Thursday 18 March 2010

10 Quotes Of The Last Decade

1. "Knock the fuck on, Jaci!!!" ~ Anna
During a touch football game during theatre rehearsal (wha?), Anna burst out with that. I found it hilarious and will continue to pipe it to her for as long as she lives. Yes, I plan on being that annoying.

2. "I feel bad..." ~ Me
Not that this is something I should try to remember, but I definitely spent good part of the last decade uttering those words. So much that Luke started to predict and mock me whenever I said it or looked like I was about to.

3. "Sorry..." ~ Me
Another word I said far too often. Sometimes instead of thank you's, I'd just say, sorry. I felt like such a bother for everyone. It started during Year 11 when I was faced with these talented and confident girls that I just didn't really gel with... mainly because I have trouble gelling. Everyone got annoyed at me at some point of the year for saying "Sorry" too much. "If you say, Sorry, one more time..."

4. "Best Summer Ever!" ~ Molly
Even when it wasn't Summer. If Molly liked something. It was Summer 2007/2008 all over again... at least, I think that's when she started saying it. I really don't know. I just find it funny.

5. "I love URL Life," ~ Molly and Natalie
During May 2008, we all experienced this strange life of not really working but just being at places for Internet stuff. It was easy, it allowed for a lot of fun times and it was very easy to enjoy.

6. "Have you seen the size of my Penis?" ~ Harry and somewhere else...
I believe this comes from somewhere else, but Harry and the boys would say it often... and I even wrote it on this postcard I'm sending to him when he gives me his UK address. I love it. Because I don't have a Penis.

7. Anything from The Simpsons
Molly thinks that I quote the Simpsons too much, and she's right. I grew up with the Simpsons, saw a lot of re-runs due to crazy Australian TV and our lack of getting new episodes quickly. It just seems sometimes that there is a Simpsons quote for every occasion, and I often remember what they are... Also, my guy friends from school were really big Simpsons nerd, and sometimes I thinking they are funny, is actually just them being really good at remembering quotes correctly and having good timing.

8. "Awesome" ~ Everyone, especially NerdFighters
Sometimes you can't really describe or comment on something better than saying, that was awesome. I try to stop saying it. I try to find a different word, because I abuse the word awesome, and often use it for things that were certainly not awe-inducing. It's been around for a long time, but it really seems to have reached its high point throughout the 2000s.

9. "You're doing it, Peter! You're doing it!" and anything else from Hook
I hear quotes from Hook in my head far too often... and its not even from the 2000s, but its something I said a lot.

10. Anything from any Disney or Childhood Cartoon...
...like, "See you around, Zag!" from Ferngully... The Emperor's New Groove, or hey, throw in some Judd Apatow movies and That Crews's romantic comedies, "Slappa Tha Base!" and maybe some other TV shows... like, The O.C... "Cohen!" and ooh, and The Beach! Anything on my YouTube page also circled around my head a lot...

Also, a lot of these movies and films weren't from 2000, but nevertheless, they live on.

I wish I could remember some of the fun things my friends have said that I've wanted to remember from time to time... but that would take scouring through many a notebook, and I should probably save them for some other work sometime.

However, that is the fun thing about quotes. Unless you are the kind of person who memorizes a list to bring out when asked... Quotes just appear. Like a sensory memory to flow along with the right moment. Just try to quote things right. That's all that matters. I have failed and will fail on this many times, but do try.

The Dark Bedroom and The Ne'er Up Before Twelv'r.

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Life In 2009, According To iTunes; Movies

Why am I still doing this? I don't know, but I will know better when I have finished. So, either quietly ignore me or spill your own thoughts below. They make it really hard to reply to anyone on this thing, but I do read them all.

UP

I saw this with Luke and Brooke and Molly... or just Brooke... or just Molly. I can't really remember. It was dark. And both are blond. As am I, but still... I just asked Luke and he can't remember either. Both were in our life so much that year. Aww. Hugsnickles.

The short film before UP almost made me cry and the opening section of UP did make me cry. I found the journey fun and quotable, but I still couldn't help thinking of all the real world problems he would face when he returned home.

1. He hit some government employee.
2. They wont believe that he didn't kidnap the kid.

So he probably went back and spent a lot of his time in court and probably died in jail. That's a DOWN to me.

STAR TREK

I saw Star Trek twice, the first on IMAX and the second with one of those horrible balcony bars cutting off the bottom half of the screen, where a lot doesn't happen, but somehow you feel like you're missing out anyway.

I loved it. I know next to nothing about Star Trek apart from that I once won the Star Trek: Next Generation chess game on this TV Show with a bunch of other shit I no longer remember... I really wanted the Crayola prize. So badly. Anyway, back on track. I thought Abrams did a good job and all the actors seemed committed and judging by all the laughter in the audience at certain jokes that must have been referencing the show that I also found funny, most general Trek fans also enjoyed it.

I didn't know the difference between Kirk's dad and Kirk the first time I watched it, so that seriously confused me, but looks good genetics-wise. I loved that Simon Pegg was in it. I loved that the Leonard Nimoy was in it. I can't get the shaky-zoom-in shot of them plunging into the planets atmosphere out of my head, because they made it look so real, it's just burnt into my memory and I just like thinking of that shot for fun.

A great film. I didn't think it got enough wins at the Oscars.

