New Moon

First and foremost, mostly everyone knows I am not a hardcore fan. I like the stories but know that they will never be classics, nor will they be literature. The Twilight books are a step above harlequin romance novels. Or maybe only half a step. Anyway, they are a guilty pleasure.

I liked New Moon so much more than Twilight. Twilight felt like a badly done art film trying to appeal to the "indie" kid in everyone. Enough with the first movie. The acting in this movie left much to be desired, but they could improve with the third film. I have a lot of hope with Eclipse. Director David Slade also directed 30 Days of Night, an excellent vampire film. His vampires were primal, fierce, deadly, and savage. Eclipse has a lot of fight scenes in it so I'm hoping for some insane choreography. Pattinson's accent still has something that bugs me. Taylor needed to blink a little more naturally and speak his lines with less drama. He would do well on a soap opera. Luckily I had a row in the theater by myself since I had to stifle my laughter at that thought.Michael Sheen. That man stole the movie with his scenes. His Aro was equally sophisticated, creepy, and frightening. He was the undisputed leader. Spot on with the casting! I can't wait to see how he does in the fourth film. The fights in those scenes were excellently done. The slow-fast motion pace in which they were filmed brought out the best perspective.

Overall, the fluffy, closet romantic enjoyed the movie. I'd go see it again!

Film Accuracy, or why "Sherlock Holmes" is going to ruin an Icon.

If there is one thing I can pride myself on being regarding films, is that I am a purist. If I could, I would put every piece of dialogue from a novel into its film adaptation. I think that is why I love Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet so much. You could flip through basically every page in the play and follow along in the movie (all 242 minutes of it). Yes, certain scenes were switched around; however they were done in order to keep the story linear on the screen. Branagh didn't give the Prince of Denmark superpowers or anything else as fantastical as that.

I think that is my main problem with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, as even Conan Doyle has written, was not a handsome man nor one who did "brute work." Watching the trailer for the new movie had me gagging just a little. They (the collective "Hollywood") have made him into a bloody comic book character! And before anyone argues, Guy Ritchie pitched the movie in comic book form. That was the only way Warner Bros. was going to agree to make the film. If this film is successful they will be doing [dreaded] sequels to create a new franchise.

After reading several reviews, Hugh Laurie's House is closer to Holmes than Downey's. Holmes is not a superhero. Holmes was not a nice character. He was disagreeable, a cocaine addict, experimented with other drugs "to relieve the boredom between cases," not afraid to break the law, and was a racist ("along with having a deep mistrust of foreigners") and chauvinist. If anyone did a close adaptation in today's filmland, the MPAA would assign it an R rating. I personally love the character because he is an anti-hero.

I fear anyone who will read the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle after seeing the movie will become quickly bored and disinterested for the lack of "action." Action has taken over the observation aspect in this movie. How the hell is Holmes going to solve the case without observation, his trademark? Ritchie will be smart and try to sprinkle in some "clues." Conan Doyle would be rolling in his grave if he found out Holmes had "inspiration" or a "light-bulb" moment without the appropriate clues. The audience needs to be able to piece together the mystery in the second viewing themselves. If they cannot do that, the film has failed miserably.

Hopefully kids will see the movie and then read the original stories. Anything that gets people reading is good, my public service announcement of the day. It will be a measure of their character if they can understand and appreciate the real Holmes though.

Welcome to the Beginning of the Rest of Your Life.

This will be short and pithy to allow you, humble readers, to know that I am still alive. Yes, I am still here even though my last post was on August 2nd. Even that last post was late and horribly rushed.

Alas, I shall endeavor to neglect this blog no longer!

My new hobby was stealing away all my writings. For now on, I'll be writing everything here first and posting what I've written on other sites I'm affiliated with instead of keeping everything separate. I've watched films that need to be discussed and read books that do need to be stricken from my mind. I will be back berating lazy critics for not doing their research properly in regards to the books and films they review. I'll rant on the current politics that no one seems to be ranting about. I will write stories that are steeped in truth yet so far-fetched most will question whether I am lucky or a BS-er.

