Beyond Thunderdome...Beyond Mental Stability

Even if you have not actually heard the audio of Mel Gibson's rants, I'm sure everyone has at least heard about their existence. Recently, I listened to some of the audio on YouTube. Sheesh! I'm sure I haven't heard all of the rant(s). I listened to a combined total of approximately 10 minutes. Honestly, there's only so much a person can take. There were points where Gibson was breathing so hard for extended periods of time that I thought that either: A. his ears were about to release steam and his head was mere seconds from popping off B. he was beginning his transformation into the Hulk. I cannot with all sincerity say that I never saw the crazy in him. Have you seen his 2006 mug shot for drunk driving? He looks "psychodelic" for sure.

Between Oksana's calm disposition, and the slew of derogatory racist and sexist comments and threats Gibson was dishing out so emphatically, the audio felt quite odd; almost staged. Who knows? Where's Danny Glover when you need him? Remember the old days of "buddy-cop" 'Lethal Weapon' films when Gibson was only playing a dysfunctional individual? But his friendship with Glover's character brought him out of his odd behavior. "Will me Riggs!" (LW 4) What happened?!

This just demonstrates that actors are people just like any other; flawed, awkward, and sometimes even a little deranged. A script is only a script, and not a true reflection of who the actor/actress is. Oh, but if they were, Mad Max would be a hero to many. Hmmm. On second thought. *Insert Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero" here.*

Veronica Mars

One of the best shows I have ever watched on TV was the teen mystery hit, 'Veronica Mars', starring Kristen Bell, which premiered in 2004 and ran for three seasons until 2007. Now, Veronica isn't just your run-of-the-mill Nancy Drew. She carries a taser and Back-Up...her pit-bull. She's tough, witty, and funny with quips that will make your head spin! This is absolutely one of my favorite shows and, in my opinion, one of the best shows to ever air on TV. I own all three seasons on DVD. If you take into consideration the fact that 'Veronica Mars' is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, the astronomy lover in me starts smiling. Ha!

The series begins with the murder of Veronica's best friend and fellow classmate, and Veronica's hunt for her murderer is met with many twists and turns. Unfortunately, and I do mean unfortunately, the series was canceled. One of the extras on the season 3 DVD disc-set was a season 4 pitch which was set to chronicle Veronica's life as a rookie FBI agent a year after college. They had already taped scenes for a possible premiere episode. I loved what I saw and wish it had been picked up.

'Veronica Mars' appeared on a number of fall television best lists during its run, and attained several awards and nominations including five Teen Choice Awards. The show was featured on AFI's TV Programs of the Year for 2005. 'Veronica Mars' also acquired quite the fan base which still campaigns to bring the hit show back. Unfortunately, I feel it's a rarity to find "good TV" like 'Veronica Mars' these days.

Star Wars: Not Just A Space Opera....It's An Experience

For anyone who knows me, I am a MAJOR 'Star Wars' fan. Han Solo, Padmé Amidala, Ewoks? Come on! Pure awesomeness! Today I had the once in a lifetime opportunity of seeing 'Star Wars in Concert' at the RBC Center. My seat was fantastic; it was on the first rise of the stadium seating, with the stage straight ahead and no obstructions. I also took a few pictures with some characters from the movies! What makes this experience even more special for me is that I just happened to stumble upon a commercial for the concert last Wednesday night after what looked to be a long week. I jumped into action to attain tickets for the Sunday show crossing my fingers that it would not be sold out! Simply, fate. :)

I was and still am in pure awe from the concert. I had an amazing time; I went with a close friend who enjoyed herself as well and thought the concert was great. Though I've seen all six 'Star Wars' movies several times, seeing this concert gave me chills. The combination of the orchestra, choir, films on screen, and lightning was mesmerizing. I personally became entranced in the sheer magnitude of everything before my eyes and would at times forget that the music was not coming out of my speakers, but rather being played right before me. Scenes from the movies upon the screen seemed epic. The lighting added to the ambiance created by the music and movie scenes. I also loved the way the movies were connected so flawlessly, and broken down into themes such as "A Hero Rises". And there was no way to not be thrilled at having Anthony Daniels (C3PO) as the narrator.

I, unlike some 'Star Wars' fans, thoroughly enjoy Episodes I-III, which came out in the 2000's and depicted the rise of the iconic Darth Vader from Anakin Skywalker. If you have not watched them, I suggest at least giving them a chance. A lot of questions and continuities will be answered and better understood. I suggest that you try to view all six Episodes at some point in your life. However, the original Episodes IV-VI rocked the film and Sci-Fi worlds starting when 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' premiered in 1977. Only a few signature movie franchises (6 movies strong at that) can say that they produced a massive fan following on the level of 'Star Wars'.

I will never forget this experience, which was like a dream for me. I am one happy lady!

I Write Like....

While browsing through my Facebook news feed yesterday, I noticed a link posted by a friend of a website that matches samples of your writing to those of the great writers throughout history. As an avid writer, I had to see what was going on. I used portions of some of my earlier blog posts and other writings. The website is http://iwl.me/ (I Write Like)

Drumroll please...

It appears that I write like James Joyce, Dan Brown, and Mario Puzo. Now there's some variety!

However, I noticed from many user comments of the site that they too had received a couple of my famous writer doppelgangers. Hmmm. This site and the dialogue it produces are fun, but I think I'll leave it as just that.

