I have been neglecting the series for a while now. But I'll catch up soon, I promise.
Today, I hold up my cold glass of [root] beer [float] and toast my favorite Doctor to date. Happy birthday, Mr. Tennant. I can't wait to see you back in the show in November, no matter how fleeting. YOU ROCK.
Also featuring Moby, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Gillian Anderson, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Heather Graham, and many others.
This is probably just as difficult as coming up with 10 songs I absolutely love. I'm bound to leave something out, but here I go anyway. The 10 songs I hate with a passion...
1. "Tubthumper" by Chumbawumba.
2. "Macarena" by Lou Bega. The dance steps are equally annoying.
3. "Barbie Girl" by Aqua. Why? WHY??!?
4. "What's Up" by 4 Non-Blondes.
5. Ace Of Base songs.
6. "Pretty Boy" by M2M.
7. "Achy Braky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus.
8. "Obladi Oblada" by The Beatles. I love them to pieces, but I just don't like this song.
9. "Mmmm Mmm Mmmm" by Crash Test Dummies.
This list is STRICTLY kids stuff; none of those Rated PG space-age modern-day (or middle-earth...or middle-sea) storytelling intended for children of all ages, but really what they are are brilliant sci-fi motion picture epics by adults for adults (e.g. Star Wars, Back To The Future, The Lord Of The Rings, X-men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Superman, Spiderman, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Transformers) because those are just too cool to mention. And none of this High School Musical mumbo-jumbo either. Zac Efron is so hot though, isn't he? So not healthy for pre-adolescent girls.
What is the basis of my answers? I guess it's how many times I've seen them (I even have some of them on VHS...maybe even BETAMAX), plus they're just super [effortlessly] funny.
And now, in no particular order...
1. The Mighty Ducks Trilogy. "Flying V!!!" Always gave me goosebumps. I remember fantasizing about flying to Maine and joining the team. Especially when the 2nd one came out; the one with all the "imports?" Oh, man. Good times, good times.
2. White Fang. The first one with Ethan Hawke. Didn't really care for the installment, although I still saw it. Without Ethan, it wasn't really appealing to me anymore.
3. Aladdin. The Disney version, of course. It's my absolute favorite Disney animated movie of all time. Princess Jasmin's singing voice was done by a Filipina (Lea Salonga, who also played the original Kim in Miss Saigon). AND Aladdin looked a lot like my prom date, which only made it harder not to like (the movie, I mean). The prom date I loooooved. lol I hope he never reads my blog. Ever. lol
4. The Little Mermaid. Also the Disney version. "Someday I'll beeeeee....part of yooooouuur...woooooorld." I know all the songs/dialogue by heart (yes, even Sebastian's). Freak much?
5. Shrek 1&2. The third...enh, not so much.
6. Kung Fu Panda. "There is no charge for awesomeness." Priceless! Obie likes this one, too. A LOT.
7. Chronicles Of Narnia. What can I say, I'm a sucker for fantasy (and when I say fantasy I mean Ben Barnes).
8. Finding Nemo. Who can resist Dora, the aDORAble fish with early-onset Alzheimer's who spoke "whale." Plus, I loved that a lot of the animators were Filipino and they used a few Filipino touches in the movie -- that was really thoughtful and nationalistic.
9. Monsters Inc.
10. Harry Potter. All of them.
Those that didn't make the list, but are also kick-ass movies for kids, include the Never Ending Story series, Enchanted, Labyrinth circa 1986, Ratatouille, Ice Age 1&2, Toy Story 1&2, and The Incredibles. I just couldn't help it, could I. lol
I missed this...I missed a lot of things...
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
I'm going for the 10 TV shows/networks that's getting me scrambling for the remote, both real time and DVR...
1. History Channel. Who knew the past would be so much fun.
2. SciFi Channel. Yes, I take a peek once in a while, only to check if reruns of Doctor Who are on. But if the X-Files is on, I stay for a bit and watch anyway.
3. HBO. Gotta get my daily movie fix wherever in the world I am.
4. Dancing With The Stars. The only reality show that we don't have in Manila. Hooked on it now.
5. Ugly Betty, Samantha Who, Eli Stone, Entourage, Heroes, etc. Season premiers rock.
6. TV ads that bash other products.
7. Girls Next Door. I like the crazy show, so shoot me.
8. Food Network. Soooo goood.
9. Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The old house, the cool new house, the tragedy, the new leaf, Ty Pennington -- enough to stay home on a Sunday night.
10. Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Project Runway, ANTM, Top Design. Loving the drama, fashion, and colorful people of reality TV.
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
1. Dancing to the music of Rihanna while actually holding an umbrella makes me love the rain even more.
2. The last time I went go-carting I nearly died.
3. When I drive I always fasten my seatbelt -- you should, too.
4. I saw Duncan Sheik standing in front of an ATM.
5. Give me something, give me anything, give me everything.
6. Next week I am looking forward to my trip to the US.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to dinner, tomorrow my plans include a lot of errands, shopping, and driving , and Sunday, I want to go shopping again!
