mix tape

Pipes, Lung Cancer, and Obituaries

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Magritte's work frequently displays a collection of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things. The use of objects as other than what they seem is typified in his painting, The Treachery of Images (La trahison des images), which shows a pipe that looks as though it is a model for a tobacco store advertisement. Magritte painted below the pipe "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" ("This is not a pipe"), which seems a contradiction, but is actually true: the painting is not a pipe, it is an image of a pipe. It does not "satisfy emotionally"—when Magritte once was asked about this image, he replied that of course it was not a pipe, just try to fill it with tobacco.

Magritte used the same approach in a painting of an apple: he painted the fruit and then used an internal caption or framing device to deny that the item was an apple. In these "Ceci n'est pas" works, Magritte points out that no matter how closely, we come to depicting an item accurately, we never do catch the item itself.

I just finished TFioS recently, and I thought this was one of the most under-appreciated metaphors in the novel...
(Just a hint to Natalie, who appears to be writing the review of the book)

Poetry 175: How To Fall In Love by Susan Elbe

2012-01-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

How To Fall In Love
by Susan Elbe

Start by leaving home. It’s not where the heart is,
but where the hard edge is. When ice begins
to ebb from shoreline,
freeing mangy marsh grass,
leave.
And as you pick up speed, let your life arc out
away from you.
Realize that you don’t know where you’re going
and that the weather changes often.
Steer between the stars
like songbirds coming back at night.
Listen to the whirring
of a thousand, thousand miles of dark.
Remember you are ancient,
that once you walked out of the sea
and in the trees became another thing.
Know you can again.
Become three kinds of lonely.
Light a torch.
Leave a trail of handprints on the walls.
Or start by staying put.
Be a whisper looking for a mouth: luna, luna, luna.
Sit underneath the porch light.
Eat walnuts and persimmons.
Spread your red-edged wings.
‘Calling time’ begins near midnight.
Be hungry. Want.
Women are locks. Men open them for doors.

TV 175: Royal Pains

2012-01-23T18:43:00.000-05:00

As quite the departure from Saturday Night Live, Royal Pains is a USA original series centering on two brothers who run a concierge medical practice in the Hamptons. Don't be fooled by its labeling as a drama, though. The show does a remarkably good job of blending humor with intense scenes of heart-stopping action (literally, the patient's heart has stopped.) Imagine the earlier seasons of House, M.D. but without the sarcastic, grumpy man with a cane.

The pretty scenery aside, this show is all about the unorthodox methods Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) employs while taking house visits to various wealthy clients, young and old. His loyal, competent assistant Divya Katdare (Reshma Shetty) accompanies to most jobs, often providing an alternative diagnosis. She can be often one-note, except now in the third season a subplot focusing on her life has emerged.

The person who probably makes the show, though, is Hank's brother, Evan R. Lawson (Paulo Costanzo). He convinced Hank to start such a business in the first place, leaping in as the CFO. As you can imagine, this relationship between the two drives the show. Evan is incredibly endearing, mostly providing the -- sometimes much-needed --comic relief.

There are a few other regular characters whose lives are explored, yet any further explanation of each would make this incredibly long-winded.

I'm not sure what this show doesn't have. I mean, they've had Henry Winkler play the recurring role as Eddie R. Lawson, the brothers' deviant, dodgy father.

You can catch it on channel USA Thursdays at 10/11 est.

Visual 3: Kandinski - The Abstract Architect

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Wassily Kandinski is credited as the painter who created the first purely-abstract works.
He began painting studies (life-drawing, sketching and anatomy) at the age of 30.
In 1896 Kandinsky settled in Munich, studying first at Anton Ažbe's private school and then at the Academy of Fine Arts. He returned to Moscow in 1914, after the outbreak of World War I. Kandinsky was unsympathetic to the official theories on art in Moscow, and returned to Germany in 1921. There, he taught at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture from 1922 until the Nazis closed it in 1933. He then moved to France where he lived the rest of his life, becoming a French citizen in 1939. He died at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1944.

Poetry 174: As One Listens to the Rain by Octavio Paz

2012-01-20T18:32:00.000-05:00

As One Listens to the Rain
by Octavio Paz

Listen to me as one listens to the rain,
not attentive, not distracted,
light footsteps, thin drizzle,
water that is air, air that is time,
the day is still leaving,
the night has yet to arrive,
figurations of mist
at the turn of the corner,
figurations of time
at the bend in this pause,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
without listening, hear what I say
with eyes open inward, asleep
with all five senses awake,
it’s raining, light footsteps, a murmur of syllables,
air and water, words with no weight:
what we are and are,
the days and years, this moment,
weightless time and heavy sorrow,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
wet asphalt is shining,
steam rises and walks away,
night unfolds and looks at me,
you are you and your body of steam,
you and your face of night,
you and your hair, unhurried lightning,
you cross the street and enter my forehead,
footsteps of water across my eyes,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
the asphalt’s shining, you cross the street,
it is the mist, wandering in the night,
it is the night, asleep in your bed,
it is the surge of waves in your breath,
your fingers of water dampen my forehead,
your fingers of flame burn my eyes,
your fingers of air open eyelids of time,
a spring of visions and resurrections,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
the years go by, the moments return,
do you hear the footsteps in the next room?
not here, not there: you hear them
in another time that is now,
listen to the footsteps of time,
inventor of places with no weight, nowhere,
listen to the rain running over the terrace,
the night is now more night in the grove,
lightning has nestled among the leaves,
a restless garden adrift-go in,
your shadow covers this page.

Visual 2: Edgar Degas - Eyes and The Demimonde

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps more than any other artist associated with impressionism, Degas was a great chronicler of contemporary city life. What Degas wanted was artificial life, not natural life, which prompted him to step away from traditional subjects and nature. His works instead focused on a particular section of Parisian society known as the "Demimonde," or "Halfway World."

In the second half of the 19th century, Paris was the center of opulent and decadent society, from cafe life, the ballet, and even the circus. Degas was attracted to the circus and, in particular, to a Miss La La:

Miss La La stunned the members of the Demimonde when she joined Cirque Fernando and amazed Paris with her ability to hold a cannon on a chain from her teeth while hanging from a trapeze, earning her the name "La Femme Canon." (Doesn't actually have much to do with Degas, I just thought it was cool)

One of the biggest things you can notice if you look over some of Degas' Series (such as his long stretch of paintings titled "After the Bath"), is that Degas seemed to loose a large amount of detail as his oeuvre (French for "I want to sound fancy") progressed --

One of my favorite theories behind Degas' loss of detail (and, it's theorized, the loss of many impressionists' detail) was nearsightedness, and in Degas' case, cataracts. The timeline for the release of several of his works, as well as the progression from paintings similar to those above into those similar to those below, strongly suggests that Degas suffered from cataracts.

It's cool to think about what the world looked like through the eyes of such genius painters. Did Picasso really see the way he painted? Was everything lines and circles to Kandinsky? Was everything boxes and primary colors for Mondrian? Well, those are ridiculous examples, but it's interesting to think that even as Degas lost his eyesight he continued to paint the world around him...

Oh hey, speaking of Kandinsky...

Poetry 173: Masks by Shel Silverstein

2012-01-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Style 1: Resolutions

2012-01-11T00:00:00.020-05:00

(pinterest)

For Christmas this year, I recieved a couple of books about style: Amanda Brooks' I ♥ Your Style and Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant's The Fashion File. I've enjoyed reading them both so far, because I love learning about harnessing personal style.

However, I've found that these kinds of books (and I have a number of them) tend to repeat themselves. In one way or another, so-called "individual" style is clumped into genres such as "Classic" or "Bohemian." Although I do agree that from first glance it is easy to make surface assumptions about a person's style, I believe there is much more to read into about their personality and history. (Perhaps this is just me trying to think like a costume designer though!) Take the photo above--elements of classic and bohemian are present in this all-around retro look.

To me, style is something either meticiously formulated (which I don't do myself, but it works for many people) or innately apparent in every look you choose whether you're dressing up or down.

For the new year, I challenge you to harness your unique style. Here are a few tips:

Look into your closet and see what you have. If you don't like what you see, do something about it!
Start thinking consciously about what kind of style you want to emulate while you are shopping for new pieces. I have lost count of the times where I've tried something on that I know looks great, but just isn't "Kaylie" enough to feel 100% right. Let it go. Believe me, it will save you money and regret.
When shopping, look for unique pieces. Thrifting is always the best option if you want to accomplish this. For instance, last time I went I found a handmade suede skirt with embroidered horses on it. I mean, COME ON. It will also make you feel cooler just owning something like that.
If you haven't worn something in the past year, good chance you will never wear it again. Get rid of it to give you space for new pieces that you will actually wear!
Don't be afraid to take risks. We're young. We will get a laugh out of most of our wardrobe choices in twenty years anyway.
Experiment with color blocking and prints. Have fun and make people smile when they see you. Unless your style is goth... Then by all means, paint it black!
Most importantly: Don't ever take yourself too seriously when it comes to style. The best style has a good sense of humor.

Happy New Year!

Music 173: Lana Del Rey

2012-01-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

Just listen to her voice.

1.) "Born to Die"

2.) "Video Games"

Fellow Americans can buy her EP today!

Visual 1: Monet's Japanese Footbridge

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

The only books I've on hand are about impressionism, so let's start there.
To begin, Monet's Japanese Footbridge:

I think one of my favorite parts about analyzing Monet is that he spent such a large amount of his life painting at his home in Giverny, France. We actually get to see him revisit many of his favorite subjects several times over, especially in his paintings of poplars, lilies, haystacks, and the Japanese Footbridge. This footbridge actually stood on his property (though until recently it had fallen to termites), and Monet painted several series of the bridge during his stay at Giverny.
One thing about I've always loved about impressionists is the way they can paint things so differently each time. The two paintings above were painted in 1899, while the bottom two were created over twenty years later, in 1923. I wish I knew Monet a bit better, but I would assume he made a return to Giverny those many years after.
There are some theories as to why Monet's work became more vague so many years later, and I'll go into the main theory when I get to Degas and his dancers. I like to think that he just got better at capturing the essence of his subject - details didn't matter as much as the feeling of the scene.
That's actually one of the points I always make for Impressionism. It's not about detail, it's about motion, essence, and feeling.

Next Week: Degas' Eyes and Dancers

Poetry 172: Fragments for the End of the Year

2012-01-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Fragments for the End of the Year
by Jennifer K. Sweeney

On average, odd years have been the best for me.
I’m at a point where everyone I meet looks like a version
of someone I already know.
Without fail, fall makes me nostalgic for things I’ve never experienced.
The sky is molting. I don’t know
if this is global warming or if the atmosphere is reconfiguring
itself to accommodate all the new bright suffering.
I am struck by an overwhelming need to go to Iceland.
Despite all awful variables, we are still full of ideas
as possible as unsexed fruit.
I was terribly sorry to be the one to explain to the first graders
the connection between the sunset and pollution.
On Venus you and I are not even a year old.
Then there were two skies.
The one we fly through and the one
we bury ourselves in.
I appreciate my wide beveled spatula which fulfills
the moment I realized I would grow up and own such things.
I am glad I do not yet want sexy bathroom accessories.
Such things.
In the story we were together every time.
On his wedding day, the stone in his chest
not fully melted but enough.
Sometimes I feel like there are birds flying out of me.

TV 172: Saturday Night Live

2012-01-02T17:43:00.004-05:00

As the new year begins, billions of people will be making changes to their lives. Changes like a new workout routine or drinking more water. The list goes on.

I urge you, however, yes YOU reading this, to put aside your list of new year's resolutions for a minute and think about what will remain the same. This exercise is not meant to bum you out, just make you think realistically: what's going to keep happening? Where's the continuity? But then you might stop to ask yourself: how will I know if you're actually doing this? Great question. Ever read George Orwell's 1984?

Okay, I know this post has a point. Oh yes, let me reference the title. Television. Okay, cool. Saturday Night Live. Wait, what? Stay with me here.

Once every blue moon when I reflect abut TV's past, it strikes me how many shows have been on the air for stretches of many, many years. Take Cheers for instance. A sitcom about an ex-Red Sox pitcher turned bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and his regular friends that came to the bar lasted eleven years. There are several reasons for this show's longevity, obviously popular success the main factor. Which makes me wonder, though. How can a single show stay in the hearts of its viewers for so long?

The answer is Saturday Night Live. By brilliantly concocting a consistent format of comedy sketches with a renewable cast, they ensured it coul withstand the test of time.

With that in mind, it is hard to describe precisely what it is. It is a medley of comedians and writers addressing current issues satirically. It is always hosted by a celebrity with a featured musical guest. Most of all, it is a way to be guaranteed a laugh or a least a chuckle. So what isn't it?

Some will argue that it shouldn't be as long-running as it's been. That this show has already reached its prime, back when it featured the talents of Will Farrell and Chevy Chase. That's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I think they are losing sight of what a monumental accomplishment this show has achieved. Ratings have never been low enough to take it away from viewers and that's gotta mean something.

What it boils down to, I suppose, is how in this new year, a show from the 1970s can still have the audience it does. Of course, with the world ending this year, I suggest we enjoy it while we can. Perhaps put it on your list of New Year's Resolutions.

Probably my all-time favorite sketch:

Have you ever seen SNL?
What are some of your New Year's Resolutions?
Any improvements you think mix tape should adopt for the new year?
Interested in being a contributor?

Poetry 171: It Was Winter by Czeslaw Milosz

2011-11-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

It Was Winter

BY CZESLAW MILOSZ

Winter came as it does in this valley.
After eight dry months rain fell
And the mountains, straw-colored, turned green for a while.
In the canyons where gray laurels
Graft their stony roots to granite,
Streams must have filled the dried-up creek beds.
Ocean winds churned the eucalyptus trees,
And under clouds torn by a crystal of towers
Prickly lights were glowing on the docks.

This is not a place where you sit under a cafe awning
On a marble piazza, watching the crowd,
Or play the flute at a window over a narrow street
While children’s sandals clatter in the vaulted entryway.

