Books and Movies and Things.

- I received my invitation to join Pottermore a couple days ago. Believe me when I say that it is everything a Harry Potter fan could ask for. They took such great care when they created this site. It is exquisitely detailed and bursting with so much new content and information that it is a Potter fanatic's (me) dream. You start your journey with Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. As you go through each chapter, you discover new content and backstories (like how Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia met and fell in love) and you can collect items to put into your trunk. When Harry meets Hagrid and takes him shopping in Diagon Alley, you get to go shopping as well, but not before you visit Gringott's and stock up on some Galleons. You get to go to Ollivander's and purchase a wand (the core of mine is a Pheonix Feather, which is extremely rare) and once you arrive at Hogwarts, you are sorted into one of the houses (I am in Ravenclaw). You can earn house points by collecting Galleons and books as you go through the chapters, as well as by concocting potions correctly and challenging your friends to duels. Simply put: it's brilliant. Check it out... but only if you have a few hours to spare. It's insanely addicting and very time consuming... and I am perfectly fine with that. Oh, my screenname for the site is MagicWing21495 . Look me up and add me and we shall duel and fight the Dark Lord together!

Speaking of J.K. Rowling and her brilliance... I'm sure you have all heard that she has a new book coming out, The Casual Vacancy (geared toward adults), set to be released on September 27, 2012. She is also currently working on a Harry Potter encyclopedia. I imagine it will hold some of the new content found on Pottermore plus other stuff as well. All the proceeds from this book will be donated to charity. You know I'll let you know when I find out the release date for it!

- Jeff and I finally watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo over the weekend. I liked it better than the Swedish version, if only because they seemed to pay close attention to the details of the book. I love when that happens. Even though they changed the ending a bit, I was OK with it... which is weird (I know) but it didn't ruin the story in any way, it just kind of simplified it, so I am alright with that. Daniel Craig did a great job as Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara kicked ass as Lisbeth Salander. As I have said before, the books are real hard to get through but the story is worth it in the end. The movie does a good job of taking the most important bits of the book and putting them front and center, while weeding out the mundane stuff like shopping lists and what they put on their toast (I'm not kidding when I tell you that there are pages and pages of shopping lists in the book).  Anyway, if you are interested or are a fan of the books, check the movie out. It's good.

- We also watched The Muppets with C (finally). I loved it. I loved seeing all the nods to the original show and the previous hosts. Jason Segel did a fantastic job with the storyline and the songs were wonderful. This part made me get all sorts of choked up:


- While at the library a couple weeks ago (Sidenote: I love the library so much. You should visit your local library ASAP. They have so much more than just books that you can check out. You can get DVD's and CD's as well. For free. Free! Libraries are awesome.) I stumbled upon a book by Katie Fforde. I had never heard of her before, but the name of her book Love Letters caught my eye. It was after I had read Lucky by Alice Sebold and was desperate for a happy story. After reading the summary (to make sure it wasn't a sad book disguised as a happy book) I was sold. It's about a 26yr old girl named Laura, who is in charge of running a Literary Festival in England. She is tasked with the job of going to Ireland to track down her favorite author, Dermot Flynn, to convince him to headline the festival. I know it doesn't sound like much, but give me a book about a girl who loves books and an Irish boy and I am hopelessly hooked. I love this book. Absolutely loved it. I am now going to try to work my way through Katie Fforde's other books. That should keep me busy for a little while at least.

- Speaking of books... Laurel Park Place's Bookstock begins this Sunday, April 22nd and runs through April 29th. My sister and I are really, really, really excited for it. We have been looking forward to it since last years ended. It is one great big, giant, used book sale. Compared to other used book sales, the books are kind of on the high end ($4 for a hardcover) but the selection is huge and it is so much fun to walk through a mall and see tables upon tables of books. Books, books everywhere! Check it out!

- Jeff and I are kind of over Bones at the moment. The last couple of episodes have gone beyond my tolerance for television believability (if that makes any sense). Normally my tolerance level is pretty high. I can buy a polar bear on a tropical island, no problem, but there is just something off about seeing a "genius" 9 month pregnant woman, running through a dining hall full of fighting prisoners (not to mention giving birth in a stable with no medical help whatsoever and going straight home afterwards)  that makes me put my hand up and say NO.

