Cease Repining

Angsty Quote Day

2012-02-12T21:18:00.001-06:00

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." -Corrie ten Boom

"A DEFINITION NOT FOUND
IN THE DICTIONARY
Not leaving: an act of trust and love,
Often deciphered by children." -Markus Zusak

"His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools -- the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans -- and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, 'You can't trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there's nothing you can do about it, so let's have a drink." -Terry Pratchett

My Computer Crashed...

2012-02-04T22:35:00.000-06:00

...thankfully, I have another that I use for school, so I'm not messed up there.
My hard drive is fried, so I lost anything that wasn't backed up. Taking inventory of the stuff I know I lost, the thing that made me go "OH, CRAP!!" when I thought of it while lying in bed this morning was my book inventory...oh, I know I backed it up at some point, but I don't know whether I backed it up after the last major overhaul.

So....frustrating....

New Music That Makes Me Happy (Well, Sort Of)

2012-01-25T09:17:00.000-06:00

Celtic Woman's new album is great...this is my favorite, but I also love You'll Never Walk Alone, Follow On, A Woman's Heart, and many others.

This is a very poignant song...I have the "real" version, but I first heard this song on the Muppet Show, so I thought I'd show y'all that version.

I LOVE the single they released from the Hunger Games soundtrack. It has just now inspired me to read all the books again before the movie comes out.

Last Night

2012-01-24T15:06:00.000-06:00

I sat with one I love last night,
She sang to me an olden strain;
In former times it woke delight,
Last night-but pain.

Last night we saw the stars arise,
But clouds soon dimmed the ether blue;
And when we sought each other's eyes
Tears dimmed them too!

We paced along our favorite walk,
But paced in silence broken-hearted:
Of old we used to smile and talk;
Last night-we parted.

-George Darley

P.S. Yay for finding books such as 1000 Years of Irish Poetry at Half-Price Books!!! I knew there was a reason I always went to the bookstore when I'm melancholy.

Internet Community, Take Note!!!!

2012-01-18T12:07:00.000-06:00

Federal government censorship is NEVER acceptable.

Please take a stand against SOPA along with all the other sites blacking out in protest.

Here's one petition.

Here's americancensorship.org's form to Senators that you can send off.

Remember what Faber said to Montag about what happened after people stopped reading--"So few want to be rebels anymore."

Resistance is victory!!

Have You Hugged Your Constant Today?

2012-01-11T13:31:00.000-06:00

I watched my favorite episode of Lost the other day because...well, I just had the urge to for no reason that I can really say. It made me think how fantastical and awesome this individual story arc was even IF the ending sucked.

Just think hypothetically for a moment. What if you and I were dating. In love. Looking to marry. Then I suddenly cut off the relationship and joined the armed forces.
Two years later, after not hearing from me at ALL, I call you and say I need to see you. You refuse. I then track you down through your father.
Though irritated, you let me talk. I tell you that if you ever loved me or still have any hope for our relationship, you need to give me your phone number and keep the same number. I'm not going to call for eight years, but when I do I NEED you to answer.

Those of you who watched Lost will, of course, recognize that I am talking about Desmond and Penny's story arc, specifically the events in The Constant. (probably my favorite episode of the series)
Though Desmond never specifically tells Penny that he's jumping through time, watching it again made me think about that (almost entirely) unlikely scenario. How in the world do you tell someone that if you don't make contact with them in eight years (during those eight years, we WON'T talk. At all.) you will die of disorientation by time travel.

Asking someone to be your constant is an incredibly serious thing to ask. Literally life and death. It has a bit more leverage than asking someone to be your valentine. Whatever that means today.

And so, I'd like to present you with

Lady Brainsample's Guide to Choosing Your Constant

When considering a constant, there are many important factors to consider. This guide endeavors to help you explore the important questions to ask about the person who potentially qualifies.

1. Is your candidate familiar in both time periods?

This isn't the time to call up Susie from second grade. The candidate should exist in both time periods and also be someone you can potentially get ahold of in both time periods.
Lady Brainsample recommends taking very careful consideration about using parents or grandparents because of this qualification.
As our posterboy Desmond Hume knows, there can be a large amount of time between the two periods one is shifting to and from, so if you happen to have been isolated on an Island for a few years and suddenly need a constant, you don't want to call on your Great Grandma Louise who was on the brink of death the last time you saw her. Likewise, even if you are pretty sure Susie would agree to be your constant, if you haven't spoken to her since the last time you attacked her with snowballs, (with the assistance of your tiger) she probably isn't the ideal constant.

2. Is your candidate someone meaningful to you?

You may have your old boss's phone number burned into your permanent memory banks, but if you toss and turn in your sleep with nightmares of your boss's former demands that he needs you to come in Saturday, you probably don't have a meaningful relationship with him.
Because the whole reason you need a constant is to avoid a brain aneurism, you don't want to speed up the process by your only contact being someone who threatened to do so every day of your life you worked for him.
To avoid dying by brain aneurism by time travel, your constant should be someone whose voice and presence bring about positive feelings. Our posterboy Desmond Hume, for this reason, picked the woman he loved, Penny Widmore, to be his constant.

3. Is your constant likely to believe fantastic phenomena?

Though Desmond Hume didn't directly tell Penny about his time travel problems, Lady Brainsample recommends being more straightforward to your candidate about their duties as your constant.
If you are great friends with your physics professor, but he makes a comment about how only nut jobs believe time travel could ever be possible, it's probably a good idea to be discrete about your time travel problems and look for a constant elsewhere.
On the other hand, if your conspiracy-theory loving best friend sports an X-Files "I Want to Believe" shirt with the appropriate spacey planet earrings and green eye shadow, she is probably more likely to believe your time traveling tales and be more than happy to assist you.

If you answer yes to all three questions, then congratulations! You've found yourself a good candidate! All of us at Cease Repining wish you the best in your traipsings through time travel.

Happy Bill of Rights Day...

2011-12-15T15:50:00.000-06:00

Congress: "Oh, yeah, here's the National Defense Authorization Act that gives the executive branch the power to take away basic rights set out in the Bill of Rights. This is all for your safety. You're welcome."

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised 'for the good of its victimes' may be the most oppressive." -C.S. Lewis

......

I've spent quite a bit of time today writing all of my representatives. Every single one of them voted for the travesty. In fact, EVERYONE from my home state other than Ron Paul voted for it which REALLY disappoints me.

I urge you, readers, please see if your representatives voted for it and if they did, send them angry (but hopefully polite) letters and withdraw your support!
~
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-Edmund Burke

Yes, I Cry During Happy Movies

2011-12-04T21:56:00.000-06:00

Lady Brainsample has had three days in a row of being almost completely happy, so she wishes to make a blog post. Not only was yesterday a mostly happy day, but Friday she found out there is a SLIGHT chance she may be able to get an A in the dreaded Business Law class.

But that's not the point of this blog post, so she will switch from third person back to first.

I saw The Muppets. (the movie, not them in general...)

Now, when I found out last June that they were making a new Muppet movie that was going to be a theatrical release, I was skeptical. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Muppets. Always have. But the last thing they made that had to do with the Muppets (I think it was some sort of TV or direct to DVD-type special called Letters to Santa or something like that...) failed to please.
It wasn't that it was BAD bad, but it wasn't the regular caliber of proper Muppet productions. It was a predictable plot with mediocre music that was obviously contrived to squeeze money out of the franchise. Honestly, the last great Muppet movie was probably Muppets From Space.

Even the movie before that (It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas) wasn't that great. There were moments I absolutely LOVED, (see this blog post) but overall, it was just meh.
But anyway, up until it actually came out, I was skeptical. Then one of Mom's old friends saw it and said that if it didn't win Best Picture, the Oscars would be exposed for the sham that they are.

Ok, that's encouraging. Hope slightly restored.
Then I heard the beginning of the latest Overthinking It podcast, in which they were planning to discuss the movie. Before I stopped listening to it, (didn't want to hear spoilers) they said all sorts of stuff about how you MUST see this movie, etc., etc., etc.

Ok, I'm excited.

