Props to dangermousie  , for directing me to this cute CF featuring Seo Woo and Im Ju Hwan of Tamra Island. As far as I can tell, they play an uptight couple trying to seal the deal and it is hilarious. I love Im Ju Hwan's nerdy WTH face and their party down personas at the end. Of course, now I'm starting RP ship them like mad and that comes with all sorts of unwholesome daydreams.


Also I found this in the dramabeans comments for this commercial. Apparently the CF is guilty of stereotyping Westerners and Koreans as being too libertine and too conservative respectively. And I may be culturally insensitive and all but all I was thinking was: "Ya they probably have a point.... now where can I get that phone? And Im Ju Hwan in a black shirt?" Cliches FTW!!

Oh dear, this is bad. I've just watched the first episode of Iris and realized that I really like the hero and it usually takes me a while to warm up the drama let alone the characters. Doubly upsetting considering I know how the drama ends and watching him now being charming, funny, with a devil may care bravissimo, and his adorable crush on the gorgeous, aloof girl whose name he doesn't even know and his epic bromance with his roommate- and knowing in the back of my mind what fate has in store for them. Its- its not going to be pretty is it? I've yet to meet a drama that has truly broken my heart but with Iris, its going to be more than just a trainwreck; its like finding out that the bridge the train goes through is broken and then turning around just in time to see your friends and family getting on board. You just can't stop what's going to happen.

But then again, its just the first episode and too early yet to tell if I'm going to love this show. If I do, I may end up jumping ship early just to avert a possible dorama-related meltdown.

Perhaps, I can offset the angst by simultaneously watching Tokyo Dogs which stars two of my favorite j-drama actors, Oguri Shun and Mizushima Hiro. Its sort of jarring to see Hiro in a role where is goofy, obnoxious, and inept considering I'm used to seeing  him being clean cut and suave. And Oguri Shun- good to see he's putting those yankee street-fighting skills to good use since Crow 0. I know I'm going to love a show if it features a hot guy in a suit, waving a gun around and throwing down. That is my kink right there. Guess I really am a James Bond girl at heart. Yeah, its silly and in another show, they would be the most ill-suited, incompetent cops ever to be paired up (getting into petty arguments when there's a dangerous criminal hiding upstairs?? At least they got one of those patient crooks instead of the ones who would, oh, charge downstairs, mowing them down with an Uzi- type while they were in the middle of their pissing contest). But here? Guy bickering=bromance.

Also? Oguri Shun in a suit, spazzing out over suits, making bad jokes only he laughs at, arguing why cops shouldn't eat curry, and reliving childhood trauma. I HAVE to like it.

And with the appropriate segue of bromances and doom, here's a cute vid featuring three different versions of the King Arthur/ Guinevere/ Lancelot love triangle to end all triangles. If your love dooms a kingdom and ends badly for everyone, its bound to be legendary (if horrifically unpleasant).

Maybe its the lack of sleep and that I have been watching the Syfy channel since 11 this morning, but I actually think that the miniseries Alice was very, very cute. Its probably filled with numerous flaws and glaring plot holes that will become apparent once the afterglow of Alice/Hatter shippiness has worn off but at the moment, I sort of love it with the same nostalgic affection I had for Tin Man. I got a thing for fairy tales for grown ups, and the post modern ones always do me in. I do feel that given the utter trippiness of the actual story, the miniseries could have been more daringly quirky, more in spirit with the "oh my God, I have just dropped some really good acid" feel of the book. Daddy issues and love triangles are all well and good but they are far too logical for a land as nonsensical as Wonderland.

And of course Alice was going to end up with Hatter in the end. Jack may have proven himself to be a stand up guy, but for the most part, his relationship with Alice was based on lies and manipulation. Hatter deserves Alice if only because he is one of the only guys in the series who didn't make Alice cry or left her out to dry.

I also think that if Tin Man and Alice keep up the tradition of post modern heroines with family baggage, the next production will most likely feature Wendy of Peter Pan, projecting her daddy/ growing up issues on Captain Hook. Modern fairy tales are messed up, yo.

Anyways here are some mv's for Hatter/Alice since they are now officially my ship of the hour. Enjoy it while it lasts, you two.

