I don't know if I just haven't watched a lot of TV over the past couple of years or if TV really has sucked but recently I've found so many new shows that I like!
Bates Motel (A&E)
This show had its pilot season this Spring and it did very well. The writing and acting are superb and I feel like there are so many places that the storyline could go, I am very excited to see what they come up with in the next season. If you haven't had a chance to check it out you definitely should it was a short 10 episode season so it won't take too long to catch up before season 2!
Graceland (USA)
Yes, another cop drama...but it's not what you think. This show is funny, the writing is witty and they have a good storyline going and the actors are all very good. I know what you're thinking, "She just likes Aaron Tveit.". Yes, I do and that is what originally drew me to this show but the show itself really got me hooked. It is a refreshing new show to watch this summer while everything else is boring and underdeveloped. Watch it Thursdays at 10pm on USA. Only a few episodes have aired so you can still catch up!
Under the Dome (CBS)
Now, I haven't read the novel but it seems like a lot of people who have are very upset about the changes between it and the series. I like the series, Stephen King had a hand in the changes that were made and that should be enough for the complainers. Anyhow, I really like this show so far (there have only been two episodes) I really like the concept and I feel like there are lot of places that the plot could go. This is the first non-reality show on CBS that has been pretty decent in a while. I am excited about it's potential. Check it out Mondays at 10pm on CBS.
These are the only new shows I've checked out so far. I've been told that Nashville was pretty good as well but I will have to wait until the first season is released on DVD to watch it. The only other new show that I checked out was Hannibal, I feel like the show had so much potential but was really lacking compared to it's competition. I stopped watching after a couple of episodes.
If anyone knows of any other new shows that are good let me know! I have been staying in a lot more to save money which means more time for TV!
It's no secret that I want to be an actor. Why? Well, because it's what I love to do.
I've already kicked myself from shying away from it for so long. In high school I did theatre and was on the forensics team (competitive acting team) and it was my intended major in college but I had a horrible teacher in one of my first classes that scared me away from it, so I switched my major and ended up getting a degree in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts with a minor in Cinema Studies.
Since then, I have regretted my decision to stop acting and after a while in the "real" world I have realized that I will never be completely happy doing anything other than acting.
I know the odds of "making it" and while every actor's dream is to make it big and be a star, I know that if I could at least make a living as a working actor (which is really freaking hard to do) I will feel so fulfilled. So that's what I am going to attempt to do.
I have absolutely nothing to lose so, why not?
Anyway, there is this Showtime documentary called "That Guy... Who Was in That Thing." It is a must see for anyone who wants to be an actor. This documentary details the career ups and downs of sixteen working actors. These people are not leading actors but once you see them, you will recognize them as "Oh, it's that one guy!"
These men give it to you straight. How they started, the audition process, the pay scale, how often they are and aren't employed and everything they have gone through to get where they're at now. It is very informative and a little scary for someone like me who wants to do this and is on her way to try and make it happen. But I feel like it is very encouraging, these guys have been through it all and are still happy with their chosen career.
I know it's not going to be easy or glamorous but as I said before, I have nothing to lose and nothing to hold me back.
Even if you don't want to be an actor, I highly recommend this documentary. Here is a link to the IMDB page if you want to check out more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402200/
I watched this for a second time today so it was still fresh in my mind and wanted to share! :)
Well I didn't exactly lie when I said that I would start updating more. I've just been super busy making shotgun changes in my life.
First off, I'm moving to Los Angeles. That change isn't exactly new. I made that decision a few months ago but that did prompt the other recent changes.
My original plan was to move out of my apartment when my lease was up on May 31st and move into a place less expensive to help me save money. Well I started going through mt finances and checking out websites on tips for moving to LA and being the anxiety-ridden worrier that I am, I started to freak out that I wasn't going to be able to save up enough money.
I don't know what my job situation is going to be like when I move out there. My plan is to start looking for a job in about 6 months. Ideally, I would like to be able to keep my current job and work remotely out there, if that is an option. But I'm really not sure so I want to save up as much as possible so if in a year from now I don't have a job lined up yet I want to have enough of a pad in my bank account so that I can actually survive out there until I can get a job of some sort.
That being said, I planned out how much I can save from now until next June with the cheaper apartment and other bills I was going to cut down on and I didn't feel comfortable with the amount I was going to be able to save up.
So naturally I freaked out and called my mom stressing. I then in the heat of the moment asked her if it would be a possibility for me to live with her and my dad so I could save more. My parents agreed as long as it wasn't a permanent move.