I was not disappointed. So, I echo others. GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

There are SO many things I loved about this movie. The music was outstanding, the non-Muppet actors did a fine job, the Muppets themselves looked GREAT.
The story was great; reading the synopsis, I thought I would be able to predict where the story was going to go, but I didn't.

But what was really awesome was a feeling I got that was similar to how I felt watching Toy Story 3. When I saw Toy Story 3, it felt really relevant to me because Andy was going to college, he was the same age as I am; so it was like they made the movie not only for all the kids of this generation, but also for the generation that grew up with the Toy Story movies.

Similarly, with the Muppet movie, when we finally meet Kermit again, he talks about how they've waned in popularity, but in spite of that, Walter, the greatest Muppet fan, loves them and eggs them on to put on another show. Whenever Kermit said something about people not knowing who they were or caring anymore, my mental thoughts were, "I still love y'all!!!"

All of the Muppets reuniting again in the story was incredibly awesome, Kermit finally admits that he loved Miss Piggy, and I don't know how to write about other stuff that I loved without sounding so inCREDibly sappy.
Even more sappy than I sound when I tell you readers that I cried. A whole lot. Not just during sad parts! During all the happy angsty parts. When Kermit and Piggy finally started singing Rainbow Connection together, I completely lost it.

Final comments: Jim Parsons was AWESOME as his appearance as the human version of Walter; Chris Cooper makes a great villain; and I loved that Uncle Deadly (one of the less well-known Muppets) got to have a featured role and turned good at the end.

And because I haven't posted anything about my cats recently, I'll show y'all my attempt to get Trillian (our newest) to take a picture with me.
It didn't go as planned, ha ha.

More Truth in Webcomics

2011-12-01T20:26:00.000-06:00

Comic credit goes here. I own nothing.

Just Because I'm Paranoid

2011-12-01T12:39:00.001-06:00

This is disgusting.

Whether you're Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian, this should make you mad. John McCain has obviously not read the Bill of Rights lately, or he would have encountered some amendments such as this one:

Amendment IV: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, again unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

....or how about this one:

Amendment V: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

...or maybe this one:

Amendment VI: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense."

.........

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Ben Franklin
My finding this story today after having watched Red Dawn last night makes for an incredibly brain-loaded day of thinking of contingency plans. But my thoughts on Red Dawn will have to go onto another blog post.

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

2011-11-30T17:47:00.002-06:00

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

-W.B. Yeats

I Am Insanely Happy

2011-11-18T16:34:00.000-06:00

I've been really, really happy for no reason for the past few days, and it has come to a climax today.

Why, you ask, is today so special?

Well, anyone who knows me well knows that I can't cook. With few exceptions. Very, very few other than box dinners, rice, pasta, canned chili, and things that you throw on the steamer or into the oven.

Recently, I've been thinking about what I want to make on a regular basis when I go off to college next year. Today, I attempted and succeeded at making one of my favorite things in the world....

.....potato soup.

To be specific, a wonderful creamy potato leek soup.

And so I am insanely happy.

I Wish I Were More of a Ferris Than a Cameron.

2011-11-14T17:23:00.002-06:00

That is all.

Well, not really all. How awesome is the new Hunger Games trailer?!

Also, I'm thinking of having a discussion on Jerry Maguire, one of the greatest non-sports sports movies ever made.

In the mean time, enjoy Tom Cruise's genius in the flip out scene. I'm a DANCER, and I don't know how he contorts himself like that, ha ha... If you wish, skip the rest of the clip, but please watch him FLIP OUT!! It will make your day more hilarious.

I feel better already.

Processed

2011-11-12T16:29:00.002-06:00

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that." -John Cusack as Lloyd Dobbler in Say Anything

Efficiency

2011-11-10T18:20:00.000-06:00

Pretty in Pink and Say Anything: A Discussion about Love Transcending Class Lines in Teen Movies of the 1980s

2011-11-10T11:50:00.001-06:00

I watched one of my favorite movies yesterday, Pretty in Pink, and while watching it, I was struck with a number of similarities in subject matter and theme to another one of my favorite movies, Say Anything.
If this were a proper literature paper, my thesis statement might be something like "Pretty in Pink and Say Anything are perfect examples of 1980s coming of age movies about romance across class lines."

Just as a tangent, I find it funny that MOST 80s movies I watch instantly become favorite movies. Well, other than Sixteen Candles. I liked it, but not like I like The Princess Bride, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Say Anything, Pretty in Pink, Overboard, The Lost Boys, Back to the Future, Dirty Dancing, The Goonies, and Ghostbusters.

Anyway, watching Pretty in Pink again, I'm still among the camp that thinks Andie (the Molly Ringwald character) should've ended up with Duckie. (Jon Cryer) Now, don't get me wrong, to make a movie that will make money, I understand what they mean when they said in the bonus feature, "Ya can't make a movie where she doesn't get the cute guy in the end."
Also, they discussed how if you make a movie about romance across class lines and then have the lower-class heroine end up with the lower-class guy, that doesn't send a good message about love conquering all and stuff like that.

The big problem with that in Pretty in Pink is the lack of character on the part of Blane (Andrew McCarthy), the rich kid Andie falls for. I just don't find him interesting and lovable like I do Duckie. Yes, he at first thinks he can go out with Andie despite backlash for it from his rich friends and possible backlash from his parents, but he loses any respect I had for him by backing out on taking Andie to the prom and making up the excuse that he had "asked someone else earlier and forgot."

Duck, on the other hand, though he acts a bit like a jerk when he finds out Andie is going out with Blane, he only does so in an overreaction. He truly believes that Blane is only going out with her to use her and finds that disgusting when Duckie himself has been devoted to her for so long and loves her so much.

Now turning to Say Anything, I believe this movie also is thematically about love over class lines, but in a much subtler way. In Pretty in Pink, there is very obviously a divide in the town: a literal wrong side of the railroad tracks. Andie at the end of her first date with Blane doesn't want him to take her home because she doesn't want him to see where she lives.

In Say Anything, the "class line" isn't so much about physical address and/or amount of money, but about education and prospects, and this I believe is more likely to be realistic in today's world.
While in Pretty in Pink we have Andie, the "lower class girl" and Blane the "rich guy," in Say Anything we have Diane Court (Ione Sky), the valedictorian and Lloyd Dobbler (John Cusack), an intelligent and sweet but underachieving guy. Diane has been accepted to a prestigious study abroad fellowship in England, while Lloyd has no concrete plans for the future and what plans he does have include trying to become a pro in kickboxing "the sport of the future."

In Pretty in Pink, we have pressure placed on the couple from their social groups and on Blane's side, his parents if they knew about what was going on, but Andie's father encourages her that if they love each other, they should forget about their friends.
In Say Anything, most of the action takes place after graduation. At the party Lloyd and Diane go to as their first date, Lloyd's friends all like Diane (though they all wish they could have known her before graduation. It is explained that she took classes at the college in their town as well, so wasn't involved heavily in the student body.) After graduation and the final party, social groups aren't much of a force over the summer, so pressure on the couple in this movie comes in the form of Diane's overprotective loving father. (John Mahoney)

Diane's father doesn't object to him based on money; (Lloyd at the time is living with his grown sister and his parents are working in Europe.) he objects to her dating him because of his lack of prospects, saying to him, "You're not a permanent part of her life. You're a distraction."

In both of these movies, we have an absent mother and a father who wants to take care of his baby girl the best he can. In Pretty in Pink, the father is still bereaved from his wife leaving, so he's more...how do I say this?...sympathetic to his daughter's happiness in the way of love.
In Say Anything, the father also wants his daughter to be happy, but he sees that goal as being accomplished by urging her to get the best possible education and preparing for the future. He sees anything (or anyone) that takes even a little away from that as a distraction and a waste of time.

And so, you ask, what is to be gleaned from all this?

I'm not sure. In Pretty in Pink, the ending is left hazy. Andie obviously chooses Blane, the rich kid, and we're left to hope that things worked out for them in the end despite potential criticism from his parents and being ostracized by his friends. We know that Duckie gains respect for Blane for coming alone to the prom and tells Andie to go after him so that they can be happy. Her father wasn't much of an issue. And so we have a fairy tale type ending.

