Mindf**k

Okay, so that word in particular goes contrary to that whole "bad word filter" thing I have on my shoutbox, but that's really more for unauthorized, unknown visitors to this site who feel the need to curse excessively. So...yeah. This quiz result would just be no fun at all if I didn't just leave the word intact. :)

ETA: Dude, there's a Director's Cut DVD of Donnie Darko coming out on February 15th! Now I'm glad I didn't buy the 1-disc version even when it was on sale...

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You scored as Mindfuck. Congratulations, you scored Mindfuck. You've probably seen a lot of movies, and have grown to hate mainstream shit. You're looking for the movie that will leave you breathless, and with 21 questions to think about. Check out: Donnie Darko, Being John Malkovich, Pulp Fiction, Memento. Mindfuck 90% Artistic 85% Sci-Fi/Fantasy 80% Drama/Suspense 65% Romantic Comedy 65% Sadistic Humour 55% Mindless Action Flick 45% Movie Recommendation. created with QuizFarm.com

Random movie news

So, apparently actor Stellan Skarsgård has just been cast as the father of Orlando Bloom's character (Will Turner) in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie(s). Which is all fine and good, except that in the first movie they say repeatedly that Will Turner is the "splitting image" of his father...and, well...do these two guys look at all like each other to you?

 

Now, obviously, Skarsgård will for all intents and purposes look completely different in full pirate get-up, but still... hmm.

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For those of you who care (and I have no idea why I do and can in no way explain why I'm posting this or pretend like I know what/who half of the places/people mentioned even are...), here's the block of text that scrolls up (it's called the "crawl", apparently) at the beginning of Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

*shrugs* I got excited when I heard about the original trilogy being released as a DVD boxset, too. And I barely even remember those movies at all. Chalk it up to its being [pop-]culturally important or something, I guess.

Hello, I'm Hermione. Pleased to meet you.

Well, make of this what you will, but at least this is a better result than the Lost character quiz that told me I was just like Shannon... :)

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You scored as Hermione Granger. You're one intelligent witch, but you have a hard time believing it and require constant reassurance. You are a very supportive friend who would do anything and everything to help your friends out. Hermione Granger 75% Severus Snape 75% Remus Lupin 75% Albus Dumbledore 70% Ron Weasley 65% Ginny Weasley 65% Harry Potter 60% Draco Malfoy 60% Sirius Black 50% Lord Voldemort 20% Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com

Live from the Kodak Theatre...

The Oscar noms are out! Click here!

(This is more exclamation marks than I usually use, but I'm excited b/c I've never been up early enough to watch the nominations announcement! Sure, they only tell you about the 'big' categories, but still...!)

And if the Academy Awards aren't your thing, check out the 25th Annual Razzie Award nominees. :)

Corpse Bride

Go and watch the trailer for Tim Burton's new stop-motion animation film, Corpse Bride, starring Johnny Depp (above), Helena Bonham Carter, and Emily Watson. :)

ETA: If you want to know what some of the new Harry Potter cast members look like, check out this page.

Horrorscope

Today's birthday horoscope #1:
This year, you find out you are loved by many. All you have to do is create opportunities for people to show you. Letting down your guard helps! You're showered in gifts through the winter, but in the spring, you're more concerned about giving and teaching others. Investments pay handsomely in April. Love signs are Cancer and Pisces. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 43, 29, 21 and 14.

(Investments? Was I supposed to invest in something at some point? Um...hmm.)

Today's birthday horoscope #2:
You have everything under control (HA HA HA! Funny, horoscope writer!), but that doesn't mean you won't stretch yourself to the limit this year. You can make it much easier on yourself by controlling how much you spend and how much you promise others. Keep things on a small scale and you will end up with a lot more. This is a great year for you as long as you are thrifty, cautious and very precise in your dealings. Your numbers are 6, 18, 23, 30, 38, 46.