THE HANGOVER

Only saw this with Molly on DVD a few weeks ago. I thought it was very funny and instantly recognized the guy from Community who is just brilliant. I also enjoyed seeing Vegas drenched in Sun, since we saw mostly clouds when Kate and I were there. I don't really have much to say about it except maybe that the commentary isn't that interesting, but I did really love the real-life looking photos they took. They could have looked like the standard photos you see that you can tell were taken by a professional on professional equipment... and even if these photos were taken by a professional on good equipment, it looks so much like a decent click-and-shoot camera that it gave the story this whole other element. I don't know, that's a wee bit over the top, but I just thought that was brilliant. They really made it look like everyone had the time of their lives that night and that just made you reflect on the story with so much more fondness.

ADVENTURELAND

This movie just didn't feel 80s to me. Only a few of the side characters did. Like Lisa P. and her crone. The rest just seemed like they were in a modern day indie flick and even though it was nice they didn't make the 80s this over-the-top decade, it also really displaced me because their are so many teen-angst movies out there that were made in the 80s and set as modern day, so it didn't feel very authentic.

I adored Jesse Eisenberg in this film. I liked the way he leaned with his hips. Kristen Stewart was fun too, though her evil stepmother didn't appear that evil next to her. Party Down actor, Martin Starr was also brilliant. I really liked him more than the other characters. I enjoyed it more the second time around at home, because the first time I saw it with my freaking cab driver because I didn't know how to tell him how to leave me alone. He bloody drove me to the theater for the midnight session, asked to come with me and then sat through it. I told him it was long. He didn't care. Maybe when he realized I wasn't a prostitute or into him at anyway (I mean, does he just go out with strangers just to hang? That's just creepy. Sure, do it at a bar. But with a young girl at midnight? Fuck off.) he started to want it to hurry up and so I wanted the film to hurry up so that I could leave, but I somehow couldn't not tell him I didn't need a ride home.

At least I didn't have to pay cab fair... because I paid for his ticket. What was I thinking? It was fine. He's a nice guy I'm sure. But man was it awkward.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

I saw this in my least favourite, always crowded theatre at Union Square and I loved it. I love the time Tarantino took with the dialogue. He's said himself that he's good at dialogue and somehow that annoyed me at the time, how confident he was... it almost came off arrogant, but he really did a beautiful job with this film.

I wish he wasn't writing his own history but that it was real. It really was a much better way for things to end than the way they did. Malicious and bloody yes, but unjustified... Well, I can't possibly be the judge of that can I?

I adored the oozing charm of Christopher Waltz and his nomination was just a hands down guarantee of an Oscar. A film I'm sure I will enjoy again and again in years to come.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER

I saw this film with Luke the first time I saw it, and he already dressed like the lead character, so it was hard for me to not constantly nudge him and say, "Hey, look, it's you." But only style wise.

When we left the theatre I was depressed. I didn't feel like I'd ever have that kind of experience with somebody and I also loved the stylized look of the movie and wanted to have been a part of it so badly, that it made me sad... or envious.

Then I saw it again for a birthday outing, and enjoyed it much more the second time around.

I love the musical dance down the street. As a musical/Disney person, it made me so happy and now whenever I hear Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams Come True", I have to dance around like a loon, as I did in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel. Though when quizzed about who actually sung the song, I wasn't able to remember the name, and though it wasn't said, the man with the question was instantly able to peg me as a, "Oh, you're just one of those (500) Days girls."

SUNSHINE CLEANING

I saw this by myself at the cinema on 12th St early in the afternoon when it was just me and an old man in the theatre.
I enjoyed the story, and Emily Blunt just rocked it in the movie. I found the weird lesbian vibe between her and the woman she follows a little confusing. I didn't mind the vibe, but because it was left unexplored I was left wondering whether I had stereotyped the woman, placed a vibe where there was no vibe, or took what I thought was a look of attraction as a look of desperate loneliness and a need for companionship.

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL

I was just saying to Luke, "Wow, it's so obvious that we lived together in 2009" because almost every film I've seen I could relate to him in some way, either that I saw it with him OR texted him about seeing it (aka, rescuing me from Taxi Man during Adventureland). This is another film that begins with Luke. Or, let's switch it up and start it with Jake. Jake actually invited me to the New York premiere of the film, but I was out of the state, I think, during the day so I couldn't go, which sucked because I ended up really loving the film and missed out on one of their special Movie plus Show performances which would have been so wicked. Luckily, Luke, also wanted to go see it, and took me along to a session.
I was SO FREAKING HAPPY when the actual bloody stars of the film walked down the aisle at the Angelika and proceeded to give a Q&A. I even got a photo with them and they are REAL. It was a highlight, that's for sure. Just a brilliant film. Really made me want to get some balls and spend my whole life working for my dreams too.

CORALINE

Another Luke. I should just refer to the first 9 months of 2009 as The Year of Luke with an Extra Dose of Brooke Brodack. HEE!
I was bored and watched this with him on his Air. I only saw the last half an hour but was thoroughly confused. It felt the same as other Tim Burton films. Steady and not entirely climactic. I'll have to see the rest of it some day... BUT WAIT A MINUTE! Tim Burton didn't direct this film. Henry Selick did. So when I saw the tagline, 'From the Director of The Nightmare Before Christmas', I assumed that was Tim, but Henry must have just helped steer the ship while Tim was busy with the art on Nightmare, possibly? That happens in a lot of films... but I'm not that much of Burton fan girl, so I don't know how much of Selick's role on Nightmare was just a sort of "Yes/No Man" role or if he had a large hand in how Nightmare came about. Either way, I tip my hat to the marketing people. Who obviously must have known that a lot of people think that Tim Burton also directed the film, so it was a cunning but also true way of marketing itself. Clap, clap, indeed.