In Say Anything, we also have a happy ending, but this one is a bit more bittersweet. Diane's dad is conveniently convicted of embezzling money from tenants of his nursing home, and so put away into prison and not much of a driving force in his daughter's life. She forgives him and visits him before she leaves for England, but decides to be with Lloyd even though from prison, her Dad still disapproves of him.
I'm left to wonder what happened when (or if) they came back from England. I'm sure they were happy together and Lloyd got his act together to take care of and eventually marry Diane, but assuming they ever went back to America and Diane's dad ever got out of prison, what kind of family dynamics would they have?
Would he still be angry for her choosing to be with Lloyd or would he see that he was unreasonable and accept them? And would they care if he did or not? We know that she forgave him for what he did with the money, but would she still want to have a major relationship with a man who stole most of what they had and caused so much unhappiness for her and Lloyd over the summer before they got back together?

Who knows.

A Visual Representation of Lady Brainsample's Life Right Now

2011-11-07T20:11:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit.

How's everyone else's Monday going?

Why Exactly Is Calculus Required for Business Majors Again??

2011-11-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

Thank the Lord for take home calculus tests. Thanks also abound for calculus teachers who will understand my motivation for this blog post.
My motivation? The solution my teacher himself gave us to fix the problem we're having trouble with isn't working. I've tried it three times and checked my work each time, but the stupid integral won't cooperate and give me the x bar for the center of mass.
Long story short, ("Too late!") I've given up on that problem, so that frustration is going to be channeled into a blog post.

The problem?

Whatever shall I write about?!?!

And so, in perfect irony, the frustration of not being able to think of anything to write is simply being added to the frustration of calculus.

[Insert Pithy Title about Angst and/or Disney Pictures Here]

2011-10-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

So, I was going to favor y'all with a post yesterday about how I had post show depression, but that it was going to be all right and I had positive/humorous ways to deal with it, but then I got a terrible grade on an online test which made my mood plummet.

Today, I'm not so depressed, so I will attempt to blog again.
I'm very pleased with coincidental timing that really helped me yesterday. I got a book from the library a few weeks ago about...I guess the way to describe it is how to deal with being a first born. (whether you're first born because of actual birth order or by being functionally first born.) At some point after the debacle of that business law test, I picked up reading where I had left off a couple weeks ago and was barraged with admonitions that you DON'T NEED TO BE PERFECT. It's NOT the end of the world. So that was good.

Today, I wish to share with y'all some really cool pictures I found on the internet today.
This graphic design student for fun decided to manipulate Disney animated characters to where they looked like real people. The results (I think) are absolutely stunning. I especially love the Jasmine and Esmerelda pictures. And there are more on his website.

I'm Not Normally a Huge Fan of Music Videos...

2011-10-20T23:17:00.001-05:00

....but this one is awesome.

Truth in Webcomics

2011-10-03T14:42:00.001-05:00

Wherever you'd put actor/spy, I'd still be in that stage.

You can also substitute likelihood to speak with proper grammar and how much your mother/teacher made you diagram sentences with this same graph.

Hee hee...

Thank you, calculus. I now sufficiently know what most of that means. Well, other than the heart variables of course. I'd love to be able to take the square root of love.

"Who is more foolish? The dork or the person who marries the dork?"

This one's for my AD.

I need to get myself a Spinal Tap shirt...

This one goes to my mother. Thanks for passing that gene down to me, not only for the student's angst dreams, but also the director's, actor's, and stage manager's.

Credit goes here and here.

Things Lady Brainsample Is Pondering Over These Days Based On Her Current Reading Material

2011-10-02T18:14:00.000-05:00

"As physicians, psychiatrists have the right to prescribe drugs or electroshock, to hospitalize patients, and to treat people against their will. They are the only mental health professionals who routinely exercise these powers." -from Toxic Psychiatry, by Dr. Peter Breggin

"It is remarkable, Hardin, how the religion of science has grabbed hold." -from Foundation, by Isaac Asimov

"There is indeed a peculiar charm both in friendship and in eros, about those moment when Appreciative love lies, as it were, curled up asleep, and the mere ease and ordinariness of the relationship (free as solitude, yet neither is alone) wraps us round. No need to talk. No need to make love. No needs at all except perhaps to stir the fire." -from The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis

"The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, 'What? You too? I thought I was the only one.'" -from The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis

"For it is the very mark of Eros [Lewis' classification of romantic love] that when he is in us we had rather share unhappiness with the Beloved than be happy on any other terms...Eros never hesitates to say, 'Better this than parting. Better to be miserable with her than happy without her. Let our hearts break provided they break together.' If the voice within us does not say this it is not the voice of Eros." -from The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis

"Maybe we are not such fools as we look. But though we be, we are well content, so long as we may be two fools together." -from Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore

Two of My Favorite Things Rolled Into One

2011-09-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

In my angst about whether the new Muppet movie coming out in November will be good or not, I remembered this little beauty from one of the tv specials that came out some years ago.
My favorite part is probably when Miss Piggy yells something to the effect of, "Can everyone stop singing different songs?!" Oh, Baz...

What Really Irritates Me/Things that Make Me Happy (Current List)

2011-09-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

*Those who do not pay attention when a stop light turns green.

*Getting up at 6 in the morning to get ready for class.

*Almost falling asleep in class because of above statement.

*Mitt Romney.

*Accounting homework that won't balance. (It balanced eventually, but it took me five sessions of checking it to find my mistake.)

*Classrooms that are too cold.

And finally, last (DEFINITELY not least) *THAT ONE PERSON WHO KEEPS STEALING MY SPOT IN ECONOMICS CLASS!!!!

Now, the positive side.

*Driving my stick shift.

*Seeing the fog in the morning.

*Feeling the not-quite-as-hot weather in the morning.

*Ron Paul.

*Accounting homework that balances on the first try.

*Remembering to get/wear my Battlestar sweater at later classrooms that are also cold.

And that's it, because I can't find a positive side to that PERSON WHO KEEPS STEALING MY SPOT IN ECONOMICS CLASS....

That is all.

Why is it...

2011-09-06T11:23:00.000-05:00

...that when I need new music, the library catalog is being updated, ergo I can't put anything I want on hold?! Well....for consolation, I'm going to go to the bookstore today. So there.

In other news, the first rehearsal for my show is tonight...I'm very excited. After much rigamarole, we have a cast again. In order to get a replacement for someone who had other commitments, I had to brush up the phone voice again. I called...what was it?...four people before I got someone who could do it that actually had an interest.

Lesson learned: Don't count your cast members before the first rehearsal.

And so this post isn't completely lame, I leave y'all with a song I'm really loving right now from a musical called Curtains.

To make up for the angst of that song, and because I told myself I was going to be HAPPY today, I'll also leave y'all with links for Muppet Show songs I'm also loving right now.

Old Fashioned Love Song

She Loves You

"There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met."-Gonzo

"We're alike, me and cat."

2011-09-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

"You know those days when you get the mean reds?"
"The mean reds, you mean like the blues?"
"No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?"
"Sure."
"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!"

"We're alike, me and cat. A couple of poor nameless slobs."

"I'll tell you one thing, Fred, darling... I'd marry you for your money in a minute. Would you marry me for my money?"
"In a minute."
"I guess it's pretty lucky neither of us is rich, huh?"

"It's useful being top banana in the shock department."

Things Learned from the Second Audition Session/Casting Process

2011-08-31T14:37:00.001-05:00

1. For as many gut reactions for casting certain people that were right (four) there are going to be at least two that will blow your original perceptions out of the water.

2. There are going to be certain people you really want to cast in a certain role, but if they just don't have enough intuition or maturity or whatever to be able to handle it, it's disappointing.

3. Alpha-numeric system for distributing scenes = better than system used on Sunday. Yelling out "Who has B-3?" is much easier than "Who has the Kennedy-Sally-Russell-Schultz scene?"

4. Easy, "this is your person" casting decisions are incredibly awesome. I had one of those.

5. Learning that someone you cast in your show in a part that they were great for can't actually be in your show is frustrating. No hard feelings toward the person, of course, but they were going to be PERFECT and UGH!! Anyway...