So without further ado, sit down, pick your poison, and enjoy.

Ramblings I

First of all, here's the long delayed second part of my night at Paley since I never posted it here [Skip if you've read this at my art site]:

Most actors hardly ever get to interact with their fans on an intimate level. They see millions of faces, some hollering or even crying (tears of embarrassed joy) for their attention. Some fans might get a wink, a smirk, and a second of eye contact. Some actors don't really care to see anything else but blurred faces in a crowd. After Wednesday night, I could tell Hugh Laurie and Lisa Edelstein were the actors who were curious what kind of fans they have.

During the panel at the start of the Q&A, the tables were suddenly turned on the crowd. Lights blared from the top of the stage directly at us. Hugh and Lisa straightened themselves in their chairs, eyes scanning the now visible faces of the people that sat in front of them. I slouched deep in my seat because I'm vain as hell and seriously would have turned an ugly shade of red if a certain pair of bright blue eyes made contact with mine. Come on, I know other people would have done the same. Anyway, the questions at this panel were good. Others I've attended have been horrible with people asking the same question that could be easily answered with a Google search.

The youngest person at the panel ended up being a cute little boy (sounded 5 or 6) who asked Laurie what was the grossest thing he ever did or saw on the show. I think his mother wanted to know and knew cute kids really could get anything they want. The scene with the tape worm from "Painless" was Laurie's grossest item.

"I kept pulling and pulling, and as I pulled it suddenly started to become more real," he said. Mind you, it's two days after so it is not verbatim.

Now here's the part I add three people whom I've neglected to mention so far: David Shore, Katie Jacobs, and Greg Yaitanes. Where would a panel about the creative process of House MD be without the creators? I have not posted the photos that I have of them because they didn't come out good. I caught Katie mid blink or got the head of the guy in front of me in most of the frame of the other photos. David Shore is a quiet genius. He didn't speak much but what he did say, was significant.

Asked on how they would end the show or when: "I don't know." They aren't going to even think of it at this point. Why? House is an interesting character. There are still a lot of aspects of his life that we haven't even touched.

Will House ever be happy or at least be content? According to Katie and David, No. If House was ever truly happy or content, the show would be over. So... for all the Huddy fans out there, don't expect a happy ending or even if they do get together, they won't be happy for long. I was a bit sad, but it's understandable. My favorite stories are always about the hero never making it, no matter how hard they try.

I did not write anything for July even though it was an exciting month. I just did not have the focus to write anything. I did not write a review for Half-Blood Prince because everybody and their mother had one. No need to put my two cents in and be redundant. Nevertheless, it was amazing and that day and night was well worth it. I spent a total of 16hrs at the Irvine Spectrum waiting for the 12:12 (what the hell?) showing. There is nothing better than spending time with your friends and 4000 other fans.

Here's my Comic Con adventure:

I'll be damned. Everything that could go right today, did. My friends and I headed down to San Diego for the International Comic Con. We weren't registered nor had even bothered to try to register. Last year we did and the programing was rubbish. This year, it was anything but! First off, we got pretty decent FREE parking. That is unheard of. We were waiting for another friend who was inside the vendor's room when a man approached us, asking if we had passes. We replied in the negative to which he countered, "Do you want some?" He gave us all FREE passes!

So we step inside the air conditioned convention center and decide to just wander around until our friend met us. Not even two minutes in, JOHNATHAN ROSS steps out of the vendor's room. I couldn't believe it. He was on his phone though so we decided not to bug him. I had to grin because he was dressed up in an air force jump suit. I am content with just hearing his slight lispy accent.

We ate a quick lunch and Tasha and I headed to the "Being Human" and "Torchwood" panels. Really, there is no excuse not to watch both these shows. You have eye candy, good plots and stories, comedy, tragedy, everything all packed into these shows! John Barrowman was hilarious. He is one of the most flamboyant personalities I have ever seen. I missed seeing David Tennant and John's kiss! Oh, Captain Jack just has to jump everyone's bones, eh?

