Watchmen Widget and obsession/geekdom thanks to Comic-Con 2008

In precisely 200 days, Watchmen will be out in theaters. I cannot wait, and here is the widget to count down the days. ;D



I went to the San Diego Comic-Con about three weeks ago. Ever since July 25, I have been obsessing over Watchmen because of the awesomeness of the panel that day. I love the whole cast Zack Snyder chose, and I can't wait to see what they bring to the movie. The actors were fun on the panel thanks to Billy Crudup joking around most of the time. Then of course, the highlight was the amazing footage Zack showed to us. It was incredible, and I can only wish it will be released on the DVD or something because it was a very cool montage with the haunting music of Philip Glass. Another highlight of that day was getting to wave to Billy Crudup and Patrick Wilson. :P I'm also obsessed with Billy now, thanks to this. @_@

The rest of the Comic-Con was nothing compared to the Watchmen day. However, I did get to go to the Supernatural signing and got Jensen Ackles' autograph. That was cool. I think the excitement of the Watchmen goodness surpasses everything else that happened at Comic-Con, though. I just can't stop thinking about that day. I am currently reading the graphic novel. I am almost done, and it is great so far!

OMGosh, I can't wait for 03-06-09!!! (Except I'll probably have to wait another two weeks until after my finals before I can see it.. x_x)

Movies and a talented actor everybody loves

Hello there. Sorry I haven't updated for a long time, especially with movie reviews!

This weekend I saw two completely different movies: No Country For Old Men and Penelope. Warning, may contain minor spoilers.

No Country For Old Men is an intense movie. It is scary, suspenseful, and creepy. Javier Bardem is terrifying as Anton, the psychopathic killer. Some parts are funny with the naive sheriff. All the parts with Anton are frightening and suspenseful, and everyone is no match for him with his devastating weapons. The first part of the movie is pretty straightforward with a cat and mouse chase, but with a lingering mystery as to who Anton is and what he wants. Towards the end, everything amounts to nothing. All the effort made in the beginning is ineffective. As the title of the movie says, there is no room for the old ways of men: greed, murder, etc.. I got confused at the very last scene because I didn't catch everything that Tommy Lee Jones's character said, so I'll have to watch this movie again to truly understand everything that happened in the movie. The atmosphere of the movie and the way it was shot, added to the ominous feel of the whole story. All in all, I think it deserved its Best Picture, but I haven't seen any of the other nominees besides Atonement.

Trailer for No Country For Old Men



Penelope is a cute fairy tale that young girls will enjoy. If you love James McAvoy like I do, you'll adore him in this movie. His character, Max, is wonderful. James can carry a movie so well. Whenever he came on, the movie became even more surreal. Christina Ricci also does a great job as Penelope, and I found her pretty cute with the pig nose. I enjoyed this film so much. It is definitely a feel-good movie that's guaranteed to make you happier. I was smirking during the movie, especially whenever James was on the screen. His American accent is flawless too. Any slips are definitely not obvious because his American accent sounds natural. No offense to Ewan McGregor (whom I also love), but James's American accent sounds a lot more natural than Ewan's forced accent. At times, the movie can get cheesy, but that's what makes it fun! There are quite a few faces that I was surprised to see, including some famous British actors like the one who played Owen from Torchwood. The soundtrack is nice too! I found this film very enjoyable because of James's lovable performance. If you're looking for a fun and adorable movie, go watch this one!

Trailer for Penelope



Yes, everybody loves James McAvoy. I absolutely adore him. He first made himself known to me as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and I found him cute in that. However, it wasn't until several months ago that I saw him in The Last King Of Scotland. After I saw him in that movie, I started to become fascinated with this talented Scot. Then I watched the trailer for Atonement. I was so excited by it that I became obsessed with James in anticipation of the movie. I already loved him before Atonement, but he was just wonderful in that movie. He didn't get nominated for an Oscar for his role as Robbie Turner, but that was one hell of a performance. Now, after seeing him in many of his other movies and watching interviews of him, he is currently my favorite actor out there. He is so talented and he is only 28! His acting ability and range are amazing. He has revived my love for film. During most of 2007, I was only into music. Then I saw James and his movies towards the end of the year, and now I am truly a movie geek again.

Talented, cute, nice, funny, SCOTTISH, and he has gorgeous blue eyes..


