major brekathrough

okay...this basically only applies to whovians, but you can still read it if you want.
in a nutshell(which is the oddest expression) i think i now basically have a very simple understanding of what each doctor who season finale is about. doctor who in general can be very confusing since a lot of the episodes have to do with complex physics and time stuff, which goes right over my head. and the season finale's are even more confusing. like in season 2, the season finale involved ghosts that were actually giant evil robots called cybermen, an evil void, a battle of epic size between the cybermen and daleks(biggest sci-fi villians of all time), the Doctor's love interest getting stuck in a parallel universe with her dead father and ex-boyfriend, the Doctor burning up a star to talk to her one last time and a bride randomly showing up in the TARDIS. and that was a very very simplified version. and season 2 has the simpliest season finale of all four seasons. as you can see, it is quite an achievement to be able to comprehend doctor who season finales. but that doesn't mean the finales are bad. actually, they can be quite good, except for the season 4 finale which was TERRIBLE.
okay. enough of that. just wanted to brag about my not so amazing accomplishment.
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ps. don't write stuff like "shut up about doctor who". it's not that helpful.

the nominations

okay...i'm back...i promise i'll write a post about the inaguration in a bit, but right now i'm too tired to, but i will say that it was VERY fun and VERY cold.
anyways...
the academy awards nominations are out. very exciting and all. so...here's my dream list of winners.
best picture: milk. i know it's going to go to slumdog millionaire/benjamen button, but still milk was amazing and there is some tiny little chance that it might win.
best actor: sean penn for "milk". actually, i was torn between sean penn and frank langhella(frost/nixon) but i think that sean penn should win because he did such an amazing job protraying harvey milk and his winning would make up for what happened with "brokeback mountain"
best actress: kate winslet. no questions asked. the girl deserves an oscar. let's give it to her, okay?
best supporting actor: josh brolin for "milk". i know everyone thinks heath ledger should win and all, but i think that josh brolin has shown in the past year what an amazing actor he is. and i honestly think that if heath ledger hadn't died, people wouldn't be quite so obsessed with his role as the joker(don't kill me)
best supporting actress: i don't know, mostly because i haven't seen any of the movies.
best director: gus van sant for "milk" i know that the "slumdog millionaire" guy is going to win, but the directing of milk was very good. the scene filmed through the whistle(if you've seen the movie you know what i'm talking about) alone should make "milk" win.
okay...those are my opinions about the big ones. what are your guys's opinions on who should win?
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g.g. part 4

after that crying jag, back to the awards...
there's some guy talking about david frost and richard nixon...and now they're showing "frost/nixon" which was a good movie...
colin farell is looking vaguely orlando bloom-like...best foreign language now...i hope waltz with bashir wins. and it won...fine. i'll be honest. i've seen who's won everything already on wikipedia...i was bored and got behind.
um...i'm stopping the "golden globes" now b/c i'm tired of it. and so is catherine...so we're watching "what not to wear". sorry...but i was bored of all the awards...
i'll be back to the "golden globes" tomorrow b/c we don't have school.
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g.g. part 3