Films done. You can see some of the films I saw in 2009 (I didn't start recording them until after the Summer, I believe) on my YouTube page

The Left Butt Cheek Feels Hollow and the Too Sweet Brownie That Really Shouldn't Go In The Same Sentence as a Butt Cheek

Life In 2009, According To iTunes: An Epic Blog Post

Click on the link below to see the full list!
iTunes Rewinds 2009 : MUSIC

*This blog is mainly for my own records, but I rarely post, so I made it a public blog. Just know that while you're reading all my drivel*

The iTunes 'New Music Tuesday' email, which, I have been slowly teaching myself to learn, does not need my full and utter attention, appeared in my Inbox at 2:54am and I discovered it just after returning from a meeting.

I was delving into a 85% purchased sandwich from the Deli (Turkey with avocado, with extra cranberry sauce; my favourite) and I had scraped together some money for the Strawberry Cupcake ($1.50 at Crumbs) and had just finished deleting my 5min email, where I did distract myself with a nose-crinkle-inducing online show.

The iTunes New Music Tuesday email consisted of the usual freebies and now over-priced songs and it's Top Selling Songs and other popular and notable Albums, Artists and New Artists as well as Movies, TV Shows, Audio Books and Podcasts.

As I was reviewing the songs and podcasts that were popular for 2009 (not all of them released in 2009), I had memories flowing back to me and other feelings of detachment, as well as some distaste for the likings of the majority of the American public.

Artist Of The Year: Michael Jackson

I purchased Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits album five years or so ago, so I'm not going to rush out to buy his concert album, though I do really want to see the film.

He was a great performer and his songs are classics, that's really all that I need to say.

Other than learning of his death on my way to a Demi Lovato concert, there was no related signifance that his music had to me on 2009, other than getting to hear them more often and all over the place, which is always a pleasure.

Album Of The Year: Only By The Night by Kings of Leon

A popular band I am kind of happy to say has evaded since they first became popular. Sure, every now and then I'll belt out, "Your sex is on fire!!!" before I feel quite silly for uttering such nonsense. Don't know any other songs by them or who the band consists of or anything. Usually I don't like be unaware/ignorant of things, but sometimes I enjoy not being a part of the hype of the time. I'll probably be given the CD to copy someday by a friend and realize what I've been missing for all these years... or something quaint like that.

Best New Artist: Lady Gaga

A talented, creative lady. There is no doubt about it. I enjoyed her costumes and music videos, however I'm still kind of happy that I've never seen or heard the full version of Poker Face, and this is another artist that I'm happy to not be a part of the hype for.

Why, when she is so remarkable? So, now?

There are just some songs that seem far too calculated. That are just too obvious that they come from someone who has studied Media and its history. She created a lot of music she knew the masses would like and calculated it to hit a time where it would matter most and I just find that sort of unsettling.

The age of instant fame, the age when almost every one is obsessed with celebrity and has more access than usual. A time when any one can walk down the street as Lady Gaga did before she was Lady Gaga, like a fucking star.

Sure Celebrity and Fame are old topics as is Delusion and Grandeur, but... there is something cold about her music that I just can't get into.

Luckily, I am still human enough to just sit back and enjoy her music when I let myself just hear it... Bad Romance, mostly.

Country: Best Album: Fearless (Platinum Edition) by Taylor Swift

I didn't have any connections with the Best Albums, Singles and Artists of Alternative, Christian/Gospel and Classical music in the list, which led to the next artist on the list, Taylor Swift.

2009 was certainly my year for loving Taylor Swift. After a few songs, a few very smart choices for music videos and her vlogs, I let myself fall in love with the tall Swift Monster.

I don't care for the rumors or conspiracies, I know her voice is strong and I really don't care how many people helped write her songs, she is still an artist and a damn good one at that. She also really loves her fans and seems to be fighting really hard to stay true to herself and her roots (casting her best friend in her most recent music video, for example).

I brought Sam to her concert at Madison Square Garden and it was a little ridiculous how crazy the crowd went for her. Sure, she milked the applause at all her events, but it was when you saw her go from "act" to "genuine surprise that MSG have been cheering her for far longer than she anticipated", you couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Love Story brought back all my teen love for Jane Austen and that hopeless romance that goes along with it, You Belong With Me made me recall the similar feelings I had when I was a teenager, The Best Day reminds me of times with my Mum... and it's just an innocent little piece of goodness that kept me perky throughout the year. It was also nice to just like a popular teenage girl. There are so many girls of celebrity that irk me, and it always makes me feel bad.

Hip-Hop/Rap: Best Single: Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys

Well, what New York dweller didn't encounter this song in 2009? It was played so often on the radios in New York city and also by a hell of a lot of people in cars. It almost made me sick whenever I'd be walking along the street and someone in car would come by blasting the song. It's an uplifting song, but it made me feel so bitter at the same time for some reason.

Maybe it was because I just felt like the people looked stupid, maybe it was that they were in a car in New York, maybe it was because I poor, maybe I wanted to be cynical because I'm usually so optimistic, maybe it was simply because I was on Avenue A.

Luckily, I still enjoy the song from time to time and if its been on the radio or someone else's playlist, I may find myself humming it later that day as I walk through New York and am feeling particularly cheerful.

Does anyone else actually look at the pavement while singing the song. Whenever I think about the song, I recall staring at a lot of pavements, particularly the dip that leads to the cross-walk.

"Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of!"

Maybe it just made me feel nervous... like maybe, just maybe, I couldn't make my dreams here. That I'd go back to suburbia like so many people and not be able to hack it. That would be disappointing for me, since there's nothing wrong with suburbia, it's just that everything I want to do in life is right here.

