Small Tribute to HP

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"  

J.K. Rowling, "King's Cross," Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

The Hunger Games

I just finished The Hunger Games series, and in the words of the legendary news anchor Ron Burgandy, “I’m in a glass case of emotions!” Seriously guys, I do not know what to do with my emotions. The first thought to run through my mind was, “How are these books classifies as ‘Young Adult?’” Young adult, correct me if I am wrong, leads me to believe these books are for 12-16 year olds. Can someone fill me in on the “Young Adult” age? These books deal with a lot of mature, deep themes. As a 23 year old (well, almost anyways), I am having trouble sorting out my feelings for these books. Let me try to put into words what I mean, without giving anything away from the series, which I highly recommend you read. Yes you! It doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a boy, young or old, there is something to be taken away from The Hunger Games.

The main themes, I believe, of the series are war as well as peace. Is war productive or counter-productive? Does it really solve anything? Can there ever be peace in a war torn country? Can one ever really be at peace? These are interesting topics, considering as much as we might not realize it, the United States is currently involved in quite a few wars. The author, Suzanne Collins attributes her interest in the topic of war to her late father, Michael Collins. In the acknowledgments section of the last book of the series, Mockingjay, Ms. Collins shares that her father laid the foundation of the series for her growing up, “With his deep commitment to educating his children on war, and peace…” I thought the author must have some connection, or must have been deeply intrigued with war. I wonder if she hunts or shoots a bow and arrow, like the main character Katniss Everdeen. I would bet she does.

I would love to sit down with Suzanne Collins and pick her brain. The whole time I was reading this series I was wondering what she was thinking about as she was writing. Was she thinking about reality television and trying to warn us of the dangers? Was she trying to comment on the way we glamorize celebrities? Are we all just pieces of a game? There are so many different topics this series touches upon… I can’t even begin to write them all down. For fear of coming across as a complete nerd, I will end my post here. But I do have a few questions for you. Have you read The Hunger Games? What do you think about the series? Did you think the same things as me or do I have too much time on my hands? Let me know!!

PS- I purposely did not mention The Hunger Games being turned into a movie in this post. Look for a new post about the casting choices (specifically Peeta and Gale) coming soon!

Royal Style

Simple, understated, elegant, classy. This is a gorgeous dress, that I can bet you is going to be copied a thousand times over. 

And that is all I am going to say about the royal wedding.

Oh, and that I did some research because I was extremely curious, and Prince William's last name is Mountbatten-Windsor. Isn't it weird how that is such an unknown fact? Well now you know! 

Have a great weekend : )

Things I'm Excited About

Bossypants by Tina Fey: By now, I think it’s universally known (at least to Actualists) that I am a big fan of comedy. That is why I am beyond excited to read Tina Fey’s new book, Bossypants, which came out April 5th. Tina Fey is a pioneer in comedy. The self-proclaimed “supernerd” was the first female head writer in Saturday Night Live history. As a line from the book reads, “Only in comedy does an obedient white girl from the suburbs count as diversity.” She was also a co-anchor of Weekend Update, along side Jimmy Fallon. She created the smart and hilarious 30-minute situation comedy 30 Rock, which is part of NBC’s Thursday night comedy line up. She also wrote and starred in a little movie called “Mean Girls,” which grossed over an estimated $86,049,418 in the United States alone. Oh yeah, and she has a husband and daughter and is pregnant with her second child. Tina Fey has become a household name but she comes from humble beginnings. She leaves a trail of laughter everywhere she goes, which is why I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Bossypants and possibly pretend Tina herself is reading it to me.  

I could do without the creepy hands

Will Ferrell on The Office: Bare with me, Actualists- I realize my love for Saturday Night Live alumni is shining through a bit in this post. I feel as though this season, despite being Steve Carell’s last, has been missing something. I’ve found myself bored and slightly annoyed with the Michael/Holly storyline, as cute as it is… or rather, as it’s supposed to be. The old, goofy, daffy, self proclaimed world’s best boss has been missing from the recent episodes and I believe Will Ferrell will bring all of the old Michael Scott energy back to the office. I guess we’ll have to tune in on Thursday night to find out!    

Yes please!

Return of Glee: Two words for you- Jonathan Groff. I heard he’ll be back for at least one episode this season (probably the last) but that one episode will make this ridiculously long hiatus worth it.

Too cute for words

Adele in Concert at the House of Blues, Boston: …Oh wait… I’m not going! The tickets sold out in approximately two minutes, which I was not expecting at all. Can you imagine though- Adele and her amazingly beautiful voice in such an intimate setting? It sounds too good to be true, so I guess I will continue to pretend she’s not really coming to Boston and just keep listening to 21 non stop.

Sigh

“Bridesmaids”: Sorry, the SNL love fest continues. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, along with Rose Byrne, the always funny Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey, oh and JON HAMM round out the cast for this comedy, out May 13^th. I am beyond excited about it, so take a look at the trailer below. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint! Who wants to see it with me?

