Why I Feel Sorry for Celebrities Sometimes

Lots of people enjoy looking at pictures and films of their favorite celebrities. There is nothing wrong with that. If you like the way someone looks/performs, it is natural to want to see more of them.

But here is where I start to run into issues. Because with many of these pictures, especially where commenting is really easy like on facebook, being vulgar is just too easy. I was looking through some funny pictures of Rupert Grint and the comments were disgusting. Just because I want to laugh at his pictures if he's being funny doesn't mean I want to hear what you want to do with him. Couldn't care less and I don't need you to put those images in my head.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized celebrities actually have it pretty rough. They constantly have to deal with obsessed fans and rumors about them in magazines and on the internet. Nothing in their lives are private. Now some of you may be thinking "Boo hoo, the millionaires and beautiful people get a little uncomfortable from time to time", but it's more than that. Can you imagine having to look photo-friendly evrytime you go anywhere? Even to check your mail? Because you never know when the paparazzi will be out. While I'm sure celebrities appreciate their fans and the support they provide, it must be difficult to cope with at times.

Tony Awards info and Alice in Wonderland!

Hello everyone! Just a quick post here to say that the nominees for this year's Tony Awards will be known on May 4th and the awards will be on June 13th! More info to come when we know the big contenders!

Anyone else ridiculously excited for the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie coming out on March 5th? Okay, I'll admit, I'm not as obsessed as some people, but I think it will be a very good movie and I'll be seeing it on March 7th- expect a review post! At first when I saw the cast list I rolled my eyes. Of course Tim Burton cast Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) and Alan Rickman (Caterpillar- voice). It's Sweeney Todd all over again. But then I got to thinking- it's not really favoritism if the cast you always pick is ridiculously talented and very convincing in every part you put them in, is it? Johnny Depp is absolutely amazing, enough said. Helena Bonham Carter, while she doesn't have the best singing voice, is a fabulous actress and very good at creepy roles. Alan Rickman, while he will always be Severus Snape to me, never disappoints. I gained a tremendous amount of respect for him when I saw him in Sense and Sensibility in a sympathetic role. He doesn't just play villains or otherwise creepy people.

Oh and happy birthday to the legendary Broadway/screen performer Bernadette Peters!

Film Series Poll Results and Aerosmith info!

Any Aerosmith fans out there? I saw them last summer and they were mind-blowing. I can't believe how hard these guys can rock, especially at their ages! For those of you that don't know, lead singer Steven Tyler (age 61) fell off the stage during one of their concerts on August 5th. They band was "back in the saddle again" on October 20th. Unfortunately Tyler had to check himself into a rehab facility in late December for painkiller addiction problems. But now they're "walking this way," all the way to Europe! The announced a European tour that will begin June 10th in Sweden.

Some people say Aerosmith is washed up, that their time has come and gone. I couldn't disagree more. They're still the best live performers I've seen, and I've been to my share of concerts and Broadway shows. And I know many people say this about every band, but you haven't really seen them until you see them live.

And now for Poll Results! Yet again this week it looked like there was a clear winner, then another choice snuck up and tied the contest up!

- Twilight and Pirates of the Caribbean- 0% Not surprising considering many people's hatred of Twilight. Guess I don't have many teenage girl readers :-) I was surprised Pirates didn't get a few votes, the first movie was fantastic! But, of course, the second and third were terrible, and now they're making a fourth "On Stranger Tides"- yuck.

- Harry Potter- 11% This was also surprising to me. Maybe it was because I'd asked about the movies and not the books. The books are phenomenal, no questions asked. Personally I think the movies are also very entertaining. I'm also not they type of person to gripe about the differences in the films from the books, because how could they possibly fit all the tiny details that make the series even more wonderful without making each film at least 3 hours long each?

- Lord of the Rings and Star Wars- 44% I'm not going to lie, earlier this week I was worried. Lord of the Rings shot out into the lead early on and left Star Wars far behind. This would have made me very sad because I personally like Star Wars more than Lord of the Rings. Maybe it's because lightsabers are so cool. Maybe it's because Harrison Ford is an epic Han Solo. Maybe it's because Orlando Bloom is laughable as an elf (don't worry Orli, I still think you're gorgeous). But, in the end, the Star Wars fans rallied behind the series and it tied with Lord of the Rings for the win!

ALSO- if anyone has ideas for a good poll let me know!

I Can't Stop Watching This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg

TJ and the Revos tell the king "It's Too Late to Apologize", courtesy of Soomo Publications. So clever! Really professional looking video, great singing, and hilarious! Trust me, you want to take a few minutes to watch this!