So, yes, we were extremely lucky. This summer has been more exciting than I thought. I was depressed about not traveling since I've flown somewhere every summer since I was 17. I have a plane ticket that I can use whenever I want so I still might fly somewhere (New York or New Orleans, I'm thinking) in late August or September for a couple days.

Hmm... I'll be seeing Juliet Landau at her comic release party in LA. I love her as Drusilla of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. On her twitter she has remarked about inviting other "friends," so I'm even more excited.

I've never gone to the red carpet hours of the Emmy's so I'll be a fangirl there. Here are all the people I want/need/have to see.

Hugh Laurie, because seeing him once was not enough.
Gabriel Byrne (I am in love with his theater work.)
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Jemaine Clement, “Flight of the Conchords”
William Shatner, “Star Trek!” lol.
Kristin Chenoweth, “ Pushing Daisies” and "Wicked."
Kenneth Branagh, “Wallander: One Step Behind” [I really want to see this man!]
Brendan Gleeson, “Into the Storm” Prof. Moody of HP
Kevin Kline, “Cyrano de Bergerac”
Ian McKellen, “King Lear” "X Men" "Lord of the Rings" (who doesn't know this guy?)
Kiefer Sutherland, “24” and "Lost Boys"
Sigourney Weaver, "Aliens" and "Snow Cake" (with Alan Rickman).
Bob Newhart, “The Bob Newhart Show."
Carol Brunett, "The Carol Brunett Show"
Ed Asner "The Mary Taylor Moore Show" and guest starred on The X Files.

Well, that's it for now.

A Night with the Cast of House MD. Part I.

Last night was amazing. I had never been to the John H. Mitchell theater, home of the Paley Center for Media, but it did not disappoint. Rather, its my new favorite setting for these types of events. If you have looked through my gallery, the photos can say all I can't about the theater.

Enough about that though... Let's get on to the cast!

I still wasn't a true fangirl about Hugh Laurie until last night. I was a flip flopper; "ok, I could see his attraction and he is a great actor, but..." I had that hesitation. Not anymore. I love him and will probably do anything to sit in on another panel with him. I think he's more attractive in person actually. Hell, even my Mum agreed. He's so personable and is a very nice man. We didn't get to take photos with him because there were too many people at the stage and the Paley staff were trying to usher us out of the room. I was content. I loved how attentive he was to the questions. I've been to many of these things before and the actors tend to give the shortest answer or explanation possible. Yes, they have time restraints, but they do the ability to string together better stuff. Hugh Laurie was not one of those actors. He apologized for talking so long. The audience scoffed at him and told him to go on! We were eating it up! What type of audience doesn't love to here from the main actor himself? Laurie spoke about how he was cast and how he had also read for the part of Wilson.

"But once I read about Wilson having a boyish face I knew I wouldn't be cast," he remarked while pointing to his face. Robert Sean Leonard laughed. Leonard did not look like he was comfortable at all being there. He wasn't abrasive but he looked bored. He even zoned out a bit.

Moderator: "So what is your favorite episode?"
RSL: "Of what? House?"

That got giggles and laughs from everyone in the room. He turned slightly red and asked to think about it a while. He is really handsome with that boyish charm. Omar Epps was very quiet, but unlike Robert, he paid close attention. His answers were clearly heartfelt. I wish he did speak more, but he looked shy. [I can't understand a shy actor. Its an oxymoron to me.]

Lisa Edelstein. I'm a straight woman, but hot damn! The only other woman that had that much real beauty and had me gobsmacked, was Gillian Anderson. Lisa is a fan favorite and I could see why. She's adorable and hilarious. She was not afraid or shy to talk about sex scenes and making out with Hugh Laurie. Laurie on the other hand blushed and was horribly embarrassed. She brought up the make-out when the moderator asked if the cast had any stories in particular they'd like to share or some random anecdote they thought was interesting.