One of the best interviews with James

TRAVIS @ THE WILTERN - 11/21/07 + @ HOUSE OF BLUES - 11/24/07

Eek! It's already been almost a week since all that excitement?! OMG, Travis are one of the best live bands around!!! The three times I have seen them this year have made up the happiest moments of my life. Going to a Travis gig will definitely turn a gloomy day into a sunny and warm one. With their lovely tunes and generosity to fans, it's hard not to love this Scottish band.

Opening for Travis was Maximo Park. I had only heard a few of their songs before, but didn't think much of them. However, singer and frontman Paul Smith gave an impressive performance! He sings and dances with fervor and energy. It's hard to take your eyes off him while he's on stage. They were excellent, and I liked some of the songs they performed that I hadn't heard before.

Travis came on stage in the most creative way. XD It started out with the 20th Century Fox theme and some guys on stage shined the spotlights into the audience. Then Fran, Dougie, Andy, Neil, and Klaus ran through the audience in boxing robes while the Rocky theme song was playing. Haha, amazing!!! Soon after getting on the stage, they started out with "Selfish Jean". Loved it!!

They played fewer of their new songs compared to the Henry Fonda show in April, but they played a lot of old favorites including more from 12 Memories. It was wonderful to hear "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song" too. ♥ Fran did another unplugged solo, but sang "20" instead of "Flowers In The Window". That was magical and when they performed "Flowers In The Window" together, it was so adorable! They were all performing together like a close family. :D Seeing them interact with each other and connecting with the audience puts a huge smile on my face. :) I made a "Be My Baby" sign because I love their cover of it, and Dougie saw it. He mouthed "aww" and smiled. ^_^ Dougie totally makes the night magical by connecting with the audience like that. :D I've never sang or screamed as much as at a Travis gig! XD I sang along to almost every song and my voice hurt afterwards. :P

At the House of Blues show in Anaheim, they played four extra songs for their encore! These extras included "Battleships"♥, "Hit Me Baby One More Time", "Three Times And You Lose", and "Blue Flashing Light". Awesome!!! They performed song after song almost non-stop without very many breathers! O_O I stood right in front of Fran nearer to Andy this time. For Fran's solo, he stood right over me! *g* It was adorable to see Andy smile at the audience singing along too. X) Wow, I had such a blast at both shows. I am so glad I went to both!!!

I just met them after the first show, but it was fantastic as usual. They are so incredibly nice, and I am grateful for their kindness. I gave another drawing to Fran, and he remembered the one I gave to him last time and he said he still has it in his home. O___O OMG, I love them so much! I show my love and appreciation for them, and it's so pleasant to get that in return from the band you love. ^_^ Dougie was smashing again, almost squeezing me to death with bear hugs. :P Andy winked at me!!! *DIES* There were too many people when Neil came out since he came out early. x_x I also met Paul and took a picture with him. He is so cute and nice as well! Sigh, it is always worth it to wait for them, no matter how long it takes. They make me so happy. ♥!!!

A few of my pictures from The Wiltern show:
Marquee

Maximo Park

Nice lighting

Awww, Closer! :D

Flowers In The Window ^_^

Please no stealing these!! Thanks! :]

Some videos from The Wiltern show!!! Thanks to okeastron for uploading these fantastic videos!!
Maximo Park

Entrance + Selfish Jean

The Beautiful Occupation

Sing

20

Flowers In The Window

Why Does It Always Rain On Me?


Stupid House of Blues didn't allow cameras, so no pictures or videos from there.. ><

Seeing Travis live has been magical!!! ♥!!!

Play: King Lear @ UCLA Royce Hall - October 19, 2007

Sir Ian McKellen as King Lear & Sylvester McCoy as Lear's Fool

After finding out about this great line up of plays running at UCLA, how could I NOT go to this one??? I'm so glad I saw Black Watch, and I wish I could see it again, but why not see another top-notch play?

Yes, I mostly wanted to see this to see Sir Ian McKellen perform live on stage.. but who wouldn't? This was the first professional Shakespearean play I've seen, and I've probably started out with the best! The Royal Shakespeare Company has come to LA for I think their last stop of their world tour.