I suppose it's especially significant because the end of 2009 was when I started getting my head straight and figuring out how to do what I really, truly want to do for the rest of my life.

Top Seller Songs
I skip songs and in that process the number the song is posted at has been messed up and this stupid long blog has taken me long enough to do without trying to fix that...

1. Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas

I loved Elephunk and some tracks from Monkey Business and I almost admired Will.I.Am's uplifting contributions during the 2008 elections, but I'll admit that when I first heard Boom Boom Pow (I was in Los Angeles at the time) I said, "Ugh, this sounds like they are trying to be the Black Eyed Peas." I searched the song. "Oh my gosh, it is the Black Eyed Peas."

I think what really ruined it was that Fergie (an amazing singer) just sounded like she was over-singing or something. Whatever it was, it was irritating.

2. Right Round by Flo Rida

Played a lot on the radio. Always heard it on the station that the construction crew listened to while they built the offices.

3. Poker Face by Lady Gaga

Successfully avoided.

4. I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas

Another song that doesn't really move me. I added it to my iTunes anyway, in case I ever did have a party that needed a generic "we're meant to be having a good time" song.

5. Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects

Oh, boys and their hurt, hurt feelings. They can come back so cutting. I find myself absentmindedly singing this song when it comes on and then when I realize I switch it off in defense of women everywhere.

6. Just Dance by Lady Gaga and...

Another construction worker's favourite song.

7. Party in the U.S.A by Miley Cyrus

Well, I couldn't avoid this song even if I wanted to, the news about the award show performance and then the story that she hadn't listened to a Jay-Z song before recording the song or something absurd like that.

Whenever I'm in a good, peppy mood, I enjoy the verses in the song about being the outside but just doing my own thing (not exactly ground-breaking lyrics, but uplifting all the same.)

8. The Climb by Miley Cyrus

"There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move!" When you aspire to things, the innocent version of you really digs that part of the song.

9. Dead and Gone by T.I. (feat. Justin Timberlake)

Another song I heard for the first time on the trip to Los Angeles. I loved it straight away. It was such a unique message in the music industry. A lot of hip hop music can be really violent and it was really great to hear a song about a guy who realized, what the fuck is all that for? I'm going to do my best to be good and be my best. Plus, Justin Timberlake rocks almost anything.

10. Use Somebody by Kings of Leon

This always sounds like every other popular music band that has their time in the spotlight on Top 40 radio until they sing "Use Somebody!" and then I say, "Ohh, it's that band that everyone likes right now."

11. Don't Trust Me by 3OH!3

Firstly, ridiculous band name.

Secondly, this caused a small apocalypse in my mind when I stumbled on to someone's posting on one of those Q and A sites that asked something along the lines, "What is the Hellen Keller dance? How do I do it? Who is she?" The person replied was exactly the same kind of stupid and it just made me really sad. You don't need to know every fact and figure revolving around Hellen Keller, but how do kids not know about such an inspiring figure, for children above all others.

Thirdly, the only good this song did was inspiring Julia Nunes to create one of her brilliant versions of it, with asides to her Grandma for an extra does of happy!

I also remember hearing this song while in Sarah Austin's Ford Fiesta on our way to Bear Mountain for a hike. After a while we all got really uncomfortable and it was turned off.

12. Skipped.

13. Down by Jay Sean (feat. Lil Wayne)

A catchy beat that would get stuck in my head after hearing it on the worker's radio.

16. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

I loved the video so much I bought it. Isn't that silly? I just adored the direction. Sure, there was the overdone "what-kind-of-girl-am-I" montage, but I loved her silly dancing, that's something you don't always see a artist doing because sex is meant to sell. It was just so age appropriate in a time when late-twenty year olds are teaching girls to "pop that!"

I also remember having feelings like that for SO many boys. I don't think it'll ever end.

19. I Know You Want Me by Pitbull

A perfect nightclub song. I think I heard it a few times in 2009 and it was almost always in a club... For the record, I went to ohh, four (one in New York, three on the Las Vegas NightClub tour Kate's Dad set us up on... It was awkward, at first), but it was always a song that got me up dancing like a loon. Just some good ol' fun.

Every experience I've had a nightclub in America has been fantastic by the way. With Ester in NYC, I got wonderfully drunk and danced so much and with Kate in Las Vegas, I got wonderfully tipsy and met some fun guys who gave us a few dances, it was funny.

20. Love Story by Taylor Swift

Okay, so not is her (or her team, whatever) insanely smart for making every girl feel like they were in their own Romeo & Juliet love tragedy, but then the director puts a Jane Austen twist on the music video and sends anyone who has loved that period of dress and "intense but oh so romantic female repression" (I'm being slightly sarcastic here) into a "aww" frenzy.

At the concert she came out in a dress and her "dancers" danced and they made the stage look like a castle. Aww.

21. Halo by Beyonce

Another song to shop to and try to sing to.

22. Single Ladies by Beyonce

I heard the song and didn't care for it. I was like, oh this is just another, we're single, let's go out and dance song! Whoop-dee-doo, Basil! Then I saw the music video and was blown away, like most people.

I loved the dancing, I loved the almost one-take look, the direction, the art... It was just so fresh and made a fairly ordinary song an iconic classic for the decade.

Plus, how many people ended up trying that crazy hip spinning into a squat move Beyonce pulled off so seamlessly? Brilliant fun.

23. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

Nothing really new sound-wise, but still sweet as Cadbury Caramel Chocolate.

24. Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo

I was a little sad to hear Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap mixed into this hip-hop stuff.