Lisa: "I got to make out with Hugh." She had the chesire-cat grin in place. Everyone got a laugh. "Clarify!" Hugh shouted over the din. I'm betting he didn't want the missus or the public (mainly the dreaded paparazzi) to misinterpret that statement. Lisa did explain the scenes. Everyone in the crowd cheered for "Huddy" action. To Laurie, it was "odd."

"It was odd... doing that with a friend I've known for the past five years."

"Odd? I would have used some word like passionate!" Lisa goaded him. She was playfully offended and tried to get him to use some other adjective rather than odd. I truly believe she has a crush on him or at least is an admirer. The way she smiled and whispered together really spoke volumes. The chemistry is there and plays out well on screen. I can't wait for season six!

So there are a ton more things I'd love to write but I shall continue with this later on today. It's almost noon and I unfortunately have to return to reality. Feel free to check out anything in the gallery and download the photos! I should a couple more up soon. Someone apologized for leaving a ton of comments earlier and thought they were spamming my inbox. Quite the contrary! I only consider comments spam if they have nothing to do with the photo being commented on (Example being, talking about Daniel Radcliffe while viewing the Alan Rickman photos. That's spam [and blasphemy]). Like my profile says, I like my ego stroked.

My All Time Favorite Fictional Couples *Slightly Spoilery*

I've seen and read hundreds of these. Most are quite good but they tend to stick to the "mainstream" television/literary/whatever couples. The Geek sector is overlooked. As an intense member of the "Geek faith" (saw this earlier and made my day), I have to add my two cents in. These couples are tragic and dysfunctional and just oh so much fun to watch and/or read. So here's my list of the best couples ever: [Disclaimer: I took major liberties with some of these "couples" since I know a couple of them were just "friends." Haha, yeah right!]

Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse ("True Blood" and the Stackhouse Books)

This was a doomed romance from the beginning a la Romeo et Juliet. He's a vampire, ousted from society for being dead. She's a hick waitress with an unusual "gift." Bill doesn't really get being "human" anymore since he's been a vampire for over a century. Sookie is all human and more so with her compassion and understanding. Her friends are against her dating Bill and the vampires Bill associates with, don't get why he's trying to go "mainstream." I won't spoil the story since season 2 of "True Blood" hasn't even started, but if the books are any indication, Bill and Sookie have a long way to go.

Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling (Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, etc)

Everyone, and I mean Everyone, knew there was something between the FBI student trainee and the cannibal when Lecter ever so slyly brushed his finger against hers when she was handing him the file on serial killer Buffalo Bill in the movie "Silence of the Lambs." The tension in rooms and movie theaters was electric! Just that little contact caused the whole chemistry between them to change. The sequel "Hannibal" did a good job with keeping up that strange, dark attraction, but Ridley Scott should have kept the original book ending... Yes, audiences would have been thrown into the 8th ring of Hell shrieking, but it would have worked better than the lukewarm ending they used.

Josette DuPre and Barnabas Collins (Dark Shadows)

Love really does make you do the wacky to borrow from another hit vampire show. You just knew Josette and Barnabas were meant for each other but they would not be able to be together due to Angelique's resentment toward Barnabas. If Barnabas had only kept himself in check... Josette's death is really the breaking point for Mr. Collins who turns into the blood thirsty, insane vampire after being the first sympathetic, self-loathed creature most vampires are portrayed as now. I'm dying to see who is the lucky actress to be chosen to play Josette in Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows."