They heard of a land, empty and vast,
Bordered by mountains. So they went, leaving behind crosses
Of thorny wood and traces of campfires.
As it happened, they spent winter in the snow of a mountain pass,
And drew lots and boiled the bones of their companions;
And so afterward a hot valley where indigo could be grown
Seemed beautiful to them. And beyond, where fog
Heaved into shoreline coves, the ocean labored.

Sleep: rocks and capes will lie down inside you,
War councils of motionless animals in a barren place,
Basilicas of reptiles, a frothy whiteness.
Sleep on your coat, while your horse nibbles grass
And an eagle gauges a precipice.

When you wake up, you will have the parts of the world.
West, an empty conch of water and air.
East, always behind you, the voided memory of snow-covered fir.
And extending from your outspread arms
Nothing but bronze grasses, north and south.

We are poor people, much afflicted.
We camped under various stars,
Where you dip water with a cup from a muddy river
And slice your bread with a pocketknife.
This is the place; accepted, not chosen.
We remembered that there were streets and houses where we came from,
So there had to be houses here, a saddler’s signboard,
A small veranda with a chair. But empty, a country where
The thunder beneath the rippled skin of the earth,
The breaking waves, a patrol of pelicans, nullified us.
As if our vases, brought here from another shore,
Were the dug-up spearheads of some lost tribe
Who fed on lizards and acorn flour.

And here I am walking the eternal earth.
Tiny, leaning on a stick.
I pass a volcanic park, lie down at a spring,
Not knowing how to express what is always and everywhere:
The earth I cling to is so solid
Under my breast and belly that I feel grateful
For every pebble, and I don’t know whether
It is my pulse or the earth’s that I hear,
When the hems of invisible silk vestments pass over me,
Hands, wherever they have been, touch my arm,
Or small laughter, once, long ago over wine,
With lanterns in the magnolias, for my house is huge.

Berkeley, 1964

News 170: Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-21T23:39:00.005-05:00

Momentum for Occupy Wall Street has been building upon itself for years now as the public becomes informed of how this society is run, how this system really works: realizations that the elite 1% of the United States now own 42% of the country's wealth, that 25,000 people around the world die every day from very preventable poverty-related causes (that's like 6 9/11s every day), that this current system we live in isn't a real democracy at all but an oligarchy consisting of elite bankers and CEOs buying the power of the government.

I started following this leaderless movement on Facebook almost when they just began congregating in New York back in September of this year and it has been both inspiring and heart wrenching to watch and read about. Unfortunately, so much negative attention has been given to them through the mainstream news media, yet another tool of the wealthy. This is why the internet is such a good thing, because it is free reign to find out other sides of the story and come up with your own conclusions.

Occupy Wall Street is a peaceful, nonviolent movement meant to protest social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, debt, corruption, and the influence of corporations over government. Yes, that sounds like an awful lot of things to be complaining about in one protest, but they're all connected because of the problem of money. The protest in New York has expanded to activism all over the world including Spain, Belgium, and Germany, and to many major cities in the United States: Occupy Portland, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Oakland, and many many more including college campuses across the country.

If you haven't heard much about Occupy Wall Street, then there's a lot of back story to know about before understanding just how important this movement really is. I recommend becoming informed with documentaries as they are probably the quickest and most thorough way to learn about this society and how literally every problem branches from a single source: money.

Resources:

Zeitgeist film series (free online viewing): http://zeitgeistmovie.com/
A step by step breakdown of what is really going on and how to fix these problems over the course of three films. These do go into some conspiracy theories in the earliest film regarding money and war (a very angering and inspiring part of the film), but the rest is very informative about how the economy works and why it isn't working, what could replace this system, and how it's possible to.

Inside Job (rentable on Netflix):
A film about the stock market crash in 2007. It's very slow going, but it shows how this government is more of an oligarchy than a real democracy.

Sicko (rentable on Netflix):
An incredibly revealing film about the current health care system and a very good representation of the inequality of this society and the greed of those in power.

If anyone else has more suggestions that are relevant to the cause, please leave a comment! If you support the movement, spread the word on your own blogs and find out about local activism communities surrounding Occupy Together. We are the 99%!

Poetry 170: Ode to Autumn

2011-11-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

Ode to Autumn

by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease;

For Summer has o'erbrimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twinèd flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

While barrèd clouds bloom the soft-dying day

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river-sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Music 170: He Is We

2011-11-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for some catchy indie pop, then He is We is for you, because to put it simply, they will put a smile on your face in any given situation. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, He is We consists of Trevor Kelly and Rachel Taylor. The two met at The Ted Brown Music Company (a local music store), and realized they both had the musical ability to play gigs together. Their gigs slowly turned into their first album Old Demos. Most recently though, they released My Forever (2010) and their fan base just keeps on growing.

"Trevor and I would see these local bands with these cocky auras about them. They didn't want to communicate with fans or acknowledge them in any way. He Is We gets its meaning from us wanting to be like everyone else. We are so blessed and want to stand with the crowd and make someone go, 'Dude, she was standing right next to me earlier, and now she's on stage.' " Taylor in an interview with SXSW on their band name.

Here are some of there standout tracks:

1) Everything You Do

2) And Run

3) Pardon Me

Honestly, it's so hard to pick He Is We's best songs when in reality you should just check out all their songs. They really are just a fun band to listen to when you wanna smile or lip synch into your hairbrush.

You can buy He Is We's Album My Forever here and their first album OLD DEMOS here.

So what do you think?

Music 169: Bon Iver

2011-11-05T02:30:00.001-04:00

When November rolls around, Bon Iver (pronounced Bone Eevair, french for 'good winter') is just about the best autumn music you can get. Bon Iver is a folk band that is composed of Justin Vernon and some fellow live backup musicians (Michael Noyce,Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan). They formed in 2007 when their debut album For Emma, Forever Ago (early 2008), came out. Most recently though, their album Bon Iver came out.

Bon Iver's music is full of meaningful lyrics, calming tunes, and the ability to get you hooked after a few seconds of listening. Here are some of Bon Iver's biggest hits:

1) Skinny Love

2) Woods

So what do you think?

Movies 165 : Abduction

2011-10-03T00:42:00.054-04:00

Now this isn't a movie for everyone. But I'm pretty sure Taylor and his Dad knew what they were doing when they got together to produce this film. Perfect timing too. Everyone on Team Jacob awaiting the new Twilight film got an early snack.

So Taylor gave his fans what they wanted. A film staring him. And a lot of him.

The movie has a fantastic cast. Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello, Lilly Colins, and Jason Isaacs. Also Taylor does most of his stunts too. And of course, we get to see him shirtless.

Taylor and Lily are no longer dating.

Fans who have grown to love him in the Twilight series, will surely get what they came for when they see this movie. And I'm sure will buy their own copy once its to DVD.

They have a history. Maybe they'll get it right this time.

On the other hand, the story is a bit predictable. And perhaps some will wish the plot had been a bit more than what it is. But in truth, this is a movie for Taylor's fans. If you're not a fan, you'll want to avoid this movie.

STORYLINE: Nathan, a teen, along with his friend, Karen finds a website that has photos of children who are missing or believed to have been abducted. They decide to age one of the photos and discover that is of Nathan as a child. He contacts the person who placed the photo to find out what's going on. The person on the other end only wants to know info about Nathan so Nathan hangs up. The person then contacts someone in Europe and shows him a photo of the one who called. He then heads for the U.S. Nathan then wonders is it true, was he abducted. He tells his "mom" who then tells him she and his "father" will tell him. But before they can, two men claiming to be cops show up wanting to talk to Nathan, and when he isn't found they pull guns and demand Nathan be given to them. His parents fight them but are killed. Nathan runs but remembers that he asked Karen to come over...

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TV 164 : CW's Secret Circle

2011-09-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

The “Secret Circle” series follows 16-year-old Cassie, who moves from California to live with her grandmother in Chance Harbor, Washington after her mother dies in a murderous fire. As soon as she arrives strange things begin to happen to her. She is eventually told by her “new friends” that her family is part of a legacy. One of 6 families of witches. Now that she is in Chance Harbor she completes the circle making them all very powerful. The real sinister plot in the series are the parents of the teenagers who have an agenda of their own.

What better way for Must See Thursday night TV than to have vampires and witches. Secret Circle is by the same author (L.J.Smith) and people who do VAMPIRE DIARIES (Secret Circle is on right after the Vampire Diaries). It stars Britney Robertson as Cassie who comes back to New England after the firy death of mother. Little does she know the secrets that six families hold back in the old town by the sea.

With every good TV drama comes a wicked villian, and Secret Circle definitely has one. This has to be Gale Harold's best role as of yet. He is splendid as Charles Meade. Would anyone suspect what he's up too?

In the secret circle of witches is the wild child Faye Chamberlian (Phoebe Tonkin from H2O) who so happens to be the principal's daughter. She has her own way of pulling in Cassie to their group. And she knows they need her in the circle so they can be stronger.

Of course, Cassie takes the clique as crazies, but she has a yearning for Thomas Dekker's Adam who is Diane's (the so called level headed leader of the bunch played by Shelly Hennig) boyfriend. Together, Adam & Cassie can make magic in the forest.

Louis Hunter as Nick and Jessica Parker Kennedy as Melissa play supporting roles in the circle. One might wonder if Nick will make a play for Cassie since he has the power to look inside her bedroom window. And is Melissa more than Faye's sidekick? Its been said that Melissa and Nick will get their flirt on for each other in the coming episodes.

The first episode offered special effects and a cool foundation of the characters to get the story started. It left viewers wanting more. The soundtrack is rather infectious too. With a cast like this, one is eager to find out just how powerful the Secret Circle will be.


That awkward moment where the school from The Secret Circle is the same school from The Vampire Diaries.	-kate

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Poetry 163: This Is Not A Poem

2011-09-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

This Is Not A Poem

By David Butson

I’m not going to say anything about bridges. or horses. or sky

ripped apart by birds. there are no fires. in this poem. no lips
trailing smoke. no rearview mirror eyes.
I’m not going to compare her eyelashes to flags waved from departing ships.
or her eyes themselves to rain through dusty winter windowpanes.
her lips to wine stains. her fingers to Japanese paper napkins.
that’s not my image anyway. you won’t find any scarecrows
between these rows of words. no train whistles in the vowel sounds.
no silent movies reflected in her sunglasses I’m not going to say
that her syllables are arpeggios of surrender. or anything like that.
in fact. my poem girl’s breath is nothing like the sweet of night’s earth.
her ribcage isn’t rattled by the angry bird I call her heart.

Poetry 162: Funeral Blues

2011-09-09T11:11:00.000-04:00

Funeral Blues

Wystan Hugh Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,
Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Movies 161 : Crazy, Stupid Love

2011-09-05T02:08:00.000-04:00

Here is a comedy with a lot of drama. Its the story of a man's marriage breaking up. Yet another about a boy who's found his soul mate. But then there is the 17 year old girl, head over heels for the older man. In the mix is the man at the bar who knows the art of getting the woman, but does he really know what love is?

I wasn't that crazy about the first part of the movie. It was quite a stretch in places. Sure, its awful how the wife Julianne Moore (Emily) springs I want a divorce on her husband Steve Carrell (Cal) who takes it the only way Carrell knows how to take it with his straight man comedy silliness. Then Cal meets someone like Ryan Gosling (Jacob) in a bar and hands over his credit card, practically willing him to make him over. Yet as the film grows, there are connections that make one smile and even laugh.

Analeigh Tipton retired from pair skating at 16. She plays the babysitter in the movie.

The movie has its moments. Emma Stone's conversation about Conan O'Brien with her girlfriend was amusing. And to find out how smitten she is with Josh Groban (her boss at the law firm). Yet it was the little surprises I liked best in the twist and turns of the humor. Jonah Bobo's performance as the son Robbie was genuine and sweet. Even better, the performance of Analeigh Tipton as the babysitter. She's awkward yet delightful.

Although, Ryan Gosling is buffed and suave, I've seen him in at his best in other characters. Perhaps I've seen Emma Stone in far too many movies this summer. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the movie. Still, there is a lot to love about this film. And some amazing bit parts by Marrissa Tomei and Kevin Bacon.

STORYLINE: Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have the perfect life together living the American dream... until Emily asks for a divorce. Now Cal, Mr Husband, has to navigate the single scene with a little help from his professional bachelor friend Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Make that a lot of help.

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Poetry (Sort Of?) 160: Date A Girl Who Reads

2011-08-26T10:37:00.001-04:00

Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

TV 160 : ABC Family's Lying Game

2011-08-22T14:08:00.000-04:00

A great way to end summer with a new show!

ABC Family was so successful with PRETTY LITTLE LIARS that they decided to bring another Sara Shepard story to the small screen. But will it work? PLL keeps us guessing with plenty of eye-candy to go around and parents who were once hot on TV a decade or so ago. Also, fashionista characters who hopefully figure out the mystery, which of course, keeps us coming back for more.

Does Emma have the drama for this?

This go around we have soap veteran actress from AS THE WORLD TURNS, Alexandra Chanda who gives off a bit of Nina Dobrey vibe from Vampire Diaries. Still Chanda has that doe in the headlights look, and she's not only one character, but two. Emma a good hearted foster kid on the run from her own problems and Sutton the poor little rich girl..Twins separated at birth.

We get to see how Emma (who doesn't even know her rich twin) act like she's Sutton, while Sutton goes off on a quick trip to L.A. to find their real parents. So the suspense rises as Emma plays along. Sutton's parents find a much nicer daughter. She really embraces the family. Her fake boyfriend too, who she finds is definitely faking it. Sutton is also a tennis champion, as well. Emma finds her self up to the mental and physical challenge.

Blair Redford finally gets a main role. He's been seen on Switched at Birth and 90210.

This time around wonderful Helen Slater plays the adoptive Mom. Blair Redford is to the rescue as Sutton's real boyfriend, Ethan Whithorse. General Hospital's Tyler Christopher plays Ethan's uncle who is the law around.

Madeline Rybak & Charlotte Chamberlin star in this series as Sutton's besties.

Its hard to say yet if the girlfriend pack will be as genuine as on Pretty Little Liars, but it has a mystery to unfold. Sutton's not back and Emma is stuck in her role. Its off to a good start.