- I won't go on and on about Matt Bomer's guest appearance on Glee anymore (it was magnificent) because I gushed about it enough (it was SO good) when it aired last week, but if you enjoyed him on there or at least enjoyed looking at him, I encourage you to check out the first 3 seasons of White Collar. Season 4 doesn't start up until July 10th, so you have plenty of time to get caught up before then. I promise, it's a great show. You won't be disappointed.

- I don't care that Brad and Angelina got engaged. Do. Not. Care.

- I cannot stand/detest/loathe/am repulsed by Jaleel White. I look forward to his elimination on Dancing With the Stars. He makes me cringe.

- Oh! and Jessica Simpson IS STILL PREGNANT!

A Project Of Sorts.

Happy Opening Day, Detroit Tigers fans!!!

While most of you are out celebrating Spring and the beginning of the baseball season, as well as the awesomeness that is Justin Verlander, I am stuck here, at my desk, trying to keep myself entertained by perusing the internets and listening to the game via my handheld am/fm radio.

Now, on a normal day, Dawn and I will spend the hours messaging each other back and forth via google chat, trying to make one another laugh, sharing internet links with each other, or just listening to one another vent. It helps make the day go by fast and I look forward to it daily. On the days when she is off (I.E. TODAY), I am quite bored. So, anticipating my boredom, Dawn gave me a list of things to do while she is off having fun and I am sitting here, staring at my computer screen. The following is the list she made me and documentation of how I completed each task.

1. Take a blank piece of paper and ensure all of your pens, highlighters and markers work at your desk.

 

Done. I even threw away 3 pens that no longer work!

2. Read about something you never thought you would want to read about. 

This is what I chose to read about -------> Toilet Story

3. Fall asleep from reading that boring subject.

I didn't fall asleep but I did laugh. I mean, it's a story in the newspaper about fancy toilets. FANCY TOILETS! 

4. Start your fanfiction hobby that you secretly can't wait to start.

She's joking and being sarcastic of course, because she knows how much I detest fanfiction (come up with your OWN story, people! Don't piggyback off of someone else's good idea). Anyway, I didn't write my own but I did do a search for some Hunger Games fanfiction and found this ---------> Cheesy Fanfiction . I read some of the stories and then I wished that I hadn't because, no, just stop it.

5. Write a new blog post.

DONE. You're readin' it. Boom!

6.  Go to theberry.com or thechive.com and check out their very first post and go forward. 

This is a wonderfully, fantastic time waster and while I have not yet finished going through all of these posts, I did find this one --------> 10 Reasons to Date a Unicorn.

7. Facebook stalk people you wouldn't normally stalk.

Listen, I Facebook stalk people all the live long day. This task was done before 9am... Oh, don't judge me! You know you all do it too. 

8. Clean your desk.

I cleaned it with that blue, fuzzy thing right there. My space is now dust FREE.

9. Start your own fantasy baseball league.

I did not start my own league as I don't feel I am qualified enough to do so, I am, however, listening to the game on my above mentioned handheld am/fm radio and eating some Cracker Jacks, so it's almost as if I am really at the game!

10. Clean out your emails.

I had 121 spam emails. Almost all of them were trying to get me to buy Viagra or Cialis. They have all been deleted forever. Hooray, no spam here!

11. Document yourself doing this list. 

I have no pictures of myself actually doing each task because I am just one person and I was too lazy to have someone take pictures of me. But here is your documentation, nonetheless!

Project: Completed.