catherine's obsessing over some little kid in a commercial...it was for some "law and order" thing...back to the awards...
yes!!! it's ricky geravis...he is awesome...and so british...and so funny. he reminds me of my aunt's scottish friend, alex. he is so funny. i love british humor. and ricky geravis. and he's being all nice and jokey with kate winslet and made a very un-pc, yet very funny, holocaust joke. catherine!!! get your feet off of me!!! i'm kind of wishing hugh laurie had won...
i really want to see "happy-go-lucky" sally hawkins is awesome. i want to see her in "persuasion" so badly...i'm ignoring he's talking right now...but it's best animated feature, which is cool...i want wall-e to win. wall-e won. no surprise there. he's giving a very boring speech...actually, it's not so bad. pretty short, which is good.
it's johnny depp!!! and his suit is kind of normal. and he looks very VERY cute. good job, johnny. best actress in a movie or comedy. sally hawkins won. good for her. she's so adorable and i really want to see her in "persuasion" with rupert penry jones...i'm kind of liking her dress. it's weird, but cute. she reminds me a sweeter, more adorable version of billie piper, but with a different accent. and she gave a very sweet speech.
commercial break, but no new post...learn to deal with it. and there's a commercial for "confessions of a shopaholic" which i WILL see even if the book is very annoying...
back to the awards. steve carell is being pretty cool and is showing "benjamen button" and i'm still unsure if i'm going to see it or not. brad pitt's already being cheered, of course.
nominees for best miniseries for tv...i bet "john adams" will win. i was right...and tom hanks is accepting the award...he's being kind of awkward...but he's doing a fine speech. i guess. short, but too the point, speech.
it's demi moore now. she's aged so well...omg...she just corrected her daughter's posture...best supporting actor. heath ledger is going to win. robert downey jr. is looking shocked...i don't like ralf fiennes new shaved head...heath ledger won(of course) and now i'm crying b/c catherine's crying, as is robert downey jr. and hugh laurie(catherine wanted you to know that). i mean, heath was good, but i don't think he should win the oscar...if he was alive, he wouldn't be up for all the awards, but then again, people do say that he died for the role. but i do feel bad for matilda ledger...at least she has jake gyllenhaal for a godfather.
new post now...
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g.g. part 2

well, i was lucky b/c there was a commercial break, so it's good that i ended the blog. catherine's enjoying herself, which is always a good thing.
ashton kutcher isn't looking his best...but rumer willis looks lovely...now it's best supporting actor from a tv show...neil patrick harris is hot...the guy from "john adams" won best supporting actor. not too surprising. i think he's british and catherine is obsessing about something for some reason...
and now best supporting actress in a tv show...someone has one of those "flip" video recorders!!! i have one of those...i really don't care who wins...someone from something called "recount" won...not loving her dress...i'm bored. i know that sounds awful, but i am...i don't care about best supporting actress in a tv movie. so i'm reading the fug girls, heather and jessica, snark about celebrities...it's nice that the winner thanked her parents and children...catherine's complaining about how her jeans are being odd. but what's new about that???
even though there's another break, i won't make a new post. too lazy.
it's don cheadle...with a shaved head. odd. they're going to show a part of "burn after reading" which catherine is obsessing over...don cheadle is very funny.
now eva mendes is talking...who cares how many people watch the golden globes??? i didn't know that she was cuban-american though...and i have no interest in hearing the president of some association talk...hayden p. from heroes...her dress isn't too bad.
best actor for tv show...the guy who plays "dexter" is cute...and i want to see "mad men". OMG!!! it's hugh laurie. he's looking amazing, albeit twitchy. and it's jonathon rhys-meyers from "bend it like beckham"!!! he's gotten cute...the guy who won the award, gabriel byrne, couldn't even be there too bad.
wow...the new guys from "star trek" are cute...really cute. but it's the nominees for best actress in a tv drama...january jones is looking quite pretty...i want to see "mad men"...anna panquin...don't like her with blonde hair, she was prettier with dark hair...catherine's freaking out b/c the guy playing spock raised his eyebrow which she found very cute...i forgot that anna panquin wasn't american...i like her accent.
long commercial break. new post.
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the golden globes part 1

the show itself is starting now...
um...i'm not a huge fan of j. lo's dres...it looks too shiny and everything...but she's still a gorgeous woman...i can see this being a "fab or fug" on gfy.
amy adams looks very cute, but there is no way she can even wish to compare to penelope cruz...sorry amy a., but penelope c. is totally gorgeous...come on kate...you look so gorgeous...YES!!! she won!!! she finally won!!! and she's crying...i'm so happy for her...she finally won...and she's so happy, she's crying...and i really like her dress...and her speech is so good...i feel guilty b/c i'm actually reading the fug girls snark instead of properly watching...okay...i actually watched her speech and it was so good.
what is sting wearing??? i actually care about best original song... i want the wall-e song to win. and catherine's dancing...scarring...ahh...clint eastwood looked really scary in that shot. not commenting on the bolt song...adrian brody is being cute in the background. actually, changed my mind. want the bruce springsteen song to win...soul patches unite(our dad tried to grow one). yes! bruce s. won. good job mr. soul patch.
renee z. what are you wearing??? this is so awful that i think i might have to start a new post.
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g.g. pre-show part 4