STORYLINE: The show follows Emma (Chando), a kind-hearted foster kid who cant catch a break. She finds out she has an identical twin sister...

the lying game

Poetry 159: Drown by Bianca Stewart

2011-08-19T12:02:00.001-04:00

(Sometimes you just can't beat the beauty of simplicity.)

Poetry 158 : Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe

2011-08-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

Annabel Lee

Edgar Allen Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

TV 158: NBC's Love in the Wild

2011-08-08T15:00:00.069-04:00

Couple most likely to win. Samantha and Mike. They get along so well together.

Honestly, I'm not much for reality TV. I don't really want to make stars out of everyday people either, but Love in the Wild has been sort of a game changer for me on Wednesday nights this summer. The show is down to the final three couples now.

Steele is possibly the hunk but he's curse, coming in last. He finally went home.

It's like doing coupling research. It makes you think of your own relationship. Could you survive this sort of bootcamp? First you have these people who truly want to make a love connection. They think they've found someone of similar interest in the contestants, and then, they are put out in the jungle with certain challenges to get through. The winner gets the Oasis suit while the others have to go back to the cabins. We get to see two sides of them. One, where they are getting to know each other, spending the night with each other (seriously, we have no idea just what sort of connection they have going at night). Second, there they are having to be team players as couples, using real life strategies to get through the obstacles of the day. Many have said on the show that couples should go through this boot camps. One contestant said he couldn't believe how easily they became couples, too. Its fun to see how some support each other on these adventures, while others show their true colors. Some get along beautifully back at the cabins. They really talk to each other. Then they can be so explosive on some of their challenges.

Miles & Erica. Some just play well with others.

Ben was the biggest jerk of all. He made Brandee miserable (in the pink) and she wanted to be everyone's friend.

Then comes elimination time. If you are at the bottom, time to go home. Oddly, last week, two couples went home. One that couldn't stand each other anymore while the other possibly wanted to see if they could stay friends after they left.

LOVE IN THE WILD EPISODES

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All are looking for the love connection.

It's been fun to watch these couples. Darren McMullen is the host. The back drop is beautiful Costa Rica. The show started where the women chose their partners for the game. But winners can switch it up. Even the host switched it up, during one challenge when the couples were set to start.

Movies 158: Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-08T04:00:00.007-04:00

This is the movie I've been waiting for this summer. What a concept. There is something about being out in the wild west that conjures up Aliens in the wide open spaces. One doesn't even have to go to Arizona to feel it. I have to admit even in one scene, I could imagine how a pioneer would have felt seeing the Marfa Lights for the first time.

Jon Favreau certainly gives the feel of open spaces in this movie. There are bad guys everywhere you turn in this film. And they aren't even aliens. Those who are good turn bad quick..or so it seems. And someone who was bad, well, he might be the answer to everything. Maybe.

Who better to fight aliens than Indiana Jones & James Bond.

Daniel Craig's Jake is an unlikely hero. He wakes up with this thing on his wrist, and he doesn't even know who he is. Soon enough, bounty hunters find him. Luckily, Jake's a fighter. And as you can tell, he fights his way through the movie. Of course, Harrison Ford is an angry old rancher. He just can't seem to keep his son nor his cowboys in line. Even cows are getting blown up. Just what the movie needs, two anti-heros who can't see eye to eye on anything.

Cool and Calm Ella

Noah Ringer & Paul Dano

Paul Dano was a surprise in this film. Honestly, I've never seen this side of him and it was definitely refreshing and fun as Harrison Ford's dysfunctional son. Also Adam Beach was so true and genuine in this film. And Olivia Wilde was remarkable as Ella who has a few secrets of her own.

Honestly, a wonderful cast. The Arizona Territory ..so vast and natural. Then there are the Aliens.

Of course, they kept this film popping with action. Although, I wish Hollywood would give us a new breed of aliens. These creatures are just there. Killing machines. Really, no character. But they are the bad guys. A little dried up, but then slimy and cruel.

We have here a great John Wayne type story..where you hunt the aliens down, shoot and destroy. The actions scenes are epic. And it takes the Indians, desperadoes and anything else that can stop the alien invasion. Also, you see how this tale changes people. Its a great popcorn movie. Its good to see Harrison and Daniel in action, together. But they possibly would have gotten nowhere without the help of Olivia Wilde's Ella.

STORYLINE: The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been.

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Books 157: Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

2011-08-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

Running With Scissors is the memoir of Augusten Burroughs, chronicling the insanity that is his life from the age of nine to seventeen. From a mother prone to frequent psychotic episodes involving throwing Christmas trees off of the back porch, to his fascination with shiny objects and doctors, Augusten's life is anything but ordinary. However, things take a turn for the extremely strange when Augusten beginning with his mother's rather unorthodox psychiatrist, Dr. Finch, and his equally odd extended family. At the Finch residence, where schizophrenic patients live in the upstairs bedrooms and it's perfectly acceptable to eat dog food and make a homemade skylight in the kitchen ceiling, Augusten learns that any shred of normalcy that had been left in his life was now completely gone, and he liked it that way.

I absolutely loved this book. It was completely hilarious and legitimately had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. There are so many things that sound too weird to be true until you remember that what you're reading is a true story, and then you mind is totally thrown for a loop. I swear, this guy had the most interesting life in the world, though I'm not exactly sure if I'd want to switch with him... Needless to say, I highly recommend it.

Little did I know, there was apparently already a movie made of this book! I am so late on this bandwagon... I'll definitely have to check it out from the library as soon as possible. According to IMDb, it has Alec Baldwin, Gwenyth Paltrow, Evan Rachel Wood, and Joseph Fiennes, so definitely not too shabby of a cast.

Other books by Augusten Burroughs:

Magical Thinking
Possible Side Effects
A Wolf At The Table

Happy reading!

TV 157: MTV's Awkward and Teenwolf

2011-08-01T17:00:00.074-04:00

MTV has gotten a bad rap lately with its ill-fated SKINS, but it hasn't stopped their creativity from going forward. There is now AWKWARD starring One Tree Hill's Ashley Rickards. Her character is an unpopular 15 year old, Jenna Hamilton, who gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at her high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a suicide attempt.

Matty might be smarter than he looks.

"He is so what in whatever"-tamera

If that's not enough, the guy she hooked up with during camp is popular high schooler Matty (Beau Mirchoff) who tells her ..no one can know about their relationship. Jillian Rose Reed as Tamera is Jenna's bestie who throws around all sorts of fun lines. The show is full of quirky characters. It isn't completely over the top. There are certainly some cool moments. Of course, the mean girls would have to be the cheerleaders.

JUST 3 MORE EPISODES OF TEENWOLF.

Yes, this is Tyler Posey's best move yet..becoming a teenwolf. His Scott McCall is one nervous kid who adds suspense to the show. He can also pull off his shirt and make the coolest werewolf ever. Of course, he has some help from his sidekick Stiles (Dylan O'Brien). One of the best bromances this summer. This TEENWOLF is definitely darker that the movies from the 80's. Still it shows how hard high school life can be when you've got a problem with the full moon. Also the show is definitely showcasing some great talent that is more than just eye-candy with Crystal Reed as Scott's on and off again girlfriend. There is also Colton Haynes as Jackson who might be a lot colder than anyone really knows. This show has a lot to offer, and I'm hopeful that MTV will stick with it. The soundtrack is pretty awesome, too.

You can find these shows at MTV. You can catch up on episodes of Awkward and Teenwolf. Just click on the links.

Music 156: The Novel Ideas

2011-07-29T02:58:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for the perfect soundtrack to your summer without spending any money, then The Novel Ideas is the perfect band to start with.

The Novel Ideas originally formed in Newton, Massachusetts consisting of members Daniel (Guitar/Vocals), Alex (Guitar/Vocals), Will (Drums/Background Vocals), Danny (Bass/Slide Guitar/Background Vocals), Jeannie (Vocals/Violin), and Tim (Trumpet). Their music has been described as romantic folk rock, but in all it gives off the vibe of a good summer. Not much is known about them yet because they are still in the very early stages of fandom but now is the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon and listen to them!

Here is their best song-

Artichoke Heart:

You can download The Novel Ideas album for free here.

So what do you think?

TV 156: Degrassi

2011-07-25T15:50:00.002-04:00

Degrassi has found its way back to Teen Nick. Its on Monday through Thursday these days. It will have a 7 week run (29 episodes) to fulfill fans with its NOW OR NEVER summer.

The show is heating up with gang related storylines. Its also going places its never gone before. Of course, this teen show has a lot of stories to cover. This season, there will be a student and teacher relationship evolving, as well as lesbian stories to add to the mix. There is a teen mom and dad storyline. Another about being on antidepressants. Even a story about hooking up with the last person one would ever think about hooking up with. I guess you could say Degrassi has a story for everyone.

This show has some of the best bromances going on!

The show is getting more grit. Almost a flavor of SKINS, but not quite. One of the major stories is (Alicia Josipovic) Bianca and Drew(Luke Bilyk). The show opened with a concert. The funny thing is, what gangsta would show up at a Keke Palmer concert? Unfortunately, things go bad, Drew is suddenly thrown into B's old world of gangs. And it takes a lot out of the teenager. It even puts a damper on their sex life. So the writers give a lot to ponder, yet they let you use your imagination too.

Munro and Justin were on the Latest Buzz together.

This season Justin Kelly is a new player on the show. He shows up as the new guy, Jake Martin who is an old friend of (Alisnn Paul) Clare's. Of course, Clare is barely over Eli (Munro Chambers) who hardly notices Clare is even there. Eli is heavily medicated since his stalkerish attempt to win Clare over, last season. But Eli gets to meet someone new too. Her name is Imogene (Christine Prosperi) who is a bit of a quirky drama queen. Also Chloe Rose is Kaitlin who is transgender (Jordan Todosey) Adam's love interest.

Imogene quirky, nerdy and just what Eli needs

There is a lot to happen this season. Old favorites are back as well, for the most part. But some will be graduating soon. So if you've been needing a Degrassi fix... now is the time to get addicted to the show.

TEENNICK DEGRASSI

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Poetry 156: A Shadow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2011-07-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

A Shadow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I said unto myself, if I were dead,
What would befall these children? What would be
Their fate, who now are looking up to me
For help and furtherance? Their lives, I said,
Would be a volume wherein I have read
But the first chapters, and no longer see
To read the rest of their dear history,
So full of beauty and so full of dread.
Be comforted; the world is very old,
And generations pass, as they have passed,
A troop of shadows moving with the sun;
Thousands of times has the old tale been told;
The world belongs to those who come the last,
They will find hope and strength as we have done.

Movie 155: Transformers 3

2011-07-11T04:30:00.082-04:00

The official title of this movie is Transformers: Dark of the moon. ..which means get ready for some nifty flashbacks about the walk on the moon.

The movie runs 157 minutes which gives a lot of time to spend with Sam (Shia Lebuf) and his new love interest Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely). To some, this actress will make or break the movie for you. Yes, I hear from some that Megan Fox is the only girl for this movie. But out of respect, Rosie did hold her own in the action pack flick. And she was put through a lot.

Yes, it is full of mechanic mayhem. The autobots facing so much destruction, thanks to a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon. And who can Sam really trust?

ACTION OVERLOAD!

Seriously, I felt Josh Duhamel's character Lennox was wasted in this film while it was sort of cool to see Patrick Dempsey in a role he rarely plays. What saved the movie for me were the cameos. Especially, Allan Tudyk as Dutch. He's an awesome character actor. There is John Malkovich as the Sam's new mean boss. Hard nosed Francis McDormand in a role that would make most feminist proud as well as the wonderful John Turturro who has a lot to give to the fun of this film. Oh, and Sam's parents are back for parental support, maybe.

You may lose your faith in us, but never in yourselves.
From here..the fight will be your own.

Still, one wonders if its possible to give much character to a mechanical thing. I know some will decipher these Autobots and Cybertrons better than I ever would. But the action is pretty much nonstop. If that's what you are going for in a summer movie, well..better hurry before Captain America and Cowboys VS. Aliens come out. Not to mention, Harry Potter takes his last stand.

STORYLINE: The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

PG-13 - even so, I definitely wouldn't let younger siblings watch it.

6/10

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Poetry 154: Photograph by Andrea Gibson

2011-07-08T10:00:00.004-04:00

Photograph

By Andrea Gibson

I wish I was a photograph tucked into the corners of your wallet. I wish I was a photograph you carried like a future in your pocket. I wish I was that face you show to strangers when they ask you where you come from. I wish I was that someone that you come from every time you get there and when you get there I wish i was that someone who got phone calls and postcards saying “Wish you were here.”

I wish you were her. Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are all falling and they’re falling like they’re falling in love with the ground, and the trees are naked and lonely, I keep trying to tell them new leaves will come around in the spring but you can’t tell trees those things. They’re like me. They just stand there and don’t listen.

I wish you were here. I’ve been missing you like crazy. I’ve been hazy-eyed staring at the bottom of my glass again thinking of that time when it was so full it was like we were tapping the moon for moonshine or sticking straws in the center of the sun and sipping like icarus would forever kiss the bullets from our guns.

I never meant to fire, you know. I know you never meant to fire, lover. I know we never meant to hurt each other. Now the sky clicks from black to blue and dusk looks like a bruise. I’ve been wrapping one night stands around my body like wedding bands but none of them fit in the morning. They just slip off of my fingers and slip out the door and all that lingers is the scent of you. I once swore if I threw that scent into a wishing well all the wishes in the world would come true. Do you remember.

Do you remember the night I told you I’ve never seen anything more perfect than snow falling in the glow of a street light, electricity bowing to nature. Mind bowing to heartbeat. This is going to hurt bowing to ‘I love you.’ I still love you like moons love the planets they circle around, like children love recess bells, I still hear the sound of you and thin of playgrounds where outcasts who stutter beneath braces and bruises and acne are finally learning that their rich handsome bullies are never gonna grow to be happy. I think of happy when i think of you.

