it with some of my dearest friends and family, which made the time even more amazing.
To leave y'all, here is the condensed title song and Music of the Night as performed in the Tony Awards in 1988, by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, the original Phantom and Christine. This'll give you a tiny taste of the awesomeness of the set, especially the title song.
Ok, a mini-speech... I always find it interesting how as an actor, I've always been taught never, Never, NEVER to turn my back on the audience, yet in shows like Les Mis and Phantom, there are times when a performer has his back on the audience for long stretches of time... I just find that amusing...
Well, I am still a terrible blogger, but I'm posting for once with lots of little random things on my mind.
This morning was the fiasco of taking all our animals to the vet, which went surprisingly well for us. Because we have six cats and two dogs, we have a proper procedure to carry, otherwise the cats will smell the danger and disappear the morning of the visit. One week before D-Day we get all the cat carriers down from the attic and set them out in plain sight to get the cats accustomed to them. Two days before D-Day, we move all the cat bowls into the small bathroom so that they get used to eating in a place that can be closed up. And finally, the morning of, we cram all the cats in there to be put in carriers. This year went perfectly, heh heh....
Mini-Review Time:
Broadway: The American Musical. Awesome, AWESOME Broadway documentary hosted by Julie Andrews.
Oklahoma: 1990somethingorother London version Forgive me, but I like this version better than the original movie. (for those thinking, "Oh, it's just because of Hugh Jackman playing Curly," well, it's partially that, but it's also everyone else playing their roles and alot of how the lyrics to the songs were interpreted differently, especially 'People Will Say We're In Love.') This was also the first version of Oklahoma that I know of in which the main actors danced their own parts for the dream ballet as opposed to the doubles used in the movie and most stage productions.
Bones of Makaidos, by Bryan Davis FINALLY HERE!!!!! I pre-ordered this book months before it came out in May, but because of our stupid post office, I didn't get it until about a week ago. I'm only about a hundred pages into it, but absolutely loving it. For those who haven't read Bryan Davis at all, don't start with Bones. Start with Eye of the Oracle, move on to the Dragons in Our Midst series, then finish off with the rest of the Oracles of Fire. Don't try to start in the middle.
Speaking of starting in the middle, I have something to say: NEVER EVER EVER EVER read a summary for a book in a series if you're still on a book behind it...especially an Orson Scott Card book. Whilst I was putting Shadow of the Giant on my iTunes, I accidentally read the summary on the back and was consequently spoiled as to a certain....well, thing. (I don't want to spoil it for you too)....I wasn't supposed to know about yet in Shadow Puppets. Nuts..... But oh well, it didn't ruin the book for me.
Final mini-review: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: Read it. That's all I can say.
Ok, as to my theater exploits, as you all know I am currently in two plays, Annie and My Fair Lady. (playing the parts of Miss Hannigan and a chorus, respectively) I've come across a fact: in both, I am playing at least one drunk character. For Annie, Miss Hannigan is hung over almost all the time, and in My Fair Lady, during "With A Little Bit 'O Luck" I am right on the edge of being drunk. (the way our choreographer put it was that I was a bar waitress who worked 24 hours a day.) But don't worry, I get respectible parts in Lady too. In Loverly I'm not drunk, and in Ascot I am most definitely sober. Snobbish and high class, but sober. I just wonder what I'll be doing in "Get Me To the Church on Time." Oh boy....
For the first time in my life, I'm not angsty and depressed the day after an audition. Why you ask should I ever be angsty and depressed the day after an audition? I'm glad you asked. Normally, after an audition day, I have to wait at LEAST a week to find out if I made it/what part(s) I got.
Consider my Annie audition. That was a week and a half ago, yet I'm still not supposed to find out until Friday, almost two weeks after I auditioned. This has resulted in a refusal to listen to any of the Annie music and a need for chocolate. So why am I so happy? We're supposed to find out about My Fair Lady auditions TOMORROW. Hence my mental thought process for the title. I auditioned yesterday, but I find out tomorrow. So now that I have that ecstatic announcement out of the way, I can actually talk about the auditions.