6. Directors shouldn't be surprised when they have to alter the schedule...again...

7. Good mentors are absolutely wonderful.

It's really strange coming to a show from this angle. I'm used to waiting for the cast list with bated breath, wondering who's going to play which character and stuff like that.
This time I've released the cast list; I know who's playing who; and now I'm wondering what kind of flack (if any) I'm getting behind my back for the decisions I've made. Not that I should get any argument; I followed all of my impartial casting person's advice, but still.

I'm glad that casting is over. I think that's probably the thing I was most worried about.

Things Learned from the First Audition Session

2011-08-29T15:15:00.000-05:00

1. Just because you're super organized with scenes and lists and things like that doesn't mean it all won't fall apart when everything gets going.

2. You can learn more about directing in one two-hour session with a mentor than by reading ten books on the subject.

3. For those who don't like talking on the phone to those they don't know well, a good phone voice = A. A shield when talking to said people they don't know well and
B. Entertainment for those they do.

4. When conducting scene readings, directors should not be afraid to stop a scene in the middle to ask for the auditionees to try something different.

5. Having a casting advisor much more experienced than yourself is a BIG BIG BIG advantage. He can see things about people you've known for years that you never thought of.

6. Comfortable (yet still eccentric) director's outfit + green eye shadow + favorite perfume = happy director.

7. It's good to have an abundance of pens and pencils but only have one on the director's desk at a time because otherwise, they'll get in the way.

And finally,
8. Being in charge is pretty awesome.

Philosophical Thoughts for the Day

2011-08-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

All credit goes here.

I'm Really Loving The Smiths Right Now

2011-08-24T15:47:00.004-05:00

Take me out tonight
Where there's music and there's people
Who are young and alive
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven't got one anymore

Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people
And I want to see life
Driving in your car
Oh please don't drop me home
Because it's not my home, it's their home
And I'm welcome no more

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine

Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere, I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
And in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask

Take me out tonight
Oh take me anywhere, I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven't got one
No, I haven't got one

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes in to us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine

There is a light that never goes out
There is a light that never goes out
There is a light that never goes out
There is a light that never goes out

Gone

2011-08-24T12:17:00.000-05:00

Everybody loved Chick Lorimer in our town.
Far off
Everybody loved her.
So we all love a wild girl keeping a hold
On a dream she wants.
Nobody knows where Chick Lorimer went.
Nobody knows why she packed her trunk...a few
old things
And is gone,
Gone with her little chin
Thrust ahead of her
And her soft hair blowing careless
From under a wide hat,
Dancer, singer, a laughing passionate lover.

Were there ten men or a hundred hunting Chick?
Were there five men or fifty with aching hearts?
Everybody loved Chick Lorimer.
Nobody knows where she's gone.

-Carl Sandburg

Photo credit.

The Beginning of My Directorial Journey

2011-08-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

The title of this post isn't completely accurate, because the journey probably technically began when I was approved to be a director for the season, but I didn't really feel like a director 'till this past Sunday.

Plus, "The Beginning of My Directorial Journey" sounds better than "Starting in the Middle of My Directorial Journey." So, for the purposes of making the name both cool and accurate, I'll start with the amusing story of the night I was approved to direct.

I was on the play-selection committee last year. I had inquired about directing sometime then, but the response I got was that while I was technically more qualified than most of the people that directed, because I was only 17, people might not respond well to my direction.
I was perfectly content with that and continued on. During last season, while in It's a Wonderful Life, I not only acted in it, but also gained more experience stage managing and assistant directing it.
When January and with it the beginning of the play selection process rolled around, I had high hopes of being considered old enough to be able to direct.

The night we had the first meeting I could attend, was I cool, collected and on time?
...Nope! I was coming from my Sensei's mother's funeral viewing, so I was disheveled and late. Despite my stress, I waltzed into the meeting, plopped myself down at the table, and was promptly asked by our technical director, "Now, are you available to direct any slot of the year?"
Though taken aback, I answered (somewhat) calmly, "I'm available all year, but I would prefer the fall slot."
"We needed a fall director. What do you want to direct?"

Wait a sec...what?!?!?! Really?!?!?

So it began!! I still find it amusing how I simply waltzed in there and was told I got to direct.
Over the next couple months, I narrowed down my choices (I considered doing Reserve Two for Murder, And Then There Were None, Angel Street, The Importance of Being Earnest, and You Can't Take It With You.) eventually choosing Reserve Two for Murder because A: I thought it was better for its intended audience than most of the other choices I had considered, B: It was a relatively simple production; I didn't want to do anything too complex or incredibly hard for my first directing stint, and C: I've acted in it before, so I'm incredibly familiar with it already.

Once chosen, it was eventually approved by the board, so the pre-production work began. I've enlisted an old acting teacher as my impartial casting advisor, started to tweak changes we need to make to the script, and gotten most of my audition materials ready. I only need to print up my character descriptions and rehearsal schedules on that front.
I've also decided to re-set the play in the 1980s, so I've also done research on script changes pertaining to that issue.

And that brings us to Sunday. Sunday was the end of our last show, so I was explained the process for opening and locking up the theater and then given the key.

That key is what made me finally almost feel like a real director. Thus I count that the beginning.
I hope that as this journey continues, my thoughts and musings on directing will continue to entertain you.

Until then, my (probably few) readers, remember Ford Prefect. I hope that you and I will continue be hoopy froods that know where our towels are.

Current Oddities of My Life (Round 2)

2011-08-22T17:22:00.000-05:00

Not being able to stop singing Dentist! from Little Shop of Horrors and Lemming of the BDA from Flying Circus in my head while under the knife (not really) at the dentist today.

The paradox of being utterly and completely exhausted but not being able to sleep.

The ridiculousness of my hair dye job yet my still liking it. I had planned to go ahead with Phase 2 this week, (which would be putting the more natural-looking color over this uber-light one) but I'm eccentric enough that I think I'm going to keep the insane-looking color for awhile.
Maybe I'll streak it with one of my unnatural colors. Hmm...

Seeing the awesome-est thing yesterday: a huge wrecker truck with a smaller wrecker truck on top of it and a crashed car on top of that one. It was wonderful...

Being driven INSANE by the Entr'acte from Singin' in the Rain running through my head as I type. UGH! Why can't it at least be one of the good songs?!
That's it...maybe if I listen to Love Autopsy over and over it'll go away...
..
...
....
.....
......
.......
........
.............

Nope.

....Drat.

Thank You, Mr. Wilde

2011-08-18T00:35:00.000-05:00

"One should always be a little improbable."

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!"

"Over the piano was printed a notice: Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best."

"The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death."

"Be happy, be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart's-blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty."

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

"The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated."

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

I still love Oscar Wilde.

I Found What I Want to Do With the Rest of My Life

2011-08-17T11:14:00.001-05:00

I want to be a part of the Seasteading Movement.

The Seasteading Institute wants to create floating cities away from any waters that are governed and create libertarian societies for those sick and tired of oppressive and out-of-control governments. From their website:

"The vision of seasteading is an urgent one. We can already see that existing political systems are straining to cope with the realities of the 21st century. We need to create the next generation of governance: banking systems to better handle the inevitable financial crises, medical regulations that protect people without retarding innovation, and democracies that ensure our representatives truly represent us.Seasteaders believe that government shouldn't be like the cell phone carrier industry, with few choices and high customer-lock-in. Instead, we envision a vibrant startup sector for government, with many small groups experimenting with innovative ideas as they compete to serve their citizens' needs better.Currently, it is very difficult to experiment with alternative social systems on a small scale; countries are so enormous that it is hard for an individual to make much difference. The world needs a place where those who wish to experiment with building new societies can go to test out their ideas. All land is already claimed -- which makes the oceans humanity's next frontier."

Sounds like a great idea, right?

After I saw this on the Blaze, someone from my church posted the Yahoo version of the article on the church facebook group with the comment, "What would a society look like with no laws or moral code?"

....another case of libertarians being misrepresented. UGH!!!