Now, some miscellaneous tidbits/musings:

- If you have SOAPnet and you are a Kristen Bell fan, you should tune in to the network on April 15th, from 8am to 7pm. They will be showing an all day marathon of Veronica Mars to kickstart their weekday showings of it at 5pm and 6pm. The show originally aired from 2004-2007 and was about a teenager named (duh) Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) who was a detective in her spare time. She solved crimes big and small with her witty personality and never give up attitude. Enrico Colantoni played her father (whom I adored) and over the course of its run, they had a wide array of guest stars from  Ken Marino to Richard Grieco to Charisma Carpenter. The stories were always clever and kept you guessing and it was a genuinely good show with a short life span. I am ecstatic that they will be showing reruns of it. Fans have been chomping at the bit for a movie to be made and this will have to hold us over until that time comes. For real, people, check it out. It's a great show!

- Season 5 of True Blood starts on June 10th at 9pm.  I can't remember what happened in the finale last year and I have no clue what this season will be about. All I know is Scott Foley is guest starring, as well as Christopher Meloni and I am all for that.

- You all know I watch Dancing With The Stars. This season, I am absolutely in love with Katherine Jenkins. She's so pretty and humble and talented. I look forward to watching her dance every week and needless to say, I am pulling for her and Mark this season.

That's all for now. I am well aware that it is only 2pm and I have a few more hours to kill, but I hope you are all having a great day celebrating baseball. GO TIGERS!

And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.

There is something about loving a book series that makes me so happy. It's a great feeling to get lost in a world unlike your own, whether it be for a few minutes or a few hours and become truly connected to the characters within it. I have such respect for the people who can write genuinely creative, smart, good stories. Suzanne Collins did that with The Hunger Games series. I've written about this series before, so you all know that I was hesitant to read it at first but then absolutely fell in love with the books as soon as I began reading them. It should come as no surprise then, that I was very, very excited for the movie to come out.

Here is your SPOILER ALERT. Please, please believe me when I tell you this is a wonderful story and if you have any urge whatsoever to read the books, then stop reading my blog right now. This is truly a story where you do not want to be spoiled. You want to experience everything for yourself with fresh eyes and not go into it knowing everything that is going to happen. Trust me.

So again... SPOILER ALERT.

Ok, if you are still with me and you don't plan on reading the books, the movie (The Hunger Games) is based on the book of the same name. It takes place in a post apocalyptic future, where the world (Panem) is divided into 12 districts and The Capitol (which is where the President resides). As a way of reminding the world of the rebellion which caused the apocalypse in the first place (and a warning not to start another one), one boy and one girl (ages 12-18 and known as Tributes) from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, which is a televised fight-to-the-death battle that takes place in an arena for all the world to see. The names are chosen at random and when 16 year old Katniss Everdeen's 12 year old sister is chosen, she volunteers to take her place. The movie shows what she goes through to prepare for the games, how she endures the games and how she unknowingly starts a rebellion. That's a real short and quick description for you.

I went to see the movie with my 13 year old niece, Emily and my two brothers, Dennis and Jay. All of us have read the book and love it. The theater was pretty full but not overwhelmingly so and that was nice. To say Emily and I were excited would be an understatement. We drank our 12oz, $3.75 (absurd!) slushes while impatiently sitting through the previews (though I was very happy we got to see a teaser for Breaking Dawn Part 2 and a teaser for The Host) and when the movie started we were riveted. District 12 looked exactly how I pictured it in my mind. They completely captured the poor, run-down, starving feel of it and Jennifer Lawrence is so perfect as Katniss. She looked the part and played her so, so spot-on. I was really impressed with her.

Let me give you a list of my favorite things about the movie:

- The behind the scenes stuff with Seneca Crane. I absolutely loved being able to see how they operated things for the games. You don't get any of that when you read the book. I found it absolutely fascinating.

- When Peeta touches Katniss's braid as they are about to eat the Nightlock Berries. It was sweet and it was simple and it stuck with me.

- Caesar Flickerman played by Stanley Tucci. This character in the book just seemed like a silly fella to me. I didn't like him, I didn't dislike him, he was just part of the story. Stanley Tucci brought such life to him that I beamed every time he was on screen. He was so entertaining. I thought he was phenomenal.

- Elizabeth Banks as Effie. She "got" the nature of the character. Her ridiculousness and her "Capitol-ness" were played flawlessly and exactly how I pictured it in my mind.