i think this is my last pre-show blog post thing...
hey!!! it's robert downey jr. he's amazing and i love his sunglasses. and his wife is so cute, even if her dress kind of looks like it was made of a garbage bag. but her hair's cute. and then there's tom cruise...he looks like John Barrowman...weird. and slightly scary. i really need to see "interview with a vampire". some guy named sting is being interviewed. his name sounds familliar and i think he's famous, but i have no idea who he is.
and now marissa tomei is being interviewed...i'm not loving the little jacket/blouse she's wearing. but she looks really cute and i do kind of like her hair. wait...she was wearing a skirt and blouse...that makes more sense now.
anne hathaway looks cute and sparkly. and patrick dempsey is gorgoues...
another commerical break, but i'm too lazy to write a new post...
pierce brosnan and his wife are being interviewed...wait...he said singing in "mamma mia" was easy??? hmm....interesting...i'm not loving his wife's dress. it has an awkward bodice. salma hayek is being interviewed and she looks very gorgeous and i am very jealous...she's done such a great job on "ugly betty"
okay...i think the show itself is about to start...get excited...
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g.g. pre-show part 3

back yet again...
wait...the guy we thought was orlando bloom was colin farrel. and he's with some guy named brendan gleeson...colin farrel is...interesting. can't decide if i think he's cute or not. unfortunate resemblance to mr. bloom though. and eva mendes is back...still cute.
yes!!! it's tina fey and amy poehler. tina fey is gorgeous and doesn't look like sarah palin. i love her dress. she's so funny and cute and i bet she'd so much fun to hang out with it.
yes!!!! it's kate and leo!!! leo's looking gorgeous and tan and not at all bloaty, which is great. and kate winslet looks so beautiful and i love her accent. and i like how leo called her "one of her best friends". it seems like they have such a great relationship.
yet another break...i think the show will start soon.
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g.g. pre-show part 2

okay...i'm back...
some guy named blair underwood is being interviewed. i like his aviators. and the person he brought with him has a fairly good dress. i don't love the crochet on the back of it, but aside from that, it's fine. and now blake lively is being interviewed...ironic...someone playing a girl named blair was interviewed after a guy NAMED blair. i think it's sweet that she brought her dad as her date. but i don't love her dress...i don't love the sequiny things on the bodice. aaron eckhart is back and catherine's freaking out again...and he's with some woman named rachel griffiths, whose dress i don't love...it looks kind of awkward. and now aaron eckhart's talking about heath ledger, which is all very sad and all, but if he keeps josh brolin from winning best supporting actor for "milk" in the oscars, i will be MAD.
beyonce's being interviewed...i thought she was vanessa williams for a second...she looks fine. not great. but i love her necklace. and she's hanging out with sigourney weaver who seems nice...i need to see "alien" still, thanks for reminding me. and some dude named denis leary is being interviewed...his kids seem pretty nice. and now it's maggie gyllenhaal whose dress isn't too bad. i don't love the pattern and the bodice, but the rest of it seems pretty nice. now, i ADORE heath ledger, but i don't know if he deserves all of the roles he's getting...i think that if he hadn't died, he wouldn't be up for so many awards, but whatever it's not my call. good job for maggie for wanting to see kate winslet and sean penn. the winslet is awesome. so is mr. penn.
omg...what happened to zac efron? he looks very different... his hair's all slicked back...he kind of looks like...no, it can't be, but it is...he kind of looks like Orlando Bloom/Elijah Wood. and Vanessa Hudgens is very cute. i like her hair cute. and we just say our first brad pitt appearance and catherine squealed. drew barrymore is being interviewed with this woman named jessica lane. drew b. looks very different. now jeremy piven and mark wahlberg are being interviewed...don't really care. now dustin hoffman is being interviewed. he seems pretty funny, actually, he seems very funny. i like him.
another commercial break. but we may have had a sighting of mr. orlando bloom with what looks like...an EARRING??? must investigate this further.
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golden globes pre-show

