Behind the Candelabra (2013) / My Life with Liberace

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful."

The 1970's was a better time, wasn't it; you could dress up in glitter, frill, fur and eyeliner from head to toe, but people wouldn't automatically assume that you're gay. I guess the stereotype came to be much later. The clothing was one of the best things about the movie. Some of that stuff was just outrageous, and I mean that in a good way.

Before today I didn't know anything about Liberace. All I knew was that they like to make a lot of Liberace jokes on Glee, so I assumed it had to do with something, um, eccentric. I hadn't heard about the movie either, which is kind of cool, because it hints that A-listers in gay roles is not such a big deal anymore. So I read a couple of reviews, and then decided it could be worth seeing. And it really was worth seeing, because it's nominated for like a million Emmys, and I never really had an opinion about Michael Douglas before, but now I do, and the opinion is that he's so good.

The acting is no doubt what makes the film stand out. Douglas especially, but Matt Damon, too. He portrayed a character much younger than himself, and you need more than a tremendously convincing make-up to pull that off. The make-up was kick-ass, of course, but still. They were both so shameless, and they owned the characters, even when they did the boldest scenes, put on the most embarrassing costumes and let themselves look the most unflattering. There was not even a trace of the well-known Hollywood superstars, so there's no reason to feel awkward. Bravo! And Rob Lowe with that highly attractive facelift... Scene-stealer. 

(I can't get over Cheyenne Jackson, aka the most hilarious guest star on Glee ever, being a part of the film. I just didn't expect to ever see Dustin Goolsby in a glitter tuxedo. "I'm handsome, I'm good-looking and I'm easy on the eyes. Also I'm gorgeous." Hahahahhaah... Classic pick-up line. And Daddy Hummel aka the brilliant Mike O'Malley had a small role, too! Glee invasion! By the way, keep the jokes coming, because from now on I will get them.)

I'm tired so that's all I'll say. I hope many people will see the film, and I hope Douglas and Damon will get all kinds of awards. This was a very refreshing movie, I hadn't seen anything like it in a while. A bit sweet and a bit sad and a bit funny and more than a bit outrageously and wonderfully eccentric. I'm glad this made it to cinemas in Europe, even though in the US it was only released on TV. 'Cause it's too gay. Right? Welcome to the year 2013...

P.S. I know this has to do with absolutely nothing, expect for Matt Damon's BFF, but I feel so sorry for poor Ben Affleck, because people think he'll be a terrible Batman. C'mon, just because the guy has never acted well in anything, doesn't mean he can't pull off Batman! I mean, I could pull off Batman. Just growl and speak in a ridiculously low voice and frown a lot. I bet Benny will be the best Batman ever! Not that I will see the movie, because I think Batman is stupid and Superman is lame.

The New Normal / when Klaine grew up

"I want us to have baby clothes. And a baby to wear them."

I don't know if I really like Ryan Murphy. Perhaps he is not the easiest person to like. But I guess I have to admit the man is a genius on some level. I mean, he once created that show which I kind of liked for a while, I don't remember what it's called, I think it's a four-letter word starting with a G, meaning joy and cheerfulness, or something.

...You have just read my spectacular introduction to my post about The New Normal, a new-ish sitcom by Ryan Murphy, the man behind Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story and Glee. It tells about David and Bryan, who have a really lovely relationship, but what they are missing is a baby. They find Goldie to be their surrogate, and with her they also get her 9-year old, precocious, eccentric daughter Shania, and her conservative, brutally offensive, and confusingly young grandmother. Together they make a family that ten years ago would've been really strange and groundbreaking and original, but now, with Modern Family and all that, we are just looking at quite a stereotypical 2013 sitcom family. Like, normal. I'm not sure if this what they were going for with the title, but anyways.

I hadn't watched The New Normal until today. I'd thought I should and would, partly because it's a Ryan Murphy show, and me and Ryan Murphy shows share a nice history (Except for Nip/Tuck. And American Horror Story. Hmm. Anyway!), but mostly because I loved Justin Bartha in National Treasure, more than I love American history. The New Normal just won the People's Choice Award for Best New TV Comedy, actually! I guess I could say that's why I was inspired to watch the first episode, but no, I only just noticed it won. Earlier I just noticed that The Hunger Games and the lovably dorky Jennifer Lawrence won a lot (P.S. I love you, first photos from Catching Fire!), and that RDJ always gives the best, sexiest acceptance speeches, and that Chris Colfer also won and said he finds it flattering when people exploit him in their fanfiction, which I thought was both a hilarious and extremely dangerous thing to say. Anyway! I should get some award for rambling. These posts are getting more and more out of hand...

After watching the first episode (for a random reason I guess we'll never know), I watched the second episode, and then the third, and continued until I'd watched all the episodes that have come out so far. Don't freak out, there's only been twelve, and the episodes are sitcom short. The show is nothing new, really, or utterly genius like Glee, but it's fun and I really like the characters (although some more than others).

And it's a bit like Glee, to be honest: First, what's up with RM and Ohio? Also, there are at least three actors in the show that have also guest-starred on Glee. And character similarities... The Nana character is offensive and fires her absurd opinions and insults at everyone's faces, but there is reason and heart underneath her plain-colored tracksuits, um, I mean jacket suits. Bryan and David are more or less what we could imagine Kurt and Blaine to be, fifteen years after high school. I mean, you easily could've had Darren Criss play the college-graduate David in those flashbacks, with the big curly hair and dorky/cool glasses. Just add a bow-tie. Well. Don't you worry, Kurt and Blaine! When you grow up you can leave that dreadful place also known as Fox, and move to NBC, and then you can kiss more, like normal couples! (I'm not complaining, of course. No one hugs like Klaine!)