- The flower bed that Katniss made for Rue. The whole scene was done exquisitely. Emily and I cried and cried during that entire part. So much so, that she had to ask me for more napkins, haha.

- I loved that the Tracker Jackers looked normal and not like giant, mutant wasps (which is how I pictured them when I was reading them). I also loved how they explained them to the audience. It was so clever.

- The Reaping scene. I know this book is an emotional roller coaster but I didn't expect to get as emotional as I did watching the movie. The entire Reaping scene was so well done that it had me holding my breath, trying to hold back tears. If I had been at home by myself watching it, I would have been a mess.

- The Capitol was perfect. The colors, the people, the absurdity of how nice it was, it was perfect.

- Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. The girl can act. The girl can shoot a bow. The girl is kickass and beautiful to boot!

- The shot of all the Tributes on their platforms as they are counting down. It gave me goosebumps.

And now, a few minor criticisms:

- No bread from District 11 for Katniss. Yeah, they showed them uprising (which I thought was brilliant) but I thought that was such a sweet moment in the book. It would have been nice to see.

- I wanted more of the Cave Scene. That is such a big part of the book and truly where Peeta and Katniss's relationship blossoms. We got a tiny portion of it in the movie but I wanted more. I wanted the flirting and the lamb stew with dried plumbs and her tricking him into drinking the sweet syrup, so she could get his medicine from the feast. It may be silly, but I wanted it all.

- I wanted more Haymitch. I get that there is only so much you can cram into a 2 1/2 hour movie but why wasn't he at the Reaping?

As with any book to screen adaptation you lose some of the magic of the story. Jeff hasn't read the books, he has just listened to me prattle on about them for months so I was excited for him to see the movie. We went to see it last night. He said it was okay but he felt like it was missing something. I had to explain some things to him because I knew the background information from the book but overall he said it wasn't bad. I really loved it and was so happy with it. I think It captured the emotion and the heart of the book and you can't go wrong with that. Yes, it's a story about children killing children for entertainment and adults cheering them on but underneath all that, is a story of hope. It's a story about being able to stand up for what's right in a horrific situation and it's a story about courage... With a little bit of a love story thrown in.

Now that the spark is set, on to Catching Fire!

Thoughts & Things & Such.

Just some stuff that has been floating around my head the last few weeks:

- One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Scrubs (2001-2010). It was a half hour medical comedy with a little bit of drama thrown in, created by Bill Lawrence and starred Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes and Neil Flynn and it originally aired on NBC (it moved over to ABC in it's 8th season). The show focused on all the employees of Sacred Heart Hospital and was usually seen through the eyes and silly daydreams of J.D. (John Dorian) played by Braff.  I loved that show the second it aired. It was silly, it always made me laugh and it was heartwarming. I was constantly trying to get my family and friends hooked on it as well (I wanted everyone to love the show as much as I did) and I am proud to say that I was pretty successful in my campaigning. With as great a show as it was, they still needed the network behind them to help promote it... to get it out there, so people would be aware of it. Instead, NBC tended to move the show all over the schedule and frustrated fans because they never really knew what night the episodes were airing. Sometimes it was taken off the air for a few months at a time and people thought that it had been canceled all together. Thankfully, once it moved to ABC, they were able to end their run in a very, very satisfactory way. I still watch reruns of it and reminisce about it.

Why am I going on and on about a show that has been off the air for a long time now? Because Bill Lawrence created it. He also created Cougar Town (ABC Tuesdays at 8:30pm). It's a show starring Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Phillips, Ian Gomez, Dan Byrd, Brian Van Holt and Josh Hopkins. It's about friendship, family and drinking wine. It's not a show about Cougars, the animal or Cougars, the mascot or Cougars, the slang term for older women going after young dudes. It's a funny show with good storylines and good actors. I'll admit that I haven't watched the show as obsessively as I watched Scrubs. I would try to catch an episode here or there if I remembered and that was that. Until I saw the determination of Bill Lawrence to keep the show on the air. If you aren't following him on Twitter (@VDOOZER), you should be. He connects with his fans, keeps them updated and is always, always taking what his followers say into consideration. He's a talented dude with real passion for his show(s) and his fans and I love that. I respect him so much for it that I started a series recording for Cougartown on my DVR because of it. I am asking you, my friends to check it out as well. Especially if you are a Scrubs fan. Sarah Chalke and an array of other guest stars have made and will be making appearances. What else do you have to do on Tuesday nights at 8:30? Help keep a quality show alive!