26. Day 'n' Nite (Nightmare) by Kid Cudi

I first heard this song or the brilliant mix of this song in an AXE ad/promotion that was running on YouTube. The ad was good but the music behind it made it all that much better. I'm still searching for the exact mix (by searching I mean, I've written a note to search for it) but I love the song. It's fun.

27. Blame It by Jamie Foxx (feat T.Pain)

Another nightclub classic.

28. Knock You Down by Keri Hilson...

When I think of this song, I see me in the office bathroom listening to this song while washing my hands. Oh, those construction workers and the music I wouldn't have heard.

29. LoveGame by Lady Gaga.

Successfully avoided.

31. Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship (feat. Leighton Meester)

I adore Leighton Meester but I can't remember this song off the top of my head and I really don't think I like Cobra Starship.

I want Leighton Meester to be successful, because I enjoy her perfect performances as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl AND all the fashion inspiration her character (and the people behind her) has been to this city AND I just like knowing those cool kids are hanging around in the city, making music. It's a sweet idea.

32. Circus by Britney Spears

BLARGH. I don't care. Do what you want.

33. Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry

Didn't listen to the song, but hummed the title line a fair few times when I looked out the window of our hotel room in Vegas and Kate would laugh and I would go back to bed.

34. Fireflies by Owl City

Very popular on YouTube for some strange unknown reason. I feel like I'm missing something. There seems to be more than just fandom for Owl City on YouTube but almost like some kind of duty to make him very, very popular. A conspiracy? We'll see.

I think the song is silly. Since usually if you try to catch a firefly, you end up hurting them and they slowly die in your hand or on the pavement where you dropped them and you have to watch as their beautiful magic slowly fades in and out, a glowing green.

So, I wouldn't recommend fraternizing with fireflies or lightning bugs and I bet that man is responsible for the killing of a fair few thousand of them. Bastard. :)

35. Hot N Cold by Katy Perry

How can one who went to YouTube Live not love this song? She did a good job and it was kind of cool seeing her participate in the event and she wore a very tight costume and "PhillyD" abused her with his eyes! Plus her high heels were very high.

Ahem. I actually really like the lyrics too... because boys are so annoying, omg! :P

36. Skipped for stupidity.
39. Skipped because The Pussycat Dolls sound like they are trying to do some Rhianna shit with that song.

40. That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings

This is sort of a guilty pleasure song since a lot of my friends look at me disdainfully when I show any interest in it.

I also can't think of this song without thinking of Gossip Girls and iJustine's version of it... which is confusing... and frightening? The power! I think a lot of YouTuber's though about what they could do with that song, but iJustine is always on the money! Go girl.

43. Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

I tried really hard to not hear the full version of this song for some strange reason, but I didn't escape the music video and it was one of the first things I saw by Lady Gaga and it confused me greatly.

Due to her speaking Italian in the beginning of the video and then seeing her amazing vocal range while performing it at the MTV Music Awards, I made up some weird story that she must be the product of some European mastermind... someone who had analyzed the West's fascination with fame and glamour, and plucked out some unknown former Opera Singer and created a character with her... only to learn, after discussing my imagined findings with Jake, that she was simply a talented New Yorker/NYU student who did some record deals or something and had complete creative control over her look... or something, I really didn't pay attention because I didn't like that version as much as mine haha.

Either way, her performance of this song on MTV was amazing, made me realize she wasn't just laugh and was a nice change from the usual sucky awkwardness (read: Britney or Lindsay Lohan) of any MTV award show.

44. Viva la Vida by Coldplay

I also first heard this song on an award show of some kind, perhaps VH1 or MTV, and felt that it was another well-crafted/calculated track, aimed at being a Number One hit (I guess, I like happy accidents that just fit with the times naturally... what an innocent way to think, because there is no way half the songs I adore aren't calculated and planned perfectly).

I still sing along to some of the lines though, incorrectly I'm fairly sure.

I also tried filming Brooke and I singing and clapping to the song at Angelika Film Center with Luke filming, but by the time we got organized the song had finished.

46. Sober by P!nk

Started singing away to this song after her very good performance at the MTV Music Awards. One of the few songs I've enjoyed since her debut. Everything else by her just felt too simplistic or whiny.

48. Live Your Life by T.I. (feat Rhianna)

The Numa Numa song, right? That's why any Internet loser would know this song... and then there's the catchy "so live you life... ayyyyyy ayyy ayyyy!" Well done, jerks.

51. Obsessed by Mariah Carey

Don't care much for Mariah Carey, she just seems like too much trouble. All I know from this song are the few lines I've paid attention to... ahem, "Why you so obsessed with me?" Yup.
Oh, and then there is that whole story about Eminem trying to prove that they've dated. That's just awkward.

52. Battlefield by Jordin Sparks

She did a duet with Chris Brown and then sung, "why is love always like a battlefield?" That's funny.

53. Skipped because does any consistent YouTuber care for Soulja Boy?

55. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z (feat. Alica Keys)

Would have loved to have actually heard Beyonce singing along to this song during the MTV Music Awards. That was very cute. The idea of those two being the King and Queen of Manhattan is just adorable to me.

56. Skipped, sorry Shakira... P.S: Your line about "breasts like mountains" from that other song was totes cut out at Whole Foods the other day! I was annoyed, that's my favourite part. : )

57. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

Journey freaking owes Glee a hug or a great second season or something for bringing this song back to a positive place. Growing up, my parents gave me the impression that this song was for pathetic losers and was just total dribble, and yeah, it kind of is... but then Glee put their magical uplifting, almost-perfect pilot spin on it and it suddenly became perfect for my generation and then I heard it in Rock of Ages and it was one of the few songs I actually knew.