I have been living on my own, away from my parents for the past 6 years and living alone without a roommate for about two and a half. Moving home doesn't exactly appeal to me. I love my parents but I feel like it is a step backwards, a Redford curse if you will for people my age to be living at home going nowhere. The only difference is that this is a step for me to go in the right direction, to make it possible for me to personally be happy and get out of this state.
Don't get me wrong, I love Michigan but honestly, there isn't anything here for me. And in order for me to feel personally fulfilled and have a chance at a happy life, I need to do this. Plus it will get rid of my least favorite thing about Michigan...winter!
So I have cancelled the lease on the apartment I was going to move into and since moved into my parent's house. I am paying them a small rent but still saving $545+ per month since I don't have utilities other than my car insurance and cell phone bill.
It will give me a nice cushion for when I make "the big move" in 6-12 months.
Now all I have to stress about is the job situation, the living/roommate situation once I get to LA and building up my resume in the meantime. More to come on all of that.
One of my current goals is to get in excellent shape. I want to have a killer body. In high school I took for granted what I had...a high metabolism. I could eat 7-11 hot dogs and pizza bread and I would still be thin and fit. I didn't work out too much. I danced from age 3 to age 12. I played softball throughout middle school. In high school I was a cheerleader for a very short time but really in junior and senior year I wasn't all too active other than a gym class or two and the dancing I did for the musicals.
Still somehow I ate a ton and still looked great. Then college happened. I had no exercise other than walking to class and sporadic trips to the gym. Yeah that freshman 15 got me. Then I was in a relationship for just shy of four years and got really comfortable and towards the end of that relationship I realized "Holy Hell, I got fat." Now I wasn't "fat" as you would stereotypically categorize someone but for my size and shape and compared to anything I had been in the past, I was fat.
I went through a short time when I decided "I'm going to be a vegetarian!" Yeah I quickly changed my mind. I love meat. I can't go without it and the fake meat stuff is nasty.
As Denis Leary said:
I tried eating vegetarian. I feel like a wimp going into a restaurant. "What do you want to eat sir? Broccoli?" Broccoli's a side dish, folks. Always was, always will be, okay? When they ask me what I want, I say, "What do you think I want!? This is America. I want a bowl of raw red meat right now. Forget about that. Bring me a live cow over to the table. I'll carve off what I want and ride the rest home!"
and he also said:
Because not eating meat is a decision. Eating meat is an instinct! Yeah, and I know what it's about. "I don't want to eat the meat because I love the animals. I love the animals." Hey, I love the animals too. I love my doggy. He's so cute. My fluffy little dog, he's so cute... There's the problem. We only want to save the cute animals, don't we? Yeah. Why don't we just have animal auditions. Line 'em up one by one and interview them individually. "What are you?" "I'm an otter." "And what do you do?" "I swim around on my back and do cute little human things with my hands." "You're free to go." "And what are you?" "I'm a cow." "Get in the fucking truck, okay pal!" "But I'm an animal." "You're a baseball glove! Get on that truck!" "I'm an animal, I have rights!" "Yeah, here's yer fucking cousin, get on the fucking truck, pal!"
God, I love Denis Leary.
Anyway, I can't do the vegetarian/vegan thing. I have boosted my metabolism with the use of green tea pills that is how I initially lost my weight and have worked hard with exercise and portion control to keep it off. I will rarely take the green tea pills now since my body isn't used to the caffeine and freaks out.
I have struggled with my weight for a while. Between 2007 and 2012 it has yo-yo'd quite a bit.
2008 vs 2010:
2009 vs 2012:
I've been doing pretty well at maintaining myself. I am working really hard and I hope it continues to pay off. I want to be the person someone looks at and goes "I want a body like that!" I don't want to be lollipop-head skinny, that isn't attractive. Your thighs should not be the size of my calves. It's gross.
I like my curves, I like having a big butt, I like having hips and boobs I just want to tighten up.
I want to be fit. Like this only more toned:
That was me at the end of September before the Warrior Dash. I still generally look like that just a tiny bit softer and squishier. Hey, here in Michigan you have to put on weight like a polar bear to stay warm in the winter! (another good reason to move someplace warmer)
I have a lot of motivation to get fit and stay that way with my career choice and my best friend's wedding coming up. I think it may be easier to stay on track if I document my progress, so I will update here as needed.
Hello again! I have been a terrible blogger but I am going to blame that on the lack of interesting things happening in my life. I went back and deleted a few posts that never should have been written and I am back to my semi-normal self.
There still isn't anything too exciting happening in my life but I hope to change that. I am preparing to embark on an adventure that will take me 2,300 miles outside of my comfort zone.
I'll admit that most of this will be boring preparations for my big move and my thoughts and reflections as I start on this journey... but hey, someone may find it interesting.