- A couple weeks ago, Natalie and I went to see One For The Money. It's based on the book by the same name, written by Janet Evanovich and it stars Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum. I was really, really hesitant about KHeigl playing Stephanie. She's not at all who I pictured in my head as the first time bail bonds agent but I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with her performance. They followed the book almost exactly (with a few exceptions, as always) and I was very happy with the film. Jason O' Mara who played Joe Morelli was great but my only complaint is with Ranger (played by Daniel Sunjata). In the book, he's supposed to be quiet, reserved and super mysterious. The Ranger in the movie, was real chatty. Overall though, I enjoyed it and will totally see it again.

- I really love New Girl (FOX Tuesdays, 9pm). I know people are kind of sick of Zooey Deschanel right now but that show is so funny. Those boys; Max Greenfield (Schmidt), Jake Johnson (Nick) and Lamorne Morris (Winston) are incredibly funny and play off of each other so well. I love when they bicker and I love discovering new quirks about each of their characters. That show makes me so happy.

- I feel like Jessica Simpson has been pregnant for 47 years.

- As much as Jeff being unemployed sucks (money-wise, uncertain future etc.) it has been absolutely wonderful having him home every night and especially on the weekends. If anything good has come from him losing his job, it's that... and that the laundry is always, always done.

- Why don't people say goodbye when they end a phone conversation on TV? They just hang up. Does anyone in real life actually do that?

- FYI: Vampire Diaries returns next week, March 15th. I love that show so much. Never have I wanted the bad guys in a show to stick around so much. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) are so wonderful. It's pretty impressive when two guys, other than Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley can keep me so entertained week after week.

-I am in love with the Gotye album, Making Mirrors. I could listen to "Somebody That I Used To Know" on repeat, all the live long day. I. Love. It.

- I tried to make Snickerdoodles the other night and didn't realize until I had everything mixed together that I didn't have enough flour. I baked them anyway (I really, really wanted some Snickerdoodles). They turned out real bad. Sad.

- I watched GCB (ABC Sundays at 10pm) starring Leslie Bibb and Kristen Chenoweth and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I will continue watching.

- I'm looking forward to the new season of Dancing With The Stars. Mostly because of Gavin Degraw but I'm real sad that Lacey Schwimmer won't be on as a regular. I heart her.

- I'm very, very much looking forward to the Hunger Games movie (March 23rd, the day otherwise known as my niece, Emily's 13th Birthday. 13!) and I am absolutely thrilled with the fact that almost my entire family has read or are currently reading the books (and loving them).

-I've been obsessed with watching the 2004 movie version of The Phantom of the Opera, starring Gerard (eat-my-own-face) Butler and Emmy Rossum. I've seen it before and I have also seen the play a couple of times but HBO has been showing this version quite a bit lately and it sucks me in every time I notice that it's on. It completely captivates me. I made C watch the sword fight between The Phantom and Raoul in the cemetery with me and he said: "I like sword fighting! It's cool! Why are these people only singing? Why is nobody talking?" and then he was bored with it and went about his business.

- I tried sushi for the first time a couple weeks ago (thanks, Dawn and Adam!) and it was so delicious. So so good. I couldn't even tell you specifically what I had but it was awesome and they brought it out to us on a giant wooden boat. I want to go again. Soon.

- The last book I finished was Wildwood by Colin Meloy. I should have loved this book. It had magic and animals and fantasy, all things that would make up a book that I would love but it fell flat for me. The story is very clever but the pacing was off and a lot of things seemed very repetitive. I was disappointed with it. I hate when that happens.

- I am currently reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I am very much enjoying it.