I cried during the pilot episode of Glee and I'm sure that song had something to do with it. Dammit.

63. 3 by Britney Spears

I don't think I've heard the full song by Britney, but I have watched the full video of BrittaniLouiseTaylor's version of 3, about not being Easy, but being a good girl. It was so full of morals that it made me want to go to Church and confess how I stole Nutella from my friend once, but I'm sort of glad I don't have Britney in my head.

64. If You Seek Amy by Britney

This song I have heard and probably danced to at a nightclub... I knew there was something about the title and I couldn't remember what it was... I was all, "Is this about anorexia again? What was it...?" and then I sampled it in iTunes and heard "all of the girls and all of the boys are beggind to Eff You See Kay Me..." and my mine mind was BLOWN. I HAVE NO MIND! HOW CLEVER ARE HER WRITERS? IT'S TRUE, BRITNEY! HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT I WANTED TO FUCK YOU SO BADLY? OH MY GOD, IT'S LIKE THEY SAW RIGHT INTO MY SOUL... AND LOOK HOW CLEVER THEY WERE; SIDE-STEPPING THE RADIO REGULATION PEOPLE! WHOA. MOVERS! SHAKERS! MUSIC MAKERS!

66. One Time by Justin Bieber

Damn. I watched his music videos on his YouTube channel. His ex-girlfriend is also named Caitlin and I stumbled onto that during some kind of ego-session of mine (it happens really late when I've had too many cookies or just feel the need to be an ASSHOLE) and so that's gross.

I saw some footage of him at a photo shoot and he was all, "I've got to do some texting!" in the middle of the shoot and proceeded to grab his phone and take it back to set-thing and it was so awkward. The photographer just went with it and every now and then told him to look up, but it just felt so rude. Can you imagine him doing that on a high profile magazine with a distinguished photographer. Unless they loved him and in were a peppy mood, I would think they'd be fairly unimportant. It's almost like saying, yeah, so make it work, photog, because your art is less important than mine.

Ugh.

Also, Lauren, a friend of mine and talent spotter, spotted this guys videos back when he was even littler and was like, this guy! This guy is gonna be big. Lookee now.

68. Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon

This song was on Triple J's Hottest 100 CD (which doesn't consist of 100 songs) and this song was on it. I purchased in the last time I was in Australia and took my first and only stereo player (from 1998!) and played the CD over and over again while I was there. So I heard this song quite a few times. At first I got into its catchy beat and then it just sort of became ridiculous. Making everybody in the house give me weird looks when I played it.

One awkward moment was when Harry was sleeping over, because he had planned my whole week for me, which was very kind of him, and we had gotten back late and were getting an early start the next day to see more people, and then that song started playing. I thought it was funny. Can you imagine having sex to that song seriously? I couldn't imagine it. I would just feel like such a tool. Ugh. Gross.

69. Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead

I'm not a huge fan of this song but I am really happy to see Michael Franti on this list. To me, he was just an artist that my rather bohemian best friend Emily and her family and friends listened to... and its always fun when you realize that a little fact about your best friend that you sometimes enjoyed to, actually belonged to a world of fans.

It also makes me happy because I think of Em whenever I see his name anywhere.

70. Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback

My Mum and I really liked one of their albums, we listened to it quite often... and then I came to America and learned that a lot of people actually detest them quite heavily. I don't mind their songs, but that whole way of singing is kind of boring now.

Plus, whenever that song is heard everyone, including me, just mock-sings it... "Gottaah bee sumbodayyy!"

71. Skipped because its called, Birthday Sex. Blargh.

72. I'm on a Boat! (feat. T-Pain) by The Lonely Island

Did you know that though I own an I'm On A Boat badge on foursquare and know most of those famous lyrics, I have never actually seen the music video.

75. White Horse by Taylor Swift

Yeah, it's catchy. I like Miss Swift but I only know about three of her songs very well and this is not one of them.

77. Untouched by The Veronicas

Wow, this has been out for quite a while. "I feel so untouched right now..." I have a video of a certain pretty someone singing along to this song. Tee. Hee.

80. So What by P!nk

This song feels lazy for me and I am always annoyed at myself if I found myself singing along to such a basic song structure... I mean the lyrics are just awful... "So what? I'm still a Rock Star (no you're not), I've got my Rock moves!" Rock moves? Really? It just seems to be blatantly written for the teenagers who want to pretend they are actually famous for a second. We've got to get rid of that want in our society. It's so poisonous.

83. Womanizer by Britney Spears

Yeah, we all know this song. Britney's "great" return. Copied and edited my many a-youtuber. I think it's shithouse... and I use to love Britney. She doesn't seem to grow as an artist... but her team certainly does.

84. Hoedown Throwdown by Miley Cyrus

Why the fuck is this on the list? And why did it so easily amaze so many young people? Telling everyone to do the "throwdown" as some kind of megabyte waste for a video request?
I just don't get it. The dance for one thing is the simplest shit and doesn't even top the "Bootscoot" dance and the song is just a jumble of trash. Rawr.

88. Disturbia by Rhianna

Does anyone know any lyrics of this song than... "Disturbiaaa"? When I only hear these songs on the radio they impact me so passively.

96. Love Sex Magic by Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake

I loved this song when I first heard it. I loved the video clip though Ciara needs to learn how to point her toes if she going to try to dance along with the rest of her dancers. I loved how crassly sexy it was or at least trying to be, somehow that just upped the appeal. I guess I'm still a fangirl for Justin Timberlake, but every move he makes seems to be the right one. I like it.