Something for Harry Potter Fans

I meant to attach this video to my post yesterday. This is a college humor video parody of the Dangerous Minds trailer- Harry Potter style. Very funny and well worth watching

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1925557

Glee, How It Should Have Ended.com, and the One Superbowl Commerical You Shouldn't Miss

Don't you just love little pick-me-ups? Someone will do something nice, sometimes without even meaning to, and it makes your whole day better? My whole day was made brighter by someone saying they liked my blog :-) I know I don't have a huge group of readers, but knowing that you all are out there is a really nice feeling, so thanks for reading!

I'd like to give a shout out to a favorite website of mine, www.howitshouldhaveended.com. How it Should have Ended takes popular movies, animates them, and tells us how they should have ended, usually by revealing plotholes many people don't think of. I personally really like the Star Wars one, Lord of the Rings one, and the Superman one.

Glee released a teaser trailer! Get pumped for the second half of season 1!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1376673818222&ref=mf

And if you didn't watch the Superbowl like me you should still see this HILARIOUS commercial :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rsEnwKrsvc

Something for Mel Brooks fans and Poll Results!

Happened across this lovely gem on youtube. Mel Brooks, creator of many amazing films and stage shows including The Producers, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Young Frankenstein was recently given a tribute performance. This video has a medley of songs from most all of his shows and has stars like Jack Black, Harry Conick Jr., Glee's Matthew Morrison, Gary Beech, and Matthew Broderick. It's hysterical- just watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2sgKSpUcv4

Wow guys, this poll was actually very exciting! Glee and Lost were neck and neck for most of the week and then out of NOWHERE a show came along and shook things up...

- Criminal Minds/Lie to Me/24- 0%, Amanda must not have voted or Criminal Minds would have gotten at least 1 vote. I'm surprised 24 didn't get any, I like that show...maybe it was because of the really big contenders that these decent shows got pushed aside. And if you haven't seen Lie to Me, give it a shot, it's pretty good.

- Bones 11%- This made me very happy. Bones is a clever and funny show that I don't think is recognized enough. I highly recommend it.

- Lost- 22%, While Lost pulled out into an early tie for the lead with Glee it didn't get any votes after that and the other shows pulled ahead. Very surprising with the new season that just came out and everyone's obsession with this show.

- Glee AND House- 33% each, This was a HUGE shocker. After Glee and Lost pulled out into an early lead House came out of nowhere, flew past Lost, and tied Glee for the lead. These are my two favorite shows so I was very happy to see them recognized. House seems to be losing fans as their seasons go on, but I'm glad I'm not alone in staying loyal to the great show :-) Glee is the exact opposite, it's the hot new show EVERYONE is watching, but unlike others of it's kind Glee is a very high quality show. Their Broadway stars in the cast give the show a very professional, polished, and yet always hilarious tone to the show. I love it.

Self Help Tip

When I'm frustrated with someone there are many things I do to relieve that stress, but one in particular I'd like to highlight. I open a word document and type a letter to my friend. I tell him or her exactly what I want to say, holding nothing back. Complete and brutal honest is essential. It helps solidify my feelings and realize things about myself I didn't even know were there.

Then, and this is the important part, I DELETE IT. Why? Because the work I needed to do is done. I blew off steam, prioritized my problems into "mountains" or "molehills", and moved on. Sometimes these problems can't be solved by an unsent letter, but you'd be surprised how many can. It keeps you from blowing up at your friends over little things and helps you address your problems in a constructive way. Hope some of you will try this out and benefit from it!

Dear John Review

I went to see Dear John on Saturday and was very surprised by the film. Unfortunately these surprises were not all good. The good news is Channing Tatum does have more than one facial expression! The bad news is this movie is neither interesting nor your typical Nicholas Sparks movie.

The movie starts off well with your typical Nicholas Sparks romance, the lovers meet and face complications, usually having to do with one of the lover's past. They persevere through it all and have adorable romantic moments.

Usually what happens then is that the lovers are seperated and they are eventually reunited, only to have one of the lovers die. Sometimes, like in Nights in Rodanthe, the lovers don't even get to be reunited. What you have is a very romantic yet very sad film that most girls love.

Dear John does not have this. There are many questions left unanswered (they make a point of saying John has a troubled past and never fully explain why) and the ending is irritatingly ambiguous. The characters are not as appealing as most of Nicholas Sparks characters. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best I'd give Dear John a 2 at the most. I was very surprised, I expected it to be much better.

Superhero Movies Poll results!

The results are in! But before we get to that, a word about the poll...