- One complaint: If unemployment is so bad right now and all these companies are looking for employees, why don't they call back the people who submit resume's?! It's infuriating and frustrating and makes me want to yell. But I won't. I'll just quietly complain to you guys.

What has been on your mind lately, readers??

Daydream Believer

I have a very vivid memory of being at our old house in Inkster and dancing with my brother, Dennis to The Monkees "Cuddly Toy" in our basement. I think he had on a little top hat and was dancing with a cane, to mimic Davy Jones in the video. I remember laughing and having so much fun at the time and thinking that The Monkees were the greatest thing ever.



 I bring this up because it's the first thing I thought of when I heard the news that Davy had passed away at the age of 66 from a heart attack. When I say that we loved The Monkees, I truly mean that we LOVED The Monkees. We grew up in a rock and roll household. My parents were always, always playing music and it was a given that you would find Dennis, Jay, Natalie and I dancing our little butts off on a Friday or Saturday night (I'm sure there are videos to prove it!). Inspired by their music, for Christmas, Dennis got a guitar from Santa and I got a keyboard (so I could play like Peter Tork).  I like to think that The Monkees are what planted the seeds in our minds that music is awesome and so much fun.

We adored the television show. From 1986-1988, Nick at Nite played reruns of it and we watched obsessively. The show was silly and corny but we thought it was fantastic. I loved that every episode had their music in it. Whether it was incorporated into the storyline, or just a music video thrown in, I thought it was so much fun. Davy was the one who had stars in his eyes and fell in love in practically every episode, he was the one all the girls swooned over, he was the one who would talk in the middle of a song and profess how much he "loved you girl", he was the baby faced cute one and he was real good at playing the tambourine.

In 1987, my parents took Dennis, Jay and I (Natalie was too little) to our first concert, featuring The Monkees (with special guest, Weird Al Yankovic) at Pine Knob. I remember being amazed at how loud it was and even more astounded by the fact that the guys who I watched on TV obsessively, were down there, in person (albeit, looking a lot older than how I saw them on TV), on stage, singing all the songs that I loved. At the end of the show, my Uncle, raced Dennis down to the stage so he could try to get a high-five from one of the guys. We were ecstatic. The picture over there, is Dennis and I after the concert, wearing our extremely over-sized concert t-shirts. Can you tell we were a little giddy??

Now, we don't listen to The Monkees every day and obviously we have moved on to other bands and different kinds of music throughout the years and our tastes have changed a bit, but The Monkees have always been in the back of my mind as a kind of driving force as to what music means to me. They remind me of really great times as a kid, dancing and singing in my pajama's and friends and family singing "cheer up, Sarah Jean!" to the tune of "Daydream Believer" when I was sad.  They were the first band I loved and every single member, Davy, Mike, Peter and Micky left their mark in my music mind separately and together in one way or another. 

On Tuesday night, I found out that Peter Tork was going to be at the Motor City Comic Convention in May. I was real excited! I immediately sent Dennis a text to let him know. Needless to say, I had planned on going to the comic convention anyway, but knowing that a Monkee was going to be there was like icing on my nerdy cake. The next afternoon we found out the news about Davy. The very next day. So weird. That same afternoon, Dennis sent me a text about his passing and said "so strange that our last two texts were about The Monkees." SO strange. And with that, it brought back a multitude of happy, great memories.

I am honestly surprised (and delighted) by the outpouring of love and affection that critics, bloggers, celebrities and fans have shown for him since the news broke. Not that I don't think he was well respected but I know a lot of people thought The Monkees were just a made for TV gag. Each of the guys tried really hard to prove that they were all talented in their own ways and it makes me happy to see that people do appreciate that. I will continue to honor Davy and the rest of the guys by introducing Charley to their music and to the TV show. I will forever cherish those memories of dancing to Davy's voice and watching all the guys on TV and on stage. So join me and break out those old records and bask in the memories of some FUN music.

I'll leave you with the classic "Daydream Believer" because that is the most popular choice. I love the beginning when he's playing the piano next to Peter:

Grammy's.