Ryan Murphy has often said Kurt is based on himself in high school. Now, I don't have to read any interviews to know who Bryan is based on. Come on, who is that name fooling? To rub it on our faces even more, (B)ryan runs a popular TV show called Sing, starring a lot of young people like a kid in a wheelchair who isn't actually in a wheelchair and who wears weird pullovers, and someone I'm pretty sure he called Lea before naming her his favorite. And then once he decided to break up a fan favorite couple on the show so that teenagers would cry for months. Touche. I might be past teenage, but dang it, the sun hasn't shone quite as bright since the damnable day Klaine broke up.

I feel like I've done nothing in this post but talked about Glee and mocked The New Normal itself. It's not news that I like talking about Glee. Like it's not news that there are similarities in these two shows (I mean, I'm pretty sure some of those lines about daring to dream and being proud of who you are were actually quoted word-to-word from Glee). Like it's not news that Ryan Murphy is most inspired by Ryan Murphy (which is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean, who am I to judge, having once again spent another day watching a show of his). Like it's not news that I don't know where I'm heading to with this paragraph. I think I was trying to make a transition to talk about my favorite characters.

I love Justin Bartha in this show as much as I loved him in National Treasure. He single-handedly saved that movie from Nicholas Cage, like he almost saved National Treasure: Book of Secrets from yet another Nicholas Cage. He's just a really cool actor. And I like David, the butch gay of the bunch. I also like Shania, the quirky young girl with the personality and the glasses that no one can help but associate to Little Miss Sunshine. (Not a bad thing!) Completing my top three is Nana Sylvester, or whatever her name is, 'the last real American', the biggest Republican in the world.

The New Normal is a fun, cute show. And there must be something slightly addictive about it, since I just watched all the episodes in one afternoon. I've been mocking it for resembling Glee, but there has really been extremely little singing, and honestly, I wouldn't be fooling anyone if I said I didn't like the Glee parallels. Like I said before in this horribly meandering post, The New Normal is nothing new, though. Except for some idiots in Utah who banned it from the state television, and also for 38 idiots who signed a hilarious petition I found online, demanding NBC to stop airing the show. Christian society and innocent children, and all that, you know. Sometimes I forget how some people still find certain things so new and scary. Oh well! I'll be very happy to keep watching this same-old-same-old, and hopefully they'll even make another season! With the People's Choice Award fresh in their back-pockets, they just might. More Justin Bartha for me! (Please make National Treasure 3! Without Nicholas Cage.)

I am truly sorry if someone decided to read this post, hoping to actually learn something about the show mentioned in the title. Well, that's not how I roll, unfortunately.

2012: A Summary of a Year

Another year over. It was a good one. I think I say that every year, but never mind. When it comes to films, and getting excited about them, 2012 was actually hands down better than 2011, for me.

Here's what you will find in this post: three films from 2011 that I have to mention now, because had I seen them last year instead of this year they would've been in my top films in 2011; an honorable mention, because I didn't blog and thus give away top spots in 1997; TV shows that I was hooked on; some people, both real and fictional, that I liked this year; seven films that I liked the most in 2012.

(The picture above is from Lust, Caution, which I actually saw in 2011. I wanted a picture to reflect something of my 2012 in total, just like I chose such pictures to the equivalent posts of 2010 and 2011 (Chaplin, and The Wizard of Oz). I needed a very Chinese picture, because that's what my year was. I remember really liking Lust, Caution, so there I got my necessary Chinese picture.)

Nostalgia

In the past couple of days (that can mean two days or two weeks or more, however you want to see it) I've had way too much free time (meaning I have hardly any lectures but SHOULD be doing IMMENSE amounts of independent study), so I've found myself making some dips in the nostalgic pool of my past passions and addictions. There's been the usual, more recent stuff like The Hunger Games and Klaine, but I also enjoyed some Chaplin comedy again the other day, and really feel like I need a fix of River Phoenix, too. And all this Episode VII talk makes me want to put on another 6-movie marathon, because it's been way too long.

Today I made the fateful mistake and was silly enough to read one of my posts from the early summer of 2010. That time was important in my fangirling life in the sense that Lost ended in May, and I was left nursing a hole bigger and more aching than no other fictional work has ever left in me (except for the Harry Potter books, maybe). This means that I wrote a lot about Lost. And now I read one of those post. And you know, if I give Lost my little finger, it'll soon have my whole hand. Both hands. And feet, and all my other limbs, too. I'm lucky I don't have the DVD's at my flat right now. Still, another Complete Lost Marahtron is an inevitability waiting to happen.

"Dear diary. Still on the bloody island. Today I swallowed a bug."

Good times!

In other news, I am currently occupying myself in catching up on my New Year Resolutions (I'm trying to tackle August at the moment, so there's still some way to go), being addicted to Breaking Bad (pun kind of intended) and feeling sorry for myself for being so broke that I'm not free to go to movies anytime I feel like it. Then again, I'm silly and easily persuaded, so the other day I agreed to go to see Paranormal Activity 4 with some friends. I've only seen the first one (and I'm pretty sure I was drunk at the time), and I haven't seen a horror movie in cinema since The Ring 2, which is for a reason. So, at the theatre I noticed that the new Bond was playing at the same time, and I started a passionate persuading process to convince my friends to go see that instead. We couldn't make up our minds, so at the ticket booth one round of rock-paper-scissors made the decision. I lost, and slept with the lights on the following night. And it wasn't even a particularly scary movie! I don't know how I slept after The Ring 2. Maybe I didn't.

Now I'm just waiting for The Hobbit, while hoping no one will say a word to me about Breaking Dawn Part 2, because I know I'd just say what the hell and throw that money to the wind.

I mentioned Breaking Bad; I should really write a post about it, it's a pretty cool show. Apparently I'm also writing my Bachelor's Thesis on it. Humanities, you know...

Also, I have a massive, Disney-related post on the way, which I've been working on for a year or something. It's the bomb! Although it has nothing to do with Breaking Bad. That Jesse Pinkman slang is just contagious.

EDIT// It's soon 1am and I've been sitting here for hours watching and listening to Disney videos on YouTube. This is going to be a long night...