Graduated from nursing school today!!! Freakin' finally, I thought this day would never come!!

I will let the following Merlin gif express my feelings at this time (Bradley James's expression makes me LOL each time):

It's going to be weird waking up at 4 in the morning and realizing that I have nothing planned for the day.

Things I want to do now that I have the time:
1) Finish reading City of Glass, Vicious Circle by Mike Carey, and the rest of the Nighstide and Secret Histories series by Simon R. Green.

2) Catch up on my doramas. Kdramas: I Really Really Like You, You're Beautiful, and IRIS. Jdramas: Liar Game 2, Tokyo Dogs, and probably some other undecided drama. TWdramas: tentatively My Lucky Star, Smiling Pasta, and It Started with a Kiss. Of course all shows are subject to the fact that I am fickle and have the attention span of a bee. How I ever made it through school, I will never know.

3) Catch up on my western television starting with Merlin, Legend of the Seeker, and Doctor Who (am curious to see how the new Doctor will work- hopefully, it won't be a complete travesty).

4) Watch the Syfy miniseries Alice. There are way too many cute mv's that ship Alice/ Hatter and now I've ended up squealing over a couple I haven't even watched yet. I hate you, youtube.

I also watched G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra tonight and the best thing about the movie was Lee Byung-Hun who pulls off the all white look like no other and Sierra Miller kicking the Duke in the face.

Allow me to amend that. The best thing about this movie was a shirtless Lee Byung-Hun. That is all. Everything else just blurs around his supreme hotness.

ETA: Oh and the Christopher Eccleston was pretty awesome but that's because he was the 9th Doctor so I have a legal obligation to say that.

Im Joo-Hwan is one to watch in 2010

From the Dramabeans.com: "What a great year for Im Joo-hwan — he had roles in films like 2008’s Doremifasolatido and Frozen Flower, but 2009 was his year to shine. Although it was a short part, any exposure in Boys Before Flowers was enough to create a buzz, as he got when he appeared a few brief times as Kim Bum’s older brother. But it was the quirky, heartwarming and funny Little Drama That Could, Tamra the Island, that cemented his status as a rising star."

I'm just glad to hear that he won some recognition for his role on Tamra the Island seeing how it tanked something fierce; here's hoping I see him something in something that becomes wildly successful.

So here's a random celebration of his adorableness.
( can i be stranded on an island too? )

And Seo Woo is still unfairly gorgeous:
( its Saeguk!Barbie! )

They are both so cute beyond words.

Re-watching the Let the Right One In restores my faith in the vampire as a dangerous, tragic predator rather than a sparkly emo poof. It makes it clear how dysfunctional and ultimately doomed the relationship between the two leads are, while still maintaining a spark of innocence touched with all the horror puberty and being in love with a blood sucking demon entails.

And if it came down to a throw down between Eli and Edward, my moneys on the small, petite gradeschooler. She would skin Edward's sparkly butt and wear it as a cloak.

Also, I've decided to give the paranormal romance genre a chance by beginning "Through the Veil" by Shiloh Walker which I got on an impulse buy. What motivated me to get it? The heroine has the relatively normal name of Lee Ross. Being new to the genre my standards (and expectations) are relatively low. But I skimmed the first few pages and the prose doesn't seem too traumatizing.

But the moment I see "Adonis" and "chagrined" mentioned within ten words of the hero, I am gone like the wind.

Well, this was a godawful day. Just one of those days where all you want to do is crawl beneath a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and bawl your eyes out. And it wasn't even as if what happened was that terrible, its more like an accumulation of stress that has built up over the last few weeks to a point where someone could say "Boo" to me and I would burst into tears.

So this post is about the cute, silly stupid things intended to cheer me up.

First, there's Arthur and Gwen from Merlin who are so pretty and noble. I am praying like a madwoman that their story doesn't end in adultery and "trying to burn your spouse at the stake'.


Beo Jin, Park Kyu, and William from Tamra the Island being the most awesome, functional love triangle ever in the history of Kdramas. And William's bad English always brings a smile to my face.



