Monday, February 28, 2011

Quick Oscar debrief

One day late, but I'm always one day late, so whatever.
1. Poor Anne Hathaway. I love you, and I think maybe James Franco hates you, which is sad, and therefore I don't like him. (I never really did, after the brown hair.)
2. In fact, whatever anyone else may say, I enjoyed that rendition of On My Own.
3. Melissa Leo's f-bomb was a little bit adorable.
4. Randy Newman is great, and his acceptance speech was one of my favorites.
5. Billy Crystal = sanctuary from Franco and Anne
6. Cate Blanchett voiced my sentiments exactly. That was gross.
7. Gwyneth Paltrow, I like you, but maybe you should stick to non-live performances.
There were other comments, which I'm forgetting, but I want to sleep now kinda, so oh well.

(OH! 9. Kirk Douglas was actually hilarious to me. Have I mentioned I want to be a semi-crazy old person when I grow up? Being famous to boot would make it even better. I want to be like Betty White, in The Proposal)
(Aaaaaand to round it out: 10. RDJ and Jude Law are the best and I love them both and yes. Cannot wait for the new Sherlock).

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Media/life updates

I realized I haven't done one of these in a little bit, so might as well.
Recital on Wednesday went surprisingly well, thank you for asking. I played Syrinx by Debussy, and due to the nature of the piece, I don't think anyone noticed my screw-ups.
I saw my friends' play on Friday with her and another friend - that is, she wasn't in it, but she was the assistant director/intern. It was surprisingly good - based on the idea that the story/book Dracula was based on real-life events, it tells both the story of Dracula and how the people involved were affected when the book was published. It was also surprisingly funny, though I was told that some of the moments that the audience laughed at weren't really intended to be humorous - but oh well. The main fault I had was the length - 3 hours, not including the 15 minute intermission. Also, the second half was quite confusing in terms of exact details; I understood the gist of it all, but kept getting confused as to what was happening exactly. All in all, I wouldn't actually mind seeing it again, if it cost a little less.
I also mentioned a fashion show - it was at the U of M, and the collections were the graduate projects of the seniors. It was fun, and while I didn't like all of them, I certainly had fun commenting on the different outfits.
In other media news: I've been trying to keep up with all the shows, but it's hard, especially since some aren't always put online. Quick run-down though:
-Pretty Little Liars : completely caught up, and though it's still worth watching, there haven't been many truly creepy moments for a while now. Also: whatever happened to Lucas?
-Being Human : I am kind of liking it, though I'm not sure about the ghost plotline - won't she sort of move on soon? I'm an episode behind on this one.
-Glee : midway through the latest episode. Honestly, I no longer watch Glee because I have any sort of vested interest in the characters; it's all about the singing/dancing and random one liners now. Also, I kind of hate Schuester and Finn. And Sam's a straight up idiot. Also, this show is massively offensive in about fifteen different ways.
-White Collar : two episodes behind. Liking the story so far, but I'm just waiting for the moment when it's finally revealed Kate's not actually dead.
-Off the Map : Mateo's hotness is possibly the best thing about this show. I also think party boy/Alma's relationship is adorable, and I like what's-her-face the blondie.
-Top Chef : I missed most of the last two episodes, but Fabio's elimination = immense sadness, and Carla is my favorite person, possibly ever.
-Fringe : All caught up and excited to see how this pans out, especially Olivia and Peter's relationship. Also: Fauxlivia carrying Peter's child makes me upset to a level that I cannot even express at this point. And that bug episode made me want to puke. And the old couple were adorable.
-Merlin : Haven't seen an episode since that goblin one, meaning I'm super behind. Luckily, I have an iTunes gift card, so rental, here I come!
-House : slowly working my way through season 4 and loving it
(so, looking at the gigantic list above makes me feel like I should have no social life, but I swear, I do)
In terms of the books I mentioned last time, I've managed to get through...
-One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey : Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I also saw the film; it was interesting to compare between the two, because they really were quite diferent.
-I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett : the book that prompted that lovely rant below; a part of the Tiffany Aching series
- The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen : other book I mentioned, a bit of brain candy (not very dense)
- Killing Britney by Sean Olin : Quite different from the normal stuff I read, this was a thriller; I didn't love it, but it wasn't bad either.
- The Poison Eaters and White Cat, both by Holly Black : The Poison Eaters was an anthology of short stories, most of which I liked. White Cat was also quite good, I'd recommend it.