The Annie audition, I think, could have been better than it was. But that's because the stupid karaoke track for Little Girls messed me up. (Jr. adaptations often cut the songs in a weird way) Other than that, it went great. I read for Miss Hannigan more than once and read for Grace more than once. I think I'm more likely to get Grace, mainly because out of the three teenage girls there, (this was a "kid's" production) I was the only one who put Grace as my second part to audition for.
My Fair Lady....I have only one regret about that audition in the way of temperature. I should have worn my sweater the whole time, but no. So I was shivering while singing Wouldn't It Be Loverly and I Could Have Danced All Night. I read two scenes as Eliza, and I was among the people they asked to do the high G from the end of Danced All Night. (I didn't squeak, woo hoo!!!) Despite such a great audition, I don't think I'll get Eliza, but I'm perfectly ok with it. I didn't expect to be able to audition for her in the first place, especially because I haven't done anything with this theater before, and there were people there that I think were better than I was in the singing department.
So there you have it. Within two days I will know my fate for both musicals, and through that, the fate of my summer.
EDIT: I got in to My Fair Lady! They had the cast list in ONE DAY!!!!! That is unheard of!! I'm just a chorus, but with a show like My Fair Lady, I'm sure I'll have plenty to do. I'm really excited...
I loved this episode, because in flashbacks it showed another side to Ben that often gets shoved under the rug, so to speak. We see a less calculated more compassionate side of him that allows Rousseau to live, against orders, and takes Alex, her child, as his own daughter. And Widmore wanted her dead!
Conundrums like this make it impossible to tell whether Ben is the "good guy" and Widmore the "bad guy" or vice versa. I'm beginning to think that neither of them are the ultimate bad guy with the introduction of Jacob's enemy in the finale. Yet, how much do we really know about Jacob. Maybe his enemy is the good guy! I don't know...it's impossible to speculate with any assurance of anything being right.
Another interesting point with this episode was the mention of Penny's mother. Ben said that Charles had "broken the rules" by leaving the Island regularly and having a child with an outsider. This is assumingly Penny by some unknown woman because Faraday is Ellie's kid and she's certainly not an outsider. No wonder Eloise slaps him.
And of course, we totally called it that Desmond had beat the crud out of Ben for almost trying to kill Penny.
So...the Temple. We finally get to go inside it, and it's very very creepy/Egyptian. And that whole scene with Alex....creepy even more. Now I feel the urge to talk about a post-finale theory about that scene, but I feel that might "break the rules," so I'll wait....
As you may recall, I did a mini-post on this episode, so now I guess it's time to do the normal sized post, which will still be quick because I'm trying to get to the finale.
First point, *We so totally called Clementine. How did Sawyer get such a request in such short a whisper? That's the mystery...
*Totally disagree with Cassidy's assessment of Sawyer....he jumped to save them, not to run away from a relationship with Kate. (though running for that reason is good too!)
*Kate......so she tells Carole Littleton that she's going back to the Island to find Claire....well, nothing of the sort has happened yet...they better tell us in Season 6 what happened to Claire and whether she really is dead and in ghostly form like we all think she is. (see this post)
*LOVED the time travel talk between Hurley and Miles.
All right, so I'd really like to talk about the finale of Lost, but because I haven't caught up yet, I'm not allowed to. So...here's the quick, emphasis on QUICK, catch-up for Namaste.
*One of my favorite parts of this episode was when Juliet went over to check on Amy Goodspeed and the little baby. I love how as soon as Amy told Juliet his name was Ethan, she immediately gave him back. Ethan Goodspeed/Rom....nice.
*I also love how Jack was assigned to be a janitor according to his 'aptitude tests.' He's a spinal surgeon, for cryin' out loud!! I wonder if Sawyer had anything to do with it because Hurley very naturally was put to the kitchen to work.