So wherever you are, I hope you’re happy. I really do. I hope the stars are kissing your cheeks tonight. I hope you finally found a way to quit smoking. I hope your lungs are open and breathing your life. I hope there’s a kite in your hand that’s flying all the way up to Orion and you still got a thousand yards of string to let out. I hope you’re smiling like God is pulling at the corners of your mouth ‘cause I might be naked and lonely, shaking branches for bones but I’m still time zones away from who I was the day before we met. You were my first mile where my heart broke a sweat and I wish you were here. I wish you’d never left, but mostly I wish you well.

I wish you my very, very best.

Movies 154: Bad Teacher

2011-07-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and Jason Segel.
Run Time: 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Rated: R for some drug use, nudity, sexual content, and language.
Pros: funny, a great, strong supporting cast, not too long of a film, Jason Segel is main highlight of film.
Cons: idea seems a little hackneyed (Bad Santa), didn't reach it's full potential, annoying leads at times, predictable.

So it's summer popcorn flick time and people are getting disappointed because they aren't seeing intellectual, thought-evoking films come out. If that's what you are looking for, then it's best you skip out on this review and Bad Teacher entirely. To be completely honest, Bad Teacher's trailer was deceiving in a good and bad way. The plot shown in the trailer isn't at all what Bad Teacher is really about. The upside? Cameron Diaz isn't half as annoying in the actual film than she is in the trailer. So here is the the gist of how Bad Teacher pans out.

Here you've got the main character Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) a teacher who does everything she shouldn't be doing. She was originally going to marry a wealthy man but was soon dumped by him when he realized her superficial status. All seems lost for her as she is forced to go back to teaching, until she meets the suave new substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), whom she tries to win over due to his wealthy background and charming looks. She's not alone in the race for Timberlake's heart though, as her overachieving big-breasted co-worker Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) also wants Timberlake. In order to get his attention, Diaz's character decides to get a boob job to get Timberlake's attention. Diaz goes through wacky stunts to get the money for the procedure by trying to get the teaching bonus and committing embezzlement (among some stunts).

Diaz and Punch fight it out to the death in Bad Teacher.

When it comes to the plot, Bad Teacher is fairly predictable, but in a good way. The biggest perk of Bad Teacher has to be Jason Segel as Russell Gettis, the laid back gym teacher who openly vies for Diaz's affection. There are also some killer cameos from Eric Stonestreet and Thomas Lennon both playing fairly wacky roles that will have you laughing.

Overall, Bad Teacher is the kind of film to go see if you're looking for some laughs and a strong supporting cast. If you don't go into the film with a relaxed mind though, it's guaranteed you'll be annoyed by Diaz and Timberlakes' characters by the first ten minutes of the film. In the end, Bad Teacher could have been funnier but it just doesn't go all the way. There are still funny scenes in Bad Teacher that will make you laugh if not cringe sometimes at the blatant and crude one liners that are tossed around casually. If you're looking for a comedy, go see Bad Teacher...but if you're looking for something exceptionally good, then this isn't the one to see.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Books 153: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

2011-07-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

"I listen to the tick of an unseen clock marking moments of time long passed. It takes me and it holds me and it carries and keeps me like the slow swing of a pendulum before the eyes of an idiot. The World has stopped not like before and not in a good way. It has stopped and is not going forward the same way my life has stopped and is not going forward. It is not going forward or backward or anywhere at all it has just stopped. It has just stopped. This moment and this chance they are the same and they are mine if I choose them and I do. I want them. Now and as long as I can have them they are both precious and fleeting and gone in the blink of an eye don’t waste them. A moment and an opportunity and a life, all in the unseen tick of the clock holding me nowhere. My heart is beating. The walls are pale and quiet. I am surviving."

A Million Little Pieces is a memoir of addiction and recovery, authored by James Frey, who records the time he spends in a Minnesota Rehabilitation Clinic at age twenty three. He wakes up on an airplane weak, thin, and malnourished, wielding a powerful dependency on alcohol and crack as well as a broken nose, a hole in his cheek, missing his four front teeth, but with no recollection of how he got there. After years of wrecking his body beyond repair, the doctors give James an ultimatum: either get clean, or die. The book is raw and real, a detailed account of his struggles, from the painful detoxification process, the constant desire to do the one thing that will kill him, and a forbidden relationship with a fellow patient at the clinic.

I should warn you that this book is pretty intense, with a lot of gruesome descriptions and crude language, but considering it's about a recovering addict you probably have guessed that already. Not exactly a lighthearted summer read. Nevertheless, it was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and would most definitely recommend.

Movies 153B: The Art of Getting By

2011-06-27T17:00:00.086-04:00

Perhaps you haven't had a chance to get in a New York state of mind lately with so many comic book heroes coming to life on the screen. I wouldn't dare say this is a youth in revolt sort of film, either. Even if Freddie Highmore comes off just a wee bit Michael Cera, yet there is that sort of Nicholas Hoult charm about him too. I don't think anyone else could have pulled off this role of George, but Freddie Highmore.

He's a fatalist at heart. He knows girls don't get him. And he's OK with that. While other seniors are fighting their way to get their chances into the right Universities, there is George who cuts class and never finishes an assignment. And then he does something nice one day for a girl, Sally Howe played by Emma Roberts..which changes everything.

The film is written and directed by Gavin Wiesen who has said he wanted to show us his New York City for a very long time. And he does it splendid through the scenery of different hues of moods and the cool atmosphere and soundtrack of the movie. He also shows George's world and the outside world, as well.

The storyline is much like John Green's Paper Towns. Boy finds friend. Maybe possibly more than friend even while his home life is slowly falling apart. There are twists at that. George is befriended by Michael Angarano's Dustin who is an artist trying to make a living in New York City. But can he trust this friend around Sally?

Michael's pretty darn adorable in this film.

Some great performances from the supporting cast. Alicia Silverstone as his English teacher was definitely teacher worthy (I don't even think she wore make up). Sasha Speilberg came off as if she could be Lea Michelle's popular cousin. Rita Wilson is George's compassionate mother while Twilight's Elizabeth Reaser plays Sally's zany mom.

It might be hard to catch the subtle-ness of this movie. Because so many movies would over look George's strength. Yet, Freddie Highmore does it with such a sincerity. It is the sleeper of the summer.

STORYLINE: Believing the quote that you are born alone, die alone and everything else is an illusion, George doesn't see the point of life, school, or homework. Then he meets Sally and he now has a reason to go to school and make friends, even if he's not ready to admit to himself or to her that he likes her. The school's principal and art teacher introduce him to an alumni, and successful artist, Dustin, who can help guide George along life's path, but other distractions start surfacing, and George might not even be able to graduate from high school.

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8/10 * Because its my kind of movie =). I had to get the soundtrack to this film, too.

Movies 153A: CHATROOM (DVD)

2011-06-27T04:00:00.019-04:00

Like a new Clockwork Orange of the Internet

Aaron Johnson gets the pleasure of showing just how wicked he can get in this intriguing film by Hideo Nakata based on Enda Walsh's play. Nakata takes us on a journey. The life of a chatroom. Its such a visual moment instead of words typed on the screen. We get to see the persona created and how one individual can charm others and undo who they think they are.

even his hair has its own mood, too.

Johnson plays William who's rather complicated. He's the one who seeked the chatroom as his domain. Of course, he has a mother who's a well established J.K Rowlings type who created her own world by using his older brother's name as her main character, Ripley. Unfortunately, William doesn't take this too well. He's already had quite an episode that has taken the family into 'treatment' for his fondness of suicidal tendencies. Naturally, they think he's getting better. William has friends. Only, they are Internet friends.

Nothing like a girl's touch for a chatroom!

We meet Imogene Poots' Iva who perhaps has met her match when she fancies William. She's a small town model and enjoys putting others down. There is also Hannah Murray's Emily who wants to please her family with good grades and be the best she can be..only she isn't very popular. There is also Daniel Kaluuya as Mo who has fantasies about his best friend's little sister. And of course, last but certainly not least...a very sad Jim played splendidly by Matthew Beard.

opening scene..William finding a chatroom.

What makes the film mezmerizing is the vividness of the chats and how they react in the dark and mysterious atmosphere of the Internet. It isn't until near the end they meet in reality at the zoo. But it might be just a little too late.

Honestly, Aaron Johnson shows his potential of so many emotions through this movie. Oh, he comes off so charming. He always knows the right thing to say. His perfect persuasion to get his kicks from the others. His character is quite a voyeur that leads to the psychological horror of his trap. He is on his game... as a psychopath... his family can no way handle.

desperate and seriously alone...Matthew Heard's Jim.

Also Matthew Heard's Jim is intense and such a worthy performance he gives in this movie.

I'm so happy this movie is available on DVD.

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STORYLINE: A group of teenagers encourage each others' bad behavior.

Rated R. Mainly for psychological horror.

8/10. It's a keeper in many DVD personal collections.

Good News 151: SoulPancake

2011-06-26T05:00:00.004-04:00

Created in 2009 by Rainn Wilson of The Office fame; SoulPancake is a place for people to get together and just talk. Nowadays there are things such as IM, Skype, and Facebook but what makes SoulPancake different from all of those communication sites is that the people on SoulPancake don't talk about average things. Instead the users challenge themselves with questions and thoughts that really get their brains moving.

Forums with questions such as:

1. Are you afraid of disappointing others?

2.Can pop culture make us better people?

and 3. Would you sacrifice the most important day of your life?

SoulPancake takes questions that most people are afraid to face and puts them in the open. Combining all religions and beliefs together is another goal they have on SoulPancake's website, making it a safe haven for people to share their beliefs in all equality.

SoulPancake is a fun site for anyone who wants to broaden their horizons and to accompany the site their is a book to go with it entitled SoulPancake: Chew On Life's Big Questions. It is a fill out book with many different exercises and ideas to get your day started the right way. Craving more SoulPancake? Wilson and his crew have been going around to colleges doing sessions with anyone wanting to come to get the full SoulPancake question experience.

Not only that but Oprah Winfrey has took interest in this project and in the next year or two there will be a show for SoulPancake and some of the group's missions to make the world a better place.

At SoulPancake people can discuss any topic they wish whether it's religion, food, or life's biggest questions. Here is what happened when creator of SoulPancake (Rainn Wilson) and his crew went and asked people what some of their biggest questions are.

A preview of the book SoulPancake.

You can visit the SoulPancake website here.
You can pick up the book SoulPancake here.

Poetry 152: The Confession of an Apricot

2011-06-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Confession of an Apricot

by Carl Adamshick

I love incorrectly.

There is a solemnity in hands,
the way a palm will curve in
accordance to a contour of skin,
the way it will release a story. This should be the pilgrimage.
The touching of a source.
This is what sanctifies. This pleading. This mercy.
I want to be a pilgrim to everyone,
close to the inaccuracies, the astringent
dislikes, the wayward peace, the private
words. I want to be close to the telling.
I want to feel everyone whisper. After the blossoming I hang.
The encyclical that has come
through the branches
instructs us to root, to become
the design encapsulated within. Flesh helping stone turn tree. I do not want to hold life
at my extremities, see it prepare
itself for my own perpetuation.
I want to touch and be touched
by things similar in this world. I want to know a few secular days
of perfection. Late in this one great season
the diffused morning light
hides the horizon of sea. Everything
the color of slate, a soft tablet
to press a philosophy to.

TV 152: The Glee Project

2011-06-21T10:40:00.001-04:00

In case you didn't get enough of the show Glee this past season, you can tune into the summer series, The Glee Project. As the title suggests, it is a spin-off the original and involves 12 talented teens competing to earn a seven-episode guest starring role on the original show.

But why is this necessary? Well, Glee creator Ryan Murphy realized that he'll need "new blood" when the current cast graduates soon -- within the show, of course! Then he decided the selected 12 will undergo a Glee boot camp, which is essentially a singing/acting.dancing masterclass, and viola, The Glee Project was born.
Every week there's a theme (so far Individuality and Theatricality), a "homework" assignment, a mystery guest from the actual Glee cast, and a group number. The show promotes that it follows the same process as Glee would: vocal recordings with Vocal Producer Nikki Anders, and dance lessons from Choreographer Zach Woodlee. The show's host/guide, as it were, is Casting Director Robert Ulrich. He auditioned 40,000+ aspiring stars and narrowed it down to the mere twelve (pictured above).

The homework assignment requires each participant to perform an assigned line from a song and through that, best display the theme. The winner of this challenge, generally the person who stands out the most, will earn one-on-one time with that week's guest and a featured role in the group number. This reward is also just freakin' cool.

After that, participants work and train hard to learn their parts in the group number. Anders and Woodlee double as advisers tasked with observing each teen's efforts. These observations will combine with the teen's final performance and help determine who makes the call back list, and who is at risk of going home. The three that are deemed the worst for that week will be asked to sing in front of Ryan Murphy, who will ultimately decide who stays and who goes.
Of course, it wouldn't be a reality-type show without some drama mixed in. As the participants interact with each other more, tempers flare and conflicts arise. I don't need to go into detail, but you've been warned.

So far two episodes have aired and both are available for free viewing on Hulu. (First episode, second episode.) Otherwise, you can catch this show 9/8:00 p.m. est on Oxygen.

What do you think?

Movies 152: Super 8

2011-06-20T21:00:00.002-04:00

Director: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, AJ Michalka, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich and Elle Fanning

Run Time: 112 minutes

Rated: PG-13

Plot: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined. Written by Official site
To settle one of the biggest misconceptions about this movie, Super 8 does indeed refer to the type of camera used by the kids throughout the film. It is not the Motel of the same name nor is it the moniker for the monster.

With that squared away, this movie is an homage to Steven Spielberg, the director renowned for his Sci-Fi works such as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park. It thus follows a similar formula of child actors, alien/foreign entities and a stunning score.

