[Update] All sorts of wonderful people I've been looking up lately

I knew that dude in Spiderman is someone special, coz Harry's never supposed to be that captivating (have you guys read the comics?) and yet next to him, Spiderman becomes almost an insignificant entity. Or maybe that's just coz I hate Tobey McGuire as Peter Parker and it's concentrating on Harry is my coping mechanism. But I never knew how special he is until I accidentally read about him and his academic pursuits that he does in-between his many and various acting and production jobs. Did you know he already has a PhD? Considering how hard it is for me to go on with my study, without having any additional jobs that require me to travel all over the place and presenting me with a gajillion other deadlines on top of my academic ones, he has all my respect.

He's currently taking classes at (gasp) several (!!!) schools with the possibility of pursuing another PhD, all of this while still continuing on with his acting work, and various other pursuits that are too many to list down here. I don't believe it. James Franco, I've always liked to follow overworked celebrities but you are way waaaay up there in that list. Ignore everyone who says you're spreading yourself too thin, a favourite phrase spouted for the purpose of setting limits on other people so they won't get too far ahead. Shah Rukh is kilometers behind you eating your dust, and that's saying a lot. What's more, he gives nice screen-kisses too.

Have you watched the 2011 Oscar Roundtable? How rad is it that we have James Franco AND Colin Firth sitting at the same...well...table and talking about all sorts of things? I want them in a movie together so that afterwards they'd have to do a promo tour where we can hear them talk a mile-a-minute about all sorts of nonsensical things. I think all the other stars are great too... I've loved Nicole Kidman like forever, or at least back when I first caught her in 'Far and Away'. And Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala is the only thing that endears 'The Phantom Menace' to me, although not enough to make me follow the arc to the end. It does seem that they have quite a number of actors (or maybe all of them?) who have previously played real-life people winning the Oscars this year, but I think Colin has played the most real-life people in his dramas as well as in his movies. And who can forget Bridget Jones' Mr. Darcy, where he played a character inspired by his Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy. Who is not a real-life person but still deserves a mention in every blog post that talks about Colin Firth in it. Coz he's teh awesomest, that's why. And for the record, Colin doesn't mind at all that we dredge Mr. Darcy up from the lake all the time.

Oscar Roundtable (part 1 of 7)

I could listen to Colin Firth talk for hours. He doesn't have to do wild antics to amuse me (or the audience), all we need is a good host whom Colin is comfortable with and he'd talk our pants off. I was literally rolling around the floor of my living room listening to their conversation. I was going... what?? what?? and ROFL until I nearly cried when he says, "I think an overly streamlined Scotsman would be very dubious." And that talk show was just beginning.

with Craig Ferguson (part 1 of 2)

There's another awesome person I expressly went on the net to find today, and that is our wee lad from Merlin. I've always been fascinated with the kid who played Mordred, and I just knew that he was also in Nanny McPhee (the sequel). After watching him in the "The Beginning of the End" episode of Merlin, I can't seem to be able to get him out of my mind. Especially that stare... and those eyes. I bet he got a lot of offers without having to audition just by turning that megawatt gaze on the Casting Director. I thought those were contacts, until I watched this interview.

I want to see more of this kid. It's pretty exciting to be able to catch all these talented people so early in their careers and to be able to sort of follow them through their works. I'm not fond of going into their private lives, so I suck at gossiping. But I love to gush about the stuff they do on-screen. Good times.

On the music front, I'm currently listening to Taylor Swift discography. I've got them in my thumbdrive and play them everyday when I commute to and from school. The thing with Swift's songs is they're pretty inspiring. I always find myself listening to them and thinking... hey, this is easy enough. I can write this. Just the lyrics though coz I don't know how to play any musical instrument. They're miles away from my jrock stuff, which get my adrenaline pumping but can never be played at the volume they deserve in polite company. Or in any company, really. Even my friends who are jrock fans would cringe at the volume at which I play them. Swift's songs face no danger of having my friends cringe at them coz they're so non-provocative that I can get even my little sister who can't abide my (loud) taste in music to talk about her songs up to the extent of striking a deal with her to do a little Taylor Swift-home concert once she's good at her guitar (she's recently taken lessons). And I love her music videos... they're so Mills and Boons, aren't they? For a jaded old woman (shut up), the sweet sentiment in them make me go... awwwww, all is probably still alright with the world then.