*To anyone who thinks that the writers make all this stuff up as they go alone, explain the runway. Waaay back in Season 3 when Sawyer, Kate, and Jack were captured by the Others, Kate and Sawyer were forced to work on what seemed to be a runway. Flight 316 landed on said runway on the Alcatraz of the Island.
*When Jack went and saw Sawyer, I loved Sawyer's speech. "I heard once Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the Blitz. He said it made him think better. It's how I like to run things. I think. I'm sure that doesn't mean that much to you, 'cause back when you were calling the shots, you pretty much just reacted. See, you didn't think, Jack, and as I recall, a lot of people ended up dead." Jack so totally needed that...and Sawyer's a wayyy better leader than Jack was, in my opinion.
In the April 25th issue of World Magazine, they issued a contest for people to send in their favorite last lines of a book. I sent in one of mine, but it was a tough choice because I have quite a few favorite last lines. So, in a contest of my own, I'll list all my favorite last lines and in comments, y'all can try to guess the books and authors they're from. (just a warning, some of these will be very obvious, but oh well....) The first person to come up with all ten will win...well, nothing except bragging rights.
1. "And Rose drew him in, and sat him in his chair, and put little Elanor on his lap. He drew a deep breath. 'Well, I'm back,' he said."
2. "But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in _____ had only been the cover and title page; now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."
3. "'Well!" said Peter. 'We have had a time.' 'Bother!' said Edmund. 'I've left my new torch in Narnia."
4. "To begin perfect happiness at the respective ages of twenty-six and eighteen is to do pretty well; and professing myself, moreover, convinced that the general's unjust interference, so far from being really injurious to their felicity, was perhaps rather conducive to it, by improving their knowledge of each other, and adding strength to their attachment, I leave it to be settle by whomsover it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny or reward filial disobedience."
5. "'We want no proofs; we ask none to believe us! The boy will some day know what a brave and gallant woman his mother is. Already he knows her sweetness and loving care; later on he will understand how some men so loved her, that they did dare much for her sake.'"
6. "When the sea goes down, there will come from the mainland boats and men. And they will find ten dead bodies and an unsolved problem on Indian Island."
7. "He came across this entry. It said: 'The history of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why and Where phases. 'For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question How can we eat? the second by the question Why do we eat? and the third by the question Where shall we have lunch?' He got no further before the ship's intercom buzzed into life. 'Hey, Earthman? You hungry, kid?' said Zaphod's voice. 'Er, well, yes, a little peckish, I suppose,' said Arthur. 'Okay, baby, hold tight,' said Zaphod. 'We'll take in a quick bite at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.'"
8. "None of those things, however, came out of my mouth. All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you. A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR. I am haunted by humans."
9. "O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
10. "From behind them suddenly, closer than they imagined, they could hear the roar of Humperdinck: 'Stop them! Cut them off!' They were, admittedly, startled, but there was no reason for worry: they were on the fastest horses in the kingdom, and the lead was already theirs. However, this was before Inigo's wound reopened; and Westley relapsed again; and Fezzik took the wrong turn; and Buttercup's horse threw a shoe. And the night behind them was filled with the crescendoing sound of pursuit..."
So there you have it, my favorite book endings. In addition to submitting answers to where my quotes are from, I'd also love to hear y'alls favorite book endings.
So...just to get it out of the way, the outburst....IT COMPLETELY ROCKED. And Spock ROCKED EVEN HARDER.
(spoilers probably follow)
Before I get on with it, I should explain the premise: basically, the idea for this movie was to take Spock and Kirk and Bones and everyone from the Original Series and make a movie about them before they were in charge of the Enterprise. I think the term that J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and co. have been using is "reboot."