I am going to try to start up on my movie blogging again, which failed in 2010 when I tried to start but I'm more motivated now.
That's all for my little re-introduction. More details to come!!
I'm alive... for now. I am graduating on May 8th so things have been hella busy for me lately. I have failed on my promise to provide you fine people with all my movie lists in 2 weeks. The lists are on my desktop as sticky notes. I just haven't accumulated the pictures and written the blogs yet, but they will come.
I had my very last newscast for CMU on Wednesday (sadness) but its all good. Hopefully I can get a job doing what I love on air sometime in the near future. I am pretty torn about finding a job. Of course I am applying for on air positions but I don't know if I should also apply for producing jobs. I like doing both but reporting is what I really want to do, and I'm afraid that if I get a job producing I'll get stuck and never go for what I really want. Then again, if I get a job as a producer I'll know when talent positions open up and the company will already know my work ethic. I don't know, I'm so torn.
All this graduating business is kinda starting to freak me out... OK I lied, not kinda, more like MAJORLY freaking me out. I'm having a pre-mid-life crisis. I don't know where I am going to live after my lease is up where I live now. I've been thinking a lot about moving home but there are a lot of downsides to it. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents but I like feeling independent.
Downsides to moving home: 1. I'll lose my bridge card and my parents will make me get most of my own groceries 2. They're going to make me start paying my car insurance (which isn't cheap) 3. I'll have to go through the hassle of moving all my crap 2 hours down to Whitmore Lake from Mt. Pleasant 4. They have two extremely annoying birds including a cockatoo which never shuts up 5. I like living away from home and I already came back for a year and don't want to do that anymore I like having my own place 6. I will have to try to transfer Meijers which doesn't sound too bad but the Meijer that I transfer to will have to allow it and they'll have to have an opening for me in the photo lab and that's a lot of hassle as well.
Upsides to moving home: 1. no rent (i think) 2. no gas/electric/cable etc bills 3. closer to my friends from back home 4. I'd get to see my family more aka every day
I don't know what I am going to do yet. I can't afford to live on my own on my Meijer salary. But I don't have anyone to live with (not to mention I've had roommate issues in the past so I'm scared about living with people). With the way the job market is in my profession its not likely I will have a job by the time my lease is up in June so I won't be able to afford a place on my own... I think. I'm going to keep checking and hope I find something, not necessarily in Mount Pleasant but somewhere.
Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated :)
P.S. You don't have to be a member of this site to comment.
Horror is my favorite film genre. So this list was quite difficult for me to put together since I have seen SO many scary movies. There are a lot of horror films that I like but it was hard to call some of them my favorites. So, here are my top ten favorite scary movies :)
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Adapted from the novel of the same title by Oscar Wilde (one of my favorite books) this movie is about a handsome young man who longs to stay young... and sells his soul to do so. Instead of physically aging, a painting of him ages instead. Throughout his life of sin, Dorian locks the painting away refusing to see what he is doing to himself. This movie is very good and intrigues me to this day, although it doesn't creep me out as much as it did when I was a kid.
9. The Descent (2005)
I really liked this movie. It was different because it featured an almost all female cast and it really pulls you into the plot. Basically a group of women decide to get away for a weekend to explore some caves and cheer up their friend who is mourning a loss. They decide to explore an uncharted cave and run into some unexpected inhabitants. Awkward camera angles and clever lighting create a tense, suspenseful atmosphere. And even though I'm not claustrophobic in the slightest, I was extremely un-nerved during some portions of this film. If you don't mind gore/blood and you haven't seen this movie, you should. Its very different from a lot of scary movies out there. There are two different endings depending on which version of the film you watch.
8. Suspiria (1977)
I took a modern horror films class a few semesters ago and we watched this film. I remember being surprised because from the plot outline, the movie didn't seem that interesting. But when we watched it I was blown away. First of all the music is brilliant and visually it is a very beautiful film. You can tell its a foreign made film because of how artistic it is. As for the plot, an American ballet dancer goes to Germany to attend a dance school and when students start to vanish she becomes curious and gets herself into trouble. It is an early "slasher" film and it contains quite a bit of gore if you're curious about how gory it is there is a youtube video of one of the death scenes.
7. Arachnophobia (1990)
The main reason this is on here is because I AM TERRIFIED OF SPIDERS!!!! I have an absolute paralyzing fear of them and it was difficult to get a picture of the movie poster cause when I googled "arachnophobia" LOTS of creepy spider pictures popped up. I love Jeff Daniels (as he pops up in a few of my other top ten movie lists) I gotta give support to the fellow Chippewa and Michigan native (and on a side note we have the same dentist... for real). I have seen this movie tons of times and it still puts me on edge. Jeff Daniels is great as well as John Goodman as the exterminator. The plot is as follows, a South American spider hitches a ride to the US in the casket of a corpse, once it gets here it holds up in a barn and reproduces with an American spider and the killings begin. I always check my shoes and slippers now before I put them on my feet!