Also my Resident Evil, "WTF where the hell did that come from ship", "probably ain't gonna happen but a girl can dream", "yes, I know its based on a video game, shut up" OTP of Leon and Claire. Because he is an All-American secret agent who went from naive to badass and she's bubbly, compassionate and has a major yen for guns. And because I will ship anything that's pretty and tough and involves zombies.


And I'm watching Hot Fuzz nonstop. Because British comedy is cool and this is the only time you will ever be Simon Pegg being so super kickass. Its also the most touching love story between two heterosexual males ever. Watch and try not to ship them.

This is the best review for New Moon and the Twilight series in general, that I have ever read. I especially love this part:

"There’s something about the Twilight movies that seeps through cheap Bella Swan eau de parfum and taps its way into high-school insecurities and adipose and weakens the intellect. Maybe it’s peer pressure — maybe there’s a designated Sparkletard bully in every high school who beats the Twilight into them (“Haters don’t sparkle, bitch”). I’m not otherwise ready to believe that teenage girls — and trust me, it’s 98 percent tweebags and their mothers — would so willingly give themselves over to this phenomenon. Not without social pressure, not without some deep-seated psychological manipulation."

I do remember being a teenager and I do remember going dreamy-eyed over cheesy, young adult lit romances. But even as a N'Sync loving teeny bopper, I doubt even then I would have gone for a hero like Edward- someone who was overbearing and condescending, who tells me who I can be friends with and who dismantles my car engine. I even remember disliking Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre, even though I could appreciate the character and his motivations, because he was dead set on forcing an unwitting girl into marriage, knowing full well he already all stuffed up in the attic and that by pressing a marriage that was no way valid, he would effectively be kicking her down to "mistress". Jane's unwillingness to compromise her dignity and independence is the reason I love the book so much and it is what redeems an otherwise dysfunctional gothic romance.

So I have to wonder where is the appeal of Edward Cullen and Twilight itself. The writing is only passable, the couple we are supposed to rooting for have no real world basis for being attracted to each other except for "he's hot and wants to kill me" and "she smells like om-nom-nom", and the only truly good guy in the book is mystically forced into falling in love with a seven year old leech. How in God's green, sane earth is having someone's own will taken away a happy ending? Poor Jacob. He deserved so much better. And even if his love for Bella was stupid and inexplicable, at least it was his choice to love her rather than getting slipped the Spanish Fly of Fate, Destiny, and Statutory.

I watched the movie Franklyn last night and I have to say, as good as it was, the trailer led me to believe that I was going to be watching some sort of Neil Gaiman-ish urban fantasy in the vein of Pan's Labyrinth meets Watchmen. It even had a Rorsharch expy as one of its heroes. And as interesting as the human drama was in the movie, I would rather have watched more scenes take place in the gloomy, surreal city of Meanwhile, where all of its denizens are required to worship something no matter how ridiculous that religion may be and the masked detective known as Jonathan Preest is the one man in Meanwhile who refuses to bend knee to any deity if only beause he's a man who doesn't believe in anything except the driving need for revenge. Too bad it turns out that ( here be spoilers ) The man also dresses like Rorscharch and acts like V- how can he not be my favorite character?

Oddly enough, he is not. My favorite character is Emilia, played by my favorite actress and possibly the only woman I will ever consider playing the other team for, Eva Green.

Arthur! Arthur, I do not approve of this non-related Gwen making out with medieval Barbie. If you're going to be stupid and romantic for anyone, IT SHOULD NOT BE ANYONE! YOU ARE THE CROWN PRINCE OF CAMELOT, DAMMIT HAVE SOME PRIDE! AND DIDN'T THEY DO THIS STORYLINE IN SEASON 1? YEAH, I REMEMBER THAT AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT THEN EITHER. Of course, this is just my OTP bias talking.


Oh well. At least when Lancelot comes back, Gwen and Arthur can have a little tag team jealousy. Yeah, just you wait and see, Arthur. Karma, she is a bitch.

But enough about Arthur and his stupid non-Gwen kissy face. Here's a Merlin trailer that didn't make me go "Mine eyes! Mine eyes!" Tune out the giggling and it actually looks kick ass.


Oh and I watched Star Trek today. Fandom must be getting to me because all I could think when I saw Kirk and Spock on screen together: "Oh you two. Just make out already."