My response was "I think the Yahoo article misrepresented the Institute. I saw this on the Blaze and then went to their actual website. Nowhere do they say that they are opposed to laws; just overregulation and over-sized government. They even say, "We need to create the next generation of governance: banking systems to better handle the inevitable financial crises, medical regulations that protect people without retarding innovation, and democracies that ensure our representatives truly represent us."
Libertarians aren't opposed to laws; we're opposed to big and out-of-control government. The Seasteading Institute wants to be able to try small government from the ground up. I applaud them for that."

I really want to live on one of these things someday...

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn...

2011-08-14T01:32:00.001-05:00

...is just to love and be loved in return.

This movie makes me so happy.

We Wear the Mask

2011-08-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sights?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

-Paul Laurence Dunbar

This is Why I Should Not Be Trusted With a Curling Iron

2011-08-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

Music That Currently Makes Me Happy (Part 4)-Miscellaneous

2011-08-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

Before we get to the final post in the "Music That Currently Makes Me Happy" series, did anyone see the GOP debate last night? I was unable to, though I was encouraged by an article that said that Ron Paul "was the crowd favorite."
Oh, the joys of being able to vote in the next election!! I can't wait.

We wrap up with miscellaneous music: two alternative songs and a soundtrack song.

First, Under the Milky Way by the Church. This guy's voice....oh...my...gosh. I love it. Just the title of the song makes me happy thinking about it. These Aussies are pretty awesome.

Next, Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge. This song is SO BRILLIANT on so many levels. Baz Luhrmann took what on their own are sappy love pop songs and combined them into the medley, which is PERFECT for Christian and Satine in the movie. I hadn't even liked most of these songs on their own, but combined, they rock.

On a side note, this is a very cool video that someone made of the original songs in the medley against pictures of Satine and Christian.

Finally, Wonderwall by Oasis. You'll remember I've been obsessed with this song for quite a long time.
Still love it.

Honorable Mentions: Where the Streets Have No Name, (Pet Shop Boys version) Nara, (E.S. Posthumous) Test Drive, (How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack) Lucky, (Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat) In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel) and Come What May and Your Song. (from Moulin Rouge)

Music That Currently Makes Me Happy (Part 3)-Celtic Woman

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

I could include most of the songs from their album Songs from the Heart, particularly Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears; Galway Bay; You'll Be In My Heart; and Amazing Grace; but my current favorite is their version of Fields of Gold, originally by Sting.

Another song that I was until recently unaware of that I love is Newgrange. It's about, well, Newgrange, which is actually the oldest surviving man-made structure in the world. It's older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Orla's voice in this song.

Finally, I'm so irritated because they don't have a recording of this song. It's such a wonderful song, but there is NO RECORDING OF IT!!!!

At the Ceili

Honorable Mentions of Celtic Woman songs that make me happy other than aforementioned songs: Orinoco Flow; the Sky, the Dawn, and the Sun; Chloe's Starry, Starry Night; Walking in the Air; Siull A Run; Dulaman; and the Soft Goodbye.

I must remember to post about the (somewhat) recent discovery of my love for my (what little I have) Irish heritage...

Current Oddities of My Life

2011-08-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

*My little brother teaching me how to tie a hangman's noose today.

*Getting sugar ants...in my BATHROOM???

*Sleeping in our library last night because of the smell of ant poison leaking into my room...it's not a BAD scent per se, (it's a natural swill type spray) but it is very...pungent.

*Washing out crusty hairspray still in my hair from this past weekend of shows. Oh, the joys of doing 20s hair and having to schlack it solid.

*Recovery from tech/hell week last week? 12 consecutive hours spent in my bed. (Including sleeping and reading time.)

*Good recovery, but then being hit with insomnia two nights in a row....urg...

*My favorite: After finally getting to sleep last night, having a dream that I was planning to go to a college that was run by Disney. I was on the computer planning to buy "school pride" swill which was all Disney characters. And I was probably an arts major.

*Bruises on my shins and ankles from having to fight in the line at tae kwon do class yesterday.

*Finishing my online English Comp. 2 course and managing to get through with some sanity despite hating most of the short stories we were forced to read and write papers over.

Music That Currently Makes Me Happy (Part 2)-Rebellious and/or Irish Sounding Songs

2011-08-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

Insomnia strikes again, so here we go with Part 2!!

First, the main theme from Firefly. I could listen to this song over and over and over without getting sick of it.

"Take my love, take my land. Take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care; I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me.
Take me out to the black. Tell them I ain't coming back.
Burn the land and boil the sea. You can't take the sky from me."

Next, Bonnie Blue Flag. This is the 2nd South Carolina String Band performing in the movie Gods and Generals.

Finally, A Prayer for Me In Silence by Flogging Molly. I wish this song was LONGER because it's so awesome. And I couldn't find a version of them actually performing it, just the audio.

Music That Currently Makes Me Happy (Part 1)-Musical Theatre Songs

2011-08-09T15:06:00.002-05:00

Despite my griping and complaining that this musical even existed, I really love this one song. Someone in my vocal studio sang it during our recital, and I fell in love with it.
Which makes it really irritating that I don't have the vocal type or range to sing this song, ha ha.

The Title Song from Love Never Dies

Next, another piece that was performed at my vocal recital, though again not by me. This song is from the musical Side Show, which is about a set of conjoined twins. In my recital, it was performed by non-identical twin sisters, so it was very appropriate for them.

I actually liked our vocal recital staging better, but this video works. Just skip the jabbering at the beginning.

Who Will Love Me As I Am from Side Show

Directorial Thoughts

2011-08-09T00:36:00.000-05:00

I am attempting (yet again) to return to the blogger world.
News that probably has not been discussed on Cease Repining: I am directing a show at my theater in fall!!! Despite my being incredibly young compared to all of our directors (I'm a college student!) I get to direct a murder mystery.
Now, this summer I was/am in Singin' in the Rain, (the run isn't over yet) and in my opinion, the direction left a bit to be desired. So, to prepare for my own show, I have come up with a list of things I will NOT do when I direct.

I will NOT...set rehearsal time to be 6:00 then spend half an hour talking and waiting for people to get there to start. I will try to be prompt and not waste anyone's time.
I will NOT...put off rehearsing and setting major technical things until a week before the show starts.
I will NOT...make a long director's speech before every show. Mine will be short and sweet.
I will NOT...be closed minded at auditions. In fact, I will most likely let my casting advisor do all of the casting.
I will NOT...ever, ever, ever block a scene where all the actors do is stand in a line the whole time.
I will NOT...be unprepared in my rehearsal schedule. I will have a plan for every rehearsal and stick to that plan.
I will NOT...put off running the show until three rehearsals before we open. We will have at LEAST three or four run-throughs before tech rehearsal.

I will NOT...be without a plan.
I will NOT...ever take anyone who assists with my show for granted.

So, yeah. That's the general plan.
In other news, other than Calculus 2, all I'm taking in fall is business courses! Joy...

Unbelievable

2011-06-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

Group Arrested for Dancing at the Jefferson Memorial

First, it's incredibly ridiculous that this court decision even exists. Dancing considered the same as picketing, marching and public speaking??!?
Second, people actually being ARRESTED for it?

Then, there's this: Jefferson's Love of Dance Himself.

I am shocked.

2 (or 4) down, 1 to go/Miniature Book Review

2011-05-16T14:01:00.000-05:00

Yet again, I have neglected my blog. I've pretty much just skipped out on blogging this whole semester, but I have only 1 final left to go tomorrow (in historical geology) so I thought I'd try to get back to writing on here again.
~
A few months ago, I finally read Battle Royale. I read it because on Goodreads, people kept saying that the Hunger Games ripped it off and that Suzanne Collins was unoriginal. I tend to disagree.
The starting idea may have been similar (kids being forced to fight to the death in a "game") but the execution was completely different.
The author of Battle Royale took a much much darker approach to it and made it...how do I put it...much more gory and violent than Suzanne Collins did. Also in Royale, it was a grade of school, so the competitors knew each other. The author of Royale also made the story much more complex by focusing on every single one of the competitors, whereas Collins took a much more personal approach with Katniss' first person narrative.