Emma Stone in “The Help”: Emma Stone is one of my favorite actresses, and someone I would love to be friends with. I think we would get along famously, don’t you agree? I am also beyond jealous she can rock any color hair, and make it look good. But back to her acting skills- so far we have seen her in mostly comedic roles. The Help is an extremely good book, and playing Skeeter Phelan will be no small task. She will be the main character and the whole movie’s success will be based on Emma’s performance. Hoewever, I believe Emma is the right girl for the job. She definitely has what it takes to carry the movie. I can’t wait to see it!

Emma as Skeeter 

“I Hate You, Dad”: Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg playing a father, son duo. With Leighton Meester, James Caan and Vanilla Ice attached to the project so far. Out next summer (2012). I will leave you with that. You’re welcome.

Dreams do come true

Why I Love Amy Poehler

It’s Hump Day everyone, so I thought I would treat you to an oldie but a goodie. I don’t know that there is anything better than this rap Amy Poehler performed back in 2008 on Weekend Update. I’ve been meaning to post this for a while because it is one of my favorite things. It never fails to make me laugh. Amy Poehler is incredible in it. First of all, I’m pretty sure she was 9 months pregnant. Yes, you read that correctly! She was about to pop a baby, yet she agreed to perform this hysterical rap written for Sarah Palin. And Amy performed the heck out of it. She was such a gangster! She executed everything perfectly, with such intensity and passion I felt like I was watching a real rapper, but then I remembered I was watching a 9-month pregnant, white woman. I had liked Amy Poehler before, but after this rap I knew she would forever be one of my favorite comedians. Check out the clip below. The rap starts around the 1 minute mark, and I apologize for the poor quality. For a better quality clip, head over to Hulu or NBC.com! Enjoy! And, if you don't watch Parks and Recreation, be sure to check it out on Thursdays!

The Great... Carey Mulligan?

While I was making my rounds on the celebrity gossip sites yesterday, something stirred inside of me as I realized Carey Mulligan is rumored to be dating Marcus Mumford, of the band Mumford and Sons. Is this the same girl who had previously snatched up my teenage dream, Shia Labeouf? YES! And now she is with Marcus Mumford, and Carey gets to see all the private Mumford & Sons show she wants! Not fair! Girlfriend sure knows how to pick 'em. Now, if her rebound from Mumford is with my other celebrity crush, Andy Sanberg, or she tries to go after my boyfriend, I'll know there is a serious problem!

Mulligan  

Mumford

Mulligan with Shia back in the day

Carey, stay away!

I have to admit, Carey is an extremely talented actress. I am curious as well as excited to see her portrayal of Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The film also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, as Gatsby himself and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. I heard a rumor that Bradley Cooper is in talks to play Tom Buchanan, which I hope becomes a reality because I believe he has what it takes to play that complicated character and it would be a drastic departure from his characters in such films as The Hangover, Wedding Crashers, He’s Just Not That Into You, etc (not that I don’t love him in these films!). The Great Gatsby will not be released until sometime in 2012 but I am already looking forward to it. I hope it does justice to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragically beautiful novel. If you haven’t read it (or have only read the Spark Notes), I strongly urge you to pick it up and try it again. It is a relatively quick read, full of drama, love, struggle, wealth, materialism, martial infidelity, jazz, parties, and style. Although it takes place in the Roaring Twenties, the themes still ring true to today. So go forth, Actualists, and discover all that is The Great Gatsby! 

Spider-Man, The Best Thing to Happen to Broadway?

Besides the most well known “warlock,” it seems that the other entertainment story plaguing the news these days has been the disaster that is Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. The musical has original songs and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, from the band U2. It was being directed by Julie Taymor, who created the Broadway hit The Lion King, which has grossed over $175 million since opening in 1997. She was a key component as to how Spider-Man attained a $65 million dollar budget, but her golden touch from The Lion King has not carried over. She has recently been replaced as director of the show. You would think with all the star power behind the musical, combined with its insane budget, the show would be a smash hit. Instead, the show has yet to open despite it’s original February 2010 release date.

The only statements I have heard about the Spider-Man musical have been about injuries acquired on the set, actors dropping out, directors being fired, and the insane budget. It seems every week there is another horror story about the musical. Saturday Night Live has had a field day with the musical during “Weekend Update,” and some of their best material has been from the failed Broadway show. You can check out the "interviews" on Hulu. Type in Weekend Update: Spiderman, and Weekend Update: Julie Taymor. Hilarious. 

Andy Samberg as Ryan Christopher, who plays Spider-Man

Kristen Wiig as Julie Taymor

Now, I can’t help but wonder if this “failure” of a musical could be the best thing that has happened to Broadway in a long time. Typically Broadway musicals don’t make the Nightly News, but Spider-Man has changed that. It seems like everyone knows about the failures on the Spider-Man set. Much like people can bond over their brackets for March Madness, the Spider-Man musical has turned into a lunch break conversation. Do you think something like this has ever happened to Broadway before? Have men and women, young and old, ever talked about Broadway musicals with such knowledge and opinions? I would venture a guess that this curiosity has had a positive impact on musical sales. Despite it’s many failures and negative press, I believe it is one of the best PR campaigns for Broadway. No press is bad press, and this musical is certainly proving that point. The Spider-Man musical has been the best thing that has happened to Broadway in a long time, and it is not even open yet! 

How do you think the musical will do when it finally opens?