My TOP 5 Favorite Fictional Couples: The Happy Ending Edition

It's been a while since April 2010. That's why this post needs a little update. The love stories of most of the couples on the previous list, epic as they be, had very unhappy, dramatic and premature endings. This time I'm not looking for epic, necessarily. I'm looking for potential happily-ever-afters. I don't know if that tells something about the amazing emotional growth I've done in the past two years, or that my taste has just become boring, but never mind. Just dig in. (I even omitted Jack and Rose. Can you imagine. They were my number one in 2010. I feel like a sorry little traitor for doing this! But epic had to give way to happy endings. That's how my world works in 2012.)

SPOILER ALERT

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5. Tom & Gerri (Another Year, 2010)

These two shoved Hermione and Ron off of the list! Did someone see that one coming, because I didn't! I saw this little film last year, and a few things about it have lingered on my mind: 1) The bit in the beginning with Imelda Stauton's horrifyingly and impressively depressed character, 2) the pitiful mess that Lesley Manville's Mary turned out to be, and 3) Tom and Gerri, who were healthy and happy and normal among all that depression and anxiety.

If you're looking for a happy ending, don't go knock on Disney's door, pay a visit Tom and Gerry's idyllic little house. Tom and Gerry are so content and normal that it's almost weird. They have normal conversations about everyday things, and neither of them is secretly a CIA agent. You do not often see such elderly couples in movies, perhaps because they don't offer the friction and conflict that usually make a good movie. Still, I found it really refreshing and reassuring that it does not always take a huge amount of drama to make a good movie couple.

"It's going to rain again."

4. Jim & Pam (The Office, 2005-)

I watched all the seven (plus) seasons of The Office earlier this year, and it's such a great series. (After that I was all ten seasons of Friends in a row, and then of course wanted to include Chandler and Monica in the list, but unfortunately there's only room for one couple from a comedy show.) It's laugh-aloud funny, with such a memorable and distinctive scale of characters. Jim and Pam were some of my favourites from the beginning. Who wouldn't love a good old "will-they-won't they"? It is delicious and fun to watch how their friendship gradually develops into a happy relationship, and later into marriage and babies. The whole storyarch is written and acted in a very realistic and moving way.

Some argue that Jim/Pam is incredibly boring now, with no drama bigger than changing diapers, and yes, maybe unrequited, denied or hidden love indeed makes better television. Of course the lingering, secret glances and Jim finding excused to hang around the reception was a lot of fun!  However, I still love Jim and Pam, and wish nothing but good for them in their future in The Office. (It's been like six months since I've watched an episode! I seriously need to catch up. Hope Jim and Pam are still together, because a divorce would be slightly awkward for my Happy Ending Edition.)

"I just needed you to know. Once."

 

3. Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games, 2008-2010)

If you thought I'd be done talking about The Hunger Games - just because I said I would - you were very wrong, unfortunately. But this has to do with the books, instead of the film, so that's a welcome change. This is the only couple in the list who doesn't live in our present world. And since there is a tragic sense to the epic story around them, they could almost be disqualified from my Happy Ending List. But I was forgiving. Mostly, because I really wanted to write about these two. And they did get their ending together, even if it wasn't 100% happy.

There are many interesting aspects to the relationship of Katniss and Peeta. First, they have the most horrible ship name, EVER. First, it is not the regular boy-meets-girl-boy-falls-in-love story. Or actually, from Peeta's point of view it's exactly that. But since Katniss is the one in the center if the story... Girl meets boy, girl has to try and kill boy, then girl has to pretend to fall in love with boy in order to stay alive, girl shoots squirrels, incites a rebellion and saves the world, and then, finally, girl grows to love boy.

Another fascinating thing about Peeniss Katniss and Peeta is their reversed gender roles. Katniss hunts, Peeta bakes and paints. Peeta is always open about his feelings and wishes for a proper relationship, while Katniss doesn't feel comfortable showing her emotions and thinks romantic relationships are merely in the way. It's definitely a refereshing angle when it comes to young adult literature, or any other form of romantic narratives.

The love of Katniss and Peeta sure took a long time to bloom, and we never really got to enjoy reading about their life together, but I'm just happy that Katniss finally realized what the rest of us had known from page one (or whatever the page is where he is first introduced): it is just impossible not to love Peeta!

"You love me. Real or not real?"
  

2. Kurt & Blaine (Glee, 2010-)

Klaine. Klaine, Klaine, Klaine. I don't know where I got any joy in my life before there was Klaine.

These two amazing young actors portray these beautifully and carefully written characters with such wonderful sincerity, emotion and subtlety. As far as storyarchs go, this couple has definitely had the best, most coherent and believable one in the history of Glee. (And you know, they're not always very big on coherent storyarches...) Plus they're hot.

As TV characters, Kurt and Blaine push boundaries. They are a homosexual couple, portrayed alongside heterosexual couples, and although Fox doesn't let them kiss quite as much as damn stupid gross more traditional Finchel (Finn/Rachel), for instance, they come across as normal and sweet and true, without a trace of mocking stereotypes. I genuinely think they have changed the world for the better, at least a little bit. They have definitely made my world better. Just a little fix of Klaine, and I'm all smiles and warm and fuzzy feelings, and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. There is seriously no way I could ever get enough of these two. Yes, I know it's a little sad.

Since I once again took my time with writing this post, there has been some development, as Klaine famously (in my world, at least; I don't know how well it was covered in National news) hit the roughest path of their relationship so far. I'd very much like to see their Facebook profiles, because I don't know what their status is at the moment. Sure, a tiny little detail like a break-up wouldn't change the fact that I adore Kurt and Blaine from the bottom of my fangirl heart. And they'll always end up together, anyway. You know it.

"I'll never say goodbye to you."

1. Celine & Jesse (Before Sunrise, 1995; Before Sunset, 2004; Before Midnight, 2013!!!!)

"I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away."