Obviously, the set-up was partially unfair. Superheros like Superman and Batman have had many film incarnations, all of varying quality, and to group them all together is not really the best way to categorize them. And It would have helped if I'd been more specific on what people liked about the movies, rather than just which selection was their favorite. Maybe a question like "Which of the following superhero movies do you think stays the closest to its comic book roots?" would have been a better question.

But hey, I asked the question I asked and we got some very interesting results so let's get to it!

- Superman- 0% Honestly not that surprising. The most recent incarnation, Superman Returns, despite the always impressive Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther, was terrible. And I feel like people don't connect to the older Superman movies like they did when they first came out.

- Ironman and Spiderman- 8% each. Also not that surprising, given how much people seemed to hate Spiderman 3 (which I personally really enjoyed.). Ironman, even with the awesome Robert Downey Jr., didn't do nearly as well as some of the other superhero flicks. Maybe it was just because Ironman himself doesn't need to have the fanbase of other big name superheros like Batman and Superman. That's just my perception though, a comic book fanatic would know better than I.

- X-men- 33% This did surprise me. After all, X-men: The Last Stand was absolutely dreadful. I don't usually leave the theatre wanting my money back, but after X-men: The Last Stand, I did. Let this be a lesson to directors- stick to what you're good at. The director of X-men and X2, Bryan Singer, left X-men 3 to direct Superman Returns. As stated before, Superman Returns and X-men 3 were terrible. Perhaps if Singer had stayed with the X-men series neither film would have been so bad, However, the other films, including X-men Origins: Wolverine, were quite good and go a long way towards redeeming the damage done by The Last Stand.

- Batman Begins/The Dark Knight- 50% This was an unfair selection on my part because many other Batman movies (like Batman Forever) were quite good. However, I couldn't resist distinguishing the two most recent and most popular Batman installments, and I'm not surprised they won. Christian Bale, no matter how crazy he may be in real life, plays a very convincing Batman/Bruce Wayne. And who doesn't still get chills from Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker? And the storylines are thrilling and complex in a way that draws you right into Gotham City.

Video posts, Youtube, and Free Hugs

Recently there has been an uprising of video posts on facebook. A friend uses a webcam so they can record themselves as they leave a message for you. But what sounds like a neat idea- I mean, you actually get to see the person which is pretty cool- does not always have neat results. I've viewed many such messages and I must say, they aren't that impressive. Most of the time they consist of people rambling about nothing in particular. You get a lot of "ums" and "okay this is taking too long" and not a lot of actual content. Why do people leave these messages if they have nothing substantial to say? Are these videos the result of boredom or camera-shyness? Does anyone actually like recieving these messages if they don't really say anything? I guess I just don't really get the fascination with these video messages, besides the excuse to use a webcam.

In my digital media studies class we talked a lot about youtube today. One thing I found surprising, and at times downright funny, is the fury some people have over "youtube fakers." People get so upset if people are acting rather than being themselves on youtube. Isn't there room in youtube for both? I've always considered youtube to be a space not really to be taken seriously, a place to kick back, relax, and watch some funny, usually meaningless videos. Why are people getting so worked up over this?

Another thing I discovered in the midst of our youtube discussion is this video- "Free Hugs".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Juan Mann came from London to his home in Sydney, Australia with nothing to come home to. He wanted someone to greet him, hug him. And that's where it all began. He made a sign that said "Free Hugs" and offered hugs to strangers. Someone took a video of him and posted it on youtube, and now people are reaching out to others all over the world. I think this is wonderful. Everyone can use a hug, even if it's from a stranger. For more about the "Freee Hugs Campaign" visit http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

Dear John vs. Avatar, and why do the Harry Potter stars make so much money?

"Dear John" knocked "Avatar" from it's top spot at the box office! I'm looking forward to seeing Dear John, I'm a fan of Amanda Seyfried and am glad to see she's moved on from "Mean Girls" to bigger and better things. Though if "Dear John" follows Nicholas Sparks' normal storyline, she or costar Channing Tatum will have a tragic death by the end of the film. Haven't had a chance to read the book yet, so it will be a surprise. Tatum plays a soldier on leave who falls in love with Seyfried, so it would seem that he is primed to die, but that seems to obvious so I'm betting it will be Seyfried who perishes.

CNN.com entertainment released this interesting list of the top 40 people making the most money in Hollywood last year. There are a few things I wanted to comment on...

- Three people on this list that surprised me were the Harry Potter actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint). I understand that they are working in a multimillion dollar franchise, but why are they personally making so much money? It's not like there is a real fear of them walking away from the film series, even when there were many movies left to make. They'd be crazy to turn down what will probably be the biggest roles they'll ever play (this is not a knock on there talent, I'm saying this merely from a statistical standpoint).