(It's funny; today's regularly-programmed, non-birthday horoscope says, "you're due for a great, big spending spree"...)

Today's birthday horoscope #2:
Originality and individuality are the effects that the Sun, which rules this day, and the combination of Uranus and Saturn, the ruling planets for the Capricorn/Aquarius cusp, have on the January 19th person. This person has the creative energy to change the views of those who they come in contact with. They would do well in careers that allow them to ideate. As a mate, the January 19th person tends to be a bit emotionally eccentric. This trait may differ in a birth chart, depending mainly on their ascendant and 12th house.

A look ahead: All walks of life are subject to change; it is not necessary to accentuate the lows.

Famous Birthdays: John Raitt, Harry McGilberry (Temptations), Katey Sagal, Mickey Virtue (UB40), Robert Palmer, Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, Shelley Fabares, Jean Stapleton, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert E. Lee.

(Now, I doubt this of all horoscopes is the one to believe...besides the fact that astrology is really just a load of crock and the Sun, UrAnus and Saturn are not affecting my fortunes in any special way at all, I had to fix the grammar in this one to make it intelligible. Hell, it might still be grammatically inaccurate, but trust me - it was worse before.

And here I thought no one cool shared my birthday -- I thought Janis Joplin shared my mom's birthday, but clearly I was wrong about that. And look! It says Edgar Allan Poe! My job here is done. :))

The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards

( Click here to see who the winners are (PDF file) )

So. The Aviator won Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Leo DiCaprio won Best Actor (Drama) -- I was rooting for both him and Johnny Depp, and hey, either way is pretty good. Happy for Leo, though, because this is a fairly large award and he doesn't get a lot of those.

Johnny Depp looked like he was having difficulty separating himself from his character, Willy Wonka, in his new movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and dressed accordingly. Gotta love him for that. :)

("What comes into mind at the moment is, like, Mae West, although I probably wouldn't do it, you know. I'm a little too old for that role now. Maybe Carol Channing." - Johnny Depp, when asked if there's any role he's itching to play.)

And just to add to the actors-I-like-all-being-in-the-same-place-at-the-same-time glee, Orlando Bloom introduced the clip for The Aviator. I think everyone should speak with an accent like that. At least for a little while...

It's too bad Eternal Sunshine didn't win anything -- I thought it was a very original movie and based on an intriguing concept. Sunshine lost both Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy) and Best Screenplay to Sideways. Has anyone seen Sideways, or at least know what it's even about? I haven't the foggiest. Maybe it really is just that good.

In TVLand, the Desperate Housewives got some recognition, which is good, and Lost didn't win for Best TV Series (Drama), but then it probably shouldn't have won, anyway. I love the show but it just doesn't seem to hold the same amount of -- clout? --- weight? -- as the other nominated shows. Being biased, however, I would of course vote for Lost any day, if my vote were to actually count for something. :)

Getting back to that whole people-I-like-being-all-together vein, I love that aspect of award shows: it's a total mesh of several of my fandoms all at once. It's great. We've got Johnny Depp, and Leo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet (3 actors who have all worked with each other at some point, no less), we've got Orlando Bloom introducing The Aviator and Claire Danes presenting an award, and we've even got at least one representative from Lost on hand (Evangeline Lilly), though Dom Monaghan wasn't around because he's at the One Ring Celebration ("ORC") in Pasadena all weekend.

Um, anyway, I think that's enough inane babble for one night; don't you?
Ciao for now. :)

ETA: Oop, nope, I was wrong - Dom Monaghan WAS there, if WireImage is to be trusted. Guess ORC finished already this weekend.

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Apparently I don't think I've gone on and on (and on) long enough today, and so you're all gonna be subjected to a bit more... Sorry. :)

(Mostly) Very Small Arrivals Photos

(Note: all of the itty bitty ones come from WireImage.com.)