Which do I like better? Probably Hunger Games. I liked the characters much better and the writing much better. (though I am convinced that some of the triteness of the writing of Battle Royale came from being translated into English from Japanese.) The ending was also much more positive in the Hunger Games.

So, does anyone have any thoughts on the casting of Hunger Games so far?

Flash Fiction/Dawn Treader Review

2010-12-26T23:40:00.000-06:00

Yay! Some people still read my blog!

I had two requests on the comments section of my last post, but I'm welcome to more!

First, Q said succinctly, "Flash fiction."

My opinion on flash fiction...I have to confess that I had to go look it up on Urban Dictionary because I had no idea what it was!

Urbandictionary.com defines flash fiction as "A style of fiction writing characterized by intensity and brevity. Usually under a page in length."

With that being said, I would have to say that my opinion on it would probably vary with the different pieces I would read. It would probably be similar to my love/mostly hate relationship with free verse.
I love the idea of telling a story in six words or less, so I might like some flash fiction, but I would have to read more of it before I could really have an opinioin.
(by the way Q, if you know some good flash fiction on the internet, I'd love to read it.)

Moving on to Countess Madeline's request: "Hello! I think you should write a full review of Dawn Treader. I'd like to see your thoughts on the film."

Countess, are you sure you want to open that floodgate? All right, here we go!

As I said in my last post to start out, I thought it was an all right film, but a terrible adaptation.
Going into the movie, I had a somewhat optimistic view. Though we had received conflicting reports in the news about making the movie, I thought that changes made to the film couldn't ruin it overall for me.
They could.
Watching the movie, I felt like the writers of the script were high the entire time they wrote it and didn't really care about the integrity of the themes of the book. The convoluted mess of an adaptation tried to go for a more "epic" Harry Potter type film, but in doing that, it felt like a cheap fantasy film made for young children with a mindless story and shallow characters. (for the most part)

This review by glumPuddle on NarniaWeb expresses most of my frustrations well, and though I wouldn't go so far to say that I won't look forward to the next film (if it is made) I will be more pessimistic about it.

With all that negativity out of the way, I will say there are some things that I did enjoy about the film.

(spoilers will probably follow)

1. The look of the actual Dawn Treader ship I really, really loved. The purple sail was all I had hoped it would be, and the whole ship was beautiful. With that being said, I wish they had had more sweeping majestic shots of it.
2. Will Poulter's performance as Eustace. Try as they might, they couldn't ruin him for me.
3. Eustace's relationship with Reepicheep.
4. Caspian with facial hair. (ok, that's not super important to the film, but I felt like it was one of the more redeeming qualities of it)
5. The one part in the movie I can think of with verbatim words from the book where Aslan says that in our world, he has another name, and that the children must learn to know him by that name. That part....made me cry. (in a good way)

There was probably more that I enjoyed, but those are the main good qualities. (in my opinion)
Now to the really bad....
The really bad, I thought, for the most part wasn't was they put in, but what was left out.

The whole "quest" thing....ok, I'm going to skip the whole part about the seven swords to defeat the green smoke thing. I wouldn't have minded it so much had there not been a total lack of the true purpose of the voyage. (in the book) The true purpose of the voyage in the book was about the honor of finding the seven lords and fulfilling an oath and about the longing for Aslan's Country.
In the movie...there was hardly any of that.

When I think about it, I can't understand the thought process for alot of the scenes that they ruined or left out entirely. For most of the instances, they took something incredibly clever and meaningful and dumbed it down to fit the formula of a typical action movie.
For excample, the whole scene at the Lone Islands and slave traders was completely ruined. Instead of the clever plot to reclaim power without any fighting whatsoever, what do the script writers do? Make it an action scene.
Another example: the irony about how Reepicheep figured out how to defeat the sea serpent? Completely lost.
And though the Dark Island was creepy and all with the poor spirits sacrificed to ol' Smokey, (good to know he lived beyond the crappy ending of Lost) it never truly scared me like the Dark Island did in the book. I don't remember exacly what they said in the movie, (something to the effect of thoughts becoming realities) but that doesn't have the psychological impact of this exchange: (this is not the exact exchange, but I don't have the book in front of me at the moment)

Lord Rhoop: We must sail! Turn back! This is the island where dreams come true!
Capt. Drinian: What could possibly be the matter with an island where dreams come true?
Rhoop: No, no, not dreams as in fantasies or daydreams, but dreams. Dreams! Nightmares!

Listening to the dramatized version when I was a kid, I remember there was a blood-curdling pause before everyone sprang into action to get the heck out of Dodge. It scared the living daylight out of me.
Whereas the movie, it was somewhat creepy, but then Edmund says something to the effect of, "Oops! I thought about a sea serpent! We're screwed!" and the scene goes right back to its intended direction of action, action, action.

This probably sounds more like a rant than a review, so if it's not your cup of tea, I apologize.

Closing thoughts: for me, the bad outweighed the good. Prince Caspian managed to be a great adaptation (with its few quirks) as well as a great film, and I felt that Dawn Treader had so much potential to be great (it is, after all, one of my favorites of the books) but as a building is only as good as its foundation, to some extent, a movie is only as good as its script, and this one was bad.

If anyone would care to give his opinion, please comment! Once I wrote a controversial post about Lord of the Rings that had about twenty comments of back and forth debate, and I loved it.

Next time on Cease Repining: to balance out a negative review with a positive, Lady Brainsample will write about Tron: Legacy.

My Poor Blog.......

2010-12-20T17:39:00.000-06:00

....has been abandoned for months. I know.

I have excuses, but probably nobody wants to hear them. College, theater, tae kwon do, etcetera.

Assorted thoughts:
Mockinjay was great, but I liked the first two books better.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie was a TERRIBLE adaptation of the book, but an ok movie.

Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead=Awesome movie.

Wonders if putting the status, "I really miss being a hooker..." would result in something bad.
Those of you who don't know, I played Violet in the play It's a Wonderful Life last month. You say, "I didn't think she was a hooker!"
Well, in the play version's alternate world she is. And it was very fun/challenging to play a sexy character and actually get to attempt to seduce George on stage.
Hence the status.

I would really like to start writing on my blog again, so if anyone has any requests for rants, reviews, or other such scribblings, please comment!

Hysterical....

2010-07-27T11:53:00.001-05:00

"Getting Married Today" from Company....I need to learn this.

This version with Madeline Kahn is also excellent.

A New EJC Film...

2010-07-26T03:09:00.000-05:00

When a witch gets into trouble with the IRS, what lengths will she go to in order to pay off her debt?

A Rant about Twilight.....

2010-07-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

I found a new aspect of Twilight to....dislike.

For years and years, we geeks have always had mixed feelings about books being made into movies. We're picky about how something is adapted, and often have rants about how such-and-such aspect was not true to the book, and how they really didn't need to cut whatever scene, or how they ruined some sort of character.

Now, the people that told us to shut up about things that could have been better about Lord of the Rings (movies) because they were so busy with Orlando Bloom's dreamy eyes are the same people who get annoyed with the Twilight movies because they omitted certain scenes or didn't portray a character "properly."

Good. Grief.

YES!!!!

2010-06-21T11:12:00.001-05:00

Few little issues...
1. What's up with lightsaber version of Rhindon?
2. What's going on with the shots of Peter and Susan seemingly in Narnian gear?
3. Oh, no...don't give us another deal like Peter in PC with Edmund. You do NOT mess with Edmund.
4. The White Witch where she doesn't belong...again? Hmm.....
5. Caspian with a beard: I like.

Character Interaction Thingie

2010-06-16T11:07:00.001-05:00

Those who are long-time readers of my blog may recognize the main idea of this post, because I've posted this interaction exercise thing before.
But hey, self-plagiarism is style as Alfred Hitchcock said, and I felt like doing it again with different characters.

Write down the first ten book characters who come to mind. Try not to use more than one character from any given book.

Character 1: Sam from Lord of the Rings
Character 2: Caspian from PC and VotDT
Character 3: Ender from Ender's Game, etc.
Character 4: Peeta from the Hunger Games
Character 5: Justin from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Character 6: Charles Wallace from a Wrinkle in Time
Character 7: The Scarlet Pimpernel from...well, guess
Character 8: Archie from the Nero Wolf books
Character 9: Jo from Little Women
Character 10: Erik from Phantom of the Opera

Now answer the following questions, based on the characters you wrote down above. Absolutely no going back to change the characters you've chosen!