 They were my number three in 2010, and now they have climbed all the way to the top. There is one adjective that I keep repeating every time I bring up these movies and this couple, and I'm sorry but I'm just going to repeat it a little bit again. Jesse and Celine are so REAL! Both characters as individuals feel real, the storylines of both films feel real, the conversations they have feel real, the connection they share feels real... Everything about them and their story feels real. They are like a wonderful little piece of real, actual life.

And it's not just that they are real. (Because I think they are very real. I don't know if I mentioned that already?) In their case you can talk about soulmates, because their connection is so unique, so special, how they understand each other and feel around each other, how they can't let the memory of each other go during the nine years between their first two meetings. I don't know, I guess that's what they call soulmates.

So, Jesse and Celine, my number one favorite fictional couple. And of course this is a bit ironic, because Jesse and Celine actually never were a couple... Yet! I was so endlessly happy when they announced Before Midnight, to be released next year! Another nine years has passed, and I can only imagine what will be going down in Greece. Maybe they actually are a couple now? In Ethan Hawke's words it's going to be 'ferocious', so I guess the atmosphere will be slightly different compared to the romantic Sunrise and the nostalgic Sunset. Still, no doubt, it will be just as real.

"Baby, you're gonna miss that plane."

"I know."

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) - because experiencing it once is not enough

How freaking lucky it was that this movie happened to open less than a week after I arrived to the US? And as it only runs for two weeks, I easily could've missed it. But I didn't! It didn't play in my city, but we happened to make a little trip to Wichita, where it did play. (I expected film tickets to be cheaper here, but they really weren't; 13 dollars for a 3D showing, so not much difference to Finland's prices.)

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is a sort of a documentary concentrating on the tour the cast of Glee did this spring and summer. We see most of the performances, get a glance of what happened on backstage and hear from the fans. More than once I almost began to sing along, or applaude after a number, because it was easy to forget that you were in a movie theatre, and not actually there, looking at the concert live. After it was over, I left the theatre humming Raise Your Glass and found myself smiling stupidly for the rest of the day.

All of the live performances were shown, except for Dog Days Are Over. Oh and Single Ladies! Nooo! It was the only thing I was left missing. Luckily I could go to YouTube right now and see several versions of it there. Yeah, I'm actually going, just a moment... Back now! Let's get on with it.

There were so many awesome things about seeing the live performances again. 1) Hearing Glee music is always awesome. 2) Hearing Glee music with a superb sound reproduction system is even more so. 3) In the concert you couldn't really concentrate on the little details happening on stage. Now you could see the little wrinkles around Lea Michele's eyes when she reaches for a high note in Firework, and Kevin McHale and Mark Salling goofing around during a group number. 4) Although the concert on screen wasn't the same one I saw, it took me back to that night in June and the memories were sweet. 5) YouTube videos are great, but a huge canvas and 3D glasses are even better. A huge, three-dimensional Heather Morris doing I'm A Slave 4 U made me quite happy. Hehe.

There wasn't enough behind-the-scenes material. Though I doubt nothing would be enough for me, as those people are just so lovable and adorable and funny and I could look at and listen to them for hours and hours and hours. The biggest surprise was that the blond Warbler with the cool haircut can actually talk! And other Warblers, as well! They were funny, too.

I also wanted so much more Chris. All he said was 'Thank you for loving me'. Though I think that pretty much sums it all up. That's all that wonderful man needs to say.

In between the numbers and behind-the-scenes materirial there various clips of fans declaring their love for Glee and naming their favourite characters and other things in the show. With some we looked a little deeper. Three young people described how Glee has affected their lives and improved them, or pretty much saved them. It was the good old American sentimentality, constructed in the familiar dramatized way, but still, I did find the stories quite inspirational and moving. This country is making even more of a wuss, haha.

Say what you want and call me what you wish, but I firmly stand behind my opinion that Glee is a real life-saver. Maybe it was mostly love for money that made this movie happen, but I think it's also love for something true and real and human. Glee rocks, period, and if any TV series was ever even to come close to saving the world, it would no doubt be Glee.

London memories

It's now been over a month since me and my friend came back from our gleeful weekend trip to London. For me, it was a kind of reunion with the city I've been growing fonder and fonder of over the years, and which I hadn't visitited in whole two years. Here are a few photos and words about the trip. I will seriously keep it short this time. (And give you a link to another post, which I definitely did not keep short.)

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Day 1, Friday. Our dear friend Ryanair brought us to the Stansted airport, almost on schedule this time! Hurray! The day was traditionally grey and rainy and our bus trip to centre London took so long (thanks to the traffic) that after getting to our hotel near the Waterloo station, we barely had energy to go out for dinner. Luckily there was a nice Egyptian style restaurant right across the street, so we didn't get very wet while running there through the rain. The waitress was so nice, and I remembered why I like English people so much, and the customer service. Fake politeness rocks! Haha. Afterwards we stopped by in a little corner shop, where I bought some of my British favourites: the lovely orange chocolate, Galaxy chocolate and chamomille tea.

Day 2, Saturday. My friend, although visiting London for the first time, wasn't interested in sightseeing, which I truly appreciated. I've acted as the tourist guide more than enough times already, leading my companions to see Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace and so on... This was a nice change. First we went to Camden, a huge market area which I just love. I bought a cute black-and-white dress with tiny cats in it (see the picture down below for the pattern), which has become one of my favourite pieces of clothing. Then I looked for and found all of my old favourite shops, and bought stupid funny postcards as always (one has a little dude in it, who says, "Let's go to Ikea", and another dude, laying on a couch, says, "Fuck Ikea", and I just can't get over how hilarious it is) and a traditional Star Wars t-shirt, which was not as stupid funny as usually, but pretty cool anyway. (I should propably take a picture of all the things I bought, but I'm too lazy to bother right now.)

Then we went for a walk in St. James Park, aka the bird park, which is my favourite park in London. At least it was before. My friend has an insane bird phobia, and it was pretty contagious. We draw some amused looks as we both ducked and scremed when a pidgeon flew over or something. Then we went to Starbucks and I got my Strawberry and Cream Frappuccino, which didn't taste as delicious as usually though. We drank our drinks sitting below the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus. Then, um... Right, more shopping! This time on Oxford Street. I didn't buy anything there. There's just too many people for my taste.

