So it has been a while since I last did a fangirl post. All I can say is sorry! Unfortunately life cannot always be structured the way I wish.
Oh well
So here we go with a few more of my favorite things.
Star Wars
Words cannot describe how much I adore Star Wars, although I have tried pretty hard in the past to explain it. While Episodes 1-3 & 7 had a few good moments, nothing will beat the original. Episodes 4-6: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, & Return of the Jedi will always be number one to me.
I can’t remember exactly when I first watched the series, I know I was young because when the Phantom Menace came out in 1999 I was only seven and a diehard Star Wars fan.
Episode 4: A New Hope is one of my all-time favorites. I just love the characters and the dialogue. Everything about it was just so perfect. I mean you have the adorable Luke who you can connect with his dreams and hopes. The hunky Han Solo, a rascal but has a heart of gold:
Wanted in my life
Darth Vader who was one of the best villians ever! Powerful, charismatic, scary, and has the best theme music and voice of all time.
I mean we don’t know anything about him. but we do know he is not a man to be messed with.
And then there was of course, the one woman I aspired to be like and who’s traits I tried to fold into my own personality: Princess Leia.
I mean she was just SOOOO cool! Here was a Princess that was intelligent, powerful, strong, political, beautiful, a problem solver, rebel leader, could hold her own against torture, willing to fight and die for what she believed in, could handle a variety of weapons, a quick thinker, witty, rescues herself (with a little bit of help) etc. She was just altogether AWESOME!!! I couldn’t think of a better role model to any young girl. Thank you George Lucas and Carrie Fisher.
The Empire Strikes Back was just an amazing film as well. The action, the great continuation, yet giving it its own flavor; and that reveal. I mean you all know what I’m talking about (that have seen the film) but I won’t say just in case for those who haven’t watched it. Although that’s just crazy talk. I mean join us Star Wars fans already!
Or should I say Star Wars side?
And then we have Return of the Jedi. In here we see the final progression of Luke’s character. First we have an idealistic young man, turned pilot, turned rebel, turned Jedi padawan, to Jedi Knight. He has been able to conquer the force in a short amount of time and ready to continue on. But first he must face one person and defeat the dark side.
Return of the Jedi has some of the best moments in it. Like when Luke saves his father by believing that his father still is a good man, and willing to fight for him; even dying if necessary to reawaken the human side the the dark side ate long ago. Completely refusing to give in to the dark, this causes his father to receive the redemption and return to him, even if it was for a moment. Sometimes saving and helping others isn’t going in and beating people up, sometimes it is making sacrifices and risking yourself for others.
I of course am such a fan that I have a huge collection of Star Wars items. If it is something that has to do with the original series, I’m all over it like butter on toast. And I mean anything!
These three films are fantastic. Anyone who tells you different is a liar and unenlightened.
There are those who say that it is impossible to love Star Trek and Star Wars and here is what I say:
Majorly
You can love both and I most definitely do.
In fact I am not just fan of the Original Series, although it is my favorite, I have watched every single reincarnation of this show. It is a lot to cover so I will try and hit the highlights.
Of course the original is the best (and BTW Thursday marks the 50th anniversary). I loved Captain James T. “Jim” Kirk as I thought he was just amazing! Strong, powerful, intellectual, eloquent, charismatic, a problem solver, and what a hunk! He would think through every decision making sure that he chose the best for his crew. But if he had to, he would get his hands dirty.
Then we have Spock. Logical, efficient, unable to understand sarcasm, etc. I also liked that he was biracial too, there are not enough characters out there that are for those of us who also are to connect to. And even with that Vulcan personality and his looks are not what you would categorize as a dreamboat but he definitely is one.
Then we have Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. The best thing about Bones is his wit and sarcastic nature. I love all his sayings, I mean every word that drops from his mouth is just so sassy and fun. He is so hilarious and part of the dream team that made Star Trek a hit.
Then we have Star Trek: The Next Generation. And let’s all face it, as much as I thought Captain Picard was the best; for me it is all about Data. What an awesome character and just downright hilarious.
I also had such a thing for Riker. I think it was that beard.
Although he was quite the hunk without the beard as well.
Deep Space Nine was okay, but not a fav so let’s keep going. Voyager was alright, my favorite character being Neelix, the cook. He was just the sweetest thing.
Enterprise was also okay, but not nearly as good as TOS.
The new movies that came out were done very well, much better than the revamped Star Wars. The only thing I don’t like is that they made the new Kirk a little more brawn and less brain. Oh well, you can never repeat the original.
While Star Trek may go through numerous changes, I’ll always love it.
As I mentioned in a previous post that I was a huge fan of Hercules: The Legendary Journey, it was only natural that I would watch its counterpart.