Orlando Bloom

 

Cate Blanchett
  

Claire Danes
 

Johnny Depp
    

Leonardo DiCaprio
 

Lost (scroll over for names)
    

Miscellaneous (scroll over for names)
     

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One Ring Celebration

Check out the WireImage photos here:
Day 1 (Jan. 14): here and here
Day 2 (Jan. 15): here

Movie quotes, anyone?

Stole this from cleolinda's LJ.

Instructions:
- Pick one dozen movies that are ones that you have special feelings about.
- Pick a few lines of dialogue that mean something to you.
- As people guess the film, strike out that entry.
- If possible, after the film is guessed, explain why that movie made the list.

(Note: I've made my list a baker's dozen...just because. I have decision-making problems, okay? :) Enjoy!)

1. "It's a shame about raisins." From Benny & Joon

2. "I just feel like everyone tries to do something different, but they always wind up doing the same damn thing." From The Beach

3. "When they ask me what I liked best, I'll say it was you."
From City of Angels, guessed by Suzy Q (and I'm totally copying her by including this info here)

4. "I'm not going to tell the story the way it happened; I'm going to tell it the way I remember it."
From Great Expectations, guessed by Tiffany

5. "Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed."
From Troy, guessed by Suzy Q

6. "You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back."
From Gattaca, guessed by Suzy Q

7. "I know what I must do. It's just...I'm afraid to do it."
From The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, guessed by Suzy Q

8. "I feel like if someone where to touch me, I'd dissolve into molecules."
From Before Sunset, guessed by Happiest Girl

9. "Things are a little better these days; I finally swallowed that chicken bone, Judy and I are gonna be in the same home room and the Republican Party just re-nominated Mr. Nixon." From My Girl

10. "I want to be a good person." From What's Eating Gilbert Grape

11. "You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?"
From The Princess Bride, guessed by Suzy Q

12. "In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness. It was waiting...waiting to be filled up...waiting for someone to love it...waiting for a leader."
From Whale Rider, guessed by Happiest Girl

13. "Before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. I don't think it would be snowing now if he weren't still up there. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it."
From Edward Scissorhands, guessed by Happiest Girl

ETA: Good work, guys. :) Only a few left...

ETA: Okay, well I've given the titles that the last 4 quotes are from, in case anyone wanted to know. You guys have got to watch these movies! :)

Have such a headache right now. Burned (burnt?) a Shania Twain compilation for my father but it turns out it had a glitch or two so I have to redo it. This time I'm making sure all the songs are glitch-free before burning them (at least this way I'll know it was the program I used, and not necessarily the files themselves. Considering I got the songs from the original albums, they should have been fine, anyway. Chances are it's the burning software this computer came with. :P) At any rate, this means I have to go through and listen to all of the songs, and... while I once liked Shania's music enough to actually attend one of her concerts, my father likes her now and as a result I hear her stuff on a frequent basis, and let's just say one can get sick of hearing the same CD play over and over again on the car stereo (he hates the radio). Urrrg. The car he has now includes a 6-CD changer, currently filled with 6 CDs that I'm fairly certain each contain at least one Shania song.

Don't get me wrong; say what you want about her music, but she does occasionally come out with something catchy (for at least a few minutes, at any rate), and I don't mind hearing songs of hers that I haven't heard in a while. The newer, overly played stuff, though.....get that the bloody hell away from me.

Head. Hursts. I mean "hursts"...ACK! "hurts"! Can't type any more.

Anyway, sorry for the whiny, whinge-y nature of this post but... *whinewhinge* It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to. :)

Have you ever read a whole book and enjoyed it but then didn't understand the very last sentence of the whole thing?

That's what's happened with How To Be Good. Not a complicated book at all, and not difficult to understand, and, of course, I understand all the words in the last sentence, but I just can't figure what it's supposed to mean in the context of the story. Now THAT's a little frustrating. Still like the book, though.

Anyway, this would be a post-for-the-sake-of-posting-something post, so I apologize if anyone is now thoroughly bored of me. :) Ta!