Flash Fiction/Dawn Treader Review

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.......

....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....

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



This version with Madeline Kahn is also excellent.

A New EJC Film...

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.....

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!!!!

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

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

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...

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

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

Lost: Reduced

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

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

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

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

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*

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

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

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

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?!

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!!

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?

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!!!

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

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!!!!!

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

Click here for the best part!!!!

An Actual Review!

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!!

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??

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!!!

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

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

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

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.....

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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!)

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

Sirens

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...

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

*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.