97. Right Now (Na na na) by Akon

I can't not like any song from YouTube Live. Even though since we were filming a lot of the action, I felt that the audience as a whole, apart from the true hardcore fans at the back, were reacting quite passively. I respected how hard Akon worked to get our attention... he even seemed a little confused. "Why aren't these people dancing?" and then he took his performance to a higher level and we all just got into it. Great night.

So, that was 2009, but I mainly listened to Clare Bowditch, The Beatles, The Killers, David Bowie and other pretty things. I am trying not to buy any new music for a while, to better learn what I owe, but having the radio and iPhone apps occasionally keeps me updated.

Hopefully this year, I delve even further into music's past and really get to know my music and not just the songs but the culture and events behind it... maybe even the people who sing the bloody songs for once...

The Tip of the Hat and The Unsweetened Peach Ice Tea

Wednesday 10 March 2010

If I Don't Make It To America (RADA)

...then remind me of this.

The ending of my VISA is looming ahead and my heart pounds at the thought. I mostly would love for it to renewed, but I also can't help making plans for what I would do if was not to be realized.

I have Three Plans, The American Plan, The Australian Plan and The United Kingdom Plan.

I'm not going to give away these ideas here, not yet anyhow, I am instead going to record a goal that I may forget if my browser happens to crash... and since I have well over forty windows open in each of my browsers (Firefox and Safari) that is most likely to happen. So for now, I am dumping, and I recently organized my blog posts, so this seems like a safe place to... place it.

If Britain was the closest I could get to New York again, then I believe I would investigate the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

I've heard stories of a number of people going there for short courses or the Summer, and I definitely could see myself doing something similar. It'd be lovely to do something like that now, what with a large majority of my friends or gallivanting around the Northern Hemisphere now, but there is very important work to be done here in New York, so, it would have to be 2011, if the VISA is not renewed or (even better) if it is renewed and I somehow magically work hard enough to earn a trip to study in the UK.

INTRODUCTION TO ACTING IN FILM AND TELEVISION


A one-week course from 10-5 each day in April.

I've done plenty of Intro to Film/TV courses and though it is mostly inspiring and you'll learn a number of new things. It's not something one should revisit as much as I have (due to sheer lack of confidence to move on to the next level... but mainly because there are hardly any good classes that aren't "an introduction." So, it is also always kind of boring.

You usually get handed a shoddy script from something made-up or out of a text book or something the teacher has auditioned for and you spend a few days or hours learning some pointers and then you go for it, and then you get all these strangers telling you that you did good or badly and pointing out the tiniest things you did that they really loved or just didn't like.

I've always found these courses the most helpful when you're watching. Sure, you learn by doing, absolutely, but sometimes you are kind of nervous and it is hard to give your best. When you're able to sit back and watch the other actor lose it in front of the camera, sometimes the best lessons come from those moments.
Especially if the person is really bad or especially good. You never really learn much from someone who is just okay. Other than hoping that you can give more than they did.

So, I would apply if I had 700 pounds lying around. No one should ever stop reintroducing themselves to their chosen craft... just don't do it as often as I do. Yikes.

ACTING SHAKESPEARE


This is an eight-week course from June to July that excites me quite a bit. An in-depth dip into the works of Shakespeare and this,

"Each participant is allocated, for the duration of the programme, a personal tutor, with whom they will meet for one to one feedback. There are classes in voice, speech, sonnets, verse and language and style.

Alexander Technique is taught as a basis for comprehensive physical skills work that includes movement, stage fighting, period dance and improvisation."

Personal Tutor? AWESOME!
Alexander Technique? My favourite!

You are required to auditon, unlike some of the other courses, which takes place in-person in New York. It also costs nearly 5000 pounds, but it does seem brilliant.

Maybe I'll be able to work towards it and save my pennies... if I get in, of course. Imagine me now, pulling on neck-tie...

RADA SUMMER SCHOOL

Quite famous and has been around for over 30 years and consists of a full 25 day immersion into "developing the actor."

You work as a company, and aside from the acting sessions are, "Supporting the acting sessions, there are classes in speech, physical performance, sonnets, text, stage combat, period dance and clown."

You have to have full monologue prepared and ready to show to the class and the complete works of Shakespeare (check) and a full-length practice skirt for the ladies.

One of the great experiences would be staying in their dorms in London. They might be a bit unsightly for all I know, but why would you care when you were acting all day anyway and either crashing in bed, exploring bloody London, or getting pissed with your over-sexed classmates anyway?

No? Yes? Is Australian theatre life different to the others around the world? Surely not ; ) Not that that's a priority of mine, I can be a really boring drunk depending on how I feel... and I certainly wouldn't want to waste over 3000 pounds on a hangover.

I really liked how simple the site was and I liked how it wasn't overflowing with possible classes. I love workshops and I love the complete devotion to certain fragments that build up the acting world, but mostly its overwhelming. "What do I choose!? What do I spend 500 dollars on!?!?"

Alright. That's one part of the United Kingdom Plan recorded for me to see one day in the future.

The Wobbly Cranberry Sauce and The Niggling Feeling In The Belly!

Monday 1 March 2010

Letter to the Teacher 11/15/09 11:39PM

During my writing classes we were given assignments and I was lucky to be inspired by most of them, so they were an ease to write. However, when we were given our last assignment, I lacked courage, direction and a wee bit of inspiration to start typing away. So, I started with a letter to the amazing teacher.

I didn't include it in my draft to him since it seemed silly and I've been meaning to write to him anyway (I'm very slow on replies to people) after I stumbled on the Nylon offices to be like, "Hey, I went there too, yo!" Harr. Harr.