Since I was up in the balcony towards the back, it was hard for me to understand a lot of the things the actors said in the play. At first I didn't know what was going on because of this. I admittedly never read this particular play. However, I moved to some empty seats where I could see and hear much better. It was surreal to see the legendary actor perform live. It was also a surprise to see Sylvester McCoy in the role of the clown. I was like, "Is that the seventh Doctor?!?" :P

The whole cast was so good. The set was beautiful, and the production was of very high quality. It's amazing how these actors can remember their long monologues and act their butts off. It's also pretty amazing that they can project their voices without any microphones in a big theater after they're out of breath after a sword fight or something. Quality performances as I should have expected from the RSC.

Sir Ian was awesome. I enjoyed his performance along with the whole cast. It was funny to see some audience members jump up and raise their hands in front of their faces in shock when King Lear pulls down his trousers. I saw the sign outside of the theater that said there was brief nudity, so I was expecting it. I don't want to show off and say I'm more mature.. but I just did. XP

Anyway, it was special to see some famous actors such as Sir Ian, Sylvester McCoy, and William Gaunt performing live. After the show, I walked past Jamie Lee Curtis and Warren Beatty as everyone was leaving the theater too. ;D

-Photo by Manuel Harlan

Play: Black Watch @ UCLA Freud Playhouse - October 12 & 14, 2007

I found out about this play at the last minute. I'm so glad I caught it before its last weekend here in LA. I'm glad I'm at UCLA. :P

Black Watch is a Scottish play brought to life by the National Theatre of Scotland. Their run in LA was the first stop on tour outside of Scotland! Now they are headed off to New York. If you can catch them, go watch this play!

Just the fact that it is a Scottish play was enough to make me want to see it. I also heard it was an excellent play. I didn't really know what it's about other than that it's about Scottish soldiers in Iraq.

I hadn't a clue what to expect of this play. I was in for a thrill ride with its stylistic production and setup. It is technically as well as artistically brilliant. I enjoyed all the effects and the music. The singing and dance choreography were my favorite parts.

All of the actors are marvelous and Paul Rattray, who portrays Cammy, is likable with his modest/humble demeanor. He also reminded me of Pippin from Lord of the Rings. XD Everyone in the cast gave a strong performance. They had to have a lot of stamina for such a physical performance with fights like dances. This was amazingly theatrical. The part about the history of the regiment was one of my favorites in the play. Cammy changes clothes through the times, and it flows so smoothly from one war/era to the next.

It is a riveting, dramatic, and beautiful play despite the gritty content. It is a powerful piece of entertainment that grabs you and shakes you to the core, making you feel a connection to these soldiers and their humanity.

I met a few of the actors after the show. They are quite nice and as awesome as you can expect Scots to be (like Travis). ;D I was all shy and embarrassed around them, but I'm glad that I did get to meet them. Even though it was very brief, it was still cool to talk with some Scottish actors. ^_^

I loved this play so much after I saw it the first time that I saw it again only two days later for their last show. I just wanted to see it one last time before they left. I wish I could see it again somehow, or at least listen to that radio play that aired over the summer.. Anyone know how I could listen to it now, or watch the television broadcast of the play? XP

I highly recommend this play for its entertainment and artistic value!

*****/*****

-Photo by Manuel Harlan

Watch the trailer for the play!

MICHAEL BUBLE @ MGM GRAND ARENA - JULY 14, 2007

How sexy is he?!

Sorry I've been a bit lazy with my blog posts.. ^^;

This was my first time seeing Michael Buble live, and I've been waiting for over a year to see him in concert! I was so excited to finally be able to! The only bad thing was the venue.. The security once again restricted video recording even though I was all the way in the back on the floor.

Despite one of the worse views I've ever had at a concert, Michael Buble was stunning! He put on an excellent show, and he is even better live than on his CDs! He performed all the old favorites along with the new stuff. I was enthralled for every single song, even for the songs I didn't listen to all the time from his CDs. He's THAT good live! O_O

There were a lot of breaks in the middle while Michael let his big band shine in the spotlight for a while. Michael was funny in between songs and even put up an act with his band. It was hilarious and we got to see Michael on the trombone! XD There was another bit with Michael being "manly" and singing all these "badass" songs. :P I was so surprised and excited when he started singing Mika's "Grace Kelly"!!! XDDD

The show seemed so short as it winded down to "Save The Last Dance For Me" and the finale, "Song For You". He sang the last half of it without the microphone, and it was amazing how strong his voice was! O_O I got to move up closer for the end since some people left before the encore. The security forced us to go back to our seats, but a nice one led us to some empty seats near the middle/front.