I wasn't planning on watching The Grammy's last night. The last few years have left me annoyed, irritated or bored in one way or another, not to mention the fact that there were new episodes of both Once Upon A Time (with Emilie De Ravin!) and The Walking Dead (after a 2 month hiatus) on at the same time. But then we heard the news about Whitney Houston passing away and it felt wrong not to watch. I was curious to see how they paid tribute to her and to see how the music world would react to losing such an icon the night before a big event like this. Turns out, I'm really happy we decided to watch. For the first time in a really long time, Jeff and I thoroughly enjoyed the show (not all of it but most of it).  

Here are my highs and lows for the night (in no particular order):

- LL Cool J impressed me. His opening monologue was genuinely uplifting and he managed to take the sadness over Whitney's passing out of the room by celebrating not only the performer that she was but music in general. He preached it and I bought it. Way to go, LL.

- My favorite performance of the night was ------ > Bruno Mars. There is something about this guys voice that I am absolutely in love with. It's so good and his performance was so enjoyable and energetic and it boomed with FUN. I love that. I also really enjoyed Taylor Swift (I know. What is happening to me??). She sang LIVE, she rocked out on that banjo and she sounded the best I've ever heard her sound. Also, C really loves the song she sang, so there is that as well.

- I wish Mumford and Sons or The Decemberists would have won. That's pure selfishness on my part. I love them both so it would have been nice to see them up on stage.

- I'm not and never have been a Jennifer Hudson fan. I can't explain why, I just don't care for her. I'm not denying that she has talent. She does. I'm just eh about her. With that being said, however, she did a good job with "I Will Always Love you".

- I hate Chris Brown. I hate that he gets honored for lip synching and dancing. I hate that he gets standing ovations for his "performances". I get that it's supposed to be about the music and his "talent" but he's a sorry excuse for a human being and I will never be able to respect anything he does. That's the truth of it.

- It was weird seeing Gaga so quiet but her face-net and pimp cane were lovely.

- Adele won all her categories and was genuinely appreciative. That's pretty fantastic. No matter how sick of those songs I am, I can't deny the fact that her album (21) is phenomenal and she deserves all the praise she gets. Also, I could listen to her talk all day. She's so very British, "Fank you so much!"

- Paul McCartney is so wonderful. I was bummed his first performance was so slow but he's so classy and so elegant and so very Paul. I like that when he sings, he makes you feel like you're the only one he's singing to. His finale was great. I just love his voice so much. It takes me right back to being a kid and hanging out in the basement with my parents on a Friday or Saturday night. Love it.

- The Nicki Minaj performance was a clusterfrick. In the words of Carrie; "She was trying too hard".

- The Glen Campbell tribute was good and it was fun seeing Jeff act like an excited little kid when he sang "Rhinestone Cowboy". I also loved The Band Perry and the oh so handsome Blake Shelton in his suit and vest.

- The Beach Boys reunion was fun but I wish Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) would have been with them up there, singing "Kokomo".

I know they didn't have a lot of time to prepare but I would have liked to have seen a tribute to Whitney (aside from Jennifer Hudson's performance). I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more.  I know she was a mess and I know her death isn't necessarily a surprise to most people but it makes me sad. She was a phenomenal talent that left such a huge impact on the music world. Her passing is a gigantic loss to music lovers everywhere and it's felt even more when you see all those "singers" out there who have the nerve to lip sync there way through their performances and then call themselves talented. They should take a look back at her career and see that she was the epitome of a talented live performer. No gimmicks needed, just an amazing voice.

No Sadness (Why I hate Sad Movies)

Me: Have you ever seen The Fox and The Hound?
Dawn: Oh, you mean one of the saddest Disney movies of all time? Yes, I have.