I hate to say it. I really hate to say it.

But the New Moon trailer actually looks sort of cool.

I don't think I'm going to fork over 10$ just to see Kristen Stewart's non-acting and the concept that "a woman can live without a man" die slowly by inches but when the day comes that I'm no longer bitter that so many other superior books have been overlooked while the Twilight franchise invades the mind of impressionable young girls like a teeny-bopper parasite, I may actually be inclined to check it out.


You know what the first thought I had was when watching this trailer? "OMG, that vampire who says 'the girl comes with us'" looks just like James D'Arcy who is one of my favorite overlooked actors ever and "with the delivery of that one line, Dakota Fanning is probably the coolest character in this movie". Here's hoping she brings the pain.

And speaking of couples who are awesome and not pasty, self-destructive drama queens, I love Edwin and Molly from Simon R. Green's sequel to "Man with a Golden Torc", "Daemons are Forever" (seeing it spelled like that, I keep thinking its pronounced DAY-mons). They are definitely on my literary OTP list right next to Phedre/Joscelin from Kushiel's Legacy and Taran/Eilonwy from Pyrdrain Chronicles. She's a gutsy and powerful, but still feminine and off kilter witch and he's a Druidic secret agent whose been raised to rely only on himself so he obviously has issues depending on people.

They love and need each other but they are sane about it. Molly understands that Eddie can function without her if he has to and he understands her need to be free and that his duty to the family (and consequently to the protecting humanity) comes before her as much as he hates that. And unlike the above couple, it never gets in the way of common sense. Eddie may love Molly but he isn't going to destroy the world just to save her because it goes against what they both believe in. But it doesn't mean he's going to let her go without a fight- a fight that will leave a trail of destruction and a considerable body count when the smoke clears. In this excerpt, Eddie thinks Molly has just been killed before his eyes and the guy who did it is taunting him. Which is just never a good idea to do with a Drood or any Simon R. Green hero because they will end you, violently and all over the place.

"I just sent your girlfriend to Hell, Eddie Drood. Damned her forever to eternal suffering, the lake of flames, and the torments of the pit just because I felt like it. How do you feel about that, Eddie Drood."
"After I've killed you, I will go down into Hell and bring her back," I said. "Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. But first I will break your body with these golden hands, and I will make you scream, and after all the terrible things I do to you, falling back into Hell will seem like a relief."

And that's how you do dysfuntional romance! Beat that Twilight!

I'm going to confess that I don't really get the appeal of slash. I know it exists in every fandom ever and can even see it on shows like Merlin or movies like Star Trek as evidenced by some very well edited mv's. But at times, it just feels like it exists for the sake of putting two good looking, same sex characters together whether they share any chemistry or screen time.

But I guess its just the jealous fangirl in me wailing "Why be with him when you can be WITH ME?!"


And also while browsing youtube, I found some old clips of the 90's show "The New Adventures of Robin Hood" a show that I am to this day sort of embaressed to say that I not only watched but was obsessed with. Even as a kid, I acknowledged that the acting was horrendous, the values were non-existent, the plots were hackneyed- if Merlin is a guilty pleasure, then this would go beyond it into criminally insane territory. Maybe its because it had elements of what I adore in my action shows- a cocky, good hearted hero, gutsy heroine, wacked out stories, hints of epic romance and sword fights. And what can I say, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for cheese.

But seriously, take a look at this clip with the heroine brainwashed and about to marry the Devil. The ballet troupe of doom is really the artistic high point of the series and if that isn't a big flashing red light signalling RUN AWAY from this show, I don't know what is.


Oh for the days when I was so easily amused.

Well, its official: my monitor is completely and utterly dead. Which sucks since I am now stuck using my brother's laptop and am forbidden from downloading anything on it. And it doubly sucks since now I am cut off from my doramas. Hopefully, I can figure out how to put my internal drive into external enclosure but until then I have to suffer through computer withdrawal symptoms.

Triple sucks because I can't even start watching "You're Beautiful" and I refuse to go to Viikii until I am bordering on straight desperation.