- Why isn't Johnny Depp higher on the list? He is so talented and very popular now, I expected him to rank higher.

- Where are Julia Roberts and Robin Williams? Didn't they used to be the highest paid actor and actress? Now they're not even on the list? I guess Robin Williams hasn't been in much lately, though Julia Roberts did Duplicity...

1. Michael Bay, producer-director ($125 million)

2. Steven Spielberg, producer-director ($85 million)
3. Roland Emmerich, producer-director ($70 million)
4. James Cameron, producer-director ($50 million)
5. Todd Phillips, director ($44 million)
6. Daniel Radcliffe, actor ($41 million)
7. Ben Stiller, actor ($40 million)
8. Tom Hanks, actor ($36 million)
9. J. J. Abrams, producer-director ($36 million)
10. Jerry Bruckheimer, producer ($35.5 million)
11. Tyler Perry, actor-director-producer ($32.5 million)
12. Adam Sandler, actor-producer ($31.5 million)
13. Denzel Washington, actor ($31 million)
14. Emma Watson, actor ($30 million)
15. Rupert Grint, actor ($30 million)
16. Owen Wilson, actor ($29 million)
17. Nicolas Cage, actor ($28 million)
18. Russell Crowe, actor ($28 million)
19. Cameron Diaz, actor ($27 million)
20. Brian Grazer, producer, and Ron Howard, director-producer ($25.5 million)
21. Johnny Depp, actor ($25 million)
22. Steve Carell, actor ($25 million)
23. Robert De Niro, actor ($24.5 million)
24. Sarah Jessica Parker, actor ($24 million)
25. Katherine Heigl, actor ($24 million)
26. Shawn Levy, director-producer ($23 million)
27. Oren Peli and Jason Blum, writer-director-producers ($22.5 million)
28. Robert Downey Jr., actor ($22 million)
29. George Clooney, actor ($22 million)
30. Matt Damon, actor ($22 million)
31. Reese Witherspoon, actor ($21 million)
32. Angelina Jolie, actor ($21 million)
33. Jennifer Aniston, actor ($20 million)
34. Sandra Bullock, actor ($20 million)
35. Robert Pattinson, actor ($18 million)
36. Clint Eastwood, actor-director-producer ($17 million)
37. Kristen Stewart, actor ($16 million)
38. Mark Wahlberg, actor ($16 million)
39. Shia LaBeouf, actor ($15 million)
40. Brad Pitt, actor ($13.5 million)

LOST and my Top 10 TV List

So with the final season of LOST beginning last Tuesday I need to ask- am I missing out by not seeing it? I've only seen the pilot episode and it was pretty scarey so I didn't watch anymore (I'm a wimp, I know.) Any recommendations? Is it good even for a fraidy cat?

My tv Top 10 List

In honor of the snow day (a perfect time to catch up on tv) I've compiled a list of my 10 favorites.

1. Glee (absolutely adore it, my entire family loves it. The music is great and it's hilarious! Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, and Jane Lynch in particular are wonderful. High school misfits join together under hopeful glee club director Will Scheuster to prove that even losers can make amazing music.

2. House, M.D. (I think it's still hilarious and Hugh Laurie has amazing comic timing. The always sarcastic Dr. House treats various mysterious and lethal maladies.)

3. Scrubs (although the last season wasn't stellar and I haven't seen this latest season (where the focus is back at medical school) I'm a believer. I particularly enjoy the comedy of Zach Braff as JD and John C. McGinley as Dr. Cox. And JD and Turk (Donald Faison) have the most lovable bromance to date. JD, Turk, and Eliot work in a hospital where anything can happen- and usually does.

4. Friends (Consistently funny, all the stars have great chemistry and they always look like they're having fun together. Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Rachel and Pheobe lean on each other as they survive life as 20 somethings in NYC.)

5. Pushing Daisies (Although ABC never gave this series a true chance to shine, I loved it. It was witty and original and Lee Pace was adorable as the awkward pie shop owner Ned. A piemaker who can wake the dead solves crimes and collects reward money. One touch life- two touches- dead forever.)

6. Merlin (This BBC show is a great new spin on classic Arthurian legend, and perfect for a nerd like me. In Camelot King Uther has declared anyone with magical powers will be executed. The young sorceror Merlin befriends and struggles to protect Prince Arthur without revealing his powers.)

7. That 70s show (This show used to shock and apall me, now that I'm older I can't get enough of it. It also gave me a real respect for Topher Grace's comic and dramatic acting. Rebellious teenagers in Point Place hang out, get in trouble, and get high in the 70s.)