We learn through the course of the movie, that this is not the world of Star Trek as we know it. Apparently, we have come into an alternate universe because of the rift of....*suspenseful music....*
Time travel. So basically, future Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) was unable to save Romulus from destruction, so this crazy Romulan guy, Nero blames him for the destruction of his people and in the course of all this mayhem, they get sucked into the past which then alters chains of events and kills George Kirk in the process.
The story goes on just like any other Star Trek story except that they have a real budget now. Gone are the days of using one shot of the ship over and over to save money. And yet, the spirit of Star Trek remains untainted. Every single actor that played a character from the Original Series portrayed their characters PERFECTLY. Absolutely perfectly. Especially Spock, of course. Mannerisms were perfect, lines were written perfectly, and I have absolutely no complaints. Which is odd for me. Normally I am very picky about characters I already know being played by someone else or being played at all in the case of book characters.
Which brings me back to Spock. Zachary Quinto was destined to play him for the reboot. Normally, I abhor using the word 'destiny' but here it feels appropriate, and I'll tell you why. One day, as Mom was doing her laundry and watching 24, she yells to me, "Tasha! Come here! Come here! This guy looks exactly like Spock!!!!!" It was, of course, Zachary Quinto playing his character on 24 and by the time Mom was watching it, he had already been cast as Spock. "Yeah, Mom. He actually is playing Spock!" So ever since then Mom has obsessed about seeing this movie. With good reason.
As most of you are probably aware, recently all over the country there were Tea Party protests of Obama raising taxes, emulating the Boston Tea Party. I recently received an email with some good pictures from them, and just had to share some of my favorites.
Often when I read a book, I'll go briefly glance over the wikipedia article about it to get a sense of when it was written and that sort of thing, but then there will sometimes be a section toward the bottom. An innocent little section that seems to say, "Don't come look at me...I'm of no importance. I'm only rumor! Why would you want to hear about silly ruomors?" This section is often called one of two things:
Film or Adaptation
...........
So for this ranty-ish blog post, I wish to discuss the suspicious mutterings of movies to be made out of a few books I've looked into recently.
First of all, The Book Thief. In my opinion, this will be a VERY VERY VERY hard book to adapt. I mean, it's narrated by Death, for crying out loud! What also makes me think this a hard book to adapt is the language. The Book Thief was a book I savored partially because of just how it was written.
Next, another Jane Eyre. I'm sorry, I have to be suspicious of new version after the Toby Stephens/Ruth Wilson tv mini-series. It was done so well and acted so perfectly that I'm afraid anything that comes after it will disappoint me. Not to mention it's Ellen Page that's going to be playing Jane. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Ellen Page. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance of Shadowcat in X-Men, but....I'm just not sure about her playing Jane. Not to mention a newer version make by Hollywood will probably get rid of the Christian undertones of forgiveness, redemption, and everything else. Be on your guard, Hollywood.
Ok, this one I'm not so cynical about: The Hunger Games. First of all, the subject matter would translate into a film pretty well, and secondly, Suzanne Collins herself is adapting it. Score!
Notable mentions for film adaptation discussion: Fahrenheit 451 (apparently they want to try again...not sure this one will go anywhere) The Screwtape Letters (now THIS could be really good) The Hobbit (ok, I know this one isn't rumor, but I had to mention it)
Anyone else got any other adaptations to add to the discussion? I'd love to hear them! And don't forget to vote on my polls!
*a mini-post on tonight's Lost episode because I have too much homework to get caught up, but can't not post this one thought*
How ironic that while Sayid thought he was going to change history (to make it "better") and kill Ben, he himself is going to cause Ben to become the man he is. For, as Richard said, if he saves Ben, Ben will lose his youthly innocence and always be one of them. This explains alot...
I recently had the pleasure of reading Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak which had an excellent submission by the most excellent blogger Miss Erin, so...just for fun I'm going to write some of my own six word stories. Now, do understand I'm not even going to pretend to be as good as the people in this book. But someone once said write what you know, so that's what I'm doing.