On a side-street of Oxford St. there is a really nice champagne bar called Amuse Bouche, where we went to enjoy some yummy and not even insanely expensive champagne cocktails. Before getting back to the hotel we went for another drink in a bar called The Fire Station, near the Waterloo Station. It was nice, though we were a bit disappointed for the lack of firemen and a pole.

Day 3, Sunday.

Yihaa! Sunday! The concert day! If I haven't made it clear enough, the purpose of our trip was the Glee Live concert we had tickets for (well, we DID have them, in the end...). The concert was in the evening, and to set ourselves into the right mood, we decided to go to the Imperial War Museum (pretty much next to our hotel), and see the Holocaust exhibition. Haha. Good thinking, girls... I'd been to the exhibition once before, but the effect wasn't at all disminished. We walked out of the Museum with quite long faces and our thoughts pretty far away from the awesome fact that we would see the Glee cast live in just some short hours.

Luckily, the remedy was near. It was an awesome, sunny day, so we went to buy ice cream and sat down on the pretty lawn area next to the Museum. Then we lay down in the sun and listened to some Glee music from my MP3 player and watched the airplanes fly over us in the cloudless, blue sky. And there was the right mood again. We stayed there for quite a while, until finally made our way to the O2. Below is a 15-second taste of what we experienced there, but to read the whole story do click here. And no worries, there's no more of my lousy, shaky video clips.

Day 4, Monday.

After the concert, we were supposed to go to the hotel, get our things and walk to Victoria Station where we'd take the bus to the airport. Our flight would leave at 7 am, you see. Well... We thought, 'Oh we don't have to leave just yet, let's take an hour-long nap'. After the hour-long nap, 'Another hour won't hurt, we'll still make it'. And then, 'Aw, let's sleep some more and take a cap, screw saving money'. So that's what we did. And well, after all that money we'd already spent, a dozen pounds more didn't hurt too much.

A Very Potter Musical

In the middle of your Post-Potter depression? Feeling empty? Feeling like a part of you just died and left a gaping hole in you? Looking for something to refill the hole? I might just have the cure!

A Very Potter Musical is a fan-made parody of the world of Harry, made by a group of students (including one Darren Criss, who later would move on to bigger circles and rock the Glee universe as every teenager's dream, Blaine (edit// and who even later might do what all respectable Harry Potters do and star in Broadway's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying after Dan Radcliffe retires from the show. Love the symbolism!)) in the University of Michigan in 2009. It's seriously funny as hell and the songs are not just catchy but seriously good, too, and it's just seriously fantastic and totally awesome and it makes you want to quote it in every single situation you get into in a daily basis.

I'm not sure if enough people (meaning absolutely everyone!) know about this, so if you haven't seen this master piece before, now's the freaking time.

And it doesn't matter if you've seen it already. One more time is never too much!

(If you ask me: What about after I've watched A Very Potter Musical? How do I fill that hole? Well, let me tell you. With A Very Potter Sequel, of course!)

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"That's the thing about Hogwarts. No matter how long you're away from it, there's always a way back." 

Ah, less than three.

Kill me now... so I can die happy

Here's just one reason why.

This wasn't the exact thing I saw, and I didn't see it this close, but you get the point. If I've seen Chris Colfer do the Single Ladies dance, what else do I have to live for, really?

I'll write a huge and elaborate post of my weekend later on, when I'm not so freaking exhausted and my brain functions a little better.

But anyways... Greetings from Loserville! It's one damn happy place.

Saturday in three pictures and thirty seven words

Learn the art of Kyykkä. Three games played. Three games lost.

Have a break from drinking. Enjoy Kurt and Burt.

Dance Macarena so that your muscles are still sore on Monday. Go to sleep in the morning.

Total Eclipse of the Heart, literal version (best served when tired)

 "The gayest man on Earth would call this over the top."

Hahahahahahahaa... Okay, not that funny. Okay, it is. But seriously, that music video was asking for it. Begging for it, even!

A friend showed this to me yesterday after we'd watched the episode of Glee which features this song. That was probably the last time ever I was able to watch the number without my lips twitching... I can't take that song seriously anymore. "I'll pose like Rocky tonight!" Hahahaha... People are so funny.

Golden Globes 2011 and my two (or three) cents

As for the results, I won't comment much. I leave the profound analysis and stabbing critique for the Oscars (just wait for it. Haha.). This time I'll keep this short and simple... Here are my two, or three cents.

1) The Social Network has a lot of friends. Including me! Since my number one of 2010 is apparently too animated to win anything other than the award for the best animation (YAY, though), I have my two thumbs up for David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and co. Though I want Inception to win something as well (something other than techinical awards would be nice too... Music, maybe?), I'd be happy to see The Social Network win the most important awards. (Black Swan might still make me change my mind, but I wouldn't count on it.) I watched the trailer again the other day (while waiting for the DVD that's all I can do...) and damn, it could win some award just for that.

 2) Biggest. Thrills. Ever. (So far.) So, Chris Colfer did it, then. I can't tell you how freaking thrilled I am for this! When I found out I felt like screaming and crying and jumping, and I did all of those, but only a little, because I was in a public place. Chris didn't only deserve this as an actor, but as a person, too. I've never been so happy for him, but something tells me I will be even happier some day, because this won't be THE peak his career, no way. More about the subject (= more love for Chris Colfer) here.

3) Memorable Moments. Since I wasn't able to watch the show (damn you, Finnish TV companies!), I had to let someone else to gather some of the best moments of the night. Under the link there are a few things worth watching, like everything with Ricky Gervais (he's just so shamelessly rude, it's quite wonderful, really), one of the most inspiring acceptance speeches ever (I'm not only happy for Chris, I'm also happy for those kids who get the inspiration and encouragement they need out of this), and the bit with Robert Downey Jr. I'd almost forgotten how damn charming and charismatic he can be. Aw, make him host the Oscars next year or something!