Here's how this one goes. Grieving the loss of his mother to a nuclear power plant accident, Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), agrees to take part in his friend Charles' (Riley Griffiths) Super 8 film festival entry. Due to a rewrite of Charles' making, Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning) is cast the part of the lead detective's wife. Those three, plus three other friends --Cary (Ryan Lee), Preston (Zach Mills), and Martin (Gabriel Basso) -- decide to film a climatic scene at the train station in the dead of night. Suddenly, Joe notices a truck pull onto the tracks, causing the train to derail and trigger a series of catastrophic explosions. Luckily, all the kids survive save a few scratches to their name. Among the wreckage, they discover the driver of the truck was their school's Biology honors teacher Dr. Woodward (Glynn Turman) and small white cubes, one of which Joe pilfers. Moments later, the Air Force sweeps in and the gang flees, vowing to never admit they were there.

Very soon after this incident, all dogs are reported missing along with various metal appliances. This mystery serves as the main story arc and small sub plots emerge. For instance, the love triangle between Joe, Alice and Charles, the strained father/son relationship between Joe and his dad, Lillian Deputy turned Sheriff, Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler) and of course the shooting of Charles' film.
The ensemble cast of six characters give a pretty believable performance. Joel Courtney is especially endearing, solidifying his chances of a decent acting career in the future. In a lot of ways, this is a slightly updated version of The Goonies, which you can either consider a good or bad thing. Other minor roles provide comic relief to a otherwise frightening movie. I say frightening because there are several scenes where the monster appears out of nowhere all of the sudden. Needless to say, the effects are well done and in addition the music heightened the action on screen. Detracting from the overall quality, however, were the noticeable goofs. If you're comfortable looking past that, then fine, pay it no mind.
As a warning to any parents or older siblings going with youngsters, there is a fair amount of swearing and drug/alcohol references. Viewer discretion is advised!

All in all, this is a decent summer blockbuster movie to enjoy with friends/family.

You can watch the official trailer here.

Rating: 7/10

Poetry 151: Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare

2011-06-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Poetry 150: How To Eat a Poem

2011-06-10T17:45:00.001-04:00

How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam

Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.

You do not need a knife or fork or spoon
or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core
or stem
or rind
or pit
or seed
or skin
to throw away.

Movies 150: X-Men: First Class

2011-06-08T11:40:00.004-04:00

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: James McAvoy, Micheal Fassbender, Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Lawrence

Run Time: 132 minutes.

Rated: PG-13

Plot: Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN. Written by Twentieth Century Fox

This movie is the prequel to the X-Men trilogy, chronicling the lives of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Micheal Fassbender) as friends turned foes that unite to defeat their common enemy, Scientist Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) during the 1960s. For Erik, his motive for defeating Shaw is deeply personal: to avenge the murder of his mother, while Charles is roped into the situation through CIA agent Moira MacTaggart (Rose Byrne).

The legacy of the series aside, this film has most of the key ingredients to concoct a summer blockbuster: the large scale special effects, the dramatic dialogue, and the interesting juxtaposition of romance and humor. Fortunately, though, they aren't overtly over-the-top, they can't be considered a bad thing nor do they detract from the straightforward plot. In fact, these elements help enhance the film's overall impact. Regardless, as I go onto to explain the full plot/setting, you'll realize it's necessary to suspend disbelief.

The plot essential provides an alternate scenario for the 1960's Cuban Missile Crisis, which as the name suggests, is very foreboding. Scientist Shaw has formed his team comprised of his right-hand woman and telepath, Emma Frost (January Jones), teleporter Azazel (Jason Flemyng), flying fire-spitter Angel (Zoe Kravitz), and tornado producer Riptide (Alex Gonzalez). Together, they are determined to intervene with Russia and United States relations to induce WWIII.

Meanwhile, Charles and Erik seek out Mutants to enlist as government operatives to combat Shaw. Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) was an obvious recruit; she and Charles have been like brother and sister since little children. Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) was already an active member of the CIA, Alex/Havok (Lucas Till) was rescued from solitary confinement and Sean/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) was a teenager unable to impress girls. Each have unique abilities that, when danger is imminent, are fine-tuned under the instruction of Charles aka Professor X.

Also, as a minor storyline, Raven/Mystique and Hank/Beast struggle to accept their respective Mutant appearances and become "Mutant and proud."

Generally, all performances were decent, but a few stood out. Bacon, for instance, delivers a spot-on performance of a man evil enough to conspire such a plan as nuclear war. He also spoke an impressive three languages (English, German and Russian). Landry Jones stole a lot of the scenes between the youngster, providing timely comic relief. Fassbender, however, was the real star as a tormented soul, desperate to kill Shaw despite everything, including his friendship (okay, speculative "bromance") with the young, potentially naive Professor X, brought remarkably to life by McAvoy.

Clocking in past the two hour mark, this movie is certainly long. Fortunately, though, very few scenes lag and the story is compelling enough to not lose the audience's attention. Seriously, the suspense build-up is tremendous. I think I should mention that the movie does contain some risque material and therefore isn't necessarily suited for the kiddos. That said, its PG-13 rating is appropriate.

The movie ends on such a note that possibly suggests a sequel. I guess we'll have to look out for it summer 2013.

Overall, it is a solid summer movie that everyone, not just die-hard X-men fans, should definitely check out this June.

You can watch the official trailer here.

Rating: 8/10

Books 149: The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty

2011-06-03T14:20:00.002-04:00

Megan McCafferty's young adult series is about the life of one Jessica Darling, beginning with the summer before her junior year of high school at the age of 16 and up until the final book ends as she turns 26. The series touches on all of the major milestones that young adults face, from prom, first sexual experiences, choosing a college, and eventually a career.

The books are written as Jessica's journals, where she details all of the dramatic, exciting, depressing, and humiliating events of her life. She's intelligent and writes with witty sarcasm and dry humor that I can't get enough of. You might be inwardly groaning and thinking "oh man, not another stupid girly teenage fiction series..." but I promise you, this series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Obviously I must really enjoy them or else I wouldn't bother to share them here. :)

So far I've only read Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, but I'm so incredibly excited to get my hands on the next three books. They've been around for quite a while, taking place during the early 2000s, so I'm not sure why the heck it's taken me so long to read them. If you're looking for a fun read this summer, definitely consider these.

Movies 149: The Hangover Part II

2011-05-30T05:00:00.002-04:00

Director: Todd Phillips

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong.

Run Time: 102 minutes.

Rated: R

Plot: Sequel to the first film (The Hangover), the wolf pack returns for another adventure this time for Stu's wedding. Stu originally hopes for a subtle bachelor party but things go wrong when they wake up in Bangkok with no memory of the night before and Stu's fiancé's brother missing and only 48 hours to find him.

Summer blockbuster season has officially started and what better way to start the season than the sequel to the 2009 comedy hit The Hangover. The problem? The Hangover Part II hasn't been receiving rave reviews, let alone good ones. While The Hangover Part II pales in comparison to The Hangover, by no means is it a movie to skip out on because where the first film lacks, the second excels.

The Hangover Part II starts off feeling a little trite when the first twenty minutes is almost an exact remake of the first film, with the exception with some more background to the story. There are some great parts sprinkled in between the opening scenes, making fans happy to have the wolf pack back again. It doesn't take long though for the trouble to start up again when Phil (Cooper) wakes up in a mysterious apartment in Bangkok, only to see Alan (Galifianakis) with a freshly shaven head and Stu (Helms) with a Mike Tyson tattoo blazed on the side of his face. Things get worse though, no one remembers what happens and Teddy (Mason Lee), Stu's future teenage brother-in-law is missing. That's when the fun begins, for the next hour is dedicated to finding Teddy. This journey includes finding kidnapped monks and a smoking drug dealing monkey, and going into a transgender strip club.

The fun doesn't stop there, there are also fun guest appearances from Mike Tyson, Paul Giamatti, and Ken Jeong reprising his role as asian gangster Leslie Chow. As for the performances as a whole, they were solid. Ed Helms surprisingly took the head reign in this film and carried it out well. Zach Galifianakis reprised his role as a comedy king while Bradley Cooper brought up his humor too. Those who were looking forward to Justin Bartha having a bigger role will be sorely disappointed to see his role is not much bigger than it was in the first film.

So why did this film get bad reviews? It was mainly due to being unable to top The Hangover and the fact that at some points it was just too blatantly ripping off the first film. Don't let that stop you from seeing it though because if you loved the first Hangover then you will definitely love the second.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Movies 148: Thor

2011-05-23T04:00:00.006-04:00

Thor is still going strong at the box office. A lot of that has to do with Chris Hemsworth taking the lead as Thor with so much thunder, as it should be. He's rather likeable in this role and of course, eye-candy too. Seriously, he makes the perfect Thor to be banished to earth.

Thankfully, Kenneth Brannagh, as director, gave a lot of heart to this film. Anthony Hopkins as Thor's father Odin gives such a wonderful performance. Anyone else might have made it cheesy. But with such great sets and adventure in the film, Hopkins is perfect for this part.

Also, Tom Hiddleston finally has a chance to show what a truly great actor he is as Thor's brother, Loki (he's now filming the AVENGERS). Loki is so complex and just finding out who he truly is. He certainly added a lot of depth to this comic book tale.

CONFESSION: I liked Dennings over Portman.

Of course, there are the earth people in this epic adventure that Thor meets once he crashes to earth. Natalie Portman is Jane the science girl. She has a few awkward moments with Thor when he lands on earth. But Natalie's Jane is there for the ride, like the rest of us. Add Kat Dennings as Jane's sidekick Darcy, and a scene stealer she becomes in this movie.

The film has a lot going for it. Lots of action in so many realms of fantasy. Still Thor is learning a lot about himself on earth, and we are learning a lot about where he's from too. And then there are the feds. But they can't hold him long even if he doesn't have all his strengths.

Some wonderful performances from Thor's circle of friends. Josh Dallas plays Fandrall and Jamie Alexander as Sif and Tanobu Asano round out the trio who are always there for Thor.

This movie will definitely get your summer started.

credits!

STORYLINE: The warrior Thor (Hemsworth) is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard by his father Odin (Hopkins) for his arrogance and sent to Earth to live among humans. Falling in love with scientist Jane Foster (Portman) teaches Thor much-needed lessons, and his new-found strength comes into play as a villain from his homeland sends dark forces toward Earth.

9/10

Books 147: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2011-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

At this point I think it's safe to say I've gotten into a pattern of bringing up books that have been or are soon being turned into movies. Let's just face the facts here. But it's not my fault that movie producers apparently haven't thought of very many original ideas lately, is it? Haha.

Which brings me to The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. We learn about a freshman boy named Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. While Charlie would not be considered the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular either. He's what you would call a wallflower; he is shy and introspective and intelligent beyond his years, despite not being very savvy in the art of socializing. Charlie encounters the same struggles that many kids face in high school. Making friends, first crushes, family tensions, deaths of loved ones, exploring sexuality, experimenting with drugs, as well as dealing with his best friend's recent suicide.

"And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing 'unity'. It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means you're happy, too."

I read this book for the first time in my freshman year of high school and I wasn't incredibly blown away, but I decided that, in preparation for the movie that I think is coming out in 2012, I should try rereading it one more time to refresh my memory. I've heard so many people express their love for this book over the years, and I was thinking that perhaps my opinion of it would change this time around. For some reason I can't seem to be able to make myself feel the exact same way. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about Chbosky's style just doesn't agree with me for some reason. Not to say I didn't enjoy this book, cause I did! Just not as much as I wish I would have. But don't take my word for it, because you might end up absolutely adoring this book to pieces. Read it and see for yourself. :)

I'll definitely be seeing the movie, too, to compare them and all. It's starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, which is certainly sounding like a promisingly good cast. Since the book is set near the Pittsburgh area, which is in fact where I live, it's been kind of exciting to hear about places that they're filming at. I'm determined to somehow get Emma Watson's autograph. Somehow....

Music 147: Mumford & Sons

2011-05-17T20:28:00.001-04:00

Mumford & Sons are known today for being a band that makes banjo seem bad-ass, but in short you can call them folk-rock. Mumford & Sons was formed in October of 2007 and is made up of Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, "Country" Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane. Their debut album Sigh No More was released in 2009.

The band gained popularity throughout 2010 through their hit Little Lion Man, but soon gained recognition through some of their other songs off their album Sigh No More. They are also known for being heavily influenced by playwright William Shakespeare and author John Steinbeck.

1) Little Lion Man (WARNING: song contains language)

2) The Cave

3) Winter Winds

So what do you think?

You can buy Mumford & Sons' latest album Sigh No More here.

Poetry 147: Cherry Tomatoes

2011-05-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

(So it's not exactly August yet, but summer is quickly approaching and I couldn't be happier.)

Cherry Tomatoes

By Annie Higgins

Suddenly it is August again, so hot,

breathless heat.

I sit on the ground

in the garden of Carmel,

picking ripe cherry tomatoes

and eating them.

They are so ripe that the skin is split,

so warm and sweet

from the attentions of the sun,

the juice bursts in my mouth,

an ecstatic taste,

and I feel that I am in the mouth of summer,

sloshing in the saliva of August.

Hummingbirds halo me there,

in the great green silence,

and my own bursting heart

splits me with life.

Movies 147: The High Cost of Living

2011-05-09T05:00:00.017-04:00

Director: Deborah Chow
Starring: Zach Braff, Isabelle Blais.
Run Time: 1 hr 38 min.
Rated: Not Rated
Country of Origin: Canada
Language: English and French.
Plot: One fateful night brings two different people together when drug dealer Henry (Braff) runs over pregnant women Nathalie (Blais). Henry immediately flees the scene but later regrets it. So he gets in touch with Nathalie (never telling her what he did) and over time the two start to form a friendship. Little does Nathalie know though that she is falling for the one that caused her to loose her unborn child.