8. 24 (Thrilling and suspenseful with its never ending cliffhangers. Jack Bauer protects the USA from terrorist threats.)

9. Seinfeld (The show where nothing happens, and yet it remains funny every time I see an episode.)

10. Bones (Witty and engaging. A team of scientists solve crimes with the help of Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan.)

I am SO over the snow and winter in general.

I'm done. Done with the snow. Can't stand it. Not even a little bit. If it doesn't cancel class it's useless, and the snow ALWAYS falls on the weekends or isn't enough to do anything. And NOW it's preventing me from going on a trip I had planned for 2 weeks that was supposed to take place this weekend. Probably not going to happen with 12-24 inches of snow the weathermen are predicting.

And snow is pretty. It is. But snow also brings on the cold season. That lovely time where you can't go anywhere without getting a runny nose and any germ interaction gets you a lovely cold.

Who do I blame? The stupid groundhog. Six more weeks of winter, more like six more weeks of sucky cold giving major inconveniencing weather.

Adults on Facebook, Celebrity Look Alikes, and Poll Results!

When facebook started it was mostly just college kids. Now it has grown to include adults and high school kids (sometimes people even younger than that). The impression I've gotten from my facebook friends is that they generally don't like this trend. I have to admit, I'm not wild about the idea either. But I'm not against kids and adults on facebook, just certain ones. The people I have a problem with are the young kids who do all those stupid quizzes that eat my newsfeed, or relatives that feel the need to comment/like everything I do (Speaking in strictly general terms here, no one get offended). It's just annoying. Like all things, facebook should be in moderation. I know this is a slightly hypocritical statement for a facebook addict like myself to make, but I can justify it because when I play games on facebook I usually won't publish the stories to my news feed. Not everyone needs to know I just reached a new level in farmville, or I took a quiz about which Jane Austen heroine I'm most like. Anyone who is with me on this should look up the Rob Paravonian's (the Pachabel's rant guy) song "Less From You".

In honor of Doppelganger week, I decided to write about our obsession with celebrity look alikes. Why do we feel the need to find celebrities we look like? The fact that I've been told I could pass for Jennifer Love-Hewitt's little sister doesn't make me any prettier or more famous. I guess it's just neat to identify with a celebrity on any level, especially if they happen to be particularly attractive.

Poll results!!!

Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll! Here are the final results and my commentary...

My Fair Lady- 0% (Seriously guys? Was it because Audrey Hepburn didn't do her own singing? Okay I'll give that one to you...)

Fiddler on the Roof and Gone With the Wind- 8% (Not a big fan of GWTW myself, though I would have liked to see Fiddler get a few more votes.)Titanic- 16% (This surprised me, I would have picked My Fair Lady over it, but the filming and acting is gorgeous. Brings back third grade fantasies of Leo...)

Casablanca- 25% (I was very happy about this. I watched Casablanca for the first time this summer and fell in love.)

Sound of Music- 41% (Even happier about this. Pretty much anything with Julie Andrews is gold (Princess Diaries 2 and Tooth Fairy excepted) and it's just charming. Absolutely love it.)

New poll! Which superhero movies are your favorites?

Even more Oscars, more Wicked, and why are college kids so flakey?

Oscar nominations are out! As predicted, Avatar did very well, raking in 9 nominations, including Best Picture. I wonder if that's actually a disappointment for James Cameron after Titanic won 11 Oscars in 1997. In my opinion Star Trek was largely overlooked, though it managed a few nominations for sound and make-up. And Meryl Streep got nominated for best actress for Julie and Julia! I think I'm rooting for Up to win Best Picture, though it seems unlikely.


As I was searching for any new information on the Wicked Movie Musical I came across somethin interesting. Obviously everything is still speculation at this point, but there is talk of getting a young AND old cast to play the roles at the two different times in their lives. This ideas seems awesome to me. You also have the potential to grab some major star power if you took the OBC for the older roles and hot new stars like Lea Michele for the young cast, though it could be disasterous if talent is sacrificed for stardom.


Another thing I wanted to discuss is the flakiness of college kids today. They just aren't very reliable. You get lots of "maybes" and half-promises and not a lot of actual commitment. It's as simple as saying "I just don't want to hang out with you". Instead we tend to leave people inn limbo so we don't look mean. I've always been a firm believer in "tell it like it is" but I'll admit that it is sometimes very hard to do. No one wants to hurt someone else's feelings. It's similar to punctuality and college kids. Anything put on by students rarely start on time, and many students are consistently late to class. Many of us don't seem to realize how disrespectful this is to our teachers and fellow students. This isn't just to whine or a subtle way of venting personal grievances, I think it's an important issue that needs to be discussed.