The biggest movie event of the year is only five weeks away! I personally can't wait.

2010: A Summary of a Year

2010 is almost over. Can you believe it, because I can't! The year has been pretty good, I've seen many awesome films (and quite a bunch of less awesome films as well, but that's unavoidable, I guess). I hugely regret that I didn't make a list of all the films I watched during 2010 (it did cross my mind, damn it), because I'm pretty sure I've broken a personal record. 2010 was also the year when I started blogging, so I guess we can say my year hasn't been a total waste!

To wrap the year up, I look back to the various phases I went through this year. (A phase: A period of time during which I am hugely enthusiastic about something or someone, and can't fully concentrate on anything else.) There's been unusually many of them! Also, I'll very reluctantly make an unofficial top five of my favourite movies of 2010. Don't take it too seriously. There are too many potentially awesome films I haven't yet seen! It's mostly there just for show.

**

My SIX PHASES of 2010

The Robert Downey Jr. phase (January - March)

Not often I go see a film in the cinema twice. Even less often three times. But I did see Sherlock Holmes three times, and I can only blame the unbeatable charm and overflowing hotness of RDJ. During the phase I also watched a lot of lousy films from his early career (and one damn good one that led to another phase later on) and the fourth season of Ally McBeal. That's when the phase probably reached its peak and I was more fanfirl-y that I've been in years and it was highly disturbing and I'm glad it's over now. (And I'm only half-kidding.) I'm still very much RDJ's girl, and I regret I managed to miss Due Date in cinemas.

The River Phoenix phase (March - April)

The short-ish but passionate River Phoenix phase was triggered by the end credits of Stand by Me, as my even-slower-than-usual brain realised that the charming young fellow in the film was actually River Phoenix. Many of his film are almost impossible to come by, but judging by every film I have got my hands on, River was spectacularly talented and an amazing person and all the praise he's ever got is most definitely deserved. Also, when it comes to talking about River Phoenix, one can't get away without mentioning that he has one of the most photogenic faces EVER.

The Lost phase (~April - June)

My Lost phase has been going strong since 2006, but this year it culminated around the series finale in May. All year long I had been regularly freaking out once a week, as the final season teased and shocked and thrilled me to pieces. Lost is the most popular label on my blog, which shows that the Lost phase still isn't over. Just this week I completed a project I had been fantasizing about for years, as my Complete Lost Marathon finally ended. Lost truly has been one of the highlights of the year, but it was also a significant highlight of the whole decade. Dude, it's been awesome.

The Charlie Chaplin phase (June - July)

This is one of the few times ever I've become this excited about something that could easily be considered 'intellectual' (not that Lost, for instance, isn't, ahem). Thanks to RDJ (yep, I still think I owe him this), I read Chaplin's autobiography, loved it, and watched all of his films I could find. Oh and loved them, too, to say the least. I found it quite amazing that I so thoroughly enjoyed something that had been done before the 90s, or even before the invention of talking pictures! So uncharacteristic of me. Chaplin's films are wonderful, oh so wonderful and I'll be eternally grateful to RDJ. Haha.

The Disney phase (August - September)

Before and especially after our spectacular trip to Paris - which included that fateful visit to Disneyland - I couldn't make myself watch anything that wasn't animated and or didn't have a happy ending and a few cute animal friends. I watched more Disney films in a month than I did during the whole year when I was five. And oh did I have a blast! By the time I got annoyed at The Little Mermaid and actually began to look the films critically (first time for everyhing), I figured the time had come to finally shake the phase and move on. Luckily, an old favourite was coming back from a summer hiatus.

The Glee phase (October - December, and beyond)

 Glee, oh Glee! Just when I thought Lost had left a hole in me that nothing could ever fill, along came season two of Glee, and reminded me that there is one show out there that has that potential. Not that the hole is completely filled (won't ever be), but it doesn't ache anymore. Glee has been quite a dominant factor in my life recently: I created a blog dedicated to it, I'm listening to the songs on repeat, I ordered a ticket to their live concert and I want to marry Chris Colfer (oh, if I were a boy!). Glee has quite a steady position in my life, and this phase will continue to live on... Side by side with whatever I next get crazy about.

**

My (unofficial) TOP FIVE of 2010

Rare Exports

Okay, so. Rare Exports is here, because 1) it was a good film and 2) because it's not every year Finns make a film that one might even consider when thinking about the best films of the year. I might have liked The Deathly Hallows a bit more, but hey, the patriot in me wanted to give this film some more credit. (And I make sure DH pt. 2 will be on my top five of 2011. Promise.) And it's not only that it is a rare export when it comes to domestic cinema. Rare Exports is an imaginative and bold piece of work, it creeped me out, it made me laugh and gave me chills and, quite unexpectedly, a touch of Christmas spirit as well.

Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass kicked off my summer of various action adventures, such as Robin Hood, Iron Man 2 and Prince of Persia, and ended up kicking the crap out of all the rest. It is an entertainment bomb. It introduced two bright stars of tomorrow, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz, and also features the brilliant Christopher Mintz-Plasse. One of my favourite moments (in addition to everything that includes Hit-Girl) still is when the main character is worried that if he dies, he won't find out how Lost ends. What a relief I don't have to worry about anymore! Because, on some of my less proud moments, I did. Anyway, Kick-Ass kicks ass.