Last week Jeff took C to the library and let him pick out some DVD's. What did he pick out, you ask? The Lion King and the above mentioned Fox and The Hound. Now, I have never seen The Lion King all the way through. Once I found out that his parents died, I quickly added it to my "Movies I will Never See because They Will Make Me Cry" list.  I know, I know, that movie is one of the best Disney movies ever (or so everyone tells me) but I just can't handle it. The Fox and The Hound scarred me for life. That movie made me cry so hard when I was a kid that I vowed never to watch it again. So, how thrilled was I when I found out my sons choice of movies were at the top of my sad list?? Not so thrilled. He watched The Lion King without me and really enjoyed it. He saved The Fox and The Hound to watch with me. Awesome. I arranged it so that I would be making dinner while he was watching it and I missed most of the sadness. Alas, dinner was ready just in time for the end and as soon as I sat down and saw that the hunter and Copper (the hound) were trying to catch Todd (the fox) I lost my crap all over again just like when I was a kid. No worries (spoiler alert!), Copper eventually ends up saving Todd but I still had to walk away to blow my nose.

Ugh. Kids movies.

Speaking of sad kids movies... Let's go ahead and add An American Tail to my list. You know that one, where a mouse (Fievel) gets separated from his parents and goes in search for them. Sad songs ensue ("Somewhere Out There"), as well as songs about cheese and cats. I don't really remember what else happens because I couldn't get past the part about the mouse missing his Mom and Dad. Now, let's talk about Dumbo... Here's an idea! Let's make a movie about an adorable baby elephant with giant ears who is ridiculed and shunned and then taken away from his mother! No, Disney. Stop it! I don't think I need to mention Bambi, as everyone I know thinks that movie is one of the saddest of all time.

All of this reminds me of that episode of Friends; "The One Where Old Yeller Dies" (because the thought has crossed my mind to do this with Charley). It's the one where Phoebe finds out that her mom never showed her the ending parts of sad movies, so she wouldn't have to endure the sadness.  ------------ > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osRX86BYsVg

Other movies on the "Movies I Will Never See Because They Will Make Me Cry List" are as follows:

• My Girl- If I watch this movie now (which would never happen) I make sure to close my eyes and cover my ears at the dreaded bee attack part as well as the funeral scene. "Where are his glasses?? He can't see without his glasses!"         

Sadness. Ugh.

•  Finding Neverland- This movie had all the makings of a great movie. Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie, Kate Winslet, Freddie Highmore. It's about how J.M. Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan... and then it's about Kate Winslet's character dying and how Freddie Highmore's character has to deal with that. There is a scene where Freddie and Johnny Depp are sitting on a bench talking.  The camera gets in real close on Freddie's face and his huge eyes are brimming with tears. It was at that moment that Jeff turned to me in the movie theatre and pretended to rip his own heart out and stomp on it. That's how sad and emotional it was.    

Sadness.

• The Patriot-  It's that movie where Mel Gibson leads the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a really, really awful British officer (Jason Isaacs A.K.A. Mr. Malfoy) murders his son (Heath Ledger). The whole movie is filled with sadness and there is a part in the middle (when the little girl, who never talks, runs after her dad begging him not to go) that I lost it and started yelling at Jeff; "WHY are you making me watch this awful movie?!" 

SADNESS ABOUND.

There are a few episodes of TV shows that I will never watch again as well. They are:

• The episode of Full House where Uncle Jesse moves out and is saying goodbye to Michelle. Can't handle it.

• Little House On The Prairie. The whole series. I can't watch it. Any of it. You even mention this show to me and I start to tear up. And don't even bring up the Christmas special that they play every year. I remember trying to describe it to my brother one time and I couldn't even finish telling him because I started to cry. 

• "A Whole In The World" (Angel)- I haven't been able to re-watch this. It's so heartbreaking. 

• The last episode of Alias.  Re-watching this would be admitting that the series is definitely over. I wanted to call off work after this episode aired because I was so sad. 

• The last episode of Lost.  I cried for Jack. I cried for Vincent. I cried for the absolute perfection of the last shot and I cried because it was over.

So, this, friends, is why I won't watch sad movies. All those Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult novels being made into movies? I want none of that. None. Of. It.

I prefer my movies to be happy and romantic and maybe a little bit of action thrown in as well. I don't want to watch a movie and cry through the whole thing. That's no fun at all!

What are your saddest movies??