"I was procrastinating. I wasn't getting the assignment for my class done and I knew that I wasn't really trying. I did take time out my day to collect images and get a feel for the place so I could really hit the mark on describing the street where I was basing my story. I went to a cafe with some friends and for moments we worked silently. I wrote and I re-wrote and I tried to block it out, but I was just afraid.

I also feel like I've delved so far into the world of typing, that writing anything for too long with ink, unless it is journal or a planner, feels like a waste of time.

So I sat down at my computer in the middle of last week and just began to type and since I am a hoarder and don't want to throw away very much at all, here is how I worked my way into typing the story, which was completely different to the one I had sat at a cafe in, planning.

Before Crumbs of Cake:

I’m just going to write and see if I can form something that will flow.

It’s not that I don’t have ideas; I just don’t have conviction and don’t give myself the time to think them out and follow them through.

Also, to be quite honest, the rest of my stories for you were pulled out of my arse. I wrote a quick draft and then the pressure of time got to me and I just ran with it. I know they aren’t perfect but at least they were created.

Now I have time to try to put the lessons into action and actually craft something and I’m scared. I’m just scared to fail.

Worst of all I’m scared to disappoint, because I respect your opinion and am always so damn eager to please and be accepted… and yet I may have already disappointed you with this being late. So why am I even bothering stalling on it?

I think my head is full of clichés. Or at least it is so full of thoughts I have thought about over and over again that I’d like to record and heighten in some way whether it is through paper or camera lens, and I feel like I can't get pass them until they are created. They are just a well used record, replaying and replaying.

I also feel like I’m relying on a lot of personal experiences instead of creating something new. The only thing that didn’t have some element from my life was the story about Max and Mabel."

...then I created something new with some elements of my life in it, really only the memories, and most were exaggerated.

6 pages. 3500 words. Most importantly, something complete... for now.

Last Monday/My Eating Habits 11/9/09 10:09PM

I found these notes in my Drafts. They were originally notes I made after one of my writing class lessons, but it almost reads as some kind of idiotic stab at poetry of some kind. So since it really is too late to bother trying to write and eloquent blog about such a simple day, I neatened the notes up to fit the structure/look of a poem, just for the glory of Awful.

"I've got to read the fucking news
In my head, even the banality of that statement pissed me off
Swinging my Coke can
Turning on to second, passing the carousel pony and
You'll catch up eventually, says Eric
Day
Cost of food"

Aww shit. Haha. I love ridiculousness.

I think I learned of some kind of tragedy, yes, that's right; the shooting at the Fort. I was completely unaware of it and felt very stupid for not knowing about it. At least I gave everyone in the class a small chuckle. Sigh.

I swung and jigged my Coke can on the way home, thinking about this "future" blog post, what I'll say, what can be done about it. I think I wanted to note the act of carrying a Coke can around since there is something so peculiar about doing so. To me, at least.

I was fairly poor at this time, so was starting to become aware of the brilliance that is "cheap" food. I was rather to surprised to find that food doesn't have to be a crazy expense... if you don't shop at Whole Foods, or, better still, you shop smartly at Whole Foods.

Shopping for food hardly feels smart though, because unless you have a family or take great joy in the act of cooking, you usually don't plan too far ahead and just gobble as you go... and you never have food left for years and years (except maybe a box of sugar) to show everyone what a good investment you made. All you have is yourself. Your body and your health.

Sometimes it hardly feels worth it.

Wow. I wrote that. What an idiot. I don't even know where that came from. It's definitely worth it... it's just that, well, I'll still sometimes shout a meal for a special someone or occasion, and sometimes I'll buy food which is probably too expensive but I've been trying to buy less. Lately, I've been very good with my consumption and purchasing of food... and I have the weight loss to prove it, I guess? Though those three Yoga classes and the training before it probably helped a great deal too.

I'm not trying to starve myself or anything painful like that, but it just seems so ridiculous sometimes to spend money on food when you've had no money for a really long time. It feels like grandeur sometimes. I've also been lucky. Kate's Dad bought a lot of the meals in Vegas. Dad bought a lot of the movies when I came back to New York to hang out with him, and colleagues have bought me plenty of sandwiches and salads along the way. I'm probably just eating as much as one should eat... maybe not as healthy as one should eat, but... I don't know, I ate so so so much when I first started traveling in America and getting involved in the Internet, it feels good to now save meals when they are too big and split them into days or just feel satisfied with a sandwich for lunch instead of a huge greasy bag of food.

I definitely don't think being thinner is more attractive than having a figure (it's not an aim of mine), I mean, darn, it'd be nice to have a more voluptuous figure so I could have more of a bust.

What I've realized is that when it comes down to weight, it's really just your natural beauty and how you wear it that determines what looks good and what doesn't. That's why so many skinny celebrities look terrifying and other celebrities like Scarlett Johansson (a perfect size 10 AU, or so my Mother told me once) and Queen Latifa or Christina Hendricks (I would LOVE to have her figure!) are so admired and always look good.

So yes, don't worry about me. I'm just stubborn and lazy... and I also use to study ballet. So before I started posting videos, I was a wee bit of a stick most of my life and I was use to it.

My love for cookbooks proves that when I do have the time, money... and lack of laziness, I will absolutely adore creating amazing meals and then eating them up!

I WAS GOING TO TWITTER THIS AND DECIDED I JUST BETTER PUT IT DOWN HERE: Christina Hendricks and Emily Blunt in a film together. Don't you think that would be amazing?

Totals