First off, if you are looking for a movie like Zach Braff's Garden State, this is not the film you should be watching. The High Cost of Living is more of a understated version of it and it falls flat in comparison. Essentially the film is about two people who realize they aren't living the lives they should be and when these two people meet, they began to shed their old life and grow into a new one. But their past is never fully gone, throughout the film old memories haunt them as unwanted secrets come up. Here you've got a great idea for a film but it never goes to its full extent. The characters have this rich background that barely gets explored and in the end, you don't get to see what emotion should be pouring out of them throughout the film. Braff does an exceptional performance though as an american ne-er do well drug dealer who simply does what he has to to stay in the Canada under the radar until he can renew his visa. His character Henry shines throughout the whole movie showing some humor and pain in the most needed parts. Blais on the other hand could have been great as the french-canadian expecting her first child (which she loses in the beginning of them film right before she was supposed to give birth). If her character actually had some depth, Nathalie would've been fun to watch but it seems that she has no emotions to show. No random break downs or even a few tears. Maybe the director was going for a state of shock in this character but on screen it just appears to be a little strange. The relationship formed between characters Henry and Nathalie makes up for the development though. Their are some very cute scenes of them together just talking and doing quirky things that will make you feel inspired and elated.

The best part about this film has to be the end, which I can't say much about either than you'll either love or hate it. It really just abruptly ends leaving the audience wanting more.

Overall The High Cost of Living really wasn't a bad film. It had some dull moments but it also had moments of being completely heart warming and real. This is the kind of movie that right after it ended I wanted to watch again. For some reason it seems like a movie that would be fitting to own. It truly does seem like a movie that will grow on people as we all learn to appreciate it. Even if you are not sold on the idea of this film, please just go see it for Braff's performance, which was breath taking. It might not seem so enticing now, but trust me on this one, it will be worth the watch, because even the roughest of diamonds still shine.

Overall Rating: 7/10

You can watch the trailer for The High Cost of Living here.

Movies 146 Part Two: Something Borrowed

2011-05-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

Director: Luke Greenfield
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski.
Run Time: 100 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Plot: Polar opposites Rachel (Goodwin) and Darcy (Hudson) have been best friends since the start of time. So when Darcy is engaged to Rachel's law school crush things start to turn for the worse. Friendships are tested as secrets come to surface in this romantic comedy.

So far 2011 has been filled with mediocre films full of 2010 rejects and leftovers from the studios but with summer blockbusters coming up the movies have been getting bigger and better. Something Borrowed is one of those lead up films for the bigger ones to come. It is a film you have to walk into with an open mind, leaving all judgment at the door, because sometimes you just have to let yourself relax and this is the movie to do it in. Of course the highlight of Something Borrowed was John Krasinski as Ethan, the witty friend of Rachel. The rest of the actors were nothing special to watch though Kate Hudson was fun as the callous best friend Darcy.

The worst part about Something Borrowed had to be the character and plot development. You are left with a feeling of unfinished ideas and no sympathy for majority of the characters. Rachel (Goodwin) just doesn't pull off the lead as well as she could have while Dex (Egglesfield) comes off as more of a bad guy than the sweet love interest. There are some comedic breaks with some smaller characters such as a creepy stalker friend and a guy who just doesn't use his brain as often as he should. The sad part is that the supporting cast is what is the most fun to watch, and when you are not watching them you are wanting to.

Back to Krasinski, who is the sole reason to see Something Borrowed. His character Ethan has the whole theater laughing throughout the film with his quick and canny lines. Like always, John Krasinski is the scene stealer and if you like him as Jim in The Office, then you will love him in Something Borrowed.

Overall, this was a pleasant film to watch even with its flaws. It might sound silly but it really is something special, a diamond in the rough that will be appreciated later on. As for a weekend movie, it is the perfect choice; even for future dvd rental.

Movie when John Krasinski is onscreen: 8/10
Movie without John Krasinski onscreen: 6/10

You can watch the trailer for Something Borrowed here.

Books 146: Water For Elephants

2011-05-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

"Water for Elephants is the touching story of Jacob Jankowski, a ninety-three-year-old man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assisted-living center. When Jacob overhears a man at the assisted-living center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on a circus, Jacob knows the man is lying because Jacob himself once worked as a vet on a traveling circus. The lie causes Jacob to spend much of his time remembering his colorful past, wishing he could move back in time and return to those days of camaraderie and excitement. It is a story of coming of age, of facing the realities of death, and living despite it all. Water for Elephants is an adventure for readers of all ages." (Summary via BookRags)

Yes, I've brought you yet another book-turned-movie. But this time, I've actually both read the book and seen the movie! This book has always been one of my favorites. It's not just some typical romance novel, either. It's an intriguing adventure that you're reminiscing back on along with Jacob. But when my friends and I went to see the movie, starring Starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, I have to admit that I was a little worried that they were going to end up messing up the book entirely. Luckily, I am very delighted to say that they didn't at all! In fact, I really enjoyed this movie, and it even made me tear up in a couple of places. And, going to be honest here, Robert Pattinson was looking pretty attractive here. I definitely prefer him as Jacob than as Edward Cullen. There were a few differences between the book and the movie, but nothing too major that interfered with anything too much, so I was pleased.

Anyways, I would most definitely recommend this book, and the movie as well! Enjoy.

Movies 146: The Conspirator

2011-05-02T12:39:00.001-04:00

If your immediate thought is "Gee, this looks boring," I urge you to think again. The Conspirator delivers a profoundly compelling, and yet entirely true, retelling of the events that transpired after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

I first heard about this film through my habit of *stalking* actor James McAvoy's imdb.com profile. From its pre-production days, it was hard to judge if this was going to be worth seeing, but I was very happy I did.

The first 20 minutes surround the assassination itself. If you know anything about it from studying U.S. History, you know it occurred in a theater in Washington, D.C. and John Wilkes Booth was the assassin responsible for firing the fatal bullet to back of the President's head. However, this murder was only one of three planned -- the two other targets were Secretary of State and Vice President at the time -- a detail never learned or forgotten brought to the forefront. This entire scene is re-imagined well on the screen.

Lincoln's death prompts the swift response of Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline), Lincoln's Secretary of War, to locate and prosecute the conspirators. During this pursuit, Wilkes (Toby Kebbell) is gunned down, John Surratt (Johnny Simmons) cannot be found, and seven accused men and one woman, Mary Surratt, (Robin Wright) are taken into custody. A military tribunal is then set to occur instead of a civil court with a jury of their peers as the Constitution dictates.

Enter Friedrick Aiken (James McAvoy), a young Civil War hero made to defend Mary Surratt. As evident through early correspondence with his client, Aiken is hesitant to accept her story and even more hesitant to stand by it in a courtroom.

From here on out the movie is much like any other courtroom drama. Lawyers cross examine their witnesses, Aiken conducts counsel with Surratt herself and Surratt's daughter, Anna (Evan Rachel Wood) and gathers more evidence that he comes to believe supports her innocence.

The viewer, however, is ultimately left with the choice. Was she innocent or guilty?

Overall, this movie contains an excellent main and supporting cast (okay, except for Justin Long who added little sans minimal comic relief) authentic set designs, gorgeous period costumes, and a riveting lesson about the justice system. What's not to like?

Rating: 8/10

Movies 145: Three Movies You Should Never See

2011-04-25T12:53:00.003-04:00

Here on Mix Tape the majority of movie reviews are positive, but what about the movies we shouldn't see? Most movies people know they shouldn't see based on common sense...but what about the movies that actually looked like they would be good? I am here this week to confirm your suspicions to stop you from seeing the wrong movie. *Note* usually in a review I would list the directors, plot, and actors, etc. but there is no need to here because these movies should be ignored entirely. If you are interested in the films shown below, the title of each one is linked to its IMDB page.

1) Me and Orson Welles (PG-13)-
Chances are you haven't heard of this movie. I picked this up from Redbox one night when I wasn't feeling well- needless to say this didn't make me feel any better. The worst part of this film was if you rent it on dvd, you cannot skip the twenty minutes worth of previews and there is no scene selection, so if you continue it on another night, you must watch all the previews and try to fast forward to where ever you were. I couldn't finish this film at all because honestly the acting was bland and so was everything else in it.

2) The Tourist (PG-13)
Yes this movie has been talked about on Mix Tape before but no matter how many times I tell people not to see this movie they still do! The end results are always the same, disappoint and dislike. I think I have met two people who have liked this movie. There is no need to summarize this movie because all it is is Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp acting in boring rules with no chemistry at all. The only reason The Tourist was seen and made was because people wanted a movie with Jolie and Depp. This wouldn't be a problem if they did the movie right though. The story had potential but fell flat. That is simply what happened, anyway if you want to see Jolie and Depp in something just watch the trailer and you'll be set.

3) Eat, Pray, Love (PG-13)
If you want to see a film about a well off white woman complain for two and a half hours this is your movie to watch. Here in this film, you have some phenomenal critically praised actors playing characters that make them look just flat out awful. Here you have this woman who is happily married and decides that isn't enough, so she leaves her husband and gets with a hot younger man-but wait! She still isn't happy. She then decides to spend all her money on traveling. First Julia Roberts (the main character Elizabeth) goes to Italy and eats, and then complains about her muffin top! After she goes to India to pray...though that half of the movie is pointless and boring to viewers. Then comes the third part of her trip, Bali, where she falls in love again but decides that isn't enough! Eat, Pray, Love is just about a woman experiencing life and complaining. Those two and a half hours could be used for much things. Don't watch this, do these things.

So what do you think? Have you seen any of these films? I would add more but these are the main ones that should be avoided.

Poetry 144: Dream Deferred

2011-04-22T13:34:00.000-04:00

I first read this because it was included in the prologue of the play A Raisin in the Sun. I immediately fell in love with it and continue to interpret it in new ways.

A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Movies 144: Scre4m

2011-04-18T05:00:00.057-04:00

Scre4m is the first to point out that this isn't SAW. Torture porn. True, what made Scream so likable to begin with were the characters that came from the series. Dewey (who's now sheriff ) and Gale (who is just a writer with her horror movies STAB) are now the old timers with a new generation that awaits in Woodsboro. After all, this was the movie that got Courtney Cox and David Arquette together. Of course, Neve Campbell is back as our best heroine ever of slasher films, Sydney Prescott.

The movie is made of quite a dream cast. It's like everyone wanted to be a part of the movie. But as you start to watch there is a bit of confusion, is this someone watching the STAB films or is this really part of this movie? Evidently, it was important to Craven to imitate 'art'...if that's what we want to call it. Naturally, the film falls back on the rules of horror movies. Who'll get it first? Rory Culkin's Charlie explains all. Possibly. Of course, we have Emma Roberts as Jill, Sydney's cousin that she barely knows. And it just wouldn't be right if this hadn't been the anniversary of the Woodsboro murders.

I will say the film has plenty of twists and turns. It is in the tradition of the original movie in a lot of ways. The suspense grows. There are times however that you feel time was wasted. But then there is someone explaining it all to you. It was great though to see Marley Shelton, Anthony Anderson and Adam Brody as the deputies.

erik knudsen, rory culkin, hayden panettiere, marielle jaffe

Sometimes, it takes more than one time to watch this flick to enjoy it. I have to say I enjoyed Roy Culkin's performance the most. Yes, you will find it predictable, but what makes it so fun is to have some of your favorite actors from TV shows... all in one movie.

STORYLINE: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately, Sidney's appearance also brings about the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

tumblr credits

7/10

Books 141: The Hunger Games

2011-04-15T08:42:00.003-04:00

I have been hearing so much about The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins lately, but in spite of that I unfortunately have not gotten the chance to read any of the books yet. I feel like I'm the last person on the internet that still has yet to do so... haha. And to make matters worse, apparently they're already making a movie out of it! No, wait, hold on a minute -- they can't make the movie before I even read the books yet! I have virtually no free time these days, but with spring break coming up perhaps I'll finally get a chance. Here's a summary of what I have in store for me:

"It's in the future, when the United States, now Panem, is divided up into 13 districts, and each district is has one thing they export. At the center of the society is the Capitol, where the President lives in luxury while the rest live progressively worse. The protagonist, Katniss, lives in the worst district, District 13, where almost everyone is poor. This society is extremely strict, but not all people follow the rules. Every year, all of Panem takes part in the Hunger Games, during which one boy and one girl from each district go to an unknown location, and fight to the death, and the winner gets money, food, anything they need to survive, and live in luxury for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, Katniss's younger sister is chosen. In order to save her life, Katniss takes her place in the contest, and the game begins."

Courtesy of this kind soul here. Thank goodness for Yahoo Answers! What a lifesaver.

There are three books in the series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.

If you've read these, what did you think?

Fashion 143: Shatter

2011-04-13T05:00:00.002-04:00

Okay so one of the most annoying things about today's society is the fact that we have so many celebrities coming out with fashion lines for retail stores. I tend to ignore them 95% of the time. Sometimes though there is something that just can't be ignored and that is Shatter nail polish by Katy Perry.

So nail polish isn't really a fashion staple for most girls but Shatter by Katy Perry for O.P.I. is just so creative and fun that it can't be ignored. Shatter nail polish works on top of any nail polish and with a few simple steps you will have the coolest nails in town.

1) Pick any nail polish (O.P.I. works the best) and put a thick coat of it on your nails.
2) When it dries apply shatter quickly once over each nail.
3) Watch the black shatter away on top of it!

Users of Shatter nail polish have commented on how cool it looks when it shatters and how it's great on bright colors or the shade lilac. This nail polish is limited edition so try it while you can!

For fans of this nail polish there is also a complimentary line also by Katy Perry to accompany Shatter with colors such as: Last Friday Night, Not Like The Movies, The One That Got Away, and Teenage Dream (all in order shown below from left to right not including Shatter on the far right).

Katy Perry's line and how they look with Shatter.

To test out Shatter you can go to O.P.I.'s website and click the box that says Katy Perry on the home page.

Buy Katy Perry's nail polish (Shatter) here and the complimentary colors here.

So what do you think?

Music 143: Miike Snow

2011-04-12T05:00:00.002-04:00

So there are a few things you need to know about Miike Snow: they are a Swedish band composed of three guys (Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt) none of whom are called Miike (let alone with two i's in the name). So where did they get such a strange band name? It turns out that it is from a friend whose name is Miike Snow, Miike coming from a japanese origin.

Miike Snow formed in 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden. They only really became popular in America during 2010 though, half a year after their debut album dropped here.

So what is so great about this band? Never have I heard a band so fun and well...heart warming. They have been described as having an electronic/indie pop feel to them but that is not the thing that gets you hooked. It is their music as a whole. It's their catchy beats, sweet lyrics, and smooth singing. It's the fact that each of their songs is unique in its own way.