So far, this has been my favorite episode of Season 5. "Why?" you ask. Because for once since this episode, which was a season ago, Sawyer has been happy and non-stressed out. Well, at least in the middle of the episode.
Ok, now I have to make my token speech about the end of the episode. Many of you have heard this before...
Kate is going to RUIN EVERYTHING!!!! She's going to be all indecisive again and go for Sawyer when he has clearly gotten over her. Besides, Juliet and Sawyer make a MUCH better couple. Juliet covers Sawyer's back. Whereas Kate was always snide and mean and just plain annoying. I take that back. More than annoying. Excrutiatingly annoying. Juliet is also very intelligent, which matches Sawyer's personality.
So we got to see the back of the four-toed statue....Interesting. This has led Dad to believe that Richard Alpert and the original Hostiles/Others who were long-lasting residents of the Island were Egyptian. The statue was the final straw, but there have been many other indications of Egyptian swill. Hieroglyphics on the walls of the Temple is the indication that most readily comes to mind.
I say again....WHY WHY WHY DID CHARLOTTE HAVE TO DIE???????????
*Ahem.* That just stinks for Daniel... And icing on the proverbial cake is that he sees her as a girl and it makes him even sadder!
So Sawyer became head of security...How cool is that?
Ugh, I've been feeling out of my element for writing about Lost these days, but I will attempt to coherently write about my thoughts towards the Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham. Seems to me it shoulda been called the Life and Death and Life of Jeremy Bentham. (*those who know what I'm talking about chuckle amusedly*)
This was kind of a depressing episode because we knew where we were headed, we just didn't know how we were headed there. Kind of like Revenge of the Sith. We all knew that Anakin was going to become Darth Vader, but we didn't know how. But, it was stil enjoyable because it answered some of the questions we had about Locke's time off the Island.
This episode also had the distinction of confusing the heck out of whether Widmore is good or bad. I'm not even going to try to figure it out. On the one hand, he WAS the one to send the freighter to extract Ben and killed a lot of innocents in the process, but on the other hand, he's helping John do what he needs to do in this episode. On that same hand, Widmore tells John he was leader of the Others before Ben exiled him. Is he lying?
Abaddon: He helps people get to where they need to go. Like PiningfortheFjords commented on one of my older posts, "Abbadon was also shown meeting with Naomi about selection of the team to go to the island, lending credence to the idea that he either determines who goes or how they get there."
See this post. The writers always have some sort of significance in mind for their character's names, so if he's Abaddon, I still think he's akin to a dark angel.
Jack: Still in his Doubting Thomas stage. Finds it only to be a coincidence that Locke ended up in his hosptal. Says his father is dead, not admitting having seen Christian on the Island or having seen the empty coffin. Good grief....
And now I come to the part I hate talking about.....Ben seems to genuinely be bad. That part....(anyone who's seen the episode knows which part I'm talking about) I almost saw it coming, but I didn't want it to be true. What in the world is going on???? Why, why why???? Oh well. At least he's come back to life on the Island like everyone thought he would.
And oh what a cliff-hanger ending they gave us with Locke seeing Ben right at the end.
UGH!! I am SO far behind in my writing about Lost....Entyhoo, on with the show. I am again going to take it point by point in sort of a stream of consciousness style because I feel a bit too frazzled to try to make a paragraph out of everything.
*This was a GREAT episode. In contrast to the mayhem and insanity of Season Four caused by the writer's strike, this episode took its time when it needed to, which was fantastic.
*I'm back to liking Jack. I know, it's sort of a cycle. I hate Jack for the first season or two, then he does some awesome stuff and I like him. Then he acts all stupid about the Island and the whole, "There's no such thing as miracles," then I don't like him. Now he's getting everyone back to the Island, and I like him. It's quite crazy....
*Yay for Frank Lapidus being back!!!!! (We're not going to Guam, are we?")