So things that console me:
1) news of a 21 episode director's cut of Tamra the Island. Yeah, I squealed with joy. Something to keep me warm and happy during those cold (though this being Cali, not that cold) winter months. Its like hot chocolate for the soul with a little tropical umbrella.

2) News of City of Bones being made into a movie. I haven't finished City of Glass yet (had to take a break from Jace's parade of self hatred) but I am excited if only because I need another YA franchise to take down Twilight's reign of teenybopper terror. Jace Wayland vs Edward Cullen, who can out-emo the other? Game on!
 
3) I am devouring Simon R. Green books like there is no tomorrow. I just started with "Paths not Taken" and LOLed at the line "most of the furniture is nailed to the floor so it can't be used in hand-to-hand combat".  I love how the Nightside sounds like one endless bar brawl and occasional Doctor Who shout outs. But I am desperate for some Edwin Drood and his Druidic secret agent. Nightside and Secret Histories desperately needs a crossover. Although if it came to an out and out rumble, I'm gonna have to put my money on John. He seems like the type who will fight dirty.

Speaking of interesting books, on the other side of the spectrum would be Anne Bishop's Black Jewel Trilogy. I tried hard to get into it, I really did, I even finished the first two books. But I'm sorry, I just found the entire thing way too tedious with a plotline that tended to meander a lot and a heroine that, for a blatant Mary Sue, is very, very boring in her own perfection. ( something between a rant and a ramble )
And this is why I only have about 3 female authors that I truly love (Tanith Lee, Jacqueline Carey, Catherynne M. Valente) . YES, I KNOW HOW SEXIST THAT SOUNDS. NO, I DON'T CARE AND DON'T MAKE ME SAY "BITE ME, FEMINISM." I believe in strong heroines. And I believe that no matter the heroine, whether its a hard bitten, badass cop/sorceress or a klutzy, naive teenage girl can be a fascinating character as long as there is growth and motivation there to back her hero's journey.

Well that turned into a non-coherent essay, didn't it?

Is it just me or does Alex Pettyfer:

I have just finished Agents of LIght and Dark, second book in the Nightside series. I love it and I love John Taylor who is like a older, more world weary version of Eddie Drood. I love that no matter how messed up he knows the Nightside is, he can't leave it because at the end of the day, its still home.

I have to say, Simon R. Green books are so good I have foregone eating my lunch just to read them and am now going into super nerd overload imagining a multi-universe crossover involving Felix Castor, John Taylor, Eddie Drood, Morpheus from the Sandman comics, and Lucifer Morningstar from the Lucifer comics. Maybe some John Constantine from Hellblazer since he set the prededent for angsty, paranormal investigators with a penchant for accidentally getting their friends killed and badass trenchcoats. They are just the kind of heroes who would not only fit in the same bizarre, surreal world but probably own a timeshare in it as well.

Books I've started and desperately need to finish:
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
City of Glass by Cassandra Claire

You know, when I'm browsing in a bookstore nothing turns me away from a potential read than a summary that supposedly features a strong heroine yet there plastered on the cover is some leather bound vixen, plunging neckline exposed midriff, most likely sporting a tramp stamp of some kind.

Is it me? Am I just that much of a prude or over generalizing? For all I know, most of these books are actually well written. I just can't believe any book that boasts of a compelling heroine and still has a cover that makes her look like a Maxim model. Less clothes does not mean more kickass, IMO.

And as for such heroines- I'm generalizing once again, I'm sure, but they all sound like the same person. They will usually have some ridiculous, quixotic name like Evangeline Firestorm and she will not only be a exorcist/sorceress/demon slayer/ detective (usually all at once) but will also be the best in her field while getting seduced by a hot demon. It all just smacks of Mary Sue to me. Bonus points if they have a dark backstory that features death of a loved one at the hands of the Big Bad.

I would rather read a story where the main character is named Sarah Stewart and is a librarian with the potential for development than a story where the character is already so badass, the author doesn't feel the need for any growth since they are just so perfect as they are now. This is why I stay away from romance novels (though I am a romantic) and paranormal romances are usually a double gag for me. Especially since the "hero" is some sort of supernatural creature whose main attribute is that he's hot. Sorry, if I wanted that, I would be squealng over Edward Cullen instead of pointing out that what a d-bag he would actually be in real life.