okay...this is my first time watching the golden globes and i'm kind of excited. this post is about the pre-party interviewing thing and it'll be kind of long b/c i'm talking about each celebrity in order, so deal with it.
okay...first up were the jonas brothers. i'm not talking about that. then was rainn wilson from "the office" who was very charming and funny and he seems like a pretty cool guy. then was miley cyrus, who i also won't describe in too much detail, but her dress wasn't half bad. then some dude named peter gabriel who had a cool accent. cool accents are always a plus. then america ferarra(can't spell, so don't complain) was interviewed. and i am very jealous of her because she's so cute and natural and talented and amazing. and her dress was adorable, as usual.
then my sister started to hyperventilate b/c aaron eckhart was interviewed and she has a major crush on him. fine. he did look pretty good and his tuxedo has some nice detailing. and we had our first sighting of ms. winslet who looked gorgeous.
um...then some guy presenting whose name i forgot was interviewed, which was uneventful. and then the girl who played sophie in "mamma mia" was interviwed. she seemed very sweet and cute and had a fairly decent dress, which is always really nice. and then there was steve carell, who is always amazingly funny. except he needs to get rid of his beard. misguided facial hair, much? except that catherine thinks mr. carell looks good with the beard. no accounting for taste. and yes, you should bow down to rick geravis.
and then eva mendes was interviewed. and she was gorgeous of course and she's a fan of kate winslet which is great. however, i'm not a huge fan of her dress. it looks like it fits awkwardly.
okay...now there's commercial break.
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interview with a vampire

so...in the past few months, i've begun reading some vampire novels(dracula/anno dracula). and then my parents got me a copy of the novel interview with a vampire by anne rice. for those who don't know interview is the cult classic vampire novel from the 1970s and there's a movie of it with brad pitt, tom cruise, kirsten dunst and christian slater. i'm only around 50/60 pages into it, but it's totally amazing...dracula would have to be my favorite vampire novel, but interview is a close second. the characters are complex, engaging, flawed, but oddly likeable and the plot is interesting and hard to predict. i'd definitly suggest that anyone who likes vampires should read interview with a vampire. it's so rewarding and such a great novel.
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los angeles and matt smith

okay...so i'm writing this from my aunt's house in los angeles where i've been for the past two days. i'm going home tomorrow.
i've had a lovely time down here. my aunt has two gorgeous dogs. amanda is this beautiful black and white mutt. she is very quiet but can be quite energetic when she chooses to be so. lulu is this adorable dauschand-chihuahua mix. she is tiny and brown and has the huge ears and is very affectionate. i love both of them a lot. actually, amanda is watching me blog this.
okay...now some news that pretty much only i and other doctor who fans will find exciting...the eleventh doctor has been chosen. his name is matt smith and he is 26 making him the younget doctor ever. i've actually seen him in "ruby in the smoke" and i feel that he is a good actor, if not my first choice as to who should play the next doctor.
here's a link of a picture of him from ruby in the smoke: http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/rubyinthesmoke/images/450x187/matt_smith.jpg
here's a link to a regular picture of him: http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/partyanimals/images/100x100/danny.jpg
and here's a link to the article about him in bbc: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7808697.stm
yeah. that's it. good luck mr smith
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why disney...why???