Characters 4 through 10 are on Survivor. Who gets voted off the island first? Perhaps Archie because no one appreciates his witty commentary on everyone else.

What are the chances of characters 1 (Sam) and 8 (Archie) falling in love with each other? Nil to none.

Character 2 and character 3 get into a cat fight. Who wins and why? Though I can't imagine why Caspian and Ender would get into a fight, I would say Ender.

Of the other nine characters, who is character 7 (The Scarlet Pimpernel) most likely to have a crush on? Probably Jo.
What would happen if character 4 (Peeta) got turned into a vampire? Well, then the Hunger Games books wouldn't be the Hunger Games books, they'd be called Twilight...

Two of the characters are twins separated at birth. Which two are they? Erik and the Scarlet Pimpernel
Characters 1, 2, 3, and 9 are stuck in an elevator. What do they do to pass the time? It'd be very uncomfortable for Ender and Caspian, considering they were in a cat fight earlier. Because of that animosity, Sam would get fidgety, and Jo would just read a book.

What would happen if character 8 and character 5 were roommates? Justin is a rat....so I don't think Archie would even realize he was Justin's roommate.

What do character 10 (Erik) and character 6 (Charles Wallace) have in common? they are both very, very smart.

I tag...whoever wants to do this.

54~Emily Dickinson

2010-06-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

I should not dare to leave my friend,
Because - because if he should die
While I was gone - and I - too late
Should reach the Heart that wanted me -

If I should disappoint the eyes
That hunted - hunted so - to see -
And could not bear to shut until
They "noticed" me - they noticed me -

If I should stab the patient faith
So sure I'd come - so sure I'd come -
It listening - listening - went to sleep -
Telling my tardy name -

My Heart would wish it broke before -
Since breaking then - since breaking then -
Were useless as next morning's sun -
Where midnight frosts - had lain!

A New Blooper Film! Late, I Know...

2010-06-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

I finally uploaded our blooper film from the day we shot Doting on Your Absence...so, presenting,

The Annoyed Director Episode III: The Phantom Minutes.

DISCLAIMER: As always, I'm never quite sure if putting the video on the blog is going to squish it, so it's probably a good idea to click on the video to view it in a new window.

The Lameness of LOST

2010-06-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

First a general note, if there's anyone left who actually reads this blog, I apologize profusely for not staying regular on my blog. I've noticed that I've lost about five followers, probably because of this fact. I wish to get back in the habit of posting stuff, so even though most of my readers don't watch Lost, I will post about the finale because that is what has been on my mind recently. If you don't watch Lost, skip to the end of this article because I discuss some other stuff that has nothing to do with the show.

The finale of Lost....oh.....dear.........
The week after the finale aired, every day our family would stomp around, then jump on a soapbox and make a loud tirade about some aspect or another, and then make the resolution to stop thinking/talking about because it was making us mad.....this article is bascially a compilation of our best tirades. (except for a bit at the end that has to do with EJC and blogging issues/reader involvement.)

Spoiler alert, as always...

First, the positive. I really enjoyed the episode as an episode. I really loved the character resolutions, and I loved that the great couples (i.e., Charlie and Claire, Sawyer and Juliet, Sayid and Shannon, Desmond and Penny, and Daniel and Charlotte) had a resolution, and they ended up together. I also loved that in the "sideways" (second life, heaven before heaven, whatever the frak you want to call it) Ben had a great relationship with Alex and his father, and he had a happier time of it than in the....pre-life, or whatever you want to call it.
Basically, I enjoyed all the individual character driven moments and strory arcs of the episode.

Now, the bad.....
The writers lied to us. They said at the beginning of the series when everybody theorized it was purgatory that the Island had nothing to do with purgatory. So now that the whole point of the show is that they make a new afterlife and then pass into "nirvana" together or whatever, it makes all the great science-fiction of the show pointless!!!!!!!
What's the point?!
What's the point of the electromagnetism?
What's the point of the time travel?
What's the point of the Dharma Initiative?
What's the point of pregnant women on the Island dying?
What's the point of moving the Island?
What's the point of having Jacob and the Man in Black?
What's the point of the hieroglyphics and all the Egyptian mythology?
What's the point of Walt's "powers"?
What's the point of Jacob's cabin?

"Ok," you may answer, "but the show was never about that. It was always about the characters."

Yes and no....yes, the show was about the characters, and that was a major draw for the series, but if you're going to make a character based drama, don't add all the cool sci-fi stuff to hook in the geeks (like me...) then not come to answers or a point with it.
If Lost were a character only based drama, they could have made it in one or two seasons. Put 'em on the Island, resolve their problems, either get rescued or not. End of story. But instead they made all these awesome mysteries which then became immaterial.
Like Dad said, "They ditched the sci-fi crowd and hung us out to dry."
And who was it that stuck with them during the tedium of Seasons 2 and 4??? The geeks. Because we thought they knew where they were going and that how they got there would make sense in the end.

Now I can't go back and watch the whole series and see how the finale makes sense with the rest of the series, because it doesn't!!!
If I may compare the ending of Lost to Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar was a great story that made sense the entire way through. They were humanity fighting to survive against the cylons, and they were always searching for Earth to settle. That was always the overlying story arc, and the finale MADE SENSE to support that story arc.

Anyway, I thought the episode was good, but terrible for an ending. It was a cop-out that left me underwhelmed and disappointed because it went in a completely different direction than the rest of the series.

So, if there's anyone left reading this article at all, because I will now have no reason to post about Lost, does anybody have any suggestions or requests of stuff they would like me to post about? I'd like to get back into blogging seriously again.
Namarie, dear blogger friends,
Lady Brainsample

P.S. By the way, if any of you are on facebook and watch my films, we have a fanpage/like page, whatever it's called these days; just search for EJC Productions, and it should come up. Danke!

Nice Going, Big Brother

2010-05-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

Lost: Reduced

2010-03-05T12:32:00.000-06:00

The Reduced Shakespeare Company (if you haven't seen the Complete Works of William Shakespeare Reduced, you MUST) did a promotional video for Lost: Season 6 and it ROCKS.
It's five seasons of Lost done in 10 minutes. With that said, if your internet stinks, you may not want to try to watch this video because it's very long.
Enjoy!!!

Dream Roles/Other Theater Stuff

2010-03-01T10:18:00.001-06:00

Stolen from the lovely Aria of an Amateur:

Dream Roles I Could Play (conceivably)
Jane from the Jane Eyre musical
the Lady of the Lake from Spamalot
Essie from You Can't Take it With You
Lucy from Jekyll and Hyde
Fantine from Les Miserables
Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd (I'm not sure whether this goes on the list under this because I'm not old enough for Mrs. Lovett, but I'll leave her here for now)
There are more than that, but those are the main ones.

Dream Roles I'm Not Right for but I'd Love to Play
Christine/Carlotta from Phantom of the Opera
Eponine from Les Mis

Dream Roles I've Played
Miss Hannigan in Annie
(there's only one because I'm counting a "dream role" as a part I've wanted to play before I knew of a production somewhere I could audition for. If that makes sense.)

And I'm adding a new category:
Roles I've Played that Became Dream Roles
Helen Smith from Reserve Two for Murder
Myrtle Mae Simmons from Harvey
Alexander from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

In other theater news, Harvey is over, (*sigh*) but I am on the play selection committee for the next season and might also possibly get to assistant direct something.

Does anyone know anything about the Crucible (Arthur Miller) or Picnic (William Inge, I think)? And does anyone have opinions on a Streetcar Named Desire?

A Ranty Post About Star Trek and Spiderman

2010-02-05T21:19:00.000-06:00

So....yeah...remember this movie? Star Trek: The Reboot? Which was so brilliant because instead of having die-hard fans annoyed at any detail that wasn't correct, just had a time-travel alternate universe thing so none of it mattered? Yeah.