*Theories as to why Ben is all beat up? Desmond beat the crud out of him when Ben tried to kill Penny. (see 'revenge on Charles Widmore for his people killing Alex')
*Lamp Post station rocked....Eloise Hawking is slightly creepy.
*This one had the most awesome twisty, cliff-hanger ending ever: Jin got a job at Dharma!! Very tricksey of them because they don't even tell you about that until two weeks later. Hah!
The further I delve into J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the more I fall in love with it. The books are central to the obsession, of course, but around the books is also the extended universe of the movies, the musical, and things like that. And it's always so heartening and encouraging when they do the adaptions well. Take the song Now and For Always from the musical based on the book:
Great song right? Well, it's even greater to a hard-core fan when he examines the correlation between the lyrics and the original book.
"Sing me a tale of Frodo and the Ring!
Fearless and bold,"
"Tired and cold!"
"A sword at his side, an elf-blade called Sting,
Crossing a miserable land.
Wouldn't retreat, just follow his feet,
Now and for always."
Then later:
"Sing me a tale of the bravest of them all,
Comrade and guide, at my side.
Stout-hearted Sam who wouldn't let me fall,
Holding my life in his hands.
True to the end, no finer friend,
Now and for always."
Compare that to an (abridged here) passage in the book the Two Towers:
Sam: "Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We're in one, of course; but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. And people will say: 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring!' And they'll say: 'Yes, that's one of my favourite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn't he dad?' 'Yes, my boy, the famousest of the hobbits, and that's saying a lot.'"
Frodo: "But you've left out one of the chief characters: Samwise the stouthearted. 'I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn't they put more of his talk, dad? That's what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam, would he, dad?'"
"Now, Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun. I was serious."
"So was I. And so I am."
AHH!!! I can't ever stop geeking out about how awesome that passage is and how well they adapted it for the song. I can't speak for the whole musical because I haven't seen it and have only heard the soundtrack, but that song is just amazing....
But, on the other side of the equation are the things that they didn't do so well. ((from here on out is highly opinionated ground, just to warn you)) There are many examples, some of which are forgivable, (like the elves showing up at Helm's Deep) and some which are unforgivable. (Arwen in general, Haldir dying, Frodo leaving Sam on the stairs at Cirith Ungol, Anduril not coming it when it was supposed to)
But the one unforgivable change I specifically want to discuss is Faramir's character.
Faramir is my absolute favorite character in the whole book, so as I've been re-reading the book, I have been very disappointed with a lot of the changes that were in the movie. Many of these changes are humorously illustrated in this great fanfiction story.
We can laugh at the story and how the different Faramirs compare notes, but more seriously, the movie did miss alot of things. As Mom put it, "The people who wrote it didn't seem to GET his character."
The wikipedia article discusses the book fans' negative reaction to the change and notes,
"Co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens and actor David Wenham defended the changes to Faramir's character in order to increase dramatic tension: Faramir's "sea-green incorruptible" nature in the book would not have "[translated] well filmically".
I remain in the group of fans that is "unimpressed and unconvinced" with their pithy justifications. He was "sea-green incorruptible" because he was educated and wise. The book tells us that when Mithrandir (otherwise known as Gandalf) was around, Faramir always loved to listen to him talk and study with him. He probably took that studious wizard-like habit with him long after he saw Mithrandir and kept studying.
I personally think that he thought about what he would do if he came across Isildur's bane. He probably knew that anyone who used it became corrupted and evil and decided what he would do if he ever got the chance to have it. He says before even knowing what Frodo carries,
"I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory." Then once he does know about the ring, by way of Sam's slip, he says, "Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take those words as a vow, and be held by them. But I am not such a man. Or I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee."
Another "what were they thinking?" moment for me was the removal of one of the greatest lines in the trilogy that was spoken by Faramir.
"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING????????