I thought Xena was pretty cool and one awesome warrior, although I did think she needed a more covering outfit to fight in. I mean seriously, they always put women in these outfits that are not the best for crime fighting.
Growing up I never saw a lesbian relationship, I always thought of the two as BFFS, going out and fighting to help others. I still don’t think of them that way, but I guess to each fan their own view?
Anyways, I still remember it being a big part of my childhood.
So I’m sure some of you are thinking what a loser.
Yes, Nerds and Geeks have come a loooooooooooooooong way since then. We are cool, we are everywhere, we like to discuss our nerdiness at every possible avenue. In fact there are so many types of nerds and geekiness, almost everyone is one.
They were an amazing group of guys and I had a lot of fun talking to them. They tried to get me to join their chapter, but too bad that I don’t live there. However, I will be checking out the chapter close by to where I live.
And let me say, while I do not want to watch the new, Ghostbusters, (as I love the old one and didn’t think it needed to be remade, especially as action more than comedy), there is one thing I will say for it, it is nice that it is introducing a new generation to Ghostbusters. And as the only female ghostbuster, I had a lot of kids think I was the greatest or want their picture taken with me.
It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to go back! What can I say? Nerds and Geeks rule!
So I’m sure some of you are wondering what happened to the fandom posts? Why have I stopped doing them?
Well, I wanted to do a post on how great I think Cecilia Gray is. She not only liked my review of her book Fall For You (Jane Austen Academy #1). After that I stopped as I was feeling kind of under the weather.
I was feeling tired all the time, but that grew into a headache and sore throat. But then on Thursday morning I couldn’t hear out of my right ear.
That’s it, I need to go to the doctors. I wanted to put it off as I hate doctors, but figured I’d better go and get it looked at.
I know it takes forever!! So I had to wait, and wait and wait and wait and wait…….
Finally the nurse saw me and it turned out that I had an ear infection and a fever of 100.3. It was funny as after the nurse took my temperature, she asked me if I knew I had been running around with that high a fever.
When I was younger I used to get fevers of 103 & 104. 100.3 is nothing.
So the doctor finally saw me and gave me a prescription and sent me on my way. I had been waiting forever, but the actual time of the doctors was like 10 minutes. How is that fair?
And then you have to wait an hour for the pharmacy. Yuck.
So there was one big problem with being sick. I had tickets to see the Avengers: Age of Ultron, the midnight showing.
Oh yeah!
But you know what? Being sick wasn’t going to stop me, yep I was going to see that movie even though I had a fever and could hear out of only one ear!
That’s because I’m a true geek and hardcore fan.
When I got to the theater, I was the only one in my party. You see, since I’ve moved back home I don’t really see people my age. There was one guy I befriended, but he wanted to move on to dating, and I wasn’t really interested in him. So there was no one else I knew who’d be down for a midnight showing.
When I went to turn in my receipt from buying the ticket online, they guy asked me all shocked like-“only one?”. I felt sooooo embarrassed.
So embarressed
Like Josie in Never Been Kissed when she wants to go on the ferris wheel. It made me feel like a loser.
But that was short lived as I’m okay being alone.
And I was really excited to see the movie.
So now you are probably wondering what I thought of it. There were some things I had a problem with (one particular death of which I won’t say but thought was stupid to have!!!!), but on the whole I loved it and am seeing it again tonight.
I actually am reserving the rest of my thoughts for a later post. As Tony Stark and Bruce Banner create not one but two creatures, you can argue that this is a horror film, mad scientists creating monsters. So I will be bringing back the Avengers: Age of Ultron in October, during Horrorfest IV.
Yep you got it! It’s another post full of all the things I fangirl over! Hope it sparks your interest into checking this stuff out! 🙂
Cinemasins
Cinemasins is a youtube video group in which they have a guy narrate everything that’s wrong in films. Except for the times he is making fun of your favorite films, they are absolutely hilarious. In the newer ones if you watch all the way to the very end, he puts in audio from other films that have similar scenes. I never miss a posting.
I mean look at this man! Can you blame me for being crazy about him?
I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan. I fell in love with him when I was like seven and had to watch everything he was in (with parental supervision of course). And from then on I was obsessed.
Everyone told me it would never happen as I was far, far too young for him. I mean he was 62 when I was born. But I didn’t care.
Eventually I realized it wasn’t meant to be as he was married (although now divorced and single!) and the realistic chances of me meeting him are nil. But no matter what he will be my first crush and the first guy to ever have his picture on my wall. Yep, I had a huge poster of The Outlaw Josey Wales.
He’s my dream man.
And one totally awesome actor.
Yep I love Clint so much that I even spent $15 on a magazine because it was full of photos of him and all about his life. 🙂 I’m obsessed. Was and always will be. 😀
Now I won’t go on about my fav films, as that could go on forever! Even Amazon knows how much I love his work:
I will instead just mention my all-time favorite film of his: Bronco Billy.