okay. so...i was bored. like really really bored. like so bored not even gofugyourself could relieve me of my boredom. so, i decided to watch "pocahontas" since it's on youtube and everything...and as i was watching it, i realized how completely amazing disney movies are and how i forgot how much i loved "pocahontas" as a kid. why??? because christian bale is in it!!! he plays thomas, the nerdy kid. and he is so amazing when he's just being a voice actor like in howl's moving castle...so yeah...i'm watching "pocahontas" and i'm finishing it and i see the someone put the sequel up and i'm on this disney movie kick so i decide to watch the sequel. and oh my god...the sequel SUCKS. it was terrible and painful and mel gibson doesn't even play john smith in it and billy zane's in it and ugh...i don't even want to think about it.
so i had to watch aladdin and anastasia to clear my mind. and i forgot how totally awesome aladdin is and how much i love the song "prince ali"...and anastasia was amazing...like...i can't even describe it...i actually never saw that movie as a kid and now i realize why i felt like i was missing out on something for my entire childhood...b/c it is AMAZING and it isn't even disney and it's still good. and now i'm hoping that the "frog princess" won't be bad b/c i'm starting to like disney movies again...and i really want to see the princess bride again, but i think i'll see quest for camelot instead...and i'm rambling...
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books and movies

as most of us sadly know, when a beloved book becomes made into a movie, it usually ends up being absolutely terrible(example: eragon) and it makes you feel depressed that such a great(or not so great in the case of the alex ryder books) book was totally ruined by the movie making industry. not all books are ruined, of course. personally, i think the movie versions of lord of the rings by peter jackson are better than the books b/c he cut out all the parts that didn't really fit with the rest of the story(the twenty page poems) and still had the movies be great. and the harry potter movies aren't too bad...i mean they could be worse.
but there are certain books that can never become movies. never ever.
1. catcher in the rye. if it was made into a movie, it would ruin everything the book is about(holden hates the movies). and also, it'd be impossible to find a person who could really be holden. i once read somewhere that only jd salinger could really play holden, but he's in his 80s and is a hermit in new jersey, so there goes that idea...honestly, the only movies that even come close is igby goes down(which i've never seen, but heard is really good) and dead poet's society(which i have seen and isn't really the same plot as catcher, but has a lot of the same themes). so, it'd be pretty much impossible for catcher to ever be a movie. and i hope it doesn't.
2. anno dracula. it's such a great book series and i'd hate to see it become another vampire chick-lit like van helsing(which is a great movie, even if it ruins dracula)
3. a tree grows in brooklyn. it might work as a mini-series on tv(bbc this is a hint) but i would never work as a movie. the story itself has too many characters and complex twists and cutting any of them out would be a crime. so a miniseries would be good. but not a movie.
um...that's all i can think of for now...my next post might be talking about what books would make good movies...
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milk

i saw the movie "milk" this afternoon after school, with my mother and sister. i can't really describe how amazing it was. i just can't. if sean penn doesn't win best actor, i will be devestated. and it will mean that the academy really has something wrong with it(heath ledger and brokeback mountain anyone?)
personally though, my favorite actors in it were either james franco or lucas gabreel. james franco plays scott smith, milk's first partner in the movie. he was so perfect. honestly, scott was probably my favorite character in the film, just because franco did such a great job playing him. also, lucas gabreel(from hsm) was great. he played a photographer who begins working for harvey milk. i was really glad to see an actor who is lumped with all the disney stars to break out and be in such an amazing movie. also: josh brolin was amazing. he is one of the most talented actors out there.
bottom-line: milk is amazing. the newspapers are right. it's the right movie for the right time. watching milk and his team waiting to hear if prop 6(which would fire any gay teachers or those who support them) is passed. the prop 6 scene is exactly like what happened with prop 8. except prop 6 did NOT pass. i began sobbing at that point b/c it shows that we are just going backwards with civil rights. also, milk is all about "change" and "hope". a lot of his speeches sound like obama's speeches. so, now, i'm terrified that obama's going to be killed too(not giving anything away. it's hard to when the movie's based on true events).
bottom line: go see "milk". ask an older sibling to take you. or a parent. it's pretty good to watch with a parent. but see it. just see it.
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i capture the castle/cold comfort farm