I could go on and on and on about how much I love Faramir and how most of the movie's changes are deplorable, but I've only scratched the surface of his character in the Two Towers. I'll save Return of the King and other things for another post.
But before I shut down entirely, I want to leave y'all with one of my favorite passages in the entire book. This is right after Sam's slip, and Faramir has told them he's not going to take the Ring from them.
"Frodo had felt himself trembling as the first shock of fear passed. Now a great weariness came down on him like a cloud. he could dissemble and resist no longer.
'I was going to find a way to Morder,' he said faintly. 'I was going to Gorgoroth. I must find the Mountain of Fire and cast the thing into the gulf of doom. Gandalf said so. I do not think I shall ever get there.'
Faramir stared at him for a moment in grave astonishment. Then suddenly he caught him as he swayed, and lifting him gently, carried him to the bed and laid him there, and covered him warmly. At once he fell into a deep sleep.
Another bed was set beside him for his servant. Sam hesitated for a moment, then bowing ver low: 'Good night, Captain, my lord,' he said. 'You took the chance, sir."
'Did I so?' said Faramir.
"Yes sir, and showed your quality: the very highest.'
Faramir smiled. 'A pert servant, Master Samwise. But nay: the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards. yet there was naught in this to praise. I had not lure or desire to do other than I have done.'
'Ah well, sir,' said Sam, 'you said my master had an elvish air; and that was good and true. but I can say this: you have an air too, sir, that reminds me of, of-well, Gandalf, of wizards.'
He drew a circle that shut me out- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win; We drew a circle that took him in! ~Edwin Markham
Just for fun, my initial thoughts are in random bits. As always, spoilers appear from the get-go, so be forewarned. After this picture, you have no excuse to read unless you have seen the episode. Unless you just want to see spoilers...but I can't understand why you would.
-NO NO NO!!!!!! Why did they kill Charlotte???? Now Daniel is sad! But....he traveled in time to tell her not to go to the Island again? I thought he knew that he couldn't change anything...Hmm....maybe he's going to experience a crisis of some kind and become irrational. They did confirm that her parents were part of Dharma. So...why did her mom leave. That is the question. Also, who is her father? That's another question. Maybe her mom caught wind of the Purge...that would be a good reason for leaving.
-MWAH HA HA!!!!! Mrs. Hawking IS Dan's mum. And she is deeply enscanced in the mythology of the Island.
-So THAT'S how Montand lost his arm...Oy vey.
-Yikes! Smokey is guarding the Temple...which is apparently some sort of Sanctuary for the Others. So except in the case of Ben summoning Ol' Smokey, maybe most of those encounters with him have been in the vicinity of the Temple.
-Christian(speaking for Jacob) tells Locke that LOCKE has to move the Island?? Again?!?! Good grief, I did not see that coming. So we know the Island (or at least the people on the Island. But only certain people) has been moving in time....does that mean it's been moving in space each time as well? Or only certain times?
-And thank goodness we learned about Danielle in some way! They kept their promise. So there was a disease... It seems to me that she was the only one not affected because she was the only one who didn't descend into Smokey's summer home.
-Good for Ben with his rant! They need to quit ragging on him all the time.
Now for a serious paragraph... Charlotte said that once she left the Island, she asked her mom about it, but her mom denied its existence. She even went so far as to say that Charlotte had made it up. It occurred to me watching the episode the second time that this parallels Lucy and Edmund in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Charlotte Staples Lewis is also named after its author, Clive Staples Lewis. Both Charlotte and her mom had been to the Island, but left. Likewise, both Lucy and Edmund had been to Narnia. But, once they were back in the "real world" Edmund denied the existence of Narnia just as Charlotte's mom denied the existence of the Island.
As always, it's been fun. I shall return later to discuss my adventures in the land of Hill Country.
I conform to non-conformity. I am myself because everyone else is taken. I am a paradox wrapped in an oxymoron smothered in contradictions in terms. I am who I am and say what I feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