Inception

Er, what? What is Inception doing this far from number one? Wasn't it pretty much the most mind-blowing thing I'd seen in ages, a complicated and intriguing masterpiece by the genious also known as Chris Nolan, and simply just the grandest cinema experience ever? Well, yes. As you can see, I haven't numbered the top five, even though they are supposingly in the order of superiority. It just felt wrong. When my friend asked me what my five favourite movies of 2010 were, he also asked me to mark put a star after each film that was so damn incredible you forgot it was a film you were watching. (continues below)

The Social Network

(cont.) (He asked me for the list in Facebook. By the way.) Inception was the only was that I starred. So why oh why are The Social Network and another film topping Inception? Well, quite frankly, I don't know. I'm just listening to my gut. I can't say which one I liked more, because they are so very different. Both left me in awe, but in different kinds of awe and for different reasons. I actually at one point promoted Inception to number two, but finally dropped it back down again, because this was the original order on the list in Facebook. And as we know, Facebook is the bible of today's world. And yes, The Social Network is freaking genious.

Toy Story 3

So here we are, then. 2010 is just about in the bag and my most favourite film ended up being... not a sci-fi epic nor an origin story of a web page... but a third instalment of an animated film series. Um... okay? I guess what happened here is that number three and number two were too busy wrestling with each other that they forgot one little Toy Story 3. Whoever saw that coming? ... I did, actually. (Just remembered that I did!) Here's a direct quote (with spelling errors and all, sigh... 'askes'... I should probably fix that) from my Inception post from July:

" So - if someone askes me in the end of this year what was the BEST film of 2010, I will probably say Inception. If they ask what was MY FAVOURITE film, I will say something else. Something silly like Toy Story 3 or Kick-Ass or Harry Potter. "

And yes, I don't think this is such a scandalous or unexpected choice after all. I mean, whoever has seen the film knows it's brilliant in so many wonderful ways. I'm definitely campaigning for Toy Story 3 to win the best picture Oscar, and not only because I like underdogs and tend to fly the flag of those who REALLY don't stand much chance of winning, but also because I think it has a tremendous amount of potential. I mean, don't you want an animated picture to win the Oscar some day? So why not now? (Yeah, yeah, okay. In my dreams. Anyway.)

**

Okay. So. A wrap-up of a wrap-up... 2010. What a year! And I have a sneaky feeling that 2011 might be even better! There sure are a big bunch of films worth expecting on the way. 2010 took us beyond infinity, but who knows, we might go even further next year.

Happy two thousand and eleven, everyone! Enjoy the fireworks tonight!

Christmas time will always be, just as long as we have glee

With these words and tunes Eeva wishes you all a very gleeful Christmas! Let us eat until we burst and may Santa bring you something nice and special. Enjoy the holidays, my dearies!

I'm done breathing normally until 26 June 2011, 8 pm

 ... Or maybe a few hours after that. I was already hyperventilating in my other blog, but I need to do this here too. But I'll keep it calm here.

I'm going to see the Glee Live! concert in London next June. I found out about this earlier this week, a few days before I had sworn on my mortal soul that if these guys ever came on tour in Europe, I'd be there. The tickets were on sale this morning and without really even deciding that I'm going, I found myself ordering two tickets and here we are. I don't know who I'm going with yet, but that shouldn't be too big an issue. I'm currently trying to restrain my will to jump up and down and scream till I lose my voice, because June is many months away and anything can happen..I'll jump and scream afterwards. If it'll be worth it. (This is a part of my tactics: Don't expect anything and you'll love it.)

Didn't I do a good job in keeping it calm? Am I excused now? Good.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OOOOOOH FREAKING YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An invitation: PLEASE come and GLEEK OUT with me!

I'm currently suffering from some, er, post-Pre-Christmas-party-related symptoms. (Should I get out of bead today? Nah. Should I eat today? Something other than crisps? Nah.) Luckily, I have just the right medication: a new episode of Glee! Which bring us very nicely to the actual point of the post.

I created another blog, because recently I've been falling  more and more in love with Glee and I thought I could canalise that love into something concrete. So, a new blog it is! We'll see if it begins to get wind beneath its wings. If no, I can always just get rid of it and pretend the whole thing never happened! Haha.

So. Please Gleek Out! Do check it out, I'd be more than pleased!


P.S. The Deathly Hallows tomorrow!! Judging by all the reviews I've read from other blogs, it will be quite a ride - with a few bumps. Anyhow, can't freaking wait!

My happy Halloween week

Just a week or two ago I leaped over to quite an unknown territory and tested my nerves with horror. Mikaela linked me a post of hers, recommending some must-see flicks of the genre, and as Halloween was suitably just around the corner, I decided to continue the journey of exploration in the world of serial killers, masked murderers and creepy kids. To begin with, I noticed I actually wasn't so totally hopeless on the field after all, as I had already seen quite a few of the movies Mikaela mentions. However, there was, and still is, a lot to be seen. I was supposed to watch a lot more movies last week, but it was more hectic that I expected (and it doesn't really get easier for another week, sigh), so here are the fruit of my mini horror movie marathon. (I know the first one isn't horror, but since it has the word ' horror' on its title, it'll do.) The quest goes on after the surge of deadlines and other obligations passes by.

 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

directed by Jim Sharman / starring Tim Curry, Susan Sharadon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien

I finally managed to watch this film, because they had a 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' themed episode on Glee and I wanted to get something out of it. I did get quite a lot out of it, something other than Time Warp, Dammit Janet and Toucha Toucha Touch Me stuck in my head all week, too. Cult films are quite difficult to get in, and I can't say I'm 'in it' after only one watch. This should be seen on stage, with the water pistols and toasts. But the music is catchy, and you can't blame the film for holding anything back or being ashamed of what it is. Two thumbs up for that, and next stop, West End! Finally, here's Glee doing the Time Warp again. Because Kurt is so freaking lovely as a balding creepy old man. (But I'm strongly anti-Quinn nowaways. Not that I'm bitter or anything, if you know what I mean...)

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

directed by Jonathan Levine / starring Amber Heard, Anson Mount, Whitney Able, Michael Welch

This is the type of horror I usually go to. A bunch of teenager in somewhere secluded, and a mysterious someone killing them off one by one. No fear for nightmares here, because the biggest angst comes from not guessing who the killer is or guessing who it is too soon. Movies like this are usully quite entertaining, best served cold with a group of friends. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is about Mandy Lane, a girl who turns into a hot babe during the summer and suddenly all the boys love her. The movie tag line says it quite well: 'Everyone is dying to be with her. Someone is killing for it.' Amber Heard sure is beautiful, and this the way I like horror the most: entertaining, harmless and forgettable.