This film was directed and starred Clint Eastwood. In this film Clint plays Bronco Billy, an ex-shoe salesman. Bronco Billy had always loved Westerns, Buffalo Bill, and other stories of the West. And he decided to start his own Wild West show, just like the ones Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill had. A heiress who married in order to inherit her father’s fortune, finds herself stranded by her husband, and joins up with the show until she can get home. This film is fun, adorable, American, dramatic, i.e. everything you could want in a film.
Anyways, the reason that I love this film is the message of it. Here we have a man who doesn’t feel the need to be confined by his time in life or what people think he can be. Nope, if he wants to do something he’s going to. Even though he might be 100 years too late to be a part of “the West”, it doesn’t matter to him. He is going to achieve his dreams, no matter what.
OMG I fangirled over this movie so hard. In fact I wanted to be in the show. I wanted to be Clint’s assistant and on the wheel that turns and he throughs knives at. I wanted to be in a Wild West Show. In fact, I used to wear Western types clothe and would only wear cowgirl boots.
Yep this is my film.
So while I wil most likely never marry the man or meet him, at least I did get something special from him that I’ll keep forever. I sent him a fan letter and a picture and asked him to autograph it and HE DID!!! YAY!!! I just Love that man!
How It Should Have Ended is another one of those really fun internet video series. They review different films giving them their own twist. These are absolutely hilarious and I never miss a post of these either.
So I started watching this show on accident. I think it started the summer between 9th and 10th grade, but it might have been a year later. I’m not sure. Anyways, I was just flipping channels during summer break while I ate my lunch (really breakfast as I didn’t get up until noon) and stopped at this show. I watched an episode and was hooked, watching the 12-2pm block it had on TNT. I continued this every summer, and when I was in college if I and the TV was free at that time. I LOVED this show.
So the show is about a group of people running the fictional Montecito Hotel & Casino Resort in Las Vegas. They deal with the usual issues: staff problems, card counters, performers, chefs, etc; along with helping each other in personal problems. The one thing that made the show lovable, although completely unrealistic, is that all the people enjoyed helping others and would go the extra mile. Because it is Las Vegas, we also get amazing cameos: Wayne Newton, Jean-Claude Van Damm, Sylvester Stallone, etc.
So the crew:
First we have Ed Deline (James Caan). Ed used to be director of the CIA, but has moved on to being in charge of Security and Operations of the Montecito Casino. He later is promoted to President of Operations and is in charge of everything that goes on in the Casino. He is a major tough guy and not afraid to take anyone out. But on the flipside of that he is a loving father to his daughter Delinda as well as a surrogate father to Nessa and Danny. It’s James Caan just how you like him, barking orders and smashing heads.
Then we have Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel)
Isn’t this man a dream? Anyways, Danny was simply amazing and the type of guy you want. So Danny was born and raised in Las Vegas, but left to join the Marines. He returns and works for Ed in security, being promoted when Ed is promoted. Danny is sweet, adorable, protective, loving, etc. He does have issues in the relationship department though. He has been in love with his good childhood friend Mary, but she never wanted to have a serious relationship with him. He also dates Delinda, Nessa, and Sam throughout the series. Most of all Danny has a huge heart and is always willing to help others out, something that makes him almost fall for a scheme to take his father’s inheritance. But even though he is sweet, you don’t want to mess with him as he can just as easily take you out. After Ed leaves the Montecito, he is promoted to President of Operations. In the last two seasons, Delinda and him have a committed relationship and are having a child.
Mike Cannon (James Lesure) is an engineer from MIT. Why he works at a casino, I’m not sure. Anyways, he starts out as head valet, but moves on to security, eventually becoming the head when Danny is promoted to president of operations. He’s smart and silly, that perfect combination. When Piper Niekson (the concierge) tries to recruit a Cocktail Tom Cruise type bartender, Mike goes with her. The two get incredibly drunk, and married, of which they tell everyone they annulled, but didn’t really.
Samantha Jane “Sam” Marquez (Vanessa Marcil) is the host of the Casino and it is her job to bring in the whales, i.e. the big gamblers. She is poached from another hotel, but soon fits in with the Montecito family. She is cold and motivated by money, but she also has a soft side, being a “Big Sister”. It turns out she is married to billionaire Casey Manning, but ran away from him as she has issues with commitment. When he dies, she inherits almost everything. She later marries Casey’s brother.
Delinda Deline (Molly Sims) is a genius; although more interested in fashion, makeup, etc. She is not all fluff as she is fluent in French, a graduate of Cordon Bleu, and in charge of entertainment, plus the Food and Beverage Manager. She flits around from guy to guy as she likes to have a good time. In one season her old boyfriend Derek, a doctor, comes back and the two almost get married, but she realizes she is in love with Danny. The two move in together and she gets pregnant. In the last episode they are planning to get married.