I tried reading one paranormal romance and was so repulsed by it and the OTP, that I sold it and have not touched the genre since. I can't even remember the story only that I despised it.

Speaking of the dumb and paranormal, here's a clip of the Soup that parodies "Ghost Adventures". The show itself may be a poor man's Ghost Hunters but the clip is funny especially when the main guy says "Pasty Irish ghost, face me you dickweasel." I have to give props to the cast for being able to poke fun at themselves.

Hey. Hey show? Remember when I used to crack wise about your gratuitous use of horrific Engrish and lame potty jokes? Remember when I used to fondly call William "Casper the tanless Wonder" or "Milky the Unicorn"? Can we please go back to those shiny, anguish-free days?

( commentary in between all the tears )( Read more... )

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to rewatch episode 1. I need something stupid to laugh at because the angst is making my brain shut down.</div>( picspam of how everyone got screwed over )</div>

My Halloween costume was inspired by this:

When I was first told the premise of Repo: The Genetic Opera, my initial reaction was "Now why the hell would I willingly watch anything with Paris Hilton in it unless I was smashed out of my mind?"

Well, that answer to that is that the rock opera musical/ slasher flick also happens to star Anthony Stewart Head (the awesome Giles of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the awesomely ruthless Uther from Merlin) and Sarah Brightman. Their combined supernova of talent is enough to compensate for the charisma sucking blackhole of above celebutante.

Here's a description from Amazon.com

Stills of comic strips contextualize each scene, telling the story of biotech corporation Geneco’s repossessions of organs that they implanted into various patients to save human lives during a long history of operations. Organs, here, were bought on credit, and as the economy nosedives, citizens of this a makeshift Gotham City cannot pay bills, and must forfeit their lives to repo men make a killing around town, literally. Heading this enterprise is CEO Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), who has two bickering sons, Luigi (Bill Moseley) and Pavi (Nivek Ogre), whose white facemask is third generation Phantom, borrowing directly from Winslow Leach’s in Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise. Central to the plot is head repo guy/slaughterer, Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who hides his career path to preserve his sexy teenage daughter, Shilo’s (Alexa Vega), innocence. As Shilo discovers her godmom, Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman), and the "Z"-addicted surgery slut, Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton), she embarks on adventures through an urban landscape constructed of metal gear, corpse piles, and S/M zombie girls, while dad straps people up in his torture chamber to take back body parts. Hmmmm. Since Repo! looks likes a Marilyn Manson video, its musical niche sensibility will only appeal to fans who like Goth and Industrial music. To anyone who doesn’t go for that look, it does impress for its sheer dedication to choreography and song. In the least, Repo! The Genetic Opera is an anomalous glimpse into visionary horror.

If you aren't completely appalled by that description, you might be willing to check this movie out. If you do and its not your cup of tea- hey, at least you got to hear Anthony Head sing. Which is always a good thing.

THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS ARE NOT FOR THE EASILY SQUEAMISH- IT FEATURES GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, DRUG USE, AND PARIS HILTON SINGING. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.

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One of the more catchier songs from the movie

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LOL. While talking about Halloween and corn mazes with one of my classmates today, she mentioned getting so scared that she actually screamed at one of the haunted house vampires: "DON'T TOUCH ME! I HAVE A HEART PROBLEM!" just so they would leave her alone. Maybe I should try that this Halloween.

While reading dangermousie's Tamra the Island recaps reminded me of how utterley delightful and pretty the William/Beo Jin ship is and how even before I watched the series having only seen the poster, I thought to myself "Oh those two have to be the OTP". Then I realized it was actually Korean guy with the funny hat and my next thought was "Oh, how predictable," and was convinced that I would never watch the series. Fast forward and I am obsessed with it and Im Ju Hwan.

But it doesn't mean my love for Beo Jin and William is diminished. Right up until the end, they still managed to retain this magic and sweetness to their relationship even when it was becoming clearer and clearer how their story would end.  ( just random blathering about Tamra until I can do commentary for episode 15 )
Its strange and refreshing to watch a drama where neither of the male leads are damaged bad boys but still manage to be interesting. I want this on DVD now!