It was a little hard narrowing it down to just ten, but here are my 10 favorite villains in movies...
1. Denzel Washington as Alonzo in Training Day (2001).
2. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990).
3. Ray Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.
4. Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
5. Rebecca de Mornay as Peyton Flanders in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992).
6. Nicolas Cage and John Travolta as Castor Troy in Face/Off (1997).
7. Robert Englund as Freddie Krueger in the A Nightmare On Elm Street series. Come to think of it, I think he's responsible for my insomnia!@#$%
8. Erika Christensen as Madison Bell in Swimfan (2002). Grrr, I hated her with a passion.
9. Kevin Spacey as John Doe in Se7en (1995) and Kaiser Soze in The Usual Suspects (1995).
10. Close tie between Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in The Matrix series and James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars series -- two of the most chilling voices ever.
1. What is your favorite song to have sex to? Lemme think...
2. What is your vision of hell? Steep mountains, pits of fire, demons, torture.
3. In the film made of your life, who will play you? If it were up to me, I'd say Drew Barrymore, Liv Tyler, Anne Hathaway, or Megan Fox. You know how big shot producers are -- they always have final say.
4. What is the one thing you most urgently need to tell your mom? "Mom, hurry up!"
5. What will be carved onto your tombstone?
Bonus: What is your drag name (which would be, first name: the name of your first pet; last name: the name of the street you grew up on)? Jekyll Aberdeen. Great.
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
10 of my favorite movie characters. TEN of my favorite movie characters. Wow. Just 10? Really?
OK, since the theme this week encompasses an endless array of possibilities, I'm going with my 10 favorite movie characters I wouldn't mind playing/living/being. How's that for flippy.
1. Ever After (1998) - Danielle de Barbarac. I've always loved Cinderella-esque adaptations (except for the one with Hillary Duff). Poor girl gets bossed around and locked up, attends the party anyway, becomes the envy of every girl in attendance, loses a shoe (or a slipper, whatever -- she does it on purpose, I bet), gets caught by the evil bwitch (first two consonants are interchangeable), gets locked up again (she starts to like it at this point), but then she escapes, prince discovers her as nothing but her true self, falls in-love for the second time, they get hitched, have babies, adopt a few, and live happily...ever...after. Ahlavit.
2. Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) - Arwen. She is one hot elf, admit it. She talks gibberish and I still wanna be her. She's in-love with an equally-hot rogue king, she's the daughter of Agent Smith from The Matrix (how cool is that?!), she has crazy flawless skin, and she can ride a horse like it was nothing. Even when we thought she was dying, she was gorgeous. I'd like to look like that in my death bed, that's for sure.
3. Bridget Jones (2001 & 2004) - Bridget Jones. If I can't be a passionate and hopeful heroine in a Jane Austen novel, I'd settle for the heavy-set blond. She's average, perky (when need be), determined, stubborn, self-sufficient, queen of the world, and is deeply loved by her mates. Who cares if the whole of London had seen her behind. Who cares if she can't prepare a decent meal. Who freakin' cares if she's a size 14 (I don't really know what size she is, I'm just guessing here). Not Mark Darcy, he doesn't. Ah, Mark Darcy. The way he enveloped her with his coat and kissed her in the middle of the street toward the end of the first installment? Ahhh.
4. Kill Bill (2003 & 2004) - Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride/Black Mamba. I never imagined I'd say this in a million years, but Uma Thurman kicked ass in that one (as once a sworn enemy and covetess of Ethan Hawke's affections, I never really liked her until Kill Bill came out). Those long limbs flying about in various kung-fu styles...she was unbeatable. I mean, God, she was too good even for the infamous Bill. Served him right at the end (she killed Bill, naturally).
5. James Bond (285 B.C. - Present) - Vesper Lynd circa '06...or any Bond Girl for that matter. Out of all the ladies he met [and did], Vesper was his one true love. It's not exactly a pretty name, but big f-ing deal. To be a Bond Girl is more than enough reason to aspire for the role. To be the Bond Girl would just be pure heaven.
6. Tomb Raider (2001 & 2003) - Lara Croft. Another bad-ass. I'm all for girl power, baby. I do consider myself a peaceful person in real life. But, if I had Lara Croft's guns, I'd shoot away, without even blinking. In my sleep if I had to. Shoot all there is to shoot. And if anyone can pull off the short shorts (sorry, Daisy Duke) with holsters, no less, it's this lady right here. Short shorts in action sequences, kicking and flying about, remaining cool as ever? Oh, and the long locks are a plus, too. Let's not forget she's like a gazillionaire.
7-10. Sex And The City (2008) - Charlotte York, Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, and Miranda Hobbes. Yeah, I'd do anything to play any one of them and that's the truth. They remain fabulous even in times of heartache and despair. They have the best wardrobe and accessories. Their men are sweethearts and almost perfect. Who wouldn't want to strut the streets of New York with a huge flower in their face/hair/chest and still get away with it?!? Hmm?