 

Scream (1996) 

directed by Wes Craven / starring Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courtney Fox, David Arguette, Drew Barrymore

I'm almost ashamed to say that I had NEVER seen a Scream movie before. Pathetic, right? Oh well, after seeing it, I can't say I've missed that much. The killer, Ghostface or whatever, is somehow more amusing than scary, stumbling around and all. (Maybe the asscociations to Scary Movie also kind of hinder the wanted effect, haha. I just thought about the cloak dude hiding behind the couch, giggling...) And I still have disagreements about the killer's identity. I hate being wrong like this! Maybe some lonely boring night I'll watch the sequels, too, but I can't say they're very high on my list of priorities...

 The Omen (1976) 

directed by Richard Donner / starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens 

To conclude my Halloween week, I raised the stakes and put on something REALLY scary. This is the kind of horror that has potential to give you sleepless nights... A cute little kid as the reincarnated Satan... Um, hello, quite cheery. The film didn't give me a lot of frights while watching, but afterwards that eerie mood just didn't go away, not even with aid from an episode of Big Brother. Hrrr. Anyway, the kid wasn't scary in the way the kids are in modern horror movies. It almost felt that the actor wasn't acting at all, like when he smiled, I saw, on my mind's eye, someone waving a lollipop or making a funny face behind the camera to make the kid smile. And actually that was quite creepy. Like, he just happens to be the reincarnation of all evil, but the doesn't really care, shit happens, let others deal with it. If you know what I mean.

Welcoming back a dear friend...

(...And I'm not talking about hangover. Damn, mistä näitä bileitä oikein tulee...?)

It's back! Glee's baaaaaaaack! Hurray! I missed these guys so much and am more than happy that we're back in business. I think season two will be A W E S O M E. (Can't wait for next week and the Britney Spears episode!) In addition to the old favourite characters - like Sue (who's just ruder and more obnoxious than ever and I love it) and Kurt ("So is that a men's sweater...?" "Fashion has no gender." Aw, Kurt, my man...) - there are a bunch of new characters, and I feel unprecedentedly good about them!

First, there's the new football coach, Miss Beiste. There will be some great moments between her and Sue, I'm sure... Sunshine is an exchange student, a little girl with a huge voice. I liked her a lot and hopefully we'll still see a lot of her. Last but not least, there's a new guy, Sam, played by this dude called Chord Overstreet. He's somehow incredibly sweet and adorable and I'm not very secretly hoping he'll be Kurt's new love interest this season. I could totally see that happening and I'm already melting just thinking about it. We'll see, I know I'm not the only one with these thoughts... Also, there was this very funny and random and weird moment regarding Chord's mouth.

"Dude, your mouth is huge. How many tennis balls can you fit in there?"

"I don't know, I've never had any balls in my mouth. Have you?"

...Hahahahaha. No but really, it IS huge, it was the first thing a noticed about him. Damn, just look at those lips!

(One more thing. Someone mentioned this, and now I can't get rid of the thought. Wouldn't he just be the most awesome Peeta? Now, Chordie my lad, stop growing up so that they can cast you to the Hunger Games movie. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have found my Peeta!)

PS. If you yet haven't checked out the new Deathly Hallows trailer, do it now! Novermber can't be here too soon. Hello, goosebumps...

Lost lost / Damn you, Emmys!

Last night after 2 am I opened my laptop, because despite being tired I didn't feel sleepy at all. As you might know it was the primetime Emmy night, and I was happy to find some livestream material from the red carpet in IMDb homepage. So I watched that for a while, and when the show itself began (it was 3 am by then) I found myself waiting for the results and staring at a "backstage cam" at emmy.com. I finally made myself switch off my laptop when Lost lost in the first category it was nominated it. Good thing I did, I don't know if I could've taken all those upcoming disappointments so late at night, haha. Poor Lost. Hopefully you're a better loser than I am.

So, Lost left home empty handed. Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn have both won Emmys previously, so I think I can get over their losses. Matthew Fox didn't win either, but Jack doesn't care about winning, right? An Emmy for Darlton would've been nice, or for Jack Bender for directing... But oh well. At least they won some back in season 1.

There are some bright spots, too. Jane Lynch won, which was very cool, Glee is awesome and Sue Sylvester just pure genious. I'm not familar with Modern Family, which 'robbed' most of Glee's potential Emmys, so I can't really hold any grudge there. Now I only must swallow my bitterness and be happy for Mad Men. They did good, and deservingly so.

Jimmy Fallon hosted. He's pretty good, actually. I kind of like him. Here's the opening number, Glee themed, which of course is awesome. Also, Jon Hamm dancing and shaking his booty is something worth seeing, I can tell you...

Now I'll go lick my wounds and maybe watch today's portion of Lost. You'll always be the winner in my eyes.

The Deathly Hallows hype begins... now!

Looks pretty good. Just saying. But I really am looking forward to this a lot. Deathly Hallows is my favourite book (not only of the series, but maybe... favourite book ever? Hmm. Maybe.) and now that they cut it in two, it might have a chance to actually be very very good. And anyway, I always enjoy a Potter film, even they weren't that good. And they usually aren't, haha. But the expectations are high for this one, even though I think the trailer could've been better. It's better than the first one, though. But the pissed off Ron is ah! Sorry, I have a thing for that fellow.

Ps. Watched the season finale of Glee and aww, it was sweeeeeet and man I will miss that show. I don't know when it's comming back, but apparently not this year. I'd almost forgotten what it is like to wait for a new season of a good show. Not nice, but at least I have one good show to wait for... I'm still searching for something to replace Lost. Well, nothing ever will, really. (Insert a theatrical sigh here.)

Pps. Got over my Boy A angst. For now.