Phew. Well, that's all. I' going to be attempting to get sone other posts out that don't relate to shows or books, but I don't really know how that'll work with time.

Fantasy

I was trying to describe a book about Tiffany Aching by Terry Pratchett to a friend recently...

Monday, February 14, 2011

Checking in

Hectic week, which is weird, since I really don't have that much new homework - it's just that I'm so behind on the old homework, and the things I want to watch, that I don't have much spare time.
So yes, just checking in to confirm that I'm still alive (I'll refrain from the standard, "As if anyone reads these regularly" joke here - I know, they get old). Lots of lovely books have been successfully read/are being read, some shows have been watched (I'll update on those later), and I have successfully converted a friend to Firefly!
Non-media related news...I had my interview for camp counselor yesterday (exciting! And I think it went fairly well, no major screw-ups on my part), I auditioned for our city honor band on Friday (went suprisingly well, and the judicator was a nice old man who gave me some pointers on breathing after I was done), and my French oral I did today - after the recital on Wednesday, I'm all set for nerve-racking presentations/performances for a good amount of time. And I'm all set up to see a fashion show this weekend and a friend's performancce, though I have no idea how I'm going to afford both. My ass is broke, due to the fun ice-skating/dinner excursion last Friday and this new cardigan I'm wearing. What can I say, I need to get a job.
I do have some ideas for things I'd like to write about, but those will have to wait until I have more time.
That's all for now folks!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

My moment of brilliance

I successfully identified Roberto from this past week's episode of Off the Map = that one kid from the newer Fame who what's-her-face the evil dancer broke up with. Without the use of IMDb, thank you very much.
Speaking of Off the Map: I knew someone had to die at some point, but did it have to be the Fame kid? I actually cried during that whole scene with the wife.
ANY way, it's sad that I'm as proud as I am about this, BUT oh well. Also, this is why the IMDb app is the most essentiel thing on my iPhone.
(Related to ABC: Has anyone else seen the Secret Millionaire commercials from ABC? I feel like there's something messed up about the concept of reality show + charity.)

Other news from the week:
-FINALS FINISHED THANK GOD ALMIGHTY. I did pretty well on mine, Hallelujah.
-Saw Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, which was actually really funny and may help me get over my prejudice against old movies that do not involve singing and dancing.
-Finished four more books: The House of Bernarda Alba (a play read because of English), The Chocolate War (those kids terrify me), Thirteen Reasons Why (about a girl who commits suicide, but first makes tapes telling people why), and Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris!). I would recommend all four, though Thirteen Reasons Why is probably the most "mainstream" teen/YA book, while The Chocolate War is for fans of Lord of the Flies, and The House of Bernarda Alba is really one of those plays that comes off as really weird and kind of silly, but which has all sorts of hidden meanings/symbolism that's kind of fun to find in English class. Me Talk Pretty One Day was just hilarious.
-Haven't yet gotten around to watching Merlin or White Collar, but Fringe had some horribly distrubing imagery, and I am now upset with Peter. Also, really enjoying Being Human. Pretty Little Liars, meanwhile, has been sadly lacking in the Shit What Was That *SCREAM* category for the past couple of weeks, but hopefully next week will change that.
-Saw The Social Network (love for Andrew Garfield forever. Also, the whole twins thing was super weird - they made comments that amounted to "WE ARE THE SAME" ALL the time, which I found odd) and The King's Speech (like a smorgasbord of Pride and Prejudice actors/actresses! Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Collins, all in one movie!). Watched the beginning of Paris, Je T'aime (the Chinese/Asian hair one was weird, the mime one had an adorable little kid, and the Muslim girl one was just really cute).
-Started catching up on House. Woo, sarcasm!
-French meeting today after school = I AM EXCITED! I want to start making packing lists now. Actually, I might go do that...