Apparently, Sony is trying to make Spiderman 4 into a "Reboot." Which, I might add, was ORIGINALLY an idea from Damon Lindelof and J. J. Abrams!!!

And besides, the idea of a reboot MADE SENSE for Star Trek because of the story with the alternate universe concept. What are the Spiderman people going to do? COMPLETELY COPY THAT???

Plus, they're not planning to use Tobey Maguire, which is a BIG mistake in my book. I mean, he IS Peter Parker. Getting someone else to play Spiderman would be like getting someone other than Harrison Ford to play Han Solo.

(please excuse this ranty post. I had to get it out.)

Sunset Boulevard

2010-01-17T08:50:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite actors sings one of my favorite songs from what is becoming one of my favorite musicals based on one of my favorite movies.

Complete and Utter Brilliance

2010-01-16T20:44:00.000-06:00

These kids prove, as my mother said, that there may be hope for my generation after all. They did what we've thought about attempting to do. I'll first show the real version, then the video I'm talking about.
Enjoy.

Dance of Joy

2010-01-16T20:23:00.002-06:00

LOST defeated the State of the Union.

Damon and Carlton interview.

I can't wait for the premiere....

If only I didn't have rehearsal that night...

Let's just say I'll be getting out of there pretty quickly as soon as it's over...

In the mean time, I'll listen to Pop! Goes My Heart, Wonderwall, and X-Files theme song remixes to make me feel better.

Doting on Your Absence

2010-01-06T20:39:00.003-06:00

EJC's most ambitious project to date is finally complete!!! What starts off to be a serious filming of Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again soon turns into a fiasco in this two-part piece featuring the return of the Famous Producer, Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, and lots of humor!
Enjoy!!

EDIT: My films are filmed in widescreen, so they may show up squashed on the blog. Clicking again on the video to view it directly on youtube is recommended.

In other news, whilst accomplishing the above project, we finally had the Official EJC convention, which was the first time that all of the current members had ever gotten all together. We also got a cool picture....

Theatre Accomplishments Tag

2009-12-30T16:28:00.000-06:00

A fun tag stolen from Costume Queen.

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.

Bloggy Business, Theater News, and Other Ramblings

2009-12-18T01:14:00.000-06:00

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 leave y'all with an awesome youtube video.

Another Award? Really?!

2009-11-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

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.

Ok! I'll Attend the Tale!!

2009-10-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

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!

Award? Really?

2009-10-26T11:40:00.000-05:00

The most delightful Q passed on the Kreativ Blogger award to me!!

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.

Miss Erin at Backstage Musings
Who is actually in a MOVIE.

PMF Superman
Who needs to post more often....(*mutter, grumble, facebook, mutter grumble*)

Kendra Logan
Who has two blogs, each is awesome.

Emily, previously known as MismatchedSockGirl
Always a pleasure to read.

Bethany
Whose randomness is a delight.

Vicki over at Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera
Who has actually published a book of her musings.

Once again, many thanks to Q for such a lovely award, and I hope to have inspiration for more posts now that the Foreigner is over. Farewell for now!

A Post About Theater! No, Hair! No, Piano! No, EJC! No, ALL of Them!!!

2009-10-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

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

The Balcony Scene.

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....

Theater Exploits and Sequels on Mini-Review Day

2009-09-25T13:09:00.002-05:00

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

Gollum's Present (the Remake)
and
Piano Problems

PURPLE!!!!!

2009-09-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

So....I'm in total geek out mode right now because of these:

Click here for the best part!!!!

An Actual Review!

2009-08-22T14:01:00.004-05:00

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:

"The movie also stumbles by editing out the literary grace notes that made the tale a love-letter to reading. It pays lip service to this ideal by having characters say how much they love books, but it drops the finer details that illustrated that love. No notes written in Elvish pass hands between Meggie and Mo here, Meggie never falls into her imagination curled up in an alcove of Elinor's library, and we never get a chance to see Mo's beautiful work as a restorer of old books."

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.

Lady Brainsample Returns!!

2009-08-22T00:00:00.004-05:00

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

What's Up With French Mobs??

2009-07-23T12:19:00.003-05:00

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.

This is a Total Bloody Disaster!!!

2009-07-12T22:24:00.002-05:00

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.

Phantom of the Opera --- ON STAGE

2009-07-10T21:50:00.007-05:00

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...

After note: See my review of the movie that started my obsession here, and review of the book continuing my obsession here.

Love May Never Die, but Love For Sequels Often Does

2009-07-08T00:20:00.004-05:00

Ok, I really am trying to keep an open mind about all this, but...

I'm very skeptical about a Phantom sequel.......still.

And other than Meg (MAYBE....), this feels all wrong... I'm sorry, but it does.

Vet Day, Not Quite Proper Reviews, and Theater Exploits

2009-06-15T12:57:00.011-05:00

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....

I'm a Terrible Blogger.....

2009-05-30T19:25:00.000-05:00

But I have good excuses, and some semi-interesting stuff has happened in the past...oh, week in a half.

1. I got the part of Miss Hannigan in Annie. (and there was much rejoicing...)

2. I have learned how to operate a John Deere tractor WITH a front loader on it. (not to mention a clutch)

and 3. I have also learned how to do PVC piping work.

I'd talk more except that we've already established that I'm a terrible blogger, and I have to get ready for working at church tomrrow.

Namarie!

Two Days??? You're Joking, Right?

2009-05-20T11:52:00.004-05:00

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...

LOST: Dead is Dead

2009-05-19T14:25:00.003-05:00

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....

LOST: Whatever Happened, Happened

2009-05-18T15:17:00.004-05:00

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.

*And of course, referring back to the mini-post, one of the best parts of this episode was the irony....

LOST: He's Our You

2009-05-15T11:19:00.003-05:00

I have only two things to say about this episode.

1. Oldham was cool, especially considering the actor who played him also played Sebastian in Blade Runner.

2. Sayid has officially lost it.

LOST: Namaste

2009-05-14T12:37:00.004-05:00

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.

Was that quick enough? I think so....

Last Words, Anyone?

2009-05-12T11:54:00.004-05:00

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.

Star Trek: The Reboot

2009-05-08T21:05:00.004-05:00

Yay, I finally have inspiration for a blog post.

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.

Live long and prosper.

I LOVE being a geek.

Tea Party Pictures

2009-04-26T13:19:00.005-05:00

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.

Why I Can't Travel Out of the Country for the Next Four Years (at least!)

2009-04-14T12:14:00.003-05:00

((Reason 4,019: because it's too embarrassing with this president!!))

Sirens

2009-04-07T15:22:00.003-05:00

I cannot get over how much I love this song... I WANT to play this character someday.

((skip the stupid introduction...I picked this video of it because the sound quality was much better than that of others))

Suspicious Mutterings...

2009-04-02T09:26:00.004-05:00

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!

(and isn't the word 'adaptation' funny???)

Whatever Happened, Happened

2009-04-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

*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...

Wow.

This episode rocked.

Six Words

2009-03-28T18:32:00.003-05:00

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.

Starfleet captain and Jedi knight...Trouble?

Love: Reconciliation between Aggie and Longhorn.

Anyone else got any original six-word stories?

LOST: LaFleur

2009-03-20T09:41:00.003-05:00

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?

An EJC Announcement

2009-03-18T09:30:00.004-05:00

We have a few new films up at my youtube page.

Outwitted is based on this poem that I've posted before.

Eye of the Beholder grew out of the Tell-Tale Heart but went in a new direction with the remake.

And The Fireman Song is a Fahrenheit 451 parody of the Lumberjack Song.

Enjoy!

LOST: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

2009-03-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

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.

I say again...Good grief.

I LOVE This Painting

2009-03-13T13:42:00.005-05:00

Unfortunately, this picture of it cuts off the cat a little...

Man with a Cat, by Cecilia Beaux

(Lost fans: does he not look like Christian Shephard if you take away the moustache?)

LOST: 316

2009-03-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

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 Look

2009-03-04T10:35:00.001-06:00

Stephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.

Stephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.

-Sara Teasdale

Assorted Thoughts about LotR

2009-02-20T19:19:00.001-06:00

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.'

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