Thursday, April 28, 2011

[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.

Monday, April 18, 2011

[Fandom] Yep, still in Merlinland

I'm sorry for flinging this post onto little children. Anyone below 15, please avert your eyes.

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I do believe that if I go on like this, it is quite possible that I'll flunk my study. Or maybe I'm halfway there.

But all my reading has strengthened my resolve to write. And the ideas in my head have nothing to do with subjects remotely academic. Unless I'm studying anatomy. Which I'm not.

It's rare to actually find myself learning when I'm reading fanfictions, but apparently there's a vast difference... as deep as an abyss (which I have never stared down into, so forgive me if the analogy is unsuitable)... when you're in a jrock or jpop fandom and when you're in a European one. Or in this case, Brit.

Words just flow without the restraint of not knowing much of the culture, the people, the language. Authors are not writing in English about non-English people having impossibly complicated English conversations in a completely non-English setting while drinking something that's made in a country entirely populated by mostly non-English speaking people.... and I relish the freedom.

Also, since I studied in the UK (though I didn't have enough money to travel to Ireland, to my everlasting regret) for a bit and watched hours and hours of British telly in defiance of my busy undergraduate schedule, I do get a bit of the jokes... although not most. But enough to make me howl with laughter and splutter saliva all over my laptop monitor.

However, I have to say that after more than a week of intense reading, I have yet to find a single bondage fic... much less S&M, or any plot that doesn't involve fluffy romance and happy ever after. I was so used to at least finding a story with one of the characters dying. And that's RPS, mind you... not even AU. Hmmm, what does that say about jrock/jpop fandom... IDEK.

The strange thing is, all the stories in the Merlin fandom I found... and I do mean ALL!... were so well-written that I'm not even missing those intense, dark, OTT-menacingly-whispered-professions-of-love-while-being-tortured-with-black-candles, nearly suicidal relationships I was so used to bump into while maneuvering the messy j-ent fanfiction corridors.

Obviously I've been missing on a lot of things. I have Colin/Merlin and Bradley/Arthur to thank for this massive discovery. I've yet to move to Season Two because I'm still determined to explore Season One for a second time. And this time I'm to take my sweet time about it... while reading fanfics, watching interviews, looking up making of clips... taking in everything.

O yeah, this mission must be accomplished while churning out technical papers for supervisors and bosses on time. Tricky, that.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Saturday, April 2, 2011

[Fandom] Merlin


Secrets & Magic [1]: Merlin Time



It feels weird... and kind of special... to fangirl over an actor who is not Asian in this blog. I think Colin Morgan is only the 3rd western crush I pimp here. The 1st being Lee Williams, and the 2nd is the ever evolving Colin Firth (Oscar!!!FTW).

I did catch Merlin when it was first aired in Malaysia...what, a year ago? But at that time, I was all... meh, what's this story about? And why is the title character so thin and bony?? Obviously I had no clue of what and who I was talking about coz a few weeks ago, upon watching this one episode of which I no longer remember what it's all about, suddenly a lightbulb went off in my brain and I went... this show is so gay! LOL. Yeah, I'm a slow learner... ^^;;

The show is full of layers and ...mmmm, layers *cough* ...and what with Merlin / Arthur forever looking at Arthur / Merlin like he's the most delectable dish the guy's ever come across while Arthur / Merlin is always looking back at the other dude (I'm not choosy really, whoever's staring hungrily at whoever is good enuff for me) with this pseudo what, what expression... I'm in BL haven... and for once, it's not coming from a japanese / korean / taiwan / hindi source. Loving it.

(note: They do this off-set too. Don't believe me? Watch that roadtrip video, or the S&M video, or their interview videos... or any videos that have CM and BJ together. Or if you're impatient... just watch this~)

After watching a few incomplete episodes (I promise I'll download the whole seasons later, mkay) I concluded that the Brits do BL waaaaaay better than the Americans can ever hope to do. Is it because of their stronger European connection? I was ready to generalize about the whole western cinema not having a clue about subtlety when it comes to boyxboy content before this drama came along.

I mean, seriously... look at Heroes and weep over the loss of having so many hot-looking guys running around and not giving each other suggestive stares even once! At least not that I'm aware of, and sometimes I can be rather dim about these things. But only sometimes! Anyway, I don't watch Supernatural (have a fear of horror) or Prison Break (don't like convict/war/violent stories much), so can't comment about those. But look at Smallville and imagine how much better it would be for us if Clark and Lex have a more super-charged, electrifying bond.. eh? Clark just keeps on chasing after Lex, and Lex can't get enough of doing bad stuff that will keep Clark eternally chasing after him. And all those gorgeous super heroes and super villains and kryptonite-mutants who can come in and play havoc with their love life. Right, I want to cry now.

It's pretty hilarious how Hollywood gets to be morally upright in TV shows that it makes me roll my eyes every friggin' time like... come on people, we already know, ok?

I found these cast videos. Colin Morgan ish so cute!!! Freaks me out when I got to know that he's 25 years old, though. Why? Because I seem to have a harem of boys born in 1986 (hyung, Kame... and now CM). Furthermore, they're all in the lust/love-at-first-sight category so it's not as if I planned any of this. Am I psychic?? Or is the universe trying hard to tell me something????! (But what?)



ETA: I apologize to everyone who got eye burn after staring at so many bolded words. IDEK what happened. Blame it on the crappy modem connection, but I have to check out of this hotel now (hubby's getting antsy.. any minute now and he's gonna confiscate my laptop) so can't go on an edit spree. And once I'm home, it's a different universe so I doubt I'll ever get around to edit it then. But hey, just think of it as squee-ing with bold rather than CAPS... kthxbye~