Relationship Book Review

Yes. I did it....I invested in not one, but two relationship books. Well, technically one and a half. I bought Greg Behrendt's "He's Just Not That Into You: Pocket Guide" about three years ago, and Sherry Argov's "Why Men Love Bitches" two years ago. Both are on bestseller lists. Behrendt's pocket guide seemed to highlight points where women can bet their money that a man does not really have feelings for her. (I'm sure the full book is more in-depth). While I enjoyed "He's Just Not That Into You: Pocket Guide", it seemed to say to women: "You're beautiful inside and out; he doesn't deserve you." On the other hand, "Why Men Love Bitches" screams to women: "Honey, wake up. You know you deserve better, so keep it moving!" Argov presents an empowering mirror throughout her book. For example, the book may pose a question as to whether a woman is doing a certain thing in a relationship such as putting all of her interests on the back burner. And as the woman continues reading she finds that, yeah, the man is probably just waiting to see what she'll cook next for dinner and not much else, while she has lost some of herself.

Now, do not misunderstand this review. Neither of the books imply that any two men are the same, or are all bad guys, nor are any two women the same. Therefore, these books may be of interest to some and just decoration for others. All in all, I found "Why Men Love Bitches" a very interesting, humorous, well written read. I would definitely recommend it.

X-Men

Happy X-Men Day!!


X-Men #1 Mutants vs. Vampires, Part 1 was released today! Now there's a twist for you! In stores today.

Smoker (Un)Friendly

The composition of this post is necessary for several reasons, but I will cut to the chase. I've never understood making the conscious choice to take on a habit that is slowly eating away the inner and outer workings of one's body. My major gripe comes with smoking in the workplace. Typically, there are designated breaks for employees. However, for smokers, it seems to be reversed; designated times to work. If you take the amount of time one spends out smoking throughout one eight hour work day, it would probably be more than the designated break times totaled over the course of one week. So are those that do not have an unhealthy habit expected to work more with less down time? I find that very unfair. I have a healthy addiction to M&Ms. Can I please have 10 minutes five times a day to go out and munch? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Early Release

I'm a creature of consistency. Although change is inevitable, I don't appreciate my intelligence being insulted with subpar character changes mid movie franchise. The "Twilight" villain vampire, Victoria, was played by Rachelle Lefevre in the first two installments. I very much enjoyed her portrayal; Lefevre possessed a demeanor that seemed to say that she would ruthlessly rip the heart out of anyone, human or creature alike, who crossed her. It appears that Lefevre was bumped by the studio due to what they called "scheduling conflicts", as she had signed on to work for 10 days on another film beginning production on the same day as "Eclipse." Whew! Summit Entertainment does not play! It seems to have come as a bit of a surprising slap in the face to Lefevre. She was stunned and heartbroken; completely understandable and unfortunate. I guess she missed the memo in her contract that said drop literally *everything* else for "Twilight". Bryce Dallas Howard replaced Lefevre. I love Howard as an actress, especially in "The Village" and "As You Like It". However, I was not impressed with her portrayal of Victoria. Not to give away any spoilers, I felt that Howard wasn't as cold-blooded. You be the judge. "Twilight: Eclipse" is playing in theaters now.

Another case in point: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Replacing Rachel Weisz with Mario Bello in the third installment bothered me greatly. Not only was the relationship dynamic between the character's of Rick and Evelyn O'Connell different, but Bello's portrayal lacked a sense of bravery and toughness highlighted in the second movie, when viewers found out the Evy's character was the reincarnation of Nefertiri.

Now, there are a few character changes that don't leave me feeling as sour. In the upcoming "Transformers 3" movie, Megan Fox will not be reprising her role. I'm not necessarily going to miss unnecessary booty shorts shots, endless pouting, and flat dialogue.

Gambit

Since I was just a young one, I have had an incredible fascination with X-Men. I grew up reading the comic books. From Giant-Size X-Men, to The New Mutants, to the solo Wolverine series. There are few people I know who are not aware, or fans of the Uncanny X-Men. If not, I have absolutely no qualms with giving them a crash course.

As for the cartoon, I was there every Saturday morning for its 1992-1997 run, and every subsequent morning when it went into syndication. I also have the signature theme song on my Mp3 player. It hypes me up no matter what. (Yes, it is that serious :) I think you're getting the picture.

One of my favorite characters has always been the kinetic, card-throwing Gambit (Remy LeBeau). That Cajun superhero always has me glued to the screen or page. You can imagine my utter excitement at the news that Gambit was going to be a main character in 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Boy was I disappointed. Not only was the actor portraying Gambit some pretty boy cover model, juxtapose to Gambit's rugged, bad-boy charisma, but he possessed as much of a Cajun accent as I do Scottish. My biggest gripe with the accent comes with knowing that many dedicated actors will do whatever to bring life to a well-known character on the screen. Case in point: On the hit HBO show, "True Blood" the character Rene Lenier, played by Michael Raymond-James, takes on a Cajun persona. Though the character was only written to play on one season, Raymond-James hired his own dialect coach for the role. Now that's dedication. I was both hoping and expecting more for Gambit's first big screen appearance. I guess I can only be somewhat surprised. The previous X-Men movies could have also been better, storyline wise.