6. Pet Sematary (1989)
Yet again, another film I was exposed to as a child. I really like Stephen King books and actually I have never read this one. But I love this movie. One of the scariest scenes in this movie is the scene with the semi-truck when the family is flying a kite. So many things scare me about this movie... Church the cat, the little boy with the scalpel and the mom's creepy deformed sister. Just overall a good and creepy movie! :) If you don't know what this movie is about I'll give you the rundown: A family moves to a house that is by a busy road, unfortunately because the road is so busy a lot of pets get run over. Behind the local pet cemetery is a blocked off path that leads to an old Indian burial ground. The legend of the burial ground is that anything buried there comes back, but they don't come back right. The main character in this film challenges that legend when the family cat is killed and he buries it at the Indian burial ground. Other bad things continue to happen after that and I can't really say too much without giving it all away. It is definitely worth checking out.
5. The Evil Dead (1981)
A classic cult film, absolutely cheesy humor and ridiculous gore. But it's awesome. Made on a low budget this zombie horror film follows a group of college kids to a cabin for the weekend. They find an old book (the Necronomicon AKA the book of the dead) and a tape recording of its translation. When they listen to the tape, the evil is unleashed and starts to possess everyone. The main character, Ash, fights to save his friends and we follow him in his journey to do so.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
"They're coming to get you, Barbara." I hope that one day I can make a movie that's even close to as brilliant as this one is! Another classic zombie film, the plot is simple: for some reason, all of the dead... won't stay dead! The film follows a group of strangers as they try to figure out what is going on and how they are going to survive. This is a classic movie that everyone should see at least once in their life. Although,I don't get why zombies are always cannibals. Can anyone explain this to me? If I were a zombie, I'd be like "Hmmm... I could really go for a steak right now." Being a zombie and all I might go chew on a live cow, but I would in no way crave human flesh. I just don't understand the rationale.
3. Scream (1996)
I'm sorry but I love this movie and never get sick of it. I like movies that make fun of themselves and that's what this one does. The teenagers in this movie are all film buffs and constantly talk about the correct way to survive a horror film. Reflecting on the movie itself, they talk about what their lives would be like as a film, and their survival depends on whether or not they follow their own scary movie rules. In this movie, a group of high school teenagers find themselves in a town with a serial killer, and for one girl in particular it stirs up memories of the murder of her mother several years before. The girl, along with her friends, the deputy sheriff and a controversial news reporter try to survive and solve the mystery of the murders.
UPDATE: Just a few short months after posting this I had the privilege to work as an extra on the set of Scream 4 and THE Wes Craven told me I did a good job!! A moment I will never forget :)
2. 28 Days Later (2002)
This movie is brilliant! It grabs you and pulls you in within the first several minutes. The plot is as follows: A group of animal right activists free several animal test subjects including a few chimpanzees that were used in a rage study. The monkeys were strapped to a chair and forced to watch videos of war and violence. From this the animals became "infected with rage" and apparently this is a very contagious thing. If any bodily fluids from an infected mix with the bodily fluids of another living thing it becomes infected as well. The disease spreads after the animal is freed and the movie jumps ahead to 28 days after the epidemic began. A man wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma and finds the entire hospital and city deserted. In my opinion one of the creepiest parts of the movie is when the man is walking through the abandoned city streets searching for any sign of life and there is nothing but silence. The guy quickly realizes that any "person" he finds is a zombie-like enraged creature, he finds a few un-infected people and the movie follows them on their search for answers and survival. Good movie, I highly recommend it. You know, sometimes I feel like I'm infected with rage.
1. The Shining (1980)
This is my all time favorite horror film! I can somewhat identify with this movie, not with the whole wanting to kill my family thing, but with the being isolated to the point of going insane thing. But I'm better now so its OK! Basically this movie is about a family that moves into an isolated hotel in the mountains for the winter. And during the winter months no one can enter and no one can leave the hotel grounds because the snowfall is so high. The film follows the family as they deal with the secrets of the hotel and the tensions that arise between them as the feelings of isolation start to take over.
Anyone who knows anything about this film knows that it is in fact a horror film (hence the reason it is on this list) and not a "family-friendly" movie. I wanted to include this youtube video I found because I think its awesome. Through the magic of editing and a new VO (voice-over) this movie trailer was made to make The Shining seem like a great movie for the whole family to enjoy. :)
So there it is... my top ten favorite horror films. More top ten lists to come :)