Example: when I first heard their song Animal in the car a year or so ago I couldn't believe it. It was love at first hearing. It started out with this strange thumping and let straight into lyrics like this: I change shapes just to hide in this place but I'm still, I'm still an animal. I was mesmerized. So sit back and relax and listen to some of their greatest tunes:

1) Animal

2) Song For No One

3) Black and Blue

So what do you think?

You can buy Miike Snow's debut album here.

Movies 143: Arthur

2011-04-11T05:00:00.006-04:00

Many might wonder, why make a remake of a classic? Nobody does Dudley Moore better than himself. There was no original spunky Linda played by that wonderful Liza Minnelli (instead we get a timid Naomi played by Greta Gerwig) and there was the genderswap, Helen Mirren as Hobson. The original Arthur came out in 1981. And it was a rather enabling cavorting movie about a raging alcoholic named Arthur (OK, he was quite a fun drunk). Now we have an updated version. Russell Brand in Dudley Moore's shoes..but not quite so funny. But still British. Very British set in New York City.

Some would say Brand is an acquired taste. And I guess I have acquired a taste for him. Actually, I found this movie more of a drama than a comedy. It was all Helen Mirren's doing. Forget the late night party romps, and Jennifer Garner being the bride from hell or even Gerwig looking quirky and very New York chic, this movie belonged to Mirren.

There were times I thought this should have been a remake of Herald and Maude. It would have been much more easier to do. Brand and Mirren are so unique together. When Hobson got up to make her speech at AA's, it got to me. As she said the things he could not say about his drinking, I started to tear up.

This was a movie that wasn't going to be about enabling someone. So if you think you are off to a movie to have a laugh, well, this isn't the one to go too. Still it has its moments. Some very trusted Russell Brand kind of humor, slipping in and out of being cynical. There are also some sweet New York City scenes along with some very grownup tunes from Eternal Summers (Pogo), Mark Giford (While you wait) and Daniel Merriweather.

TRIVIA: This remake has been made and released practically exactly thirty years after the original Arthur.

STORYLINE: A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn't like.

Credits!

6/10

Music 142: Broken Bells

2011-04-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Ever imagined what a mega-awesome-collaboration would sound like? Look no further than here because Broken Bells is what you're looking for. Composed of Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (frontman of The Shins) Broken Bells is an indie alternative dream.

Broken Bells started in Autumn of 2009 when the two announced their collaboration and ever since then they have had a steady following of fans and the hearts of critics stolen. Back in December of 2010, Broken Bells performed their last show at KROQ's Almost Acoustic show but have comfirmed a follow up album and possibly more concerts.

On March 29th, 2011 Broken Bells released an EP entitled Meyrin Fields.

Here are some of their best work:

1) The High Road

2) Sailing to Nowhere

3) October

So what do you think?

You can buy Broken Bells debut album here.

Movies 142: HOP

2011-04-04T06:00:00.035-04:00

Its that time of year. Spring. Easter. And what better way to get in the mood. Watching a movie with a younger sibling. Granted, you won't get a religious experience watching this film. Some critics are pretty perturbed about this too. But if you want some Kid fun, you might just find it at HOP.

Its brought to you by the creative folks of Despicable Me. Russell Brand has to be the sexiest Easter Bunny ever as E.B., who really doesn't want the family business. He'd rather be a drummer in a rock band. Hone in on Fred O'Hare played by a rather youthful James Marsden and a buddy trip of fun is on its way.

Granted, the human forms aren't quite as delightful as the animated ones. They don't seem to have the best lines. I soon found that this movie possibly isn't kid proof. I saw many a young one grab Mom or Dad's hand to go to the restroom during this film. Several times. Many of them. It is rather adult oriented with its jokes. So there are a lot laughs for those who brought their kids.

Also, I was hoping for a bit more originality when it came for the Bunny ride, an Easter egg slay carried through the night by baby chicks. Hmmm, dunno about that. But I will have to commend Hank Azaria's voice as the second in command chick who wants to take over. He's splendid in that role.

STORYLINE: E.B., the Easter Bunny's teenage son, heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In LA, he's taken in by Fred after the out-of-work slacker hits E.B. with his car.

5/10

Poetry 142: Bluebird

2011-04-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

Movies 141: Sucker Punch

2011-03-28T05:00:00.076-04:00

I've been waiting ages to see this film. To start with, such a great cast to help conjure a fanboy's dream. Emily Browning as Babydoll, Abby Cornish and Jena Malone as sisters that Babydoll meets at the asylum. Along with Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung as Blondie and Amber. Which gives you the vibe of girl power mayhem.

Unfortunately, its a very tragic story and a critic's nightmare. You can either sit back and enjoy the ride, or try to decipher all the angles of it.

Babydoll knows her time is limited, and I won't give you any spoilers here. She's also at the hands of Blue (played amazingly by Oscar Issac) the orderly, who also secretly pawns the girls off as prostitutes at his little inside night club.

But Babydoll deals with it. We never actually see the dance she does. Its up to you to decide on the truth of the dance. On one level its possibly a very bad thing. To us we get inside her head to see an action pack adventure with Samurais, Nazis zombies and fierce dragons.

Of course, you might find yourself questioning Snyder's story. Such a visual movie and the music keeps the story pulsing. ARMY OF ME is amazing by Bjork. Emily Browning even gets a chance in the opening with her version of SWEET DREAMS. I have to admit I adored Emiliana Torrini's WHITE RABBIT.

This is a movie that will have you talking with friends for quite awhile, wanting to view it again, perhaps. Some, will be disappointed and will hope the director's cut will clear everything up. Truly, you will find your own ending to this movie. Perhaps its best not to dwell on what really happened in the asylum, but to sit back and enjoy the show.

Some remarkable performances by Glen Scott and Carla Gugino. If only there would have been more scenes with Jon Hamm.

STORYLINE: A young girl (Baby Doll) is locked away in a mental asylum by her wicked stepfather where she will undergo a lobotomy in 5 days time. Faced with unimaginable odds, she retreats to fantastical world in her imagination where she and four other female inmates at the asylum plot to escape the facility. The lines between reality and fantasy blur as Baby Doll and her companions battle various creatures and enemies to retrieve the 5 items they need that will allow them to break free from their captors before it's too late.

emilybrowningfans.tumblr.com
8/10

Books 140: Fight Club

2011-03-25T07:44:00.002-04:00

The first rule about Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club.
The second rule about Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club.
The third rule about Fight Club is two men per fight.
The fourth rule about Fight Club is one fight at a time.
The fifth rule of Fight Club is no shoes, no shirts in the fight.
The sixth rule about Fight Club is the fights go on as long as they have to.

Many people seem to be surprised to learn that the rather popular movie Fight Club starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter was actually based off of the book by Chuck Palahniuk.

As I am running out of time to write this, here's a quick summary by David Loftus:

"The narrator, an insurance investigator prone to depression and insomnia, finds temporary joy and distraction by attending various support groups. But he keeps running into another support group fraud named Marla, which spoils his fun. Meanwhile, he also meets a free-lance projectionist named Tyler Durden, who splices frames from porn movies into mainstream features and suggests they undermine capitalist society with dangerous pranks and the Fight Club -- a group devoted to bare knuckles, all-out battles between similarly confused and frustrated young males. Someone bombs the narrator's apartment, and he has to move into an abandoned house with Tyler. Eventually clandestine fight clubs spring up all over the country, and our hero finds himself uncomfortably stuck within a passionate triangle between Tyler and Marla. Something's gotta give, but what? Palahniuk's strange, offbeat 1996 debut novel came to a deservedly wider audience when it was made into a movie starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter."

This is one of those cases where I find it really hard to say whether I liked the book or the movie. better. The two are very alike in some aspects, but also differ quite a bit in others, especially the ending. Well, at least the way I interpreted the ending... I'd say it's one of those times where you really just have to see for yourself, honestly.

If anyone else has both read the book and seen the movie, what are your thoughts on this? Did you like one better than the other?

Happy weekend!

Poetry 139: Emily Dickinson

2011-03-18T17:00:00.001-04:00

Death
by Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

Music 139: The Temper Trap

2011-03-15T14:20:00.003-04:00

More than likely you've heard this band before. Not only has The Temper Trap's song Sweet Disposition been featured in numerous Coca Cola commercials and they've also been featured in movies such as: (500) Days of Summer, I Am Number Four, The Roommate, and No Strings Attached. Their music has also been featured in many shows such as: Chuck, One Tree Hill, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Skins (UK) and many more. I guess you can say this band has been featured in a lot of things since their forming in 2005. I guess you could say they've made their rounds internationally too because they are getting quite huge in the US and the UK. The Temper Trap are quite busy themselves right now working on their sophomore album which should be out soon.

The Temper Trap consists of Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, Lorenzo Sillitto, Toby Dundas, and Joseph Greer. They hail from Melbourne, Australia when they met at Wesley College. Their music would be described as indie rock but in my opinion, their songs contain a plethora of many different styles. Nothing too crazy in their music but there is a song for every mood.

Honestly there isn't much to say about this band because I feel they speak for themselves when it comes to music. They don't need a huge introduction or anything comparisons to big artists to sell a record. So here are some songs I think you all will enjoy very much.

1) Sweet Disposition (in case you haven't heard it yet.)

2) Fader (a song that can make anyone smile).

3) Soldier On (such a sweet and simple song.)

*You can buy their album Conditions here.*

So what do you guys think?

Movies 139: Red Riding Hood

2011-03-14T06:00:00.093-04:00

I have to say I dreaded the thought of going to this movie after I read all the critics' reviews on this film. Well, a month a go, I could hardly wait. I was so eager to see this film. It has Amanda Seyfried in it, who has to be my favorite actress at the moment. And might I add Max Irons, as well, (Jeremy Iron's son).

I'm glad I didn't let the critics stop me from seeing it. Seriously, the director, Catherine Hardwicke put a lot of effort into this film. She created a world, long forgotten, not just an old tale. The setting is beautiful. The costumes so genuine. And she brought in Gary Oldman as the priestly, Were-Wolf hunter. Also there is the village, and there are twisted stories among them as you'd find in any time period. After all, we are only human. One of my favorite performances was Lukas Haas' as the village priest. He might be the only sensible one in the bunch.

Of course, you have eye-candy. This is a chick-flick. Girlfriends, young and old are given something to savor. There is the beautiful and charmingly earnest Max Irons as Henry, the one Valerie (Seyfried) is suppose to marry. Except, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez) has always been the one in Valerie's heart since she was a child. Julie Christie plays the grandmother so eloquent. Virgina Madesen is Valerie's mother who is lovely, but keeping her own secrets, as well. Billy Burke plays Valerie's father who is given a chance to shine in this movie, too.

The movie is honestly a million times better than TWILIGHT. In spite of cheesy lines, girls doing sultry dances together, and an angry black wolf that likes to use telepathy. Oh, and those moments when you just wish they'd kiss already, in spite of waiting for the camera to get a longing shot of their face. It does have its flaws. Some are not happy about the Three Little Pigs innuendos, either.

And yes, I am a Henry fan. (Max Irons who is dating Emily Browning).

The music was quaint and never boring from Brian Reitzell and Alex Heffes along with Fever Ray. Although, during the odd 'wolf festival which had the 3 pigs involved', the song choice did sound just a little too modern gothic. But still, it had a pagan feel to it, and it made one wonder about church and paganism from a historical point of view. As we see, the story turns into quite a witch hunt. They even capture the most innocent in the village, Claude (Cole Heppell) the village idiot, even so, they just know he's studying the dark arts.

The film might not be perfect, but it is enjoyable. One might even want to watch it, again.

STORYLINE: Valerie (Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon's arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them. As the death toll rises with each moon...

8/10

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Poetry 138: Selecting A Reader

2011-03-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Selecting A Reader
By Ted Kooser

First, I would like her to be beautiful,
and walking carefully up on my poetry
at the loneliest moment of an afternoon,
her hair still damp at the neck
from washing it. She should be wearing
a raincoat, an old one, dirty
from not having enough money for the cleaners,
She will take out her glasses, and there
in the bookstore, she will thumb
over my poems, then put the book back
up on its shelf. She will say to herself,
“For that kind of money, I can get
my raincoat cleaned.” And she will.

Movies 138: Beastly

2011-03-07T06:00:00.084-05:00

From the moment it starts, this movie has a certain modern rhythm to it. After all, it is an old tale a bit more twisted than usual. And it starts out sleek with one of NYC's best schools for success.

The movie takes the 'beast' point of view. We've heard what Belle went through from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Plunged into the main character's life is Kyle played by that wonderfully arrogant Alex Pettyfer (who you might have seen previously in I AM NUMBER FOUR) as the rich popular guy who would love to rule the school. And of course, only wants to be with the beautiful people. He's even running to be president of something he knows nothing about. He doesn't have to. But some people just won't take his rudeness nor his thunder. Kendra(a very cool Mary-Kate Olsen) is the bewitching magical shadow who soon makes him realize what he has can be taken away when he ditches her and makes fun of her at one his big party events. However, he shows a glimmer of hope of a real human being when he makes contact with Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) who has been practically by his side all this time but he never noticed.

So it isn't long until Kyle goes through his transformation of ugliness and Kendra gives him the ultimatum. If he can't find one to love him in a year (true love), he'll be tattooed this way for life. Of course, rather predictable. Right?

Thankfully, he has the help of wonderful Neil Patrick-Harris as his blind tutor. With just a little bit of clever dialogue Harris' character is a scene stealer. Really, he gives a terrific performance. Lisa Gay Hamilton as Zola the housekeeper is remarkable in her role too.

With great writing and a wonderful cast, this is a movie worth your while. I love the soundtrack. So many beautiful songs from Lady Gaga, Regina Spektor to Death Cab for Cutie. The music kept the story going. Although, I'm not a big Vanessa Hudgens fan, I think Alex has that ability to make her sweet and sincerity bankable. I really thought he brought the character to life. There is that grownup on the outside, yet a little boy on the inside trying to figure out how to make love and life work. Pettyfer succeeded in that.

mslworld tumblr

Also you learn in Kyle's homelife that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree when you meet his father Rob (Peter Krause from NBC's Parenthood). His Dad is quite a me person too.