Mary Connell (Nikki Cox) is the special events coordinator. She grew up next door to Danny and the two were childhood friends. Mary had a hard life as she was sexually abused by her father, Danny being the one who came to her rescue. He loved her and tried to marry her, but Mary still has a lot of issues regarding love to work out. At one point she meets a rich, nice lawyer and moves in with him, but for reasons unknown, and hinted at being very bad, she leaves him and returns to work at the Montecito. When her stepmother and stepsisters tried to press charges against her father, she helps testify. When he got off,Mary bought a gun, shot him, and took off.
Nessa Holt is from England and was raised by the Deline family. She was the pit boss and worked in the hotel until she discovered her father wasn’t dead, but working for the CIA. She leaves the Montecito to live with him in season 3.
Now their intro is amazing as it is Elvis’ A Little Less Conversation, one of my favorite songs.
But it also got me wondering. I’ve noticed that a lot of movies that take place in Las Vegas, instead of using Elvis’ song Las Vegas, they use A Little Less Conversation. Isn’t that weird? I mean Ocean’s Eleven,21, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief did it.
It was a very fun show that I highly recommend!
Leverage
I started watching Leverage because my sister Jessica really liked it. We both became so into it that we watched it ever Wednesday, and even watched the first 15 mins of the show that came on afterwards in order to see the next week’s preview. When it was cancelled I was heartbroken as it was such a great show, it should have gone on for 10 more seasons.
So the story is Nate Ford, the mastermind, putting together this crew in order to help out an airplane designer who’s plans were stolen by his rival. When it turns out that guy lied to him and had them steal his rival’s plans, they team up to get his money and revenge. They end up liking it so much, that the team stays together and helps people out who have been treated wrongly.
First we have the Mastermind, Nate Ford.
He started out as an insurance claims investigator, being the one who tracked down the very people he now works with. He was an amazing investigator, and saved the company millions. That all changed when his son became sick and the company he worked for refused to pay for his treatments. After his son died, he turned to alcohol and lost his job and wife. He is extremely talented in creating these schemes, along with seeing each person’s skills. Fans of Supernatural will spot the same actor who plays Crowley, in this as Sterling, Nate’s nemesis. He and Sophie start dating as the series goes on.
Then we have the Hitter, Eliot Spencer
Eliot is from a small town in the South and left to join the military when he was eighteen. After he got out he couldn’t find work besides a “retrievalist”, that is going in to get objects by taking others out. Besides being extremely strong, he’s quite the hunk (and my favorite character), and incredibly sweet with kids. Eliot is also an amazing singer, as we find out when the team goes in to take out an evil country music record company. He also is an amazing cook, the one thing that kept him from going over completely to the dark side.
The Hacker, Alec Hardisan
Alec was raised in a foster home and is a complete computer and science fiction geek. He does all the hacking, creating false internet information, and in charge of all the groups gadgets. He’s wise-cracking and hilarious. As the series progresses, he and Parker start dating; making one of the cutest TV relationships.
The grifter is Sophie Devereaux
Sophie is an art and antiquities thief, using her skills at acting and manipulation to the highest degree. Now Sophie really wants to be an actress, but while awesome on the job, is horrible when on stage as she is too over the top. At one point in the series she left because she was mad at Nate and sent her friend Tara to take her place, but Tara was horrible. Luckily, Sophie came back and as the series progressed she and Nate started dating.
And last but not least we have the Thief, Parker
Parker has a very sad childhood, moving from foster home to foster home, and encountering a lot of abuse. At 12 she was trained by Archie Leach to become the best thief, pickpocket, safecracker, etc. But due to this childhood she doesn’t know how to talk to people, and instead closes herself off.
And has no clue on how to talk to others. As the series goes on she starts thinking of the Leverage crew as her family, and they try to help her as well. She starts to have feelings for Hardison, but is unable to express them well, which causes a very slooow courtship, but it is the cutest thing!
I love this show and think that any one out there who is a fan of sticking it to the man or just desserts, will love it as well.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
I’m going to do a whole separate post on this as part of my Happy Birthday Pride & Prejudice, so I don’t want to spend too much time on it here. I wasn’t even going to include it, but felt bad about leaving it out of my fandom list. It is a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice set as webisodes. I LOVED it so much and will continue writing on it later.
So I may be a nerd fanning out about this stuff, BUT…
So this will be my last post for a while on fandoms. I have to take a break as my Romance is in the Air: Part III, 14 Days of My Favorite Romantic Film Moments countdown for Valentine’s Day is coming up. As soon as I’m through with that I’ll bring back these fandom posts.
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