okay...so...finals are coming up...they're next week!!! i'm kind of worried about them, but then again, who isn't a little freaked out about them? but once they're done, it's winter break...and that means snowboarding and then going to los angeles! pretty excited for both of those things...
and besides, i've found a way to keep from getting to stressed out. so, there are these two books that i absolutely adore. they are called I Capture the Castle and Cold Comfort Farm and they are amazing. and over the weekend, i found out that there are movie versions of them and said movies are both on youtube. so, whenever i've finished my homework and have some extra time before i need to go to bed, i watch part of one.
both of them are really good and they both have actors/actresses i like. I Capture the Castle has Ramola Garai(i'm not sure how you spell her name) and Henry Cavill(he's in that show about the Tudors) in it. and Cold Comfort Farm has Rufus Sewell in it. Rufus Sewell, my friends. That is quite exciting. I love Rufus Sewell. Actually, it's a bit of full-on obsession. But it's not my fault that's he's such a good actor and has such pretty eyes.
anyways, better be getting to bed.
bye luvs!
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moulin rouge

might i just say how much i love moulin rouge? i saw it tonight for the first time and i completely loved it. by the end, i was sobbing because it's so beautiful and sad and because i am a total sap for things like that(i cried at the end of the second potc movie). and so i'm sitting there crying and what does my sister do? does she hug me? does she offer me words of kindness? no. she tells me to be quiet so she can hear what's going on. geez. thanks.
despite it's sob-inducing ending(or maybe because of it) moulin rouge is a great movie...where else would you get to hear the amazing jim broadbent with his awesome mustache(best bit of the movie) sing "like a virgin"? or see a drawf named tolouse dress up as a magical sitar? or get to hear ewan mcgregor sing "come what may" and "the sound of music". that was definitly the best part. ewan mcgregor: you are a god...when will you be in another movie? oh, and nicole kidman: why did you dye your hair? it looks so much better red.
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anno dracula

okay...so basically, i discovered on of the best books ever. it's called "anno dracula" and it's totally amazing...it's by kim newman and was written in 1992(the year it was written is kind of important) basically, it's premise is: what if dracula killed van helsing and became the ruler of the british empire? what would happen? and what if book characters we took for granted were actually alive?
the plot: someone has been killing new born vampire women in the whitechapel area under the name of "jack the ripper". gwen, a 400-year-old vampire who looks 16, and charles, a human with a failing engagement, work together to solve the mystery and find themselves falling in love(of course). with the help of people like dr. jekyll and oscar wilde, this unlikely duo find themselves trying to catch and murder and maybe even save england.
"anno dracula" is totally amazing...it's really well-written and the way the plot is set up(you know who the murderer is after the first chapter) is really good. i'd really suggest it to anyone who likes good mysteries, dracula or the movie "van helsing". check it out. it's pretty good.
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la boheme

so...i went to the opera with my mom and my sister last night. we went to this italian opera called la boheme.
basic plot: guy(rudolfo) meets girl(mimi). the two of them aren't exactly in a great place economically, but they still fall in love. then, rudolfo finds out that mimi's sick. it's not that hard to guess what happens, but i don't want to spoil it for you(hint, "rent" is based off it).
anyways, it was one of the best shows i've ever seen. the four leads all had amazing voices and were absolutely perfect for the parts they played. my personal favorite was the person who played musetta(the on again, off again girlfriend of rudolfo's friend, mascetto). she was really good and acted just like i imagined the character would act.
i can't even explain how amazing it was. by the end, i was sobbing because it was so sad and the music was so beautiful. all of you should try to see la boheme at least once. after you watch it, you understand where a lot of musicals get their ideas/theme musics from. it's just that good.
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house of bernarda alba

so...i went to see the upper school play, house of bernalda alba. it was absolutely amazing.
to quickly summarize: house of bernalda alba(hoba) is about a mother and five daughters in mexico. the father of the family has died. the eldest daughter is engaged. the youngest daughter loves her sisters fiancee. the mother abuses the daughters.
sound bleak? it is. i don't think there was one moment that made me want to laugh because it was funny. maybe because i felt uncomfortable. but not because it was funny. but even so, hoba was amazing. after watching it, i really began thinking about some of the issues it brings up.
i would really suggest seeing it if you haven't already. the cast and crew did an amazing job and even if you don't like bleak stuff, go see it. please.
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