After the show, I got a "setlist" but it was actually a schedule for the whole day. :P I waited a long time around the lobby in hopes of getting to meet Michael somehow. I ended up finding the tour buses and waited with some other fans for Michael to come out. In less than two hours, he was out with his baseball cap and Sharpie ready. Accompanying him was his gigantic body guard. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I drew a small doodle for him while I waited for him. It was crap, so I was nervous about giving it to him, but Michael was really nice and even excited to be getting anything. ^^ After signing my "setlist" and saying gracious things about my drawing, he asked me if I was Japanese. I said I was Chinese. Then he said, "I think I can count to ten in Chinese. Is it Mandarin?" I said, "Yeah?" Then he started counting in Cantonese! XD My mom was like, "That's Cantonese! But it's okay because that's what we are." :P Oh gosh, Michael is so funny and nice!! XD I was so surprised that he made my encounter with him a little bit longer with that cute little conversation!! ^.^

THAT definitely made my night!! :D

Here are some not so great pictures since I was so far away.. ^^;

First, here's the poster advertising the concert!





Someone lucky to be in the front took this! The only video you gotta see! ;D

MIKA @ THE AVALON - JUNE 8, 2007

Seeing Mika live is probably one of the most fun and exhilarating concert experiences you can ever go to!!! My gosh, he's good!

I had already seen him before at the Troubadour, but this one was on a much bigger scale. I was still surprised this time around. *g* He sang more songs, including two covers of The Eurythmics and The Jackson 5. I loved that he sang Any Other World and Happy Ending too, since he didn't at the Troubadour. Lollipops were given to the audience before the show started by lollipop girls..

Mika is an amazing performer, always jumping around on stage and interacting with his band. They are all so cute as they look like they're having so much fun together. :D Love Today was one of the highlights of the show. A garbage can was brought out and Mika had an awesome drum solo with it at the end. OMG, before that, he climbed onto the drummer's drum set and played some of her drums first. Then he proceeded to dance on the kick drum. Then he jumped off! Then HE TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT! Then he bashed at the garbage can with his drum sticks. I had a nice view of his butt, and everyone was screaming like crazy, including me. XD OMG, what an awesome sight. *g*

Next was Grace Kelly and unfortunately Mika put on another shirt. :P Then they all ran off the stage to get ready for the grand finale. They all marched out in animal costumes again! :D All but Cherisse (the drummer) were in different animal suits than the Troubadour gig. The drummer was a bunny again, the guitarist was a deer, the bassist was a panther, the pianist was a koala, and Mika was a chicken! XD Then Lollipop!! :D Bubbles were projected into the audience from a bubble machine, giant balloons fell and bounced on the audience, and confetti blasted out of tubes in front of me! Big girls and lollipop girls came out to dance on stage with the band too. WHEEE!! SO FUN!!! XD

I was SO LUCKY to have been able to meet Mika again this time. It was so easy to meet him last time because the security was lax about it and Mika just came down in front of the stage. This time the security forced everyone without a backstage pass out. I WAS SO LUCKY to have gotten one.. out of pure LUCK! I gave him a drawing I drew while I waited in line and a quick/messy letter I wrote right before I met him. He was so nice again, but this time he seemed more tired. :( I felt bad because he seemed EXHAUSTED. So I felt even more blessed to have met him. Aww, I love Mika! ♥

OMG, I SO have to go whenever he comes back!! X) Sorry if this review doesn't seem like I was that excited.. I've been busy with graduation and have been dead tired from all the craziness over the past two weeks. This concert was one of the most FUN experiences I've ever had, right up there with my first Keane concert!! O_O

Here are just a few pictures I took. I couldn't get very many good shots because most of them came out blurry! Mika moves too quickly for my camera. :P

Big Girl You Are Beautiful!


On the piano :D


Mika's sexy dance moves ;)


LOLLIPOP


And some videos from YouTube... Credit goes to the original uploader (okeastron) of these FANTASTIC videos as usual!

Relax (Take It Easy)

Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)

I Want You Back

Any Other World

Sweet Dreams

Love Today

Grace Kelly

Lollipop


Hope you enjoyed!! :D