Warning: May contain spoilers from series 1-3. I wouldn't dare divulge anything life-altering from series 4; I'm not daft (it's all this British talk, forgive me).
My love affair (I only say that because it hasn't been that long yet, plus not a lot of people know that I got hooked -- or expected me to get hooked, PLUS it just sounds more romantic that way) with The Doctor and his big blue telephone box (I'm not speaking figuratively here) began not too long ago. Just last year, in fact. And I have my friend Daniel, my own personal "Doctor," to thank for that (he's awesome and he knows it).
So, anyway, after advertising my relatively new obsession on Facebook and such, friends have started to approach me and message me and ask me about it. I'd try to do The Doctor justice by explaining, in less complicated, non-fanatical terms, what he and the show is all about. Not that it bothers me; generally, I like it when people ask me questions -- especially if I didn't have to solve any mathematical problems and knew the answer straight away. But, in this case, I've been asked the same question [essentially] a gazillion times just this past week, and I decided to mass-reply to the quintessential barrage of interest at hand: Who is Doctor Who?
A brief background on The Doctor: "Doctor Who" is a British TV show about the last Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, his dependable TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space a.k.a. time/space machine), and his adventures. It aired in the early 60's and continued to be a part of British pop culture for 26 long years. They tried to revive it as a TV-movie in '96, but not until the relaunch of the series in 2005 was it massively renowned and praised.
Last year, I was able to get my hands on the first three series (they call it series instead of season to differentiate from the earlier releases). Series 1 (2005) started off with an episode aptly called Rose. Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper (there was a time when she did just singing, remember? She was like Britney Spears, but actually British), was just another face in the crowd. Nothing special about her; she worked at a department store, lived with her crazy mother Jackie (who's in a lot of ways like my own), and went about her day existing rather than living. Then, she met The Doctor. Played by Christopher Eccleston at that time (first saw him on Jude; brilliant performance). At that moment, I thought he was the best Doctor yet -- because he was the only one I've seen so far. So, their twisted romance began. Fighting aliens and universal threats, traveling the fabrics of time and space, while getting comfortable with each other's company. Until the inevitable happens -- his 10th regeneration. Just when Rose was starting to fancy him...
Series 2 kicks off with The Doctor, as I've mentioned just two clicks ago, regenerating into someone new. Exit Christopher, enter David Tennant (he played the demented two-faced Barty Crouch, JR. in Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire. He was also in Jude with a small role as a drunk undergrad -- small world, ain't it). At first, Rose is baffled at the transformation and demands the impostor to bring back The Doctor. And quite frankly, so did I! The two rediscover their affections for each other (at least Rose had to), again through time and space and war and peace. Until Doomsday arrives (that's the title of the last episode, mind you) where The Doctor and Rose deal with a different kind of death that even I had a huge problem with. Exit [put element here], enter tears.
The Doctor -- with his trusty TARDIS, amazing sonic screwdriver, and fine pinstripe suit -- wasn't going anywhere though. In series 3 episode 0, he meets Donna Noble (played by the supremely animated Catherine Tate) for the first time. This meeting would eventually change the world (the entire universe, rather) in series 4. But, for the remainder of series 3, The Doctor finds solace in the person of Martha Jones (played by Freema Agyeman), while she begins to develop some kind of a crush on him. And in series 4, well, Donna Noble -- the special yet ordinary temp from Chiswick -- takes over the position of The Doctor's companion.
The series 4 finale aired over the weekend. It was mind-blowing, I'll say that much. The Doctor won't be back until December for the Christmas special. It's said that next year, there will only be 4 specials on The Doctor and a regular 13-episode series will resume in 2010 (with or without David, but for my sake I so hope it's the former).
With all the compelling characters and the story arcs and the spin-offs and the comedy and the tragedy...it's just hard not to like it. I even catch myself laughing hysterically, crying like a baby, and clapping like a mad man all at the same time. Sure, it's sci-fi. A little bit corny, too, sometimes. But, it's still very good entertainment. I mean, I'd give my hand *hint* *hint* to travel across the universe with The Doctor. It's THAT good.
After watching countless re-runs of the movie on HBO this past week (it's playing, AGAIN, as in right now. And it's the only movie in ENGLISH -- I hope that's clear now), every line just kinda lingered, and hit home. Hard.
And this was only one of them...
"You know what? I'd like to sing on stage for the rest of my life...with you in the first row."
UPDATE (06:02AM) - So I'm supposed to go back home to Manila on Sunday, July 6. BUT...my aunt and I thought, hey, why not extend another week. So, there.
The Kill
30 Seconds To Mars
What if I wanted to break
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do?
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take all this anymore
What would you do?
What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for?
I'm not running from you
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside
Finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, this is who I really am.
Come break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
What if I wanted to break
What if I...