STORYLINE: A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love. Based on a book written by Alex Finn. Screenplay written by Daniel Barnz who also directed the film.

9/10

Poetry 127: I Go Back to May 1937

2011-03-04T10:00:00.002-05:00

I Go Back to May 1937
By Sharon Olds

I see them standing at the formal gates of their colleges,
I see my father strolling out
under the ochre sandstone arch, the
red tiles glinting like bent
plates of blood behind his head, I
see my mother with a few light books at her hip
standing at the pillar made of tiny bricks with the
wrought-iron gate still open behind her, its
sword-tips black in the May air,
they are about to graduate, they are about to get married,
they are kids, they are dumb, all they know is they are
innocent, they would never hurt anybody.
I want to go up to them and say Stop,
don’t do it—she’s the wrong woman,
he’s the wrong man, you are going to do things
you cannot imagine you would ever do,
you are going to do bad things to children,
you are going to suffer in ways you never heard of,
you are going to want to die. I want to go
up to them there in the late May sunlight and say it,
her hungry pretty blank face turning to me,
her pitiful beautiful untouched body,
his arrogant handsome blind face turning to me,
his pitiful beautiful untouched body,
but I don’t do it. I want to live. I
take them up like the male and female
paper dolls and bang them together
at the hips like chips of flint as if to
strike sparks from them, I say
Do what you are going to do, and I will tell about it.

~~~

Happy weekend!

Music 137: Florence + The Machine

2011-03-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

So you might know singer Florence Welch from her cover performance of 'If I Rise' from 127 Hours at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards this weekend...or you might know this singer from her song 'Dog Days Are Over' which was the theme for the 2010 film Eat Pray Love. It's funny when you think of it, her two most popular appearances were songs for movies James Franco is in.

Florence Welch was born August 28th, 1986 in London to Nick and Evelyn Welch. As a child, Welch was often getting in trouble for impromptu singing at school. Welch studied at Camberwell College of Arts. She later dropped out to work on her music career. Who would've guessed she would be where she is now?

Now, Florence Welch and her band Florence and the Machine (consisting also of: Robert Ackroyd, Christopher Lloyd Hayden , Isabella Summers, Tom Monger, and Mark Saunders) are making their rounds in the music business with their popular album: Lungs. This year they will be releasing another album (the title of it to be announced later on).

Welch doesn't have the bright and sunny life that her songs suggest though. Welch has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysmetria and may also suffer from insomnia. In some of her songs, Welch has an interesting side of her shown. It turns out Welch has a fascination with terror and doom which was intensified by the death of her grandparents. When Welch was 10 she witnessed her grandfather's deterioration; when Welch was 14 her maternal grandmother committed suicide. At 13 years old she and her mother moved in with their next door neighbour and his three teenage children. Welch says of her old housemates: "We get on brilliantly now, but it was a nightmare then. I just used to stay in my room and dance around.

There is no question that Florence Welch has gone through a lot, she just channels it with her music. Here are a few a songs that showcase her talent:

1) Cosmic Love (this is such an interesting song that will make you fall head over heels in love with this band.)

2) Kiss with a Fist (just a fun and catchy song that will be sure to get you pumped up.)

3) Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (my current obsession, the chorus is pure gold.)

I was going to show you guys Dog Days Are Over but all of you should already know that song. So what do you think?

Books 136: The Lover's Dictionary

2011-02-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist David Levithan's newest novel caught my eye while browsing Barnes & Noble the other day. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, and still haven't had a chance to start reading it yet, but the inner book jacket description certainly sounds promising.

"basis, n.

There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you're in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.

If the moment doesn't pass, that's it--you're done.

And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it's even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover's face.

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our every day lives and and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique perspective on the universe, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time."

I personally am rather intrigued by this, and can't wait to start reading. Perhaps you'll feel the same!

Movies 136: I Am Number Four

2011-02-21T06:00:00.006-05:00

This movie hasn't gotten the greatest reviews. Yet, what were they exactly expecting? Yes, its main target is the crowd who loves GLEE and Alex Pettyfer, no doubt. Alex does have a certain arrogance about him in pictures. He looks older than he seems, especially when he models. But don't let that hold you back. His first scene is quite spectacular on the water. I was thinking..is he gonna be like this through the whole movie?

Thankfully, he isn't that smug. Turn on the blond and he's really not such a bad boy. He takes on a new identity and new school where soon enough he finds who the bullies are. Oh, and there a few bad guys in this movie. Some aliens. Some not.

Jake Abel plays Mark, the tough jock and main bully at school who used to be, guess who's boyfriend? The girl that Pettyfer's character is suddenly smitten with, photographer Sarah played by Diane Agron.

Do they have chemistry? Sarah & John (Diane&Alex) More so than ... another saga movie couple I could name, but won't mention. Speaking of which Number 6, Teresa Palmer (with her Kristen Stewart looks) actually rocks this movie. She might as well have came right off the set of the KICK-ASS sequel. Seriously, Number 4 could learn a lot from Number 6.

Timothy Olyphant plays Henri, who is Number 4's guardian/protector. He is quite fatherly in the film. Also Kevin Durrand is the Mogadorian Commander. This actor knows how to be a villain (Remember him on Lost?). Then there is Sam played by Callan McAuliffe who you might remember from Flipped. Sam and John (Number 4) find they have something in common, after Sam notices John's powers. He knows John is not of this world. Sam's Dad who's missing knew a lot about UFOs.

Number 4&6 are stronger together

The movie is packed with special effects. You have a coming of age story and a teen romance. However, I wasn't that impressed with the soundtrack. Near the end, some of the special effects are quite violent. Especially, when you find out that adorable beagel that John found isn't quite what it seems.

As one reviewer put it, the movie feels like an extended version of a Smallville episode. The screenplay writer used to write episodes for Smallville. The director D.J. Caruso directed Disturbia and Eagle Eye.

The film might not be perfect, but there is a certain sincerity about Alex Pettyfer that rings true. He is more than just eye-candy. Yet at the same time, he and Diane Agron were able to make each other look amazing and that is something some actors are unable to do. I look forward to seeing both of them in more movies.

Storyline: Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

I Am Number 4

8/10

Poetry 135: The Cremation of Sam McGee

2011-02-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

(This poem is pretty creepy, but that just makes me like it even more...)

The Cremation of Sam McGee
By Robert W. Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam ‘round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way that “he’d sooner live in hell.”

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request.”

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursed cold, and it’s got right hold till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ‘taint being dead—it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”

A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn’t a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: “You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you to cremate those last remains.”

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows—O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the “Alice May.”
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry, “is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
Then I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: “I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked;” . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

Movies 135: Gnomeo & Juliet

2011-02-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

What better way to spend Valentines day, but to put a new spin on Romeo and Juliet with the lovely tunes of Elton John? If that's not enough, you have the wonderful voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet.

Its a pleasing story for all ages. Its rated G. They're talking lawn decorations. Some ditties are just for adults. Its definitely a kid friendly show. And no, there is definitely a different ending to the movie with the help of a Flamingo and a water shoot'n frog.

The only downside of the movie is that the house is packed with crying babies and the like. So be warned. You might want to wait until this weekend to go. But really, the movie is a lot of fun. And you do want a fun Valentines day.

Storyline: Garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness? Written by Walt Disney Pictures

9/10

Poetry 134: How Do I Love Thee

2011-02-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

In case you're looking for a romantic poem to share with that special someone come this Valentine's Day....

How Do I Love Thee
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith
I love thee with a love I seem to love
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Music 134: Local Natives

2011-02-08T05:00:00.002-05:00

Some might call this band indie rock mixed with just about any beat or idea but I think Local Natives are just plain special. Local Natives (formally known as Cavil at Rest) was formed in 2008 in Orange County. The band consists of class mates (and then some others) who moved up to Silver Lake, California to make an album.

Local Natives released their debut album (Gorilla Manor) in February of 2010 (November 2009 in the UK). Gorilla Manor is named after the house the band stayed in while recording the album. Not only did the house inspire the name of the album but in a way probably the themes. Local Native's Gorilla Manor is full of songs that will capture your heart whether it's a calming song or one where the lead singer shouts his lyrics with passion. They must be doing something right though because they have caught the attention of many celebrities, landing on some of the stars of Glee's personal playlists.

Local Natives is:
Taylor Rice
Kelcey Ayer
Ryan Hahn
Andy Hamm
Matt Frazier

Their Music:

1) Wide Eyes

2) Airplanes

3) Sun Hands

I have to say they caught my attention with their songs Airplanes when I stumbled across it on music website Pandora. Ever since then I have been jamming along to their songs. So listen up and fall in love with Local Natives. They are sure to catch fire soon!

TV 134: Portlandia

2011-02-07T18:00:00.034-05:00

First there was the indie a film about giving back and struggling artists trying to 'make it happen'. Portlandia is a groundbreaking improv-comedy epic made virtually without a budget, and featuring the best of Portland's newest rising stars in acting, music and fashion.

And now comes the TV sketch comedy created by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein with a little help from SNL's Lauren Michaels. How could it go wrong? Especially when you have guest like Steve Buscemi and Kyle MacLachlan to name a few.

Fred is a regular on Saturday Night Live and Carrie is vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney.

Fred and Carrie play various characters. Sometimes, he's the girl and she's the guy. Sometimes, they go to the Mayor. They sing. They play feminists. They portray all sorts of couples that make up wonderful Portland.

Of course, some (read: hipsters) will get it. Others will find their comedy pathetic. But you never know, you might find yourself saying things like... "Put a bird on it".

It's on IFC.

Movies 134: The Roommate

2011-02-07T06:00:00.103-05:00

If you're a fan of fashion, a Leighton Meester or Minka Kelly fan...well, you are going to find something to love about this movie. If you can't wait to hear Alyson Michalka say, "Because we're hot." (as only she can say it) and steal every scene possible, this is your movie. If you are in for suspense and a lot of it - about a crazy roommate...well, then, here you go.

Now it is awful hard to make a horror PG-13 film. I will admit I found this movie much better than lets say..The Haunting of Molly Hartley (which made no sense to me) or even being jilted by The Uninvited.

Also, it will be slow for some. But you have to have character development. You have Sarah from Des Moines who moves in with Rebbecca, just twenty minutes from home, in the dorm. We soon find out from their suite-mates (Michalka and Katerina Graham) that Rebecca does not like to be called Becky. Maybe she would have preferred Bex. Anyway, Rebecca is as artist and a clothes horse. So many good things that Sarah comes to love since she wants to be a fashion designer.

Sarah has her ex (Matt Lanter) to put up with by phone. But then at a frat party she meets adorable -- maybe too adorable -- Stephen (Cam Gigandet). Is it possible she keeps falling for the same guy? Well, it wasn't brought up. And I have time to think about this. Yes, it could have picked up the pace a little. But things start going weird when Tracey (Michalka) gets an evil look from Rebecca, just waiting for her one early morning in the hallway. Soon enough Tracey gets scared and moves to another dorm. Of course, Sarah is thinking Rebecca is the best friend ever. She's rich. She takes her to art galleries. And then Sarah brings home a stray kitten. You know, things are gonna go bad if that kitten goes missing. Rebbecca wants to be Sarah's only friend. And it works until Rebecca gets the same tattoo that Sara has.

Well, Sarah smartens up. Moves out. You're thinking..oh well...

Meester definitely shows her sinister side. Honestly, Leighton is definitely a versatile actress. If you are fan of hers, you have to see this film. You've got a lovely cast, great soundtrack. Some fun moments with Michalka, doing her party animal thing. And its amazing how much Leighton and Minka look alike. It was like a CW reunion with Nina Dobrev from Vampire Diaries and Danneel Harris from One Tree Hill.

Honestly, I was hoping for a few more, interesting things to happen that didn't. But the movie does have its suspense. Meester definitely gives a whole new definition to MEAN GIRL. I'm sure it will do well in DVD release. A great movie for those sleepovers.

Storyline: College student Sara finds her safety jeopardized after she's assigned to a dorm room with a new roommate, Rebecca.

Trivia: The film is titled "The Roommate", which is based on the book "The Roommate" by Francine Pascal as part of the "Sweet Valley University" book series. Funny though, the film is thought as a remake of 1992 film "Single White Female" which was based on John Lutz' book which also inspired Pascal to write "The Roommate".

Rating: 7/10

Art 133: Pablo Picasso

2011-02-05T18:33:00.001-05:00

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (1881 - 1973) is arguably one of the best artists of the 20th century. You may know him better as just Pablo Picasso. (In case you're curious, in Spain, it is the law to take the full names of your ancestors in addition to your own, hence the incredibly long name.)

Picasso was no stranger to the arts, even at a young age. This was mainly because his father was a painter and became a professor at the School of Fine Arts in A Coruña when Pablo was 10. He came from a middle class family and was influenced by various artists, including Edvard Munch and El Greco.

Before I bought the book Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective for 40 cents at Goodwill, I knew little about the man. The book is a whopping 463 pages long. In other words, it's huge. And hefty. Most of these pages are dedicated solely to reproductions of his various paintings, sketches, drawings, chronically his life as an artist.

Picasso boldly went where none had gone before. His work, according to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), "stylistically and chronologically encompasses more of twentieth-century art than that of any other artist." It's true, this man lived to see WWI, the Spanish Civil War, and WWII, all major events that would be translated to canvas. Picasso is also a co-founder of the Cubist movement along with Georges Braque.

His most famous works consist of:

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
1907, Oil on canvas
243.9 cm × 233.7 cm (96 in × 92 in)

Weeping Woman (Dora)
1937, Oil on canvas
60 х 49 cm (23 ⅝ х 19 ¼ inches)

Guernica
1937, Oil on canvas
349 cm × 776 cm (137.4 in × 305.5 in)

"Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." -- Pablo Picasso

Poetry 133: A Poison Tree

2011-02-04T11:30:00.001-05:00

A Poison Tree
By William Blake

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears
Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.