Jenny Calendar and Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

You're still in a love with a guy who had raised a demon decades ago and then possessed you, making you torture said guy? You forgive the woman who practically destroyed your surrogate daughter's love life in one fell swoop and lied to you about practically everything, even her true name? Don't forget she shot you with a crossbow, too. Giles and Jenny were the nerdy couple that I seriously thought were going to break the Hellmouth's hold on relationships. He was the bumbling librarian, brave and stalwart when facing evil. She was the computer nerd, quick witted and beautiful. They learned that neither of them were perfect but they loved each other regardless. Giles finding Jenny's dead body in his bed was the most horrifying, tear-jerking scene I've seen in a while. I still haven't seen anything so sad. Giles was never the same afterwards. In my book, that proved she was his soul mate.

Severus Snape and Lily Potter nee Evans (Harry Potter series)

After reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" you have got to be crazy to argue this couple with yours truly. Yes, they weren't together romantically, but damn it! Snape did anything and everything to avenge her death! Almost two decades went by with Snape mourning and planning in his own sadistic mind. He risked his life and swallowed his pride to help the "Chosen One" even though he wanted nothing to do with him. I would be as hateful and resentful as Snape if I had to look into the eyes of the person I loved, shinning through on the person I hate most's face. He died for her. To take a quote from Marryanne (Sense and Sensibility), "what's more glorious than dying for love?" Plus, even if you hated Snape and think he was the world's biggest bastard, you know you balled your eyes out when, after Dumbledore asked if he was still in love with Lily, he replied, "Always."

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (The X Files)

There is nothing like a good extraterrestrial event to bring opposites together. From the pilot to the last (awful) episode, Mulder and Scully were the "it" couple. From the moment they met, you knew they were destined to be together. I think audience's fell in love with that tension that always surrounded them and that indecision on both their parts. When they finally got together in season six and seven, I think the writer's relied too much on the fan's expectations instead of letting the characters grow naturally.

Doctors Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy

These two are the Mulder and Scully of the medical world. Bickering about anything and everything, they just can't stand each other. But they can't keep away from each other either. We really don't their history, but we do know they've known each other since their college days. The deception of the season five finale though has me questioning my own sanity on whether they really were as "friendly" as we all thought. Hopefully we won't have to wait long to see where their relationship goes.

Let Me Hear that Triumph Purr.

Has it been so long since I have written anything of substance? Yes, I believe so, but that is not directly my fault. Blame it on higher education and its insane need to preach the inane and prove that ineptness is not cured by a doctorate or bar exam. After two years of law classes, I never will be a lawyer. You truly sell your soul and I cannot even fathom some of the moral ambiguities that have presented themselves this quarter. Plus, personally, they are miserable people. Anyway, that is my gripe.

To the fun stuff...

Due to the persistence of a Ms. Sanchez, I finally gave in a several weeks back and gave House, MD. a chance. I've always liked Hugh Laurie but never was really a fangirl. I was more enamored with Stephen Fry and his quick wit. Anyway, I ended up watching all five seasons. My sleeping pattern has well and truly gone to Hell. Sarcasm and satire are my favorite types of comedy. I'm a fan of "bad good guys" (example: I'd pick Batman over nancyboy Superman any day). The tragic/conflicted "hero" types are so much more interesting. So now, I'm officially a House fan.

Did I mention Ms. Sanchez and myself are seeing Mr. Laurie in person? No?

Well then, thanks again to the Paley Center for Media, we'll be at a panel where Hugh Laurie, David Shore and Katie Jacobs will be speaking on the creative process of House. Paley has the best presentations. This panel will be held at the John H Mitchell Theater instead of the Arclight. I was surprised but after seeing the room its going to be held in, elated. The room is tiny! It holds only 150 guests which means I was pretty damn lucky to get tickets in the first place. Never having been in that theater, I'm praying they allow photography. Hugh Laurie is a nice addition to my gallery. Worse comes to worst, I'll find the backdoor. There is always a backdoor. Additional panelist are to be announced so says the Paley website. Bryan Singer, Lisa Edelstein and Robert Sean Leonard better show up! My Mum will be on hand to make sure I don't give my famous portrayal of a "deer-in-the-headlights" if we're allowed to rush the stage. Oh Dear God, will I ever let that go?!